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Tag: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

  • APGA receives over 3000 PDP defectors in Ikpeazu’s LGA

    The leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) has reportedly received about 3,500 members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Obingwa Local Government Area of Abia State.

    Recall that Obignwa local government area where the incumbent Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu comes from is noted for their voting strength and in the 2015 election was said to have produced over 82, 000 votes that gave Ikpeazu victory in 2015 including Osisioma LGA.

    Read Also:I’m not going to APGA, says Atiku

    The ceremony to receive the defectors to the APGA fold could have held last week at the National Institute for Nigerian Languages (NINLAN), Umuokahia, Obingwa council area, but was disrupted by thugs allegedly hired by PDP which prompted the state chairman of APGA to issue a statement condemning the action.

    Speaking on behalf of the defectors, Hon. Maduka Akpulonu said they decided to dump their former party for APGA because according to him, PDP as a party has failed to provide purposeful governance to the people of the state in the past 20 years.

    Akpulonu accused the chieftains of his former party of making efforts to stop them from defecting to APGA, stressing that nothing will make them to return to PDP.

    “We decide to dump our former party for APGA because PDP as a party has failed to provide purposeful governance to the people of the state. Some chieftains of our former party made efforts to stop us from defecting to APGA, but we resisted that and nothing will make us return to PDP”.

    While welcoming the governorship aspirant of the party, Dr. Alex Otti and other leaders of the party to the area, he urged him to extend his campaign tour to all the 11 wards of the council, Akpulonu apologized for the botched rally last week.

    “We apologize for the botched rally last week. Our defection has shaken PDP to its foundation in Obingwa.  They frustrated our efforts to dump PDP. The party (PDP) won’t do anything for the people and won’t allow them to leave to a better party”

    He boasted that APGA will win majority wards in Obingwa in 2019, adding that there was no going back as they were poised to take the message of APGA and Dr. Otti to every part of Obingwa.

    Receiving the former PDP members, APGA State chairman, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere, stated that the people of Obingwa council area have nothing to show for producing the governor, Dr. Ikpeazu, adding that the council has the worst network of roads.

    He commended the former PDP members for their courage to dump the party and assured of a level playing field for all members and expressed optimism that their defection marks APGA’s victory in the 2019 general election.

    The governorship aspirant of the party, Dr. Otti said APGA was set for a total transformation of the state from bad governance by the PDP.

    He vowed that Abia will be rescued from those he described as ‘blood sucking godfathers and council of elders in 2019 and urged the people to support APGA in this direction.

  • Why I decamped to APC – Uduaghan 

    One of the newest defectors to the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC), Emmanuel Uduaghan, on Tuesday night listed the reasons that attracted him to the party.

    Uduaghan, who was the immediate past Delta State Governor, moved from the major opposition party, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    Read Also:Uduaghan, Marwa, others join Buhari at APC meeting

    He was among those that attended the APC National caucus meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday night.

    He said that one of the factors that brought him to the ruling party was the massive developments coming to the Niger Delta area under Buhari’s administration.

    Speaking with State House correspondents at the end of the meeting, he said; “Politics is about interest, I’m from the Niger Delta and I managed a lot of crises from in Niger Delta. Sometimes I went to the creeks and engaged the boys and my principle when I was managing the Niger Delta was that of engagement and the current APC government has succeeded in managing the crises they met on ground through engagement.

    “The President was seeing a lot of leaders from the Niger Delta while the Vice-President went from state to state of oil producing states, making a lot of engagements and agreements were reached.

    “Nobody at that level had gone from state to state before in Nigeria, this was the first time and of course if that is happening, the crisis is not over, they need to be supported by those of us from the Niger Delta who are passionate about Niger Delta so that in moving forward we can have solutions to the crisis of Niger Delta.

    “If a new person comes he would start putting agreement up again and all that.

    “Secondly in the area of infrastructure, this government has done very well. Talking about my state, for the first time a rail line came to Delta, for the first time the gas city which we have been talking about, a committee has been officially inaugurated and for the time we have human capital development projects, school feeding and a lot is happening in Niger Delta.

    “So for me, let me join the party to be able to effect changes because we cannot achieve anything by working from the outside in the Niger Delta.

    “Some of us have to join the APC train and many people are going to come with me so that we can achieve a lot more in the Niger Delta for the APC government. Politics is about regional interest and I’m interested in the Niger Delta,” he stated.

     

  • Osun 2018: Two party members drag Adeleke to court

    Two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members in Osun have filed a suit at an Osogbo High Court challenging the candidacy of Sen. Ademola Adeleke as the party’s flag bearer in the September 22 governorship election.

    The suit filed on Monday by Mr Oyetunji Suredi and Mr Olagboye Adedamola is coming on the heels of Justice David Oladimeji’s judgment which dismissed a similar suit against Adeleke.

    The suit dismissed by Oladimeji was filed by Rasheed Olabayo and Oluwaseun Idowu.

    In the fresh suit, the plaintiffs are seeking an interlocutory injunction restraining Adeleke from parading himself as the candidate of the Osun PDP over alleged forged school certificate.

    They are also asking the court to make an order to restrain the state’s party Chairman, Mr Soji Adagunodo, and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from further recognising the defendant as the candidate of the party.

    Read Also: ‘Osun, Oyo should take responsibility for LAUTECH’

    The duo are further seeking an order mandating the party chairman and INEC to replace Adeleke’s name with that of  Akin Ogunbiyi, the runner-up in the party’s primary.

    The plaintiffs alleged that Adeleke had presented a forged document as part of the purported proof of his academic qualifications.

    Oladimeji had earlier dismissed a similar case against Adeleke, stating that the constitution does not require the defendant to pass his secondary school examination to contest elective position.

    Olabayo and Idowu had contended that he did not satisfy the constitutional requirements to contest the governorship election.

    The plaintiffs, among others, had urged the court to set aside the election on the grounds that Adeleke did not submit his secondary school certificate.

    Although the judge in his Aug. 8 judgment held that the documents presented by Adeleke contained damaging errors, he noted that it could be addressed separately since the plaintiffs did not include it in their prayers.

    Adeleke had won the primary after he garnered 1,569 votes to beat his closest rival, Ogunbiyi, who polled 1,562.

  • Why there is so much hardship – Ladoja

    Berates Oyo govt over demolition of Ayefele building                   

    Former Governor of Oyo State and the Osi Olubadan of Ibadanland, Senator Rashidi Ladoja has explained why there is so much hardship  and groaning among Nigerians .

    He said that the economic condition in Nigeria is hard because those in government have refused to accept the truth of the hardship being experienced by Nigerians.

    According to him, the failure to accept that there is a problem is the main reason why the government cannot search for solutions to it.

    Ladoja who stated this on Tuesday while speaking with newsmen after observing the Ramadan prayer added that the salary earners in Nigeria are suffering the most under the present government.

    The Osi-Olubadan of Ibadanland who noted that the civil servants who started earning N18,000 minimum wage in 2003 when dollar exchanged for N150 are still earning the same amount when dollar now exchanges for N370,  saying civil servants are now earning less than half of their salaries 15 years after.

    While praying for a better country and Sallah celebrations for all Nigerians next year, Ladoja lamented that the hardship in the country has heightened and called for urgent steps to address the disturbing trend.

    Ladoja who recently dumped the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for the African Democratic Congress (ADC)  stated that the way out of the woods was for the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to accept the fact that there is problem so as to find solutions to it but noted that the government was living in denial.

    On the demolition of the Music House of Yinka Ayefele, the former governor who described it as unfortunate said that the government should have called on the owner for regularization of his approval papers and fined him for negligence if he went outside the approval.

    Read Also: ‘Ladoja’s, Koleoso’s ADC alliance strange’

    “Let’s say he (Ayefele) contravened the law. The only thing they said was about documentations. He did not ask for approval for certain things. What I would have expected a government to do is to regularize it and give him penalty for it for not been diligent enough to ask for approval. Because the building is not crossing any carnal, it is not disturbing the flood plain. It does not constitute an environmental crisis to anybody. They can penalize him but not to pull down any part of the building.

    “The country is hard. By the time i woke up this morning those outside my house were more than 2000. That shows the situation in the country. We need to pray that next year should be better than what we are experiencing today. It is true that the Imam said we should sacrifice but there should be limit to what we would be sacrificing. May Nigeria be better for all of us.

    We have to start from the acceptance of truth. But if you don’t accept there is problem there is no how you will be looking for solutions to it. When you are campaigning you can say whatever you like but when you are in government it is another thing. We were alive when you said naira will change for one dollar.

    We were alive when Tam David West told us petrol will sell for N45naira per litre. We were alive but we know the situation today. The situation is terrible but who are those that are losing more? The salary earners are the one losing in Nigeria.  The person who was on N18, 000 minimum wage in 2003 when the dollar was exchanging for N150 naira per dollar is still on N18,000 salary today when dollar is now exchanging for N370 naira. So it means that the salary earner is earning less than half of what he was earning in 2003 now. What is happening here is known to everybody because the world is a global village.”

    “And then the various competitions between the various groupings is not helping situation to get better. We have competition among the political parties. We have competition among the ethnic groups. We have class competition. These are not helping us. The government did not accept that we had Boko Haram problem, they did not accept we have Fulani herdsmen problem. We are now talking about bandits. The next time they will say it is people from Libya that has come to invade us. So it is the fault of not accepting the truth and that is why we are not getting the solution.”

     

  • Tambuwal loses 252 aides to APC

    In what appears like a political earthquake,  252 Special advisers and Special assistants appointed by Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto state have resigned  their appointments.

    And they have returned to the All Progressives Congress, instead of working under a PDP government.

    Alhaji Ibrahim Haske, a special adviser to the renegade governor and  spokesman for all the aides, announced this  at a news conference  in Sokoto on Sunday.

    He said their decision followed  Gov. Tambuwal’s defection from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “Our appointment is based on the position that APC is the political party governing the state and now that the government belongs to PDP, we have no option other than to resign.

    “We are bonafide members of APC and our position has always remained same; we therefore resign voluntarily from the PDP government ,” Haske said.

    Haske, who was a former Sokoto South Local Government Chairman, further explained the decision was based on their desire to support APC to deliver on its mandate  after the  2019 general elections.

    Alhaji Abdullahi Sokoto, also a special adviser to Tambuwal,  restated the  former aides’  commitment and dedication toward ensuring the success of APC across the state.

    Read also: You can’t return Imo to PDP, Okorocha replies Atiku

    “We will continue to remain in our party APC and as such we sacrifice our political appointments to clarify people’s doubt and show our stand on party supremacy.”

    He restated the group’s loyalty and support to the policies and programme of the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of APC.

    In his reaction, the APC Chairman in the state, Alhaji Sadiq Achida, commended the former aides  to  Gov. Tambuwal for their demonstration of  loyalty to the party.

    He said, “the sacrifice of the Special advisers is highly recommended and will surely be rewarded by the people and APC in future.”

  • Rivers by-election: APC hails electorate for defending their votes

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has applauded Rivers State electorate for bravely defending their votes despite the violence and snatching of electoral materials at last Saturday’s by-election.
    The APC in a statement issued by Mr Yekini Nabena, its National Publicity Secretary, on Sunday in Abuja, however, alleged that the violence was perpetrated by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
    “Nigerians will recall how the PDP speaking through its national spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan last Tuesday vowed to deploy all means, schemes, shenanigans in all ramification and magnitude to rig all coming election.
    “While we condemn the PDP-sponsored violence and failed attempt to rig the by-election, the APC calls on the Rivers state electorate and indeed all Nigerians to continue to stand their ground,”the statement said.
    It also called on the electorates to resist any attempt to rig elections in the country, saying that votes must count and that people’s will must prevail in all elections.
    The statement called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and relevant security agencies to deal anyone involved in rigging in the forthcoming general election.

    Read also:PDP wins Taraba assembly by-election

    The  by-election to fill the vacant positions in the Port Harcourt State Constituency III had been suspended by INEC, following cases of violence and electoral malpractice that characterised the exercise.

    Mr Obo Effanga, the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in Rivers, who announced the suspension on Saturday night, cited widespread violence as reasons.

    The by-election was conducted by INEC to fill the vacancy left by Victor Ihunwo, now Chairman, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area.

    Effanga stated that because the exercise was marred by widespread violence, it was suspended in accordance with Section 26 of the Electoral Act 2010.

    “INEC has decided to suspend the election forthwith,’’ he had said.

  • PDP wins Taraba assembly by-election

    The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Garba Ahiya has won Saturday’s Takum 1 state constituency by-election into Taraba House of Assembly.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the election was to fill the vacant seat of the late Hosea Ibi, member of the Assembly, who was kidnapped on Dec. 31, 2017 and murdered by his abductors in January 2018.

    Dr Ayuba Kwada, the returning officer of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the results on Saturday night in Takum.

    Kwada said Ajiya of PDP won five of the six constituency’s ward with a total vote of 10,725 to emerge winner, while candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) Mr Atem Ansho polled a total vote of 3,268 with one ward.

    He disclosed that nine political parties participated, while results from nine polling units in Chanchanji ward were cancelled due to irregularities.

    According to him, “The total number of vote cast was 14,717; total number of valid votes was 14,337 while 380 votes were rejected.”

    Reacting to the election result, Gov Darius Ishaku of Taraba, described the process as a litmus test for the 2019 general elections in the state.

    He noted that the victory margin could have been wider if all those that turned out to exercise their franchise had their Permanent Voters Cards, (PVCs).

    Read also: Police order beef-up of security in Ekiti

    Ishaku, who commended the peaceful conduct of the election, restated the need for state police to permanently tackle insecurity.

    “The country will be more efficient with pronounced secuty if it adopts state policing just like the United States of America where our democracy took it roots.”

    The candidate of the APC has, however, rejected the outcome of the by-election.

    He alleged that collation were still ongoing in some wards when hired thugs forced electoral officers to leave some polling units to other destinations and changed the results.

    Ansho, however, said he was in talks with his lawyers for advice on the next course of action.

  • Alleged murder: Court to hear five PDP members’ bail application

    A Lagos High Court in Igbosere Thursday adjourned till August 23 to hear five People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members’ bail application following their remand for alleged murder.

    The defendants are Rotimi Kujore, Ismaila Abiola, Kehinde Fasasi, Fatai Adele and Amos Fawole.

    Read Also:Court suspends hearing in suit filed against INEC Chairman

    They were accused of involvement in the killing of the PDP’s Apapa Local Government Area (LGA) Chairman, Adeniyi Aborishade, on July 21.

    The police docked the men before Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe of the Yaba Chief Magistrates’ Court on July 25 for alleged conspiracy and unlawful killing.

    Mr Komolafe granted the police’s request for their remand for 30 days in prison custody pending a Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP) advice on the case.

    But they challenged their detention at the high court.

    When the matter, came up yesterday before vacation judge, Justice Emmanuel Ogundare, the defendants’ counsel, Mr K. O. Osinowo, sought the leave of the court to apply for their bail.

    He brought the application by way of an August 7 motion ex parte, explaining that the matter was for urgent hearing.

    According to him, the defendants were being held for an offence they were innocent of.

    “They were in a meeting and one of them got shot,” Osinowo told the judge.

    He drew the court’s attention to the dismissal of the same charge against the Chairman of the PDP in Lagos State, Mr. Moshood Salvador and 10 others, by an Ikeja High Court on Tuesday, following a DPP report exonerating them.

    He said: “I believe that the same thing will also happen when the DPP’s advice concerning these defendants is out.”

    Justice Ogundare granted his prayer and adjourned the hearing of the motion ex-parte till August 23.

  • APC to INEC: PDP plans to deploy thugs for Osun guber election

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) says it has information that the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) is planning to deploy thugs and to rig the forthcoming Osun governorship election.

    APC National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, on Wednesday in Abuja also accused the PDP of cloning Permanent Voters Cards (PVC) for use in the election.

    Read Also:Saraki’s action is high treason, says APC

    “The PDP on Tuesday vowed to deploy all means, schemes, shenanigans in all ramification and magnitude to rig all coming elections, starting from the Osun governorship election.

    “The party also directed all its presidential aspirants to move all their political machinery into Osun State within this period.

    “When the APC learnt of the shocking disclosures, we initially doubted its veracity and dismissed it as one of the fake news in circulation,” Nabena said in a statement.

    It stressed that the PDP’s statement on Tuesday was particularly worrisome because it coincided with the situation field report the APC received on its plans for the Osun governorship election.

    It added that the PDP’s new public rigging plans was a red flag that required urgent probe by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and relevant security agencies.

    The statement called on well-meaning Nigerians and civil society organisations to speak out and resist the PDP’s retrogressive plan which threatened the country’s democracy.

    It reminded the PDP that the country’s democracy was maturing, and that its crude election rigging methods such as ballot box snatching displayed during last weekend by-election in Kogi was no longer accepted in elections.

    It, however, expressed confidence that the people of Osun would resist the PDP’s deployment to take-over the state by force.

    “The people’s will, the people’s vote is supreme, it must be respected and defended, that is democratic, progressive and the right thing, “the statement said.

    It further reminded the PDP of the new realities that the old Nigeria was slowly but surely disappearing and a new era was rising as captured by President Muhammadu Buhari.

    It added that unlike undemocratic practices under past administrations, elections under the APC administration were increasingly freer and fairer.

    The statement said this was a very significant feat in APC’s march for lasting and representative democracy.

    The Osun governorship election is slated for Sept. 22.

  • Akpabio still a member of the PDP – Senator

    The Senator representing the Southern Senatorial District of Cross River State, Gershom Bassey, Tuesday said Senator Godswill Akpabio, who recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), was still a PDP member on the floor of the hallowed chambers.

    Speaking with reporters in Calabar Tuesday, Senator Bassey however stated that the defection issue of the former Akwa Ibom governor was not a big deal.

    Read Also:To declare my seat vacant, Saraki’s must be declared vacant, says Akpabio

    He said, “He has not defected on the floor of the Senate. His defection is outside the Senate. For now he has not crossed carpet in the Senate. So he has done nothing illegal or wrong for now. In the Senate he is still in the PDP. We have not seen his letter. The letter has not been read on the floor and his seat is still in the PDP fold. So as far as we know he is still a PDP man. Until he tells us in the chambers then we would cross that bridge.”

    Also commenting on issues about the reconvening of the National Assembly, Bassey said there was never an official notice to that effect.

    “The media may have gotten ahead of itself in announcing the reconvening because there was no official notice to that effect. Normally when the National Assembly reconvenes it is the clerk of the NASS that sends out the notice. That is the rightful person. I am sure there was no such information from his office. So I think that the media having listened to a press conference by I think by one of the House of Reps men. But if you listen carefully to that press conference he didn’t say anything definite but I think the media just took it that it was definite. There was no plan and there has never been any plan to reconvene. What they did after the meeting of the leadership last week was that they were going to consider it. There was no commitment towards any particular date for reconvening,” he said.

    He also condemned the recent taking over the National Assembly by men of the Department of State Services.

    “I have condemned the invasion of the NASS. It is absolutely unacceptable. It is a coup against our democracy and that is the way we see it. I have called for a comprehensive independent enquiry into the incident. We have to get to the root of it. It is not enough to fire the DSS boss. I have seen the DSS man as a highly professional person. Anytime he has come to the NASS he has always been extremely professional in his presentations. So I don’t think that man would just wake up on his own and acts like that. Someone must have given him instructions. So we need to get to the bottom of it. Or he was misled, one of the two, but we have to get to the bottom of it,” the Senator said.