Atiku expected back in Nigeria Sunday to receive Shekarau into PDP – Newstrends
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Atiku expected back in Nigeria Sunday to receive Shekarau into PDP

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2 years ago

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Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, is expected to jet back to the country to receive Ibrahim Shekarau into the party.

Shekarau, a former Kano state governor, recently said he was done with  the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), where he claimed to have been unfairly treated after joining a few months ago.

Atiku is expected to return from Europe on Sunday, where he met with Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike to urge him not to dump the PDP.

The former vice-president is billed to meet with Shekarau ahead of his official defection to the PDP, according to a report by TheCable on Saturday.

Shekerau left the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the NNPP in May 2022 after months of leadership tussle with Abdullahi Ganduje, governor of Kano.

The senator representing Kano central said APC’s inability to settle the crisis between his faction and Ganduje’s camp resulted in his exit.

But his new alliance with the NNPP would prove to be short-lived. A few days ago, Shekarau opened up on his disgruntlement with the party.

He said the NNPP under the leadership of Rabiu Kwankwaso, the party’s presidential candidate, failed to integrate his supporters.

Shekarau accused Kwankwaso of betraying the agreement they had before his defection.

“I will never be a party to injustice. My integrity is utmost and not any political position that will make me compromise it and that of my people. Nobody will use position or money against my integrity,” he had said.

“Nobody will use money to change my conscience. I was a governor for eight years in Kano and people believed in my integrity.”

Shekarau’s imminent return to the major opposition party represents a full-circle moment for him

Until 2018, he was a member of the PDP, with his exit stemming from the internal rift in the Kano chapter of the party.

One faction was loyal to him while another was under the control of Kwankwaso, who was also in PDP at the time.

When he announced his defection, Shekarau blamed the national leadership of the party for failing to resolve the crisis following the controversial dissolution of the state executive committee.

Despite being out of the office of governor since 2011, Shekarau is believed to still have a decent political structure in Kano.

The state, governed by Ganduje, has been controlled by the ruling APC since 2015.

With the 2023 elections fast approaching, the PDP is working to encroach into the APC strongholds, especially as it contends with a yet-to-be-resolved internal crisis.

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PDP bigwigs plot Gov Adeleke’s removal, dump party for APC (Massive crowd photos)

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2 days ago

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May 18, 2024

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PDP bigwigs plot Gov Adeleke’s removal, dump party for APC (Massive crowd photos)

Prominent leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State including its ex-National deputy Chairman Shuiab Oyedokun and governorship aspirant Prince Dotun Babayemi, have crossed over to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The defectors with their supporters were formally welcomed into the APC fold at the party’s Secretariat by national leaders, including Minister of Marine and Blue Economy Adegboyega Oyetola, and National Secretary, Senator Ajibola Basiru.

Speaking at the event, Oyetola emphasized the APC’s track record of governance success.

He said, “APC has done so well. People are starting to see that when it comes to governance, the progressives know how to.”

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He highlighted the significance of veteran politician Baba Shuiab’s defection to the APC, noting that it signalled the diminishing influence of the PDP in Osun.

Oyetola expressed confidence in the APC’s prospects for victory in the 2026 governorship election, citing growing support and the influx of political heavyweights into the party.

Echoing Oyetola’s sentiments, Senator Basiru called for seamless integration of the new APC members into the party’s structure without discrimination.

He said, “Baba Shuiab and Prince Dotun Babayemi were members of the APC in the past. They’ve seen things. They’ve seen the difference between progressive and conservative, and they are back into the party.”

In his address, Babayemi highlighted the end of good governance in Osun following Oyetola’s departure as governor but expressed optimism that with his presence in the APC, the party would reclaim power in 2026.

Governor Ademola Adeleke of PDP came to power in Osun after defeating the APC under Oyetola in 2022.

Adeleke is serving his first term in office.

PDP bigwigs plot Gov Adeleke’s removal, dump party for APC (Massive crowd photos)

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Only my party can stop me from contesting 2027 presidential election – Atiku

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2 days ago

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May 18, 2024

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former Vice President Atiku Abubakar

Only my party can stop me from contesting 2027 presidential election – Atiku

Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has hinted of his plans to contest again in 2027 for the president of Nigeria.

He however said he would withdraw from the race should his party zone the position to another region of the country.

He confirmed that an alliance of major political parties and influential politicians was in the works ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Atiku, who was the presidential candidate for the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, disclosed that his recent meeting with the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, was a sign of positive things to come.

He said the meeting could be a launchpad for the possible alliance in the build-up to the 2027 general elections.

Atiku met with Obi; former Senate President Bukola Saraki, and former Governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, in separate visits earlier last week.

He also  dismissed the assertions that their alliance would be unable to produce a consensus candidate.

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He also said he would happily back a presidential candidate of the South-East extraction should the PDP zone its presidential ticket to the region.

Obi is from the South-East and, with the speculation of his imminent return to the PDP following his meeting with Atiku and other bigwigs of the party likely, he might clinch the ticket.

“I’ve made it clear since last elections that if our party members had a consensus that southeast should produce the candidate, we would all agree. And if our parties also had a similar agreement, then so be it,’’ Atiku said.

Last week, Paul Ibe, media adviser to Atiku Abubakar, former vice-president, says Nyesom Wike, minister of the federal capital territory (FCT), frustrated and sabotaged plans by the PDP to zone its presidential ticket to the South-East for the 2023 election.

He said the move effectively led to Obi’s exit from the party.

Only my party can stop me from contesting 2027 presidential election – Atiku

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Six political parties plot against APC, meet in Kaduna

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3 days ago

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May 17, 2024

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Six political parties plot against APC, meet in Kaduna

Six political parties converged in Kaduna State on Thursday in preparation to dislodge the governing All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of the 2027 general elections.

The summit, with the theme, ‘Solid political party structure critical to the sustainability of the democratic process,’ was convened by the African Democratic Congress.

In attendance were the New Nigeria People’s Party, the People’s Redemption Party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, the Social Democratic Party, the KOWA Party, as well as the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC), and the Coalition of United Political Parties.

Lawal Nalado, chairman of the summit, decried what he described as “unbearable hardship” faced by Nigerians across the country, saying that the gathering was all about discussing the nation’s barrage of problems and ways to move forward.

He refuted insinuations in some quarters that the summit was convened to form a merger or a coalition amongst parties.

He added that the opposition parties needed to mobilize voters at the grassroots by way of reaching out to the downtrodden with political enlightenment messages, capable of changing their mindset that politics should not be about money, religion or ethnicity but voting for the right candidates to uplift the social and economic status of the society.

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The National Chairman of PRP, Falalu Bello, while speaking, stressed the need for effective mobilisation of the electorates by opposition parties, stressing that fielding credible candidates was not enough to win elections but mass mobilization.

Represented by Prof. Sule Muhammad, Bello listed inadequate resources, lack of internal democracy, decayed transparency, and interference by the ruling party among others as problems bedevilling opposition parties in the country.

Also, Ahmed Tujjani, the chairman of ADC and IPAC Kaduna State, opined that the summit was aimed to chart a course to address socio-economic and political parties’ problems with the motive of proffering realistic solutions.

According to him, “This is not a gathering for a merger or forming a coalition ahead of 2027 but rather a summit to discuss our common problems and suggest solutions of addressing them.

“We will call you again by tomorrow to read out our communique which will be a summary and possibly a mini-working document of solving our problems ahead of 2027.”

Six political parties plot against APC, meet in Kaduna

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