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Tag: PDP chair

  • Southsouth governors insist on Secondus for PDP chair

    Southsouth governors insist on Secondus for PDP chair

    No special concession for Atiku, says Makarfi

    •For PDP, it’s a week of anxiety
    •Will PDP convention be hitch-free?
    •Why Atiku may not vote at PDP convention
    •I’m most qualified to lead PDP, says Secondus
    •George preaches unity as Lagos endorses him

    Southsouth Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders yesterday vowed to fight to the death for the party’s chairman.

    The zone’s governors and leaders said they would attend Saturday’s  national convention as a united front. They are backing former Interim Chairman Uche Secondus for the coveted seat.

    Their stand has paved the way for a major crisis, with Southwest aspirants warming up to fight for the seat.

    The party chiefs spoke at the PDP Zonal Congress hosted in Port Harcourt by Governor Nyesom Wike.

    Besides Secondus and Chief Raymond Dokpesi, all other chairmanship aspirants are from the Southwest, which is seeking the micro zoning of the position to the region, being the only one yet to produce a chairman since the PDP was founded in 1998

    One of the Southsouth leaders and one-time Foreign Affairs Minister, Chief Tom Ikimi, said the PDP could not “afford to allow the Southwest produce the chairman because it is prone to crises.” He did not elaborate.

    Senate Minority Leader Senator Godswill Akpabio said for the stability of the PDP, it was necessary for the chairman to come from the Southsouth.

    “It is important we stabilise the PDP. That is why we need a chairman of PDP from the Southsouth, “ he said.

    Wike said the PDP was existing because of the “investment and commitment” of its Southsouth members and leaders.

    He urged PDP members from other zones to extend their gratitude to leaders and members of the PDP from the Southsouth for  their commitment to the party’s survival.

    He added: “If PDP leaders and members from the Southsouth are not committed, there wouldn’t have been PDP today.

    ”It is important that PDP members from other zones of the country congratulate Southsouth PDP members for their steadfastness at a time PDP was in crisis “.

    He urged PDP members from the Southsouth to remain resolute in their support for the party.

    ”We are going as a family and we will continue to work as a family.  We will not allow any external force to divide the Southsouth.  We will continue to be together, “ Wike said.

    Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson said: “We are in very trying times. We are in opposition, facing a very fierce and ruthless government at the Federal level. This is a time the governors need your support.”

    National Vice Chairman (Southsouth), Mr. Emmanuel Ogidi said that the Southsouth would work with other zones to strengthen the party.

  • South West group backs Secondus for PDP chair

    South West group backs Secondus for PDP chair

    A South West group, the Oodua Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Alliance, has thrown its weight behind Prince Uche Secondus as chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    In a statement, leader of the group, who is also a leader of PDP in Osun state, Hakeem Ogunsola, said the Southwest had proved it is unprepared for the party’s leadership with the plethora of aspirants the zone is parading for the top post at the December 9 convention.

    He declared: “The leadership of the party should go to the Southsouth, which is the main base of the PDP.

    “We want to note that rebuilding the PDP and winning power back in 2019 demand a chairman with solid home base, deep experience and capacity to face the power of incumbency. We need Prince Secondus to lead the electoral and political battles to rescue Nigeria and change the fake change.”

    “The Southwest does not need party chairmanship. If anything, we should rally round Prince Secondus and seek better offer in arrangement of national offices.

    “How can you be going for chairmanship when there are better bargaining to strike? How can you hope to lead the party when your zone is not a stronghold of the PDP? How can you even be taken seriously when many of your aspirants carry heavy baggage? We don’t want party chairman in Southwest. Let Secondus have it.”

    The group, which claimed to have members across the six south Western states, announced its resolve to mobilise the Yoruba axis of the PDP for Prince Secondus, describing the Rivers State politician as “tested, experienced and competent to lead the party.

    “Secondus has party leadership experience nobody can rival. He has the boldness, the national recognition, the will and the passion to pilot the affairs of the party. He is the best to lead the party at this critical time.”

  • Aspirants back call for micro zoning of PDP chair’s post

    Aspirants back call for micro zoning of PDP chair’s post

    The call for micro zoning of various positions being contested for at the December 9 convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has received a boost.

    Two aspirants from the north have said micro zoning of major party positions should not be jettisoned because it has helped the party to stabilize.

    National treasurer aspirant Aminu Bala said “Micro zoning has stabilised the party since inception. It was created by the founding fathers to allow people from all parts of the country to have access to political power. Macro zoning will not allow the major tribes to dominate the rest of the people.

    “So, the practice over the years is that major positions are shared by the six geo – political zones. Even within the zones, positions are micro-zoned among states”, Bala said.

    Deputy National Chairmanship aspirant, A.Y. Gombe said zoning had helped the PDP to stabilise and that it had helped the party to be truly national.

    “Micro zoning is also important. Like I am from the North East and in our zone, Adamawa/Taraba will produce National vice chairman, Borno / Yobe go for National Auditor while Gombe / Bauchi will go for Deputy National Chairman.

    “Since the party’s NEC said presidency is zoned to the North and the National Chairman is zoned to the South. The leaders in the South have to meet and zone the position to a particular zone if that has not been done, it should be done  before the convention”, he said.

    It would be recalled that the decision of the party leaders to zone the position of National Chairman to South West and South South has been causing ripples with many chairmanship aspirants from the South West crying foul because last year, it was agreed that the South West should produce the National chairman wondering what has changed between then and now.

    In another vein, Special Adviser on Political Matters to  a chairmanship aspirant Chief Olabode George, has denied that Chief George was removed as a member of the Board of Trustee (BoT)  because he is contesting for chairman.

    Mr. Uthman Shodipe- Dosunmu in a statement said  there is no iota of truth in the rumour.

    He said  George is a life member of   PDP BoT because of the position he held as a  Deputy National Chairman adding that he remained a member of BoT despite being in the race for national chairman.

    He said though the  Chairman of PDP BoT, Alhaji Walid Jibrin  had refuted the  alleged removal of George, there is the need to clarify the issue

    ”Members of BOTs of the party are not PDP party officers. Although, the interpretation of  section of the Constitution of PDP 2012 (as amended) did not define who a party officer is. However, Article 34 & 36 of the PDP Constitution created party offices. With exception of the Board of Trustee Chairman and Secretary who may be deemed as statutory party officers, all other members of the BoT are mere advisers of the party. See Article 32 (2) (a) of the PDO Constitution.

    “So,  Chief Olabode George as a member of BoT for life can contest for National Chairman without even resigning from his statutorily conferred privileged position of BoT life membership. He cannot even be barred by any organ not to contest; not even the BoT, NEC, NWC, Governors’ Forum, etc.

  • PDP chair: Adeniran kicks against electoral panels

    PDP chair: Adeniran kicks against electoral panels

    One of the aspirants for the chairmanship of the People’s Democratic Party ((PDP), Prof Tunde Adeniran, has kicked against the list of nominees for the conduct of ward delegate elections for the December 9 convention.

    The complaint is coming ahead of the meeting of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) on Thursday to approve the list of the National Convention Planning Committee.

    Adeniran complained that majority of the nominees are loyalists of one of the chairmanship aspirants, Prince Uche Secondus, stressing that the Rivers State born aspirant was being given undue advantage.

    Addressing newsmen in Abuja on Monday, the Director General of Adeniran’s Campaign Organisation, Alhaji Shehu Gabam, said the action has threatened the peace accord entered into by the eight chairmanship aspirants.

    “A particular state has members in that list and some of them are the leading campaigners for Prince Uche Secondus. We as campaign organisation were not consulted to bring one or two persons and I am sure other aspirants were not consulted too.

    “It is an indirect way of short-changing other aspirants. The spirit behind the MoU we signed have been violated, not by the aspirants but by the party managers”, Gabam said.

    Specifically, the Adeniran camp mentioned Senator George Sekibo, Mr. Austin Okpara, ThanGod Danagogo, Chief Kenneth Ubani, Emeka Ihedioha as some of the Secondus loyalists on the list.

    Continuing, the Adeniran camp said, “Now you have just one chairmanship aspirant having his men deeply entrenched in a system that would determine how the delegates will emerge.

    “The party created the division among the aspirants. The party should provide equal base for all aspirants and I want to say that we disagree with the composition of this list”.

    Adeniran urged the party leadership to steer clear of impunity and imposition of candidates, saying the PDP must learn from past mistakes.

    The camp insisted of having the party chairman elected from the South West geopolitical zone, considering the huge electoral value of the zone.

    It stated that rotation of party offices should not be optional, adding that the South West would be left without any significant position in the party if it failed to produce the next chairman.

    The camp rejected the call by the Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose for shadow primary elections for aspirants from the South West, saying the governor had already taken sides.

    Reacting, the Caretaker Committee of the PDP said it has already received a petition from Adeniran on the matter but that the leadership of the party was yet to discuss the petition.

    “We have received a petition written by Prof Adeniran on the matter and the Caretaker Committee will meet to discuss the petition this week”, spokesman of the PDP, Prince Dayo Adeyeye told our correspondent on the telephone on Monday.

  • PDP chair: Dokpesi flays BoT members’ role

    PDP chair: Dokpesi flays BoT members’ role

    ONE of the aspirants in the race for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, has knocked some members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) for campaigning for some of the chairmanship aspirants.

    Dokpesi, who accused the BoT members of trying to hijack the party ahead of the national convention, also faulted attempts by the BoT members in the Southwest to exclude some aspirants from the race.

    He called on members of the BoT wishing to become national chairman to first relinquish their seats in the BoT and join the race.

    Chief Bode George and Prof. Tunde Adeniran are two members of the BoT in the chairmanship race.

    Speaking at the party’s Abuja secretariat after returning his nomination papers, Dokpesi stressed the need for the PDP to have a chairman strong enough to lead the party to victory in the 2019 general elections.

    “Members of the BoT want to take over the party. Some people want to use the BoT to take over the day-to-day running of the party.

    “Members of the BoT have been going round with some aspirants. They have been meeting delegates and stakeholders of the party.

    Some of them (BoT members) smart as they are, are peddling rumours that the BoT has endorsed some aspirants as their choice of national chairman. But we know that the BoT has not met,” he said.

    Dokpesi said it’s wrong to exclude the aspirants without consulting them.

    In a document dated November 3 and signed by Alhaji Shuaibu Oyedokun, the Southwest BoT had cleared Chief Olabode George, Prof. Tunde Adeniran and Prof. Taoheed Adedoja for the race.

    Other aspirants like Otunba Gbenga Daniel, Alhaji Rashidi Ladoja, Mr. Jimi Agbaje, Mr. Akintayo Akin-Deko and Prof. Wale Oladipo were excluded from the race.

  • PDP chair: George, Adeniran, Adedoja intensify lobbying

    PDP chair: George, Adeniran, Adedoja intensify lobbying

    •Reps PDP Caucus to meet aspirants 

    Aspirants seeking the position of national chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have intensified lobbying by taking their campaign to the doorsteps of prominent chieftains of the party for endorsement.

    The aspirants have also made inroads into the various delegate blocs across the six geopolitical zones with the view to gaining advantage over one another.

    Leading the vote-chasing shuttles are Prof Tunde Adeniran, Chief Olabode George and Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, who have visited the homes of a good number of party elders in the past few days.

    Receiving Adeniran in his Abuja residence at the weekend, one of the founding fathers of the PDP, Mallam Adamu Ciroma, described the former Education minister as a man that can be trusted with the job.

    Ciroma said he could safely judge Adeniran by his pedigree, track-record of discipline, integrity and loyalty to the course of the party and the country at large.

    The elder statesman said he had followed the politician’s career with keen interest, since his days as a lecturer at the University of Ibadan.

    He observed that Adeniran distinguished himself when he served as Secretary of the Mass Mobilisation for Self-Reliance, Social Justice and Economic Recovery (MAMSER) in the 1990s.

    Those that accompanied Adeniran on the visit to Ciroma included Prof. Jerry Gana, Ibrahim Mantu, Zainab Maina, Tom Aguiyi-Ironsi among others.

    On the other hand, George also met with a number of chairmen of state chapters of the PDP at the Druz Resort and Events Centre in Abuja at the weekend.

    Describing the meeting as part of his nationwide consultations with party stakeholders, George informed the gathering of his desire to create a special platform for the purpose of mentoring the youths for leadership positions.

    According to him, it has become imperative for the older generation to initiate a credible leadership succession line for the younger generation of leaders to step in.

    On his part, Prof Adedoja visited former President Ibrahim Babangida, former President Olusegun Obasanjo and many others as part of his consultations.

    Adedoja, at the weekend, met with key party stakeholders from the Northcentral geopolitical zone and held discussions with interest groups from the Northeast and the Northwest.

    As part of his campaign strategy to sell his candidacy to delegates of Northern extraction, Adedoja has resorted to communicating with his targets in Hausa language.

    The House of Representatives’ PDP Caucus is set to meet the last batch of the party’s chairmanship aspirants tomorrow.

    The caucus, which met with the first batch on Wednesday, is to meet with former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel, former Oyo State Governor Rasheed Ladoja, former Minister of Sports and Youth Development Prof. Taoheed Adedoja and former PDP Lagos State governorship candidate Jimi Agbaje.

  • Lamido visits detained PDP chair in prison

    Former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, at the weekend, visited the detained Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Alhaji Salisu Mamuda Ku’it, and his former commissioners at Kiyawa prison.
    Addressing reporters after the visit, Lamido said no level of intimidation and harassment by Governor Badaru Abubakar will make the PDP lose the local government election.
    The ex-governor accused the current administration of ‘selective trial’, by its refusal to try some people because they defected to the All progressives Congress (APC).
    The former commissioners – Nasiru Umar, Salisu Sale Indirawa, and council chairmen – Muktar Ibrahim, Abba Mohd and Shehu Umar Chamo- were remanded last Thursday after their arraignment at the Dutse Chief Magistrates’ Court II.
    They were charged for criminal conspiracy, criminal breach of trust by public servant, disobeying direction of the law with intent to cause injury to the public, theft and forgery, when they were public office holders.
    Lamido said; “It is simply a ploy to intimidate, terrorise, malign and demean PDP so that it can be broken. No power on earth can avert what God ordained,’’ Lamido added.
    Lamido is currently on bail after being detained for three months after the government accused him of making inciteful statements.

  • Rivers rerun: PDP chair, Abe disagree on petition

    Rivers rerun: PDP chair, Abe disagree on petition

    The Rivers State chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Felix Obuah, and the senator representing Rivers Southeast, Magnus Abe, have disagreed on the plan of the party’s candidate to approach the Election Petitions Tribunal over the outcome of the December 10 last year’s legislative rerun.
    Obuah, yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, hinted that the party would challenge Abe’s declaration as the senator-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
    Abe, a former Secretary to the Rivers State Government (SSG) in the previous Rotimi Amaechi’s administration, said he had nothing to fear about Obuah’s decision and the party’s candidates to challenge the outcome of the rerun at the tribunal.
    The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate said it was PDP’s right to challenge the result, if it had legal grounds to do so.
    But he said the challenger would fail again, since the electorate in his senatorial district massively voted for him and other APC candidates.
    Obuah said: “The declaration of Abe as winner in the purported election was a grave error, as available records show that the military, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) personnel and other security agencies massively rigged the election in Rivers Southeast Senatorial District on December 10, 2016, in favour of Mr. Abe.
    “The right of the people of Rivers Southeast Senatorial District to select the candidate of their choice, through the ballot box, is sacrosanct and must not be toyed with. The PDP will never rest until this injustice against the people is addressed and the opportunity to have a candidate of their choice given to them, as of right.
    “The PDP has sufficient evidence to show that what happened in the Rivers Southeast Senatorial District on December 10, last year, was nothing but a display of military bravado against the PDP and the Ogoni as orchestrated by the combined forces of Abe and Barry Mpigi (an APC chieftain) on one hand and SARS operatives, policemen and soldiers on the other.”
    The Rivers PDP chairman also said he was optimistic that members of his party would have the last laugh at the tribunal.
    According to him, Abe is only a caretaker senator of the APC who was allegedly smuggled into the Senate with the connivance of INEC, SARS, the Army and the police.
    Obuah said his tenure in the Senate would be short-lived.
    The PDP chairman urged residents of Rivers Southeast Senatorial District, especially the party’s candidate, Olaka Nwogu, to remain calm and hopeful.
    He said anything taken through the backdoor would not stand.
    Obuah expressed optimism that Nwogu would reclaim his mandate.
    He said: “Abe’s desperation for power will soon be exposed as evidenced by his recent clandestine activities. Abe has, in the past weeks, been concocting results in his private home, just to ensure that they tally with the figures manufactured for him by INEC.
    “This is part of the measures being taken by the caretaker senator on his fraudulent declaration by the INEC, being challenged by the PDP.”
    But Abe, a lawyer, who was the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Petroleum (Downstream) in the Seventh National Assembly, described Obuah as a liar.
    The senator-elect said he never concocted any result, adding that since his people loved him, he would always win elections in the senatorial district.
    He said: “My problem with PDP, his Rivers Chairman and Wike is that they do not want the people to exercise their freedom in the choice of their candidates. Rather, they prefer to intimidate the people and select winners.
    “My election shows that the will of the people will triumph, if only the Nigerian state will protect and guarantee their right of freedom against enemies of democracy.
    “Nigeria is a democracy and the main ingredient of democracy is freedom. People must be free to do what they want to do. People cannot be threatened over what they believe. People cannot be killed over which political party they choose to associate with.”
    The APC chieftain also expressed optimism that he would still emerge victorious at the tribunal.
    He advised his teeming supporters and other Rivers residents to ignore what he called the lies by Wike, Obuah and their supporters.

  • PDP chair: I ‘m contesting to win, says Agbaje

    PDP chair: I ‘m contesting to win, says Agbaje

    A former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate for Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje has declared that he will win the party’s national chairmanship position in the August 17 convention.

    Agbaje, who made the declaration shortly after he collected his nomination papers in Abuja yesterday, said: “I will not be contesting if I know I will not win.”

    The aspirant said he is not intimidated by the presence of political old horses in the race, saying the field is open to everyone that believes they can win.

    He stressed that with him as chairman, the PDP would get a new lease of life.

    “We are going to get back the power we lost at the centre and all the states we lost come 2019. Of course, we made mistakes in the past and the time has come for us to correct the mistakes,” he stated.

    Agbaje added that the job of reconciling aggrieved party chieftains and members across the country would be easier under his leadership, pointing out that he did not belong to any faction.

    He promised to run an all-inclusive administration that would bring members under the same umbrella, adding that the party must be united to enable it play the role of viable opposition.

    Agbaje ruled out consensus arrangement in the contest, saying that consensus is always very difficult to achieve.

    The position has been zoned to Lagos and Ogun states.

    “I believe the field should be open for all interested aspirants to contest. You can even decide to run against the tide, if the position is not zoned to your area. You have the right to test your popularity at the convention ground,” Agbaje stated.

    The chairmanship aspirant said he was still consulting with key stakeholders on his aspiration, adding that he had met only five of the party’s 12 governors.

    One of the party’s governorship aspirants in Ondo State, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede, was also at the party’s temporary office to return his nomination papers.

    Speaking with reporters shortly after, Jegede said he would de-emphasise reliance on federal allocation by opening up avenues for Internally Generated Revenue.

     

     

  • Sheriff: I ‘ll quit PDP chair in May

    Sheriff: I ‘ll quit PDP chair in May

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff has pledged to relinquish his position in May, in line with the directive of the party’s principal organs.

    “I will not stay a day longer than the period prescribed for me by the Board of Trustees, the National Executive Committee, the National Assembly Caucus, the PDP Governors Forum and the constitution of our party.

    “Within the next few days, I’ll put in place programmes for party congresses and convention that will stand the test of time,” Sheriff declared.

    The PDP National Chairman spoke yesterday at the party’s national secretariat, while receiving some former members of the House of Representatives, led by ex-Deputy Speaker, Mr. Emeka Ihedioha.

    Sheriff said events in the party within the past few weeks, leading to his emergence as chairman, had aroused the consciousness of Nigerians and the international community.

    Describing himself as a man of character and integrity, the party’s chairman said he would soon start consultations with the key organs of the party, with the view to coming up with programme for the national convention.

    Addressing the executive members of the Benue State PDP chapter, who also visited him, Sheriff described a rally held by the Benue State All Progressives Congress (APC) as shameful.

    “You don’t hold a rally after losing election. Rather, you should be sober for losing election with a margin of over 10, 000 votes,” Sheriff said.

    The rally was held to protest what the APC described as irregularities in the conduct of the Benue South rerun election won by PDP candidate Senator David Mark.

    The Benue delegation had complained of harassment and intimidation by the state APC, alleging that state apparatus was being used by the state government to persecute PDP members.

    State PDP Chairman Mr. Emmanuel Agbo, who led the delegation, expressed apprehension over the arrest and detention of former Interior Minister Mr. Abba Moro.

    Moro, who is the Director General of David Mark’s senatorial campaign, is being held for the 2014 Immigration recruitment scam in which 19 applicants were trampled to death at recruitment centres.

    Agbo also complained about continued attacks on the Agatu community in the state, saying they were being persecuted for voting for Mark in February 20 rerun election.

    Sheriff promised to take up the matter with the Inspector General of Police, Mr. Solomon Arase.