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Tag: PDP

  • 1000 Accord Party members defect to PDP in Oyo

    1000 Accord Party members defect to PDP in Oyo

    NO fewer than 1,000 members of Accord Party in Ibadan North East Local Government Area of Oyo State on Friday defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The defectors, who were led by Alhaji Taofeek Fajobi and Hon. Kayode Oyewale, were received by a chieftain of the party in the state, Alhaji Adebisi Olopoenia’ the party chairman in the state, Hon. Yinka Taiwo, and Chairman of the party in the local government, Alhaji Tunde Laniba.

    Addressing the new members, Olopoenia admonished them to be united and shun any form of inducement from the opposition.

    He also charged them to be focused and avoid any form of distraction on the “unstoppable movement to the seat of government”.

    He assured that the party would not disappoint them, urging others in Ibadan North East Local Government to join the winning train.

    Also speaking, Taiwo assured the defectors of a level playing ground to enable them actualise their political aspirations.

  • So what if PDP adopted President Jonathan?

    The National Executive Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party’s adoption of President Goodluck Jonathan as its sole candidate for the 2015 election did not come as a surprise. This is because from the outset, it has become obvious that the party would not field any candidate than the president.  It has become quite obvious that the PDP does not believe in playing real politics. What the PDP believes in was adoption and consensus in fielding its candidates for elective offices. How could one comprehend his sense to see how the party could not give other eminent Nigerians in the party to compete with President Jonathan a free and fair primaries rather than taking short cut to make him the sole candidate?

    The PDP, right from its formation, does not believe in internal democracy as most of its candidates for elective offices are either imposed or adopted without the inputs of the delegates, who are supposed to elect the candidates for elective offices especially governors and the president.

    What assurance did the party get, that with his adoption as the sole candidate he would coast home victorious this time around? Let it be known to the party that it would not be an easy ride for the president, especially in most of the states in the north. Therefore, the party is just deceiving itself with the adoption of the president.

    He is a hard material to be sold, especially in the northern states, and his adoption can be challenged by concerned party stake holders as Dr. Umar Ardo has clearly made it known to the world, that he would challenge the president over his ambition.                            The sycophants in the PDP and those enjoying the crumbs are the ones behind the adoption.

    The PDP is the laughing stock of the political parties in this country. No any serious politician is now in the PDP and that was why the NEC of the party tackled the decision to make him the sole candidate of the party. The party is heading for the rocks by this action taken by the NEC of the party.

     

    By Usman Santuraki,

    Jambutu Ward,

    Jimeta-Yola.

  • Akinyelure: PDP can’t displace APC in Southwest’

    Akinyelure: PDP can’t displace APC in Southwest’

    Southwest All Progressives Congress (APC)  leaders have resolved to work hard to make the zone the stronghold of the mega opposition party by winning next year’s elections in the six states. BISI OLADELE encountered them at the maiden zonal meeting of the party in Ibadan, Oyo State capital.  

    The Vice Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Southwest, Chief Pius Akinyelure, has a challenge. Elections will hold in the six states-Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo and Ekiti-next year. The region is perceived as the stronghold of the APC. Can the party triumph at the polls?

    Exuding confidence, the zonal leader said that victory is possible. But, he emphasised that the chapter should put its house in order, learn from past mistakes and work hard.

    Akinyelure presided over the maiden meeting of APC chieftains from the zone at Ibadan, the Oyo State capital.

    The chieftains were basking in the euphoria of the APC’s success in the Osun State governorsjhip election. The convivial atmosphere  buried the pain over the loss of Ekiti State to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) .

    However, despite their belief in the ability of the party to win the governorship polls in Oyo, Lagos and Ogun, and partliamentary polls in Ondo, Ekiti and Osun, they acknowledged that a lot of work should be done, especially in the areas of giving more opportunities to youths, internal democracy, mobilisation, selection of competent candidates and mandate protection.

    Chieftains who spoke on the challenges ahead included Lagos Central leader Prince Tajudeen Olusi, Senator Ajayi Boroffice, Oyo State APC Chairman Chief Akin Oke, Senator Ganiyu Solomon and Dr. Tunji Abayomi. Their views are presented below:

     

     

     Boroffice

    We lost Ekiti at the governorship election, yet we have not lost Ekiti State as a whole. We are still very much strong in the state. We have learnt our lesson in the Ekiti election and by the time Osun State election was conducted, those lessons sprang forth and you could see that all the efforts of the PDP to rig the election, to steal the mandate, failed. Now with the defection of Governor Mimiko to PDP, I think it is a good development for us because for a long time there have been many people in the Labour Party that will love to decamp to APC at the higher level but because of the constitutional provision, it was a constraint.

    Now, the defecting has opened a door for them to decamp to whatever party they like and people’s choice so far is the APC and I want to assure you that but for this meeting we will be holding another rally at the local government level receiving people both from Labour party and the PDP because there are some people in labour party who are progressives and cannot feel at home in the PDP and there are some people in the PDP who believe that Mimiko is an Ebola virus that is going to kill the PDP and these people are leaving the PDP to join the APC. In fact, I can see God’s hand in his defection. Putting all these together, I think the chances of the APC in the southwest come 2015 is altogether strong.

    “We are being energised by these development in Ondo State. We now have a structure in place:  the local government executives are in place, the ward excos are in place, the unit excos are also in place. So, their functions are now being activated to harvest. All these plans will build a formidable party that will claim the state. Conduct an opinion poll today in Ondo State of the chances of both parties winning an election in 2015, the response will be 70 per cent in favour of the APC.

    There are no stumbling blocks to be identified. I think, in the Southwest, what we have to do is to make sure that we put our heart together. I cannot envisage any stumbling block. We must not be complacent as we did in Ekiti. We must be ready to meet force with force and also to ensure that our people are ready, not only to vote but to watch and guide their votes form the polling boot to the collation centre. I think that is the only thing that can be a stumbling block. And of course, we have curbed the issue of intimidation by police and army. And I hope that by 2015, the amendment to the electoral law which makes it illegal for the Federal Government to deploy the army and the police, and SSS will have been ratified. That again will brighten the chances of free election.

     

    Abayomi

    Let’s take it state by state. In Lagos, I believe we are predictably okay. In Ogun, we are relatively okay. In Oyo, we are relatively okay? In Osun, we are dependably okay. In Ekiti, we need to do some additional work. In Ondo State, we need to do a lot of work. If we add everything together,  I think we should be okay.

    Obviously, the INEC declared us as the winner. Anybody can go to the tribunal?, and I think really we should have gone to the tribunal against Omisore, especially on Ife results. The election that was conducted in Ife raises a lot of doubt as to the number of vote committed to Omisore. So, I believe we should initiate a counter petition especially, but apart from that I think everybody followed the election in Osun. I believe that Omisore just wants to be relevant having been embarrassed by the result. You need to understand that before the election, Chief Omisore had boasted, and his party too, that there was simply no way that they will not win in Osun State. Not only that, you will recall that the chairman of the PDP governors had also boasted, so also the vice president. So, the embarrassment was a little large and it needed to be curtailed a little bit by way of petition.

    What happened was that the Labour Party was an irritant in Ondo Sate. It is a party that has no head, no arm and no neck – you know what I mean. It is a party that is surrounded by only one person. You will recall that when Mimiko was going to start his campaign, he said, “When we decided to use Labour party to realise our ambition.” So, the Labour Party (LP) is really a party not to be in a position to be competitive politically in this country. The only significant person in the party in this country is Mimiko. In the future, the coast is clearer, it is now a battle between the titans and that is the APC which houses the progressives and the PDP which houses the retrogressives in terms of achievement. The nation in the last 14 years has enjoyed civil rule. But the only thing the government has guaranteed us is the chance to die. They have not guaranteed us anything. We do not have water, electricity. It took me four hours to go from Lagos, a major commercial city of Nigeria, to Ibadan, the most populous city.  And then, we cannot have any public hospital, none of us has a public primary school where we can put our children without a disturbed conscience. We are not expecting much from the PDP. Only the people of PDP expect much from  thePDP and not the people of Nigeria.

     

    Oke

    As far as we are concerned, I think in the last three years that we have been in the realm of affairs in the Southwest, outside Lagos state, we have done enough to warrant a return in the six states.

    In all human endeavours there are bound to be difficulties and challenges. The reality in Ekiti is beyond human comprehension beacuse what happened in Ekiti is difficult to explain for now and I will leave that to the tribunal. With what happened in Osun, I believe Oyo is okay and Lagos is alright. In Ogun, we have some of our members complaining and there are little quarrels but that has been resolved if that is what you are referring to as stumbling blocks.

    In Ekiti, the scenario will be a different thing come 2015. In Osun, no doubt we are going to win. In Oyo, I can assure you we are coming back by the grace of God. In Ogun, by the grace of God, the difference between our leader and the governor – I know our leaders are doing everything possible to settle the differences. I think Governor Amosun has done more than enough for the people of Ogun to return him back come 2015. In Lagos, we have no doubt because it is the bedrock of progressives in Nigeria – we are going to win.

     

    Olusi

    The chances of our party of retaining Southwest states is very bright. One has to remember that APC is determined to move Southwest forward and to pursue a change for the entire federation of Nigeria. However, history has taught us that when you are pursuing a change from a position to another, particularly a position that will be unpalatable to those who are looting the treasury of our country, then you are going to be confronted with stiff opposition and therefore we are ready for that. Today, we are the predominant party in Southwest part of our country and definitely we are going to maintain that position. We are now ruling a number of states like Oyo, Osun, Ogun, Lagos, Edo and our governors are performing well and they have the support of the masses, so, we have no fear that we are going to win the whole of Southwest.

    I am not satisfied with the Ekiti State election and I have made my view known in the national dailies recently. If you look at the Osun State guber election, you will see the performances of the electoral officers, that shows how INEC must be an unbaised umpire.

    For the APC to retain power in Lagos in 2015, we need to be aggressive in our campaign, we have made a number of achievement in Southwest. See what is happening in Ogun State, see what we have achieved in Lagos State and see what is going on Oyo State. We need to talk and persuade the people, and we need the people to make some sacrifices for the betterment of the people.

     

    Solomon

    The issue of internal democracy is a principle we have to imbibe with the party and our leaders have always been singing it into our ears. They have also exhibited that in the elections in Anambra, Osun and Ekiti. So, they also know the situation on ground now, and they know that party members are willing to participate with their candidates. We will not do anything to the contrary.

    As regards to some other challenges, there will be natural challenges, challenges of candidate, challenges of a now mega party but I don’t see the challenges as insurmountable, because we have at the elms of affairs veteran politicians who have seen it all and we will tap from their wealth of experience in tackling those challenges.

    The chances of our party is very bright in 2015 and in the three remaining states in Southwest we shall return.

    We have so many aspirants to contest for the Lagos State governorship seat in 2015, its good for the party and we shall continue to encourage them, but we should ensure that we create a platform and choose the aspirant with the highest support from party members to emerge as the party’s candidate. Its not about the party choosing alone but its about the electorate knowing about the competence of the candidate and we shall not take the chances of the electorate for granted. The party has not zoned the governorship ticket to anywhere.

  • Jonathan as sole PDP candidate?

    SIR: The presentation of Goodluck Jonathan as Peoples Democratic Party candidate for the 2015 presidential election fulfils the desire of few groups and individuals. The adoption of Jonathan is not a surprise as it has been something long expected; rather what came as the surprise is the “sole candidate” which is Jonathan.

    Having a sole candidate for the most coveted political position in a political party like the Peoples Democratic Party tells of the hidden rancor and disintegration going on within the party. After the dissolution of a faction of the party which called themselves New PDP, many had thought that the party has come together in unison but this act of adopting Jonathan as the sole presidential candidate makes it crystal clear that there is still division within the party.

    The automatic cancellation of the presidential primary which was scheduled for December 6 means that Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido and Speaker of the house of Representative, Honourable Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, both nursing ambition on the party ticket, have to look elsewhere if they are still interested in the position or settle for less. It is quite evident that Hon. Tambuwal will defect to All Progressives Congress (APC) to compete with General Muhammadu Buhari, Atiku Abubakar and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso for the ticket of the party.

    With the defection of Aliyu Wamakko and impending defection of Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, it tells of the looming division in the house of PDP.

     

    • Oyetunji Oluwatobi,

     University of Ibadan

  • Nigeria under PDP 

    The above aptly captures my outings on these pages in the last four years. This focus is precisely because no other party has been able to withstand the intrigues of PDP since the outset of the fourth republic. The Alliance for Democracy, (AD), even under the highly respected late Bola Ige fizzled out when infiltrated by PDP moles. The AC and its successor ACN could not make much impact as a result of endless wars of sons and fathers which define Yoruba politics where the aggrieved often appeal to outsiders for help. The PDP swallowed five of seven governors elected on APP within eight years. Labour and APGA are PDP surrogates. On the other hand PDP has remained the greatest mobilization agent since 1999. When it sneezes, the nation cashes cold. Its actions and inactions affect our past, present and define the future of our children. The insensitivity and the cavalier way the party presented Jonathan as its candidate for the 2015 as if the electorate does not matter was not accidental. Jonathan even with his disabilities is the only asset PDP has for 2015.

    PDP is an association of wheelers and dealers with no identifiable ideological world-view or a coherent manifesto. In place of party manifesto, Obasanjo in 1999 talked of “a total transformation of Nigeria’ through urban development and privatization, stable power supply, roads and infrastructure and constitutional review”. Yar’Adua came up with his own unwieldy ‘Eight-point agenda’ which the party paid little attention to. President Jonathan came up with his own ‘transformation agenda’, a five-year development plan 2011-2015 which focused on ‘strong, inclusive and non-inflationary growth; employment generation and poverty alleviation and value re-orientation of the citizenry’.

    John Campbell, a former US envoy for instance described PDP during a debate on Nigeria in the British House of Commons a few years back as ‘an elite cartel at the centre of power in Nigeria, a political party that came together … as essentially a club of elites for sharing of oil rents and political spoils.’

    The government has provided enough facts to validate Campbell’s thesis. The privatization exercise as detailed by Nasir El Rufai during a House of Representatives’ probe showed that it was designed to share out blue chip companies built through taxpayers money to privileged members of the political class. The monetization policy was used by PDP and Obasanjo to immorally sell inherited patrimony from colonial masters which rightly belong to our children to party members and their sympathizers. Other evidences include the theft of about N1.7 trillion through fuel subsidy deal which involved highly placed members of PDP and their children. There was also the pension scheme scandal where one of the major actors has continued to receive protection from government. The probe set up by President Jonathan to look into the cases of abandoned projects in the last 15 years showed that it would take five years of budgeting to implement uncompleted projects if no fresh projects are embarked upon. Of course there is the outstanding issue of unremitted $10 billion oil sales revenue which cost the whistle blower-the former CBN Governor his job. Only last week, the South African authorities confiscated the sum of $9.3m illegally ferried into the country through a private jet belonging to the CAN president.

    Starting from 1999, of the 23 PDP governors, 17 were arraigned for corruption. A few that have served their terms along with others who are still expected to be in court defending their integrity have been rehabilitated by government as party chieftains, ministers, or elected senators and governors. Within the same period, many of the party’s leading lights such party chairmen, senate presidents, and speakers were found guilty of corruption.

    To show that little governance goes on in Abuja outside sharing, Obiageli Ezekwesili, a co-founder of Transparency International and former minister of solid minerals and later education, recently called attention of Nigerians to the new fad of Federal Executive Council holding meeting over award of contracts when there are statutory bodies responsible for such duties.

    Besides corruption, another enduring legacy that should haunt PDP as we move towards 2015 is insecurity. It started with Niger Delta insurgency leading to political sharia riots and today’s Boko Haram which the president admitted had killed over 12,000 mostly innocent Nigerians in the last five years… Operating in between are the rampaging Fulani herdsmen killing and maiming innocent people in the north central states of Kaduna, Benue, Plateau and Nasarawa.

    Although the Boko Haram sect has been active since the administration of Olusegun Obasanjo, mindless killing of innocent Nigerians started some five years ago under Yar’ Adua. Government has been unable to contain the sect activities which started with attacks on churches, mosques, police stations and military barracks and then motor parks and populated streets of Kano, Kaduna, Maiduguri. Then the insurgents shifted their mindless killings to some  schools where they carried out selective murder of male students. What drew world attention to government helplessness was the shameful abduction of about 300 girls from their dormitories in Chibok in April this year.

    But in spite of its liabilities, the party is probably counting on its selling point which is its big umbrella which besides protecting all those who swear on PDP oath, also drips honey that quenches the thirst of its members. Thus family members who strayed out often scrambled back as they often find it difficult to survive outside the PDP family umbrella. Atiku Abubakar  had to overcome many hurdles including prostrating before Obasanjo as well as his Adamawa local branch officers each time he has had  to crawl back. Kalu Uzor Kalu is daring his local branch that has insisted he is not welcomed. Bode George even after serving a jail term wrongly has found no other party that can quench his thirst. Ikimi, Fani-kayode, Fayose were not just thirsty but famished by the time they returned to their natural habitat. Babangida Aliyu of Niger was not just back after leading a rebellion; he had the unenviable duty of announcing President Jonathan as the PDP sole candidate for 2015.  Even PDP former tormentors like Nuhu Ribadu and Ali Modu Sheriff have found the PDP honey very tempting that they would swallow any insult to crawl under its umbrella.

    But even at that, Jonathan who controls the big umbrella, is an asset to PDP that canonized him for 2015. This is a president who has won all his past battles without waging any war. Others fought his wars and sometimes committed political suicide in the process. The SNG fought for him to be sworn in as acting president…Ogbuluafor was sacrificed to ensure Jonathan crossed the PDP hurdle that stood between him and PDP ticket in 2010. Obasanjo claimed he sold his candidacy to opinion leaders round the country on the understanding that he would run for one term after completing Yar’Adua’s term cut short by  death.

    But Jonathan himself, a master of political subterfuge made his canonization in spite of his disabilities by the governors and BOT a fait accompli. Every PDP man has a price. The governors also need continuous protection. As Obasanjo once hinted, Jonathan knows how to make wise investments. How will governors without character who proclaimed themselves winners of governors forum election they lost, refuse to pay back their debt when Jonathan demanded dividends on his investment? BOT’s unprincipled leaders like Tony Anenih and Jerry Gana who have been parts of ‘any government in power’ since Babangida era owe their continued relevance to Jonathan. Of course we can only suspect the source of billions of naira the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) committed to media campaign claiming without proof that ‘our roads have never been so good, that farmers have put poverty behind them, that almajiri school have solved problems of poverty in the north, that siting of new universities in states without federal universities are answers to the decay in the educational sector. There was also the TAN claim of eight million signatories of Nigerians who earnestly want Jonathan to run. The PDP wheelers and dealers need Jonathan.

  • Senate Presidency not vacant, says Suswam

    Benue State Governor Gabriel Suswam has said the Senate Presidency, occupied by Senator David Mark, is not contestable in 2015.

    Suswam spoke yesterday at the Shehu Musa Yar’adua Centre in Abuja at the public presentation of a book written on him by his Media Adviser, Cletus Akwaya.

    The 320-page book is titled: “Suswam, Politics and Governance in Benue, An Insider’s Account.”

    The event attracted dignitaries from all walks of life, including Vice-President Namadi Sambo; Mark; Secretary to the Government of the Federation Anyim Pius Anyim and Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu.

    Suswam said just as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan as the party’s presidential candidate last week, all PDP organs should maintain the status quo on the Office of the Senate President.

    He said: “In Benue, Mark’s position is not contestable and I believe Northcentral people will agree with me. We have to endorse the Senate Presidency to remain not only in Benue, but that the occupant of that position will also stay there.

    “We are not moving the position and the actor. So there is no reason to endorse one actor at one place and endorse another actor from another place. We in Benue are solidly behind Mark. I urge those of us who will be going to the senate to stand behind him so that he can continue to stabilise the politics of this country.”

    He said the presence of eminent persons at the event testified to the unity Benue people and the performance of his administration.

    Suswam said the support given to Mark in the state was responsible for his long stay in office.

    Sambo said the Suswam administration had transformed Benue, making it the food basket of the nation, with the highest Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the zone.

    He said the administration’s legacies would inspire future administrations.

    Mark said peace was the greatest achievement of the Suswam administration, noting that for eight years, the Tiv and Idoma lived peacefully together.

    He said although he did not support Suswam at the PDP’s primary election in 2007 because of the rotation of power agreement, he backed him the moment he emerged the party’s candidate.

    Mark praised Suswam’s maturity and integrity, urging politicians to always keep to their promises.

    Over N70 million was realised at the book launch.

    The Chief Launcher, Aliko Dangote, donated N5 million. Kebbi and Niger states donated N5 million each; Jigawa State, N3 million; Alhaji Baba Danagundi, N5 million; and Katsina State, N2 million.

    Mark donated N5.5 million; the Senate, N5.5 million; Mr Demian Dodo (SAN), N2 million; Senator Abubakar Bagudu, N1 million; Mr Hassan Saleh, N1 million; and Oloye Jumoke Akinjide, N1 million.

  • Anenih visits Lamido

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Board of Trustees Chairman Chief Tony Anenih visited yesterday Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and held a closed door meeting with him.

    Anenih was accompanied on the visit by the party’s National Vice-Chairman, Northwest, Ibrahim Kazaure, and others.

    They met with Lamido at the Presidential Lodge in Dutse, the state capital.

    Speaking with reporters at the Dutse International Airport after the meeting, Anenih said: “I came to see my son, governor and brother, Sule Lamido. What we discussed in our meeting is not for tomorrow’s newspaper. Lamido is a party loyalist, who deserves all privileges.”

    He declined to comment on speculations that the PDP wanted to replace Vice-President Namadi Sambo with Lamido, but said: “Lamido is a matured leader. This is my third visit to Jigawa this year and we have no problem as you said ‘speculating’. What happened is an internal affair. It is normal and has been resolved amicably.”

  • Abia PDP blocks Kalu’s return

    Abia PDP blocks Kalu’s return

    • Ex-governor: I’d have participated in reconciliation

    The hope of former Abia State Governor Orji Uzor Kalu returning to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has deemed.

    The reconciliation committee set up by the party’s national executive was told there were aggrieved members in the state.

    The committee, led by former PDP National Chairman Ahmadu Ali, was in Abia State after visiting Imo on its national reconciliation assignment.

    Other members of the committee include former Information Minister Prof Jerry Gana, Chief Shuaibu Afolabi Oyedokun and former Rivers State Governor Celestine Omehia.

    But Abia State PDP Chairman Emma Nwaka told the committee that there was no need for reconciliation since there were no aggrieved members in the state.

    According to him, the only problem the party has is the bad state of Southeast roads, which he wanted the Federal Government to fix.

    Nwaka said only those with valid membership could complain of estrangement, adding that the party had no such case in Abia State.

    He said: “Since we do not have such members, there is nobody to reconcile with.”

    Apparently referring to Kalu, the party chairman said the reconciliation meeting was not for non-members of PDP.

    He added: “If for whatever reason you left the party, either to found a new one or join an existing party, your case is different. This meeting is not for such people.”

    Nwaka said the meeting with the reconciliation committee was not the appropriate forum to treat cases like Kalu’s.

    He said: “To come back to the party, such a person has to bring a fresh application at the ward level. And if re-admitted, such a person shall be on probation to know if he has changed.”

    The chairman warned that the prevailing peace in Abia PDP should not be jeopardised with the attempt to reconcile someone he called a “stranger” to the party, especially with general elections around the corner.

    He said: “Let us be careful not to upturn the apple cart with the general elections just around the corner. Care must be taken to establish the motive of any person seeking to rejoin the party at this late hour.”

    Ali said aggrieved members should be re-integrated into the party, in line with the committee’s terms of reference.

    Waxing philosophical, he said: “Our people say that although a weakling cannot lift a pot of water, but he can break it.”

    Kalu issued a statement on Monday that he would have joined the reconciliation team.

    The former governor said he missed the opportunity because he was in China.

     

  • Scores injured at Rivers PDP stakeholders conference

    There was confusion at the Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Stakeholders’ Conference yesterday at the Delta Hotels, Old GRA, Port Harcourt.

    It was gathered that some youths came in through the backdoor and started hitting the attendees with plastic chairs.

    In the ensuing melee, people scampered for safety; some jumped out through the windows; some fell down and were trampled upon.

    The police fired about four shots, perhaps to enable them rescue a Second Republic Senator, Cyrius Nunieh, who is said to be in his 80s and a governorship aspirant.

    Peace was later restored and the conference started again.

    Although the attackers could not be identified, it was alleged that they were members of the Grassroots Development Initiative (GDI), a pressure group formed by the Minister of Education, Nyesom Wike.

    Former Commissioner for Education Prof Israel Owate accused the two-man executive committee of selling out to Wike and his GDI, saying they had been using  their position to intimidate members.

    “It is the same intimidation that they have brought here today,” he said.

    In a statement titled: “Save Rivers PDP”, which the ex-commissioner read on behalf of the stakeholders, he articulated all the setbacks PDP members have suffered since the May 15, last year, court judgment which made Felix Obuah and Walter Ibiba Chairman and Secretary.

    This, Owate said, has caused the exodus of many PDP members to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The stakeholders demanded for the dissolution of the Obuah-led “two-man Rivers State Working Committee.”

    They demanded for the re-registration of party members before the next primaries to enable the party have authentic membership registers.

    They also prayed for nullification of arbitrary suspension and expulsion of members and the re-integration of all returning PDP members.

    The stakeholders demanded for the implementation of the party’s constitution that guarantees rotation and zoning of party and public elective offices for equity, justice and fairness.

  • Anenih, Lamido meet in Dutse

    Anenih, Lamido meet in Dutse

    Indication that President Goodluck Jonathan may have finally dumped Vice President Namadi Sambo for Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido, emerged on Tuesday when the Chairman, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Tony Anenih, held a closed- door meeting with the governor at the state’s presidential lodge in Dutse.

    The meeting was attended by some members of the PDP, including the party’s National Vice Chairman, North West, Amb. Ibrahim Musa Kazaure.

    The PDP BoT chairman while speaking with journalists at the Dutse international Airport, shortly after the meeting, said, “I came to see my brother, who is also the state governor – Sule Lamido.

    “What we have discussed in our meeting is not for tomorrow newspapers.  Sule Lamido is a party loyalist and he deserves all privileges in the party.”

    Anenih, who declined to comment on speculations that the party would replace Sambo with the governor, added, “Sule Lamido is a matured leader. This my third visit to Jigawa this year and we have not seen any problem.”