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Tag: PDP

  • APC chieftain Rigachikun returns to PDP

    •‘It’s over for APC’

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Kaduna State, Yaro Makama Rigachikun, has defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Rigachikun was a former chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) before defecting to the APC in 2014.

    He was received back into the PDP at a ceremony attended by top party leaders, including interim National Chairman Senator Ahmed Makarfi and the Chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT), Senator Walid Jibrin.

    Rigachikun said he made a mistake by joining the APC in 2014. According to him, APC has failed Nigerians and so the time has come to “change the change”.

    “The APC has brought much suffering to Nigerians. In Kaduna State, the teachers are crying, local government workers are suffering and traditional institutions are ridiculed.

    “The school feeding programme is in comatose, in fact, nothing is working, so we must change the change,” Rigachikun said.

    Hundreds of defecting members burnt their brooms, the APC symbol.

    The chieftain, who defected with hundreds of his followers, said it was over for the APC in Kaduna.

    He condemned the sacking of teachers and local government workers, alleging that Governor Nasir El-Rufai is implementing anti-people programmes.

    Rigachikun told El-Rufai to start packing from the Government House, as the people will vote him out in 2019.

  • PDP Chair: IBB, Johnathan in support of my ambition, says Daniel

    PDP Chair: IBB, Johnathan in support of my ambition, says Daniel

    Former Governor  Gbenga Daniel on Sunday said ex – military President, General Ibrahim Babangida and immediate past President Goodluck Jonathan among other  notable Nigerians, are backing his aspiration to lead the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the national level.
    Daniel also declared that the PDP’s  number one office has developed into a Southwest agenda that should be pursued and achieved by the geopolitical zone.
    The ex – Governor who ruled Ogun State for eight years on the ticket of the party, said he elected to vie for the national chairmanship of PDP, to rescue the party and reposition it for  success.
    He noted  that “PDP national chairmanship has gone beyond individual agenda to become a southwest agenda.”
    He spoke in Abeokuta while addressing PDP stakeholders and delegates in Ogun State, ahead of the December 9 national convention of the party slated for Abuja.
    The meeting was attended by the state chairman of PDP, Sikirulahi Ogundele, Prince Gboyega Nasiru Isiaka, Chief Remi Bakare,  Hon. Titi Gomez, Mrs. Iyabo Apampa, Senator Lekan Mustapha and other leaders of the party.
    Daniel admitted that while PDP is strong  in the Southeast, South – South and North, it is weak in Southwest, urging  southwest PDP to come together and ensure the zone clinches the position of national chairman.
    “Our party is very weak in the southwest. We only have a governor in Ekiti State and we should pray that we retain the state in 2018. In the south-south, south-east and in the north, PDP has more than one governor and the north that has two governors,  has even zoned the presidency in 2019 to the region. So, the only thing left for southwest is the position of the national chairman.
    “And if we fail to land the position, then we have nothing left for us. Even APC has its vice president in the southwest as well as other appointees, hence, we must get it right so that we can have something to campaign to our people,” Daniel said.
    He expressed  the confidence that if the national chairman comes to Ogun State, the effects would manifest throughout the southwest, and advised the state delegates to vote wisely during the convention.
    “I know how to win elections. There is only way to remove an incumbent governor, and that is by a grand coalition of forces. We need GNI, we need Adebutu, we need Lekan Mustapha and everyone to do this.
    “My job, if elected as the national chairman of our great party, is to provide the ground for the grand coalition to win. We need to create space for ourselves. I was in Lagos and I was not happy with the situation of the party, we need to work and reposition PDP in Lagos.
    “In Osun, people are ready to change the ‘change’. In Oyo, we brought back Ladoja and Makinde to the party, and the people are ready there to vote for PDP again. All we need is a southwest PDP national chairman of my calibre and experience, to organise our people and return PDP to the path of glory.
    “Election is even interstate, whatever happens in a neighbouring state will surely percolate down to the other state. So if we win elections in Ekiti and Osun States next year, that will serve as a good omen for our party in 2019 general elections,” said.
  • PDP: Jonathan, IBB boys, Gusau, Sambo, governors battle to hijack party

    PDP: Jonathan, IBB boys, Gusau, Sambo, governors battle to hijack party

    Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan is rolling out his political armour against several Peoples Democratic Governors ( PDP ) in a fierce battle for the soul of the party at Saturday’s crucial national convention.

    Also scheming  for  control of the party’s machinery are ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo; ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar (who is yet to officially join the party); ex-governors,  loyalists of ex-President Ibrahim Babangida led by a former National Security Adviser, Gen. Aliyu Gusau; ex-President of the Senate, Chief David Mark; Deputy President of the Senate, Chief Ike Ekweremadu; ex-Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ibrahim Mantu; members of the party’s Board of Trustees being coordinated by its chairman, Sen. Walid Jibrin, Sen. Ahmadu Ali and Prof. Jerry Gana, a former Minister of Information.

    Serving governors are being coordinated by Mr. Nyesom Wike (Rivers) and Ayo Fayose.

    Former governors of the party including Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Rashidi Ladoja (Oyo), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Ibrahim Idris and Idris Wada (both Kogi) are not left out.

    Investigation revealed that almost every godfather in PDP is backing one candidate or the other for election into the National Working Committee (NWC).

    The objective is to enable the godfathers have a say in the management of the party especially in the choice of the party’s presidential candidate for the 2019 election.

    It was gathered that the interest of the godfathers has complicated the intrigues surrounding the contest for party offices at the December 9 convention.

    Although some party leaders are pushing for merit, some other leaders believe that all the candidates have been tested in the past.

    The positions of  National Chairman, National Secretary, Deputy National Chairman (North); Deputy National Chairman (South) , the National Organizing Secretary and the National Publicity Secretary are attracting more interest from the godfathers.

    The top contenders for the national chairmanship are a former Acting National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus; a former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran; a former Deputy National Chairman, Chief Olabode George; a former Minister of Sports, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja; a former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel; ex-Governor of Oyo State, Sen. Rashidi Ladoja; a media mogul, High Chief Raymond Dokpesi; and a former governorship candidate in Lagos State, Mr. Jimi Agbaje.

    A breakdown of the support base of the chairmanship aspirants is as follows:

    • Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu; Wike, Fayose, PDP governors, state PDP chairmen
    • Tunde Adeniran—-Jonathan, IBB Boys, Gusau, Gana, Ali, Mantu, BOT members
    • Otunba Gbenga Daniel—-Ex-governors, a splinter of IBB Boys,
    • Olabode George—-Some BOT members
    • Taoheed Adedoja—-BOT members, some Northern delegates
    • Jimi Agbaje—–South-West delegates, BOT members
    • Rashidi Ladoja—-Ex-governors but under pressure to accept concession of Deputy Chairman slot to his choice

    A top party source said: “The jostle for offices at the national convention is going to be a battle royale because the godfathers in the party and the governors want to slug it out to install their loyalists.

    “For ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, the convention will be a litmus test for his plans to be a father-figure for PDP. But if he fails, it might be another political setback for him after the loss at the poll in 2015.

    “Jonathan and others, especially loyalists of ex-President Ibrahim Babangida, are working hard for a national outlook for PDP but some of the governors think otherwise. They said they are already conducting some permutations.

    “Our greatest fear is that all these forces are trying to outsmart each other. If the party leaders can cage the governors and allow the delegates to have a final say, we will be opening a new chapter for PDP.”

    A member of Board of Trustees of PDP said: “we are all worried because if we do not get it right, we might as well say goodbye to our chances in 2019.

    “The party is on the edge again. We are however struggling to appeal to all groups to sheathe their swords and avoid implosion at the convention.”

    Responding to a question, the BOT source added: “All our leaders are conscious of the 2019 poll and they are struggling to be relevant. You cannot blame them because in politics, relevance matters.”

    A governor, who spoke with our correspondent last night, said: “I think the way out of any crisis at the convention is to allow for a free and fair contest. We need to live up to our appellation as a democratic party.

    “We are already working on a unity list because we do not want to play into the hands of the ruling party. Certainly, there will be more horse-trading in the days ahead but we will survive it.

    “We urge the judiciary not to entertain any frivolous application to stop the convention from holding.”

     

  • Convention: PDP leaders mount pressure on Wike to dump Secondus

    Convention: PDP leaders mount pressure on Wike to dump Secondus

    Some leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) and other stakeholders within and outside the opposition party, want  Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to switch  off his  support for Prince Uche Secondus, a  frontline contestant for the position of the national chairman of the party.

    Secondus, a former acting national chairman of the PDP, like Wike, is from Rivers State.

    It was learnt that the position of the PDP leaders, most of whom are members of the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT), as well as former political office holders in previous PDP administrations at the federal level, was conveyed to the Rivers State governor through some of his allies within the party who have been busy in the last few weeks trying to explain Wike’s roles in the build up to the party’s December convention.

    Party leaders, according to reliable sources, are of the opinion that the national chairmanship should be conceded to the Southwest in the interest of party unity and cohesion.

    “It is on the strength of this that some of our leaders have been appealing to the Governor to dump Secondus and support the Southwest’s bid to produce the national chairman,” a source told The Nation.

    It was gathered that two groups of PDP leaders reached out to the Governor during the week while a former President also urged him to consider withdrawing his support for Secondus in the interest of the party.

    The source said:”Following concerns over what could happen to the PDP after the convention if the Southwest is denied the national chairmanship, party stakeholders resolved to put their differences aside and reach out to all the gladiators in the ongoing politics of zoning with a view to appealing to them all to put the party first. One person that the leaders are currently mounting pressure on is Governor Nyesom Wike.

    “It is strongly believed that his alleged support for Secondus is the major hindrance to the resolution of the current impasse. And following denials by both the national chairman of the caretaker committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, and the Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, that they are not favouring Secondus, Wike, who has never denied supporting Secondus, is seen as the man to appeal to.

    “Some party chieftains from across the country have reached out to him. More people, even from outside the party, are also talking to him on the need for him to support the Southwest in producing the next national chairman. While it is not certain if he will agree, talks are still on and the events of the next few days will point to the direction the Governor is willing to go,” a PDP BoT member told The Nation on at the weekend.

    The Nation gathered that while many of the leaders and stakeholders are appreciative of the efforts and sacrifices of both Wike and Secondus in keeping the party together, especially during the trying periods, there is a strong belief among chieftains of the PDP that the loss of the national chairmanship by the Southwest at the convention is capable of igniting a fresh crisis in the party.

    Based on what many of the concerned chieftains are describing as the realities of the current era, permutations are that the PDP needs the Southwest in its fold in its quest to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in  the 2019 presidential election, and as such, everything must be done to keep the zone happy and committed to the party till then.

    A top source in the PDP said; “Secondus is a great guy. He is eminently qualified to lead the party at a time like this. But the realities of our situation suggest that we consider the Southwest for the position if we are to go to the 2019 presidential election as a united, virile and formidable political party. That informs the appeal to Governor Wike to reconsider his choice of candidate.

    “Governor Wike, Secondus and others in that camp are being appealed to. They are reputable statesmen and dependable party men and women. We have resolved to seek an amicable resolution of the logjam before the convention date. That is why party leaders and other statesmen are talking to all those involved in the current zoning issue. We are more optimistic than we were two weeks ago as the talks continue.”

  • Unease in APC, PDP over Atiku

    Unease in APC, PDP over Atiku

    LAST week’s defection of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar is already bearing fruits across party lines. While the All Progressives Congress (APC), which he left after barely four years of joining the party from the PDP, is still divided over how best to approach his sudden exit, the PDP, which he moved into last week, is faced with fresh anxieties over looming struggle for its presidential ticket.

    Pundits say it will not be out of place to say both parties are currently on edge following Atiku’s defection. Not a few are also of the opinion that the decision of the former Vice President to dump the ruling party and pitch his tent with the opposition party at a time like this will definitely heat up the political landscape and his coming will further strengthen the troubled PDP, especially in the north and the southeast, where he is known to enjoy appreciable followership.

    While the rumour mill has been agog for a while before now about the possibility of Atiku and his political family dumping the APC and moving back to the PDP, not many people thought the Adamawa-born politician will make the move so quickly. Thus, his defection last week caught many of the chieftains of both APC and PDP unawares.

    General Secretary of the Voters’ Right Agenda (VRA), Dr. Paul Labi-Osborne, while speaking on the defection and its implication, said the move is definitely one of the factors that will determine how the 2019 presidential election will play out. According to him, Atiku’s decision to dump the ruling APC will go a long way in influencing how the struggle for the party’s presidential ticket will play out.

    “It will be fool-hardy for anybody to say Atiku’s defection will have no effect on the APC. To say the least, his leaving the party will affect the race for the presidential ticket of the party. For the contender or contenders, that is one serious headache less. If he had stayed in the party, he would have sought the ticket and he is no push-over.

    “So, I don’t need anybody to tell me that somebody or some people are very happy that he left as this will make their quest for the ticket easier. Don’t forget that Atiku had not left anybody in doubt of his readiness to contest the presidency. His ambition and the brazen manner in which some of his supporters within the party have been going about it has been unsettling some people and structures within the ruling party.

    “We were all here when a serving minister publicly said she will work for the former Vice President against her current principal, President Muhammadu Buhari, should the two seek the presidency in 2019. And she is not the only serving federal government functionary who feels that way. Of course, this is something Buhari’s men are aware of. Such situations have been responsible for the tension that has enveloped the ruling party for a while now,” Labi-Osborne said.

    Speaking further, the pro-democracy activist also warned the opposition PDP to be ready to curtail the effects of Atiku’s coming into the party. According to him, while the PDP will no doubt benefit immensely from Atiku’s defection as the former Vice President, a known political mobiliser with political machineries spread across the country, and will help reenergise the party in some parts of the country, his presidential ambition will rock the boat and challenge many permutations.

    “Atiku is, as I said, no political upstart. So, coming into the PDP with his presidential ambition already a public matter, the party must be ready to bend over backward to accommodate his political moves and manoeuvres. Failure to do this will see him rocking the boat and challenging current permutations. Given his capacity to win friends and loyalists easily, just and he makes enemies, the PDP will feel his presence immensely.

    “And should there be a pre-conceived arrangement on how the presidential ticket of the PDP would be allotted in 2019, Atiku’s coming, except he is the beneficiary of such arrangement, will make nonsense of such arrangement. It is on the basis of all these that I say Atiku’s defection will go a long way in determining how 2019 will play out,” he added.

    APC in counter moves

    Perhaps aware of pundits’ takes on Atiku’s defection and implications for the party, The Nation learnt that barely a week after the former Vice President ported from the APC to rival PDP, the leadership of the party and other structures within the APC are already making moves to douse the effect of the sudden defection and also prevent possible sympathy defection of more of its members.

    According to very reliable party sources, the Odigie Oyegun-led leadership of the APC was rattled by Atiku’s defection and wasted no time in reaching out to party big wigs on what steps should be taken at a time like this. Not less than four emergency meetings have been held at the topmost echelon of the APC since the defection took place.

    “While one or two of the parleys were to discuss Atiku’s defection and the public letter he wrote, the others focussed more on the implications of his defection and how best to manage the situation within and outside the party. The national chairman reached out to a wide spectrum of party chieftains more than he had ever done, as he addressed the issue.

    “I can say the defection is helping to unite the party more as all hands are now on deck to ward off any negative effect as the party looks forward to the 2019 general election. Fence-mending are on now on regular basis. Party chieftains in the northeast and other parts of the country are being called upon to help handle the matter. Aggrieved chieftains and members who are not willing to leave the party are coming forward to say their minds.

    “Just yesterday, a delegation of party leaders from Adamawa State came visiting the national secretariat. They were listened to and their grievances addressed. They pledged their loyalty to the party. These are people who wouldn’t have been able to come straight here before now as they would have to first see Atiku. So, the party is working hard to curtail possible effects,” our source said.

    Organising Secretary of the APC in Adamawa State, Ahmed Lawal, said the party is working very hard to ensure that it is not affected negatively by Atiku’s exit. He added that with the current repositioning going on in the APC, the party would not miss the former vice president.

    “If the former Vice President feels that his interest is better served elsewhere, we can always wish him good luck. For us, the task of building a political party is not a day’s job; it’s marathon and it takes many years and we will continue to improve on our system until we are able to get the kind of party that we want to really, really build. It takes many years to build a strong political party.”

    The Nation also learnt that the leadership of the party, following anxiety that some governors and members of the national assembly are waiting in the wing to defect from the APC into the PDP, the leadership of the party has been reaching out to its member governors and legislators to discuss the rumour and get assurances that such will not happen.

    “Through the Progressives Governors Forum, Oyegun reached out to the named governors and got to discuss the defection and rumours trailing it with them extensively. Most of them assured him they will not leave the party. That is the same forum (APC Governors’ Forum) that the national chairman had not related well with until recently.

    “Similarly, meetings have been held with the APC caucuses in the national assembly. Although many of our members there are aggrieved and displeased with the party and the government, efforts are currently on to foster reconciliation and prevent further loss of our chieftains to the opposition PDP. I am aware that a larger meeting would have been held this week if not for Mr. President’s trips.

    “Specifically, President Buhari has ordered that his earlier proposals that the party should dole out more patronages to party chieftains be implemented immediately.

    Before now, he has directed that the party should use federal appointments and similar patronages to address some of the grievances in some sectors of the party. He has again urged the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and the party chairman to immediately work out ways of doing this as soon as possible.

    “As we speak, it is now more assured that it is the party, and not the presidency, that will handle the formation of the next cabinet when Buhari eventually make good his promise to rejig the federal executive council. The party and the government are now working hand in hand with prominent chieftains of the party to see how best the APC can be repositioned ahead of the 2019 general election,” another source added.

    Rumpus in PDP

    Meanwhile, the PDP is already feeling the full weight of Atiku’s entrance into its fold barely a week after the ex-APC chieftain berthed officially. Although the former Vice President in his resignation letter did not mention the PDP as his next port of call, his aides and loyalists within the two leading political parties left nobody in doubt of where he was headed.

    And, although the leadership of the PDP is assuring Nigerians that the coming of Atiku’s political family into the party will not create any crisis, party sources told The Nation that signs of possible clashes between the defectors and other presidential aspirants within the party are already emanating. According to party sources, this development has become a source of concern to many chieftains.

    Before Atiku’s coming, a good number of PDP chieftains were already in the forefront of the struggle for the party’s presidential ticket. And the contest is already seen as a fiery one even though the election is still nearly two years away. To add to the anxiety, the issue of zoning has generated an unending controversy, especially with the declaration by Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State that he will be seeking the party’s presidential ticket.

    Aside Fayose who is the only southerner yet to indicate interest in the PDP presidential ticket, a number of northern presidential aspirants are already bestriding the party’s landscape and telling all those who care to listen that they are ready to go all the way in the contest for the party’s presidential ticket ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Former Governors Sule Lamido and Ibrahim Shekarau of Jigawa and Kano states are interested in the PDP presidential ticket. Ex-Governor Ibrahim Shema of Katsina State, as well as incumbent Governor of Gombe State, Ibrahim Dankwambo, are also seeking to be allowed to fly the banner of the opposition party in the 2019 presidential elections.

    There are other chieftains whose names are being bandied as possible presidential aspirants though they are yet to declare their interest in the race publicly. Among such persons are the current chairman of the party’s caretaker committee, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, Professor Jerry Gana, a former minister and a chairman of the party’s reorganisation committee.

    Shortly before Atiku announced his defection plan, a chieftain of the party openly accused Makarfi of manipulating the process leading to the December convention of the PDP to favour his rumoured presidential aspiration. Some of the chairman’s loyalists are already accusing Atiku’s camp of being behind the allegations. And the chairman, while responding to the allegation, hinted that some people working for people who were yet to join the party are behind the confusion.

    “Let me assume that is my case. There are also allegations that some of them are being used to support the presidential ambitions of someone within the party and those of some people who are intending to join the party. Let us assume that is my case, what about allegations against them that they are sponsoring people who have yet to join the party?” Makarfi alleged, giving hint of a possible clash between him and Atiku.

  • Dickson condemns plot to hold parallel PDP convention

    Dickson condemns plot to hold parallel PDP convention

    The Bayelsa State Governor, Mr. Seriake Dickson, has appealed to leaders and members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to eschew rancour and divisive tendencies that could mar the December 9 national convention of the party.

    Dickson, in a press statement by his Special Adviser on Public Affairs, Daniel Alabrah, also urged members to close ranks and put aside selfish interests in the overall interest of the party and the country’s democracy.

    “The December 9 convention of our great party offers yet another opportunity for all leaders, members and contestants for various offices to close ranks, show commitment and loyalty to the PDP as well as enhance the democratic culture of tolerance and sportsmanship,” he said.

    The governor, who was a chairman of the party’s reconciliation committee, condemned the reported plot by a group within the party to hold a parallel convention.

    He noted that the PDP already had enough crises and that there is no better time to rebuild the party than now.

    He added that Nigerians were looking up to the party to provide strong leadership, especially at this critical time in the nation’s democratic experience.

    “I call on all party leaders and aspirants for various offices to prepare for the convention. Elders and leaders of the party at all levels should also support the caretaker committee to deliver a successful convention.

    “A rancour-free convention is a sine qua non to get back to power again at the centre in 2019. So members and all contestants must subsume their individual interests in the overall interest of our party and the brighter future ahead of us,” he said.

  • Secondus: I’ll take PDP to victory in 2019

    In this interview with EMMANUEL OLADESU, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairmanship aspirant Chief Uche Secondus says the opposition party will bounce back to power under his leadership, if elected at the national convention in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), on December 9.

    Before the Port Harcourt convention, you were eyeing the Deputy Chairman of the party. Suddenly, you are now eyeing the chairmanship. What has changed between then and now?

    The truth is that by last year, I was gunning for the deputy. The arrangement was such that somebody from the South west will emerge as the chairman. That time, we had two and a half years to the general election. But now, we believe that we don’t have time. Therefore, we need an experienced person who knows that from the first day he will just start working.

    The second reason is that, relatively, you need a zone where there may not be crisis and I believe that in my state and in my zone, we don’t have crisis within the party, unlike in other zones where they have some issues. I don’t want to go into details. These are some of the reasons I am volunteering myself for the position.

    I have been in this party from day one. In fact, I can lay claim that I am also a foundation member of the party: I am well known. You will recall that, in 2015, for the first time in the history of this country, a civilian to civilian transition took place and it was peaceful. So, we are going into another phase that is very crucial within one year. So, we need an experienced person and I believe I can pride myself among all the aspirants as the most experienced.

    Among those running from the Southwest, we have those who have been at the top level of the party before too. Are you saying they are not experienced?

    Yes, we may have somebody who has been deputy chairman there. The advantage I have is that, I have acted as the National Chairman before.

    The PDP is very strong in the Southsouth and the Southeast and there is need to woo the Southwest. With this development, won’t it create another crisis?

    That is purely sentimental. In reality, if you want to win an election, you don’t start from the unknown. You begin with the known. Apart from the chairmanship, there are three or four major positions, if you are talking about zoning of the positions. Southwest is a very important zone in the country, if not the number one zone, if you like, in terms of intellectualism, media and so on. We know they have produced President. So, if you look at the president, vice president and the Senate President, these are key government positions. So, if you are talking also of what will benefit the people directly, you will see that with these three key positions, there is no way Southwest can be ignored; but we are down so we want to start from a safer place to move.

    I will deliver my state during the elections. As the chairman, you must deliver your place first, since they say that charity begins at home. I will deliver my place and proceed to win other states and regions.

    My agenda for the party will be based on 3Rs: Rebuild, Reposition and Regain.  I will want to remain focused on it, in terms of building the party. As we are doing that, we do it together with the other two; repositioning in terms of membership, going digital and mostly emphasising on the youths, who are leaders of tomorrow. As we are doing that, we are enlarging our scope of convincing Nigerians that PDP remains the best option. We stand for national unity in diversity.

    Our founding fathers believe that the PDP is a party that was founded on the ground of national unity. And it was good enough that the zoning is contained in our constitution so that regardless of where you are coming from, one day you can aspire to be the President of the country. I believe that taking the party back to the people is very important.

    The general impression is that, if you become the national chairman, the Southwest would be considered for  the vice presidency slot to really give APC the big fight…..

    If I become the chairman, I will not look at the permutation of the APC on how to win election. I have a different strategy on how to win elections. So, it has to be about collective leadership position. Our first assignment is to determine who becomes our presidential candidate and the choice of the running mate will be the exclusive right of the candidate. So, we are not positioning that. We are not going to say it should come from here or from there.

    Other aspirants are visible on the campaign field, but you are operating underground…

    Well, I am strategic; but because others have not been in the party to know the inner workings of the party, they are doing otherwise. Don’t forget that it is not an open election. It is a delegate election, delegates and super delegates. Obviously, I’m strategic about this and I’m confident that if it is a delegate election, yes, it is good to carry the press and people along but the most important thing in this election is consultation. Why others are making presence in the media and all that, I will continue consultation with leaders of the party across the country trying to get their support. In places like America it is called endorsement but in Nigeria, if governors or the BOT endorse you, that is imposition. There are two things here. You need the super delegates to be on the same page with you. Let me not call it endorsement to avoid misinterpretation. So, that is how we’ve started. We are also time conscious. You can’t start what you cannot finish. You do a bit of ground work and practically, you need to step up and I can assure you that as we move on, you will see posters and all that. We have done a bit of ground work believing that we will have support of those we have contacted.

    One of your co-aspirants, Professor Adeniran, has mentioned that Senator Ahmed Makarfi, the NCC Chairman, is aligning with you. There is also the feeling that some people within the party are not comfortable with the way you managed the resources of the party when you acted as its chairman. What do you have to say?

    The rumour is more than the fact. This is Nigerian politics for you. Speculations and imaginations engulf most of our thinking. But, I believe that the media, especially the political editors, will do more findings than just headline news. There is no truth in it that Wike was drafted to do Makarfi’s bidding. I’m close to virtually all the governors, and I consulted all of them, including the BoT chairman.

    Of a truth, I have never sat down with Makarfi on how to become chairman, all those are speculations and you know when someone is doing better than the others, those who are not doing what they suppose to do will always speculate and try to drag him down. This is a pull down syndrome. There is no iota of truth in it. I have no arrangement with Makarfi; no one is trying to impose me on people. I have been there before. I have contested as National Organising Secretary, I have contested for Deputy National Chairman, I acted as National Chairman of our party. These are records that you can cross check.

    On the issue of what Mu’azu left, again, this is a calculated attempt to blackmail me by whosoever is behind it whether from within or outside, I don’t want to mention names. For anybody to say N9billion was missing or N9billion was left, it means that money was not even used for election. The money realised was about N11billion from sales of forms nationwide. And in our guideline and constitution, when you realise this money, it is shared among the local government, the state, the zonal and the national. Even by mere mention of N9billion means no money was given to them as I mentioned above. I want to plead with you to get into the secretariat, there is a Director of Finance, there is an acting Treasurer, go and find out the fact not taking blackmail or headline news from other people. These are sponsored by some people.

    After the 30 percent was shared, you can do the mathematics yourself. Money was kept for completion of our national headquarters. There was no money at all that we met. Now, that money that was kept was about N5billion while Mua’zu was still the chairman. The truth is that, after we lost the presidential election, we could not raise the money for other elections. So the leaders looked and say that the money that was reserved should be used. I was still in Rivers State when the Chairman called all of us from our states and said they could not get money to disburse again. So, the Chairman disbursed the money. We came back and met some money – the N500million that was even in the bank was seized with BoT Chairman that was involved in fund raising. When they could not get their money back, the bank had to seize some money.

    No money at all that was left that was to be accounted for. Let me tell you, I’ve been Chairman of PDP in Rivers State. I’ve not been found wanting. I’ve been National Organising Secretary, I raised the money in 2011 and I was not found wanting. If you recall, Taraba election was inconclusive. There was repeat election in Taraba, Imo and I think in Abia. All these were expenses of the party. By the time we returned, of course, Mu’azu gave us account of all money, all the money had been used apart from payment of salaries and a few things that we needed while the other balance was still in the bank. I challenge you to go to the Secretariat to get your figures accurately because I may not be accurate with figures.  But no money was missing apart from N500million that the bank seized. The issue of missing N9billion is to misinform the people to change their mind against some of us that want to contest. When I appeared before the Senate caucus, on my own, I threw light on the alleged missing money. Some of them brought money to me but I rejected it and I said they should go and use the money for the election. I have been mentored to know that money destroys in politics.

    What is your plan B as you prepare for the convention?

    My plan B is to support anybody that wins that day. It can be me and I will be very glad and thank God. But, if someone else emerges, I will support him because I am a team player.

  • Dokpesi calls for unity among PDP members

    Dokpesi calls for unity among PDP members

    Chief Raymond Dokpesi, on Wednesday called for unity among Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) members in Oyo State, saying they needed to be together to regain power in the state.

    Dokpesi, national chairmanship aspirant of the party, made the call in Ibadan while interacting with executive committee members and stakeholders of the party in the state.

    He said that the party lost power in the state because its members were not united, thus making the party’s votes to be shared among other political parties where members defected to.

    He said that power could be regained in future elections if party members reunited and worked together.

    “If we had added all the votes from everyone, PDP would have won the government in Oyo State.

    “All of us that went to different groups, what did we get? If we had worked together, it would have been something.

    “So, I am going to appeal that I want to work with you; I want one united PDP to be able to win election in Oyo and thereafter, at the federal level. You can do it, so please let us work together. ”

    Let’s stop the quarrel, let us stop the bickering and work together,” Dokpesi said.

    He urged the delegates from the state, who would be at the December 9 convention to give him the needed support to become the party’s national chairman.

    Responding, Leader of the Oyo delegates, Dr Saka Balogun, advised Dokpesi to fight imposition if he emerged victorious at the convention.

    Read also: PDP will work for Nigeria’s unity – Dokpesi

    Balogun said that if not for imposition and impunity, some members of the party would not have left, “and those who defected would have returned and PDP would have won 2015 elections in the state.’’

    In his remarks, Chairman of the party in the state, Alhaji Omokunmi Mustapha, said that Dokpesi had more than 70 per cent of what was required to lead PDP.

    NAN

  • Buhari hints on contesting future elections 

    Buhari hints on contesting future elections 

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday night hinted that he might contest future elections.

    Buhari gave the hint jokingly while interacting with the Nigerian community in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire, even though he did not say if he was going to recontest the 2019 Presidential elections.

    The President is in Abidjan, for the 5th European Union-African Union (EU-AU) Summit.

    The President while apologizing for keeping those that came for the interactive session waiting, explained that he insisted on having governors Emmanuel Udom of Akwa Ibom State and Mohammed Abubakar of Bauchi State present, so that Nigerians in Côte d’Ivoire from the two states will be happy that he was accompanied by their governors and that might earn him votes in future.

    He said “First I want to apologize for keeping you for too long seating; this is because I insisted on the governors attending this meeting. This is why I came along with them so that when we are going to meet you, when you are going to meet the rest of Nigerians if you tell them that their governors were in the accompany of the president, I think that will be another vote for me in the future. I’m very pleased that they were able to turn up,” he said

    The hall immediately erupted in laughter and clapping.

    The President also said that his support for President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), Akinwumi Adesina, despite serving as minister in a PDP-led government was to further confirm his remarks at his inauguration on May 29th, 2015, that he belongs to everybody and nobody in particular.

    The President who was reacting to Adesina’s gratitude to his administration for supporting him to get the job, leading to becoming the first Nigerian to head the continental bank since it was set up in 1964.

    He said, “the President of the African Development Bank (AfDB), who forgot to mention that he was serving in the PDP government as minister but all the same I picked him and recommended him for AfDB. I think it emphasized what I said during my swearing in that I’m for everybody, I’m for nobody. As long as you are a Nigerian be prepared to be on the receiving end from me.”

    President Buhari also thanks the national leader, of the All Progressive Congress Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for bringing him a beautiful piece of information which he was not aware of until now.

    Buhari however did not disclose what piece of information it was but promised to discuss it in detail with Tinubu.

    He said “I also thank our leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He has brought me a very beautiful piece of information which I was not aware of it until I sat down and read it this evening (Tuesday night). Thank you very much for your hardwork and I will discuss that paper with you.”

    Adesina in his remarks noted that the economy picked up soon after the President’s health, adding that “so it seems there is a correlation between the President’s health and the improved economy.”

    On security, Adesina said the bank has released $250 million for the construction and rehabilitation of the Northeast, destroyed by the Boko Haram insurgents.

    He also told the President that the AfDB has constructed a big building behind the Yar’Adua centre started in 2016 and completed.

    He said it is the first of such building by AfDB outside its Abidjan headquarters which he will want President Buhari to commission.

    Adesina said, “I want to thank you immensely. I want to thank God for your health because I must say that for all of us that has been a big concern. But seeing you fit as a fiddle and seeing you back in action, we thank God for that and may God continue to give you great strength.

    “Mr. President as you must have noticed, there is a very strong correlation between your health and the economy and when you came back the economy picked up after that. So we wish you great health so that the economy can continue to pick.

    “I also want to congratulate you for the economic growth and recovery plan that you have put in place and the incredible plan that you have put in place to bring the economy out of recession and also in terms of the fact that Nigeria has moved up in the World Bank ease of doing business index. Is to your leadership, vision and commitment that we want to from the African Development Bank commend you Mr. President and to assure you of our strong support behind you and your government for the efforts to try and move Nigeria forward. We are solidly behind you, you can count on that.

    “I also want to thank you for your leadership on the Boko Haram issue because to draw investments into Nigeria, you absolutely have to have security. I think that securing our borders is very important thanks to your leadership for that. I also thank you for all the efforts you have made in the Lake Chad Basin Area.

    “I was with you in Paris where you led the efforts in reviving the Lake Chad Basin. As you know Mr. President, the bank is very strongly behind that. We put in $250 million to support the northeast of Nigeria rebuilding. I know you were criticize for rebuilding but I don’t see anything wrong, if things get destroyed they have to be rebuilt and the African Development Bank has contributed $250 million towards that,” he said.

  • Sheriff cost us Ondo 2016 governorship poll – PDP

    Sheriff cost us Ondo 2016 governorship poll – PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State said on Tuesday it lost the 2016 governorship election held in the state to the All Progressives Party (APC) due to the conspiracy of its former National Chairman, Alhaji Ali Modu Sheriff.

    The state Chairman of the party, Clement Faboyede, stated this while welcoming a National Chairmanship aspirant of PDP, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, to the party secretariat in Akure.

    Dokpesi was on a campaign tour to the state capital.

    Faboyede, who noted that PDP lost the election not because of its unpopularity but due to the protracted leadership tussle between Sheriff and the Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee, Ahmed Makarfi.

    He lamented that there was no preparations for the election because of various litigations which deprived the party of opportunity to mobilise voters.

    He expressed optimism that the party would return to power in 2019.

    He also described Dokpesi as a loyal party man that deserves the position of PDP national chairman.