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Tag: PDP

  • Crisis rocks Dino Melaiye’s marriage

    Crisis rocks Dino Melaiye’s marriage

    Efforts to salvage whatever is left of the marital life of Dino Melaye seems not to be making any headway if reports coming from his his home front is anything to go by. That Melaiye’s marriage to his ex-banker wife, Tokunbo, is in crisis has gone beyond the realm of speculation. As a matter of fact, the marriage is said to have been in crisis for long only that the lady decided to endure it.

    However, events took a new turn a few days back when the lady decided she has had enough. The lady, it was gathered, felt disappointed that Dino perpetrated violence against her in spite of the fact that she stood by when he was surrounded by series of crises. Dino had sent her packing as they both were becoming intolerable of each other after about a decade of living together. After she was sent packing, she allegedly went to report her estranged husband at the FCT office of the Federation of International Women Lawyers, from where a lawyer was detailed to take up her case. The body was said to have has started making contacts with her husband to see if he was keen on taking his wife back.

    Melaiye has been embroiled in one controversy after the other since he became a prominent player on the political field. Apart from his inability to make it back to the House of Representatives after falling out with some powerful forces in PDP, he was also enmeshed in a scandal with Nollywood actress, Bisi Ibidapo-Obe, who told the world that Dino was responsible for her pregnancy; an allegation the ex-lawmaker denied.

  • We’ll reconcile, bring back our defecting members – Tukur

    We’ll reconcile, bring back our defecting members – Tukur

    The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party will not sit idle and watch its members defect enmass to the All Progressives Congress which is on the verge of claiming the majority slot in the National Assembly.

    According to the National Chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the party is not just worried about the new twist in the political calculations but also concerned that it could affect the electoral fortunes of the party in the coming elections if not halted.

    He said the leadership of the party has therefore resolved to vigorously pursue its reconciliation efforts between the party and aggrieved members.

    Tukur, who spoke at a no-barred-hold session with journalists in Abuja on Thursday, said fresh strategies are to be adopted to accommodate views of members and ensure that all possible democratic processes are exhausted in getting the members back to the fold.

    Asked if the mass defection of key party members to the APC was indicative of the failure of the half-hearted reconciliatory efforts under his leadership, Tukur explained that it was obvious that some party members were simply adamant and appeared unresponsive to the redeeming change he had planned to introduce as a leader.

    Aside the five governors who recently defected to the APC, 37 members of the party in the House of Representatives also crossed over to the APC on Wednesday while 22 others in the Senate have also signified their readiness to dump the PDP.

    Tukur said the leadership is not unmindful of the fact that the gale of defections may turn the ruling party into a minority voice in the legislative chambers.

    He said the party would prevail on the aggrieved members not to follow the multitude to do anything against their conscience, adding that the PDP remains the preferred party of most Nigerians in spite of the crisis.

    He urged members of the party to place patriotism above selfish reasons in whatever they do, explaining that the present crisis within the party was based on his decision to fully democratize the party machineries.

    He said: “”I am worried by the development. I am persuading them not to defect. Have they tested what is on ground? Did they consult with their people who elected them and got their consent? We are going to get in touch with them and reignite the reconciliation efforts.”

     

  • PDP to Tambuwal: Declare seats of 37 Reps vacant

    PDP to Tambuwal: Declare seats of 37 Reps vacant

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Aminu Tambuwal to declare vacant the seats of 37 Reps that defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The 37 members elected on the platform of the PDP had, on Wednesday, defected to the APC with many others waiting in the wings to follow suit.

    A statement issued on Thursday by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, said the members ought to lose their seats for renouncing the membership of the party.

    The statement said: “Since the affected members have renounced their membership of the PDP, we call on the presiding officer in the House of Representatives to declare the 37 seats vacant without any further delay.

    “This action shall be in adherence to our grand norm, which is the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended).”

    Metuh dismissed claims by the defectors to the effect that they had obtained a court injunction restraining the relevant authorities from declaring their seat vacant, saying they must have misinterpreted the court’s injunction.

    The statement said: “The attention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been drawn to claims by 37 defecting members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the PDP to the APC that they obtained an injunction restraining the leadership of the National Assembly and the party from declaring their seats vacant in line with provisions of the Constitution.

    “We have, after a careful review, discovered that this claim is false. For the avoidance of doubt, the order of the court clearly says that status quo be maintained, which means the affected members shall remain members of the PDP.

    “The Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in section 68 (i) (g) clearly spells out the consequences of cross carpeting when there is no division in any party. We wish to re-emphasise here that the courts have pronounced, and INEC has concurred that there are no factions in the PDP.

    “Nigerians are eagerly awaiting this call to duty as this will go a long way in demonstrating our commitment to the rule of law.”

     

     

  • PDP defectors are over ambitious – Tukur

    PDP defectors are over ambitious – Tukur

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has accused party members who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) of being over ambitious.

    According to him, while the five PDP governors that defected to the APC were nursing presidential ambition, their 37 counterparts who defected in the House of Representatives had governorship ambition in their various states.

    Wednesday’s defection in the House of Representatives came few weeks after five governors elected on the platform of the PDP defected to the APC.

    The five governors that defected to the APC on November 26 were – Rotimi Amaehi (Rivers); Musa Kwankwaso (Kano); Murtala Nyako (Adamawa); Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto); and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara).

    A statement issued on Thursday from his office quoted the party chairman to have stated this while receiving a delegation of PDP youths from 19 northern states at his Abuja residence.

    Tukur maintained that the call for his removal from office by certain members of the party was a smokescreen to shield their various ambitions.

    He maintained that those calling for his removal must have realised that with him as party chairman, there is no way they could realise their ambitions.

    The chairman said: “The crises we are witnessing in PDP are about 2015. The promoters are members who wanted to be president at all costs and those who wanted to be vice president at all costs.

    “Others were those who wanted to seek re-election as governors. Most of them felt if there was no crisis, their different ambitions would not be fulfilled.”

     

     

  • PDP losing grip of National Assembly

    PDP losing grip of National Assembly

    The ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is losing grip of its members on a daily basis, no thanks to its protracted crisis. The confidence of the acclaimed largest party is shaking in the National Assembly, where 37 members of the House of Representatives defected to the All progressives Congress (APC) yesterday. Feelers from the Upper Chamber also suggest that a handful of senators may dump the party before the end of the year.

    The defection has revealed the weakness of the party chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, who has failed to restore order into the state of pandemonium in the party. The trend of defection has also confirmed that President Goodluck Jonathan is becoming increasingly unpopular, ahead of 2015. For the PDP, it is a manifestation of dwindling electoral prospects in the future.

    The PDP’s claim to a comfortable majority is collapsing. Between now and the next general elections, parliamentary response to presidential actions may be dictated by the power play between the two dominant parties, the PDP and APC. Under this two party system, the role of the opposition will be better appreciated in democracy and the result will be good governance. Henceforth, the President will have to moderate his utterances in utter sensitivity to the presence of a vibrant legislature ready to pursue vigorously the national interest.

    The defection has altered the previous political calculus. Now, in the House of Representatives, the APC and the PDP seem to have the same weight, although it is believed that representatives on the platforms of the Labour Party (LP)and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) may gravitate towards the ruling party. The four representatives from the Accord Party may be aloof. Gradually, the country is mirroring the parliamentary outlook of the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP) and National Republican Convention (NRC) era. Judging by the circumstances of the defection, what is also emerging may be a House of strife and rancour, whose deliberations may be shaped by the PDP/APC bickering.

    Nevertheless, there will still be an omission. The response to the issues on the front burner in the House can only be meaningful, if the APC position on them, which is expected to be championed by the opposition legislators, are in the public domain. The Action Group (AG) excelled in this regard in the First Republic because its federal legislators led by the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the Leader of Opposition, pursued the party’s line on action on the floor.

    Predictably, a section of the House leadership is bound to be jittery. Apart from Speaker Aminu Tambuwal, who is a product of both the ruling and opposition parties, the days of others in the controlling leadership may be numbered. The impeachment hammer may dangle on the Deputy Speaker and Majority Leader, unless they play the survival games very well and earn the confidence of their colleagues, the change in calculus notwithstanding.

    This defection may not be the last in the House. Other legislators may still be bidding for their time. Although the PDP may threaten the defectors with court action, the option may be fruitless. The defection cuts across the parties. Legislators will not desist from deserting political parties when their chance of survival in them is slim. Ahead of 2015, there will be more surprises.

  • Troubled times for Jonathan, PDP

    Troubled times for Jonathan, PDP

    The defection yesterday of 37 members of the House of Representatives from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC), former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s letter to President Goodluck Jonathan and other developments in the polity have made this season a troubled one for the president and his party, writes Bloomberg

    President Goodluck Jonathan is facing the biggest test of his three years in office after the central bank questioned the lack of accounting for $50 billion in oil revenue and a former leader criticized him for failing to tackle corruption.

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, a stalwart of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, said in a letter to Jonathan this month that he has failed to tackle graft and security threats in Africa’s biggest oil producer. He also accused him of widening a split between the mainly Muslim north and largely Christian south in a bid to retain power.

    Obasanjo’s criticism came after Central Bank of Nigeria Governor Lamido Sanusi wrote Jonathan a letter alleging that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corp. is withholding more than three-quarters of oil revenue earned from January 2012 to July this year. The cumulative effect has been to dim Jonathan’s chances of winning Nigeria’s election scheduled for 2015.

    “If the vote was tomorrow, the PDP would lose, which would be unprecedented for a ruling party in Nigeria,” Manji Cheto, vice president at consultancy Teneo Intelligence in London, said in a Dec. 16 phone interview. “The prevailing narrative about the advantages of incumbency doesn’t seem to be working in Jonathan’s favour.”

    Finance Minister

    Nigeria can account for the $49.8 billion alleged to be missing, Finance Minister Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told reporters yesterday in Abuja, saying the number was a product of “misconceptions and misunderstandings.”

    A southern Christian who won elections in 2011, Jonathan, 56, hasn’t said if he will run in next vote. His administration is battling Islamist militants of the Boko Haram group in the north, rampant oil theft, falling revenue from crude oil exports and piracy off Nigeria’s coast.

    All this has strengthened the opposition All Progressives Congress party. Five governors formerly with the ruling PDP defected last month to the APC, which has called for the president’s impeachment, a demand presidential spokesman Reuben Abati said was “reckless and irresponsible.”

    In the House of Representatives, 37 members elected under the PDP defected to the APC, Speaker Aminu Tambuwal said during yesterday’s session.

    Voters Tired

    Were the election to be held immediately, “there is a strong likelihood the APC might win, not because they represent a better option, but because people are tired of this administration,” Idayat Hassan, director of Abuja-based Centre for Democracy and Development research group said in a phone interview. “With corruption they see nothing is being done, with security, they see nothing is happening.”

    Since May 1,224 civilians, troops and insurgents have been killed in fighting with Boko Haram, the United Nations said on Dec. 16.

    The charges in Sanusi’s letter underline concern about the opacity of Nigeria’s public finances, according to analysts including Samir Gadio, strategist at Standard Bank Group Ltd.’s London unit.

    “The CBN expressed similar concerns about the marginal level of fiscal savings and the NNPC’s alleged failure to remit crude oil sale proceeds to the Federation Account,” he said in e-mailed comments. “Even though NNPC officials denied the accusation, the debate about possible systemic leakages in the oil sector is likely to gain momentum.”

    Oil Revenue

    The Excess Crude Account, which the government uses to save oil revenue that comes in above the benchmark crude price set in the budget, stood at under $5 billion on Oct. 31, down from about $9 billion at the beginning of the year, the finance minister said that day.

    Minister of State for Finance Yerima Ngama was reported on Dec. 13 in ThisDay as saying the balance had fallen to $3.18 billion.

    The spot price of Nigeria’s benchmark Qua Iboe crude has exceeded $100 a barrel for most of the year, above the 2013 budget benchmark of $79. It dipped to $99.50 in April, and was trading at $113.81 a barrel as of 2:06 p.m. in London yesterday.

    Foreign-exchange reserves, which the central bank has been selling to support the naira, are at $44.4 billion, according to central bank data, down from $48.4 billion in June.

    “The foreign-exchange reserves position in Nigeria is not as robust as one would expect it to be given they are generating more than $90 billion per year in oil revenue,” Angus Downie, head of economic research at Ecobank in London, said in a phone interview. “The allegation of the unaccounted $50 billion highlights insufficient transparency in public finances.”

    Sanusi’s Exit

    Sanusi, who was appointed by Jonathan’s predecessor and plans to step down from his post when his term expires in June, has said the central bank is bracing for public spending “shocks” in the approach to the election.

    While Jonathan has not yet presented his 2014 budget, in an interim plan released on Sept. 18 he proposed cutting spending by 10 percent to 4.5 trillion naira ($28.3 billion). Even if that number is passed by parliament, it may not be the final figure for government outlay.

    “One thing we’ve noticed in the fiscal account is that when the federal government comes up with an estimate for the budget deficit, we make allowances for deterioration, as there is a trend towards off-budget expenditure,” said Gaimin Nonyane, senior macroeconomics specialist at Ecobank.

    To try to reassert his authority and bolster his election chances, Jonathan may try to force PDP chairman Bamanga Tukur to resign. That could help ease the schism between his presidency and party members who say he should respect a convention to alternate the presidency between northern and southern politicians by vowing not to run in 2015, Cheto said.

    “January could become his last window of opportunity either to sack Tukur or, if the party decides that’s not good enough, Jonathan will have to go, because there’ll be no way he’ll win the nomination at the party primary, and if that happens then his political future is over,” she said.

  • ‘Why PDP wants to stop defectors’

    ‘Why PDP wants to stop defectors’

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bauchi State, Senator Suleiman Nazif, has explained why the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is “battling” to stop its members from defecting to APC.

    He said PDP is on the verge of becoming a minority party.

    Nazif said: “Every Nigerian knows that the PDP is crumbling. It is sinking and is already on its knees. This is the reason it has resorted to all sorts of strategy to stop people from cross-carpeting.”

    The former governorship candidate told The Nation that almost all principal PDP members have lost their states to the APC.

    He said: “Today, all principal PDP office-holders have lost grasp in their states. The national chairman is from Adamawa and the state is owned by the APC.

    “The Deputy National Chairman, Uche Secondus (Rivers); the Secretary to the Board of Trustees, Senator Waheed Jubril (Nasarawa); the National Secretary, Prof. Wale Oladipo (Osun); the Publicity Secretary, Olisah Metu (Anambra); the Women Leader, Kema Chikwe (Imo), the president’s Political Adviser, Ahmed Gulak (Adamawa); the president’s Chief of Staff, Mike Oghiadome (Edo); and many others are from states where the APC holds sway.”

    Nazif said the PDP’s battle to declare the seats of defecting members vacant would fail because Nigeria’s political history is replete with so many precedents of such cross-carpeting.

    Describing the threat as empty, he said previous defectors never lost their seats, so it will not begin now.

    Nazif said: “We have seen so many people move to various parties, so what is new about this one?”

    He said Nigeria needs radical solutions to its problems, adding that the solutions lie with the “extraordinary progressive leaders, who have made sacrifices to merge into the APC”.

    The APC chieftain said: “It is easy to see why they are desperate. By the time 2015 rolls over, there will be no one left in the PDP. This is an opportunity for us to advocate for a radical change; a radical solution to the extraordinary problems we are facing.

    “In Lagos State, for example, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu believed that there was need for a radical change, so he opted for someone who could do it – Governor Babatunde Fashola. See where Lagos is today. Today, thousands of Nigerians want to be like Fashola.

    “In Kano, Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso has also instituted some radical changes in governance. His Kwankwasiyya group has brought about effective governance, infrastructural development and management of agricultural potentials.

    “Look at Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi. He is a radical governor, who came to office through radical means and has been proffering radical solutions to the state’s problems. He is a man of the people and is committed to making Nigeria better. That is why he has stood his ground so many times in the interest of the country.”

  • How does PDP crisis affect us?

    How does PDP crisis affect us?

    The self-acclaimed largest political party in Africa – Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – is sick at the moment. The PDP is experiencing some internal crises, which daily deepen the crack in the supposedly strongest political organisation in the country.

    The crises came to the fore at the August 31 Special PDP Convention held at Eagle Square, Abuja, where some of the party’s stalwarts staged a somewhat embarrassing walkout on the party leaders and the President Goodluck Jonathan. The walkout was staged by stalwarts who leaders of the party had dubbed rebels. The aggrieved members led by Alhaji Kawu Baraje included seven governors being persecuted either by the presidency or the party leadership.

    The governors – Adamawa, Kano, Kwara, Rivers, Niger, Sokoto, and Jigawa – thereafter unofficially formed a group called “G7”. Their reasons for the walkout cut across problems of lack of internal democracy, favoritism, and some other personal issues. In particular, the leadership style of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the PDP chairman, does not go down well with the aggrieved governors. This led to the formation of “New PDP”, generally being referred to as n-PDP.

    This faction led by Baraje posited: “Not only has the constitution of the party been serially violated by its chairman and some other party executives, most of the other organs of the party have been left virtually non-functional by some of the members in high authority who believe they are above the law.”

    As the battle rages on who owns the soul of the PDP, other national pressing issues, top of which is non-implementation of 2009 agreement reached with Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU), which led to six-month strike action by university lecturers and rendered students idle, are not being attended to.

    Our roads have been described as death traps; unemployment still ravages the system, the number of jobless youths has increased in a direct variation with armed robbery. These and other numerous challenges facing the nation were not made priority of the government. The presidency, which is led by PDP, appears more interested in resolving the party’s internal crisis than attending to myriad of problem facing us.

    There have been several attempts to see that the PDP is put in one piece again. These attempts even included a meeting with former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the aggrieved governors. After meetings that lasted for several hours, the G7 governors laid down some certain conditions before the party can enjoy peace. Topping the list of these conditions was the removal of Tukur as national chairman but how does this improve the welfare of the masses?

    The problem is still ongoing with the division in the party deepening. Many of its faithful are wondering if the crises would prove to be cancer that will lead to the ‘death’ of PDP and its domination across the political landscape. Given that the recently-formed All Progressives Congress (APC) is keeping a keen eye on the situation and strategising to dislodge the ruling party from power, many PDP leaders are afraid because if this happens, that will be the end of the PDP in Nigeria.

    But with the political crises in the ruling party, how would 2015 general elections be conducted without fraudulent practices? Is it not the time to clamour for change in leadership and vote for people that will work for the masses’ welfare and wellbeing?

     

    •Khalid, 200-Level Sociology, BUK

  • Buhari, Tinubu, Akande, others meet Atiku

    Buhari, Tinubu, Akande, others meet Atiku

    Prominent leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday met with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar at his Abuja private residence.

    The APC leaders, who met with Atiku behind closed doors for over an hour, described the meeting as a continuation of the party’s consultations with past leaders and stakeholders across the nation.

    Those that met with the former vice president included the former head of state; Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), the National Leader of the APC; Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the party’s interim National Chairman; Chief Bisi Akande.

    The meeting is coming on the heels of the defection of 37 members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the House of Representatives to the APC.

    Atiku, who spoke with journalists shortly after the meeting, said the discussions were very fruitful, stressing that he had always espoused the two party system.

    He said that he welcomed the formation of the APC, adding that he would meet with his friends and political associates with the view to taking a decision on the next line of action.

    The former Vice President stated further that the formation of the APC was healthy for the nation’s democracy, stressing that it would give the Nigerian people a credible alternative in the 2015 general elections.

    Atiku said: “We want to let you know that we had very fruitful discussions and you know I have always believed in a two party structure.

    “So I welcome the formation of APC. We have discussed extensively and I will meet with my political associates and friends.

    “Most of us have been friends and political associates for over two decades. I will call my stakeholders across the country. We will take a decision and address the press and let you know our decision.

    “I congratulated them (APC leaders) and welcomed them because it will improve competition and governance. It is healthy for our democracy.

    “Once you have one very strong party and weak ones, there is no way the opposition can check the government in power.

    “If the South Africans faced apartheid in the past, Nigeria is facing colonialism. The struggle has been long for the enthronement of democracy in our country.

    “It is time we realised we have responsibility to our generation and those yet unborn. I think it (APC) will give Nigerians an alternative during elections. So I told them I will consult with my associates and brief the press later.”

    Chief Akande, who led the parry’s delegation, said the visit was to cement a long standing political relationship with Atiku spanning more than two decades.

    “We feel that it is necessary to meet people of like minds to rise up and salvage the country. All of us that met here were comrades in politics.

    “We only met today to cement that comradeship and all is well cemented. We are moving together to work for this country,” Akande said.

     

     

     

  • 37 PDP reps decamp to APC

    37 members of the new Peoples Democratic Party in the House of Representatives on Wednesday defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the floor of the House.

    With this development, the APC is now in the majority in the House with 172 members, while the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) hitherto in the majority with 208 members are now in the minority with 171 members.

    A letter by the intending defectors was first read by the Speaker, Hon. Aminu Tambuwal to members in the Chamber.

    The letter dated 18th December, 2013, with the title: Communication of Change of Political Party,” and addressed to the Speaker, House of Representatives reads:

    ” We the undersigned members of the House of Representatives elected under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party ( PDP), wish to inform you that we have joined the All Progressives Co gross ( APC).

    “This action is as a result of the division/faction in the political party that sponsored our election into the House of Representatives. (See House Resolution No: HR/36/2013, vide votes and proceedings of Tuesday, 17 September, 2013 as attached).

    “Furthermore, we write to inform you that following this division, the faction of the PDP, which we belong to, has formally merged with the All Progressives Congress.

    “This communication is made pursuant to Section 68(1) (g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, for your information, guidance and records, please.”

    There were 11 members from Kano, Sokoto (10), Rivers (eight), Kwara (six) and one each from Katsina and Bauchi respectively that defected on Wednesday.