Politics

2023: Anxiety Heightens In PDP Over Wike’s ‘Defection Plan’

Published

4 years ago

August 13, 2022

More than two months after the Presidential primaries of the Peoples Democratic Party, the controversies that followed the exercise are yet to die down.

At the center of the controversies is the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike who was defeated at the primaries by the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar.

Wike, a first time contender at presidential elections polled 237 votes which were, however, not enough to secure him the ticket against Atiku Abubakar who scored 371 out of the 746 valid votes.

A dramatic withdrawal of former ally to Wike, Aminu Tambuwal for Atiku Abubakar was believed to have whittled down the chances of the Rivers State governor at the convention.

Addressing delegates at the convention, Gov. Wike had pledged to support anyone who emerged as winner at the primaries.

In his words, “Today, anybody who emerges here I will support the person to the fullest because I’m a committed party person, because I love this party, because since 1998 I have been in this party.

“I will work for this party, I will not go anywhere, this is my party”.

With the latest crisis within the PDP, Wike appears to have reneged on the promise he made at the convention.

The matter worsened after the presidential candidate of the PDP overlooked Wike and chose Delta State governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate.

During his interview on Arise TV, Atiku explained his reasons for his choice of Okowa as running mate.

He noted that he chose whom he believes he can “work with amicably” and somebody that can “deliver”.

The comments of Atiku seemed to have caused more harm than good which led to Gov. Wike’s outburst on his arrival from Spain at the Port Harcourt International Airport where he accused Atiku of telling “lies” during the interview.

Since he lost out in securing the PDP’s presidential ticket and vice presidential candidacy, Gov. Wike had received a large number of visitors at his home in Port Harcourt, including Governors from the ruling All Progressives Congress.

This has fueled speculations that he may be on his way out of the PDP.

Again, his perceived closeness to the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu has also given rise to rumours that he may eventually work for the victory of Tinubu against his party’s presidential candidate.

In a recent outburst, a former Wike’s ally and former Rivers South East Senator, Lee Meaba criticized Gov. Wike for lining up a majority of “Tinubu men” for project commissioning in the middle of campaigns.

Meaba said, “In the middle of our campaign, you line up Tinubu’s men, why do you line up Tinubu’s men? In the middle of our campaign, you are highlighting APC and Tinubu above our own candidate”.

At the commissioning of legislative quarters in Port Harcourt on Friday, Gov. Wike boasted that he will perform very well in any political party he finds himself in.

“Take me to the Labour Party, YPP anywhere I will perform,” he said.

Speaking at the event, the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila, who was the special Guest of Honour made overtures to the Governor to join the APC with certain words that many could interpret as “pregnant”.

In the words of the Speaker, “in politics, there is no permanent friend, there’s no permanent enemy but only permanent interest.

“And this journey that you have started, that you and I know; shall be permanent.”

At the tail end of his speech, the Speaker reiterated his earlier calls by even persuading members of the Rivers State House of Assembly to join Gov. Wike when he makes the move.

He said, “I congratulate the Speaker, Right Honourable Ibani and all the members of the Rivers State House of Assembly.

“I believe that when the governor finally chokes them, the members of the State Assembly will be coming with him to where he is destined to be.

“We await you, your Excellency and very eagerly too. Do not let anybody intimidate you, at the appropriate time you will tell them”.

On Wednesday, at the flag-off of the Illoabuchi-Azikiwe road construction, a former Governor of Ondo State, Olusegun Mimiko appeared to be begging Governor Wike not to leave the party.

He said, “all well-meaning Nigerians therefore know that we badly need to unite our nation to be able to effectively confront our security and economic challenges.

“Your Excellency, our party, the PDP, a party that you have laboured so much since, saddled with the historical duty of forging this unity, a unity premised on truth, equality and justice, a unity upon which rescuing Nigeria from the unsatisfactory performance of the seven years of the APC will be built. It is a mission that must be accomplished. A mission where you have been specially positioned and favoured to play a major role.

“You have undoubtedly done well for the PDP and I can assure you that the preponderance of PDP leadership and members know your worth.”

After Gov. Wike’s comments on arrival from Spain, the leadership of the PDP set up a meeting between him and Atiku in Abuja.

Subsequently, a reconciliation committee was set between the two parties to find ways of resolving the issues.

DAILY POST also gathered that one of the conditions given by Governor Wike’s camp for peace to reign is the removal of Iyorcha Ayu as the National Chairman of the party, which, however, a chieftain of the PDP, Bouch Nsirim loyal to Gov. Wike dismissed as an insinuation.

Speaking with DAILYPOST Nsirim said, “It is very important to state clearly that Governor Nyesom Wike has not told anybody that he wants the National Chairman of the party to resign, these are insinuations from different quarters”.

Few days after the meeting between Atiku and Wike, it appeared the peace talk may have suffered a setback after Senator Lee Meaba, an ally to the former Vice president, accused Governor Wike of “stopping them from campaigning for Atiku” in Rivers State.

Similarly there have also been feelers that the Atiku camp’s body language is such that it can do without the Rivers State governor for the election.

Bouch Nsirim, however, believes that the PDP cannot do without Governor Wike.

He said, ”anybody that is in the political scene, will know that the governor is an integral part of the PDP.

“It is clearly evident; the effort that he has made to ensure that the party survives.

“He is a major player and a major factor in the politics of Nigeria today.

“Like I have told anyone that cares to know, if you play with Governor Nyesom Wike, you are playing with the vote of Rivers people”.

Answering a question on what Governor Nyesom Wike wants for peace to reign in the party, Nsirim said, “what the Governor wants is mutual respect.

“You know that beyond being the governor of this State and being a participant in the just concluded primaries, the efforts he made in ensuring that the party survived is one that no one can jettison and so for me, I think what is ideal is for the presidential candidate to meet with him and sort out whatever issues”.

With the tone of Governor Wike during the commissioning of the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt on Friday, it appears the peace talks may have broken down.

The latest developments have left more room for assumptions that Gov. Wike may be working for the victory of the APC flagbearer, Bola Tinubu, especially with the very short comments he perhaps unintentionally made during his speech on Friday.

He said, “even the electorates, they are being deceived, “Muslim-Muslim, Christian-Muslim, native doctor-native doctor, is that our problem now?”

Perhaps, the governor quickly caught himself and added, “at the appropriate time, we will talk politics.”

DAILY POST

Politics

2027: NDC Unveils Electoral Committee Members For Primaries

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, has released list of Electoral Committee Members to Conduct primary election.

The exercise is for State House of Assembly, House of Representatives, Senate, Governorship and Presidential Primaries across all States in Nigeria and the FCT.

This was contained in a statement posted on its verified X handle on Thursday.

The party had provided updates concerning its upcoming Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship, and State Assembly primaries.

According to the party’s National Chairman, Moses Cleopas,
and Barr. Ikenna Alex-Morgan Enekweizu, National Secretary, the primaries are confirmed to take place across the nation on May 29, 2026, adhering to the previously established timetable of May 28 and 29.

Politics

APC: Fubara Has Been Treated Badly, It’s Dangerous For Tinubu – Otubanjo

Published

4 hours ago

May 28, 2026

Editor

The director of research at the Nigerian Institute of International Affairs, Femi Otubanjo, has said the treatment of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, in the just concluded All Progressives Congress’, APC, primary poses political danger to President Bola Tinubu.

Otubanjo stated this on Thursday while speaking on Arise Television’s Morning Show, where he also criticised the role being played by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, in the political affairs of Rivers State and the All Progressives Congress.

According to him, the handling of Fubara’s political crisis remains one of the most surprising developments in Nigeria’s political landscape.

Otubanjo further argued that Wike, who is not a member of the APC, appears to be dictating political activities within the ruling party in Rivers State.The research director warned that the current political arrangement in Rivers State could negatively affect Tinubu politically, insisting that Wike was pursuing his personal agenda rather than that of the president.

He said: “The treatment of Fubara must be one of the American wonders of Nigerian politics. Fubara has been badly treated. We have a situation in which Nyesom Wike who is not even in the APC is taking the primary decision in the APC. I hope the tactical team of President Bola Tinubu is not sleeping.

“The reality is that what they have done is very dangerous for Tinubu. What has emerged in Rivers today is that Wike is pursuing his own agenda, not Tinubu’s agenda inspite of PBAT and all of that combination.”

“If Wike really wants to pursue Tinubu’s agenda, he must retain Fubara.”

Politics

In Defence Of Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe: The Generational Shift Reshaping Edo Politics

Published

23 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

By DAN Osa-Ogbegie

For decades, Edo politics remained trapped within a narrow and predictable cycle of political recycling. The same ageing actors moved endlessly from one office to another, from one administration to the next, and from one political alignment to another, as though leadership in Edo State had become the exclusive inheritance of a permanent political aristocracy.

Meanwhile, thousands of intelligent, energetic, and capable young Edo people watched helplessly from the margins while opportunities for leadership, governance, party administration, and public service remained tightly controlled by individuals whose political relevance dated back several decades.

That unhealthy political culture is now gradually changing.

Today, one of the most important political transformations taking place within the All Progressives Congress in Edo State is the deliberate transition from recycled political gerontocracy to a younger generation of political actors. That transition is unfolding under the leadership of Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State and Leader of the APC in Edo State, together with the State Chairman of the party, Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Predictably, such a shift has unsettled entrenched interests.

Those who became accustomed to monopolising political relevance naturally feel threatened by the emergence of a younger generation that is increasingly assertive, visible, influential, and institutionally empowered. Yet, history teaches a simple lesson: no political structure survives indefinitely without renewal.

No serious political party can continue recycling the same exhausted political machinery forever while expecting innovation, grassroots energy, modern governance ideas, and long-term political sustainability.

That reality appears to be clearly understood by Governor Monday Okpebholo and Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Much of the criticism unfairly directed at Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe in recent times stems from the fact that he has become one of the visible faces of this generational transition within Edo APC. Beneath the noise, propaganda, and political bitterness lies an undeniable truth: the party is consciously opening spaces for younger people in ways not seen for many years.

From the youthful Deputy Chairman of APC in Edo State, Sylvester Aigboboh, to several younger commissioners, Special Advisers, members of the State Executive Council, board chairmen, local government administrators, and strategic appointees across government, the evidence of deliberate political renewal is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.

In Uhunmwode Local Government Area, Hon. Austin Imafidon has emerged as one of the young faces of focused governance and grassroots administration. Beyond politics, he has already established himself successfully in business, bringing into governance the mindset of productivity, enterprise, and modern administrative engagement.

In Etsako, Hon. Sunny Ekpeson has continued to attract national attention as the youngest ALGON Chairman in Nigeria, representing a clear departure from the era where local government leadership was treated as the permanent preserve of ageing political operators disconnected from younger demographics.

In Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Hon. Eric Osawaru represents another example of the younger political generation now entrusted with leadership responsibilities, while in Oredo Local Government Area, Engr. Gabriel Iduseri equally reflects the growing confidence being reposed in younger administrators within the APC structure.

In Owan, Hon. Aitalegbe Ernest, popularly known as “China Boy,” has also emerged as one of the prominent young political figures gaining traction as the incoming Chairman of the local government, further reinforcing the expanding generational transition currently taking shape across Edo State.

The same pattern is visible across government institutions and strategic agencies.

Pastor Stanley Dave Ighodaro, a successful entrepreneur with thriving business interests in Europe, now heads the Edo State Parks and Gardens Agency. His emergence reflects an increasingly important shift towards bringing professionally exposed and globally minded younger individuals into governance and public administration.

Similarly, Kassim Otono, who serves as Special Adviser on Oil and Gas to the Executive Governor of Edo State, represents another example of younger technocratic involvement within the present administration. His inclusion within such a strategic sector underscores the growing confidence being placed in younger professionals and politically aware technocrats within government.

This is how enduring institutions are built.

A political party that refuses to regenerate itself eventually becomes intellectually stagnant, structurally weak, and electorally disconnected from evolving social realities.

Governor Monday Okpebholo deserves commendation for recognising that governance in a rapidly changing society cannot remain permanently tied to political methods and leadership assumptions developed several decades ago. Contemporary governance demands adaptability, technological awareness, stronger grassroots engagement, administrative energy, and a deeper connection with younger populations.

Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe equally deserves credit for helping stabilise the party while managing this difficult but necessary transition process. Generational shifts are never easy within political systems historically dominated by established interests. Resistance is inevitable. Political resentment is expected. Internal anxieties naturally emerge whenever old monopolies begin to weaken.

Leadership, however, requires courage.

The recently concluded primaries further revealed this evolving direction within the APC. The emergence of candidates such as Rt. Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Osazee Igbinovia, Dr. Emmanuel Paddy Iyamu, Omosede Igbinedion, Sir Lucky Eseigbe, and Odianosen Okojie reflects a growing political philosophy that increasingly values capacity, grassroots relevance, contemporary appeal, and generational continuity.

Equally symbolic is the emergence of several young Acting Local Government Council Chairmen who are now candidates of the party in the forthcoming local government elections. That development sends a powerful message across Edo State that political participation is gradually becoming more accessible to younger people with competence, commitment, and organisational value.

For too long, many young people in Edo politics were reduced to political spectators, social media defenders, praise singers, or election-day foot soldiers while actual power remained tightly guarded elsewhere. Such a model was never sustainable.

A society that continuously sidelines its younger generation ultimately weakens its own political future.

The ongoing transition within Edo APC does not amount to hostility towards elders or experienced political actors. Experience remains valuable. Elder statesmen still possess institutional memory and political wisdom that younger actors can benefit from immensely. Mentorship, however, must never become political suffocation. Guidance must never evolve into permanent political domination.

Every generation deserves the opportunity to participate meaningfully in shaping the future it will eventually inherit.

That is precisely why the current direction of the APC leadership in Edo State deserves objective acknowledgement rather than emotional hostility.

Many of those attacking Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe today are not truly angry about party administration. Their deeper discomfort arises from the reality that political influence is gradually shifting away from old centres of control towards a newer generation of actors who may no longer depend entirely on traditional political gatekeepers for relevance or survival.

Societies evolve.

Political cultures evolve.

Leadership itself evolves.

No generation owns political power forever.

Ultimately, the future of Edo State cannot be built exclusively around recycled political veterans whose greatest political moments belong largely to the past. A forward-looking society must continuously create room for younger leadership, newer ideas, fresh administrative energy, and modern political thinking.

That future is already unfolding within the APC in Edo State.

History may eventually remember Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe and Governor Monday Okpebholo as central figures in the difficult but necessary political transition that began moving Edo away from recycled political dominance towards a broader and younger leadership culture capable of preparing the state for a different era.

Daniel Aroren Noah Osa-Ogbegie is a Benin based legal practitioner and public intellectual from Uhunmwode Local Government Area.