APC Ticket: 2 Northern Govs Behind Jonathan’s Return Bid – Newstrends
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APC Ticket: 2 Northern Govs Behind Jonathan’s Return Bid

Published

3 years ago

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Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

Two influential governors from the northern part of the country are behind the return bid of former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Daily Trust reliably gathered.

Multiple sources, who are in the know, said the two governors, close to President Muhammadu Buhari, have secured the buy-in of a section of the presidency to actualise their agenda of drafting the former president into the presidential race.

The sources mentioned the names of the governors but were withheld by this paper because our reporters were unable to get their reactions as they are out of the country.

 While one of the governors is from the North West, the other is from the North East geopolitical zone.  

The sources said the duo began the moves last year but that they jettisoned it to promote the candidature of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele.

However, when the Emefiele’s project was not flying, the governors returned to the Jonathan bid. 

The two governors have been playing key roles in the affairs of the APC in the last few years.

The former president had since keyed into the move as evident in his body language.

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He had last week told some of his supporters who were insisting he should declare to “be on the watch”, a disposition political pundits described as acceptance.

It was learnt that the Bayelsa-born former president is now waiting for the appropriate time to join the ruling party and declare for the race.

President Buhari had defeated Jonathan in the 2015 general election, ending the 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the country.  

In the last seven years, the former president has not been attending activities of his party. This is just as his romance with President Buhari and top shots of the ruling party takes the centre stage, a development that has pitched him against opposition leaders in the country. 

The move to return Jonathan

One of our sources, a former governor said the two governors have reached out and sold the Jonathan project to the presidency.

“It is (withheld) that are behind it and they are promoting it to checkmate Asiwaju Tinubu when they discovered that the vice president does not possess the structures to put up a strong challenge,” he said.  

Asked why the governors who are APC members are drafting the former president, he said, “They are doing it to advance their ambition. They want someone that would only be in power for a term. They also want him to pick one of them as running mate”.

An ally of the president, while corroborating the former governor’s statement, said the two governors brought the Jonathan project to advance their ‘’selfish interest.’’ 

But a source close to the former president claimed that Jonathan is being promoted by his successor.

“His number one backer is the president. Do you think he would start if he did not get the backing of Baba? He did not go and say I wanted to (vie for the presidency). He was asked to do so because they are more comfortable with him succeeding Buhari,” he said.

A former Chairman of the APC Elders Forum in Bayelsa State, Diekivie Ikiogha, said all is almost set for Jonathan’s exit from the PDP.

“His declaration would be based on an invitation by APC to come over and he is considering it. A lot of things have been done; the discussions are ongoing, so, he will be invited.

“We are persuading him and it is still going on, but I believe that he can yield to it. What I am telling you is that, when the platform is clear, he will contest. If it is clear, he will contest,” he said.

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Also, a public affairs analyst, Mr David West, said though Jonathan had a few years ago announced that he was no longer interested in active politics, he has the constitutional right to contest for any office in the land. 

He, however, stated that he doubts if Jonathan will perform better than he did during his first tenure. He said: “For me, it is his constitutional right to belong to any political party if he wants and if he wishes to contest for any political office in the country. 

“I know if Jonathan is allowed to rule Nigeria again, he will not do more than four years tenure, because anything short of that will be a crisis.” 

Stakeholders reject plan to adopt Jonathan

The APC Presidential Support Group has said that the plan to adopt Jonathan as the APC presidential candidate for the 2023 election is a joke taken too far and unacceptable.

The Convener of the organisation, Mr Owolabi Dauda and Secretary, Abdullahi Bilal, told reporters on Tuesday in Abuja that adopting Jonathan by whoever is a disservice to the APC, especially that the importance of winning the 2023 presidential elections cannot be overemphasised, in the bid to ensure continuity in the laudable policies and initiatives of the APC led government in Nigeria.

 “We are constrained to lend our voice to an ugly plot that is being hatched by some members of the APC concerning adopting former President Goodluck Jonathan as the presidential candidate of the party in the 2023 presidential election.

“By all stretch of the imagination, this plot is ill-timed and not in the party’s interest at large. Such a move implies that the party might be heading towards a resounding electoral defeat in the presidential election,” the group said.

Lawyers differ on Jonathan’s legal obstacles

Lawyers have disagreed with the move by Jonathan’s handlers to draft him into the 2023 presidential election, pointing to legal issues.

Reacting, Professor Paul Ananaba (SAN) said Jonathan is not qualified to run for the office of the president because the constitution does not envisage that any Nigerian will be in office for more than eight years under any circumstance.

“If you add the four years – the two years under Yar’adua, and another four years – it will be more than eight years,” he said. 

Similarly, Buhari Yusuf said Jonathan is ineligible under the law saying the combined reading of sections 137(1)(b) and 182(1)(b) of the Nigerian Constitution, “Makes it practically impossible for someone who has taken the oath of office twice as president to come on the third one.”

According to him, “The fact that the president completed the first term of a demised president does not call you to read meaning into the section and I don’t think there is any manoeuvring space for somebody to escape.”

However, Murtala Abdulkareem (SAN) said the decision of the court in the case of Ayuba Sabo and Ahmed Abubakar vs Ibrahim Gaidam over the Yobe State governorship election of 2015 has resolved the issue. 

“He (Jonathan) can contest, but if he takes the oath in 2023, he will not be eligible to contest afterward,” he said.

Similarly, Okonache Ogar Esq said Jonathan is only ineligible to seek a fresh term after the forthcoming election not before as the constitution set out to correct the existence of a vacuum in the event of incapacity or death of the governor or president with the availability of the deputy governor or the vice president.

DAILY TRUST

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Ondo poll: Three gov candidates withdraw for Aiyedatiwa

Published

6 hours ago

on

November 15, 2024

By

Ondo State Governor, Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa

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)

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

Published

8 hours ago

on

November 15, 2024

By

Minister, Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike and Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar

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

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

Published

2 days ago

on

November 13, 2024

By

Peter Obi and Omoyele Sowore

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

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