Politics
SDP chairman, excos dump party, declare support for Jandor
The Lagos State Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Miss Dabiraoluwa Adeyinka, and some other state executive members have dumped the party and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Adeyinka, leading about 15 other party executives to the main opposition party on Monday, said that the decision was based on personalities with the tickets of the PDP in the state.
According to her, the group consulted widely before settling for the PDP, having considered the reality on ground.
She said they also considered some personalities in the party like Ms Funke Akindele, the Lagos PDP Deputy Governorship Candidate.
” We are proud of this and find it convincing. We find a lot of attractions in PDP.
“The likes of Funke Akindele are a role and model for us. She likes us as youths, she is accessible and a young mind, who has impacted the system in Nigeria by creating employment for Nigerian youths.
“She (Akindele) is doing wonderfully well and she is a sellable youth. She is a voice for the women and a voice for the Nigerian youths.
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“She (Akindele) is motivation even without meeting her in person. We want to join force with an entity like that,” Adeyinka said.
Adeyinka added that the group was also attracted to PDP because of the likes of Mr Wellington Bankole ( Banky W), the PDP House of Representatives’ candidate for Eti-Osa Federal Constituency.
“Those are people we want to reckon with because for Nigerian youth to be able to speak and make impact, we have to come together as one force. We need a force to change status quo.
“We want a Lagos for all not for a few. We want a Lagos that works for everyone. We want to kill the system of godfatherism that puts our lives in danger.
“We need to find the right direction, we have a torchlight in PDP. Not because it is PDP, but because we have people of like minds like Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran and others there.
“We were not paid to do this or under pressure., It is high time for Nigerian youth to get involved.
“We want to be able to elect people into office because they merit it not because the system put them there,” she added
Receiving the decampees at the PDP candidate’s Liberty House in Ikeja, Mr Philips Aivoji, the Lagos State PDP Chairman, expressed delight with the defectors and commended them for their courage and conviction.
“I appreciate your courage. You have come to the right party. I thank you for identifying with our candidate. What I can assure you is that there is no level you cannot aspire to in PDP.
“We have broken the jinx of godfatherism. Let others rise up and join us and rally round PDP together to rescue Lagos,” Aivoji, who handed the party flag to defectors, said.
Also speaking, the Lagos PDP Governorship Candidate, Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran, noted that there was an alignment between his aspirations and those of the defectors.
He urged them to hit the ground running to rescue the state.
Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, said that he was committed to bringing a breath of fresh air in the state governance, and making the wealth of the state work for all and not some individuals.
“This is the way to go. It is about time we did it differently so that we can get different results. We need to combine forces together and confront the status quo,” he said.
Adediran immediately appointed Adeyinka as one of his campaign spokespersons in the state.
Some of the excos who decamped along with Adeyinka include Mr Akinbode Oluwamayowa (State Secretary) Mrs Motunrayo, Olajitan, (Chairman, Alimosho LGA) and Mrs Perpetual Kamsi (Organising Secretary).
Others include Mrs Tolulope Osundeluse (Woman Leader), Mrs Oluwakemi Balogun (Assistant Secretary), Mr Micheal Egberinde (Youth Leader), and Mrs Mariam Oba (Youth Leader Alimosho LGA).
Politics
Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election
Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that he does not know if he will contest the presidency in 2027.
Atiku made the remark in a yet-to-be-aired interview for a television show, Untold Stories, with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, scheduled for broadcast today but exclusively obtained by Daily Trust.
The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently announced the formation of a coalition of opposition leaders to wrest power from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
However, there has been widespread speculation about who will lead the coalition and emerge as its presidential candidate, with former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, being considered among its key figures.
When asked if he would be running for the presidency in 2027, Atiku said: “I don’t know because there has to be, first of all, a viable platform, more than any other time in the political history of this country, particularly since the return of democracy.”
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Atiku, who has run for the presidency a record six times, did not rule out the possibility of contesting again in 2027.
“I have not seen Nigeria in dire need of, you know, an experienced and credible leadership than this time.
“We had a similar, you know, what would I say, merger in 2014. About four of us or is it three? We all ran for president and one of us emerged, and we all supported the one who emerged, and he won,” he said.
He agreed with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s assertion that Nigeria’s democracy is deteriorating, saying the situation is “very dire.”
“No doubt about that,” he said.
Atiku also expressed his disappointment with the country’s political leadership.
“The next generation after me, many of them had been governors, had been senators. Instead of me to see an improvement in the level of governance at the state level and so on and so forth, I don’t see it. So I feel a little bit distressed.”
Atiku also questioned the credibility of the current legislative leadership, especially as it relates to the National Assembly’s ratification of the state of emergency in Rivers State
“I am not surprised,” he said, alleging that they are corrupt.
Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election
Politics
Africa’s democracy is govt by small for small number of people – Obasanjo
Africa’s democracy is govt by small for small number of people – Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advanced reasons for what he called abysmal failure of democracy in Africa.
According to him, African presidents work with a clique and wield enormous powers with little or no resistance from perpetuating illegalities and abuse of office.
The ex-President said the democracy being practised in Africa does not aligned with the people’s values, culture, and way of life.
Obasanjo said spoke on Monday at a colloquium in Abuja to mark the 60th birthday of Emeka Ihedioha, a former governor of Imo State.
The former Nigerian leader, who chaired the event, referencing Abraham Lincoln’s definition of democracy as “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” said the system should work for all citizens rather than a privileged few.
He however wondered if African countries are practising true democracy or only adopting Western Liberal democracy.
He said, “If you are talking about democracy failing in Africa, democracy in Africa has failed. And why has it failed?
“Because in context and in content, it is not Africa. It does not have any aspect of our culture, our way of life, what we stand for, what we believe.
“Today, we have democracy, which is the government of a small number of people, by a small number of people over a large number of people who are deprived of what they need to have in life. That is not democracy that will endure.
“It is ‘I am because I can grab.’ What sort of democracy brings you, and you grab everything and then illegally, corruptly, and you say go to court? When you know that even in the court, you cannot get justice.
“It’s not that democracy is failing, democracy is dying and if we are going to make democracy not to die, we have to look at democracy in the context and in the content of Africa. I hope that we will get to that stage so that democracy which will deliver will be the democracy that we will have in Africa.”
Obasanjo was Nigeria’s military ruler from 1976 to 1979 and democratically elected president from 1999 to 2007.
Politics
Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau
Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau
Former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has cast doubt on the ability of a newly formed opposition coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
Shekarau described the alliance, which includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, as a gathering of individuals with personal political ambitions rather than a structured and unified opposition front.
His remarks came just two days after the coalition’s formation was announced, with the stated goal of challenging Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Dr. Sule Yau, Shekarau remarked, “This is just a gathering of certain individuals with political ambitions; none of them has officially consulted their party leadership.”
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He further argued that a coalition featuring prominent figures does not necessarily equate to an effective political alliance.
“The coalition of opposition figures is a good development, as seen in their recent meeting under what they call an opposition alliance. However, none of the key figures involved represents their party leadership,” Shekarau stated.
Emphasizing the legal framework for political mergers, he pointed out that only registered parties could formally unite, making the recent gathering an informal arrangement rather than an officially recognized coalition.
Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau
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