Politics

PDP governors’ Ghana parley fails to break zoning deadlock

Published

2 years ago

February 18, 2022

Efforts to end the disagreement over the zoning of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential ticket in next year’s election by its governors failed to yield fruit at a retreat in Ghana earlier in the week.

They returned from Accra, the Ghanaian capital yesterday after failing to reach a consensus on the contentious issue.

The meeting took place between Tuesday and Wednesday and the governors were split along the North-South divide at the meeting.

It was leant that Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal insisted on going for the ticket.

He declined a proposal that he should accept to be running mate to a Southern candidate.

There were indications that the governors ruled out the chances of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in the race for the ticket.

The governors decided to take the meeting to Ghana when they gathered in Yenagoa for the second anniversary of Bayelsa State Governor Duoye Diri on Monday.

They subsequently travelled to Accra.

Although Tambuwal was not in Yenagoa, he joined his colleagues at the Ghana meeting.

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Other governors at the meeting, according to sources, are Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa).

It was learnt that Governor Emmanuel’s interest in the presidential ticket came to the fore at the meeting.

A source said: “These governors used Diri’s anniversary as a shield to sneak into Ghana for a crucial meeting on zoning in anticipation of the release of timelines for primaries by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

“At the meeting in Accra, the Southern governors insisted on power shift to the South in 2023.

“From their talks, ex-VP Atiku was ruled out as the party’s candidate in 2023.

“But some of them offered Tambuwal the Vice Presidential slot which he rejected.

“At the end of the day, there was no consensus on any of the presidential aspirants either from the North or the South.

“It was at the meeting that some of them realised that Governor Emmanuel might have shown interest in the presidential race.

“There was mutual suspicion that more PDP governors from the South have presidential aspirations. So, the situation is still dicey in PDP.”

An aide to one of the governors confirmed the meeting to our correspondent.

There was disquiet in Atiku’s camp over the meeting.

Security and intelligence agencies were said to be probing the governors’ motives for relocating to Ghana for the meeting.

The agencies were acting on clues that there might be more to it.

However, Governor Wike dismissed insinuations that the opposition governors’ trip was to pick the party’s presidential and running mate for the 2023 election.

According to him, those behind the rumour were out to sow the seeds of discord and to ruin the chances of the PDP in the next general elections.

In a statement by his Special Assistant, Media, Kelvin Ebiri, the governor said he and his colleagues had been inundated with calls to confirm a text message circulated by a chieftain of the party that some governors embarked on a weeklong trip to Europe to determine the party’s candidates.

The statement quoted Wike as saying: “I have always said to people in PDP, nobody should cause a division among the governors.

“We are trying as much as we can to build the party back and see that in 2023 PDP takes over governance.

“I don’t understand where he gets this information, this rumour that governors travelled to Europe to decide who will be the presidential candidate and vice-presidential candidate of PDP.

“I wonder why governors will travel to Europe to take such a decision.”

The statement linked the source of the ‘misinformation’ to one of Atiku’s key men.

Wike said though the governors have nothing anyone campaigning for the 2019 PDP presidential candidate and former vice president, stalwarts should be circumspect and desist from causing a crisis in the party.

“Don’t destroy other people because of this, because when you destroy them it will be difficult for PDP to win election in 2023,” Wike said.

The governor urged Atiku, whom he described as a well-known political strategist, to caution his men against spreading dangerous rumours that could divide stakeholders.

Yesterday, the United Kingdom High Commissioner to Nigeria, Catriona Laing said they are interested in the 2023 election.

Laing said: “We look forward to seeing how much this election matters. Nigeria has been on a democratic journey since 1999. And that, in itself is something to be very proud of.”

The Nation

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Politics

Senate in rowdy session as lawmakers quarrel over sitting arrangement

Published

20 hours ago

April 30, 2024

Trends Admin

Senate in rowdy session as lawmakers quarrel over sitting arrangement

The Senate broke into a rowdy session on Tuesday after three senators engaged in a heated argument over arrangement of seats.

Danjuma Goje, senator representing Gombe Central, and Sahabi Yau, senator representing Zamfara North, expressed displeasure over the seats assigned to them.

They complained to Opeyemi Bamidele, the majority leader.

The Senate is currently using its refurbished chamber, two years after renovation began on it.

According to the standing rules of the upper legislative chamber, senators should sit in order of rank.

The Easter and Sallah recess was postponed to accommodate the completion of the renovation of both chambers of the national assembly.

However, while Senate President Godswill Akpabio read his welcome address, the heated argument among the three senators began.

It was learnt that Goje and Yau, sitting on the second row on the right side of the aisle, did not like the seats allocated to them by the senate committee on services.

Sunday Karimi, senator representing Kogi west, is chair of the senate services committee.

The four-term senators subsequently insisted that they should have been assigned seats on the front row on the extreme right — opposite the row of the majority leader and the deputy senate president.

After the argument, Kawu Sumaila, senator representing Kano South, called for a “point of order” which was ignored.

Thereafter, Bamidele moved a motion for a closed-session.

Politics

Ganduje drums support for Tinubu, says no vacancy in Aso Rock 2027

Published

20 hours ago

April 30, 2024

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Ganduje drums support for Tinubu, says no vacancy in Aso Rock 2027

National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, says members of the opposition are trying to discredit the Bola Tinubu-led administration in their desperation for Aso Rock in 2027.
He however declares that there is no vacancy in Aso Rock in 2027.

Ganduje said the administration of President Tinubu had been contending with accumulation of many years of neglect, policy summersaults and other disjointed decisions by previous administrations.

The APC national chairman gave the position while addressing supporters and support groups at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja.

Ganduje urged the APC supporters and groups to be committed to the party so that it could continue to forge ahead.

He said the leadership of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) and its chieftains were afraid, having been defeated in the last general election and already foreseeing another defeat.

Ganduje said the NNPP elements were now engaged in a propaganda campaign against the leadership of APC.

He said, “They are so afraid because we are consolidating. They are so afraid all over the country because we are receiving new entrants into our party. That is creating fears in their minds.

“They are already eyeing 2027, but at that time, there is no vacancy. Only our President, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, will, Insha Allah, continue as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

Ganduje claimed the leadership of NNPP and its chieftains in Kano State were sponsoring protests and campaigning for his removal as APC national chairman.

Politics

Another PDP bigwig dumps party

Published

2 days ago

April 29, 2024

Trends Admin

Dr Cosmos Ndukwe

Another PDP bigwig dumps party

Dr Cosmos Ndukwe, one of the key opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidates for 2023, has resigned from the party.

This is stated in a letter written by the former Deputy Speaker of the Abia State House of Assembly to the Chairman of his Item C Ward in Bende Local Government Area, which was copied to the party’s State Chairman, Hon. Asiforo Okere, and the Acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum.

The former Chief of Staff to the Governor and Commissioner for Works under ex-Gov. Okezie Ikpeazu claimed “personal reasons, current commitments, and aspirations” in his decision to leave the PDP.

He praised the party for providing him with the opportunity to enter the political spotlight and wished it success in the state.

The letter posted on his Facebook page on Monday morning read, “I hope this letter finds you well. It is with a heavy heart that I compose this correspondence to tender my resignation as a member and stakeholder in the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Abia State, effective immediately.

“My decision to resign as a member within the party stems from personal reasons and reflections on my current commitments and aspirations.

“After careful consideration, I have come to the conclusion that potting out of PDP is the best course of action for me at this time.

“I am immensely grateful for the opportunities that the PDP has afforded me during my tenure as a Councillor, Deputy Chairman Local Government, Chief of Staff to Executive Governor of Abia State, Deputy Speaker Abia 6th House of Assembly and Presidential Aspirant PDP 2023.