Politics

Ayu dodges Wike, sends NWC members to gov

Published

2 years ago

September 10, 2022

Nyesom Wike and Iyorchia Ayu

The PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, has described the new Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Adolphus Wabara, as an elder statesman of immense preparation, saying the party currently needs his diplomatic skills.

He implored the new BoT chairman to use his diplomatic experience by reaching all aggrieved party members, with a view to presenting a united front against the ruling All Progressives Congress in 2023.

Ayu, in a statement by his Special Adviser, Media and Communications, Simon Imobo-Tswam, said this on Friday when he led members of the PDP National Working Committee on a condolence visit to Wabara.

The former Senate President emerged as the acting Chairman of the party’s BoT following the resignation of Ambassador Walid Jibrin on Thursday.

Ayu, himself a former Senate President, disclosed to the acting BoT chairman that the leadership of the party had agreed to travel to Port Harcourt early next week to meet with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, for full reconciliation.

Ayu said, “I am calling on you to lead the effort in reaching out to all our aggrieved members.

“You have the full support of myself, the candidate and the whole NWC to reach out to Governor Wike, all the governors and any person who is aggrieved, and appeal to them, plead with them to come back and let’s work together in the PDP family.

“If we do not win next year’s general election, Nigerians will be very disappointed, the hope of Nigeria is on us.

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“As the new BoT Chairman with diplomatic experience. We implore you to use your diplomatic skills to reach out to all aggrieved members and I am telling you that it is with our full support including that of the Presidential candidate and Vice-Presidential Candidate who called me 30 minutes before we got here.”

He added: “You have our support. The entire BoT should select and reach out to them. We are appealing that they should come back and let us work together.

“I want to also reveal to you that the NWC under the leadership of the Deputy National Chairman, Amb. Iliya Damagun, will be going to see not only Gov. Wike but every other person who is aggrieved. It is the unanimous decision of the NWC and we think that your leading the fight for peace and full reconciliation in the party will be helpful.

“There is a time for anger and there’s a time for the anger to stop. So help us to reach out to all aggrieved members try and heal the party with your new role as the party Chairman of the BoT.”

Responding, the acting BoT Chairman, Sen. Adolphus Wabara, thanked the national chairman and other members of the NWC, saying he was overwhelmed with the show of goodwill, support and sympathy.

Recall that the Rivers State governor and his supporters had insisted that Ayu must resign as the national chairman of the PDP.

Ayu’s position not to visit Wike by himself may not be unconnected with Wike’s stand that he (Ayu) must go as the chairman of the main opposition party, and that they never asked the Jibrin to resign as the BoT chairman of the party.

Let’s unite – Fayose

Meanwhile, former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, has said the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, and those at the corridors of power must do more to unify the party in order to win the 2023 elections.

He said winning the elections was the ultimate, saying it was even better to win together.

Fayose spoke on Friday as a special guest at the inauguration of the Community Secondary School, Obuama in Degeme Local Government Area of Rivers State on Friday.

While noting that Atiku was not against his host and the Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, he, however, said many people close to the throne “were enemies of the throne”.

Fayose describe Wike as the soul of the PDP, saying posterity would reward him.

He noted that those criticising the governor were doing so because they knew his capacity.

He said, “Your Excellency, whatever anybody says about you, posterity will be on your side. It is a matter of time. When I was governor of Ekiti State, I honoured people when they were alive, not when they were dead.

“You have honoured yourself by your handwork. You have shown that it is possible to bring the impossible to bear. Rivers State has been there for long, but today, we can see the difference. An average Rivers man is proud to be from Rivers.

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Speaking, Wike thanked the former Ekiti State governor for his love for Rivers State, saying he had always honoured invitation extended to him by the state.

He commended the state Deputy Governor, Dr. Mrs Ipalibo Banigo-Harry, for bringing the state of the community school to his knowledge.

“When I sent people, if you look at the pictures how it was, I said we will do our best to make sure our children don’t only have access to teaching, but get quality get education.

“I am sure by the time you go round to see some of the structures, you will be quite convinced of the quality that we have been able to put in this place. Up till this week, we have been busy trying to see, let people understand what we are doing in the education sector.

“Before, people were saying it is only roads, roads, now since Monday we have been talking about tertiary education. We are now talking about basic education,” the governor said.

Secondus salutes Atiku

In another development, a former national chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus has congratulated Atiku Abubakar and the National Executive Committee of the party for stabilising the former ruling party, which he said was an indication that victory was imminent in 2023.

Secondus said in a statement on Friday that the outcome of the party’s NEC meeting on Thursday showed the party was set and ready for victory.

He also commended the immediate past national chairman of the Board of Trustees, Senator Jibrin for resigning voluntarily in the interest of peace and harmony and unity in the party.

He congratulated Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State for his appointment as the chairman of PDP Governors’ Forum.

He also congratulated the former Senate Wabara, who was elected the acting Chairman of the BOT.

Sultan visits Wike

Meanwhile, the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammed Abubakar, paid a visit to Wike in Port Harcourt on Friday.

The Sultan paid a courtesy call to at his private residence along Ada George in Port Harcourt.

The respected monarch was in the Rivers State capital to declare open the National Conference of the Federation of Muslim Women in Nigeria.

Punch

Related Topics:Ayu Featured gov NWC Wike

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Politics

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2024

Trends Admin

Umar Iliya Damagum, Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Two former Presidents of the Senate, Chief David Mark and Dr Bukola Saraki are leading a fresh charge aimed at removing Amb. Umar Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The push by Mark and Saraki has received the backing of prominent stakeholders, including the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang and other political office holders elected on the platform of the PDP.

Similarly, former governors from the Northcentral zone who served on the party’s platform have also aligned forces with the group.

Rising from a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Thursday night, the party chieftains resolved to produce a candidate from the zone early 2025 to replace Damagum.

According to them, the move to replace Damagum with a substantive chairman from the Northcentral, has received the endorsement of key party stakeholders from the Northwest and the Northeast zones.

Among those being projected as potential candidates to take Damagum’s seat include Mark; a former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam; and a former House of Representatives member from Nasarawa State, David
David Ombugadu.

A communique issued after the meeting, said the stakeholders
reviewed the festering crisis in the party following the exit of the erstwhile National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.

Ayu lost his seat to the crisis triggered by disagreements over the emergency of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election.

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The crisis has continued to deepen with the apparent overbearing influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on the Damagum-led national leadership.

The Northcentral stakeholders argued that Damagum’s continued occupation of the office breached provisions of the PDP constitution.

The communique states in part, “The PDP’s constitution clearly states that succession of offices in the party at all levels is largely to the extent that any vacant position can be replaced by appointment from the zone, as per Section 47 (6) of the party.

“The party is guided by its constitution at all times. Therefore, the leadership of the party needs to rise up to the occasion to restore goodwill and cohesion in the party by making necessary sacrifices and compromises to restore confidence and cohesion in the party.

“It is in the light of this that the stakeholders of the Northcentral Zone appeal to the conscience and goodwill of our compatriots in other zones of the Northern region to restore the seat of the chairmanship of the party back to the Northcentral Zone to serve out its tenure.

“That the stakeholders must strive to build consensus to get the buy-in to the position of Northcentral zone.

“The Northcentral is united and will strive to preserve the PDP as a veritable platform for good governance in Nigeria.”

The meeting, which was attended by Governor Muftwang, also had former Governors Jonah Jang (Plateau), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Idris Wada (Kogi) in attendance.

Others at the meeting included the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro; incumbent PDP National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN); and a former Information Minister, Prof Jerry Gana.

Also at the meeting were former senators Tunde Ogbeha, Philip Aduda, Suleiman Adokwe, Dino Melaye, Mohammed Onawo and Peter Jiya.

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Similarly, former Ministers, Labaran Maku and Sarah Ochekpe also attended the meeting. Other stakeholders like Simon Mwadkwon, Mrs. Margaret Icheen, Mr. Raymond Dabo, Maika Jiba, and Isa Dobi were also present.

Damagum, who is from Yobe State in the Northeast zone, emerged Acting National Chairman in March 2023 following the exit of Ayu who is from Benue State in the Northcentral zone.

Damagum was the PDP Deputy National Chairman (North) before his appointment as Acting National Chairman.

By virtue of Section 47 (6) of the party’s constitution, he ought to have relinquished the seat for a substantive National Chairman from the Northcentral zone where Ayu hailed from.

The Section reads: “Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”

Ayu was elected chairman in 2022 for a four-year tenure that should expire in 2026 before his tenure got truncated in 2023.

Several moves by critical organs of the party, including the PDP Governors Forum, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the National Caucus to replace Damagum have been thwarted by the Acting National Chairman, allegedly with the backing of Wike.

Miffed by the development, the PDP Governors Forum, led by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, had, a few weeks ago, directed the Damagum-led leadership to convene the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting latest by February 2025.

The NEC meeting has suffered four postponements between August and November 2024, as Damagum, who is supposed to convene the meeting has been evasive.

The power to ratify any candidate chosen by the Northcentral zone to replace Damagum is vested only in the NEC.

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Politics

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Trends Admin

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oguduokwor Ward, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has officially expelled Ali Odefa, the suspended National Vice Chairperson of the party in the South-East, following allegations of anti-party activities.

Odefa had been suspended on September 11, 2024, by the ward executives, a move that was later upheld by the Federal High Court in Abakaliki. In its ruling on November 29, 2024, under suit number FHC/AI/CS/182/2024, the court affirmed the legitimacy of his suspension.

On Wednesday, Onyeka Ovuta, the Acting Chairperson of the PDP in Oguduokwor, announced Odefa’s expulsion in a statement. Ovuta explained that the decision followed recommendations from the party’s disciplinary committee, which confirmed the allegations against Odefa.

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The party announced that Mr Odefa by the virtue of his expulsion, “ceases to be a member of the party.”

Reacting, Mr Odefa laughed off the expulsion, stating that those who announced it were “frustrated charlatans”.

He said the expulsion cannot stand because “it did not take place in the ward but in Abuja”. He said those who made the announcement against him were not ward executives of the party.

“Let them come home come and announce it. Or is our ward now located in Abuja?”

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

Politics

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Trends Admin

APGA National Chairman, Sylvester Ezeokenwa

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Sylvester Ezeokenwa has been reinstated as the national chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Ezeokenwa was reinstated by the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, December 17.

According to Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, the commission had been served with the judgement of the Supreme Court.

The apex court judgement with the Appeal No. SC/CV/824/2024 APGA & ANOR vs OYE & ORS was delivered on November 27, 2024.

The court ruled that Ezeokenwa should be recognised as the national chairman of the party.

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“In compliance with the judgement of the apex court, the Commission has restored Barr. Ezeokenwa as the Chairman of APGA and restored his name on our website accordingly,” the INEC commissioner said.

He also stated that the reisnstatmemt of the new chairman would automatically lead to the withdrawal of the recognition of Njoku as the national chairman of the party.

The court also upheld an earlier judgement of the appeal which did not confer any enforceable rights on Njoku.

If also awarded N20 million each against the appellaants.