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Consensus: Northern Elders Deny Endorsing Saraki, Mohammed

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3 years ago

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Bukola Saraki and Bala Mohammed

The Northern Elders Forum (NEF) has distanced itself from reports that it has endorsed former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed as consensus presidential aspirants of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from the North.

Saraki, Mohammed, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto and Mohammed Hayatudeen had worked to produce a consensus candidate from the region.

The announcement of Mohammed and Saraki as northern consensus presidential aspirants of the PDP by Prof. Ango Abdullahi on Friday had continued to generate reactions.

Tambuwal had since dissociated himself from the outcome, declaring that the consensus plan had failed, while former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido described it as a ruse and unacceptable.

A statement by Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, NEF Director of Publicity and Advocacy, said the attempt to engineer a consensus among the aspirants was that of the aspirants themselves.

Baba-Ahmed said, “Governors Aminu Tambuwal and Bala Mohammed, former Senate President Bukola Saraki and Mohammed Hayatudeen had informed for head of state, Badamasi Babangida, of their intention, and requested elderly intervention and advice in the event that their efforts failed to  produce consensus. 

“Babangida in turn requested Prof. Ango Abdullahi in his individual capacity to design and manage a process that could improve a consensus agreement among the four aspirants. Prof. Abdullahi concluded that assignment and released a detailed report and recommendation, signing it in his individual capacity,”

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He said the entire process did not involve the Northern Elders Forum as a group, and was not a product of the group. 

Professor Ango Abdullahi, he said, was free to undertake any lawful activity as a citizen, and genuine misinterpretations of his role are understandable.

“Northern Elders Forum is not affiliated to any political party or aspirant, and is strongly committed to the creation of a level-playing field which will allow the emergence of the best leaders in the 2023 elections.

“It has also remained consistent in its conviction that all parts of the country should play their parts freely, unhindered by restrictions which offend principles of inclusion and fairness. The forum believes the North has excellent candidates whose fate should be left to party delegates and voters to decide,” he said.

 Meanwhile, the leader of the Northern Elders’ Council, Paul Unongo, has defended the position of the region on Saraki and Bala Muhammed’s presidential ambition.  

Unongo told newsmen yesterday in Jos, the Plateau State capital, that he initiated the idea of picking a consensus for the region.

He said, “We held a meeting over the issue for two days in Abuja, and at the end agreed that if the North must file a presidential candidate in 2023, that choice must come from the North Central. That was agreed.

 “Then, the four aspirants who offered themselves for the contest were profiled. We looked at their credentials, their qualities and capacity to win a presidential election. Gov Bala Muhammed and Senator Bukola Saraki stood out.

“Senator Saraki was our first choice and Gov Bala Muhammed was our second choice and we have made our choice known to Nigeria to choose from the two.”

Other aspirants are free to contest – Bauchi Gov

Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, has said his nomination as one of the northern consensus presidential aspirants of PDP would not stop other aspirants from contesting the party’s primaries.

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 He stated this yesterday in Bauchi while briefing newsmen shortly after he was presented with a letter of nomination as ‘Governor of the Year’ by the management of the Sun Newspapers.

He explained that the Northern Elders Forum made thorough consultations with leaders and stakeholders across the country before endorsing him and the President of the 8th Senate, Bukola Saraki, as the northern presidential aspirants of the PDP.

Governor Bala said the former Jigawa State governor, Sule Lamido, and others who opposed the consensus outcome were free to express their opinions.

Respecting consensus decision, individual choice – Saraki

A former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, said respecting the position of the Northern Elders Forum on consensus is an individual choice.

He stated this while addressing PDP presidential delegates in Minna, the Niger State capital.

He said, “We voluntarily went to our elders’ statesmen to seek their participation. They did not seek or ask that they should be involved in it, and neither were we forced into doing it. We decided on our own to go seek their involvement for a northern consensus candidate.

“For the decision, we appreciate our elder statesmen for their role in the process and their patriotism and desire for the unity of the country. To abide by the decision is an individual choice. Everyone has to make his own decision.”

Saraki appealed to the members of PDP in Niger state to work towards ensuring that the north-central produces its first President.

DAILY TRUST

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

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20 hours ago

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December 21, 2024

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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

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

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3 days ago

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December 19, 2024

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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

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INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Published

4 days ago

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December 18, 2024

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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.

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

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