Politics

PDP on self destructive path, Wike warns

Published

2 years ago

August 17, 2022

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike

Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike has said that his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is toeing a self-destructive path ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Wike insisted that a party desiring to win the crucial poll could not on its own be causing problems for itself.

The Governor, who spoke on Tuesday while inaugurating a VIP Lounge built at the Port Harcourt International Airport by his administration, said some leaders were peddling rumours and gossip about him to the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

The Governor, who was accompanied by Bauchi Governor, Bala Mohammed, said instead of such leaders and elders of the party to return to their various States and set up strategies for the PDP to win, they were permanently in Abuja sponsoring gossip in the media against him.

“A party that wants to win an election cannot on their own be causing problems for themselves, carrying rumours when there is nothing”, he said.

Wike said it was the business of Atiku to decide whether he wanted to win the election or not and asked rumour peddlers to return to their states and work for the party.

He said: “We are busy campaigning with our projects on how our party will win election in the state, other people are busy in Abuja carrying rumours and gossip up and down.

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“We are busy here commissioning and inaugurating projects that will sell our party, others are busy every day in the newspaper talking about Wike and then they will call the candidate, ‘did you see what I have said about Wike today?’ They have no job.

“Instead of you to do something that will make your party win elections, you are only busy everyday on Wike said this. Where you heard from Wike, I do not know. Maybe in your dreams.

“You want to support the candidate but you are not at home. You are in Abuja. Come home and campaign and work for the party. Stop this Abuja politics of carrying rumours to the candidate.

“Only one person can be a Minister from the state. I will not be a Minister. I am not a liability. Rivers State is an asset. If you don’t want to win the election, it is your business I am not the one running an election. He who wears the shoes knows where it pinches him.

“So allow Rivers to keep doing what they are doing by using our projects to campaign to our people. Next few days we will be in Omagwa and Igirita to flag off the internal roads. We have done Isiokpo, we have almost finished Omarelu. We have finished Alu. These are the things we will use to tell the people see why you should vote for us.

“It is not the gossip and it is not appearing on television stations that will help you to win. It is what you have done. The report card you have”.

He said despite all the rumours, nobody had met with his camp adding that nobody should hope on only Rivers for votes.

He said: “Meanwhile nobody has met Wike’s camp if at all Wike has any camp. I am not a theoretical politician, I am a practising politician. If as a Governor I don’t stay in n Abuja, I don’t even sleep there, those people sleeping there, what are they doing there?

“Their business is to go home and talk to their people. Leave Abuja alone. You cannot be there to direct what is happening. Very soon we will know who can deliver his unit, his ward and local government and his state. But don’t think you will only hope on my own state. Everybody bring your own”.

The Governor, who was impressed with the local contractor that handled the VIP Lounge, said he had directed the Commissioner for Works to arrest some local contractors, who despite collecting 100 percent of their money, refused to complete their contracts.

He said instead of completing their projects, other local contractors would divert the money for personal use and begin to formulate excuses

Wike expressed concerns over the maintenance of the project saying instead of handing it over the Federal Airport Authority (FAAN), the state would partner with the contractor to work out modalities for its maintenance.

The Nation

Politics

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Published

2 days ago

November 13, 2024

Trends Admin

Peter Obi and Omoyele Sowore

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, recently shared his reasons for not forming a coalition with Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s candidate in the same election.

In his appearance on the Honest Bunch podcast, Sowore asserted that, in his view, Obi is similar to other Nigerian politicians, describing him as “better at packaging.”

Sowore explained that his own journey in politics began long before Obi gained national recognition, emphasizing his dedication to advocating for systemic change in Nigeria.

During the podcast, co-hosted by Nedu, Husband Material, Deity Cole, and Ezinne, Sowore highlighted his belief in challenging the status quo, which he feels differs significantly from Obi’s approach.

Sowore said, “Before you discovered Peter Obi, I was already running for president. All these shouts about Peter Obi… He just knows how to package. Anyone can do it.

“If I form a coalition with Peter Obi, I will be going against what I have always stood for, which is that I will never support a Nigerian leader who has held any political office — whether at the federal, state, or local level — if I consider them non-performing.

“It’s the same reason I would never have joined hands with Atiku. And the Peter Obi you’re talking about was a vice-presidential candidate to Atiku when I was a presidential candidate in 2019.

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“So, what are we talking about? There is no lesser evil in my book. If you are evil, you are evil. If you are good, you are good. I have a general disdain for non-performance.”

He added that there is no such thing as “emotional attachment” in his dictionary.

“There was a friend of mine who kept saying, he doesn’t care if Peter Obi is Igbo, but that it is the turn of the Igbos. But it is beyond that; I have a natural disdain for poor performance,” he explained.

Sowore insisted that while many may not know it, he knew Obi before and during his time as governor, and he backed him.

“I had always known and supported him and stood against his removal when (Olusegun) Obasanjo wanted to use Andy Ubah to replace him—the twists and turns then.

“However, when Peter Obi finished his term in Anambra, the question I asked him was whether he could send his child to any university he had built in Anambra—he was mute and could not respond.

“I also asked him if he could enter any hospital he built in Anambra, which he governed for eight years, even if it was for the slightest headache—there was also no response.”

Sowore went on to challenge the four anchors or any other Nigerians, saying, “If they can pack their bags and head to Anambra for a vacation.”

PUNCH Online reports that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress recorded 8,794,726 votes in the 2023 presidential election, followed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party who secured 6,984,520 votes.

In third place, Labour Party’s Obi garnered 6,101,533 votes, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party secured 1,496,687 votes.

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Politics

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2024

Trends Admin

Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

The Arewa Consensus for Jonathan, a political group in the North, has urged former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to enter the 2027 presidential race.

Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, is widely regarded for his role in fostering democratic growth and his relatively peaceful exit from power after losing the 2015 election.
Despite his exit from politics, his name has remained a focal point in discussions about Nigeria’s future leadership.

The group’s leader, Munir Musa, who made the appeal during a press conference in Bauchi over the weekend, emphasised that Jonathan’s return to office was crucial to addressing Nigeria’s pressing economic and security challenges.

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He argued that Nigeria, grappling with severe economic downturns and rising security threats, needs a leader with Jonathan’s experience and competence to restore stability.

“The nation is at a crossroads, and we believe that Goodluck Jonathan is the right man to steer us out of the current malaise,” Musa told reporters.

He expressed confidence that Jonathan’s leadership could heal the country’s deepening wounds and usher in a new era of progress.

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

Politics

Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov

Published

4 days ago

November 11, 2024

Trends Admin

Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa

Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov

Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political and cultural organization, has endorsed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.

Sehinde Arogbofa, a prominent Afenifere leader, announced the support at the Olubaka of Oka land palace, Oba Yusuf Adebori Adeleye.

Arogbofa expressed confidence in Aiyedatiwa’s leadership and encouraged him to follow the values and legacy of Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Ondo State’s first governor. “Afenifere stands firmly behind your mandate… Strive to make Ondo State great again,” Arogbofa said.

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Oba Adeleye, speaking on behalf of traditional rulers in Akoko South West Local Government Area, also endorsed Aiyedatiwa, citing his masses-focused policies and the governor’s initiative to allocate five percent of local government funds to traditional institutions as a demonstration of his commitment to their welfare.