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Tag: PDP governors

  • Gulak defies PDP governors, says I remain party chairman

    Gulak defies PDP governors, says I remain party chairman

    Former Political Adviser to ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak, has defied a directive by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors asking the party’s National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo to take over as National Chairman.

    The governors had ordered the Acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus,  to hand over to Oladipo following Wednesday’s invasion of the party’s secretariat by Gulak who declared himself chairman.

    In a reaction to the governors’ directive, contained in a statement issued on Thursday, Gulak said the governors were misadvised in asking Oladipo to take over the leadership of the party.

    “This is not only contrary to the Constitution of the PDP 2012 as amended, it is in flagrant contempt of the declarative judgment given by the FCT High Court on the 16th day of December, 2015 which clearly states “that under section 47 (6) of the 1st defendant’s (PDP) constitution, upon the resignation of the former National Chairman of the 1st defendant (PDP) from office, only, the plaintiff (Alhaji Barr. Ahmed Ali Gulak) or any other eligible members of the 1st defendant (PDP) from the North-East zone of Nigeria, where the said Chairman of the 1st defendant (PDP) originated is eligible to be appointed to act in that office pending elections into that office,” the statement said.

    According to Gulak, the National Secretary is precluded by the constitution of our party from chairing the National Executive Committee (NEC), the National Working Committee (NWC) and the caucuses of the party.

    He maintained that it is only the National Chairman that can chair these organs.

    “It is therefore clear that from the statement of the Chairman, PDP Governor’s Forum that the office of the National Chairman was vacant. And this has been cured by the pronouncement of the FCT High Court, Abuja.

    “The National Chairman uses this opportunity to appeal to our teeming members nationwide to remain calm and rally round this new leadership so that peace may reign in our party and together we will reposition our party on the path of glory.

    “The National Chairman of PDP has profound respect for the Chairman of the PDP Governor’s Forum and all its members,” the statement added.

  • PDP insists on Secondus as chairman

    PDP insists on Secondus as chairman

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has defied a directive by the party’s governors, asking the Acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, to hand over to the National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo.

    The governors, in a communiqué issued at the end of a meeting in Abuja Wednesday night, had ordered Secondus to hand over to Oladipo pending the emergence of a substantive chairman to be picked from the Northeast zone.

    But the party in a statement issued on Thursday by its National Legal Adviser, Mr. Victor Kwom, insisted that Secondus remains the Acting Chairman.

    The statement said, “The NWC of the PDP wishes to assure all members of the party nationwide that there has not been any change whatsoever in the leadership composition of the party at the national level.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the statutory organs of the party, the NWC, National Caucus, BoT and NEC will be meeting next week to deliberate on some developments including the replacement, from the North East of Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, who resigned as the National Chairman of the party.”

    The statement added that replacement will be in strict adherence to the provisions of the party’s constitution, as specified in section 47(6).

    “Until then, the status quo remains, which means the Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, remains as the Acting National Chairman.

    “Furthermore, it must be reiterated that all relevant stakeholders of our party, including the PDP Governor’s Forum, National Caucus and the Board of Trustees (BoT) as well as our leadership structures at all levels are united behind the current National Working Committee in the efforts to rebuild, reposition and strengthen our party for the challenges ahead,” the statement added.

  • …PDP governors kick

    The Peoples Democratic Party Governors Forum yesterday blamed the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) for  its lost cases at the Court of Appeal arising from the April 11 governorship elections.

    Reacting to yesterday’s nullification by the court of the election of Mr.Udom Emmanuel as governor of Akwa Ibom State,the forum  said the development was imed at taking control of “oil-producing states by all means necessary” by the APC.

    Citing a recent statement  by Governor  Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State that it was a national security risk for the oil-rich states to be controlled by the opposition,the PDP governors in a statement by the coordinator of the forum, Osaro Onaiwu,  said the judiciary must rise above partisan influence if it must protect not only its sanctity and integrity, but also the country’s democracy and rule of law.

    It said:“the nullification of the election of His Excellency, Governor Udom Emmanuel by the Court of Appeal on Friday in Abuja should worry all those who truly desire good for this country.

    “It is becoming increasingly clear that the APC is bent on foisting a one-party state in Nigeria and to do so, it is ready to compromise the judiciary, destroy every fibre of integrity and sanctity of the judicial process through state compromise of the judiciary.

    “For 16 years that the PDP governed, it respected the right to opposition and did not balkanise the judiciary as we have witnessed in the past seven months of the APC regime,” the governors said.

    The governors expressed confidence that the people of Akwa Ibom State would resist the “obnoxious decline into fascism as was demonstrated recently in Bayelsa State, where the people stood firm against state terror and attempted imposition by the APC”.

  • Bailout: PDP Governors warn CBN against partisanship

    State governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have warned the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) against partisanship in the disbursement of bailout funds to beneficiary states.

    The warning came on the heels of allegations by the PDP that the CBN has become a tool in the hands of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC)

    A statement issued on Friday by the coordinator of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Mr. Osaro Onaiwu, cited the refusal of the apex bank to release the bailout fund allotted to Kogi State.

    The statement said while the CBN did not delay in the disbursement of the funds to beneficiary states under the control of the APC, it has refused to disburse same to Kogi State which is under the control of the PDP.

    The governors lamented that the CBN has allowed itself to be dictated to by the ruling APC, saying that Kogi State had fulfilled all the requirements spelt out by the CBN for the release of the fund.

    “We urge the CBN to insulate itself from politics and the control of the ruling party if it does not want to create political and financial crises in the country.

    “How come almost all APC states that applied for bailout have gotten theirs but states like Kogi that has fulfilled all the requirements has been denied its share with no explanation from the CBN.

    “The CBN Governor, Mr. Godwin Emefiele, has to insulate the apex bank from the shenanigans of politicians to avoid serious political and economic dislocation in the country.

    “It is important and urgent that the CBN release the N50 billion bailout due to Kogi State to ease the suffering of the common people in the state,” the statement added.

  • PDP Governors, oil thieves behind opposition to Amaechi –Ayiri Emami

    A Niger Delta activist and member of the All Progressives Congress in Delta State, Chief Ayirimi Emami, has advised the Senator Bukola Saraki-led Senate and other members of the National Assembly not to succumb to blackmail against former governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi.

    Emami, in a letter to the Senate President, said the opposition to the screening of Amaechi by some politicians stemmed from his fervent support for President Muhammadu Buhari in the heat of the presidential election campaign and fear by some corrupt politicians in the region.

    He said state governors, who he alleged rigged election into offices on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), are jittery and apprehensive over the ministerial nomination of Amaechi because of the former Rivers’ governor’s antecedent and anti-corruption crusade.

    “I dare to say that all the hype against Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi’s nomination as minister is the handiwork of PDP governors and Senators from the Niger Delta who are afraid that if confirmed as minister, Chibuike Amaechi, alongside President Muhammadu Buhari, will ensure the eventual death of PDP in the region.

    “I am strongly convinced that the pockets of petitions against the ministerial nomination of Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi is as a result of several reasons, which include his passionate support for President Muhammadu Buhari and other APC candidates’ election amid frightening opposition in the Niger Delta where he hails from.

    “Governors in the Niger Delta on the platform of the PDP are scared of Rotimi Amaechi’s antecedents as defender of the oppressed and thus afraid that if he is in President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet, their maladministration and corrupt tendencies will be roundly exposed to the advantage of genuine, as well as right-thinking Nigerians.’’

    *Amaechi’s fight against militancy, illegal oil bunkering and other criminal activities in the Niger Delta while he was Governor of Rivers State, is also one of the several factors why sponsored protests and petitions are flying against his confirmation by the Senate as minister designate.

    “This is not unconnected with speculations that Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi may have been penciled down as a possible Minister of Niger Delta Affairs by President Muhammadu Buhari. He who comes with equity must come with clean hands. Amaechi’s traducers should clear up the mess in their names, rather than wrongly accusing a man who has zero tolerance for corruption.”

    Emami went on to appeal to the Senate President and other senators not to delay the clearance of Amaechi as a minister, stressing that everybody who has the interest of the nation at heart would do well to support those nominated by President Buhari.

  • PDP Governors mourn HID Awolowo

    Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have expressed sadness over the death of Chief (Mrs.) Hannah Idowu Dideolu Awolowo.

    The governors, under the aegis of PDP Governors’ Forum in a statement in Abuja on Monday, described Madam Awolowo’s death as the passage of the last Amazon.

    The statement, signed by the coordinator of the Forum, Earl Osaro Onaiwu, said the deceased displayed extraordinary courage during her lifetime.

    The statement said, “The PDP Governors’ Forum is saddened at the death of Chief (Mrs.) HID Awolowo, an amazon of extra ordinary courage, a worthy ally and confidante of the late Premier of the Western Region, Pa Obafemi Awolowo.

    “HID’s death has created a very large vacuum as she was the last amazon of women of valour that fought for the country’s independence. We are however consoled by the fact that she lived a life of exemplary conduct, wise counsel and was a stabilizing force.

    “On behalf of the PDP Governors’ Forum, I commiserate with the deceased family, people and government of Ogun State.”

     

  • Nigeria sliding into dictatorship – PDP governors

    Nigeria sliding into dictatorship – PDP governors

    Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday morning claimed that Nigeria is gradually sliding into dictatorship under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Rising from a meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum (PGF), held in the inner chamber of the Bayelsa State Governor’s office, Government House, Yenagoa, the governors decried the activities of the Department of State Security (DSS).

    After the meeting that lasted for over two hours, the governors led by their chairman and Governor of Ondo State, Mr. Olusegun Mimiko, condemned the alleged invasion of Akwa Ibom State Government House by the DSS.

    Reading the communiqué to journalists, Mimiko, said the action of the DSS was against the spirit, ethos, values and fundamental tenets of democratic norms and tradition especially with the existence of a duly elected and inaugurated governor of the state.

    He said: “We insist that the trend must stop henceforth. No democracy survives without a viable opposition in any part of the world and we must also remember to remind the APC members that they are the real beneficiaries of the liberal democratic ethos of the PDP.

    “We once more advise the DSS to preoccupy itself with the task of ensuring internal security and desist from daily harassing and intimidating members of the opposition.

    “We implore the international community, the civil society organisations and human rights activists to call the APC- led Federal Government to order and to insist that it respects the well entrenched democratic tradition.

    “We all have a duty to prevent what looks to us like a steady slide of this country into dictatorship.”

    Mimiko said the PDP governors were disturbed, alarmed and shocked by what he described as desecration, adding that the action of the DSS was an assault on democracy.

    He said the Akwa Ibom incident spelt doom and posed serious danger to the country’s fledgling democracy.

    He said the development was one of the continuous attempts by the APC-controlled government to stifle the opposition.

    Two governors and four deputy governors out of the 13 PDP-controlled states attended the meeting.

    The governors present at the meeting were Mimiko and the host, Seriake Dickson.

     

  • PDP governors, NWC split over Kogi governorship poll

    PDP governors, NWC split over Kogi governorship poll

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and members of its National Working Committee (NWC) are divided over whether or not to support Kogi State Governor Idris Wada for second term.

    The governors and the NWC are confused on how to prevent the All Progressives Congress (APC) from winning the governorship poll.

    The jostle for the ticket is between Wada and a former banker, Jibrin Isa Echocho.

    It was gathered that Governor Olusegun Mimiko, ex-Governors Liyel Imoke and Ibrahim Idris are supporting Wada.

    But Ekiti State Governor Ayodele Fayose, two governors and some NWC members prefer Echocho because of “his wider acceptance by PDP members and the electorate”.

    Mimiko, Imoke and Senator Iyiola Omisore had a long session with Echocho a few days ago to convince him to quit the race.

    At the session, the pro-Wada leaders said ordinarily the governor ought to have an automatic ticket – in line with the agreement between PDP governors and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan before the 2015 general elections.

    But Echocho vowed not to step down for Wada.

    A highly-placed source said: “The PDP is in disarray in Kogi State ahead of the governorship poll. Some PDP governors and NWC members are sharply divided on the choice of the party’s candidate.

    “Based on alleged low performance, some governors and NWC members believe that Wada’s candidacy is not sellable.

    “They said a survey conducted by the party indicated that the PDP might lose if Wada is fielded.

    “They said the ultimate target is to prevent the APC from winning the governorship poll.”

    These reasons accounted for the refusal of the NWC to concede automatic ticket to Wada.

    But Mimiko, Imoke, Idris and Omisore said Wada had done “reasonably well” and PDP could win the state again.

    Another source added: “Mimiko and others begged Echocho to step down for Wada, but he refused, saying they were trying to force him to go through his 2011 experience.

    “Echocho warned that PDP will lose if Wada is anointed as the candidate of the party,” said the source.

    Wada may have to slug it out at the primaries, if Echocho remains adamant.”

     

  • Why PDP governors will back Buhari – Emmanuel

    Why PDP governors will back Buhari – Emmanuel

    Akwa Ibom State governor,  Udom Emmanuel, on Thursday said governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have no option but to support the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari to succeed.

    He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting President Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He expressed delight at the way Buhari has been relating with governors irrespective of their political affiliations.

    The governor said: “The day you are elected, you are no more a PDP governor, you are a governor of a state in Nigeria. There is nothing like PDP or APC any longer.

    “People come out to elect you, party is just a platform in which you get to actually serve your people, the day you are elected and sworn in, you are sworn in as the governor of the whole state, the day you are sworn in, you were sworn in as the President of Nigeria.

    “He (President) welcomes all of us as the father of the whole nation, it has nothing to do with partisanship here, it has to do with the people, the nation is about the people.

    “Governance is about the people, we are just focusing on one project and for somebody like me, I have only one project at the back of my mind and that is the Akwa Ibom people project. The issue of partisanship does not occur here.”

    The governor explained that he was at the presidential villa to discuss with the President the problem of gully erosion faced by thye state which needed urgent intervention.

    He said the state government has intervened in the problem while expecting a refund from the Federal Government.

     

  • PDP governors, Ohanaeze back Deputy Senate President

    PDP governors, Ohanaeze back Deputy Senate President

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors have warned against “the intimidation and harassment” of Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu by the police allegedly on the orders of the Federal Government.

    The governors expressed their position in a statement by forum chairman, Ondo State Governor Olusegun Mimiko.

    The governors also declared support for the PDP’s criticism of the appointment of the acting Chairperson of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Mrs. Amina Zakari.

    Also yesterday, the Ohanaeze Ndigbo vowed to resist any attempt to harass Ekweremadu. The organisation also pledged to defend the senator over his election as the Deputy Senate President.

    Ohanaeze Ndigbo Secretary-General Dr. Joe Nwaorgu said:  ”We are watching closely what is happening at the national level and we want to let the world know that we are solidly behind our son, Ekweremadu.”