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2023: Why Speculations Of Jonathan Joining APC Won’t End Soon

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Ahead of the 2023 presidential election, insinuations are rife that President Muhammadu Buhari is secretly wooing his predecessor in office, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

Jonathan, it would be recalled, conceded defeat while official results of the 2015 presidential elections were yet to be announced; a development that fetched him national and global acclaim.

After a few months of throwing jibes at each other, particularly on how PDP allegedly mismanaged the affairs of the nation while in power, Buhari appeared to have made up with Jonathan.

The two have been regularly meeting at the Aso Rock Villa behind close doors.

To further fuelled the rumours, Buhari would time and again showered praises on Jonathan, saying his decision to throw in the towel saved the nation’s democracy.

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Although Jonathan is yet to address the speculations of his flirtation with the APC, Southern leaders have taken turn to counsel him against the move.

According to VANGUARD, stakeholders said doing so would not only tarnish his legacy, but would affect the chances of a President from the South staying beyond 2027, in the event that Jonathan falls for the bait and wins at the poll.

In the past few years, Jonathan did nothing to dismiss these speculations as he avoided PDP events.

The former President was not at the well-attended expanded national consensus meeting as well as the national elective convention in 2021.

Not possible — PDP

However, spokesman of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, in a chat with Vanguard, dismissed speculations linking Jonathan to the APC.

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While admitting that the former President had indeed been absent in PDP events in recent times, he insisted that proper apologies were sent given Jonathan’s international standing.

READ ALSO: Jonathan Meets Campaign Coordinators As Two Northern APC Governors Back 2023 Presidential Bid

His words: “We don’t want to join issues with a sinking party which continues to fool Nigerians all the time.

“This time, they are flying a kite that Dr. Jonathan is likely to join them.

“All I can say is that the leadership of the Dr. Iyorchia Ayu-led National Working Committee is reaching out to members of the party, including the former President, to join hands with it to help rebuild and rescue Nigeria.

“APC is a special duty vehicle invented to crash Nigeria on a purposeless journey called next level.

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“But we call on Nigerians to team up with the PDP to help win back the nation of our collective dream.

“I insist that we are not aware of our esteemed international statesman, Dr. Jonathan entering into any form of talks with the APC in a bid to join them,” he said.

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INEC Disowns LP’s National Convention

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The Independent National Electoral Commission has disowned Wednesday’s Labour Party‘s national convention held in Anambra.

The Chief Press Secretary to INEC Chairman, Mr Rotimi Oyekanmi, said this in Abuja on Thursday.

Oyekanmi said that the conduct of the convention was not monitored by INEC, declining to state further why it was not monitored.

The LP had on Tuesday shifted the national convention from Umuahia in Abia to Nnewi, Anambra State.

Speaking on the venue change, the LP National Legal Adviser, Mr Kehinde Edun, told newsmen that the party had duly informed INEC about the change in venue and date.

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READ ALSO: [BREAKING] Edo Guber: Labour Party Aspirant Withdraws From Race, Cites Monetisation 

No, it is holding in Anambra. Nnewi, to be precise, not Umuahia in Abia State again. In fact, Umuahia was not even the first venue we chose. Benin was the first choice before we changed to Umuahia and now Nnewi.

“So, we are at liberty to pick any venue of our choice. We only need to inform INEC about the change in venue and the time,” Edun said.

Section 82(1) of the Electoral Act, 2022 states that political parties shall give INEC at least 21 days’ notice of convention, congress, conference or meeting.

This includes the convention or meeting convened for “merger” and electing members of its executive committees and other governing bodies or nominating candidates.

(NAN)

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Labour Party Reserves 2027 Presidential Ticket For Peter Obi

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…Oti Gets automatic ticket for Abia Guber

The Labour Party’s highest decision making body, the National Convention, has announced it has reserved its 2027 ticket for the party’s leader, Mr. Peter Obi.

In the same breath, the party also announced a right of first refusal for the Abia State Governor, Alex Oti, should he decide to seek reelection on the party’s platform.

This decision was contained in a Communique issued after the party’s National Convention, held in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Wednesday.

It was signed by the re-elected National Chairman of the party, Comrade Julius Abure, and National Secretary, Umar Faruk Ibrahim.

READ ALSO: Abure Re-elected Labour Party National Chairman; NLC Kicks

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The communique read in part: “The Convention in session based on the antecedents of the Presidential candidate before, during and after the 2023 General Election recommend that the 2027 Presidential ticket of the party be solely reserved for His Excellency, Mr. Peter Gregory Obi, the National leader of the party.

“Furthermore, the Convention in session reviewed ongoing development and performance of its Governor in Abia state, His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti and pass a vote of confidence on him and recommend the 2027 Abia state Gubernatorial ticket of the party be reserved for His Excellency, Dr. Alex Otti.”

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Edo Guber: 17 Parties Beat INEC Deadline For Candidates’ Nomination

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Seventeen out of 18 political parties who conducted primaries for the forthcoming Edo State Governorship Election have beaten the deadline for the nomination of their candidates on the special portal of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

INEC National Commissioner in charge of Information and Voter Education Committee, Sam Olumekun, disclosed this in a statement issued Tuesday in Abuja.

He said, “Following the conclusion of party primaries, 27 political parties have uploaded their candidates’ nomination forms for the Edo State Governorship Election by the deadline of 6 p.m. on March 24, 2024, when the dedicated portal automatically shut down.”

According to him, the personal particulars of the governorship candidates and their running mates will be published on Saturday, March 30, 2024, a week from the last date for the submission of nominations as provided in Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act 2022.

READ ALSO: Edo 2024: Igbinedion Breaks Silence On Obaseki’s Handling Of PDP, Party’s Choice Of Running Mate

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The Commission shall publish the personal particulars by displaying copies of Form EC9 along with all academic credentials and other documents submitted by each candidate at the state headquarters and the 18 local government offices across Edo State.

“We appeal to Nigerians to scrutinise the documents. Any aspirant who participated in his/her party primaries with reasonable grounds to believe that the information provided by the candidate is false can challenge the nomination in a Federal High Court as provided in Section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022.

“The Edo State Governorship Election is scheduled to hold on Saturday, September 21, 2024,” he stated.

 

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