Politics

Edo guber primary: APC NWC drops Uzodinma, appoints Otu as chairman

Published

3 months ago

February 22, 2024

Senator Bassey Otu

Edo guber primary: APC NWC drops Uzodinma, appoints Otu as chairman

The crisis rocking the conduct of last Saturday’s All Progressives Congress (APC) Edo State governorship primary election, which led the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) to declare the exercise inconclusive, took a fresh twist on Wednesday, February 21.

He has been replaced by Senator Bassey Otu, the deputy chairman of the committee and the governor of Cross River state.

A release titled “Revised 2024 Edo State Governorship Primary Election and Primary Election Appeal Committees” by Alhaji Sulaiman Muhammadu Arugungu, National Organising Secretary in Abuja on Wednesday showed that Hon. Shetimma Shitu has been added to the committee, to retain its 7-man status.

The release also showed that the party’s highest administrative organ retained the membership of the 5-man Barrister C. C Udenwa-led Primary Election Appeal Committee.

The Nation learnt of this development followed a series of protests both in Benin and Abuja calling on the chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) to step down from conducting the concluding process of the inconclusive shadow election billed for Thursday (today).

It was further gathered that the decision to relieve the Imo State from the exercise was reached on Tuesday night during the emergency meeting of the NWC.

The Nation also gathered that the concluding part of the election process will be to complete the collation of the results of the election in the remaining 10 local government areas of the state.

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According to a highly placed source in the Directorate of Organisation of the party when asked what format the exercise will take, he simply said: “We will continue where we stopped. The process was going on before the disruption by thugs and since the committee has already collated results from the field from 8 local government areas, they are expected to conclude the exercise by collating results from the remaining 10 local government areas.”

On the three petitions already submitted by the three aspirants, our source simply said: “The issue of the petition cannot be on the front burner now. The process is yet to be completed. It is after the exercise is completed that we talk of petition.”

He added: “The Barrister C. C Udenwa is still in place to attend to any petition. But that will be after the exercise is completed.”

Protests against Uzodinma

Former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, had in a statement in Abuja criticised the mismanagement of the Edo State governorship primary election and asked members of the PGF to drop Uzodinma as their chairman.

The Directorate of Political Affairs and Governance of the African Civil Society Forum in Abuja also asked the Imo state governor to step aside ahead of Thursday’s rescheduled continuation of the exercise.

At APC national headquarters a group of placard-carrying youths under the aegis of APC Youth Solidarity Network stormed Muhammadu Buhari House to ask the Abdullahi Umar Gabduje-led NWC to drop Uzodinma from superintending the rescheduled election.

Edo guber primary: APC NWC drops Uzodinma, appoints Otu as chairman

Related Topics:APC NWC Edo Featured Uzodinma

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BREAKING: APC NWC declares Edo Gov primary inconclusive

Politics

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

Published

11 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Trends Admin

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)

Politics

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

Published

12 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Trends Admin

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

Politics

Six political parties plot against APC, meet in Kaduna

Published

1 day ago

May 17, 2024

Trends Admin

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.”