PDP supporters shout 'Atiku Atiku' at G-5 govs rally for Makinde – Newstrends
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PDP supporters shout ‘Atiku Atiku’ at G-5 govs rally for Makinde

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2 years ago

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Aggrieved five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors, popularly called G-5, were on Thursday embarrassed by the shout of ‘Atiku, Atiku’ from the crowd of party supporters at a rally organised by the G-5 in Ibadan, Oyo State.

Atiku Abubakar is the PDP presidential candidate for the February 2023 election.

The Thursday’s forum was the official launch of Oyo State Governor Seyi Makinde’s second-term bid.

The governors had fallen out with their party’s leadership over the outcome of the presidential primary that produced Atiku. Thus, his name was, obviously, the last thing they wanted to hear among their supporters at Thursday’s rally.

Thisday reports that when supporters were asked to vote other candidates of the party, to the exclusion of the former vice president, the crowd at Mapo Hall, Ibadan, venue of the rally, reacted swiftly in open resistance.
The deafening cries of “Atiku” was a major blow to the G-5, comprising Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom, Abia State Governor Okezie Ikpeazu, Makinde, and Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

And contrary to the widely held belief that the five governors were working against the main opposition party, Ortom said the group was still committed to the party.
He said they were working round the clock to ensure that PDP won all elections in their respective states.

In Abia State, PDP supporters in Ikpeazu’s hometown, affirmed their backing for Atiku, in yet another blow for the dissenting governors.
But in Rivers State, Wike finally approved Atiku’s campaign in the state after an initial resistance.
The G-5 governors, who were all in attendance at the Ibadan rally, in their separate remarks at the re-election campaign tagged, “Omituntun 2.0: Sustainable Development,” were silent on the candidate to support in the forthcoming presidential election.
The Ibadan rally was well attended by party members from within and outside the state, hundreds of thousands of citizens, howeverIn his speech at the rally, Wike, who is the leader of the G-5, said, “Vote for Seyi, vote for the House of Representatives, vote for the House of Assembly. The other one, Seyi, would talk to you. No be so?”
But in response, the crowd started shouting, “Atiku, Atiku, Atiku…” Even when Makinde mounted the podium and tried to douse the strong opposition chants by shouting “PDP”, the response from the crowd was “Atiku, Atiku, Atiku…”
However, Ortom said the G5 governors and other members of the party working with them in the integrity group were “committed members of the PDP in their various states” and would work to ensure that candidates of the party in their states were elected in the forthcoming polls.
The Benue State governor stressed that the problem of PDP at the national level was being prolonged by the failure of the party’s leadership to deploy its internal conflict resolution mechanism to settle issues that arose after the national convention.Ortom was full of praises for Makinde’s commitment to the development of Oyo State. He expressed optimism that the people of the state would return him for a second term.
He thanked the people of Oyo State for their support for PDP and Makinde, pointing out that their massive turnout at the campaign flag-off was an indication that the election in March was a done deal for the party.Ortom said the G5 governors’ decision on the presidential candidate to support would be made public “at the appropriate time”. He declared that apart from the presidential election, the G5 governors would work for all PDP candidates in the 2023 general election.
The Benue State governor stated, “We have challenges with our national leadership. They have failed to resolve the internal crisis in the party arising from the party’s national convention. We shall make our resolve on this known at the appropriate time.”Ortom asked the people of Oyo State to compensate Makinde with their votes for his good performance in the past three years and seven months by reelecting him in the March 11 election.
Wike, on his part, said the people of Oyo State should await the directive of Makinde on who they should vote for in the February 25 presidential election. He said as far as he was concerned, there was no other political party in Oyo State apart from PDP.The Rivers State governor said the only way for the people of the state to appreciate Makinde was to vote for him.Makinde, in his remarks, appreciated the people and party faithful for entrusting the destiny of the state to him. He assured that more development projects and programmes will be witnessed in the state if he was reelected for another term of four years.
Makinde said he jerked up the state’s internally generated revenue from about N1.7 billion to N3.8 billion as at November last year. He promised to do more for Oyo State and its people if reelected, saying he has fulfilled all his campaign promises in his first term.He stated, “In my first term, I promised you the following on agenda Omituntun 1.0 known as accelerated development: economic prosperity, education, improved infrastructure (Awotan, Akobo, Moniya/Ijaye Road), GSM salary date, safe and secure environment (Amotekun), gainful employment with total fulfillment.“My second term will be towards total socio-economic upgrade in the state. This is formally known as the Omituntun 2.0, a sustainable development.”
The PDP supporters in the hometown of Ikpeazu avowed their support for Atiku.
Earlier, the PDP governorship candidate in Abia State, Prof. Uche Ikonne, visited Atiku and pledged loyalty to him.
PDP supporters in Obingwa Local Government Area said they had not only adopted, but also vowed to deliver Atiku in next month’s election.
According to them, party remains supreme in everything, hence, they have no option than to support the party’s standard bearer as party faithful.
In a campaign video, addressing party faithful and stakeholders at Abala Primary School, the chairman of PDP in Obingwa, Seth Agomuo, declared the loyalty and unflinching support of the party members for Atiku.
Agomuo said PDP in the council would give their block votes to all the party’s candidates in the different elections.
He said, “As a party chairman, and a true party man here in Obingwa, I want to clarify something. As far as I’m concerned, and a true party man, candidates have emerged after contested primary elections, such candidates now belong to the party and the party will support them.
“That’s the truth. I’m a true party man. Whether you love the candidate or hate him, that doesn’t matter as long as he emerged from a primary election conducted by the party.
“So, as far as I’m concerned and as far as I’m the PDP chairman in Obingwa, we shall only vote for PDP candidates, from Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to the Senate, House Representatives, governor, and state House of Assembly.
“We are PDP and that’s our stand. We’re Igbos, but our party comes first before any other thing.”  The G-5 governors had vowed that Atiku’s presidential bid would not get their full support unless the party’s national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu vacated his position for a southerner, to ensure equity in the party hierarchy.

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Damagun writes INEC to conduct by-election for 27 vacant Rivers assembly seats

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18 hours ago

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November 26, 2024

By

IIiya Umar Damagum

Damagun writes INEC to conduct by-election for 27 vacant Rivers assembly seats

Few days after governors on the platform of the Peoples Democracy Party (PDP) handed down an ultimatum for things to change in the party, the Acting National Chairman of the party, Umar Damagun has moved against the FCT Minister and his loyal lawmakers, the 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

Damagun in a letter addressed to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) dated 13th November 2024 and released on Sunday by the spokesperson of the Opposition Lawmakers Coalition, Ikenga Ugochinyere urged the electoral umpire to conduct a bye-election to fill up the 27 seats, they vacated to join the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Wike has been accused of being behind the crisis in the PDP over his disagreement with the Rivers State governor, Sim Fubara, his successor.

The crisis which started over control of resources divided the party in the state with 27 lawmakers in the state assembly siding Wike and defected to the APC following Wike’s acceptance to serve in the government of the APC.

He has also been accused of working in cahoots with Damagun to damage the PDP by not organising the National Executive Committee which would lead to the acting Chairman’s ouster.

After a series of agitation, the latest being from the PDP Governors’ Forum over the weekend, Damagun has demanded that INEC conduct elections as soon as possible, apparently moving against the FCT minister.

He argued in letter titled, ‘DEMAND FOR IMMEDIATE CONDUCT OF FRESH ELECTION IN 27 STATE CONSTITUENCIES OF RIVERS STATE WHICH HAVE BECOME VACANT PURSUANT TO SECTION 109(1)(g) OF THE CONSTITUTION’ that it’s “unlawful” for the 27 members to defect.

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The members defected to the APC on December 11, 2023.

Damagun said, going by provisions of the Constitution, the lawmakers are no longer members of the Assembly.

The PDP acting chairman therefore urged the Commission to perform its constitutional duties and begin the process of conducting fresh elections to fill the vacancies created in the 27 state constituencies by the unlawful act of the former Assembly members.

Parts of the letter read, “The Leadership of our great party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) wishes to draw the attention of the Commission to the gross violation of Section 109 (1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) by 27 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly following their unlawful defection from our Party, the PDP who sponsored their elections to the All Progressive Congress (APC) on Monday, December 11, 2023.

“The Commission may recall that our Party, the PDP nominated all our 32 State House of Assembly candidates in Rivers State for the 2023 General Election on the 7th of July 2022 via your electronic candidate election nomination portal (See attached acknowledgement).

“The Commission may also recall that following the nomination, the Commission conducted election into the Rivers State House of Assembly on the 18th of March, 2023 and our Party won 32 seats in the state Assembly. The elected State House of Assembly members were inaugurated and sworn-in on June, 2023.

“However, on Monday, 11 December, 2023 a period of just six (6) months after inauguration, 27 out of the 32 members publicly announced their defection from our Party to the All Progressive Congress (APC). This defection is a gross violation of Section 109(1)(g) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (As amended).

“The only two grounds of division and merger provided for in the Constitution that permit such defection are completely non-existent in our political Party. It therefore means that the defections of the 27 members are without lawful excuse and these members have vacated their seats in the Rivers State House of Assembly by the operations of Section 109(1)(g) of the 1999 Constitution.

“In view of the foregoing, we hereby demand that the Commission performs its constitutional duties and begin the process of conducting a Fresh Election to fill the vacancies created in the 27 State Constituencies by the unlawful act of the Assembly members. Find attached the list of the 27 State Assembly Members and their Constituencies.

“While thanking the Commission for its commitment to deepening democracy in our country, please accept the assurances of our highest regards.”

Damagun writes INEC to conduct by-election for 27 vacant Rivers assembly seats

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Nigeria would have been better under Peter Obi, too much nepotism under Tinubu – Senator Abaribe

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20 hours ago

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November 26, 2024

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Nigeria would have been better under Peter Obi, too much nepotism under Tinubu – Senator Abaribe

 

Nigeria would have been better than what it is currently if Peter Obi, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), had won the 2023 elections, the senator representing Abia South, Enyinnaya Abaribe, has said.

Abaribe, who spoke on ‘Politics Today,’ a Channels Television programme, on Monday, said Obi would not have been as nepotistic as the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

“Number one, he would not be as nepotistic as this government; he won’t; it’s not in him. That is just who we are; we feel for the other people.”

The lawmaker called attention to Tinubu’s appointment of four ministers from Ogun alone, noting that many other states have just one.

“I say it, and I don’t think so. We are seeing it everyday. I just gave you one example. How can Ogun state have four ministers? Why does he favour Ogun state? Oyo state has only one minister,” Abaribe said.

”The nepotism of Buhari, which nobody followed, has now deepened under President Tinubu because Buhari did it, and nobody said much. I was the only person shouting.”

He said that rather than waiting for presidents to be fair to the people of the south-east, it is high time people of the zone went back to revamp it, make it more livable, better, and more cohesive.

“It’s obvious that if we continue to look at whoever becomes president, they will look at us and do us right. Apart from Obasanjo and maybe Jonathan, I do not think that we have seen that same type of fairness,” he said.

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Lagos 2027: Seyi Tinubu campaign team releases his life documentary

Published

2 days ago

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November 25, 2024

By

Seyi Tinubu

Lagos 2027: Seyi Tinubu campaign team releases his life documentary

Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, has been tipped for the seat of Lagos governor in the 2027 governorship election.

This was according to a video making the rounds on various social media platforms, which Peoples Gazette saw on Sunday.

The video highlights the president’s son’s biography, focusing on his education, career, and humanitarian activities as a Nigerian. It also documents his involvement in youth development in the country.

This biopic comes on the heels of some groups’ endorsements of Mr Tinubu’s son as a potential successor to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu in 2027.

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On Tuesday, the Coalition of Nigerian Youth Leaders issued an endorsement in Owerri, Imo, suggesting that the younger Tinubu would be welcomed to contest the governorship seat in Osun or Imo.

He was also endorsed by Friends of Seyi, a group emphasising his vision and intellectual wherewithal to govern the country’s commercial nerve.

APC chieftain Joe Igbokwe, however, described the gale of endorsements as a ploy to undermine the president in a Facebook post.

“Who are these faceless people pushing Seyi Tinubu for Lagos governor? This is a needless distraction,” said Mr Igbokwe. “To pull PBAT down is their target. Ruling Lagos is not the job of boys.”

Lagos 2027: Seyi Tinubu campaign team releases his life documentary

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