Wike, supporters ‘ll dump PDP if reconciliation fails, says Jerry Gana – Newstrends
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Wike, supporters ‘ll dump PDP if reconciliation fails, says Jerry Gana

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Professor Jerry Gana, a former minister of Information

• Fresh talks with Atiku’s camp deadlocked

Professor Jerry Gana, a former minister of Information said in Port Harcourt, that Wike and his backers “shall tell the people of Nigeria where to go “ if  reconciliation failed.

He spoke on a day fresh talks between representatives of the former vice president and those of Wike broke up without any concrete decision.

“We want to assure you that the problems we have in the PDP we shall resolve them. And if they are not resolved, this leader here, the governor together with all of us, we shall tell the people of Nigeria where to go,” Gana said while flagging off    the construction of a  flyover at the Mgbuoba, Ozuoba -Ada George Road in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area.

Gana said  PDP chapters in the North Central zone stood behind Wike to pick the presidential ticket of the party during the May primary in Abuja.

He said: “When I came earlier this year before we had our party primaries  on behalf of our people from North Central Nigeria, I asked you whether you could confirm the rumour we heard that one of your illustrious sons was preparing to preside over the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“You answered in the affirmative and we assured you then that if you came out we would support you solidly. I am to confirm that we stood by your son and our people delivered.

He said: “When I came earlier this year before we had our party primaries  on behalf of our people from North Central Nigeria, I asked you whether you could confirm the rumour we heard that one of your illustrious sons was preparing to preside over the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

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“You answered in the affirmative and we assured you then that if you came out we would support you solidly. I am to confirm that we stood by your son and our people delivered.

He said Wike was raising the status of Port Harcourt to  become an enduring investment destination and home for many because of the prevailing peace.

He said: “We love your son. He is a wonderful leader of truth. The man stands for justice, for equity, for goodness and we love him so much because he is also performing.

“He is delivering development projects for the people of Rivers State. In fact, we are very jealous that you have such a wonderful governor. One of the good things of the governor is that you have enjoyed peace and security under him.”

The  resolution of the two month face-off between Alhaji Atiku and Governor Wike appears not to be in sight after their latest peace talks broke up yesterday in Port Harcourt without any concrete decision.

The two sides merely agreed to advance discussions after about four hours of meeting behind closed doors.

Sources said the representatives of the two gladiators failed to sort out their differences.

From the Atiku camp at yesterday’s meeting were Adamawa State Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri; former minister Adamu Waziri and Mr. Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) PDP governorship candidate in the last election in Ondo State.

Wike was represented by a former Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Mohammed Bello Adoke; former governor of Cross River State,Mr. Donald Duke; former Governor of Ondo State, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko and former governor of Gombe State, Dr. Ibrahim Dankwambo.

Speaking to reporters at the end of the meeting,  Fintiri, said that talks were ongoing to achieve desired objectives.

He claimed that Nigerians were waiting patiently for the PDP to clinch power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.

He urged PDP supporters  to be patient saying  the committee would broker peace, unify the party and Nigerians.

He said: “We are aware that Nigerians are anxious and waiting for PDP to take over government in 2023. We have met as leaders, members of the same political family and we have opened discussion, work is in progress and we will continue.

“At the end of the day, we will broker peace and we will unify the party and Nigerians”.

Also speaking, Dr. Mimiko, said soon, unity would be restored in the party.

Mimiko, hinted that the committee would meet again to further deliberate on issues that needed to be addressed.

He said: “We have agreed that there is need for us to enhance unity within our party. This is a reconciliation process.There are some issues out there which need further deliberation when the committees meet again.”

Members of the committee were said to have later met with Wike at his private residence in Rumueprikom.

Only 24 hours before yesterday’s meeting,Wike threw a fresh jab at  those he said “are there in Abuja following their candidate to Adamawa.”

He then asked: “Is that where you win the votes?”

Adamawa is the home state of Alhaji Atiku.

He said: “I’m not a son to anybody,I’m a son of Rivers State and I’ll do what interests and benefits Rivers State.

“We’re here in Rivers State bringing in people from other parties to join PDP.

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“Some people stay in Abuja, ask them how many people they brought into the party. How many people have you brought in to support your candidate?”

And speaking at the flagging  off of the 12th flyover in Port Harcourt yesterday, Wike vowed to deal with persons irrespective of their party affiliations plotting to destabilise the state.

He spoke against the backdrop of the shut down of a hotel,a bar, and a filling station belonging to some PDP stalwarts in the state.

But Wike stressed that his administration had invested hugely in achieving the prevailing peace, and would not tolerate attempts to return the state to the dark days of insecurity.

He said: “Now, let me tell anyone who cares to listen, whether you’re in PDP, APC, you’re in SDP, you’re in Accord or any other party, if I catch you trying to breach the security in this state, you’ll go in for it.

“I will not allow anybody to destabilise this state. We have suffered insecurity and God has helped us together with security agencies to maintain peace. For me, whether it is true or not, I must make sure that I take action.”

Wike said, sadly most people did not take the warning issued in his last state broadcast seriously.

The governor said he earlier warned that any hotel or event centre where criminals, cultists  were allowed to gather to plot the breach of peace would be demolished.

He said: “So, if you know they’re using your hotel, or they’re using your drinking joint as where they’ll be holding meetings, think twice now.

“There is no amount of propaganda, if you like go to social media that they’re clamping down on you, that’s your business. I will not allow anybody to destabilise this state, because we have suffered insecurity and we have spent money.

“You can’t begin to arrange for cultists to meet in your event centres, or in your hotels. Pray that I don’t have any hint about that, if I do, I will bring down your hotel, I will bring down the event centre and I will arrest those people found there and I will prosecute them, heaven would not fall.”

The governor said it was not in doubt that Rivers was presently the only  state  that the PDP  was sure of delivering its gubernatorial candidate in the 2023 election.

He said: “This is because Rivers people are already at home with the PDP and its commitment to the development of the state.

“That is why we are proud to say this is the only state, for now  that PDP can be sure of returning its governorship candidate as governor.”

He explained that one of the reasons why the PDP was delighted to have chosen, Mr. Siminalaye Fubara, as its governorship candidate, was because he knew what was going on in government.

“Because you must be part of the system to understand the system to continue from where we are going to stop. Not people who just have the idea of wanting to be governor because they want to syphon our money. Thank God that we didn’t give them the ticket,” he said.

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

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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

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Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

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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

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Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov

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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.

“The Council of Obas has decided that Governor Aiyedatiwa is our candidate,” Oba Adeleye stated, pledging their support for Aiyedatiwa’s election campaign.

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