Politics
After criticising APC Tinubu/Shettima ticket, Dogara named Atiku campaign member
- He’s running from pillar to post, says LP
A former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, has finally decamped from the All Progressives Congress to the Peoples Democratic Party and will now be in the campaign train of the Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate.
Indeed, Dogara was on Sunday appointed a member of the PDP presidential campaign council (PCC).
Aminu Tambuwal, director general of the PDP PCC and governor of Sokoto State, announced Dogara’s appointment in a statement on Sunday.
In a reaction to the development, the Labour Party has said the movement showed Dogara as a man still living in the past and is only running from pillar to post.
Dogara’s appointment came two days after he declared support for Atiku.
The Northern Leaders Consultative Forum, which Dogara is a part of, had endorsed Atiku and described him as “the best.”
As a member of the APC, the former speaker of the house of representatives, who is one of the party’s leaders of the Christian faith, kicked against the Muslim-Muslim ticket adopted by the party.
Bola Tinubu, APC presidential candidate and Kashim Shettima, his running mate are both Muslims.
Members of a group of northern Christians in the APC had also expressed reservations over the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC, and said it would adopt a consensus candidate.
Babachir Lawal, former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) and leader of the group, had said Obi would be the group’s choice.
Dogara, however, alongside other members of the group, distanced themselves from Lawal’s endorsement.
In 2018, the former speaker of the house of representatives, had defected from the PDP to the APC because of “failure of governance” in Bauchi, where he hails from.
While Dogara has not made an official statement on his new appointment as at the time of this report, his new role is expected to start immediately.
Meanwhile, the campaign office of Peter Obi and Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed, presidential and vice-presidential candidates of the Labour Party (LP), says Yakubu Dogara, made a grave error in endorsing Atiku Abubakar.
The Obi-Datti campaign, in a statement, said Dogara had the right to support whomever he wants but trying to do that based on his selfish interest won’t augur well for him.
“Clearly, the former Speaker knows that he is swimming against the tide by his unpopular decision which amounts to running from frying pan to fire; from one injustice to another and claiming to be acting on behalf his people whose anger for the two wrongs of the two main political parties are glaring,” the statement read.
“Hon Dogara knows as a fact that his position does not reflect the heart and mind of majority of Nigerian populace who are already on the moving train to take back the country from the primeval political thinkers like him.”
The campaign said Dogara’s stand showed his double standard when he refused to support same faith ticket of his party but pitched his tent with the PDP that does not respect fairness.
“At his level as the Ex-leader of the national parliament, Hon. Dogara should have been privileged to read the hand writing on the wall vividly to know that where the pendulum swings today: the talk is not about political party, but about character, competence and capacity, because where the country precariously stands today requires nothing short to save it,” the campaign further said.
“Hon. Dogara as the Speaker of the House of Representatives successfully ran a parliament literally in the opposition to the Executive and heaven did not fall, yet he feels that a pragmatic President like Peter Obi would not be able to maneuver or steer the ship of state.”
The campaign added that it was obvious that the former speaker was still living in the past of the old politics that brought the country to its knees.
Politics
Tinubu smashes opposition, four more PDP govs set to decamp
Tinubu smashes opposition, four more PDP govs set to decamp
President Bola Tinubu’s determined push to weaken opposition ranks appears to be yielding results, with strong indications that four Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors are set to defect to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
Fresh investigation has revealed that Tinubu, long on the defensive against opposition attacks, has intensified efforts to consolidate power by targeting key figures in rival parties. His moves, insiders said, triggered the current wave of high-profile defections.
While sources within the APC and the Presidency attributed the looming defections to Tinubu’s aggressive political strategy, some opposition figures have accused the President of using inducements and blackmail to lure defectors. The president’s allies, on the other hand, have argued that his leadership style has made the APC increasingly attractive.
Governors Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom), Peter Mbah (Enugu), Abba Yusuf (Kano), and suspended Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara have been named as the next big catches for the ruling party.
“It is not a rumour. It is happening; those four governors – Eno, Mbah, Yusuf and Fubara — are on their way to joining the APC,” a senior party source confirmed.
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Officials at the APC national secretariat in Abuja also corroborated the development, pointing to an aggressive recruitment drive spearheaded by the President and top party leaders.
The anticipated defections come on the heels of last Wednesday’s surprise defection by Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, his predecessor Ifeanyi Okowa, and the entire PDP structure in the state to the APC. Their move was announced by Senator James Manager after a six-hour meeting at the Government House in Asaba.
Meanwhile, concerns have emerged over the tactics allegedly employed to secure these defections. A senior source cited the alleged Tinubu’s secret meeting with Fubara in London as a possible example of backroom pressure. The meeting reportedly took place at Fubara’s request following his suspension and the declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.
A source familiar with the situation said, “It was at that meeting that we believed Fubara must have been coaxed into considering the idea of defection as part of the arrangement to return his mandate. We also have reasons to suspect that Governor Eno’s potential move to the APC is linked to his predecessor and godfather’s alleged corruption case with the EFCC.”
Regarding Kano, the source stated that Tinubu had intensified reconciliation efforts between former Governors Abdullahi Ganduje and Rabiu Kwankwaso to pave the way for Yusuf’s defection.
“In the coming days, the news of Abba Yusuf’s defection will be made public because he will officially move to the APC with his mentor. We all know Kano is too big a state for Tinubu to ignore politically,” he added.
Tinubu smashes opposition, four more PDP govs set to decamp
Politics
Obi introduces online registration, ID cards for Obidient
Obi introduces online registration, ID cards for Obidient
Peter Obi, former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, has launched an online registration portal and identity cards for members of the Obidient Movement both within Nigeria and among supporters in the diaspora.
The development was announced in a joint statement on Saturday by the National Coordinator of the movement, Dr. Yunusa Tanko, and the Director of Strategic Communications and Media, Nana Kazaure.
According to the statement, the new identity cards will feature a QR code for easy authentication and display the national flag of each holder’s country of residence.
It stated in part: “Obidient registration portal supports Nigerians and fellow Obidients living in the diaspora. You will observe that the ID has a flag on it. For example, if you’re not resident in Nigeria, the top right-hand corner will carry the flag of your country of residence.”
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Highlighting the movement’s emphasis on unity and diversity, the statement added: “That way, we can all witness first-hand the embodying of our spirit of diversity, comradery, and unity and how far-reaching the messaging Obidient Movement is. The OBX is constant on the ID card. The Diasporan and Nigerian cards, all start with the same prefix which is the OBX.”
The statement further explained the functionality of the QR code embedded in the card: “The QR code on the bottom right-hand corner is there to authenticate your card, which can be scanned with any QR scanner such as a smartphone, to give Obidients a secure and confident way of interacting with one another.”
It continued: “So if you choose to support or do business with an Obidient, you can scan the QR code or verify the OBX ID online to confirm that the person is who and what they truly say they are and are who they truly claim to be.”
Obi introduces online registration, ID cards for Obidient
Politics
Tinubu won’t get second term if El-Rufai can mobilise northerners for Obi – Dahiru
Tinubu won’t get second term if El-Rufai can mobilise northerners for Obi – Dahiru
Political analyst and columnist Majeed Dahiru has said that President Bola Tinubu’s administration may end in 2027.
This, he said, was dependent on how former Kaduna State governor Nasir El-Rufai successfully rallies northern political forces behind Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
Dahiru spoke during an appearance on The Morning Brief of the Channels Television, discussing recent opposition alignments and El-Rufai’s strategic relevance ahead of the next general election.
“If I may put it straight. The day El-Rufai decides and can galvanise the opinion moulders in the North to zero in on Peter Obi, for instance, as the candidate, that will be the end of the Tinubu administration,” Dahiru stated.
This came amid ongoing conversations about potential coalitions to unseat the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). The situation took a new turn on Wednesday when Delta State Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, Deputy Governor Monday Onyeme, and former Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, alongside several PDP officials, defected to the APC.
Dahiru noted the reported resistance from PDP governors to opposition coalition efforts, attributing it to regional loyalty.
“That’s because the PDP governors’ preferred candidate for the next election is President Bola Tinubu of the APC — because of southern solidarity. The bulk of the PDP governors are from the South. One of their own is in power. They can’t work against one of their own. It’s not possible.”
He cited historical examples to underscore the role of regional interests in Nigerian politics.
“In 2003, the AD (Alliance for Democracy) didn’t field a presidential candidate because of Obasanjo. That is the nature of Nigerian politics.
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“When Yar’Adua became president in 2007, a number of ANPP (All Nigeria Peoples Party) governors moved to the PDP. Two governors even married his daughters to gain a footing in the PDP. It has always been like that.”
Dahiru also addressed El-Rufai’s recent departure from the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), attributing it to deeper tensions with the presidency.
“El-Rufai has a grouse against the president — a legitimate grouse — because he worked for the president. Hate him or love him, he has a basis to be angry,” he said.
“He has been working assiduously to undermine the president, particularly in the Muslim North, where he is like the caliph to Buhari. He’s the brainbox of the Muslim North.”
He hinted at a broader political strategy by El-Rufai, possibly involving an endorsement of a candidate from the South, especially the Southeast.
“Let me give him a tip: if he really wants to sit at the back of the president, what he should do — and I think they may already be on that path — is convince the Muslim North to look towards the South for a candidate. Specifically, the Southeast.
“If he’s able to do that — and I know he can; he has the capacity — to shift support to someone like Peter Obi, then that will be the end of the Tinubu administration.”
Tinubu won’t get second term if El-Rufai can mobilise northerners for Obi – Dahiru
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