Politics

APC women leaders pass vote of no confidence in Beta Edu

Published

1 year ago

July 16, 2023

APC women leaders pass vote of no confidence in Beta Edu

APC members under the aegis of ‘Elected Female National APC Officers and Zonal Women Leaders’ have passed a ‘vote of no confidence’ in the party’s national women leader, Dr Beta Edu for allegedly abusing her office.

The rejection of the ministerial hopeful was contained in a petition written to President Bola Tinubu on Friday.

The members wrote in the petition, “Without deviating from the essence of this subject, it is pertinent we express our total displeasure and concern over the misrepresentation and self-aggrandisement of the National Woman leader, Dr. Beta Edu during her visit to the Presidential Villa on the 13th of July, 2023.

“We wish to state categorically and in strong terms that her visit to the Presidential Villa was a misrepresentation as she in no way represent the elected National Women Officials and Zonal Women Leaders of the party as against the news making the rounds.

“We were totally unaware of her presidential visit and no due information nor notification were given to us the women she claimed to represent during her visit. It is disheartening that Dr. Beta Edu could label her visit to Mr President to be the representation of National Stakeholders and Zonal Women leaders even without them knowing and not in attendance during the visit.

“It is worrisome that at this infancy stage of the administration of President Bola Tinubu which needs all hands to be on deck that the women leadership of the party is already experiencing division and seclusion in representation which has been the pattern of the National Woman Leader Beta Edu since her emergence. It is in strong terms that we reject her leadership because she has failed in managing the affairs of the women in the party.”

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A copy of the letter, which was made available to our correspondent, was also sent to National Chairman of APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; National Secretary, Iyiola Omisore; Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila; office of the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu; wife of the Vice President, Hajia Nana Shettima, all APC governor’s wives and zonal Vice-chairmen of the party.

The petition, signed by nine women leaders from the six geopolitical zones, accused Betta of sidelining them and arranging some alleged fake women to see the president during a courtesy visit.

The women leaders who signed the petition included APC Deputy National Treasurer, Omorede Osifo; National Ex-Officio (South-West), Olubunmi Oriniowo; National Ex-Officio (North-Central), Oluwatoyin Opawoye; Zonal Women leader (North Central), Princess Zahra Audu; Zonal Women leader (South-West), Mrs Yetunde Adesanya and Zonal Women leader (South-East), Mimi Diyiokeh.

Others were the Zonal Women leader (North East), Zainab Alman; Zonal Women leader (South-South), Mrs. Cynthia Princewill; Zonal Women leader (North-West), Hajia Hadiza Shagari.

While requesting a separate courtesy visit to the Presidential Villa, the women leaders further alleged that the former Cross River commissioner of health deliberately isolated them even during the electioneering campaign.

“Throughout the electioneering campaign, Dr. Betta Edu worked in isolation without synergy with her colleagues’ National Women officials of the party and the Zonal Women leaders. We individually devised means and strategies to galvanise and mobilise support for the party in our various states and traveled to almost all states campaigning with Mr. President with our personal funds and resources because we are highly committed to the Renewed Hope project and which we are glad to be part of the success story of today.

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“We want Mr. President to know that most women paraded by Dr. Betta Edu were mostly fake. Authentic and democratically elected national officers who are even National Executive Council Members, all Zonal women leaders, the three women senators and fifteen female House of Representatives members, and a host of other relevant women leaders and stakeholders were replaced by fake women in the visit to the President.

“We hereby reject the leadership of Dr. Betta Edu and unanimously pass a vote of no confidence on her and whatever she represents. We appeal to Mr. President to use his good office to grant audience to the Elected National Female Executives and Zonal Women Leaders of our great party for inclusiveness,” the letter stated.

However, reacting to the allegation, Edu disowned the APC zonal women leaders, saying they are fake.

“They are not women leaders. Those people are frauds. I can tell you that the 36 states’ women leaders have written to disown them.

“The meeting they were talking about took place between the president and the 36 states’ women leaders. All of them were present at the meeting, except one. I don’t think any media should carry this stupid news. It is fraud. You know people are hustling left, right, and center.”

The APC national women leader also promised to send our reporter an official rebuttal to the allegation.

She is yet to send the rebuttal as of the time of filing this story.

Politics

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Published

1 day ago

December 21, 2024

Trends Admin

Umar Iliya Damagum, Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Two former Presidents of the Senate, Chief David Mark and Dr Bukola Saraki are leading a fresh charge aimed at removing Amb. Umar Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The push by Mark and Saraki has received the backing of prominent stakeholders, including the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang and other political office holders elected on the platform of the PDP.

Similarly, former governors from the Northcentral zone who served on the party’s platform have also aligned forces with the group.

Rising from a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Thursday night, the party chieftains resolved to produce a candidate from the zone early 2025 to replace Damagum.

According to them, the move to replace Damagum with a substantive chairman from the Northcentral, has received the endorsement of key party stakeholders from the Northwest and the Northeast zones.

Among those being projected as potential candidates to take Damagum’s seat include Mark; a former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam; and a former House of Representatives member from Nasarawa State, David
David Ombugadu.

A communique issued after the meeting, said the stakeholders
reviewed the festering crisis in the party following the exit of the erstwhile National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.

Ayu lost his seat to the crisis triggered by disagreements over the emergency of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election.

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The crisis has continued to deepen with the apparent overbearing influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on the Damagum-led national leadership.

The Northcentral stakeholders argued that Damagum’s continued occupation of the office breached provisions of the PDP constitution.

The communique states in part, “The PDP’s constitution clearly states that succession of offices in the party at all levels is largely to the extent that any vacant position can be replaced by appointment from the zone, as per Section 47 (6) of the party.

“The party is guided by its constitution at all times. Therefore, the leadership of the party needs to rise up to the occasion to restore goodwill and cohesion in the party by making necessary sacrifices and compromises to restore confidence and cohesion in the party.

“It is in the light of this that the stakeholders of the Northcentral Zone appeal to the conscience and goodwill of our compatriots in other zones of the Northern region to restore the seat of the chairmanship of the party back to the Northcentral Zone to serve out its tenure.

“That the stakeholders must strive to build consensus to get the buy-in to the position of Northcentral zone.

“The Northcentral is united and will strive to preserve the PDP as a veritable platform for good governance in Nigeria.”

The meeting, which was attended by Governor Muftwang, also had former Governors Jonah Jang (Plateau), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Idris Wada (Kogi) in attendance.

Others at the meeting included the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro; incumbent PDP National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN); and a former Information Minister, Prof Jerry Gana.

Also at the meeting were former senators Tunde Ogbeha, Philip Aduda, Suleiman Adokwe, Dino Melaye, Mohammed Onawo and Peter Jiya.

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Similarly, former Ministers, Labaran Maku and Sarah Ochekpe also attended the meeting. Other stakeholders like Simon Mwadkwon, Mrs. Margaret Icheen, Mr. Raymond Dabo, Maika Jiba, and Isa Dobi were also present.

Damagum, who is from Yobe State in the Northeast zone, emerged Acting National Chairman in March 2023 following the exit of Ayu who is from Benue State in the Northcentral zone.

Damagum was the PDP Deputy National Chairman (North) before his appointment as Acting National Chairman.

By virtue of Section 47 (6) of the party’s constitution, he ought to have relinquished the seat for a substantive National Chairman from the Northcentral zone where Ayu hailed from.

The Section reads: “Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”

Ayu was elected chairman in 2022 for a four-year tenure that should expire in 2026 before his tenure got truncated in 2023.

Several moves by critical organs of the party, including the PDP Governors Forum, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the National Caucus to replace Damagum have been thwarted by the Acting National Chairman, allegedly with the backing of Wike.

Miffed by the development, the PDP Governors Forum, led by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, had, a few weeks ago, directed the Damagum-led leadership to convene the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting latest by February 2025.

The NEC meeting has suffered four postponements between August and November 2024, as Damagum, who is supposed to convene the meeting has been evasive.

The power to ratify any candidate chosen by the Northcentral zone to replace Damagum is vested only in the NEC.

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Politics

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

Published

3 days ago

December 19, 2024

Trends Admin

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oguduokwor Ward, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has officially expelled Ali Odefa, the suspended National Vice Chairperson of the party in the South-East, following allegations of anti-party activities.

Odefa had been suspended on September 11, 2024, by the ward executives, a move that was later upheld by the Federal High Court in Abakaliki. In its ruling on November 29, 2024, under suit number FHC/AI/CS/182/2024, the court affirmed the legitimacy of his suspension.

On Wednesday, Onyeka Ovuta, the Acting Chairperson of the PDP in Oguduokwor, announced Odefa’s expulsion in a statement. Ovuta explained that the decision followed recommendations from the party’s disciplinary committee, which confirmed the allegations against Odefa.

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The party announced that Mr Odefa by the virtue of his expulsion, “ceases to be a member of the party.”

Reacting, Mr Odefa laughed off the expulsion, stating that those who announced it were “frustrated charlatans”.

He said the expulsion cannot stand because “it did not take place in the ward but in Abuja”. He said those who made the announcement against him were not ward executives of the party.

“Let them come home come and announce it. Or is our ward now located in Abuja?”

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

Politics

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Published

4 days ago

December 18, 2024

Trends Admin

APGA National Chairman, Sylvester Ezeokenwa

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Sylvester Ezeokenwa has been reinstated as the national chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Ezeokenwa was reinstated by the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, December 17.

According to Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, the commission had been served with the judgement of the Supreme Court.

The apex court judgement with the Appeal No. SC/CV/824/2024 APGA & ANOR vs OYE & ORS was delivered on November 27, 2024.

The court ruled that Ezeokenwa should be recognised as the national chairman of the party.

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“In compliance with the judgement of the apex court, the Commission has restored Barr. Ezeokenwa as the Chairman of APGA and restored his name on our website accordingly,” the INEC commissioner said.

He also stated that the reisnstatmemt of the new chairman would automatically lead to the withdrawal of the recognition of Njoku as the national chairman of the party.

The court also upheld an earlier judgement of the appeal which did not confer any enforceable rights on Njoku.

If also awarded N20 million each against the appellaants.