The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

  • PDP Presidential Primaries: Don’t make money your focus – Bafarawa

    Delegates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming presidential primaries have been asked not to make money their focus.

    Addressing Kogi PDP delegates Tuesday at the state party secretariat in Lokoja, former Sokoto State governor and PDP presidential aspirant, Senator Attahiru Bafarawa called on them to rethink the growth and development of the country.

    Read Also:2019: 500 PDP members defects to APC in Jigawa

    Soliciting their support ahead of the party’s delegates congress, he described the next process to select who fly’s the party’s flag as a collective one, and warned against delegates mortgaging their conscience, pointing out that such has negative consequences.

    He described his words as his bond, saying that as governor of Sokoto State, he made human capital development his priority, urging them to support his aspiration, as every promise made would be kept.

    He promised to make the unity of the country his focus and advised those clamouring for restructuring to seek for unity, pointing out that the nation had been restructured through the creation of states and local governments, with no positive consequence.

    While he described the security of the nation as a collective responsibility of all, he assured of new strategies that would help secure the country from insurgents and all forms of criminality.

    He promised massive investment in the education and health sectors, saying he does not belong in the category of politicians who make unfulfilled promises.

    Kogi State PDP chairman, Engr. Sam Uhotu, described Bafarawa’s kind of politics as one centred on human capital development.

    He commended the presidential aspirant for always identifying with the people in times of challenges.

    He urged him to address the decay and level of impunity currently being witnessed in the country, and help salvage the North from the current lack of leadership.

    He called on him to form a common front in making consensus and elect a credible candidate for the forthcoming presidential election, pointing out that the North is now made a laughing stock, but can be salvaged when the right candidate emerge as the PDP candidate.

    Secretary of Kogi State PDP, disclosed that the 84 delegates from the state would at the convention reward loyalty, and urged him to make the improvement of the lives of people of the country his priority.

  • Alleged murder: Court releases Lagos PDP Chairman, Moshood Salvador

    A Lagos High Court in Ikeja has released the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Lagos State, Mr. Moshood Salvador and 10 others charged trial for alleged murder.

    Vacation judge, Justice Obafemi Adamson also released 10 others who were docked for the offence alongside Salvador.

    Read Also:Saraki asks court to restrain AGF, IG, others from ‘unlawfully’ removing him

    They were charged following the death on July 21 of the party chairman in Apapa Local Government Area, Adeniyi Aborishade.

    The prosecution alleged that Aborishade was murdered during the PDP’s “visitation meeting” that held at Igbosuku Village, Eti-Osa Local Government Area.

    The 10 others are: Kehinde Fasasi, Rotimi Kujore, Fatai Adele, Ismaila Abiola, Amos Fawole, Victoria Falowo, Mukaila Odukoya, Oropo Isaac, Mohammed Babangida and Ugochukwu Nwoke.

    Details later…

  • Senate leadership not party positions – PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Sunday said Senate leadership positions did not belong to political parties but to Nigerians.

    National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, stated this in a statement in Abuja, and said principal officers in the chamber were elected by representatives elected by the people.

    Ologbondiyan, therefore, advised the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Adams Oshiomhole, to stop moves to change the leadership of the Senate, saying such was completely out of his reach.

    He said Oshiomhole should stop thinking that senate leadership could be changed by orders of a political party when the law settled that such power was vested only on two-third votes, representing 73 of the 109 senators.

    “Since Oshiomhole assumed office, the nation has witnessed various unimaginable constitutional infractions, including the invasion of Benue House of Assembly and the Ekiti State Government House by security agencies.

    “The escalated harassment of federal legislators and persons perceived to be averse to APCs’ re-election bid.

    “The siege at the residences of Senate President, Bukola Saraki and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, by security agencies as well as the recent invasion of the National Assembly by security operatives.”

    Ologbondiyan called on Nigerians and the international community to note the activities of Oshiomhole, alleging that he was being directed from some quarters.

    He, however, said that the PDP held firmly that the APC was fighting a lost battle.

    Ologbondiyan said Nigerians could not be intimidated into their resolve to return the nation to the path of peace, national cohesion and economic prosperity, on the platform of the re-positioned PDP in 2019.

  • Lagos PDP need prayers in 2019, says Ogunlewe

    Chief Adeseye Ogunlewe, a former Minister of Works and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), on Sunday called on party members in Lagos State to pray for peace and unity in their fold.

    Ogunlewe, a former senator, said without peace and unity the party could not rise above its present “challenges” toward realising its goal of winning the state in 2019.

    “What is needed in Lagos State PDP is prayers, prayers and prayers.

    “Members in the chapter should pray together for peace and unity so that the goals of the party can be actualised.

    “Members must particularly unite at this challenging period in order to get victory in 2019,’’ the PDP chieftain told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

    Ogunlewe who described the recent killing at the party’s rally in Eti-Osa area of the state as unfortunate, said divine intervention was needed to avert a recurrence.

    NAN reports that some hoodlums had on July 21 invaded the party’s rally at Eti-Osa, killing the Chairman of the Apapa Chapter of the party, Mr Adeniyi Aborishade.

    The invasion by the hoodlums and subsequent violence followed disagreements among members at the rally.

    The Police arrested the State PDP Chairman, Mr Moshood Salvador and 10 other chieftains and on July 25, charged them with murder at a Yaba Magistrates’ Court.

    They all pleaded not guilty to the two-count charge of unlawful killing and criminal conspiracy.

    Chief Magistrate Oyetade Komolafe had remanded Salvador and others in prison and adjourned the case until Aug. 27 for advice from the State Directorate of Public Prosecutions (DPP).

  • Ex-PDP Chairman defects to APC in Sokoto

    A Former  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman in Sokoto State, Alhaji Abubakar Shehu-Tambuwal, has led about 10,000 supporters to decamp to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Tambuwal Local Government Area of the state.

    Addressing a crowd of supporters on Sunday in Tambuwal, Shehu-Tambuwal said they made the decision freely based on their concern to participate in politics that would facilitate good development.

    He said they were convinced to join the party because of the viable policies and projects of the APC-led government, stressing that leadership and democracy should be about enhancing infrastructure and ensuring development for the people.

    Shehu-Tambuwal is also a former Commissioner for Education in the state.

    Alhaji Umar Maitafsir, the Chairman of APC chapter in Tambuwal Local Government Area, said no fewer than 100,000 people from Yabo, Kebbi, Tureta, Dange/Shuni, Bodinga and Shagari local government areas had also decamped from the PDP to the APC.

    Maitafsir described the decamping as a landmark in the political history of Sokoto South senatorial district, attributing the move to Shehu-Tambuwal’s credibility and political contribution in the zone as well as the state.

    Speaking while presenting the APC membership card to each of the new members, the Chairman of the state chapter of the APC, Alhaji Sadiq Achida, assured the defectors of a level-playing ground.

    Achida said President Muhammadu Buhari’s APC-led government would continue to address the challenges being faced by Nigerians through various projects and policies and urged the people to support the party to succeed at all levels.

  • Plots to remove Saraki, Ekweremadu will fail – PDP

    The leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has told the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Presidency to stop dreaming of removing the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu.

    Describing such move as delusion, the opposition party said it was high time the ruling party and its agents came to terms with the reality that they lacked the constitutional backing to remove or call for the resignation of the two lawmakers.

    Read Also:Oshiomhole: Saraki will be impeached legally

    In a statement on Friday by the spokesman of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party accused the ruling party of applying underhand tactics to oust Saraki and Ekweremadu.

    The opposition party insisted that the APC and its agents staged last Tuesday’s invasion of the National Assembly by armed operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS)

    Two-thirds majority of 73 of the 109 senators is required to impeach Saraki who last week, defected from the APC to the PDP. The same number is required for the removal of Ekweremadu.

    Buttressing its allegation of complicity of the leadership other APC in the botched invasion of the federal legislature, the PDP said it was designed to remove the two officers through the back door.

    The statement said, “Even before then, Nigerians were already aware of moves to use humongous funds to induce lawmakers to trigger crisis in the National Assembly and pave the way for the removal of presiding officers.

    “Now that they have discovered that there is no way they can achieve their devious intentions, they have commenced a war of blackmail, distortions of fact and media trial against the Senate leadership, which, of course, will end up as another wasteful venture as Nigerians are aware of the long-drawn desperation of the Buhari Presidency to annex the legislature.

    “Even among the ranks of the depleted APC senators and members of the House of Representatives, there is a huge aversion to the underhand tactics being deployed by the Buhari Presidency and the APC to force out duly elected presiding officers of the National Assembly.

    “As such, such lawmakers are fully aligned with Nigerians, the PDP and the National Assembly leadership in the protection of the independence, sanctity and integrity of our parliament and all democratic institutions in our land.

    “It is therefore instructive for both the Buhari Presidency and the APC to know that there is no way they can remove the leadership of the National Assembly, particularly the Senate.

    “Consequently,  the PDP cautions the Buhari Presidency and the APC to stop overheating the polity with their outbursts and shed future perverse attempts to circumvent our rules and constitution, as such will not help them or change the resolve of Nigerians to vote them out in 2019”.

  • Count me out of Edo Kwankwasiyan movement, ex-Rep

    A former member of the House of Representatives, Engr. Isaac Osahon, has denied being a member of the Edo Kwankwasiyan Movement.

    Engr. Osahon was reported to have joined other Kwankwasiyan members to defect to the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    Read Also:Arise: Saraki, Kwankwaso, others must vacate seats

    Speaking to newsmen in a Bénin City, Engr. Osahon insisted he is still in the race to secure the APC ticket to return to the National Assembly in 2019.

    He stated that he was never a member of the controversial Reformed APC nor that of the Kwankwasiyan Group rooting for the presidential ambition of Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano state.

    Engr. Osahon said his grouse against the APC was ready being looked into by the party machinery set up over anointing of a particular individual as against the interest of many contestants jostling for the ticket.

    He said, “Firstly, I want to say that I am not a member of the RAPC, I am a member of the APC and still a member of the APC; I am not a member of the Kwankwaso Group who regards themselves as Kwankwasiyans and I have not dumped my party. As we speak I am a member.

    “It is true that I am aggrieved about certain happenings in APC and I have told members of my party, the leadership that I am not happy and they are already looking into such issues.”

     

  • Saraki should resign as a matter of honour, says Sagay

    …EFCC’s seizure of Benue’s account was extreme

     

    Presidential Advisory Committee Against Corruption (PACAC) Chairman, Prof Itse Sagay (SAN) Thursday said Senate President Bukola Saraki should step down as a matter of honour even if he is not bound by law to do so.

    According to him, it would only require two-thirds majority of available Senators to unseat Saraki.

    Sagay, however, emphasised that the Senate President’s defection from All Progressives Congress (APC), the platform on which he was elected, to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), does not invalidate his position.

    Read Also:Saraki, others goofed by defecting to PDP, says APC lawmaker

    He spoke in Abuja on the sidelines of a workshop on the United Kingdom Unexplained Wealth Order (UWO), organised by PACAC, UK National Crime Agency and the Department for International Development (DfID).

    On whether Saraki was bound to resign, Sagay said: “He should relinquish his position as a matter of honour. He’s not compelled by law to do so. He needs to be removed by two-thirds majority.

    “He got there because he was in APC even though he got there by subterfuge, which is typical of him. He got there in a cheeky, fraudulent manner.

    “Nevertheless, for him to be removed, they need two-thirds, not of the Senate, but of those present and voting at a meeting.

    “It doesn’t have to be everybody. It’s those who happen to be there. Once they meet the quorum of one-third, and he is there, he can be removed by two-thirds of that one-third.”

    Sagay faulted the freezing of Benue State’s account by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), describing it as “extreme”.

    He said while EFCC could investigate governors, they cannot be prosecuted since they have immunity.

    “There’s nothing EFCC can do to him (Governor Samuel Ortom). They can’t arrest him. They can investigate him, put down the records of what they found, and wait for his tenure to end. Right now nobody can touch him.

    “As for freezing Benue State’s account, I can’t support it. I don’t know why, but government has to function. I don’t want people to suffer because there are no funds for basic government functions.

    “I don’t know if EFCC really did that; we have to be careful because it looks extreme to me,” Sagay said.

    The eminent professor of law rejected calls for President Muhammadu Buhari to sack finance minister Mrs Kemi Adeosun over the allegation that she skipped the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme and forged an exemption certificate.

    Asked what he thought about the government’s refusal to react to the issue, Sagay said: “I don’t know why the government has not reacted.

    “But, let me tell you my reaction. This woman is a brilliant and extremely valuable member of this government.

    “A lot of the good things happening now – the welfare that Nigerians are enjoying and are going to enjoy, because it takes time, and the way our economy is booming, how we got out of recession – are due to her expertise, her commitment, her sacrifice.

    “There is nothing in this world that will make me remove such a woman from the government. The PDP can weep from now until there is no tear in their body; she is going to be there. We cannot afford to lose that woman.”

    Asked if it was not an offence to skip NYSC, Sagay said: “Who cares about youth service? I don’t bloody care whether she did youth service or not. It’s irrelevant as far as I am concerned.”

    On the allegation that she forged an exemption certificate, the PACAC chairman said: “I don’t believe it. I don’t see anything serious about not doing youth service. I don’t see anything serious about it. That’s my own bias, not government’s.

    “I’m telling you now. If you ask me – If I were President Buhari, I would never, ever touch that woman because she’s damn good.

    “The enemies of this government want to reduce his capacity to provide good governance by engaging in social media attacks and trying to get rid of her. It will not work.”

  • ‘My defection to APC is voluntary, unconditional’

    Former Minister of Transport, Yusuf Suleiman Wednesday in  Sokoto, said that his defection ‎to the ruling APC was voluntary and an unconditional decision, describing the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as a wrong party.

    According to him” I was in the wrong company of those who do not understand the ideals and concept of party politics and democracy‎.

    “As a patriotic Nigerian, I feel that I owe Nigeria’s citizens the duty to demonstrate same and the need to join the journey‎ of helping Mr. President and Sokoto state to develop the nation.”

    Read Also:Why I defected to APC: Godswill Akpabio

    Speaking to reporters ‎shortly after he was registered, Suleiman who was also a Minister for Youth and Sports said he was confident that he had what it takes to offer to the popularity and vision of the ruling APC.

    “I can add value and credibility to the growth and development of the state and APC”, he said.

    He explained that he joined the ruling APC based on his conviction that the party was truly a democratic platform that has the capacity to deliver to Nigeria and Nigerians the right leadership and dividends of democracy and good governance.

    “Nigeria is transiting to prosperity under the ruling APC government of President Muhammadu Buhari‎. We need to join hands with our political leader in the state, Senator Aliyu Wamakko to take the state to the next level it ought to be.”‎

    “I believe in the vision and mission as well the ideals of the party driven by good leadership, transparency, accountability and respect for the rule of law.

    ” APC has in the last three years‎, demonstrated total commitment and resilience in shaping the nation and liberating the political spirit of Nigerians to collectively work for the advancement of the country”, he stated.

    Suleiman, one of the ‘big fish’, who’s defection came clear last Saturday at the triumphant homecoming rally for Senator Aliyu Wamakko, has further depleted the opposition and swelled the ruling party’s numerical force in the state.

    ‎The ruling APC convert however‎ said” I am convinced that I am not just a politician but a key player and APC is in the hearts and souls of Sokoto people.”

    Although, the former Minister denied been tipped to join the party for a governorship‎ saying” I told you that my coming to APC is voluntary and no body signed or promised me governorship ticket.”

    ‎He said it was not in his character to embrace defection, adding that” that is why I took my careful time until now. ”

    ‎The former Minister maintained that Sokoto state had no better choice of political party than APC, promising that he would steadfastly join other leaders of the party in the state and nation in bracing the ruling APC to victory come 2019.

    According to Suleiman, “we will not relent in our efforts to galvanise and sustain the leading tempo of the party across our state against any opposition platform,” he stressed further.

     

  • Saraki, others goofed by defecting to PDP, says APC lawmaker

    The only All Progressives Congress (APC) legislator in the Kwara state House of Assembly Prince Saheed Popoola Wednesday said the defection of Senate President Bukola Saraki, Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and others to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) is the greatest political mistake of their lives.

    He said this in Offa, Offa local government area of Kwara state when he staged a triumphant entry into the town.

    Read Also:Akpabio’s defection, beginning of the end of PDP, says APC chieftain

    Scores of his loyalists, supporters and friends waited patiently for hours at the Ijagbo end of the town, for him.

    Speaking with reporters in the midst of the crowd, Prince Popoola said: “I want you to show the whole world that it is the Offa people that told me not to defect to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). That is what you are seeing today. They told me that we are in All Progressives Congress (APC). They voted for in APC and that I should remain in APC. There is no single person that will do PDP in Offa.

    The entire town is APC. They are for President Muhammadu Buhari, they are for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, they are for Lai Mohammed, they are for Aregbesola and they are for Saheed Popoola. We are also for Adams Oshiohmole.”.

    He hailed President Buhari’s administration performance so far in office, adding that “he has been performing well since his assumption of office. It is only that some fifth columnists are out to sabotage his efforts. I want to assure you that APC will do well for this country. We mean well for this country. You can see that the entire Offa people are for APC.

    “I have come today to showcase that as their representative it is what they told me that i have done. I promise Offa people best legislative action. Offa people are going to lead in the struggle to make APC emerge victorious in the 2019 elections.

    “I want to tell you that Kwarans have resolved to change the current political structure in the state. This state will not vote for PDP in the 2019 general elections. It is a mistake of their lives that they have done. APC is the only party that Kwarans will vote for.”

    On the siege of the National Assembly by DSS operatives, the lawmaker said that “what happened at the National Assembly was a conspiracy.

    How can somebody call for a meeting of the principal officers and members were trooping in very early in the morning? I am calling for a full blown probe into the matter.”