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Tag: PDP

  • Jonathan orders PDP to capture 32 states in 2015

    Jonathan orders PDP to capture 32 states in 2015

    ACN: they’re day-dreaming

     

    The President has given his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) an order to win at least 32 states in the 2015 elections, Chairman Bamanga Tukur said yesterday.

    Tukur did not say when Dr. Goodluck Jonathan gave the directive, but he told the party members to start preparing for the 2015 elections, saying “it’s going to be a serious battle”.

    The chairman spoke when a group of party members in the Southwest visited him in his Abuja residence.

    According to him, the presidential mandate is to win more than the 23 states the party controls.

    Stressing the need for immediate preparations for the elections, Tukur said 2015 is closer than many imagine.

    He told the group that the PDP would uphold President Jonathan’s resolve to conduct free, fair and transparent elections.

    The chairman rated elections conducted under the Jonathan administration as some of the freest so far.

    He urged party members in the Southwest to close ranks and deliver the zone to the PDP “to prove to the world that the party has the widest spread in the country”.

    Tukur said: “We need to work hard now because we have a presidential mandate to move beyond 23 states in our control and win at least 32. We have to show electoral strength this time. In doing it, we will work hard and work well. We will move with the speed of jet and we will deliver without any foul antics.

    “I use this opportunity to appeal to our members to bury the hatchet and cast away whatever forlorn hope they nurse about the future. I appeal to our members to begin to invest in the future right away and doing so involves hard work, diligence and dedication to the cause of PDP.”

    According to him, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party plans to begin a state-by-state tour to ginger up members while intensifying reconciliation, reformation and re-building of the party.

    A former Oyo State governorship candidate of the party, Prof. Taoheed Adedoja, who led the delegation, lauded the PDP on its ongoing peace initiative.

    Adedoja praised Tukur for his efforts in rallying different groups within the party for reconciliation. He, however, said that there were still some unresolved issues in the Southwest zone of the PDP.

    Through its National Publicity Secretary Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) reacted to the ruling party’s plan to win more states in 2015.

    The ACN spokesman said the PDP would be disappointed at the next general elections as Nigerians are fed up with its leadership.

    But Mohammed said there would not be any state for the PDP to capture in 2015 as the people will defend their votes.

    He told The Nation: “The PDP has forgotten that we are in a democratic dispensation and that the ruling party is not an army of occupation. Nigerians are not only going to vote for the party of their choice but ensure that their votes count.

    “Jonathan and Tukur are going to wake up one day and discover that they have been living in fools’ paradise. They will discover that the people deserted them a long time ago.”

    The AC N is merging with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and others form the All Progressive Congress (APC), which its promoters believed will kick the PDP out of power.

  • Two killed as ACN, PDP supporters’ clash

    Two people were killed on Wednesday in Fugar, Etsako Central Local Government of Edo State, as supporters of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) engaged in a free-for-all.

    This comes barely 48 hours after the Commissioner of Police,  Folusho Adebanji, met with leaders of parties and some candidates on the need to ensure a peaceful local government election.

    The ACN Chairman in the local government, Paul Osugbo, said property worth millions was destroyed.

    He said the party’s chairmanship candidate, Emmanuel Momoh’s convoy was attacked by hoodlums.

    The Nation gathered that a PDP supporter, Odion Agbabi, allegedly drove a vehicle into an ACN campaign rally, sparking a fracas.

    A retired teacher, Oboareye Ibharue, was shot in front of his home; the other victim was reported to have died at the hospital.

    Momoh blamed the PDP for fomenting trouble in what he said was “ a desperate bid to disrupt the April 20 election.”

    “As I speak to you now, our party chairman’s house and vehicles were set ablaze while my convoy was attacked.

    “However, security agents have been drafted to restore normalcy.”

    PDP State Chairman Dan Orbih called on the police to apprehend and prosecute those behind the crisis.

    He regretted what he described as the desperation of the ACN to win the election at all cost.

    Adebanji said some suspects have been arrested and are being interrogated.

  • PDP national convention in order – Metuh

    PDP national convention in order – Metuh

    The PDP on Wednesday in Abuja said the National Convention that brought in the present National Working Committee (NWC) of the party was held in accordance with the party`s constitution.

    Mr Olisa Metuh, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, who spoke to newsmen shortly after the NWC meeting, said that the convention was also held in accordance with the country`s constitution.

    He said that the party had resolved to remain focused and not to comment on any rumour concerning the convention.

    Metuh was reacting to insinuations by some members of the opposition party who alleged that the PDP national convention which brought in its present NWC was not held in accordance with INEC guidelines.

    “We have resolved to remain focus in the administration of the party and not to respond to any further rumour or any issues concerning other matters about our convention.

    “Our national convention was in accordance with the constitution of the PDP and the Federal Republic of Nigeria and we stand by it,’’ Metuh said.

    The national publicity secretary said that the NWC was not at loggerhead with Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, the party`s National Chairman as was reported by the media.

    “It is instructive to state as well that the NWC unanimously endorsed the leadership of Alhaji Bamanga Tukur as the National Chairman of the party.

    “We are supporting him fully because we believe in his ideas and programmes and together we will be able to move the party to a successful election in 2015.’’ Metuh said.

    He also said that the NWC was fully in support of the Federal Government’s transformation agenda.

    He said that this informed the decision of the chairman of the party to invite the ministers to brief the NWC on their activities to ensure that such activities were given the right publicity.

    Metuh said that the ministerial briefing was to showcase government’s performance in the various ministries to the entire country.

    According to him, the briefing is also aimed at informing Nigerians that the Federal Government’s transformation agenda is on course and that government is working in accordance with the party`s manifestoes.

    He maintained that the NWC was intact, united and in one accord in promoting the policies and programmes of the party.

    Metuh commended thanked members of the party across the country for their overwhelming support for the party`s national chairman and members of its NWC in the last one year.

    “The NWC under the leadership of Tukur is in support of all activities and all other bodies of the party, knowing fulyl well that constitutionally, the NWC is in charge of all affairs of the party in the nation,’’ the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Metuh as saying on the issue.

     

  • PDP fuss over Oshiomhole’s age

    •I’m 61, says governor

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State has asked Governor Adams Oshiomhole to “honourably resign” from office over what it described as the confusion arising from his recent birthday celebration.

    The party said Oshiomhole’s ‘60th birthday’ celebrated last Thursday contravened the affidavit sworn-to by the governor, which showed he is 61.

    PDP Chairman Dan Orbih, at a briefing yesterday, said Oshiomhole, in the affidavit, claimed he was born on April 4, 1952 but that the governor’s birthday celebration, including several profiles of the governor, showed that he was born on April 4, 1953.

    Members of the PDP present at the briefing wore black dresses because of what they termed “ a sad day for democracy”.

    Orbih said the governor committed perjury by swearing to an affidavit that he was born in 1952 when actually he was born in 1953.

    He said Oshiomhole gave the PDP a bad name in the state and presented himself as a saint.

    The PDP chairman urged Bishop Matthew Kukah to return to Edo and conduct a confession for the governor, adding that Oshiomhole never corrected the age discrepancies.

    He said: “We are in a dilemma. When was he born; 1953 or 1952? No one man can be born in two days.

    “It is only here we are seeing inconsistencies in birthday celebrations.”

    “We challenge Oshiomhole to declare his true age.

    “We are here to deepen democracy. Democracy cannot be deepened when leaders are not credible.”

    But Oshiomhole said he is 61 and was born in 1952.

    The governor explained that he pointed out the error but the committee of friends that organised the birthday said it was too late to make any adjustment.

    The governor, who spoke through his Media Adviser, Kassim Afegbua, said past advertorials placed in the papers congratulating him on his birthdays were not authorised by him.

    The governor said he had publicly declared his true age.

    He said: “The PDP is a busy body. It is an attention-seeking party cashing in on any issue to gain press coverage.

    “The governor’s true age, which is 61, is reflected on all his travel documents and credentials.

    “Oshiomhole insisted that he would not spend tax payers’ money to celebrate his birthday.

    “If PDP is serious, it should prove allegations of spending millions on the birthday.

    “The PDP should go and campaign for the local government elections.”

     

  • PDP invites ministers

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has invited ministers to appear before its National Working Committee (NWC) to give account of their stewardship.

    A statement by the Party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, yesterday said the ministers would brief the NWC on their policies and projects as well as the activities of parastatals and agencies under their ministries and how they have impacted on the people.

    According to Metuh, the briefings will hold from today to May 30.

    Minister of Works Mr. Mike Onolomemen and his counterpart in Youth Development, Alhaji Inuwa Abdulkadir, are billed to appear before the NWC today.

    The Minister of Water Resources, Mrs. Sarah Ochekpe, and Mines and Steel Development, Mallam Mohammed Musa Sada, are to brief the NWC on April 11.

    “In furtherance to its determination to ensure that all apparatuses of government fully deliver on their mandates, all federal ministers have been invited to appear before the NWC to give comprehensive account of their stewardship to the Nigerian people in pursuance of the mandate given to President Goodluck Jonathan and the manifesto of the PDP”, the statement added.

     

  • PDP crisis: Tukur begs governors

    PDP crisis: Tukur begs governors

    • Opponents rally state chairmen, want PDP boss’powers diluted

    The embattled national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has jettisoned his tough stance against governors elected on the platform of the party.

    He is now wooing them, members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) especially the G-84 comprising state chairmen and federal legislators ahead of the planned NEC meeting.

    Tukur wants the party men and women to forgive his sins and support him in riding through his biggest crisis yet as chairman of the party.

    But many of the governors are said to be adamant.

    They want him out or as a compromise have his power curtailed.

    Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) recently decried what he called Tukur’s style of administration

    He accused him of running the party as a personal business.

    It was gathered last night that Tukur and members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) have started reaching out to governors and aggrieved stakeholders with a view to persuading them to sheathe their swords.

    But some of the governors are insisting on Tukur’s exit or at least his powers and breaches curtailed to move the party forward.

    They believe the 2015 poll is too close for Tukur to continue to flounder.

    The last NEC meeting was held in July 2012 whereas the PDP constitution stipulates that it should meet quarterly.

    Tukur has been reluctant to convene a meeting of the NEC for fear of being voted out of office.

    Following protest by the governors and members, however, the National Working Committee on Wednesday decided to convene NEC meeting on or before the end of April.

    Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the National Chairman of PDP and NWC members have started reaching out to the governors and members of NEC to stave off vote of no confidence and his removal.

    Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State and chairman of the PDP Governors Forum is said to be anchoring the battle to save Tukur’s job.

    A member of the NWC, said: “I am aware our chairman and some NWC members have started reaching out to aggrieved governors and NEC members to give peace a chance. They are promising to put things in order in the party, especially respect for the constitution of the party.

    “One of the governors assisting Tukur is Akpabio. They believe that Tukur has realised his mistakes or shortcomings and the party will be better for it.

    “I think there are signs we my get out of the crisis if the chairman is ready to respect the party’s constitution and ensure fairness.”

    However,a northern governor said: “Well, the situation at hand borders on either Tukur’s removal or checking his arbitrary powers or constitutional breaches. The NEC will determine which way to go.

    “At a time some parties are merging against PDP, our chairman cannot be ruling the party with an iron hand and be damning aggrieved members as if he can go it alone.”

    Responding to a question, the governor said: “It is true that Tukur is reaching out but the ball is really in his court.”

    Another party source said the governors, who failed to get the nod of President Goodluck Jonathan in their bid to oust Tukur, may have decided to use chairmen of the state chapters of the party against the embattled national chairman.

    President Jonathan during the week reportedly rejected pressure from the governors to sanction the removal of Tukur.

    It was gathered that the President did not see any reason to axe the national chairman. Rather, he appealed to the governors to forgive the many iniquities of the party boss in the interest of the party.

    Said the source:”The governors were not oblivious of the possibility of the President sticking out his neck for Tukur. They had another plan should that happen. So when they couldn’t get Jonathan to move against Tukur, they reverted to their second plan which is to mobilise the state party leaders against him.

    This will not be difficult given the meddlesomeness of the national chairman in the affairs of the state chapters. Also in his handling of the crises that rocked the party across the states, he angered many of the party functionaries in the states.”

    A chieftain of the party in the Southwest who confirmed to The Nation that the governors are already reaching out to the state party leadership concerning the plot, said the recent statement by Tukur that the party is planning fresh congresses for the zone has further annoyed members of the party.

    He said:””This is why we are in support of the call for a NEC meeting. There are many things we need to remind Tukur and his gang. They have forgotten that they are products of the same process that produced Oyinlola and the other southwest officials removed by them.

    “Now he is talking about fresh primaries or congresses in the Southwest. Was Oyinlola elected by only delegates from the Southwest? Was it not at the same venue Tukur and Oyinlola were elected. At the NEC meeting, we will be able to tell ourselves if something can stay on nothing.”

    A Senator also speaking on the crisis said: “One of the issues the governors are going to address at the NEC meeting is how to curtail Tukur’s excessive powers, including the management of a parallel NWC.

    “The governors and party leaders are disturbed that many activities of the party are being done outside the PDP Constitution. You must have seen the list of breaches compiled by stakeholders. Can a party like PDP survive with such a divided house?

    “This is why the governors are determined to check Tukur and asked him to abide by the constitution of the party.

    “This is necessary to avoid tyranny and ruling the party by an individual like a fiefdom. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is quite different from that of PDP in matters pertaining to administration of the party.

    “While the President has the power of hire and fire over members of his cabinet, the PDP national chairman is not in office in an executive capacity and has no such powers to remove any elected official unilaterally because members of the NWC were all elected from the national convention. They can only be removed in accordance with the party’s constitutional provisions.

    “It is indeed time for introspection by the party. Where did things go wrong and at what stage did the national chairman start being overbearing in his approach? Is it true that Bamanga Tukur came into office with the mindset that state governors were ‘’toddlers’’ when he was governor of old Gongola state in 1983?

    “Is it true that Tukur has clearly been misguided by his ‘’parallel’’ working committee in whom he believes than members of the national working committee? Is it true that functions of NWC members have been consistently usurped illegally by the hangers on? What is the justification for shifting the PDP headquarters to the Wuse residence of Tukur? Is it true that the national chairman by utterances and conducts has continued to encourage fragmentation of PDP?

    “These are issues to be considered before the Anenih committee and all well-wishers of the PDP to put the party on course again.”

    Meanwhile, a fresh row has broken out over the reasons given by the National Working Committee for not convening NEC meeting of the party.

    The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisah Metuh, had on Wednesday cited the delay in electing a new chairman for the Board of Trustees of the party as a major factor for the lateness of the NEC session.

    But a highly-placed party source faulted the NWC’s position.

    The source said: “There is nowhere in the PDP constitution where it is stated that the meetings of the BoT and NEC must hold consecutively. Part VIII of the PDP constitution is explicit on the mode of convening meetings of both the NWC and the National Caucus. Chapter IX deals with the functions and related matters of the Board of Trustees.

    “It could be a matter of convention rather than the rule as PDP NEC meetings have been held in the past without being preceded by meetings of the National Caucus and the Board of Trustees.

    “These are three different organs of the party and NEC cannot justifiably be held down on account of anything having to do with BoT meeting.

    “The simple truth is that Tukur’s refusal to convene a NEC meeting in accordance with the PDP constitution is illegal.

    “And to have done that with impunity is criminal. That is why the PDP constitution allows for checks and balances which authorize two-thirds of NWC members to convene their meeting should the chairman refuse to approve.

    “The law also allows two-thirds of NEC members to call NEC meetings if the chairman fails in his duties to act constitutionally. Never in the history of PDP has any chairman adopted this type of style.”

  • Osun 2014: Hurdles dot Omisore’s path

    Osun 2014: Hurdles dot Omisore’s path

    Senator Iyiola Omisore, a former deputy governor of Osun State, is one of the latest aspirants for the governor’s seat in Osun State. But for Omisore, there are many hurdles on the way to the government house, reports Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan

     

    It is no longer news that former Osun State deputy governor, Senator Iyiola Omisore, is interested in contesting next year’s gubernatorial election in the state. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain leaves no one in doubt that he sees his age-long desire to govern the state as a dream that must come to reality.

    But in spite of his very rich political credentials, the senator’s journey towards the Osun State government house will definitely not be an easy one. The Ife-born politician has a lot of hurdles to cross if he must unseat Governor Rauf Aregbesola during the forthcoming poll.

    Aside from the internal wrangling within the state chapter of his party, the PDP, many observers of the politics of the state are of the opinion that Aregbesola’s current popularity, if carried all the way to the election, is capable of making Omisore’s quest a difficult one.

    Omisore, who observers say is looking good to clinch the gubernatorial ticket of the PDP for the 2014 race, was deputy governor of the state from 1999 to 2003, after which he was elected to represent the people of Osun-east in the Senate. He was re-elected in 2007.

    As the deputy governor during the Bisi Akande regime, he was credited with bringing some innovations into governance and party politics. Specifically, he was widely regarded as one of the leading financiers and grassroots mobilisers within the ruling Alliance for Democracy (AD) at that time.

    At the national assembly where he headed different committees, including Police Affairs, Housing, Culture & Tourism, Aviation and Appropriation, Omisore pulled his weight and also remembered to give back to his constituency through a number of programmes he instituted.

    But after taking a look at the Senator’s credentials, Micheal Odesanya, a Senior Special Adviser to the governor of the state, though admitted Omisore’s prowess as a politician, advised him to forget his dream of becoming governor in 2014.

    “Omisore is not a politician to ignore. We are conscious of that. That is why I keep saying Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is very lucky to have someone like Aregbesola in charge today. Osun State is very lucky that Ogbeni Rauf is the governor here today. If you now consider the person of Aregbesola vis-à-vis his performance since assuming office, you will agree with me that Omisore will have to forget about becoming governor in 2014. This is a very wrong time for him to enter into the race.

    “Give it to him, Omisore is a good politician who knows what to tell the people while begging for their votes but the people of Osun are wiser now. Aregbesola has shown them that the last eight years of the PDP in government is a big waste. Omisore represent the PDP here in Osun. He will be campaigning on the platform of the PDP.

    “You saw what Osun people did to him during the last senatorial election in Osun East. That is to tell you what to expect if he comes out against Aregbesola in 2014. It will not just be about who can play politics the best, it will be about who has impacted on the people the more. And I don’t think I need to tell anybody that Aregbesola is a better choice anyday than Omisore,” Odesanya said.

    There are also indications that Omisore may not find clinching the gubernatorial ticket of the PDP easy after all. According to sources within the party, as part of ongoing reconciliation efforts within the party in the southwest, the party in Osun State may decide to dump its two major contenders for the governorship ticket.

    If this happens, Senator Omisore and another major contender for the party’s ticket, Alhaji Fatai Akinbade, may have their governorship ambitions scuttled unless they opt out of the PDP in preference for other parties.

    The two politicians, it would be recalled, polarised the party into two major factions preparatory to the 2011 elections before the court truncated the Oyinlola administration and pronounced Mr. Rauf Aregbesola as the authentic winner of the 2007 governorship election in the state.

    As a way of preventing a re-ccurrence of the ugly rivalry between the duo and deciding who will fly the party’s flag in 2014, the party was considering appealing to the two contenders to drop their ambition.

    “The party has agreed to dump the two politicians to enable peace reign in the party and allow for internal reintegration of party members. The party cannot afford another divided house at the polls again,” a chieftain of the party, who would not want to be mentioned, told The Nation.

    Asides the burden of having to run against a popular incumbent governor as Odesanya submitted, political analysts say Omisore, if he succeeds in picking the ticket of his party, will also be confronted by the ghosts of some numerous political battles of the past within and outside the state.

    While many amongst the electorate may want to know why he fell out with the progressives in the then AD and decamped to the conservative PDP, others may remind him of events before and after the killing of Chief Bola Ige, former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, who was shot dead on December 23, 2001 at his home in Ibadan.

    It would be recalled that Omisore was accused of complicity in Ige’s death. He was subsequently arrested and detained. But he got off the hook in the end and got elected into the senate. Ige’s killers are yet to be found, 12 years after, and not a few people will remember that when Omisore files out to be considered for election as governor in 2014.

    Another hurdle for Omisore is the widespread allegation that he was once found guilty of official misconduct while he was deputy governor. Pundits are of the opinion that unless he is able to proffer a tenable explanation on the issue, it is capable of robbing him of votes, especially among the voting elites.

    The allegation became rife following the 2007 election, when the candidate of the then Action Congress (AC), now senator Babajide Omoworare, appealed result of the election on the grounds that Omisore was not qualified to contest the election since he was found guilty of official misconduct as deputy governor.

    Although both the election tribunal and the Appeal Court upheld Omisore’s election, ruling that he was qualified to contest the election, the allegation refused to go away. It is not unlikely that it will once again rear its head to torment the Senator in 2014.

    Perhaps conscious of the uphill task ahead of him, Omisore has begun to traverse the nooks and crannies of the state, preparatory to the election. In recent weeks, his political machinery has visited scores of towns and villages to remind the people of his ambition.

    He has also upped his philanthropic activities as part of the strategy to push through his dream. Communities, individuals and organisations within the state are once again hearing from the Senator.

    In addition, he has stepped up his criticism of Governor Aregbesola and the ruling ACN. With a promise that he can do better if elected governor in 2014, he wants the people of the state to vote Aregbesola out.

    But Aregbesola’s men have been responding to Omisore’s criticism as mere political statements aimed at misleading the people of the state. According to chieftains of the ACN, the senator will find it difficult deceiving the people this time around.

    “How on earth could any sensible person have said that Aregbesola is not performing even as the giant strides he has recorded within a period of two years have earned him accolade both at home and beyond?

    “Across the length and breadth of the country today, Aregbesola is being applauded for his stellar performance in the state of Osun, a state that had its development stifled by the seven and a half years of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s misrule.

    It may be tantamount to unnecessary repetition to start chronicling here again the list of havocs wrecked on the state by Omisore’s party even as he also proved to be a bad representative of the people while in the senate.

    “The years that Omisore’s party, the PDP, ruled the state have entered the lexicon of political analysts as the ‘years of the locusts’. It is on record that the ebullient and visionary governor of the state of Osun, Ogbeni Aregbesola, inherited a backward and insolvent state from the PDP. This is a fact that is not disputable.

    “But today, he has been able to turn around the life of the state through creativity and prudent management of the state’s meagre resources,” Dr. Bernard Awoleye, a chieftain of the ACN, said.

  • Council poll: ACN has strategy to defeat PDP, says Oshiomhole

    EDO State Governor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, has declared the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has the strategy to defeat the Peoples Democratic Party in the April 20 local government election.

    Speaking to ACN supporters at Ehor and Igueben in his campaign tour for the poll, Oshiomhole said: “Our weapon against People Democratic Party (PDP) is service to the people.

    “We work for the people because PDP has a history of working against the people; elevate the people because PDP philosophy is to bring the people down.”

    He added: “We will invest in education because PDP believes in privatising education, investing in the building of roads because PDP believes in under-developing the people. Everything that they are opposed to that is good, we will do.”

    He told the candidates: “We have come to remind you that another election is around the corner. We need men and women who are ready to serve the people at the grassroots.

    “Our candidates must imbibe the philosophy of ACN, which is service to the people.

    “We have also decided nobody elected as a Chairman under our platform will not be allowed to govern in absentia. You cannot be a visiting chairman.

    “You must be resident local government chairman. That way, he does not need to be told that there is no light. He does not need to be told that the transformer is bad. What you don’t know you can’t solve.”

    The governor assured voters in the local areas that government would complete all on-going projects in the areas.

    He later presented the Igueben council candidate, Mr. Ashuma Asemota and Mr. Alari Roland of Uhunmwode local government areas as candidates of the ACN.

     

  • Ekiti 2014: Unease as PDP leaders fight Fayose’s entry

    Ekiti 2014: Unease as PDP leaders fight Fayose’s entry

    The formal entry of former Ekiti State Governor, Mr. Ayo Fayose, into the 2014 PDP governorship race is currently causing tension and unease in the party, reports Remi Adelowo

     

    The die seems cast in the race for the governorship ticket of the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Indications that the contest for the ticket will be keen emerged last week with the formal declaration of interest by a former governor of the state, Mr. Ayo Fayose, to contest for governorship position in 2014.

    Political observers agree that the incumbent governor, Dr  Fayemi is a sure bet for a second term ticket of the ruling party in the state, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    But in the last couple of months, Fayose has not hidden his ambition to reclaim the seat he was unceremoniously removed from in 2006.

    Before his impeachment by the state House of Assembly, his tenure had been characterised by several controversies, ranging from his public row with many influential indigenes in the state, including politicians, opinion elders and traditional rulers.

    Fayose’s tenure in office, it would be recalled, was as stormy as it was controversial. The tension prevalent in the state at that period led to the assassination of prominent figures in the state, including a former Consultant of the World Bank, Dr. Ayo Daramola, and Mr. Kehinde Fasuba, the younger brother of a PDP chieftain, Mr. Taye Fasuba.

    The final straw, according to sources, was his open altercations with elder statesman and legal luminary, Chief Afe Babalola, a close friend of the then president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo. Not a few Ekiti indigenes argue that Fayose’s exit from the government house was sanctioned by Obasanjo to protect his friend.

    The Nation reliably gathered that Fayose’s entry into the 2014 governorship race is already causing ripples among members of Ekiti PDP, with many positing that the party needs a clean break from ‘the ugly past’ for it to stand any chance against Fayemi in the election.

    Sources disclosed that some leaders of the party are finalising arrangements to send representation to the national headquarters of the party on the imperative of not fielding Fayose, who, they argued, has remained controversial, years after he was removed as governor.

    While Fayose seems confident of beating all-comers for the PDP ticket, sources revealed that the race may not be a stroll in the park for him. The former governor’s optimism may not be unconnected to his control of the PDP state executive council, with majority of the party officials alleged to be his stooges.

    The election into the PDP executive council was not without its drama and controversies. For many months, a former governor of the state, Olusegun Oni, and Fayose were embroiled in a bitter war over the election of Mr. Makanjuola Ogundipe as the state chairman of PDP.

    The controversy was finally resolved by the national headquarters of the party which recognised the Ogundipe-led executive council allegedly loyal to Fayose.

    But sources revealed that Fayose’s opponents are not giving up. As it is now, over ten governorship aspirants are battling for the PDP ticket. They include two former deputy governors of the state, Chief Abiodun Aluko and Mr. Bisi Omoyeni. Others are a former Chairman of the State Basic Education Board, Mr. Yemi Adeyeye (alleged to be backed by the faction loyal to Olusegun Oni), Senator Ayo Arise and a former big player in the aviation industry, Dr. Peter Obafemi, who came a distant fourth in the 2007 primaries.

    However, many independent-minded party members are said to be rooting for Senator Gbenga Aluko, son of late renowned economist, Prof. Sam Aluko. The younger Aluko shot into political reckoning in 1999 when he got elected as the only PDP senator in the whole of South-West then under the firm grip of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD).

    Aluko served for four years in the National Assembly before embarking on a political sabbatical for about eight years. Those supporting his aspiration argue that with his education, cerebral personality and pedigree, he would give the incumbent governor a reasonable challenge in the 2014 election.

    His supporters further posit that it would be political suicidal for PDP to field a candidate perceived to have links with either Oni or Fayose.

    The Nation reliably gathered that some of the PDP governorship aspirants, particularly those loyal to Oni, are working on a Plan B in the event that Fayose wins the party ticket.

    One of the options is to prosecute their aspiration on an alternative political platform preferably the Labour Party (LP).

  • My actions in best interest of PDP, says Tukur

    My actions in best interest of PDP, says Tukur

    •’I’ve done nothing to warrant gang-up’

    Embattled National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur yesterday dared critics of his leadership style, saying all his actions had been in the best interest of the party.

    In a statement, Tukur said he would continue to serve the interest of the party to the best of his ability, stressing that his reconciliatory moves had yielded fruitful results.

    According to him, his doors are open to all aggrieved groups and members to lay their grievances, assuring them that such complaints will be treated strictly on merit.

    The chairman decried alleged moves by certain groups and individuals in the party to ease him out, saying that he had done nothing wrong to warrant the current gang up against him.

    Tukur, who is currently holidaying abroad, blamed his travails on certain groups within the party who did not like the open and transparent manner in which he has been conducting the affairs of the party.

    The statement reads: “But the truth remains that openness and transparency remain the best tool for making the PDP to progress. I have been resolute in ensuring that all members of the party get carried along in the party’s programmes and policies.

    “As the chairman, I love my party. If I am serving PDP at my age, the reason is not because I want anything as gains. The reason is that serving the ruling party amounts to serving my nation.

    “I have my nation to serve and diligently too, because the country has made me.

    So, for me, it is a pay back time for the country that made me who I am. So, why would I complain in the face of stiff challenges.

    “As the chairman, I had taken decisions which had metamorphosed in the reconciliation moves we have been making. We want every member to see the party as his or her own and as a party that bestows pride on all.

    “Many people would not like such. In that case, I have no apology for doing good to PDP. I appreciate Mr. President who has been a major pillar of support for the PDP.

    “The President had endorsed every action we took with the conviction that they were all in the good interest of the PDP. The governors have been supportive too. We have been in touch and they keep on assuring me of their support.

    “While I take care of my health, I urge party members to continue to support the National Working Committee (NWC) in its drive towards re-launching PDP into a more formidable structure capable of wining and winning elections without stress”.

    Tukur thanked members of the PDP for being steadfast, most especially in the face of threats by the opposition groups to “pull down PDP at all costs”.

    He said the agenda by the opposition in that regard would always come to naught if PDP members all over the country do not succumb to its “antics“.