Politics

Anxiety In PDP Over Wike, APC Govs Meeting

Published

3 years ago

July 10, 2022

The decision of Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, to host some All Progressives Congress,APC, governors believed to be close associates of the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has sparked fresh anxiety in the Peoples Democratic Party,PDP.

It was gathered that while leaders of the PDP are haggling over how best to handle Wike and his supporters, especially among governors elected on its platform, the move by APC governors took “only a few” of them by surprise.

A member of the PDP National Executive Committee who pleaded anonymity so as not to “jeopardize fence-mending efforts,” said the party is bigger than every member.

He said: “PDP has been around since 1998. We have seen all kinds of members come and go.

“With due respect to everyone, membership of this party is by choice. We would like to have people on board, but we would be better off with those who believe in the cause of the party.

“I don’t think any sacrifice is too much for individual members to make for us to return to power in 2023.

“Yes, without doubt, Rivers State is one of our biggest strongholds and we have accorded and will continue to accord the state and its people the respect they deserve.

“But no individual can hold the party to ransom. Politics is about interest and our interest as a party now is how to win the next election to rescue this country we all love so passionately from the precipice the APC has dragged us to.”

Another top-ranking member of the party who spoke in confidence said: “Thankfully, our National Chairman has returned and we expect our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, to return after the Eid-el-Kabir festivities, I can guarantee you that we will meet and take appropriate steps to resolves all outstanding issues.

Asked if he was worried about the prospect of Wike and his allies jumping ship, the source replied, “of course, who won’t be worried? The 2023 election is just months away. We need all our committed members.”

A member of the PDP Board of Trustees, Maina Waziri, in an interview aired on Arise Television, on Friday, shed some light on some information available to party leaders on what some of Wike’s allies within the party’s fold were up to.

He pointedly accused one of Wike’s close associates, former Ekiti State Governor, Ayo Fayose of anti-party activities.

Waziri said: “The first culprit for the failure of the PDP in Ekiti is Fayose, who worked for the APC. We know he is already with (Asiwaju) Bola Tinubu to work for the APC.”

Speaking further he said: “I was in Turkey. I went to Turkey two Fridays ago for a long-

deserved holiday having gone through contentious preparations for the national convention.

“Five days after my arrival, we accidentally ran into one another with Governor (Nyesom) Wike, Gov. (Okozie) Ikpeazu and their entourage in the lift of the same hotel I was staying in.

“I was coming down, he was going up and it was a pleasant surprise. We exchanged banters and pleasantries with them and I jokingly told Governor Wike that ‘’God catch you, you’ve been avoiding me.’’ I said God has brought us together, let us use this opportunity to discuss and he agreed.

“Information at my disposal said Governor Makinde also came to Turkey to the same hotel and the three of them were locked in a meeting that went into the wee hours of the morning of Friday. We were not able to meet to discuss what will be newsworthy.”

Also speaking about calls by some elements within the party who had started a subtle campaign for the ouster of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, Waziri dismissed such calls.

He argued that the PDP is a party built on processes and procedures, noting that the era of one individual orchestrating the removal of the party chairman was gone.

According to him, the fact that the party held its primary and the outcome didn’t go a certain way was not enough reason to remove the chairman.

Maina said:”There is an understanding that should the President of the country of PDP extraction come from a region, the party chairman should come from another region.

“Have we got a President of PDP extraction? For us to go through the whole gamut of party leadership in the PDP, we are calling for another convention when we are five months to the election.’’

The PDP chieftain went down memory lane to trace Governor Wike’s role in the sack of two of the last three former chairmen.

Waziri said; “With due respect to Governor Wike, why should he be in the vanguard of changing the national chairman all the time? I’m a dedicated and committed party man like him. I have been in this party since 1998.”

Last Friday, some governors elected on the platform of APC as well as close political associates of Tinubu, held a closed-door meeting with Wike at his private residence in Port Harcourt.

Speculations are rife that the visit was in connection with plans by the APC to win Wike over.

Wike and his supporters are aggrieved following what they claimed was the conspiracy which not only denied Wike the party’s presidential ticket, but also the opportunity to emerge as running mate to PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

Lagos State Governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu led the APC delegation, which included Ondo State governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, former Ekiti State governor, Ayo Fayose, Governor Kayode Fayemi and Senator Olaka Nwogu among others.

VANGUARD

Politics

We May Not Have A Country If APC Retains Power In 2027 – El-Rufa’i Warns

Published

19 hours ago

August 3, 2025

Editor

Nasir El-Rufai, the former governor of Kaduna State, has issued a warning about Nigeria’s future, declaring that the country’s survival is at risk if the All Progressives Congress (APC) wins the 2027 general elections.

Speaking on Saturday, August 2, in Sokoto at a grassroots mobilisation rally for the opposition coalition led by the African Democratic Congress (ADC), El-Rufai made clear his intention to campaign vigorously against the ruling party.

“I’m not in politics to get anything for myself. I’m in politics to serve,” he stated.

“When the government does not serve the people, it is my duty as a senior citizen to come out and condemn it and take steps to reverse the situation.

“That is why we come together as people opposed to the policies of this government to form the coalition, which has resulted in the adoption of ADC,” he explained.

El-Rufai, a former key member of the APC, said he is committed to rallying Nigerians across the country to unseat the party, describing it as “incompetent.”

“We are in Sokoto to begin the process of mobilising Nigerians against the APC government anywhere and the federal government in Abuja,” he said.

“I believe that if we allow this party and the government to continue for a second term in office, what remains of Nigeria’s social capital will be destroyed, and we may not have a country at all. This is a fight for our lives.”

El-Rufai was once a founding figure of the APC but left the party in March 2025 to join the Social Democratic Party (SDP) following the Senate’s refusal to confirm his ministerial nomination, reportedly due to security concerns.

However, his time in the SDP was short-lived. The party expelled him and imposed a 30-year ban, citing alleged forgery of membership documents, among other accusations.

Now a leading figure in the opposition ADC, El-Rufa’i joins other prominent politicians in working against the APC ahead of the 2023 polls.

Politics

Opposition Will Collapse In Edo Before 2027, Says Okpebholo

Published

20 hours ago

August 3, 2025

Editor

Edo State Governor, Senator Monday Okpebholo, on Saturday, said there will be a total collapse of the opposition in the state ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He stated this during the flag-off of the campaign for the August 16th Senatorial by-election in Edo Central Senatorial District in Uromi.

He urged the candidates of the opposition parties to decamp to the ruling All Progressive Congress and join him in developing the State.

The governor was accompanied by the chairman of APC, Jarrett Tenebe, to receive decampees at the event. He expressed happiness that members of all other political parties are joining APC to ensure that development continues.

The decampees from PDP include Alhaji Esiwele Musa, Abraham Osazuwa, Sunny Ejie, and Robert Okoneme, amongst other PDP leaders across the 51 wards.

He said, “This is a test for 2027. I can tell you that 2027 is sure. Before 2027, there will be no opposition in Edo State anymore as all will join the APC because of the developmental achievements in the state.

“Hon. Joseph Ikpea will take over from me in the Senate. In this election, we will win five local governments out of five. We must win the entire 51 wards in the five local governments that make up the Senatorial District.

“I understand that it is only the candidates in the other parties that have not decamped to our party, the APC. I advise them not to waste their money but to join our party. If they give you money, take it and vote for the APC. The money is our money.

“We promised to give the President 2.5 million votes, and we are ready to deliver on our promises. We will not talk much because the election is a done deal. This is the first test for us as we do not have any opposition in the State anymore,” he said.

In his remarks, the Deputy Governor of the state, Dennis Idahosa, urged Esan people to support Okpebholo as he has brought development to the state due to his relationship with President Bola Tinubu.

He noted that the election is the first step to appreciate the president.

He said, “The President sees our Governor as his son, and the State enjoys the dividends of democracy. This is the first step to appreciate the governor and the president. We would not accept anything less than 90 per cent victory in the election.”

The APC party Chairman, Jarrett Tenebe, who presented the party’s flag to the party’s candidate in the Senatorial by-election, Hon. Joseph Ikpe,a encouraged him to ensure he continues from where the Governor stopped in the Senate.

He noted that the governor, as a Senator, brought development to the Senatorial District.

Presenting the party’s symbol, which is the broom, to decampees at the event, Jarrett Tenebe thanked the governor for duly informing the Chairman of Esan North East Local Government Area about the flag off of the day, saying that it was the right thing to do.

He urged the decampees to join and support the party, and the Governor to ensure the developmental strides continue in Edo State.

The Director General of the Edo Senatorial by-election and former Speaker Edo State House of Assembly, Victor Edoror, commended the people for coming out en masse. He urged them to make sure they keep the spirit of the door-to-door campaign for the candidate of party and the election to ensure victory.

The APC candidate in the Senatorial by-election, Joseph Ikpea, thanked the party for the trust and promised to continue with the developmental strides the Governor brought to the Senatorial District as a Senator.

The APC Edo Central Senatorial leader, Gen. Cecil Esekhaigbe (rtd); APC Edo South leader, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu; Deputy State Chairman of APC, Sylvester Aigboboh; and other leaders, urged the people to all come out en masse to vote for the APC candidate in the by-election.

Politics

Anambra guber: Soludo Raises Alarm, Alledges Plot By APC To Manipulate Election

Published

1 day ago

August 3, 2025

Editor

Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by the All Progressives Congress (APC) to manipulate the forthcoming November 8, 2025, governorship election in Anambra State.

He also warned candidates from Anambra South vying for the governorship seat against destabilizing the state’s political balance.

The governor made the allegation while speaking at a massive All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) rally held at Ekwulobia Urban Stadium on Saturday. He stated that Anambra is “too big for charlatans” and must not be distracted by what he described as impostors and unserious aspirants.

He vowed that “street urchins won’t govern a state that produced Zik, Nwafor Orizu, Ojukwu, Achebe,” as he rallied party faithful in Aguata Local Government Area of the state.

Soludo dismissed as deceitful the promises made by some candidates to serve only one term, insisting that such individuals require “psychiatric evaluation.”

“Anambra doesn’t need street urchins as governor. This is the state that produced the likes of Zik of Africa, Dr. Nwafor Orizu, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, and Prof. Chinua Achebe, among others. It is too big for charlatans,” he declared.

He further alleged that some candidates were merely using their campaigns to extort money from unsuspecting businessmen and the public. According to him, the achievements of his administration over the past four years justify his bid for a second term.

In a renewed call for peace, Soludo again offered amnesty to armed groups hiding in the forests, urging them to surrender and embrace rehabilitation or face the full weight of the law.

Visibly impressed by the turnout at the rally, the governor noted that he had not yet officially launched his campaign but was humbled by the support.

He revealed that the rally was entirely organized and funded by party members determined to see him re-elected.

The rally, which took place on August 2, 2025, endorsed Soludo for a second term in office and adopted Chief Emma Nwachukwu as APGA’s candidate for the Anambra South senatorial by-election scheduled for August 16, 2025.

It drew an impressive crowd of party loyalists, traditional rulers, community leaders, and political stakeholders.

Also in attendance were the APGA National Chairman, state and local government executives, and former Deputy Governor, Dame Virgy Etiaba.

In a show of solidarity, APGA stakeholders in Anambra South presented a N100 million donation to support the governor’s campaign. Traditional rulers in the senatorial district also honoured Soludo with the “Olu Atuegwu” chieftaincy title — a title that has already been conferred on him in Anambra North and Central, respectively.