Politics

2023 Presidential poll: You lost woefully — FG tells opposition parties

Published

2 years ago

May 1, 2023

Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed

2023 Presidential poll: You lost woefully — FG tells opposition parties

The fireworks over the true winner of the 2023 presidential election continued yesterday between the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the two main opposition parties, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Labour Party (LP).

The Federal Government had sparked fresh trouble yesterday when it described the opposition attacking President Muhammadu Buhari over his recent comment on the 2023 presidential elections as “shameless sore losers”.

Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, had said the President’s analysis on the reasons for the opposition’s loss in the 2023 elections was incontrovertible.

In a statement by his media aide, Segun Adeyemi, the minister reiterated the position of the President that the opposition lost due to overconfidence, complacency and bad tactical moves.

“Opposition’s overconfidence going into the election stemmed in part from the blitzkrieg of social media propaganda as well as faulty and procured opinion polls. These were apparently meant to hoodwink their foreign backers and a section of the international media into uncritically reporting that they were coasting home to victory, when they were indeed heading into the ravine of defeat,” he said

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Mohammed advised the opposition to stop their endless griping over the polls which they lost, adding the president deserves accolades for delivering the best election in Nigeria’s history.

According to Mohammed, the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, won the presidential election fair and square, clinching the majority of the votes cast.

He added that Tinubu surpassed the constitutionally-stipulated 25 per cent of votes cast in each of at least two-thirds of all the states in the Federation and the Federal Capital Territory, while none of the opposition parties met that benchmark.

Mohammed referred the opposition to the conclusion by Mr Johnnie Carson, the US diplomat, that the APC candidate “undoubtedly won the polls”.

He also cited the report of the African Union Election Observation Mission to Nigeria that said the atmosphere was generally calm and peaceful in 95 per cent of the polling units visited.

The minister slammed the opposition “for continuously seeking to mislead the world by clutching at the weak straw that results were not immediately uploaded onto the IReV Portal.”

Responding, the PDP through its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the party had made it clear that history will judge President Muhammadu Buhari, over the poor conduct of the 2023 general elections.

In a statement, he claimed the Federal Government was seeking to blackmail, bully and intimidate the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal.

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The statement read in part: “Nigerians are invited to note that Lai Mohammed’s comment is coming after President Muhammadu Buhari made similar subjudice comment in his widely condemned attempt to justify the rigging of the Presidential election, which case is pending before the Tribunal.

“It is indeed appalling that Lai Mohammed could attempt to defend the outcome of a fraudulently conducted election which has been adjudged as the worst in the history of elections in Nigeria and which has attracted nationwide and international outrage against the Buhari administration.

“By stating that President Buhari deserved ‘accolades’ for conducting a globally condemned Presidential election and describing well-meaning Nigerians as ‘shameless sore losers’, Lai Mohammed has further confirmed the complicity of the Buhari administration, in which he serves as mouthpiece, in one of the most reprehensible election swindles in the history of democracy.

“The PDP is however not surprised that Lai Mohammed will continue in the trajectory of the Buhari-led APC administration which is notorious for lying, deceit and falsehood.

“Nigerians are aware that by the authentic results obtained from the Polling Units, Atiku Abubakar and not the APC candidate met all the conditions stipulated for the winning of Presidential election; the reason the compromised Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) refused to transmit directly and announce results as obtained from the Polling Units as required by law.

“The facts of the rigging of the February 25, 2023 Presidential election are well known to Nigerians and the PDP will not relent until it reclaims its mandate at the Tribunal.”

Also, in a statement, yesterday, acting National Publicity Secretary of the LP, Obiora Ifo described as “hearth-wrenching to hear the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed, still progressing with that warped, illogical and incongruous concept.”

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He said APC has murdered sleep by continuing to insist that the 2023 presidential election which was massively rigged was free, fair and credible

His words: “It is only the blind that will continue to insist that the 2023 presidential election which was massively rigged was free, fair and credible. As we have said earlier, the opposition political parties lost the election because the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC jettisoned the electoral act, having not uploaded the result from the polling unit in real time as promised and in so doing, created room for riggers to have a field day.

“The election witnessed unprecedented magnitude of violence, ballot snuffing, snatching and manipulations of result from the collation centres using thugs, security agencies, which included police, army amongst others.

“All these issues and a lot more were captured, well documented and have been taken to the appeal tribunal and the matters are on going. Mr. Lai Mohammed need not preempt the tribunal as his actions are contemptuous and could be used against him.”

Meanwhile, President of Middle Belt Forum (MBF), Dr. Pogu Bitrus, has disagreed with the minister’s position, saying he should instead advise the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to do the right thing and produce the real results of the poll.

He wondered why Lai Mohammed should be giving such advice to the opposition parties when it was his party, the APC, that was telling those that were not satisfied with the result to go to court.

“So, INEC and their candidate should better be prepared because everything that transpired during the election will be exposed and that will be good for Nigeria and democracy. People like Lai Mohammed, who don’t believe in democracy but autocracy or feudalism, should better come to the reality that we are in a democracy, a constitutional democracy for that matter”, he said.

But, for the president of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYCF), Alhaji Yerima Shettima, there is nothing wrong in what Mohammed said.

He agreed that rather than instigating the society against a particular person or against government, those who have grudges with the election outcome, should go to court.

2023 Presidential poll: You lost woefully — FG tells opposition parties

SUN

Politics

Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau

Published

18 hours ago

March 23, 2025

Trends Admin

Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau

Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau

Former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has cast doubt on the ability of a newly formed opposition coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.

Shekarau described the alliance, which includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, as a gathering of individuals with personal political ambitions rather than a structured and unified opposition front.

His remarks came just two days after the coalition’s formation was announced, with the stated goal of challenging Tinubu’s administration.

In a statement by his spokesperson, Dr. Sule Yau, Shekarau remarked, “This is just a gathering of certain individuals with political ambitions; none of them has officially consulted their party leadership.”

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He further argued that a coalition featuring prominent figures does not necessarily equate to an effective political alliance.

“The coalition of opposition figures is a good development, as seen in their recent meeting under what they call an opposition alliance. However, none of the key figures involved represents their party leadership,” Shekarau stated.

Emphasizing the legal framework for political mergers, he pointed out that only registered parties could formally unite, making the recent gathering an informal arrangement rather than an officially recognized coalition.

Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau

Politics

PDP gives condition to back Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai in 2027

Published

20 hours ago

March 23, 2025

Trends Admin

Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi

PDP gives condition to back Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai in 2027

Although the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hasn’t made its official position known on the coalition being put together by some key leaders of the opposition to wrestle power from the ruling party at the federal level, All Progressives Congress (APC), and President Bola Tinubu ahead of 2027, Sunday Vanguard understands that the PDP may join forces with them on one condition: The process will not lead to its loss of identity.

The PDP was in power for 16 years before the APC dislodged it from the Presidential Villa in 2015 when then-incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan lost reelection to former President Buhari.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, had, last week, announced his decision to join the coalition with other members of opposition parties to challenge Tinubu in the 2027 elections.

Atiku was responding to a call by a former governor of Kaduna State, Mallam El-Rufai, to key members of opposition parties in the country to come together and fight Tinubu and APC in 2027.

El-Rufai had made the call while dumping the APC for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

In his response, the former PDP presidential candidate confirmed that he, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 elections, Mr Peter Obi, and El-Rufai, among others, had kick-started a movement aimed at defeating Tinubu’s APC in the 2027 elections.

He spoke at a press conference organized by Nigeria’s key opposition leaders and political stakeholders to discuss the President’s controversial declaration of state of emergency in Rivers State.

When journalists asked whether the emerging coalition would be the major opposition force against the APC in 2027, Atiku did not mince words.
“Yes,” he declared.

Clarity

Sources within the PDP told Sunday Vanguard at the weekend that the party will expect the former presidential candidate to give clarity to his decision soon.

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A member of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC), who spoke on condition of anonymity because the matter was “yet to be discussed at the official level,” said, “We expect him to shed more light on his decision as we proceed.

“For now, he is still a high ranking member of our party the PDP.

“We have been following his public statements and engagements and he hasn’t announced to anyone that he is leaving or has left our party.

“Yes, he left the party on two previous occasions over the past two decades -first to join Tinubu’s Action Congress (AC) to contest the 2007 presidential election; and in 2013 or thereabouts to join others to form the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“Note, however, that on each of these occasions he returned to the PDP.

“Now, whether he is planning to leave to join others or he wants others to come join us to beat the APC rigging machine in 2027, only he can explain. “For now, from my interactions with members of his team, one thing is clear, this time around, Atiku’s move is a strategic step towards unifying opposition forces against the ruling APC.

‘Significant shift’

“His announcement of the formation of a coalition signals a significant shift in Nigeria’s political landscape, as opposition leaders seek to present a united front against the current administration.

“The proposed coalition is expected to bring together key political parties and stakeholders, including prominent figures like Mr Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

“It’s worth noting that Atiku’s decision might not be universally accepted within the PDP, as some members may have different opinions on the best strategy to challenge the APC in 2027.

“Nevertheless, Atiku’s move demonstrates his commitment to opposing the current administration and his willingness to work with other opposition parties to achieve this goal.”

Identity

The party chieftain further explained that a majority of leaders and members of the PDP are resolute in their desire to ensure that the party retains its identity.

According to him, a former governor of Jigawa State, Alhaji Sule Lamido, spoke the minds of most leaders and members of the PDP when he dismissed El-Rufai’s call to dump the party and join the SDP.

Lamido said in an interview, “The party we formed, the PDP, is the one that gave birth to El-Rufai. You’re not enough to make us leave the PDP.

“He (El-Rufai) once said that there are no elders in Nigerian politics, but now he is calling on us to join him in the SDP.”

Lamido equally questioned El-Rufai’s motive for dumping the APC for the SDP and his motivation for seeking power.

“Leadership is done with patience and vision, and doing things for the peace of the followers and the country as a whole”, he said.

While restating his loyalty to the PDP, Lamido said the party which he helped to form hasn’t done anything wrong to warrant him leaving to join another.

His views resonated with another leader and foundation member of the PDP, Chief Bode George, who has told whoever cares to listen that he is in the PDP to stay.

PDP gives condition to back Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai in 2027

Vanguard

Politics

PDP crisis over secretary lingers despite Supreme Court ruling

Published

2 days ago

March 22, 2025

Trends Admin

PDP crisis over secretary lingers despite Supreme Court ruling

The Supreme Court on Friday set aside the decision of the Court of Appeal, Enugu Division, delivered on 20 December 2024, which affirmed the removal of Senator Samuel Anyanwu as the National Secretary of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a unanimous judgment by a five-member panel, the apex court ruled that matters concerning the leadership or membership of a political party are internal affairs and should not be subject to judicial intervention. The court held that the Federal High Court lacked jurisdiction to hear the matter initially brought by Aniagwu Emmanuel.

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However, the judgment, expected to bring an end to the crisis, has left the PDP leadership and members in disarray, as both parties in the suit—Anyanwu and Ude-Okoye—are claiming victory. The development threatens to disrupt the fragile peace the party has enjoyed since its organs unanimously endorsed Sunday Ude-Okoye following the High Court’s ruling in Enugu.