Politics

2023 Presidency: Rivers PDP Reveals Amaechi’s Preferred Candidate

Published

3 years ago

February 20, 2023

Editor

The Peoples Democratic Party Campaign Council in Rivers State has alleged that a former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, is working secretly for the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar.

This is as the state PDP campaign council said it had identified Amaechi as a member of the “wicked cabal” punishing Nigerians with the current fuel and naira scarcity.

The Director of Publicity and Communications, Rivers State PDP-CC, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, stated this in a statement issued in Port Harcourt on Monday.

Nwuke challenged Amaechi, a former Governor of Rivers State, to deny that he was not part of those making life unbearable and a nightmare for citizens.

He further alleged that Amaechi recently reconciled with members of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council in the state and has since been working secretly and holding meetings with Atiku and others in the cabal.

The statement partly read, “Nigerians have been forced to go through the eye of the needle in search of money with which to meet their daily needs and feed their families.

“Unknown to most Nigerians, the vicious cabal that has made it a duty to inflict pain and suffering on the rest of us has done so deliberately in order to influence the outcome of the forthcoming elections.

“As a political party, we have gathered credible intelligence which supports the view that the leader of the APC, Rt. Hon Rotimi Amaechi, is a member of the cabal that has caused the naira crisis as well as the fuel scarcity and brought untold hardships on ordinary Rivers people and other Nigerians.

“Only recently, he reconciled with members of the presidential campaign council in Rivers State as part of the carefully woven plot. We equally know for certain that he has been holding secret meetings with the PDP presidential candidate.”

Continuing, Nwuke said, “We challenge the former Minister of Transportation to deny this fact. Let him deny that he is one of those that are working with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at this time to undermine the genuine aspiration of the people of southern Nigeria.”

He dismissed claims made by the APC governorship candidate, Tonye Cole, that Governor Nyesom Wike was making moves to join his party through the back door.

He said the comment attributed to Cole had portrayed him as a political neophyte, saying if Wike had such plan, he would dished the PDP a long time ago.

“The governor has maintained a principled position that he will not leave a party that he helped to build. The stance of Governor Nyesom Wike since the crisis erupted in the party at the national level is well known.

“He has publicly maintained a principled position that he will not leave a party that he helped to build. That position has not changed.

Thugs disrupt Rivers APC rally, destroy vehicles, canopies
“Wike has insisted that he and members of the G5 would remain in the PDP in order to ensure that the tenets which made the party a destination of choice are not destroyed by power mongers and selfish politicians who have little faith in the unity and stability of Nigeria.”

The statement stressed that Wike was “going nowhere” and had “no plan today, tomorrow or in the near future” to defect from the PDP to the APC “through the front or back door.”

“Given his rabid comments,” the statement continued, “Cole has demonstrated a poor understanding of how politics works. This explains why many in the state, including politicians, think that he is an outsider.

“We believe that the APC candidate is a poor judge of circumstances, permanent interests and intervening variables in the polity which shape the present as well as the future of states and nation-states.

“From all indications, candidates of the Rivers PDP are poised to win on February 25th and again on March 11, 2023. And Rivers people who support our great party and its leadership are working tirelessly to ensure that victory is won.

“We see his comments pertaining to Governor Wike as the product of a political neophyte whose intentions as a Southerner bear huge question marks.”

But in a swift reaction, the Amaechi-led APC in the state described the PDP and Governor Wike as “confused and clueless”.

The state APC Publicity Secretary, Darlington Nwauju, pointed out that all their allegations against Amaechi had collapsed like a pack of cards.

Nwauju stated, “Nigerians can now see through the web of lies, evil machinations and sophistry of the clueless PDP administration in Rivers State as the continuous campaigns of calumny against former Governor Amaechi keep falling like a pack of cards.

“Not too long ago, Governor Wike who is the leader of the faction of PDP in Rivers State that authored these false claims, was seen on live television boasting that the former transportation minister no longer has access to Aso Rock Villa.

“Today, the same faction of the PDP shamelessly names the former Governor as a member of the cabal.

“Should we take such persons seriously? Nigerians can easily see through these tantrums as claptraps by failed politicians who have made wrong political permutations and are now struggling to point fingers.

“Even the author of the statement does not believe in what he signed off.”

Related Topics:#Rotimi Amaechi Rivers PDP

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Politics

BREAKING: 17 ADC Reps Follow Join NDC

Published

3 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

About 17 African Democratic Congress, ADC, lawmakers in the House of Representatives have defected to the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC.

This was disclosed by Speaker Abass Tajudeen on the floor of the House on Tuesday.

Tajudeen also announced the defection of Leke Abejide from the ADC to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Lawmakers who defected to the NDC include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande and Munachim Umezuruike.

Others are Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene and Abdulhakeem Ado.

This comes barely a day after former presidential candidates Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso defected from the ADC to the NDC.

Obi and Kwankwaso have pledged to continue their pursuit for a better Nigeria in the NDC.

Politics

JUST IN: Why I left ADC For NDC With Kwankwaso – Peter Obi Opens Up

Published

23 hours ago

May 4, 2026

Editor

A former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has given reasons why he resigned from the African Democratic Congress, ADC, to join the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, alongside a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

In a long post on X on Monday, Obi insisted it was not out of anger or ambition.

Rather, he said the move is a continuation of the quest to build a new Nigeria.

Obi wrote: “Yesterday, I formally joined the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), alongside my dear brother, Engr. Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, with one clear purpose: to continue the struggle for a new Nigeria built on justice, competence, accountability, and compassion for the ordinary Nigerian.

“As I stated yesterday, this decision was not made out of anger, personal ambition, or convenience. It came after deep reflection on the present condition of our nation and the urgent need to rescue Nigeria from the dangerous path it is currently heading.

“Over the years, I have remained steadfast in my conviction that politics should never be about individuals, positions, or personal gain. It must be about the people, especially the millions of Nigerians who today can no longer afford necessities, whose businesses are collapsing, whose children are losing hope, and whose future is becoming increasingly uncertain.

“I left the ADC for the same reason I left the Labour Party: the severe, orchestrated litigation and internal crises deliberately designed to ensure that I, alongside many other notable individuals, do not effectively participate in the electoral process. I sincerely appreciate and remain deeply grateful to the Leadership of ADC for the opportunity to work together in pursuit of a better Nigeria. I am particularly grateful to ADC Chairman Senator David Mark for his exceptional Leadership. I also deeply appreciate my Leader and elder brother YE, Atiku Abubakar, as well as other respected leaders within the party.

“As we join the NDC, I sincerely appeal to the Nigerian Government against the encouragement of unresolved litigations and the infusion of crises within political parties. Democracy must never become a weapon against the people. A healthy democracy thrives on strong institutions, credible alternatives, and the freedom of citizens to make choices without intimidation, manipulation, or fear. Opposition parties must not be weakened or destroyed, because when democracy loses balance, the people ultimately suffer.

“Nigeria today is passing through one of the most difficult periods in its history. Poverty is rising. Hunger is widespread. Insecurity continues to threaten lives and livelihoods. Businesses are shutting down daily. Our young people are becoming discouraged, and many citizens have lost faith in the system. At a time like this, leadership must be driven not by propaganda or division, but by competence, capacity, character, and compassion.

“Our decision to join the NDC is therefore not an abandonment of values, but a continuation of the same mission we have always stood for: building a Nigeria where leadership is about service, where public resources are managed responsibly, where institutions function independently, and where every Nigerian, regardless of tribe, religion, region, or social status, can live with dignity, security, and hope.

“I remain committed to working with all Nigerians of goodwill across political, ethnic, and religious lines. The task before us is bigger than any individual or political party. It is about the future of our children and the survival of our dear nation.

“I thank Nigerians, especially our youths and women, for remaining peaceful, resilient, and hopeful despite the enormous challenges confronting the country. I urge you not to lose faith in Nigeria. Nations do not change because people surrender to hopelessness; they change because people continue to believe, continue to sacrifice, and continue to stand for what is right.”

Politics

Peter Obi, Kwankwaso Formally Join NDC, Warn Members Against Litigation

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2026

Editor

Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has warned party members to steer clear of any form of litigation that can plunge the party into chaos ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking in Abuja on Sunday after he was formally joined the party alongside the former governor of Kano State,

Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso , the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party(LP), urged members to embrace dialogue in the interest of the party

“Please let there be no litigation. Party members, please don’t go to court. We want to build a party, we are not lawyers,” he pleaded.

The two political figures were received into the opposition party on Sunday at its national secretariat in Abuja.

Earlier, Obi had announced his exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while Kwankwaso had indicated he was engaged in “wide-ranging consultations” with the NDC.

The National Chairman of the party, Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, presented membership cards to both leaders at the event.

Speaking afterwards, Kwankwaso said their engagement with NDC stakeholders was driven by a shared vision and ideological alignment.

“We came to discuss with stakeholders of the party and found that our ideologies and beliefs are largely the same,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to register with the NDC ahead of the deadline for party membership registration, stressing the need for broader participation in the political process.