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2023 Zoning: Pressure mounts on Secondus as more PDP govs threaten defection

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… BoT, NASS caucus divided

The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has come under increasing pressure to declare its position on which of the zones will produce the party’s presidential flag bearer in the 2023 election.

The situation is not helped by threats by more governors elected on the platform of the party to switch camps if the party leadership fails to show more commitment to zoning the presidential ticket to the southern region.

The zoning problem was cited by Governor David Umahi of Ebonyi State for his recent defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Party sources said the situation has sent panic into the Uche Secondus-led NWC, prompting it to launch moves to placate protesting members of the party across the country to avoid losing more members to the APC.

Sources said the national leadership of the PDP decided to talk to aggrieved chieftains after it became obvious that the various organs of the party might not be able to stop a mass defection if the issue of zoning was not addressed urgently.

Umahi had, penultimate Tuesday, exposed how serious the defection threats within the PDP are when he dumped the party and pitched his tent with the APC.

He said his action was caused by the failure of the opposition party to cede the 2023 presidential ticket to the Southeast zone.

Sequel to the Umahi move, the party immediately convened a meeting of its National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja.

Speaking at the end of the meeting, the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, said “all 15 of us are here present.

“This is a clear statement that we are united and working towards strengthening our party for the future.”

Secondus sought to down play Umahi’s defection by describing it as a ‘one-off’ .

He said all other PDP governors were committed to staying in the party.

But sources at the meeting said some governors, National Assembly members and other chieftains of the party, especially from the three southern zones, have openly expressed dissatisfaction at the failure of the NWC to openly confirm the PDP’s readiness to respect its zoning arrangement in 2023.

“The NEC meeting was not as smooth and uneventful as the public was made to believe by the NWC,” a top source said.

He added: “It was a very frank moment for us all as many of our chieftains from the south blamed the gale of defection rocking the party in the zone on the silence of PDP leadership on the zoning debate.

“Governors and legislators from the zone urged the leadership to take a categorical stand on the matter there and then at the meeting to forestall further defections.

“A number of them actually said they would leave the party if the ticket was not given to the south.”

The NEC, it was gathered, rose without addressing the grievance of the complainants.

Continuing, the source said: “This development has further escalated the disaffections within the party as more members are now threatening to leave if the PDP leadership fails to publicly announce the zoning of its 2023 presidential ticket to the south.

“At the last count, no fewer than three southern governors have made it clear that they will leave the party if Secondus and the NWC fail to openly endorse the zoning of the 2023 presidential ticket to the south.

“One of the governors had, after the meeting, communicated to the NWC that it is the desire of the people of his state to support only a party that fields a southerner as its presidential candidate in 2023.

“It is clear that the communication is a way of telling the party what he plans to do very soon. I can also tell you that a delegation of a National Assembly caucus of the PDP recently met and told the national chairman that they would not appreciate anything short of outright zoning of the presidential ticket to the south.

“They came because, according to them, they are uncomfortable with the silence of the party on the matter.”

Contacted yesterday on the development, a member of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT) said he and majority of members of the board from the Southwest were unhappy at recent statements credited to the chairman of the BoT, Senator Walid Jibrin, on the zoning of the 2023 presidential ticket of the party.

“We are watching with keen interest,” the source said.

“PDP has always respected the zoning arrangement. We will not accept anything short of ceding the ticket to the south in 2023. That much was said by many individuals and groups at the NEC meeting. It is in everybody’s interest for us to take action quickly.”

Our correspondence gathered that a recent move by some National Assembly members to edge the PDP NASS caucus towards urging the leadership of the party to officially announce the zoning of the 2023 presidential ticket to the south was unsuccessful as the legislators were sharply divided by the motion.

“While majority of the lawmakers from the south supported the idea as a way of forestalling further defections from the party, a sizeable number of their counterparts from the north saw no need for such ‘interference in the business of the NWC by the caucus,’” one source said.

The source said the national chairman, who also understands that besides the threats of defections, the ongoing agitations will also affect his second term ambition, is under immense pressure to find a way of placating the protesting governors and their supporters across the country.

“The challenge Secondus currently faces is the fact that there are two sides to the ongoing agitation. Just as many party chieftains want the NWC to cede its presidential ticket to the south, numerous others will kick against such announcement should the PDP leadership make such announcement,” the source said.

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2027 Elections: Controversy Rocks Coalition as Bode George Slams Atiku, Obi — “You Can’t Serve Two Masters”

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Formet Vice President Atiku Abubakar, former Senate President David Mark and other promoters of the coalition under African Democratic Congress (ADC) yesterday came under further attacks for what a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olabode George, called seeking to serve two masters.

George, a former Deputy National Chairman of PDP, accused Atiku and other party members of moving into ADC without resigning from the party.

He said it was bad enough that Atiku and Mark in particular had to abandon the PDP to its fate after precipitating the crisis that has turned the party into a shadow of its former self.

Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu described the anti-Tinubu coalition as a political distraction which is bound to fail.

Chief George, speaking on Channels Television, said: “You can’t serve two masters, as stated in the Holy Book. You either serve A or you serve B. But to say you are in A and B is a fallacy.”

 

He alleged that Mark and Atiku were some of the architects of the crisis rocking the PDP.

 

Continuing, he said: “It is nothing but existential imbecility. Or sometimes what is called existential docility. What is it that they are all going there?

“This is your father’s house. The house made you, brought you into the limelight. You gain every laurel and recognition from this same house. And because there is a little crisis, is leaving the cultural thing to do? No, you sit in there.

 

“If you have a house that is leaking, do you run out? No, you are the landlord.

 

“Do they have a concept? What is the strategy they have? That is a classless strategy.

“When we had the last convention, General Buhari had just finished eight years. Then Atiku Abubakar wanted to compete (but) we said no; a northerner had just finished eight years. We had (Peter) Obi in the South. This was the beginning of the crisis.

 

“David Mark was the chairman of that convention and Iyorchia Ayu was the chairman of the party. Of course, you cannot do things like that and get away with it. I warned against it at that point.”

 

Leave LP now, join Obi in ADC, Abure tells Gov Otti

Abure in a statement yesterday asked Otti to stop deceiving the public that he has not joined the other faction’s Caretaker Committee in the coalition party.

The leadership of the LP, according to him, is in a hurry to recalibrate the party ahead of 2027.

Abure said the LP would not fall for Otti’s deception again.

“How can he be in the Labour Party when recently he conducted the local government election in Abia State with Zenith Labour Party as his party?” he wondered.

He added: “He should not think that every Nigerian is bereft of knowledge. He formed and is funding the illegal caretaker committee that has formally joined the ADC.

 

“The icing on the cake was the Wednesday unveiling of the coalition where every member of the caretaker committee formally joined the ADC.

 

“We are shocked that Otti is paradoxically trying to mislead members of the Labour Party to say that he is still a member of the Labour Party. In any event, we had earlier suspended him indefinitely from the party because of his anti-party activities.

“Labour Party is on the move again. We have the best brand in Nigeria, and we are eager to engage young Nigerians who have the interest of the nation at heart.

 

“We are therefore willing to let go of everyone, no matter how high, whose interest in Nigeria is self-driven, opportunistic politicians who are not principled.

 

“Labour Party is not and cannot be in any coalition because coalitions of political parties are ideologically bereft. It is a marriage of political strange fellows whose only agenda is power-grabbing.

“It is selfish in nature, and no true democrat will agree to such an amalgam. Labour Party is therefore in a hurry to sanitise itself of people without character.”

 

Sanwo-Olu: Anti-Tinubu coalition will fail

 

Governor Sanwo-Olu told a group of journalists and politicians in Lagos Nigerians would support President Bola Tinubu to ensure that the gains of his bold reforms are fully realised.

He described the ADC as nothing but a mere distraction which President Tinubu should ignore.

“Nigerians will never go back to Egypt,” Sanwo-Olu said.

 

“The target is to distract the Commander-in-Chief and derail the social and economic gains that we can see and feel. But President Tinubu knows the game and will never fall for their bait.”

 

In Sanwo-Olu’s view, President Tinubu’s track record, achievements and reform agenda are strong enough to stand above any narrative being crafted to derail his administration or his prospects for re-election.

He cited the stability in the foreign exchange market, students loan scheme, massive infrastructural projects, more revenue for states  after the removal of fuel subsidy, tax reforms, increased oil production and the national minimum wage, among others.

 

“President Tinubu is not only a builder of men but a visionary leader whose impact is evident across the nation,” Sanwo-Olu said.

 

Asked if the President and his All Progressives Congress (APC) were bothered about ADC and its promoters, Sanwo-Olu said: “No one should be concerned or distracted by what ADC or any other group is attempting to orchestrate. The truth is clear, the people can see the difference, and history is on his side.

“They have nothing but bitterness to offer; they are bound together by their illogical resentment against President Tinubu, not by any edifying ideology. They will run out of steam.

Asked what advice he had for the President, the governor said:”Simple. The President should stay the course. Millions of well-meaning Nigerians across party lines and compatriots who understand what it takes to govern the most populous black nation on earth and revive a troubled economy are behind him and trust his leadership.”

“We know how far we’ve come under President Tinubu’s leadership. The focus should remain on delivering results, deepening reforms and building a stronger Nigeria. Any attempt to shake that foundation will be futile.”

Coalition proof Tinubu’s policies ended business as usual, says Lloyd

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Chidi Lloyd, said that the ongoing coalition against President Bola Tinubu is a proof that the President’s policies are working, effective and no longer business as usual.

 

Lloyd, former Emohua Local Government Chairman in Rivers State, said the coalition would only compel many Nigerians to believe in the administration of Tinubu because his policies had displaced established politicians.

 

He said the fact that most individuals, who had held various offices in the country without making significant positive impact, were forced out of their comfort zone for a coalition, was an indication that the country was getting it right.

Describing the coalition as dead on arrival, Lloyd said all members of the group were not foreigners but known old politicians who have been in the corridors of power since 1999.

 

He said Nigerians were wiser now and would not allow same people that foisted a system that never worked on them to return to power.

 

He took a swipe at some individual members of the coalition, saying they lacked moral rectitude to preach to Nigerians about a better country.

Lloyd said: “The coalition is dead on arrival. We didn’t see any foreigner. If the coalition were formed by citizens of America or Britain, we would have been worried. The coalition still has the same faces, the same old faces since 1999.

 

“I agree that what we have is a gathering of displaced politicians. We have a former vice-president; we have someone that was a Senate President for eight years. He was in a position to change Nigeria. His daughter won an election under an opposition party. It means his own political party is not popular in his federal constituency. “

 

 ADA Registration: Northern groups tackle El-Rufai, Amaechi over comments on INEC

The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF) and the Northern Awareness Network (NAN), yesterday faulted former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, for accusing the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of frustrating the registration of the All Democratic Alliance (ADA).

The AYCF in a statement by its President-General, Yerima Shettima, said Nigeria’s electoral process is governed by clear rules and procedures meant to uphold transparency, fairness and accountability, insisting that Amaechi’s claims of deliberate obstruction by INEC were not only baseless but also reflected a poor understanding of the registration framework.

 

“INEC’s requirements, such as submission of office addresses and proper identification of party officers, are standard protocols that all parties must meet to be duly registered,” Shettima noted.

 

“It is critical that all political entities, including the ADA, comply with these guidelines to preserve the integrity of our democracy.”

The AYCF leader described as “disheartening” the resort by Amaechi and El-Rufai to what he termed sensational claims, instead of focusing on addressing the substantive compliance issues facing their new party.

 

“The ADA’s struggles to meet INEC’s clear requirements should not be twisted into tales of bias or conspiracy by the commission,” Shettima stressed.

 

“What we see here is a need for diligent preparation on the part of political actors.”

On his part, Chairman of NAN, Salihu Suleiman, warned that expecting INEC to compromise its standards for ADA would be unrealistic and a dangerous subversion of democratic principles.

 

Suleiman said El-Rufai’s skepticism over INEC’s willingness to register the ADA typified a growing habit among some political leaders to question electoral institutions instead of engaging them constructively. He cautioned that such rhetoric could undermine trust in the electoral process and disenfranchise voters.

 

Both groups urged Amaechi, El-Rufai and other political actors to exercise restraint in their public statements, build trust in democratic institutions and approach their political ambitions within the framework of established laws. They reiterated their commitment to supporting a fair, transparent and credible electoral process in Nigeria

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Breaking : APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, Resigns

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Ganduje, a former Governor of Kano State, cited health reasons for his resignation, stating that he needs to “focus on his well-being.”

Mr. Ganduje’s time as APC chairman has been fraught with controversy and internal challenges.

While his resignation letter attributes his decision to health-related concerns, sources close to the situation suggest that mounting political tensions within the party may have influenced his move to step aside.

There have also been allegations of financial misconduct tied to his leadership, with some party members reportedly protesting against what they described as “excessive financial demands” from his office

 

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BREAKING: At last, Fubara meets with Amaewhule, Rivers lawmakers, as they shared jokes and laughter

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Suspended Rivers Governor Siminalayi Fubarahas met with the suspended Speaker of the House of Assembly, Martins Amaewhule and other aggrieved state lawmakers.

Multiple sources confirmed on Thursday evening the meeting held and ended with Fubara holding the hands of Amaewhule as they shared jokes and laughter.

It was gathered that the meeting, which was held in Abuja, was the first reconciliatory move between the governor and the state lawmakers.

A source, who spoke in confidence, said Fubara’s engagement with the lawmakers was fruitful but added that an enlarged peace meeting would hold to discuss peace terms.

“The suspended Governor is determined to make peace. He has started the real engagement,” the source said.Fubara was suspended from office on March 19 following a state of emergency declared by President Bola Tinubu and ratified by the National Assembly to stop the escalating political crisis in the state.

 

The President appointed former Naval Chief, Vice-Admiral lbok Ete-Ibas for the first six months as an administrator for Rivers to allow the warring politicians to reconcile their differences.

 

Though Fubara had met with his estranged benefactor, Nyesom Wike and President Tinubu on the Rivers situation, the Thursday meeting he held with the lawmakers was said to be the most important step towards genuine reconciliation.

Wike had said on different occasions that to actualise genuine reconciliation Fubara must meet with the various stakeholders he offended especially members of the House of Assembly, whom he withheld their salaries and allowances for over two years.

 

It was learnt the Thursday elicited applauses from various stakeholders in the state including the simplified family of Fubara with many of them describing it as a step in the right direction.

 

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