Politics

Akume strategises on PDP’s G-5 defection to APC, meets Ortom

Published

1 year ago

July 2, 2023

Nyesom Wike and Allies

The five aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party leaders under the aegis of the G-5 may dump the party ahead of the 2027 general election, PUNCH reports.

This has been tied to ongoing moves by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, to woo one of them into the governing All Progressives Congress.

The G-5 is made up of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde and former governors Nyesom Wike, Okezie Ikpeazu, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi and Samuel Ortom of Rivers, Abia, Enugu and Benue states respectively.

The PDP chieftains opposed the continued stay of Senator Iyorchia Ayu as the PDP national chairman following the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the PDP presidential candidate for the 2023 election. They also moved against Atiku, who lost the contest to APC’s Bola Tinubu, who is now the President.

It was gathered that the five PDP leaders have been in touch with Tinubu even as their party, the PDP, is challenging the outcome of the February 25 election at the Presidential Election Petition Court sitting in Abuja.

READ ALSO:

Wike, the leader of the group, has visited Tinubu at the Presidential Villa multiple times after the May 29 inauguration, a development that led PDP chieftains to question his continued membership of the PDP.

In an interview, a former Principal Special Assistant to Ortom, Raymond Magen, said, “Deep talks” were ongoing between the APC and the five opposition leaders which could lead to their defection in the months ahead.

Magen added, “They are talking on a consistent basis with the APC. These are not mere talks but deep-seated conversations between the PDP leaders and the ruling party. They may be joining the APC because there are no indications that they are still interested in what is going on in their party.”

Asked to throw more light on his claim, the former PSA said, “The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, George Akume, for instance, has been talking to Ortom. The talks are deepening and at the end, G-5 members are expected to take a joint decision.”

A member of the PDP National Executive Committee, Diran Odeyemi, said the appointments to be made by Tinubu in the weeks ahead would reveal whether some of the G-5 leaders still have a part to play in the PDP.

READ ALSO:

He stated, “We have heard their utterances recently and they are indicative of where their hearts are. In the appointments to be made, it appears some of them may join the new government, and if that happens, it means they are already thinking about life without PDP.

“By and large, I think some of them will join the APC. They are not hiding it, just as they are no longer showing concern about the issues concerning their party. They are disappointed that their counsel was largely ignored by the PDP and now that what they feared (defeat) has come to pass; it is clear their focus is elsewhere.”

Odeyemi warned that it appeared a one-party state would be in the offing if leaders could not stay in their party to help build it into a winning platform but prefer to join the ruling party. “Even though it is too early to say what they are likely to do, it is all glaring for us to see where their treasures are now,” he added.

Wike and Makinde reportedly mobilised their party members to support Tinubu, while Ortom inaugurated a committee made up of some of trusted aides and allies to work for the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Related Topics:Akume Featured Ortom PDP’s G-5

Up Next

Breaking: Witness absence stalls INEC defence at Presidential election tribunal

Don't Miss

Tribunal: Jandor’s counsel accuses WAEC official of compromising evidence

Politics

Wike: My fallout with Secondus was his opposition to Fubara

Published

17 hours ago

December 28, 2024

Trends Admin

Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike

Wike: My fallout with Secondus was his opposition to Fubara

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, has shed light on his role in the removal of Uche Secondus as the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Speaking at a PDP gathering in Rivers State, Wike explained that his decision was fueled by Secondus’ opposition to Siminalayi Fubara’s governorship ambition in 2023.

According to Wike, Secondus had pushed for his cousin, Tele Ikuru, to secure the PDP ticket for the governorship position, a move Wike said he could not support. This, he revealed, was the primary reason he championed Secondus’ ouster from the party’s leadership.

Politics

APC reacts to Kwankwaso’s statement to reduce party’s votes in 2027

Published

2 days ago

December 27, 2024

Trends Admin

APC reacts to Kwankwaso’s statement to reduce party’s votes in 2027

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kano state has dismissed claims by former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso that the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) will significantly reduce APC’s votes in Kano State during the 2027 elections.

Reacting in a statement on Thursday, Abdullahi Abass, chairman of the state chapter of the party said Kwankwaso’s assertion is laughable and nothing but a mere daydream. Abass called on Kwankwaso to focus on reclaiming his membership in the NNPP rather than making unfounded claims.

The APC described Kwankwaso as a political refugee clinging to Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf in a futile attempt to regain relevance. They warned Kwankwaso that the APC would not allow a repeat of the alleged vote manipulation and allocation that created the impression of NNPP’s influence in Kano State during the 2023 general election.

READ ALSO:

“Our teeming supporters in the APC have no cause to worry about Kwankwaso, who has been booted out of the NNPP due to his cluelessness and self-centredness. We expect Kwankwaso to keep wondering why he has become a wanderer in the political terrain,” the party chair said.

“He ran away from APC because he couldn’t fit into our progressive ideals. His overbloated ego and domineering posture forced him to abandon the PDP, and he has now become a political refugee because the NNPP refused to accommodate him.”

Kwankwaso had on Wednesday received some political decampees at his residence. During the event, he claimed that the NNPP was now formidable enough to diminish APC’s influence in the state.

“If the PDP could struggle to receive 15, 000 votes in the 2023 Presidential elections in Kano, APC would not only receive below expectations but would receive the most embarrassing votes in the 2027 elections in Kano,” he stated

“NNPP achieved tremendous success in the presidential and governorship elections despite being a new political platform with a late start to its campaign. APC will be diminished in Kano in 2027,” he added.

APC reacts to Kwankwaso’s statement to reduce party’s votes in 2027

Politics

Kwankwaso: APC will struggle to get 15,000 votes in Kano

Published

2 days ago

December 27, 2024

Trends Admin

Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso

Kwankwaso: APC will struggle to get 15,000 votes in Kano

Ahead of the 2027 general election, the 2023 Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso said his party would work tirelessly to ensure that the ruling party, All Progressive Congress, APC, struggle to secure less than 15,000 votes in Kano State.

The APC, has, meanwhile, asked Kwankwaso to channel his energies towards reclaiming his membership in the NNPP not day dreaming over claims to relegate the APC in the state.

Kwankwaso while receiving delegates of the NNPP from the Kano North senatorial district at his Miller Road Mansion in Kano, acknowledged the hard work of the party during the 2023 elections, which resulted in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, struggling to secure only 15,000 votes in Kano.

He said: “Now, it’s turn to diminish APC’s influence. We will work tirelessly to ensure their votes are reduced to less than 15,000 in Kano by 2027.”

He encouraged his supporters to remain focused on delivering results that would secure the party’s success in future elections.

READ ALSO:

The leader of the delegates, Abdul Bichi, told journalists that the visit was to renew their loyalty to the national leader of the NNPP, Kwankwaso and to distance themselves from former Secretary to the State Government, SSG, Dr. Abdullahi Bichi.

Abdul said they had parted ways with Bichi since his removal from office.

“It is true we are supporters of the former SSG, and we are from the same constituency as Dr. Bichi, but we have decided to distance ourselves from him since he is no longer with the government.

“We have come here to see our national leader and founder of Kwankwaso in solidarity and to renew our total loyalty to him. We have come to say we are not leaving our party. We are not going with the SSG,” Abdul said.