Amaechi’s Ally Defects To PDP Amid Wike’s Alliance With APC Chieftains – Newstrends
Connect with us

Politics

Amaechi’s Ally Defects To PDP Amid Wike’s Alliance With APC Chieftains

Published

on

Chris Finebone

Chris Finebone, a long-standing ally of former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has dumped the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Finebone, who was the publicity secretary of the APC for years, confirmed his defection to Daily Trust in the early hours of Friday.

However, he did not give any reason for his defection. On his verified Twitter account, Finebone said,”Similanayi Fubara , PDP governorship candidate is my brother; know it and know peace!”

Shortly after he defected to PDP, Finebone visited Governor Nyesom Wike’s Ada George road residence in Port Harcourt in company of the former State Chairman of APC, Dr Davis Ikanya, and the PDP governorship candidate.

The development comes amid the alliance between Governor Nyesom Wike and chieftains of the APC.

Baring last-minute change of plans, Femi Gbajabiamila, speaker of the APC-controlled House of Representatives, would commission some projects in Rivers today.

READ ALSO:

Earlier in the week, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and Senator Aliyu Wamakko, both strong APC members commissioned projects executed by Wike.

During the commissioning, Wike, who is having a running battle with the PDP, under whose platform he was twice elected governor, fired indirect shots at his party.

“If you say Rivers State does not matter, Rivers State will tell you that you don’t also matter at the appropriate time. If you don’t like us, we will not like you. If you like us, we will like you. Nobody will use our votes for nothing. Our votes will matter and Rivers State must benefit from anybody that we are going to support,” he had said on Monday.

During Wamakko’s visit, the Rivers governor had said effective leadership was not about political party, stressing that he would still perform well outside the PDP.

Coincidentally, Wike and Amaechi came second in the presidential primaries of their respective parties.

While former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar clinched the PDP ticket, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu emerged the flagbearer of the APC.

Wike had indicated interest in the PDP Vice-Presidential slot, but Atiku settled for Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State.

This had thrown the opposition party into another round of crisis, with PDP leaders making efforts to reconcile the duo.

Last week, Atiku and Wike sat together at the residence of Jerry Gana, a former Minister and key PDP member, but the reconciliation talk is yet to yield the desired results.

It is unclear if Finebone’s latest political move has the blessing of Amaechi, the APC leader in Rivers.

In an interview with a national paper, a loyalist of Amaechi had said the alliance of Wike and APC Chieftains could make the former minister return to the PDP.

Amaechi is among the G-7 politicians that staged a walkout of the PDP Convention in 2013, a move that political pundits said contributed to the party’s loss of its 16-year dominance at the centre.

Atiku had led the move at the time and the G-7 politicians teamed up with the APC to wrest power from the PDP.

Wike, who once served as Amaechi’s Chief of Staff, succeeded Amaechi as governor in 2015, but they have maintained their rivalry even before the emergence of the incumbent Rivers governor.

Politics

More drama at LP as BoT announces takeover

Published

on

More drama at LP as BoT announces takeover

  • NLC rejects Abure re-election
  • INEC disowns national convention

The Board of Trustees at the Labour Party says it has taken over the administration of the party, indicating a fresh trouble in the LP’s internal crisis.

This was announced on Thursday in a statement issued in Abuja by the party’s BoT Chairman, Sylvester Ejiofor.

He said the takeover of the party came after the expiration of Julius Abure’s tenure as LP’s national chairman

Abure was re-elected as chairman t the party’s national convention held in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Wednesday, amid leadership crisis.

All members of the National Working Committee were returned at the convention.

But the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) has described Abure’s re-election as “an illegality”.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) also disowned the exercise on the grounds that it did not monitor the national convention.

INEC spoke through Rotimi Oyekanmi, media aide to INEC chairman Mahmood Yakubu, in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN).

The BoT’s statement read in part, “Following the expiration of the tenure in office of the immediate past National Working Committee of the LP headed by Mr. Julius Abure, the BoT, in line with the party’s constitution, has stepped in to steer the affairs of the LP.

“This step is to avoid any leadership vacuum in the LP.

“Furthermore, the BoT of the LP, in consultation with major stakeholders in the party, will soon communicate the processes for the conduct of an all-inclusive and expansive national convention of the LP.

“This is in line with the March 20, 2018 Federal High Court consent judgment delivered by Justice Gabriel Kolawole which recognised the Nigeria Labour Congress as the owners of the LP and mandated that an all-inclusive and expansive national convention of the LP be held.

“The decision of the BoT is also in furtherance of the agreement signed between the former national chairman of the LP, Mr. Julius Abure, and the NLC and the Trade Union Congress on June 27, 2022, which was mediated by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

“Unlike the charade that took place today in Nnewi and in tandem with the principles of popular democracy, the all-inclusive national convention will start with grassroots congresses at ward, local government, state and ultimately at the national level.

“This process will not leave any genuine member of LP out and will be held in the full view of the Independent National Electoral Commission, media, civil society, security agents, and the general public.”

The Abure-led executive of the party had not responded to the new development as noon on Thursday.

 

A chieftain of the party was quoted in a report by The PUNCH as saying it was a hatchet job.

“Since many of you journalists have been covering this party, have you heard anything about LP Board of Trustees before? It is non-existent.

“How can one Sylvester Ejiofor wake up one day, tag himself as BoT chairman, and issue a statement that he has taken over the affairs of the party? Let him come over to the secretariat and take over then.

“Too many people and mercenaries are just bent on causing conflict in the party,” he said.

 

 

Continue Reading

Politics

BREAKING: LP Re-elects Julius Abure As National Chairman

Published

on

Julius Abure, the national chairman of the Labour Party

BREAKING: LP Re-elects Julius Abure As National Chairman

The Labour Party (LP) has re-elected Julius Abure as its National Chairman for a second term in office.

Abure was re-elected by a unanimous affirmation of delegates at the party’s National Convention in Nnewi, Anambra State.

READ ALSO:

The Chairman of the National Convention and Deputy Governor of Abia State, Ikechukwu Emetu declared him the winner during the event attended by party leaders and members.

More to come…

Continue Reading

Politics

El-Rufai set to dump APC, visits Gowon after meeting SDP leaders

Published

on

El-Rufai set to dump APC, visits Gowon after meeting SDP leaders

There are talks that a former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, may quit the All Progressives Congress (APC) and move to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the second time.

The rumour is coming after the APC chieftain had held meetings with SDP leaders.

El-Rufai also visited ex-military Head of State, Yakubu Gowon, at his residence in Abuja on Tuesday.

His second visit to SDP stalwarts on Tuesday has further fueled speculations that the former governor is planning to dump the APC.

El-Rufai lost his bid to become a minister in the President Bola Tinubu as he was screened out by the Senate over a damaging petition written against him.

He was however pictured at the Abuja residence of Senator Abubakar Gada, along with SDP chairman Shehu Musa Gabam and other party leaders.

Also reported to be present at the meeting were Senator Teslim Folarin, APC governorship candidate for Oyo State in the 2023 general elections, and Senator Nazif Suleiman, a chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party from Bauchi State.

The meeting at Gada’s home in Abuja on Sunday night came after El-Rufai hosted a Ramadan iftar at his Abuja residence.

Those at the Ramadan iftar include the National Security Adviser, Nuhu Ribadu, Kashim Ibrahim-Imam and Shehu Musa Gabam.

El-Rufai also visited Gabam at the SDP secretariat.

Last Friday, a former spokesperson for the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation, Daniel Bwala, said the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the 2023 Presidential Election, Peter Obi, was planning to leave the Labour Party and join El-Rufai in the SDP.

Bwala, in a post on his X handle, said Obi was planning to leave the Labour Party following the current crisis in the party with the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) threatening to take over the party.

Obi, a former Governor of Anambra State, joined the Labour Party in May 2023 in the buildup to the 2023 general elections following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Continue Reading

Trending

Skip to content