Politics

PDP crisis: Ayu fights back, blocks G5 govs’ nominees for poll duties

Published

3 years ago

January 1, 2023

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu and Nyesom Wike

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Dr.Iyorchia Ayu, has launched what looks like his own counter offensive against the Nyesom Wike-led G-5 governors in the party, ahead of next month’s elections.

Ayu, according to an investigation by The Nation, has shredded the lists of polls agents compiled by the governors and forwarded to the party’s national secretariat in Abuja for onward submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

Only party agents accredited by INEC are allowed at polling stations and collation centres.

Ayu’s fear is that the party cannot entrust its destiny into the hands of those nominated by the dissenting governors.

The Electoral Act allows each party to be represented at each of the polling booths and collation centres .

The agents are required to sign the result sheets before the outcome of voting at the polling units and collation centres are announced.

It was gathered that Ayu and his team at the PDP National Secretariat decided to subject the lists of prospective agents from the G-5 and a few other states to scrutiny for what a source described as safety reason.

READ ALSO:

“Well, I don’t understand what you are trying to drive at but I must tell you that it is the responsibility of the National Secretariat to forward the lists of party agents to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the election,” the source said.

“The state chapters can assist in the compilation of such list for their states but the decision of who does what as party agents lies with the National Chairman. Don’t forget the presidential candidate too may have his own preferred people in the states. The election is his own, and he should have the prerogative to choose those who will represent him as agents at the poll.

“Moreover, there is no way we will have the state leadership of the PDP campaign committee in place and some other people will be the ones compiling lists of agents. The arrangement is that the campaign committee oversees all elections for the party. So, it is not out of place for the party to insist that all stakeholders should liaise with the PCC in their state in compiling the list of party agents.

“If that is what you mean by Ayu rejecting some lists, you need to understand that it is the normal procedure to avoid duplication of the lists in question.”

A party source confirmed the rejection of the names of some nominees to serve as agents but said those dropped are currently in service as government appointees.

The source drew attention to the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 which prohibit government appointees from being party agents during elections.

The Act however prescribed that such government appointees must resign their positions three months before the election to be eligible to stand as party agents at voting centres.

Sources also said Ayu, in response to the lists of party agents sent to the National Secretariat by PDP state leaderships in the affected states, urged them to work with the leadership of the campaign committees in their state for the final list.

A PDP chairman in one of the South South states said: “He (Ayu) made it clear it is the lists from the campaign committee that will be profiled and sent to INEC by the NWC. The decision is unusual as it has always been the state executives that compile and send agents’ lists to Abuja. We see this as an attempt to undermine the leadership of the party in our state and we understand where it is all coming from.”

READ ALSO:

The Nation also gathered that the aggrieved governors and their supporters are displeased with Ayu’s alleged decision on the matter and are poised for a showdown.

An aide to one of the G5 governors said: “there is no way we will leave our destiny in their hands when we know Ayu is not wishing us well. If they want to nominate the party agents that will work during the presidential election, no problem since they no longer trust the people in charge in the states.

“But how can they also reject our lists for other elections? This is where we smell some rats.”

Governors Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) are also in the G-5.

They want Ayu to quit as chairman on the premise that it is against the spirit of the PDP constitution for a section of the country to have the presidential candidate and national chairman at the same time.

They have excused themselves from Atiku’s campaign.

Atiku’s campaign chairman, Udom, meets Wike, Ortom in Rivers

The Chairman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council and Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom, yesterday met with Rivers State governor, Wike and Benue State governor, Ortom at the Rumueprikon country home of Wike in Obio-Akpor.

Details of the meeting were not disclosed but it came 24 hours after the dissenting governors returned from their latest strategic meeting in London.

Udom, according to political sources in Port Harcourt,was in town to pacify the G-5 to join the Atiku campaign train.

The campaign council was said to be bothered about Wike’s continuous outbursts, which were daily weakening the PDP’s presidential campaigns and reducing the personality of Atiku in the eyes of members of the public.

The G-5’s insistence that they would not work for Atiku was reinforced on Friday shortly after the aggrieved governors returned from their London trip.

Wike had earlier set aside January 2023 to declare his preferred presidential candidate and mobilise support for him ahead of the 2023 poll.

The Rivers governor said on Friday that the PDP national chairmanship position must be ceded to the South as a minimum requirement for peace was not negotiable.

READ ALSO:

Udom,Wike and Ortom told reporters at the end of yesterday’s meeting that it was devoid of politics.

Wike said his relationship with Udom had not diminished regardless of their opposing stands on Atiku.

He stressed that, ideally, politics should never be allowed to create unwarranted friction between brothers.

He said: “Politics is not what will divide brothers and divide friends. Everybody knows my relationship with Udom, and we will continue to maintain that relationship. We may have different political affiliation or thinking, that should not divide the brotherly love or create a gap among us.”

Udom explained that his visit was not political, but a demonstration of brotherly love in the spirit of the yuletide season.

He said: “Actually, this is the season of love. Within this period if we don’t demonstrate that love, love not shown is love wasted. I think that is what we are trying to demonstrate, brotherly love, friendship. And then in the spirit of the season, we must visit one another.”

Ortom said part of their discussion also centered on how they could best add value to governance in Nigeria.

He said: “We are going into 2023 and we shared among ourselves how can we best add value to our government, how can we best add value to our people, how can we do things that will help add value to our country Nigeria.

“And that if there are any issues in the past which we have done wrong, we looked at them and said, look, let’s forgive one another and move forward. They are private issues.”

‘God will never give power to the wicked’, Wike replies Okowa, Tambuwal

Governor Wike, in a veiled response to statements made on Friday by Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa and Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal, said God would never give power to the ‘wicked’ and those he said would sell off Nigeria in a fraction of a second.

Okowa who is Atiku’s running mate in next month’s election had said that only God and not the G-5 would determine the winner of the election, while Tambuwal who doubles as the Director General of the Atiku/Okowa presidential campaign organization,said the PDP would respond at the appropriate time to what he called the antics of the five governors.

But flagging off the construction of Ogbo-Ihugbogbo road in the Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State yesterday,Wike said: “We can never play God because we know the role that God has played in our lives.

“Don’t be treacherous because you want power…God will never give power to the wicked.”

He said the G5 has the backing of God and that is why the group continues to wax stronger.

“Some people said it is only God that will decide who will be president and not G5…We are where we are because of God.

“Nobody can even breathe air if not God, not to talk about holding position.

“So, nobody can tell us that it is only God; we know that it is only God that gives power but our prayer is to our God: don’t allow those who will sell off Nigeria in one second to be in power. “Our prayer is: God, don’t allow anybody that you’ll have an agreement with and the next two minutes the person will change.

“Our prayer is: God, don’t allow those who will betray their brothers when they have agreed with their brothers to do something. God, may you never allow such persons and that is why God is still making G5 to be stronger.”

Wike said those in Atiku’s camp desired to cause the split of the G5 but it has never worked.

On the Tambuwal statement, he said: “Somebody said they will handle us when we decide. These are the things that annoy us.”

Pressure mounts on PDP for sanctions against G-5 members

Some PDP hawks are said to be pressurizing the party’s hierarchy to punish the dissenting governors.

A top member of the party who craved anonymity, said the PDP must summon enough courage to wield the big stick if the governors make good their threat to dump the party’s candidate.

The party chieftain said: “The only way the PDP can redeem itself is to apply the appropriate sanctions against these governors if they eventually declare support for another candidate.

“It would amount to anti-party activity if these governors opt to support a different candidate and the party’s constitution is very clear on sanctions against anti -party activities.

“The PDP is bigger than any individual no matter the positions they hold today. It’s a different matter if the governors had defected to another party and choose to work against the PDP. But they cannot remain on a platform given them by the PDP and still use the same platform against the party.

“Some people are making comparison between the G-5 and the five PDP governors that defected to the APC in 2014 to work against the PDP presidential candidate in the 2015 election.

“We have made it clear that there is no basis for comparison in the two cases. In 2014, the five PDP governors and other PDP chieftains officially left the party and joined the APC.

“But the G-5 governors have been working against the interest of the PDP while still enjoying the privileges of being members of the party. They are free to leave the party if that is their wish. It is abuse of privilege and no party worth its name will condone such recklessness”.

However, another PDP chieftain posited that it’s rather too late to impose any sanctions on the G-5 governors at this critical time.

The party chief, who also did not want his name in print, said with the general election barely two months away, it would be counter- productive to sanction the governors.

He said: “What sanctions are we talking about and what effect will such sanctions have at this point in time? If you want to suspend or even expel them, due process must be followed as prescribed by the PDP constitution.

“Following due process requires giving them fair hearing, which will also take some time. But we are running out of time so any sanctions at this point will be meaningless and will have no effect on them. From the look of things, the G-5 governors have become a bone stuck in the throat.”

The Nation

Related Topics:Ayu Featured G-5 governors PDP

Up Next

Presidency: Obasanjo formally endorses Obi, says he cannot afford to mess up

Don't Miss

God will not allow those who will sell off Nigeria to be in power, Wike replies Okowa

Politics

‘Fix Oyo First’ – Presidency Tackles Makinde Over Attack on Tinubu

Published

14 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Trends Admin

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde

‘Fix Oyo First’ – Presidency Tackles Makinde Over Attack on Tinubu

ABUJA, Nigeria – The Nigerian Presidency has fired back at Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde following his criticism of President Bola Tinubu’s administration regarding the proposed implementation of state police, telling the governor to “fix Oyo first” before lecturing the federal government on security matters. The presidency’s response was contained in a statement on Friday by the President’s Special Adviser on Social Media, Dada Olusegun, who accused Governor Makinde of using the federal government as a scapegoat to deflect from the rising insecurity and underfunding plaguing his own state. The exchange marks the latest escalation in a war of words between the Tinubu administration and the Oyo governor, who formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election just one day before his criticism of the President.

Recall that on Thursday, Governor Seyi Makinde urged the federal government to stop deceiving Nigerians over the creation of state police. He insisted that state governments already possess the power to establish their own policing structures through local legislation. Makinde made the assertions during the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives, and House of Assembly primaries of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM) held at the Watershed Celebration Centre in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital. Addressing party members and delegates at the event, the governor reflected on the establishment of the Western Nigeria Security Network, codenamed Amotekun, across the South-west, describing the outfit as a fallback option after initial efforts to establish state police failed. According to him, the regional security outfit was created by South-west states through laws passed by their respective Houses of Assembly—a legislative process he argued could also be adopted for establishing full state police.

“Some people will know insecurity was one of the major pillars of this administration when we established Omitutun phase one and phase two, and it will remain a major pillar. Before this government’s emergence, there was nothing like Amotekun in Oyo State. We wanted state police. It was because we couldn’t get the state police that we established Amotekun as a stopgap. They should stop wasting Nigerians’ time,” Governor Makinde stated. “We know how we established Amotekun. The Speaker of the Oyo State House of Assembly is here. We passed a common law in the whole of the Southwest. The whole Houses of Assembly in all states in the Southwest passed the law, and that led to the creation of Amotekun. The only state that didn’t create Amotekun is Lagos State, and we know it is because their boss didn’t want Amotekun,” he said.

READ ALSO:

Governor Makinde’s renewed call for state police comes in the wake of a major security crisis in Oyo State. On May 15, 2026, gunmen invaded three schools in Esiele Community, Oriire Local Government Area, abducting seven teachers and 39 students from Community Grammar School, Baptist Nursery and Primary School, and L.A. Primary School. During the attack, a mathematics teacher was beheaded by the gunmen, while a motorcyclist and a security personnel also lost their lives. The Inspector-General of Police, Tunji Disu, subsequently visited the affected communities and ordered intensified rescue operations.

Replying via a post on his X handle, presidential aide Dada Olusegun accused Governor Makinde of playing politics with the challenges of insecurity, describing his outburst as “a masterclass in deflection.” Olusegun wrote: “Gov. Seyi Makinde’s recent outburst accusing President Tinubu of ‘wasting time’ on State Police and claiming Lagos boycotted Amotekun for political points is just a masterclass in deflection. When a Governor is grappling with rising insecurity in his own state, the instinct to scapegoat the center is predictable.” He denied Makinde’s claim that Lagos boycotted Amotekun due to Tinubu’s influence, stating it is “entirely false,” adding that President Tinubu was himself “one of the voices that clamoured for a local security network to aid the federal efforts on Security.”

The presidential aide then turned his attention to the operational challenges facing Amotekun in Oyo State. “Makinde praises Amotekun as his glorious ‘stop-gap,’ yet the reality in Oyo is tragic underfunding. While Lagos mobilizes billions for the welfare and resources of all security apparatus in Lagos state, Oyo sends brave Amotekun operatives into forests with pump-action rifles to fight AK-47-wielding syndicates. Press conferences don’t buy ballistic vests.” Historical records show that in August 2020, the Oyo State Government approved N59.78 million as a takeoff grant for Amotekun. However, critics argue this initial funding has proven inadequate for sustained operations against heavily armed criminal gangs. In contrast, Lagos State has consistently allocated billions of naira annually to security infrastructure across various agencies.

Olusegun questioned Makinde’s capacity to manage a full-fledged state police given his perceived inability to adequately fund the regional security outfit. “If Gov. Makinde cannot adequately finance, equip, and manage his own regional vigilante group, how does he plan to shoulder the colossal financial burden of a full-fledged State Police? State policing requires forensic labs, armories, pensions, and unassailable funding, not just loud rhetoric.” He further emphasized that President Tinubu understands that constitutional security reform “requires meticulous legality and rigid economic frameworks, not rushed politics to distract from local failures.”

READ ALSO:

Olusegun concluded his statement by directly challenging the Oyo governor: “Before lecturing the architect of Nigeria’s most successful security funding model, Gov. Makinde owes the people of Oyo State a duty of care. Elevate Amotekun from a poorly funded political prop into a tactically superior force. Until then, the lectures remain hollow. Fix Oyo first!!! “

The exchange comes against the backdrop of a major security crisis in Oyo State. The abducted principal of Community Grammar School, Alamu Folawe, made a fresh appeal from captivity, urging President Tinubu and Governor Makinde to pursue dialogue over force to secure the release of herself and other abductees. “We are in the cold, we are under the sun, we are under the rain, the children and the adults as well. Please, we are begging you, don’t let them waste our lives,” she said in a video that has since gone viral. President Tinubu had earlier condemned the attack and renewed his call for the establishment of state police, with security agencies stepping up efforts to rescue the victims. In a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, the President said security agencies were stepping up efforts to rescue the victims and that the Inspector-General of Police was personally coordinating a technology-driven operation aimed at securing their release.

The latest verbal confrontation between the Presidency and Governor Makinde also carries significant political undertones. On May 14, 2026, just one day before the school abduction and two days before his APM primaries address, Makinde formally declared his intention to contest the 2027 presidential election under an alliance involving the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM). At his declaration rally held at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, he launched the “Reset Nigeria Movement,” describing it as a platform for policy engagement, volunteer registration, grassroots coordination, and diaspora participation. Speaking at the rally, Makinde warned that Nigeria was drifting dangerously towards a one-party state, insisting that democracy itself was under threat if opposition forces failed to unite against what he described as systematic attempts to weaken alternative political voices. He declared, “Today, I, Oluseyi Abiodun Makinde, FNSE, announce my candidacy for the position of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria under the PDP/APM alliance.”

The Oyo governor has been actively building opposition alliances, hosting a major opposition summit in Ibadan in April 2026 that brought together former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, and several other opposition figures. With his declaration, Makinde joined Atiku Abubakar, Rotimi Amaechi, Peter Obi, and Adewole Adebayo among those expected to challenge President Bola Tinubu in the 2027 presidential election. This political context adds another layer to the ongoing war of words, as Makinde positions himself as a leading opposition figure while the Presidency seeks to portray him as a governor failing to address security challenges in his own state. The battle lines are increasingly drawn ahead of 2027, with security governance emerging as a central theme of the emerging political contest.

‘Fix Oyo First’ – Presidency Tackles Makinde Over Attack on Tinubu

Politics

Ganduje counters Kwankwaso, says political mentorship not a ‘master-boy’ relationship

Published

14 hours ago

May 29, 2026

Trends Admin

Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso and Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje

Ganduje counters Kwankwaso, says political mentorship not a ‘master-boy’ relationship

Former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, has fired back at comments allegedly made by Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, insisting that political relationships should not be reduced to “master-boy” narratives.

Ganduje, who is currently performing the Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, reacted through a statement issued on Friday by his Chief of Staff, Comrade Muhammad Garba, amid renewed political tension between the two former allies in Kano State.

The former Kano State governor described Kwankwaso’s alleged “political boy” remark as unnecessary and dismissive of the complex political history they shared, stressing that political success is often shaped by mentorship, strategic alliances and mutual support.

According to the statement, Ganduje played a significant role in Kwankwaso’s early political rise, particularly during the National Assembly elections that paved the way for Kwankwaso’s emergence as Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in the Second Republic era.

“At that time, Ganduje could confidently have referred to Kwankwaso as his political boy, having supported him morally, financially and stood by him during that period,” the statement said.

Ganduje further recalled that before both men attained greater political prominence, Kwankwaso frequently visited him while he served as a senior civil servant in the Federal Capital Territory and later as Commissioner for Works, Housing and Transport in Kano State.

READ ALSO:

The statement also revisited the 1998 governorship primaries in Kano, claiming Ganduje was widely believed by stakeholders to have won the contest before he was persuaded by party leaders to step down in the interest of unity and accept the deputy governorship slot alongside Kwankwaso.

Despite their subsequent political disagreements, Ganduje noted that both men worked closely between 1999 and 2003, and again from 2011 to 2015, describing those periods as productive years that delivered key developmental strides for Kano State.

The former APC chairman also referenced incumbent Kano State Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf, noting that although he once served as Kwankwaso’s Personal Assistant, he is today the duly elected governor and deserves respect from all political actors.

“Politics should not be about who is superior to the other. A father can nurture a child who eventually becomes greater in status and influence. That is the natural progression of leadership and human relationships,” Ganduje was quoted as saying.

He warned against inflammatory political rhetoric capable of deepening divisions in Kano’s political landscape, urging leaders across party lines to focus on governance, peace and development rather than personal attacks.

The renewed exchange highlights the lingering political rivalry between Ganduje and Kwankwaso, whose once-close alliance collapsed after Ganduje succeeded Kwankwaso as governor in 2015.

Their fallout eventually birthed rival political blocs, with Kwankwaso leading the New Nigeria Peoples Party political movement, while Ganduje remained a prominent figure within the ruling APC.

Political observers believe the latest war of words signals renewed realignments ahead of future electoral contests in Kano, widely regarded as one of Nigeria’s most politically strategic states.

Ganduje concluded by appealing to supporters of both camps to remain calm and avoid actions capable of escalating political tensions in the state.

Ganduje counters Kwankwaso, says political mentorship not a ‘master-boy’ relationship

Politics

What I Discussed With Amaechi During Abuja Visit — Atiku

Published

1 day ago

May 28, 2026

Trends Admin

Atiku Abubakar and Rotimi Amaechi

What I Discussed With Amaechi During Abuja Visit — Atiku

Former Vice President and presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Atiku Abubakar, has disclosed details of his meeting with former Rivers State Governor and ex-Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, during a visit to his Abuja residence on Thursday.

The meeting comes amid the lingering controversy surrounding the ADC presidential primaries, which Amaechi recently dismissed as lacking credibility and described as “concocted.”

Atiku arrived at Amaechi’s residence alongside prominent party figures, including former Sokoto State Governor, Senator Aminu Tambuwal, former ADC National Chairman, Chief Ralph Nwosu, and other top stakeholders within the party.

Speaking after the closed-door meeting via a post on his verified Facebook page, Atiku said discussions focused largely on the state of the nation and the urgent need for collective efforts to address Nigeria’s growing challenges.

“This afternoon, I visited my brother and compatriot, former Governor of Rivers State and ex-Minister of Transportation, Chief Rotimi Amaechi, at his Abuja residence,” Atiku wrote.

READ ALSO:

“Beyond the warmth and camaraderie, we had deep and honest conversations about the troubling state of our nation, the growing economic pain, insecurity, and the urgent responsibility on patriotic Nigerians to continue engaging in the search for solutions that can rescue our country from drift and despair.”

The former vice president said he also used the opportunity to celebrate Amaechi’s birthday, while sharing light-hearted banter over football.

“I also felicitated with him on the occasion of his birthday yesterday and teased that Arsenal’s historic triumph could not have arrived at a better time.

“Chief Amaechi, a thoroughly well-loaded Gunner, took the banter in very good spirits.”

Atiku further revealed that Amaechi jokingly apologised for not having enough time to prepare Fisherman Soup, a delicacy associated with Rivers State hospitality.

“In true Rivers hospitality, he apologised for not having enough time to prepare Fisherman Soup, a delicacy I have now been promised on our return for the second leg,” he added.

The meeting has sparked political interest, particularly given recent tensions within the ADC following Amaechi’s criticism of the party’s primary process.