Politics
Northern Groups Insist on Power Shift to the South-east
A coalition of over 45 civil society groups in the North under the umbrella of Concerned Arewa Civil Society Organisations of Nigeria has insisted that in the interest of justice, equity, fairness and national unity, the South-east region should produce the next president in 2023.
Addressing a press conference yesterday in Kaduna, the spokesman of the coalition, Abdulsalam Mohammed, said the North and the South-west have taken their turns in the power game.
Mohammed reiterated the stand of the group not to support any northerner as a successor to President Muhammed Buhari in 2023.
It warned that “any northerner contesting for the presidency will be regarded as agent of disunity and enemy of the country.
“Our hopes, dreams and prayers are for an Igbo man to emerge as president in 2023, more preferably, a private sector player, a technocrat and a de-tribalised Nigerian with rich experience in managing economy for peace, progress and prosperity.
“We have agreed to melt their interest in one port and insist on power to be transferred to the southern part of the country in 2023, and we call on our southern people to drive this opportunity and support their own and also respect power rotation after eight years.
“We reaffirmed our previous stand that we won’t support any northerner as successor to Buhari in 2023 for the sake of national unity.
“This will help to build trust and heal the wounds calling for the dismemberment of our dear country.
“We, therefore, categorically say no to any northern candidate, and should any northern candidate show interest, he or she will never get our support, as we shall frustrate such selfish ambition that we believe is even dead before arrival…”
According to Mohammed, since the return of democracy in 1999, the North and the Southwest have produced both the president and vice president of the country.
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He said Chief Olusegun Obasanjo from the Southwest served as president for eight years while the current Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, is also serving for eight years.
The group said the North has dominated the leadership of the country without anything to show for it in terms of development and quality of life of the people.
It noted that President Umaru Musa Yar’adua served a term before his unfortunate death and was succeeded by Dr. Goodluck Jonathan a minority for the South-south.
The group said the North also produced two vice presidents – Abubakar Atiku and Namadi Sambo-while the current president, Muhammadu Buhari, will complete eight years as president in 2023.
“Since the first republic, power is being rotated between the South and North.
“Unfortunately, in 2007 when power is shifted to the North after two years, God took the life of President Yar’adua of blessed memory, this created a vacuum and resulted to so much agitations by northern stakeholders that the North must complete their 8-year term as President Obasanjo did,” it stated.
It maintained that: “Since the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is supreme and has a way of succession and emergence of leadership, Jonathan as the vice president was constitutionally sworn in as president of Nigeria.
“In the heat towards the 2011 elections, many northern stakeholders agitated that power must return to the North, but for national unity and being that Jonathan a minority from oil-rich Niger-Delta region which had produced president of the country, our stakeholders in the North were advised to allow him to go for another four year term which will have completed his joined ticket with late President Yar’adua.”
Mohammed further stated that: “In 2015, after realising that Jonathan was not ready to relinquish power, Northern stakeholders, with the support of many progressive southerners, who believed in unity and fairness, truncated Jonathan’s second term bid and President Buhari was elected, and will complete his eight years tenure by 2023.
“There is wise saying that: ‘What is good for the goose is good for the gander’. It is important though it is not a law of Nigeria that we have to respect our integration, brotherhood and unity.
“It is for the sake of our national unity that we are standing today and declaring that power should be rotated to Southeast for the spirit of oneness, equity, justice, fairness and equal opportunities.”
THISDAY
Politics
PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum
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
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
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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