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Senate presidency : APC govs divided as senators move against Tinubu’s candidate

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2 years ago

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Jibrin Barau and Godswill Akpabio

Senate presidency : APC govs divided as senators move against Tinubu’s candidate

Senators-elect for the 10th Assembly are mobilising against the plans by the president-elect, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to make the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Senator Godswill Akpabio, the Senate president, Daily Trust Saturday has gathered.

It was also reliably gathered that governors of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are divided on the matter, with some of them favourably disposed to Asiwaju’s choice of Akpabio, while others believe the North should produce the next Senate president.

Daily Trust had exclusively reported on Friday that Tinubu had settled for Akpabio and Jibrin Barau (APC, Kano) as Senate president and deputy respectively.

This was after he met with some key stakeholders of the ruling party, including some members of the National Working Committee (NWC).

But impeccable sources told this newspaper that even the NWC of the party is divided as some want Akpabio, others want Senator Jibrin Barau from Kano, while some want the position ceded to the South East.

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Recall that Tinubu had met with all APC governors on Thursday; and yesterday, he met with the party’s governors from the North West, where Barau comes from.

Although Tinubu’s office issued a statement after Thursday’s meeting, saying it was meant to seek the support of the governors in having a seamless election of presiding officers of the National Assembly, there was no statement from Friday’s meeting.

Lawmakers revolt

Indication emerged yesterday that lawmakers-elect, especially those who are returning to the Red Chamber, are against the nomination of Akpabio as Senate president.

This is despite the ongoing consultation by Tinubu with critical stakeholders of the party.

Some senators interviewed said Akpabio would not be able to pilot the affairs of the parliament.

One of them, a northerner, said the Senate presidency should go to the North and not the South, given the contributions of the zone to the victory of Tinubu during the February presidential election.

He said, “Akpabio will not fly, for two reasons. One, he contributed nearly nothing to the victory of Tinubu, aside stepping down for him during the primary election. Two, he disparaged the parliament during the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) probe.” He, therefore, urged Tinubu to have a change of mind.

Daily Trust Saturday reports that in the 109-seat Senate, the APC has 59 senators, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) 36; Labour Party (LP) eight, New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) two, Social Democratic Party (SDP) two, Young Progressives Party (YPP) and the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) one seat each.

To win the Senate presidency, a simple majority of votes is required when the parliament is inaugurated in June after the transmission of a letter of a proclamation by the president to the Clerk of the National Assembly.

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Another senator-elect said the choice of the president-elect was the best for the country but some of his colleagues were already teaming up against it.

In a phone interview, he said this was because of the attitude of Akpabio during the probe of the NDDC when he was the minister of the Niger Delta.

“ I won’t work against Asiwaju. I have been told of the choice and I am 100 per cent in support of this. However, our colleagues are already mobilising against Akpabio. They said he exposed the parliament to ridicule when he was a minister,” he said.

It was learnt that some of the senators were also against Akpabio because he reneged on the promises he made to them ahead of becoming the minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

“When the Senate turned down some of Akpabio’s requests for spending, he simply went away and found his way,” he said.

But a source who met Tinubu on Wednesday said the senators were being mobilised by an aggrieved presiding officer in the parliament.

“They are being pushed by a presiding officer, but this will not work because the choice of Asiwaju is in the best interest of the country. We will work against anything that will hinder the Tinubu presidency from performing,” he said.

Another source said Tinubu’s preference for Akpabio was to carry the Christians in Nigeria along, and not necessarily because of his contribution to the success of the party.

“It has been said again and again that the North contributed over 63 per cent of the votes that drove Tinubu to victory, however, it is not a matter of the winner carries everything.  It is about equity.

“Tinubu wants to start on a sound footing. Sadly, by the time he did not carry all the six geopolitical zones along, there would be distraction and he might not succeed.

“Of course, if elections were to hold today, certainly, Senator Barau Jibrin will defeat other contenders hands down because he has the support of senators-elected on the platform of all the parties represented in the Senate,” he said.

Several efforts to meet with Akpabio to have his take on the controversy surrounding his ambition did not yield fruit.

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Also, Senator Barau  was not reachable as of press time,  but a colleague of his said the senator from Kano is  a party man  and will always respect the decision of the party leadership.

Govs hold the ace

A source close to some of the governors at the Thursday and Friday meetings told one of our reporters that some governors who were part of the meetings advised the president-elect not to dabble into the politics of the National Assembly at all so as not to cause trouble for his administration.

He said those in this school of thought believed he should not anoint a candidate but allow the best to emerge.

The source said, “What some of the governors told Tinubu was that he should not dabble into the politics of the National Assembly. That was the advise they gave him.

“The governors stood their ground that zoning of the preferred candidacy is out of place, so they advised Tinubu to let the National Assembly, and particularly, the senators to sort themselves out.

“Tinubu also agreed that he would not dabble into the politics of the National Assembly beyond reasonable limit, so he appealed to the governors to work in synergy with the national leadership of the party to put things in proper shape regarding the choice of principal officers of the National Assembly.

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“Some of the governors are lobbying for Senator Barau, some are keeping an eye on Sani Musa (from Niger).  Some of them want to go for Orju Uzor Kalu,” he said.

The Kalu, Yari permutations

Daily Trust Saturday reports that besides the permutations around Akpabio and Barau, some forces are working towards bringing Sen Orji Uzo Kalu and a former governor of Zamfara State, Abdulaziz Yari as Senate president and deputy respectively.

“Yari had met with Tinubu; while Kalu also met with Tinubu separately, and both of them told him they needed his support because they have what it takes to make his administration turbulence free.

“But the ultimate game plan is to have Kalu and Yari. Yari has enormous resources at his disposal just like Kalu. Yari has the listening ears of many of the senators, so anything can happen.

“However, all of these things might likely change by the time Buhari leaves and second term governors also leave.

“The influence of most of the outgoing governors will reduce significantly after handing over, especially in states where the outgoing governors are not instrumental to the emergence of their successors. It will take almost two weeks after they leave alongside President Buhari before the inauguration of the National Assembly; and anything can happen,” he said.

Among the governors that attended meeting with Tinubu on Thursday were Simon Lalong (Plateau), Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna), Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina), Hope Uzodinnma (Imo), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Babajide Sanwo-olu (Lagos), Ben Ayade (CrossRivers), Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara), Dapo Abiodun (Ogun) and Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti).

Others were the deputy governor of Ebonyi State, Kelechi Igwe and the APC governorship candidate in Kano State, Alhaji Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna.

Senate presidency : APC govs divided as senators move against Tinubu’s candidate

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

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2 days ago

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December 21, 2024

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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

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

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4 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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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

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INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

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4 days ago

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December 18, 2024

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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.

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

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