Ondo poll: Three gov candidates withdraw for Aiyedatiwa

Three gubernatorial candidates have withdrawn from Saturday’s election in Ondo after endorsing Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the APC candidate.

The candidates disclosed this during a solidarity visit to Mr Aiyedatiwa by Ajibola Falaye, the candidate of the Accord Party, who spoke on behalf of the three parties on Thursday in Akure.

The other two are the governorship candidate of the National Rescue Movement, Jenyo Ataunoko and the deputy governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress, Olaide Rasheed Ibrahim.

The governorship candidate of the ADC, Adeyemi Nejo, had earlier declared support for Mr Aiyedatiwa.

Mr Falaye said their decision to back the incumbent governor for Saturday’s election was based on observations of his longstanding commitment to public service since his time as the deputy governor.

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“We have been watching him, and his doors are always open to all. The state has been experiencing relative peace under his watch, which reflects his commitment to safeguarding the lives of our people,” said Mr Falaye.

The politician added, “We see the infrastructural development that has taken place even within this short period. It is clear that the governor is actively working for the people.

“This Saturday, we will turn our commitment into votes. We will vote for continuity in Ondo state.”

Responding, Mr Aiyedatiwa expressed gratitude for the endorsement, calling it a quality decision made out of goodwill by the candidates and their parties.

“I didn’t call for this, but I am grateful that my colleagues in the race have voluntarily identified with my mandate and are ready to mobilise their supporters to vote for the APC,” the Ondo governor stated.

Ondo poll: Three gov candidates withdraw for Aiyedatiwa

(NAN)

2027 PDP ticket: I defeated you in 2019, 2023, Atiku mocks Wike

There’s no let-off in war of words between former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, over who controls the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Wike, although a minister in the government of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has continued to influence happenings in the PDP which some party hawks loyal to Atiku have tried to expel without fruition.

Both squared up in 2019 when Atiku won the ticket in Wike’s backyard. Wike was governor in the oil-rich Rivers at the time and withheld his support during the party primaries in his state, instead supported his counterpart, Aminu Tambuwal, who was also governor of Sokoto State.

The hope was that Tambuwal, as agreed, would nominate him (Wike) as his vice. Unfortunately to him, Atiku won.

In 2023, both top PDP men squared up again. It took a last minutes maneuvering for Atiku to defeat Wike after Tambuwal, rather than returning the 2019 favour, gave his delegates to Atiku.

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Not done yet, Atiku refused to give the vice presidential ticket to Wike and instead gave it to Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of Delta State.

A sore Wike was miffed and mobilised loyal governors to support the candidate of the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, who went on to be announced the winner of the 2023 election.

Despite being over two years away, Wike has thrown the first stone telling Atiku that he should forget the 2027 presidential ticket of the PDP.

It’s worth noting that Atiku has not declared interest in the ticket and had said he would support whoever the PDP agrees to give the ticket to, including its erstwhile vice presidential candidate, now Labour Party topman, Peter Obi.

That’s in the belief that Obi will agree to a coalition to unseat the APC, alongside the New Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP).

Wike, who called a press conference to tell Atiku of what awaits him politically said, “He (Atiku) is lobbying for another chance, but the chance will not be there,” the former Minister of State for Education said.

He questioned, “In which party? How can we rely on one man for so many years?” implying that Atiku’s prospects of securing the PDP ticket are slim.

However, responding to the statement, Atiku in a statement issued by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Phrank Shaibu, Atiku reminded Wike of his unsuccessful attempts to install his preferred candidate within the party since 2019.

Shaibu said, “If he had the power to distribute presidential tickets like party favours, he’d certainly have kept one for himself.

“Atiku schooled him and his chosen protégé in his own backyard in 2019 and then handed him a resounding defeat in the 2023 primaries in Abuja.”

Shaibu also questioned Wike’s focus on 2027, especially given his public support for Tinubu’s potential re-election, suggesting that Wike should prioritize the immediate challenges facing Nigerians.

“People are struggling with rising costs and hunger; these are the issues we should be addressing, not political maneuvers for 2027,” Shaibu noted

2027 PDP ticket: I defeated you in 2019, 2023, Atiku mocks Wike

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, recently shared his reasons for not forming a coalition with Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s candidate in the same election.

In his appearance on the Honest Bunch podcast, Sowore asserted that, in his view, Obi is similar to other Nigerian politicians, describing him as “better at packaging.”

Sowore explained that his own journey in politics began long before Obi gained national recognition, emphasizing his dedication to advocating for systemic change in Nigeria.

During the podcast, co-hosted by Nedu, Husband Material, Deity Cole, and Ezinne, Sowore highlighted his belief in challenging the status quo, which he feels differs significantly from Obi’s approach.

Sowore said, “Before you discovered Peter Obi, I was already running for president. All these shouts about Peter Obi… He just knows how to package. Anyone can do it.

“If I form a coalition with Peter Obi, I will be going against what I have always stood for, which is that I will never support a Nigerian leader who has held any political office — whether at the federal, state, or local level — if I consider them non-performing.

“It’s the same reason I would never have joined hands with Atiku. And the Peter Obi you’re talking about was a vice-presidential candidate to Atiku when I was a presidential candidate in 2019.

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“So, what are we talking about? There is no lesser evil in my book. If you are evil, you are evil. If you are good, you are good. I have a general disdain for non-performance.”

He added that there is no such thing as “emotional attachment” in his dictionary.

“There was a friend of mine who kept saying, he doesn’t care if Peter Obi is Igbo, but that it is the turn of the Igbos. But it is beyond that; I have a natural disdain for poor performance,” he explained.

Sowore insisted that while many may not know it, he knew Obi before and during his time as governor, and he backed him.

“I had always known and supported him and stood against his removal when (Olusegun) Obasanjo wanted to use Andy Ubah to replace him—the twists and turns then.

“However, when Peter Obi finished his term in Anambra, the question I asked him was whether he could send his child to any university he had built in Anambra—he was mute and could not respond.

“I also asked him if he could enter any hospital he built in Anambra, which he governed for eight years, even if it was for the slightest headache—there was also no response.”

Sowore went on to challenge the four anchors or any other Nigerians, saying, “If they can pack their bags and head to Anambra for a vacation.”

PUNCH Online reports that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress recorded 8,794,726 votes in the 2023 presidential election, followed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party who secured 6,984,520 votes.

In third place, Labour Party’s Obi garnered 6,101,533 votes, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party secured 1,496,687 votes.

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore