Rivers won’t vote for president along party lines, says Wike – Newstrends
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Rivers won’t vote for president along party lines, says Wike

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Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike

Party affiliation, ethnicity or religion will not determine the February 25, 2023 presidential election in Rivers State, Governor Nyesom Wike said yesterday.

He also listed equity, justice and fairness as the conditions for truce between the leadership of his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the aggrieved Group of Five (G5) governors.

Apart from Wike, other G5 members are: Samuel Ortom (Benue); Seyi Makinde (Oyo); Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Ifeanyi Ngwuanyi (Enugu).

They are asking Dr. Iyorcha Ayu to quit as PDP national chairman to pave the way for a Southerner to step in, arguing that Ayu (from the North) cannot hold on to the  position when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (another northern) is the party’s presidential candidate.

Wike spoke yesterday when former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiomhole inaugurated a flyover located in Rumueprikon, his country home in Obio-Akpor Local Government Area, Port Harcourt.

The flyover is the eighth implemented by the Wike administration in the state.

The governor said Nigeria was in dire need of unity, justice and equity, adding that the next election would not be based on party, ethnicity and religion.

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He said it was unacceptable for anybody to say people should not be voted for because they were not from a particular ethnic group or religion.

Wike said: “What we require in this country today is united, one Nigeria. This how all of us can see ourselves as one and how we can see ourselves as our brothers’ keepers.

“We need a Nigeria that all us can be proud of, that I will know that truly I am not a second class citizen, that the same right you have is the same right I have, the same opportunity you have is the same opportunity that I have. There is no need of saying if you are not from this place people will not vote for you. We don’t want that.

On the condition for truce, Wike clarified that the group of five governors fighting for inclusiveness in PDP will spurn any reconciliation not based on the principles of equity, justice and fairness.

He renewed their position that elective offices must be shared equally between the North and the South in the opposition party ahead of the 2023 general election.

Wike said: “People will praise you but the day you say no, they will oppose you. I am sure those of them in my party, before they cannot say anything without mentioning Wike. But now because I said let the right thing be done, I have now become an enemy. These are people who are praising me everything.

“And some people believe they won’t obey an agreement but we say it must be done. We stand for equity, fairness and justice. That is what the G5 will continue to preach. We have said we are not against reconciliation but it must be based on equity, fairness and justice”.

Rivers governor regrets supporting Obaseki, apologises to Oshiomhole

The governor expressed regret for supporting the re-election of Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki.

He apologised to Oshiomole for all his utterances in the run-up to the election of Obaseki for second term.

The Rivers governor, however, recalled that Oshiomhole, when he held sway as the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) vigorously opposed his relection in 2019, accusing the former Edo helmsman of deploying soldiers to frustrate him.

He said Oshiomhole’s ouster as the APC Chairman brought a lot of relief to opposition parties, describing the former chairman as tough and strong.

Wike said: “I use this opportunity to apologise to you. I came to Edo State to make sure your candidate didn’t win the election. I was virtually in charge of everything. And I said you wouldn’t win and you didn’t win. That assignment had been done and we now know who is who. I want to tell my people that I sincerely apologise to you. I want to sincerely apologise for all the things I said that time.

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“But you too, you peppered me here. During 2019 election, you sent all the soldiers, but the people stood firm and resisted it. So, you did me one and I did you one. So, we forgive ourselves. Now, we are friends. Let bygones be bygones. You did me, I retaliated.

“The Bible says when someone does you bad, you shouldn’t retaliate. But in politics, when someone does you bad, you retaliate because if you don’t retaliate, you don’t know whether you will survive the next one. Politics is not religion at all. If not that we were firm, your party needed this state badly.

“Your President has given us an award as the best in infrastructure. So, I don’t know again what you will use to campaign in the state again because I am carrying the certificate everywhere I am going to. So, you people should surrender. There is no need of campaigning in this state.

“People like you that had worked in your state are the people I invite to commission projects that impact on lives of the people. We know you, you always show strength and that is why when you were showing strength in your party, some people did not like it and they ganged up to remove you.

“Nigerians don’t like anything that is straight. They will find a way to circumvent it to make sure the person who is trying to do it is taken out. “But Gods time is the best. We were happy that you left because you were too strong. Anybody who watched you talk, sometimes the opposition did not know what to say again. So, the day you were removed, we thanked God because you gave us a lot of heat.”

The governor explained his choice of some key opposition leaders to inaugurate projects implemented by his administration.

He said no law stipulated otherwise, adding: “Party is like a conveyor belt. It is a vehicle to take you to your destination. You come down from that vehicle and focus on governance. Governance doesn’t know party. It doesn’t know ethnicity and it doesn’t know about religion. It is for everybody, those who supported you and those, who did not support you.

“Many people have been saying why am I inviting other people to come and inaugurate projects and I am not inviting people in my party. First, no law says I must only invite my party members to come and inaugurate my projects.

“When you invite other parties, they come and see really whether what they hear is correct. I am sure when Adams Oshiomhole goes back he will says all those things I heard, I went and saw and all are correct.

“In fact, tomorrow, Peter Obi is coming. He is not in my party. On Monday, Kwankwaso is coming.”

He said the eighth flyover and ninth flyover at Nkpolu-Oroworokwo that were awarded in July were all delivered at record time.”

He said: “This is the eighth flyover and the ninth flyovers will be commissioned tomorrow by Peter Obi. Last year June, July we flagged off the Nkpolu-Oroworokwo Flyover and the same period we flagged off this particular flyover. So within a year these two flyovers had been completed.

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“I want to say authoritatively that we are not owing a dime as far as this flyover is concerned. Before development there must be some discomfort. I have told the contractor to go and complete all other roads that had not been completed in my community before I leave office.

“This is my community, if I don’t do it now I don’t know who will do it. I don’t want to wait for my successor because he too has his community. Let me finish my community so that when he comes he will face his community. If everybody comes and work like that, the entire state will be developed.”

Inaugurating the project, Oshiomhole, distanced himself from any military invasion of Rivers during the 2019 election, saying he was never in charge of the armed forces.

He commended Wike for inviting him and some opposition leaders to inaugurate projects, saying that when he was the Edo governor, he invited Peter Obi to open some projects in his state.

Oshiomhole harped on the need for politicians to keep to their agreements and fulfill their promises.

Describing Wike as his Man of the Year for maintaining his steadfastness in demanding equity and justice in PDP, Oshiomhole said the governor merited the award conferred on him as best in infrastructures by President Muhammadu Buhari.

He said: “In a democracy, yes, we need political parties and we need to contest elections, but in doing so; when we make promises and people give us the benefit of the doubts, when the election session is over we should move away from politics to projects.

“Our is not very generous in praising people. He does not flatter people and that is why it took him seven years to confer his first national honours. He told me you don’t throw honours away. You have to honour people who rally merit it. You can see you are one of the very few and I think yours was particularly celebrated.

“The President Buhari finds in your person, in spite of your statements about his government, worthy of that honour as Mr. Project. I think Rivers people should be proud. Governor Wike has truly transformed this city. Even the worst critic will admit that Governor Wike has made a difference.

“You made a difference, not just in projects. I join you in saying that a country should not be governed by people who cannot be trusted; when politicians make statements, promises and agreements and refuse to obey them. When they default, they will say it is politics.”

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

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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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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

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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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