Politics

24 Hours After Atiku’s Ekiti Rally, PDP Factions Trade Blames Over Division

Published

3 years ago

January 18, 2023

Barely twenty-four hours after the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar held his presidential campaign rally in Ekiti State, factions in the local chapter of the party are trading blames on the success or otherwise of Tuesday’s rally.

The rally was boycotted by former Governor Ayo Fayose, seven out of nine National Assembly candidates, many House of Assembly candidates and other leaders who are aggrieved over the current situation in the party.

The division in the party came to the fore during a radio programme on Wednesday monitored by DAILY POST in which the PDP Publicity Secretary in the state, Mr. Raphael Adeyanju and one of the media handlers of Fayose, Mr. Omotoso Okeya appeared as guests.

While Adeyanju claimed that the Atiku’s campaign rally in Ekiti “was a huge success,” Okeya, countered that the rally “was nothing to write home about as the division in the party which was responsible for its loss in the last governorship election was yet to be addressed.”

Faulting Adeyanju’s claim that the presidential campaign rally was a success, Okeya revealed that Fayose, seven National Assembly candidates and many House of Assembly candidates boycotted the rally because they were held in contempt by the party’s leadership who believed that “they were not important in the party.”

Okeya also disclosed that many party faithful especially those in Fayose’s camp shunned the rally because they were shortchanged by the national leadership of the party in arriving at the choice of the Presidential Campaign Committee (PCC) members and the way and manner funds were disbursed for the exercise.

The ex-governor’s loyalist added that admittance of Social Democratic Party (SDP) members into the PDP and giving them roles in the local PCC has been creating bad blood within the local chapter, having not shown remorse for working against the party in the last governorship election which contributed to a woeful third position at the poll.

But Adeyanju countered by holding Fayose and his loyalists responsible for the dismal performance of the PDP at the 2022 governorship poll accusing the former governor of “selling out the party to the opposition.”

The Ekiti PDP spokesman said the party had no choice but to make overtures to members who defected to SDP to return to their former party to make it stronger ahead of the forthcoming general elections and avert another poor performance if it goes into the election in its present state.

Adeyanju said the SDP members were accepted back into the party on the strength of the fact that the party came second in the governorship election noting that the return would strengthen the PDP for a strong showing in the forthcoming polls.

Okeya fired back by saying it would be foolhardy for anyone to believe that the SDP members would be working for the PDP when their party (SDP) has presidential, National Assembly and State Assembly candidates like PDP insisting that their interest would be in the flag bearers of their party.

He said: “There was nothing to celebrate about the (Atiku’s) rally of yesterday (Tuesday). Apart from former Governor Fayose, out of nine National Assembly candidates, only two were there while seven of them were conspicuously absent so it was not only Fayose that was not there.

“Absolute majority of the candidates were not there and that’s one thing you need to understand. I found it extremely difficult why some people are deceiving themselves, why some people are celebrating the presidential rally. Is presidential rally the ultimate?

“We could still recollect what happened during the last governorship election, the PDP lost woefully when we should have sat down. We should have ruminated over the likely causes of that poor performance. Then we can now ask ourselves have we addressed some of the reasons led us to that poor performance? The answer is no.

“The lingering crisis in the PDP has not been resolved, the PDP had not identified the problems that made the party to come a distant third at the last governorship election. Comparing yesterday’s rally with the one held in 2019, you will see that it was nothing to write home about.”

Adeyanju said: “I agree that we have factions in the party, we have identified the crisis and we are trying to solve it. Do you know that our votes were divided into two in the last governorship election in the state?

“The people who felt aggrieved by the management of our party broke away to the SDP and we thought that if we had allowed them remain in that SDP, there was no way any of our candidates can win the forthcoming elections.

“Those who are in APC are still in APC and the majority of our party members are in SDP. Are you telling me that the remaining people in PDP can still win elections for your candidates at the grassroots level? The fact is that we need those people (in SDP) to come back home so that we can recover the votes that we lost the other time.

“That is what we have just done that those who went to SDP, we need to call them together so that we can have a common front. Are you telling me that with the present state of PDP without SDP members, can we win the election? We need to bring them back and if we have done that, what wrong have we done?”

Politics

Use Edo By-election As Template For APC’s Victory In 2027, Idahosa Urges Residents

Published

21 hours ago

August 7, 2025

Editor

Deputy governor of Edo State Hon Dennis Idahosa, has urged the people to show their readiness to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 general elections by using the House of Representatives bye-election scheduled for August 16 as a template.

Idahosa hinged his call on the fact that Governor Monday Okpebholo had shown his readiness for governance within a year in office and deserved to be supported by the people.

The deputy governor stated this when the APC campaign team birthed at Uhiere, Okokhuo, and Isiuwa, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of the state.

According to him, the Ovia Federal Constituency bye-election is for the people to show “capacity” and nothing more.

“The Executive Governor of our dear state, and my Principal, Monday Okpebholo, by the grace of God, through your support, has promised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 2.5 million votes.

“The efficacy of that promise starts on August 16 with the Ovia Federal Constituency bye-election.

“This is not a normal election, it is an election to show capacity. The results you give to Omosede unlocks the key to accessing the dividends of democracy.

“The margin of winning is important. This is why we are all here to convince you to ensure that we get at least 70 percent votes from the registered voters in this area,” he stated.

The deputy governor who led the APC team for the campaign said the party’s candidate, Hon Omosede Igbinedion, had the capacity to entrench the dividends of democracy to the area.

At Isiuwa, NIFOR Community, Idahosa praised the people for making the area an APC stronghold.

He said he was not there for the campaign but to introduce their daughter to them and asked them for their support to the party’s candidate for the bye-election.

Similarly, Idahosa also appealed to the people of Okokhuo community for support.

Omosede who was full of praises in visited wards, said “this is the first time, in a long while, since 2015, I am here with a broom, a symbol of development and advancement.

“You know, the umbrella is tattered and scattered, and you know the PDP has fallen. I am grateful to you all who took the time to be here.”

She told the people to hold her accountable for every campaign promise she made.

Politics

2027: Jonathan May Get Automatic Ticket, If… – PDP

Published

1 day ago

August 7, 2025

Editor

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is reportedly considering offering former President Goodluck Jonathan an automatic ticket to contest the 2027 presidential election, if he returns to the party and plays a more active political role.

This was revealed by Daniel Woyengikuro, the PDP’s National Financial Secretary, during an exclusive interview in Abuja. Woyengikuro emphasized Jonathan’s continued influence within the party and the nation’s politics, describing him as the PDP’s national leader.

“Is he not the best candidate for us at this moment? He is not just a former president; he is the leader of the party now. Aside from [former President Olusegun] Obasanjo, the next person in line is him. Goodluck Jonathan is the national leader of this party,” Woyengikuro said.

He confirmed that the PDP has been consulting with Jonathan and his associates, aiming to bring him back into the party’s mainstream leadership as part of a larger strategy to reposition the party and address Nigeria’s growing political and economic challenges.

“Nigeria has reached a point where we need to salvage this country — for our generation and for those to come,” Woyengikuro added. “When we talk about the Southern Presidency, someone like Goodluck Jonathan stands out.”

When asked directly if the party would consider granting Jonathan an automatic ticket, Woyengikuro responded emphatically:

“For me, that’s what I firmly stand for. You can quote me anywhere — I want him to come. An automatic ticket for him, as it stands now. Because we must salvage both this party and the nation.”

He further asserted that Jonathan’s return would significantly reshape the political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.

Woyengikuro also praised Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, calling him a “vibrant leader” and a strong candidate from the South capable of bridging Nigeria’s generational divide.

“These are the two main individuals I stand for: Goodluck Jonathan and Seyi Makinde,” he concluded.

The PDP is expected to intensify its internal consultations in the coming months as it prepares for the 2027 general elections.

Politics

PDP Announces National Convention Zoning Committee Inauguration Date

Published

1 day ago

August 7, 2025

Editor

The People’s Democratic Party, on Wednesday, announced that the inauguration of its National Convention Zoning Committee will take place on Thursday, August 14, 2025, as part of preparations for its 2025 Elective National Convention.

The party invites key stakeholders to a significant event aimed at shaping the party’s future leadership structure.

This is contained in a press release by PDP’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, on the party’s official X account.

The inauguration is scheduled to start at 12:00 pm WAT at the NEC Hall, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.

The event will bring together PDP governors, members of the Board of Trustees, the National Working Committee, the National Executive Council, serving and former National Assembly members, as well as other key stakeholders.

“This is to formally inform and invite all our governors, BOT, NWC, NEC, serving and former NASS members, and all our stakeholders to the inauguration of the National Convention Zoning Committee (NCZC) of our great party,” the statement read.