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Tag: PDP members

  • PDP members regroup for 2019

  • Dino Melaye: Low turnout at recall signature verification

    •Says ‘police should respect Dino Melaye’s rights’
    •‘Process is mere APC vs APC agenda’

    Members of the Peoples Democratic Party are not part of the agenda of the recall exercise aimed towards removing Senator Dino Melaye from office, a PDP member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Teejay Yusuf, has said.

    Yusuf, who represents Kabba-Bunu/Ijumu Federal Constituency of Kogi State that includes Senator Dino Melaye’s hometown, told reporters in Abuja that the process is a mere APC agenda, adding that it is disturbing that a party that promises progressive change is massively rooted in anti-democratic practices and mere manipulations.

    Speaking on the allegations and counter allegations that ensued between the Nigerian Police Force and Senator Dino Melaye, which led to the hospitalisation of the Kogi-born lawmaker, Hon. Yusuf Tajudeen said the two parties must respect and maintain rule of law.

    “As the representative of Senator Dino Melaye in the Green Chamber, it is expedient that I advise the Nigerian Police Force to ensure that they exhibit the highest degree of fairness, equity, sincerity and justice in addition to respecting the rule of law in this matter.

    “As a citizen of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and as a Senator, Senator Dino Melaye has fundamental human rights and the police must strive to acknowledge this,” Yusuf said.

    Counseling both the police and the Senator to explore some measure of compromise, he urged the Inspector-General of Police, Mr. Ibrahim Kpotum Idris to ensure that his men do not maltreat the Senator.

    While it is a fact that nobody is above the law, the Nigerian Police Force must ensure that it follows due process in carrying out its responsibilities.

    “I specifically appeal to the Inspector General of Police to do everything within the ambit of law and in good conscience to ensure that his officers and men do not do anything illegal or immoral which has the potential to further compound the strained relationship between the National Assembly and Nigerian Police Force,” he added.

  • PDP members defect to APC in Rivers

    Many non-indigenes, mainly of the Hausa community in Ndoni, Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area (ONELGA) of Rivers State, have defected from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The defection in Ndoni took place barely one week after some members of the PDP defected to the APC in Omoku, headquarters of ONELGA.

    A chieftain of the APC, Prof. Henry Ugboma, who is the chief medical director (CMD) of the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), received the defectors on Saturday at Ndoni, where he and a former Rivers governor, Dr. Peter Odili, one of the leaders of the PDP, hail from.

    Some of the defectors stated that they are happy with the Rivers APC’s leadership of Rotimi Amaechi, minister for Transportation and Ugboma.

    Leader of the defectors, Shaibu Abubakar, said: “We pledge to work for the interest of APC and we request the leadership of APC to assist us to prevail on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to release our Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), which we are yet to receive, after being registered.”

    The CMD of UPTH assured the defectors that the violence that prevented them from voting in 2015 would not be allowed next year.

    Ugboma said: “The killers who prevented you from voting in 2015 have been neutralised and their sponsors will also face the music. The poor performance of the PDP in Rivers State has provided room for APC to win all the elections in 2019. We will ensure you receive your PVCs.”

    APC Chairman in ONELGA Felix Okoro-Ejeje assured the defectors of equal opportunities, urging those yet to register, to to get their PVCs before the elections.

     

     

  • Buhari Campaign DG: PDP members call for Amaechi’s resignation

    Buhari Campaign DG: PDP members call for Amaechi’s resignation

    •’They are afraid of another defeat in 2019’

    Rivers State Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Davies Ikanya, has stated that the people, especially members of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who are calling for the resignation of Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, in view of his reappointment as the Director-General of Buhari/Osinbajo Re-election Campaign Organisation, are afraid of another defeat in 2019.

    He also described the reappointment Amaechi, a former Governor of Rivers State, as not only a good omen and an affirmation of his greatness, in terms of his ability in human organisation, but also acceptance of the fact that the transportation minister has all it takes to once again lead the party to victory.

    Ikanya, through his Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on Media and Public Affairs Consultant, Chief EzeChukwuemeka Eze, yesterday in Port Harcourt, noted that asking Amaechi to resign, not minding the revolution he is igniting in the transportation sector, was the ranting of frightened and defeated foes, who were being cowed by the person and the capability of Amaechi.

    He said: “We are totally convinced that Amaechi will succeed in this onerous task, not minding the arduous nature of the present task, in view of how far PDP members have gone in poisoning the minds of some Nigerians against the Muhammadu  Buhari’s administration, in its efforts to correct the wrongs of PDP leaders, in the 16 years (1999-2015) of misfortune leadership of Nigeria.

    “We sympathise with PDP members, as it will take them to do more than they are currently doing, to wrestle power from the APC. Besides, Amaechi needs not resign his office, as there is no constitutional backing to that effect, only that PDP members and their cohorts are afraid of the visionary and revolutionary trends of Amaechi

    “If Amaechi could lead APC to victory in 2015, when PDP was in power, defeating the party (PDP) now that it is in disarray and in the hands of those that impoverished our people through looting of our common patrimony with impunity, the task before Amaechi and his team becomes much easier to achieve.

    “The task of ensuring that PDP members and their co-looters are kept at bay from the centre of power should not be left in the hands of Amaechi and his team, but every patriotic Nigerian must assist and cooperate to ensure the success of the venture, so that President Muhammadu Buhari will continue in his mission of rebuild Nigeria to a better country, as envisioned by the founding fathers of our nation.”

    Rivers APC chairman also urged the transportation minister not to be deterred by the PDP propagandists and un-progressive forces positioned to frustrate the efforts of the Buhari’s administration.

    He admonished APC chieftains to close ranks and ensure the victory of the party in 2019, stressing that that PDP members had only one agenda of returning to power to safeguard their looted funds and continue to plunder the common patrimony with impunity.

    Ikanya declared that it would be suicidal to allow PDP members that put other Nigerians in the present sorry state, to stage a come-back to power.

  • PDP members walk out of plenary as Rep defects to APC

    PDP members walk out of plenary as Rep defects to APC

    •Lawmakers threaten to sue Dogara

    THE defection of a member of the House of Representatives, Raphael Nnana Igbokwe, to the All Progressives Party (APC) on the floor of the Green Chamber yesterday caused a walkout from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Caucus.

    The PDP members said they were standing on a Supreme Court ruling that states that any National Assembly member that defects without requisite reasons must lose his or her seat.

    The Caucus promised to go back to the Supreme Court for reinterpretation of the same ruling.

    The defection of the lawmaker, who is from Imo State and represents Ahazu/ Ezinihitte Mbaise Federal Constituency, was witnessed by Governor Owelle Rochas Okorocha.

    The Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, had read a letter by the lawmaker, citing crisis in the PDP as the reason for defection to APC.

    Igbokwe, in his letter, said: “I write to inform the Rt Honourable Speaker and my dear colleagues that I have since registered and joined the APC since January 2017.

    “My decision to join the APC as at the time I did was as a result of the leadership crisis/division that rocked the Peoples Democratic Party. You would recall that the judgment of the Supreme Court of Nigeria that finally resolved the leadership crisis was delivered in July 2017, six months after I joined the APC.

    “Since January 2017, I have stopped attending all PDP caucus meeting at the national levels.

    “On the flipside, I have since January 2017 been attending all APC caucus meetings and functions in my ward, local government, state and National levels and have been paying my party dues and levies.

    “The pending leadership litigation and division in Imo State chapter of PDP and the current legal crisis with the National leadership of  PDP evidenced by the suit instituted by Prof. Taoheed Adedoja further strengthens my earlier resolve to quit the Peoples Democratic Party.”

    He said the letter became necessary to clear doubt in the minds of his colleagues and constituents and the public as to the political party he belongs.

    But the PDP members cried foul, saying the defection was belated since there was no crisis in the party.

    They alleged that the Speaker was partisan and failed to do the right thing concerning the issue.

    Dogara had said the issue of a member vacating his or her seat resides in the National Assembly.

    According to him, it has to come through resolution after the House has been convinced that truly, there is no crisis in the party of the defecting member.

    He, however, said resolution is a majority issue since it has to be put to a vote.

    But the PDP lawmakers’ scream of no! no ! no! filled the chamber as they shouted the House Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, down when he tried to rationalise the defection of Igbokwe under a point of law.

    After Dogara’s ruling, the PDP legislators filed out of the Chamber and out of plenary followed by Accord and APGA lawmakers in solidarity. According to them, the ruling was skewed in favour of Igbokwe.

    Deputy Minority Whip of the House Binta Bello, while speaking to reporters with other PDP caucus members after the walkout, alleged that the Speaker was unwilling to hear their side of the argument in the chamber.

    She said: “We raised different point of order to that effect but it did not yield any result. So, therefore, we want to go back to the Supreme Court to reinterpret to the chamber that same ruling that was done in the past.”

     

     

     

     

     

  • It’s difficult to remove PDP members in Buhari’s government – Presidential aide

    It’s difficult to remove PDP members in Buhari’s government – Presidential aide

    A Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Media, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie, on Tuesday said it would be difficult for President Muhammadu Buhari to remove members of Peoples Democratic Party members who are serving in his government overnight.

    She spoke at the 2nd annual international conference on Tuesday in Abuja with the theme focusing on institutions: A panacea for sustainable development.

    The event was organized by the Progressive Solidarity Forum in collaboration with National Orientation Agency.

    She corroborated claims by Comptroller General of Nigeria Customs Services, Col. Hammed Ali (rtd) who said that the change agenda of Buhari government had been hijacked by members of PDP who defected to the All Progressives Congress.

    She said more than 50 per cent of PDP members are in the Buhari government serving in the presidency, judiciary and law enforcement agencies.

    According to her, these members are serving their personal interest instead of that of President Buhari government.

    Mrs. Onochie said: “That brings me to those who are in this government to serve themselves. Those Col. (rtd) Hammed Ali, the CG Customs called PDP. He said that there are about 50 percent of them in this government.

    ”But I say no they are more than 50 per cent. They are everywhere. They are in the presidency, the national assembly. You can find them in the judiciary, they are in the law enforcement agency.

    ”They serve their personal interest. They encourage unsuspecting youths, our youths to be their foot soldiers on the social media to abuse and curse people while their own children are sipping tea in England or America or elsewhere. They are a poor example to our youngsters on the social media.

    ”You just don’t go and change all the agencies. That is not how it works. If you have to change the whole civil service, the whole police, the whole market women, you change the whole children in the school.

    She said Nigerians must come together to fight corruption before it kills the nation.

    ”Corruption is everywhere. All of us must come together and join hands with this president to kill corruption before corruption kills our nation.

    “Our youth population is in need of good role models. They were born into corruption,” she said.

    Earlier in his remarks, Grand Patron and Founder of the organization, Dr. Ibrahim Emokpaire, said Nigeria needs a strong institution to fight corruption.

    According to him, the federal government needs to focus on creating a robust and dynamic institution to accelerate development on a sustainable basis.

    “Focusing on functioning institutions remains the most pragmatic enduring legacies, of the short stint of a progressive party in the governance of Nigeria,” he said

  • ‘It’s difficult to remove PDP members in Buhari’s govt’

    A Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Social Media, Mrs. Lauretta Onochie, said yesterday that it would be difficult for President Muhammadu Buhari to remove Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) members serving in his administration, overnight.

    She spoke at the 2nd Annual International Conference in Abuja, with the theme: “Focusing on institutions: A panacea for sustainable development”.

    The event was organised by the Progressive Solidarity Forum in collaboration with National Orientation Agency.

    Onochie corroborated claims by Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Services Col. Hammed Ali (retd), who said the change agenda of the Buhari administration had been hijacked by PDP members, who defected to All Progressives Congress (APC).

    She said more than 50 per cent of PDP members were in the Buhari government serving in the presidency, judiciary and law enforcement agencies.

    According to her, “these people are serving their interest, instead of that of the Buhari administration.”

    Onochie said: “That brings me to those who are in this government to serve themselves. Those Col. Ali called PDP. He said there are about 50 per cent of them in this government.

    “But I say no, they are more than 50 per cent. They are everywhere. They are in the Presidency, National Assembly. You can find them in the judiciary; they are in the law enforcement agencies.

    “They serve their personal interest. They encourage unsuspecting youths, our youths to be their foot soldiers on the social media to abuse and curse people, while their own children are sipping tea in England or America or elsewhere. They are a poor example to our youngsters on the social media.

    “You just don’t go and change all the agencies. That is not how it works. If you have to change the whole civil service, the whole police, the whole market women, you change the whole children in school.”

    She said Nigerians must fight corruption before it kills the nation.

    “Corruption is everywhere. All of us must support the President to kill corruption before it kills our country.

    “Our youths are in need of good role models. They were born into corruption,” Onochie said.

    The organisation’s Grand Patron and Founder, Dr. Ibrahim Emokpaire, said Nigeria needed a strong institution to fight corruption.

    He said the Federal Government should focus on creating a robust and dynamic institution to accelerate development on a sustainable basis.

    “Focusing on functioning institutions remains the most pragmatic enduring legacies of the short stint of a progressive party in the governance of Nigeria,” Emokpaire said.

     

  • Jonathan urges PDP members to elect better chairman, publicity secretary

    Jonathan urges PDP members to elect better chairman, publicity secretary

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has advised Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members not to make the mistake of electing wrong National Working Committee (NWC) members at the December convention.

    Jonathan spoke when he received an aspirant for the party’s national chairmanship position, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, in his residence in Abuja yesterday.

    He cautioned that the party could not afford to make mistake in choosing its next national chairman and publicity secretary, describing them as “very delicate positions”.

    “This time around, we need a very courageous and vocal person to be the chairman.

    “There are two positions that we must not make mistake on – the positions of the national chairman and that of the national publicity secretary, because I have worn the shoes before and I know where it pinches.

    “If we make a mistake as a party and elect wrong chairman and publicity secretary, we are finished,” Jonathan said.

    He said PDP, at this moment, needed courageous chairman, who in the face of persecution, would remain courageous to protect the party’s interest and defend democracy.

    “We need very competent person and a team player, somebody who will not negotiate to get money from the aspirants to make them candidates.

    “If you do that, you have destroyed the party because a party must come up with programmes and policies that will elect the best of the best.

    “If you present the best material, the chances of your winning election are stronger than when you present a wrong material.

    “This is key so that by 2019, when we go for the general elections, PDP will have majority in the states and national assemblies and of course, PDP must win the presidency,” he said.

    Jonathan, who said that the December convention would be keenly contested, urged chairmanship aspirants to see the exercise as a family affair.

    He commended the Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of the party, saying that they had done very well, especially during the period of crisis in the party.

    Jonathan prayed for Dokpesi in his aspiration to become PDP chairman and described him as “a member who has done well for the party”.

    Dokpesi urged Jonathan to ensure that the PDP came out of the December convention stronger and united.

    He hailed  the former president’s resilience and efforts in ensuring that the party’s leadership crisis was resolved.

     

  • Umahi to PDP members: don’t insult Fed Govt

    Umahi to PDP members: don’t insult Fed Govt

    Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi has advised opposition politicians to stop insulting those in government but to criticise them constructively to enhance development.

    Umahi spoke on Sunday in Abakaliki, the state capital, at a gala night on the celebration of 21 years of the creation of Ebonyi and the 57th Independence anniversary of Nigeria.

    He advised members of his ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state to refrain from insulting the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari-led All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The governor also urged members of APC in Ebonyi State to refrain from insulting him and his PDP-led state government.

    He added: “I always tell my people (PDP) that opposition at the centre is not about insults. I also advise the opposition in our state to tow the same line.

    “Opposition is about constructive criticism, putting the leader in check and reminding him that he has not fulfilled the promises he made. It should not involve lying to the people, deceiving them and practising politics with bitterness and anger.

    “I will ask our grandfathers, who are tackling us, to do so with wisdom and love because it is a shame that a grandfather would tackle his children.”

    Umahi said the opposition would not succeed in the state because the state was neat and did not need to be “swept”.

    He said: “We have been holding the umbrella for an old man who was under the umbrella for eight years and we will take him to the boundaries of Ebonyi State to sweep. We are standing on God’s mandate and not shaking because over 10,000 people are praying for us day and night to succeed and take the state to another level.”

    Umahi hailed the President for agreeing that the country needed to be restructured, saying such stance had established a platform for Nigerians to discuss their agitations.

    “We will now talk, disagree, agree and arrive at decisions that will take the nation to greater heights and achieve the desired unity and development,” he said.

    The state’s Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice Augustine Nwankwagu said the party was to celebrate God’s mercies since the state’s creation and the successes of the governor.

    The governor has been heavily criticised for his actions by the opposition, with his predecessor, Chief Martin Elechi, who defected from PDP to APC, leading the critics.

     

  • PDP members defect to APC in Rivers

    PDP members defect to APC in Rivers

    Over two thousand members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Degema Local Government Area of Rivers State have defected to the main opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state.

    While welcoming the defectors yesterday at Tombia, Degema LGA, during an empowerment programme, a chieftain of the APC in Rivers, Dr. Sokonte Davies, who is a former member of the House of Representatives, representing Degema/Bonny constituency, described APC as the only party that was capable of meeting the aspirations of Nigerians.

    He maintained that the APC was a party every member should be proud of, in view of its commitment to the people and abhorrence to violence.

    Davies, who is also the Executive Director, Marine and Operations of the Nigerian Ports Authority (NPA), admonished APC members to remain committed to the party and he assured other politicians wishing to defect to the party of a level-playing field.

    While also speaking, the Chairman of APC in Degema LGA, Kesibo Gogo-Abite, noted that the defectors took the right decision of joining the focused party.

    He said APC had a transformatory mission to reposition Nigeria for accelerated development.

    Gogo-Abite urged the defectors to remain steadfast and work tirelessly for the progress of the party in their various communities, the LGA and Rivers state, stressing that the defection marked a new chapter in the political history of the area.

    Two of the defectors, Rev. Obubeleye Waribo and Madam Trust Davies, in their separate speeches, stated that their decision to quit the PDP was informed by the leadership style of the APC leaders at all levels, which they described as people oriented.

     

    The event marked the commencement of the first phase of an empowerment programme in Tombia and Bukuma, both in Degema.

    Chairperson of the Degema LGA Empowerment Scheme, Mrs. Salome Benibo, in her speech, disclosed that the programme was designed to improve the economic wellbeing of the people of the area and give them a sense of belonging.

    Benibo revealed that 90 and 30 persons benefited from Tombia and Bukuma respectively, stressing that other communities in the LGA would soon have their turn.

    Items distributed include power-generating sets, deep freezers, bags of rice, mobile phones, wheelbarrows and grinding machines.