The Nation Newspaper

Tag: PDP’s failure

  • Election: Southern Kaduna asks Makarfi, Sambo, Hunkuyi, Ashiru to explain PDP’s failure

    •Threatens to shift loyalty to APC at guber poll

    THE people of Southern Kaduna have vowed to align with another party and possibly the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not explain to them what led to the woeful performance of the party in the northern part of the state during the presidential election.

    Southern Kaduna people who spoke through Coalition of Southern Kaduna Nationalities (CSKN) lamented that, none of the PDP’s bigwigs from Kaduna north, including former Governors Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Isa Mohammed Ashiru and Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi could deliver their respective local governments areas to the PDP during the presidential and national assembly polls.

    Towards this end, the CSKN said, an ultimatum of 24 hours is issued to the PDP and the party bigwigs in question to respond accordingly, or may be left with no option than to shift their loyalty to another party that will take care of their aspirations and yearnings in the zone.

    Addressing a press conference in Kaduna on yesterday, the leader of CSKN Dr. Yusuf Gandu Magaji said, “the Southern Kaduna Nationalities are disenchanted by the voting pattern as revealed by the results from Zone 1. We believe that there is a betrayal of confidence and trust along the party (PDP) stalwarts in Zone 1 who can no longer be trusted.

    “The pattern of the results of the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections conducted on the 23rd February. 2019 leaves much to be desired. The results from Kaduna North caused a shock to the Southern Kaduna Nationalities and instigated a rethink in our longstanding marriage and commitment to the opposition party, PDP.

    “The result shows that PDP won overwhelming in the Southern Senatorial Zone. This stresses a fact that, the zone remained faithful and voted for the party en-mass. However, in a sharp contrast, the party performed woefully in Zone 1 as their loyalty was shifted to APC.

    “The key issue here is that most of the party heavy weights and those who benefitted during the PDP’s reign concentrate in Zone 1, yet they failed to deliver their wards to the party.”

  • Pdp’s failure has paved way for Fayemi’s victory, says Rep

    A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Stephen Olemija, has predicted a landslide victory for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, in the July 14 governorship poll in Ekiti State.

    Olemija, who is a member of the APC National Campaign Council for the Ekiti State governorship election, said the failure of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government to live up to expectation has paved the way for Fayemi’s victory.

    He said the APC National Campaign Council led by Kebbi State Governor Atiku Bagudu is working assiduously to ensure Fayemi’s victory which, he said, would be a pointer to the 2019 general elections.

    The lawmaker who represents Akoko Northeast/Akoko Northwest Federal Constituency of Ondo State said the PDP government has made live more difficult for the people of Ekiti State whom he said are yearning for the return of the APC to provide good governance that has been denied them in the last four years.

    Olemija who spoke yesterday while on a visit to some communities to canvass for the votes of Ondo State indigenes resident in Ekiti State for Fayemi said the APC will put an end to the hardship allegedly inflicted on the people by the PDP government.

    The hardship, he said, include “the non-payment of salaries to workers, non-payment of pensioners’ entitlements, imposition of high taxes on Ekiti people, including school children, multiplication of hunger and stoppage of human development programmes hitherto enjoyed under Fayemi’s first tenure”.

    Olemija, who has been part of Fayemi’s campaign train to communities in Ekiti State said he was impressed by the reception accorded the APC candidate, adding that the electorate had made up their minds to vote out the PDP from power given what they enjoyed under Fayemi’s first tenure in office.

    He said the government and people of Ondo State are interested in the Ekiti election and are working hard to ensure that the neighbouring state joins the fold of the progressives to enjoy good governance and better standard of living.

    Olemija said: “Like one of us said at a meeting of the National Campaign Council, the Ekiti election is going to signal what the 2019 elections will look like. It’s going to be a yardstick to test the ground for the 2019 general elections.

    “We believe that winning Ekiti State is going to signal winning the 2019 elections, especially in the Southwest. I remember during the flag-off rally, my own governor, Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (SAN), called the attention of the electorate to what is happening in the six states Southwest region.

    “Lagos, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Ondo, that nearly all the states from the coast to the hinterland, except Ekiti, is being governed by the APC. He was saying that there are some things that were supposed to do collectively, but because of a particular state that is not part of them, it’s not going to be possible.

    “Look at the issue of rail project that is coming, if all of us are from the same family, from the same party, it will be easier for them to approach the President and work together.  The former Chairman of Akoko Northeast Local Government dismissed an allegation from the Ekiti PDP that the Akeredolu government is working in cahoot with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies to rig the election.

  • Dokpesi: I didn’t apologise for PDP’s failure

    Dokpesi: I didn’t apologise for PDP’s failure

    •’APC pushing for one party state’

    A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain, Chief Raymond Dokpesi, yesterday said he did not apologise to Nigerians on behalf of the party for fielding former President Goodluck Jonathan in the last general elections.

    He also denied apologising for the PDP’s misdeeds in the last 16 years, contrary to media reports.

    The African Independent Television (AIT) Chairman-Emeritus clarified that he only apologised to party members over the party’s zoning agreement, which, he said, was compromised by incumbents, who had preferred and pliant candidates.

    Dokpesi said in a statement that he was proud of the achievements of former President Jonathan, particularly his reforms across the sectors of the economy.

    He said: “My attention has been drawn to claims in the media that I had apologised to the nation on behalf of the PDP over the fielding of former President Goodluck Jonathan in the last general elections. Such other media comments and reports actually went further to say that I had apologised for the misdeeds and wrongs done to the nation by the PDP in its 16 years in the saddle since the return of democratic governance in 1999.

    “These reports were clearly deliberate and mischievous misrepresentations of what I said at the press briefing…”

    Dokpesi said he was proud of Jonathan’s achievements across the sectors, adding that Nigerians would shower praises  on the former President, who, he said, owing to some extraneous factors, had been misunderstood.

    He said he was also proud of the democratic gains of the PDP government, including the independence of the judiciary and political stability, until the advent of the Boko Haram insurgency.

    The PDP chieftain alleged that plans are underway by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to turn the country into a one party state, adding that the party planned to achieve the objective by promoting division in the PDP.

    Describing the alleged plot as day dreaming, Dokpesi said the PDP would continue to wax stronger because it was not a gathering of strange bed fellows.

    He added: “I call on all PDP members nationwide to discountenance the misleading reports as the party has no apologies to offer anyone for its years of rule at the centre and the majority of the states.”

     

  • ‘PDP’s failure caused my mum’s kidnap’

    The running mate to the All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) candidate in the Bayelsa State governorship election, Elder Wilberforce Igiri, yesterday alleged that the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) failure caused the abduction of his 105-year-old-mother, Madam Ebifeghe Dikoro.

    Instead of blaming the kidnappers, Igiri said PDP was responsible for the increasing crime rate, following its woeful performance in youth empowerment and development policies.

    He said the abductors were products of PDP’s poor policies and lack of vision.

    The politician promised to forgive the kidnappers if they released his mother.

    Speaking in Yenagoa at a workshop organised by the APC to develop a local agenda for its standard-bearer, Chief Timipre Sylva, Igiri rated the present administration low in security and social welfare.

    He said: “The kidnap was timely. It showed that those youths were not encouraged by the present administration. I don’t blame them. Let them release my mother and I will forgive them.

    “I have discovered that if they had been empowered through education and youth empowerment policies, they would not have done what they did. I believe my mother will return.”

    Igiri urged APC supporters to avoid campaigns of calumny, noting that the Sylva/Igiri campaign would be issue-based.

    “I don’t insult anybody. We believe in issues. Let them be abusing, we will keep moving forward,” he said.

    The Deputy Director-General of the Sylva/Igiri Campaign Organisation (SICO), Chief Lionel-Jonathan Omo, said Bayelsa PDP lacked vision.

    Said he: “If you don’t have an idea, how do you sustain development? Vision is not a physical thing. When you are being ruled by people without a vision, we will have poor governance.

    “We have people without a vision at the helm. They cannot excel.”