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Tag: PDP

  • 302 Edo aspirants jostle for 36 seats

    302 Edo aspirants jostle for 36 seats

    Three hundred and two aspirants in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are jostling for the 36 seats in the National Assembly and the Edo State House of Assembly. For the three senatorial seats, nine aspirants picked the APC forms while 11 picked the PDP forms.

    Records showed that 30 contenders from the APC are vying for the nine House of Representatives seats and 41 other aspirants on the platform of the PDP.

    One hundred and seventeen aspirants picked the nominations forms of the APC for the 24 Edo State House of Assembly seats and 94 contenders picked the PDP ticket.

     

  • Bayelsa communities insist on fresh PDP congress

    Bayelsa communities insist on fresh PDP congress

    Members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Okordia, Biseni and Zarama communities in Constituency III of Yenagoa Local Government Area, Bayelsa State, yesterday called for a fresh ward congress.

    They insisted that some high profile politicians, led by a lawmaker, hijacked electoral materials at last Saturday’s congress.

    They described the action as undemocratic and a contravention of the rules guiding such exercise in PDP.

    The members urged the leadership of the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to disregard the names of delegates from the constituency.

    The PDP Chairman for Ward 12, Mr. Talkwell Zidiga, and a youth leader in the ward told our reporter that electoral materials were not brought to their area.

    Zidiga said party members assembled at the headquarters of their wards from 6am to 7pm and waited in vain for party officers and INEC representatives.

    He said: “We appeal to Governor Seriake Dickson and the leadership of the PDP not to foist any list of delegates on us ahead of the primary election to decide the flag bearers of our party.”

     

  • PDP crises: Senators revolt against Jonathan

    PDP crises: Senators revolt against Jonathan

    Lawmakers angry as governors hijack congresses

    From the wards and party offices, the crises sparked by last Saturday’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ward congresses have spread to the Senate.

    Scores of PDP senators revolted yesterday against President Goodluck Jonathan and the party’s leadership, alleging that they were being schemed out of the 2015 elections.

    The senators took exception to what they described as a deliberate plan by the Presidency and the party to leave their fate in the hands of governors.

    The lawmakers particularly kicked against their inability to secure delegates that would guarantee their re-election tickets.

    Senate plenary was abruptly adjourned. The aggrieved senators converged at the office of the Senate President, David Mark, for what one of them described as a “last ditch meeting to take our destiny in our hands”.

    The closed door meeting did not last long when it was learnt that the lawmakers had decided to frustrate all legislative businesses as to express their anger over the outcome of the congresses.

    The senators were angry that the congresses were allegedly skewed in favour of governors.

    The governors were, however, said to be adamant in their resolve to “deal with the senators for alleged non performance”.

    The governors are said to have lined up their loyalists to take over the seats of the incumbent legislators.

    At the Senate yesterday, Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, who presided, had hardly announced that the PDP Senate Caucus would meet after the sitting, when a motion for adjournment was raised and unanimously adopted.

    Most of the PDP senators believed to have lost out during the ward congresses were visibly angry.

    A senator, who spoke to reporters on condition of anonymity because he was not officially authorised to speak to the media on the “vexatious” issue, claimed that “we have been used by the PDP and dumped.”

    It was also learnt that most of the PDP senators whose fate has been sealed are already knocking at the doors of the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC), asking to be allowed to fly the party’s flag in the next election.

    The Senate resolved to shut down legislative business because governors have been empowered by the PDP headquarters to deny them re-election tickets, the source said.

    It was also leant that the Senate would in the next few days show openly its solidarity with House of Representatives Speaker  Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, whose defection from PDP to the APC has caused a huge row.

    The source insisted that they are prepared to fight their battle with any weapon open to them, including shutting legislative business, especially the consideration of the 2015 Appropriation Bill and other pending bills.

    He wondered why the President and first-time PDP governors are given automatic tickets and legislators are not.

    The source, who was visibly angry, said: “We have shut down all legislative business. We are already down, so we can as well be out. It is either they give us automatic tickets or nothing.

    “They deliberately starved us of funds to render us powerless. We have not received allowances for the past three months. After all we have done to protect Mr. President in the Senate, he decided to leave us in the hands of rapacious governors.

    “The PDP is already gone. We are not doing the job of governors but the governors want to do our job. So we have decided to shut down the government. We are not going to approve the Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper (MTEF. We are not going to consider the budget. Beginning from today, we will come like this and adjourn.

    “We have decided to adjourn and do no business and the APC senators are in solidarity with us. As it is, Jonathan has lost the Senate. By denying us tickets the PDP has deliberately played into the hands of the APC because the reality is that most us will seek their party’s tickets to return to the Senate.”

    In most states especially in the South South and the Southeast, senators and governors are at daggers drawn.

    Governors are scheming to move to the senate while trying to also install their successors.

    They are blocking sitting senators from returning.

    Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu is battling with Enugu State Governor Sullivan Chime.

    Senate leader Victor Ndoma-Egba and Cross River State Governor Liyel Imoke do not see eye to eye.

    Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswil Akpabio has schemed out Senator Aloysius Etok in Akwa Ibom. Senators Enyinaya Abaribe and Chris Anyanwu, who are bidding to be governor are not having things rosy due to the excessive influence of the governors.

    In Bayelsa, Governor  Seriake Dickson has edged out all the three senators.

     

  • Ondo PDP: One party, two secretariats

    Ondo PDP: One party, two secretariats

    Without exaggeration, things have gone awry with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State since Governor Olusegun Mimiko officially dumped the Labour Party ((LP) for the PDP three weeks ago.

    The major victim of Mimiko’s defection is the party’s state executive committee under the leadership of Mr Ebenezer Alabi who worked hard to strengthen the party that nearly became extinct few years back.

    Before the defection of Mimiko, it had been rumoured that the National Working Committee (NWC) would favour him in the distribution of party’s offices.

    This forced the state executive to drag the NWC to Federal High Court, Abuja to seek legal redress on the alleged move by Mimiko to hijack the PDP.

    But, despite the ruling of an Abuja High Court that the status quo should be maintained in the Ondo PDP, Governor Olusegun Mimiko had established a parallel secretariat of the party.

    The parallel secretariat is located at No 3, Bishop Fagun Road Alagbaka Akure adjacent to the First City Monument Bank (FCMB).

    After Mimiko had defected to the PDP, he allegedly sought the dissolution of the structures of the party in the state.

    But, the Ebenezer Alabi-led State Executive Committee approached an Abuja High Court, praying it to stop the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party from dissolving the structures of the party in Ondo State.

    The court, presided over by Justice Oriji ruled that the status quo should be maintained and adjourned the case to tomorrow for further hearing.

    When contacted on phone for comment on the parallel state secretariat of the party opened by Mimiko, Alabi said it was clear that Mimiko was seeking to destroy the party in the state with the opening of the parallel secretariat.

    Describing it as illegal, Alabi called on members of the PDP not to have anything to do with the parallel secretariat.

    He said: “It is now clear that Governor Mimiko is seeking to destroy the PDP in Ondo State. We accepted his defection to the party but what we are saying is that due process must be followed in running the affairs of the party.

    “The last time we met President Goodluck Jonathan, we were told to go and resolve all the issues brought up by Mimiko’s defection to the PDP. Immediately we left Abuja, Mimiko went to open an illegal secretariat.

    “His action has revealed the kind of person he is and how desperate he is to by-pass due process. We are no longer interested in negotiating with him.

    “Members of our party should not go to the illegal secretariat. Our secretariat is at No 86, Oyemekun Road, Akure. We have been using the place since 1999 and nobody can change it now.”

    As the controversy over the parallel secretariat raged on, the NWC announced the dissolution of the Ondo State executive and appointed Dare Adeleke as the new chairman of the caretaker committee that will oversee the affairs of the party.

    When our correspondent visited the old PDP secretariat, the building was under lock and key. None of the party members was seen around the vicinity.

    Fierce-looking mobile police men and some operatives of the Directorate of Security Service (DSS) kept watch on the premises.

    However, at the Mimiko’s new PDP secretariat Alagbaka, workers were busy.

    The secretariat was opened to members of the public while one of the members of staff stated that all those aggrieved members of the PDP would soon accept their fate and consult the new secretariat for official matters.

    The PDP executive protested the deployment of armed policemen to effect a forcible shutdown of its secretariat along Oyemekun Road, Akure.

    They described the development as unnecessary, even as they queried the justification of their action.

    The party noted that the dissolution of the PDP executive by NWC did not, in any manner, justify police sealing off its offices and hinder all administrative duties.

    It called for immediate re-opening of the secretariat to prevent crisis.

    However, the chairman of the caretaker committee, Adeleke said the secretariat would remain closed for now.

    He said the step was to avoid unauthorised access and possible destruction or pilfering from the secretariat after the dissolution of the state executive by the NWC.

    Adeleke assured all members of the PDP in the state of its unwavering commitment to the promotion of justice, peace and fair play.

    He called on all aggrieved members to remain calm and be law-abiding.

    However, with a strong petition sent to the Inspector-General of Police (IGP) through the Ondo State Commissioner of Police, Eke, the State Police Command had no option than to re-open the shut PDP secretariat after 24 hours. The two secretariats are being used simultaneously; the new by Governor Mimiko’s supporters and the old secretariat by the aggrieved members of the PDP.

    The Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Wole Ogodo said the police men were drafted to the old PDP secretariat along Oyemekun Road to provide protection since there was a change of baton. They would be there to maintain peace and orderliness.

    Ogodo, however, maintained that their presence was not to intimidate PDP supporters or residents in the area.

    The crisis in the Ondo State PDP has remained contentious as its State Executive Committee (SEC) headed by Alabi said the purported dissolution of his committee was only on the pages of newspapers.

    He insisted that the committee is in total control of the party and its affairs.

    Alabi faulted the recent meeting hosted by Governor Mimiko at the Government House, Alagbaka with few PDP leaders where they agreed on power sharing between the LP and the PDP.

    He said: “It is a factional meeting where eminent PDP leaders such as its 2012 governorship candidate, Olusola Oke, former Minister of Defence, Tokunbo Kayode and Jimoh Ibrahim were not invited. Whatever agreement they reached at the meeting was not binding on the state executive.”

    The state executive had conducted a successful ward congress.

    Both security operatives, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the PDP team from its National Secretariat, Abuja witnessed the exercise.

  • Dump PDP, Reps’ caucus tells lawmakers

    THE caucus of the new Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives has urged other members to dump the party and join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The call was contained in a statement by the Chairman of the caucus, Andrew Uchendu, who said the move became necessary as a result of the defection of the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal, to the APC.

    While welcoming the Speaker to the APC fold, Uchendu said though the new PDP had since merged with APC, the House would be more formidable if other progressive-minded PDP members move over to APC.

    He said: “We use this opportunity to call on our remaining members to utilise the opportunity of the merger that took place on November 26, 2013, between the New PDP and APC to move over to the progressive camp, the APC, so that together we can prosecute the task of building a new and prosperous Nigeria.”

  • Over 2, 000 dump LP, PDP for APC in Ondo

    As rumours made the rounds that Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimiko would defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state has been gaining more defectors from the ruling party.

    Over 2, 000 Labour Party (LP) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in Ore in Odigbo Local Government Area of the state dumped their parties and pitched their tents with the APC.

    The aggrieved defectors said they were worried about their political futures since Mimiko was yet to clarify where he will likely be by 2015 elections.

    A PDP Chieftain, Akin Akinbodunde said his followers have vowed not to stay in the same party with Mimiko, saying that more members of the PDP across the state would soon dump the.

    An LP member, Festus Arakanye said they decided to dump LP because they had vowed not to follow the governor to the PDP.

    Arakanye said after a wide consultation with his followers, they all agreed that APC remains the best platform for them to continue their political journey.

    Receiving the defectors, a Chieftain of APC, Mr Morayo Lebi praised the decamped individual for taking the decision on their political futures.

    Lebi, who is eyeing the APC ticket for the Ondo Southern Senatorial District assured them that APC would give them equal treatment.

    The APC chieftain, who had been touring the six local government areas in his senatorial district, said his intention was to transform the areas if elected in the 2015 general elections.

    Lebi added that he is aware of the suffering of his people, even as he promised to give them quality representation. He also promised that if elected, he would attract Federal Government projects to his constituency.

    He said his focus would be youths’ and women empowerment.

  • Court urged to void Mua’zu’s appointment as PDP chairman

    Court urged to void Mua’zu’s appointment as PDP chairman

    The Federal High Court in Abuja has been asked to nullify the appointment of former Bauchi State Governor, Adamu Mua’zu, as Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The request is contained in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/729/2014 filed by a member of the PDP, Emmanuel Onu.

    It is the plaintiff’s contention that the purported resignation of the party’s immediate past Chairman, Bamanga Tukur via a letter sent through  President Goodluck Jonathan to PDP’s National Executive Committee (NEC) violated Sections 47(5) and (6) of the 2012 constitution of the party.

    Onu is also contending that the decision of the party’s NEC to appoint Mua’zu in Tukur’s place, instead of the then Deputy National Chairman, violated the laid down procedure for succession as contained in Sections 45(1) and (2) of the 2012 constitution of the party.

    He argued, in a supporting affidavit, that the appointment of Mua’zu as PDP’s National Chairman was premature and unconstitutional.

    “The emergence and appointment of the 2nd defendant (Mua’zu) within a period of five days of the resignation of the chairman was premature, invalid and unconstitutional. The appointment of the 2nd defendant is tantamount to putting the cart before the horse. And such cannot stand.

    “The appointment ought to have taken place immediately after 30 days. The National Executive Committee of the 1st defendant (PDP) led by President Goodluck Jonathan jumped the gun in appointing the 2nd defendant as National Chairman,” the plaintiff said.

    Named as defendants are the PDP,  Mua’zu and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

     

  • Rivers 16 PDP governorship aspirants, others to shun appeal panel

    Rivers 16 PDP governorship aspirants, others to shun appeal panel

    Sixteen aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirants and 2,100 delegate-aspirants in Rivers State have said they will shun the appeal panel set up by the national headquarters of the party to examine the complaints arising from last Saturday’s ward congress.

    Allegations of irregularity marred the congress in most wards.

    The aggrieved aspirants alleged that the three-man appeal panel are cronies of former Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, who is also a PDP governorship aspirant.

    They alleged that the panel members – Afam Okeke (Chairman), Ferdinand Ibezim (Secretary) and Lambert Oparah (member) – are Wike’s aides.

    A governorship aspirant, Nimi Walson-Jack, who spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, on the decision of the aggrieved aspirants, described the appeal panel as a sham.

    He said nobody would appear before it.

    Walson-Jack said: “The appeal panel will listen to appeals from those who set it up. It is clear from the characters of those selected for the appeal panel that it has been compromised from the onset.

    “We, the group of 16 governors acting under the coalition of governorship aspirants, do not have any iota of confidence in the so-called appeal panel. We will have nothing to do with it. We will not and cannot give legitimacy to a sham. Let them regale themselves with the premeditated charade they have since designed for the interest of an aspirant against the collective interest and electoral fortune of our party.”

    Another aspirant, Prince Tonye Princewill, told reporters in Port Harcourt, yesterday, that the “state chapter of the PDP does not have a properly constituted executive committee in all the wards and local government areas”.

  • Court stops Fed Govt, PDP Reps from recalling House

    Court stops Fed Govt, PDP Reps from recalling House

    APC caucus  warns against meddling in House affairs

    Those scheming for the House of Representatives to reconvene lost a major battle yesterday.

    A Federal High Court in Abuja stopped members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Federal Government from forcibly reconvening the House, which  last week adjourned till December 3.

    Justice Ahmed Ramat Muhammed ruled that all parties to the suit should maintain the status quo until Friday.

    The ruling came after members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House filed a motion on notice, asking the court to stop the Federal Government, PDP and their agents from reconvening the House until December 3.

    Members of the APC, led by House Minority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila, on Monday approached the court, seeking an injunction against their colleagues in the PDP and the Federal Government.

    Justice Muhammed ruled that Speaker Aminu Tambuwal and the APC should serve the defendants with the motion on notice and ordered the defendants to show cause why all the reliefs being sought should not be granted.

    Tambuwal alleged that the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), its Chairman, Adamu Mu’azu and three others were plotting to reconvene the House before December 3 to which it lawfully adjourned.

    Tambuwal said the planned reconvening of the House’s sitting was part of the plot by his former party and its leadership to forcibly  remove him from office as Speaker and member of the House.

    He accused the PDP and Mu’azu of working with the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and Deputy Speaker Emeka Ihedioha to carry out the plot.

     This is part of the deposition contained in an affidavit supporting a motion exparte filed by Tambuwal yesterday before the Federal High Court, Abuja, in addition to the suit he and the All Progressives Congress (APC), filed on Friday.

    Respondents in the motion are the PDP, Mu’azu, House of Reps, Ihedioha, Inspector General of Police (IGP), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the AGF.

    “The 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 7th defendants (PDP, Muazu, House of Reps, Deputy Speaker and the AGF) are planning to illegally and unconstitutionally reconvene the sitting of the 3rd defendant (House of Reps) before December 3, 2014, the date the sitting of the 3rd defendant was lawfully adjourned to, without following due process, for the sole purpose of discussing and perfecting the forceful removal of the 1st plaintiff before the case of the plaintiff is heard and determined,” Tambuwal said in the supporting affidavit deposed to on his behalf by one of his lawyers, Ejura Patience Ochimana.

    The Speaker also stated that the withdrawal of his security detail on October 30 by the IGP was upon the prompting of the 1st to 4th respondents (PDP, Mu’azu, House of Reps and Ihedioha).

    He stated that despite the pendency of the suit he filed on Friday, the defendants were still bent on carrying through their threat to forcefully remove him from office as Speaker and as member of the House.

    “The 1st and 2nd defendants (PDP and Mu’azu) have been threatening to use their contacts to ensure that the seat of the 1st plaintiff (Tambuwal) in the 3rd defendant (House of Reps) is declared vacant so that the 6th defendant (INEC) would organise a bye-election to fill it,” he said.

    Tambuwal, who prayed the court to urgently grant the five orders of interim injunction contained in the motion ex-parte, argued that unless restrained, the defendant, who have in most cases exhibited their alleged disdain for the rule of law, will execute their threat of removing him from office.

  • ‘Taraba PDP congress may be falsified’

    ‘Taraba PDP congress may be falsified’

    The senator representing Southern Taraba, Emmanuel Bwacha, has said there were attempts in Jalingo, the state capital, to falsify the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) ward congresses.

    Bwacha, who is seeking a re-election into the Senate, addressed reporters yesterday in Jalingo after submitting his PDP nomination form at the party’s secretariat.

    He said many things were wrong in Taraba State.

    It was learnt that House of Representatives Chief Whip Ishaka Bawa was slapped by a member of the House of Assembly, resulting in a fight at the Jalingo Motel, venue of the collation of the ward congresses results.

    The House of Representatives member representing Mbang, Abel Peter Diah, was allegedly beaten up by a suspected thug at the collation centre.

    Bwacha said: “The ward congresses have been conducted. In some places, they were free and fair, but in others, the Returning Officers were coerced to fill the delegates’ names in the Government House where (Acting Governor) Garba Umar is holding fort.

    “Whether this is a new process of conducting congresses or primaries, we are yet to be told. Where you see a Chief Whip of the House of Representatives being harassed by forces promoted by the so-called establishment in the state is quite unfortunate.

    “Clearly, a lot of things have gone wrong. I am aware of a Returning Officer who was taken to the Government House and told to fill the delegates’ names. He refused and insisted to go and conduct the congress in the local government area.”

     

     

     

    “Seven mobile police officers (MOPOLs) were assigned to follow him. On getting to the local government, he (Returning Officer) disappeared and the people did not see him again…”