Politics

If I, four govs quit PDP, party won’t win – Wike

Published

4 years ago

October 15, 2022

Governor Nyesom Wike

I don’t recognise Ayu as chairman

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, says if he and four other governors in his camp leave the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the party will lose the 2023 election. The governor said this on Friday during a live media chat at the state government house in Port Harcourt.

He said that without the participation of himself, Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State in the presidential campaign of Atiku Abubakar, the PDP would find it difficult to win the election.

Wike who insisted that no meaningful progress would be made with regard to the crisis as long as Iyorchia Ayu continues to remain the party’s national chairman, added that he (Ayu) lacks integrity for reneging on his promise to step down if someone from the North wins the PDP presidential primary election.

When asked about the allegations he made in a previous interview accusing Ayu of being corrupt by collecting one billion naira from an unnamed individual in Lagos, Wike said that not only did Ayu do that, he also collected N100 million respectively from a governor and the National Working Committee (NWC) for same project. He said that if he reveals all he knows about Ayu, even Ayu’s children would denounce him.

He also reacted to the statement made by Atiku using the national honours bestowed on Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as a vindication of his decision to choose Okowa as a running mate. He said that Atiku’s comment shows the type of leader he is but however added that the presidential candidate has denied authorizing the tweet, which many saw as a jibe at Wike.

Wike noted that he too had received the Commander of the Order of the Niger (CON) in 2014 and had just received a letter from President Muhammadu Buhari inviting him to receive another award based on his achievement on the area of infrastructures.

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Wike denied reports that the PDP candidate deployed former governor of Rivers, Peter Odili and Delta, Onanefe Ibori to plead with him to soften his stance, insisting that the last batch of people he met over the issue were members of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT).

“Odili was not contacted by the PDP to meet me.” On whether he would listen him if PDP asked Odili to beg him, he said: “All I would say is that even he, knows what is right and what is wrong. He’s a reasonable father. He won’t say so. Do you ever see him in the government house or in Abuja, or with members of the former governors’ forum? If PDP wants me, they will come to my state and talk to me.”

He also denied the allegation about his agitation having something to do with the general fear that exists about Northern domination.

He said, “Those supporting Ayu are political hypocrites, taking the crumbs from the table after the master has eaten. Zone the chairmanship to anywhere in the South. It will be okay for us. If I take this, what will I tell my children tomorrow? There are stages in guerrilla warfare and we’re not going to back down. They should not come and talk to Wike.

“The people they’re sending to me have different ideas about the issue but I keep insisting that we must do things the way our party has always done. Ayu knows the presidential candidate and chairman can’t come from the same area….They are just playing games and they’re not the only ones that can play games. If you play game, I will play game with you. There is no divided house; it is just that people are not doing the right thing. Have I left the party? No. I am campaigning for PDP in my state, so there is no issue.

“We met in London with the presidential candidate one-on-one but what came out of it? We have made a concession that we are remaining in the PDP. What concession have they made? I supported so many states – Ondo, Cross River, Imo, Edo. Cross River came to me. Shouldn’t they be happy that I’m supporting the party financially? I have no interest in becoming minister or anything. I have been chairman of council, chief of staff, minister, governor. What else do I want? If we say we’re leaving the party today, the party can’t win in our states.”

Speaking on the the solution to the crisis, he said, “Give the people what is due to them. Implement what you said. Why is it so difficult? I see some elders – elders are supposed to look inwards and say, listen, this is wrong. Some are elders because of their age. Those who are the party leaders, if they don’t think it’s injurious, why are you bothered?”

On the Executive Order 21 that prohibits political parties from holding rallies in public schools unless they make some non-refundable deposit, he said that the money is to be used to effect necessary repairs in case of damage.

He said the Celestine Omehia’s case had nothing to do with vindictiveness over the latter’s alleged support for Atiku, adding that he would have done so since 2015, when Omehia sacked him and other council chairmen on May 29, 2007 for placing an advert in support of Amaechi. On the AIT lands, he said they don’t have any Certificate of Occupancy since 2003 when the 43.8 hectares of land was allocated to them. On the employment of 50, 000 political appointees, he insisted that he had no regret, adding that he would soon increase the number from 50,000 to 100,000 because it is a way of providing employment for his people.

Politics

Tompolo’s PBAT Movement Suspends Campaign Over Ondo Military Crash

Published

5 hours ago

October 6, 2026

Trends Admin

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Tompolo’s PBAT Movement Suspends Campaign Over Ondo Military Crash

The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement, a grassroots campaign organisation supporting President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid, has suspended all campaign activities for one week following the death of military personnel in the Ondo aircraft crash.

The decision was taken by the movement’s Grand Patron, High Chief Government Ekpemupolo, popularly known as Tompolo, as a mark of respect for the officers and other personnel who died in the crash.

The National Coordinator of the movement, Comrade Sunday Asuku, announced the suspension in a statement on Tuesday.

Tompolo described the military aircraft crash as a painful and monumental loss to the Nigerian Armed Forces and the country, saying the affected personnel paid the ultimate price in the line of duty.

He expressed condolences to President Tinubu, the Nigerian Armed Forces, the government and people of Ondo State, as well as the families, friends and colleagues of the deceased.

The movement said the sacrifice of military personnel who risk their lives to protect the country would not be forgotten.

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It also commended the Nigerian Air Force, Nigerian Navy, first responders and local residents who participated in search and rescue operations at the crash site despite the difficult terrain.

The PBAT movement called on the military authorities to conduct a thorough and transparent investigation into the cause of the crash and ensure that lessons from the incident are applied to prevent similar tragedies.

The suspension comes shortly after the movement intensified its nationwide grassroots mobilisation for Tinubu’s 2027 presidential campaign.

The PBAT Door-to-Door Movement had, in recent days, held mobilisation activities in states including Yobe and Taraba, with its leadership urging Nigerians to support the continuation of the Tinubu administration’s policies.

The movement was founded by Tompolo and inaugurated its national executive in July 2026 as part of efforts to mobilise grassroots support for Tinubu ahead of the 2027 election.

The campaign suspension means planned political mobilisation activities will be put on hold for one week as the movement joins Nigerians in mourning the military personnel killed in the Ondo NAF crash.

The Nigerian Air Force has said an investigation is underway to determine the circumstances surrounding the accident. President Tinubu has also declared three days of national mourning for the victims and ordered a thorough investigation into the crash. (State House Abuja)

Tompolo’s PBAT Movement Suspends Campaign Over Ondo Military Crash

Politics

2027: Ajaero Questions Tinubu, Atiku, Obi’s Economic Approach, Highlights Adebayo’s Ideas

Published

1 day ago

October 5, 2026

Trends Admin

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero

2027: Ajaero Questions Tinubu, Atiku, Obi’s Economic Approach, Highlights Adebayo’s Ideas

President of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Joe Ajaero, has questioned the economic positions of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, while saying the ideas of Social Democratic Party (SDP) presidential candidate Adewole Adebayo deserve serious attention ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

Ajaero made the comments during an interview with Seun Okinbaloye on Mic On, where he was asked about the economic policies of Atiku and other leading figures in the 2027 race.

Rather than focusing solely on Atiku’s economic proposals, the NLC president highlighted the positions of Adebayo and Accord Party presidential candidate Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, saying he had examined their ideas and was willing to listen to them.

“I have looked at Gbenga Hashim’s position and I think he’s an expert to an extent. I also looked at Adebayo. I may listen to them,” Ajaero said.

He subsequently contrasted the economic approaches of Adebayo and Olawepo-Hashim with those of Tinubu, Atiku and Obi.

“Peter Obi, Atiku and Asiwaju, they all have the same position and they have shown that they are market people from far right,” he said.

Ajaero’s remarks have drawn attention to the economic debate ahead of the 2027 election, particularly as issues such as inflation, fuel prices, electricity costs, unemployment, wages and declining purchasing power remain major concerns for Nigerians.

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Adebayo, who is contesting the 2027 presidency on the SDP platform, has built his campaign around social democracy, increased domestic production, job creation and a stronger role for government in providing public services and expanding economic opportunities.

The SDP candidate has also made energy reform a major part of his campaign, arguing that high energy costs and inadequate electricity supply continue to constrain households, businesses and industrial production.

His policy blueprint, Farewell to Poverty and Insecurity: Governance & Accelerated Development — Blueprint of a New Nigeria, 2027–2031, proposes mechanisms for monitoring government performance through measurable targets, periodic assessments and implementation milestones.

Adebayo has also advocated greater emphasis on domestic production, with the argument that Nigeria must reduce its dependence on imports and foreign exchange while strengthening local industries and productive capacity.

Olawepo-Hashim, whom Ajaero also mentioned, has similarly made energy and industrialisation central to his economic programme. His proposed Energy First agenda focuses on increasing domestic energy production, expanding refining capacity and reducing energy costs.

Ajaero’s comments do not amount to a formal endorsement of Adebayo or Olawepo-Hashim for the 2027 presidential election. Rather, the NLC president said their economic proposals were sufficiently different from those of the politicians he discussed to warrant further engagement.

The intervention comes as political parties and presidential candidates increasingly position their economic policies at the centre of the 2027 campaign, with competing proposals on fuel pricing, taxation, electricity, wages, industrialisation, employment and social protection.

For the NLC, which represents organised labour and has been at the forefront of debates over wages and the impact of economic reforms on workers, the direction of the next administration’s economic policy is expected to remain a major issue ahead of the election.

With the 2027 political contest gathering momentum, the competing economic visions of the presidential candidates are likely to face increased scrutiny from organised labour, businesses and voters as parties intensify their campaigns.

2027: Ajaero Questions Tinubu, Atiku, Obi’s Economic Approach, Highlights Adebayo’s Ideas

Politics

2027: Soludo Govt Accuses Peter Obi Of Plot To Destroy APGA

Published

1 day ago

October 5, 2026

Trends Admin

2027: Soludo Govt Accuses Peter Obi Of Plot To Destroy APGA

The Anambra State Government has declared former governor Peter Obi and his Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) a threat to the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) ahead of the 2027 presidential election, urging APGA supporters to resist the opposition party.

The state government made the declaration in a message issued through its New Media office on Monday, accusing Obi of working to weaken the party that gave him the platform to become governor of Anambra.

The government described its message as a “betrayal alert” to APGA supporters, alleging that Obi had been seeking to undermine the party since leaving it in 2014.

It urged party members in the state not to be swayed by Obi’s current political influence, arguing that APGA remained the political platform responsible for his emergence as governor.

The government said, “Since 2014, Obi has had one mission: to destroy the party that made him,” while calling on APGA members to defend the party ahead of the 2027 elections.

The development comes amid an increasingly tense political relationship between Obi and the administration of Governor Chukwuma Soludo.

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Obi governed Anambra from 2006 to 2014 on the APGA platform before leaving the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). He later joined the Labour Party, under which he contested the 2023 presidential election, before becoming the presidential candidate of the NDC ahead of the 2027 election.

The former governor remains an influential political figure in the South-East, particularly in Anambra, where his 2023 presidential campaign recorded strong support.

The Anambra government’s latest position also comes against the backdrop of APGA’s alignment with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu ahead of the 2027 presidential election.

The state government has previously defended its relationship with the President and maintained that supporting Tinubu does not conflict with APGA’s interests.

However, Obi’s emergence as the NDC presidential candidate has created a new political challenge for APGA, particularly because of his longstanding influence among voters in Anambra and the wider South-East.

The NDC has rejected the allegations against Obi, accusing the Soludo administration of attacking the former governor because of concerns about his popularity.

NDC Director of New Media and Strategic Communications, Theo Abu Agada, described the state government’s position as political blackmail and maintained that the party was confident of its prospects in the 2027 election.

The latest exchange has further widened the political divide between the camps of Peter Obi and Chukwuma Soludo, with both sides increasingly positioning themselves ahead of the 2027 presidential contest.

For APGA, the emergence of Obi and the NDC presents a particularly sensitive political challenge because of the former governor’s history with the party and his continued influence in Anambra.

The 2027 election is therefore expected to produce a major political contest in the state, with APGA seeking to retain its influence while Obi’s NDC attempts to convert his personal support base into wider electoral backing.