Politics

APC, PDP Trade Words Over Ayu’s Comment

Published

3 years ago

February 11, 2023

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council has fired back at the ruling All Progressives Congress, reminding the party that the convoy of President Muhammadu Buhari was stoned in Kano a few weeks ago.

The PDP PCC stated this on Saturday in a reaction to the taunts directed at the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, by the APC when in a slip of the tongue in Kano, during the party’s presidential campaign rally last week, said, “PDP has brought us shame. We won’t retain them in power.”

The error of the tongue fetched Ayu a barrage of criticisms not only from the APC but also from Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State who has been consistent in his call for Ayu’s resignation.

“When you see undertakers, you will see those who came to kill this party but the party will not die. They will die first. He (Ayu) said they will not allow PDP to be in power. Is that a good chairman? Is that not anti-party? Is the chairman not doing anti-party? Out of the abundance of the heart, the mouth speaks,” Wike was quoted as saying in response to Ayu’s Kano outing.

In its reaction, the APC campaign team, in a statement signed by Bayo Onanuga, noted that the PDP chairman was only stating the obvious.

“In our view, Iyorchia Ayu did not suffer from slip of the tongue. He was only reflecting an inner guilt about the grave damage his party inflicted on our country for 16 years,” the statement read in part.

Not prepared to have the ruling party have the last say on the matter, the spokesman for the PDP PCC, Dino Melaye, in a statement on Saturday, urged the ruling party to deal with its internal issues first before attempting to cast aspersions on Ayu.

The statement read in part, “Unsettled by the peaceful, stone-free and resounding rally of the People’s Democratic Party in Kano on Thursday, the fractured, factionalised and fading All Progressives Congress, APC, had no other reaction after the impressive outing than to make a song and dance of what was by its own admission, a slip of tongue of the urbane and intellectually savvy Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.

“To demonstrate the extent that incoherence and political erosion has so much disoriented the beleaguered APC, its spinners attempted to cover the flame of its failure with a bare hand in an attempt to veil the rejection and shame that beguiled the party when its leaders were stoned in that same Kano City just a few days before. The balablue of the APC is a shock therapy for the massive reception that the PDP received in Kano.

“It is repulsive and revulsive that a party that has ruined the economy and made it so prostrate that citizens are now buying their own currency will be talking about shame. What is more shameful than having thousands of naira in your bank but you are unable to buy groundnut of N200 to mix with your garri, because you have a party that has completely run out of ideas and has consequently run our country aground?

“How can a party talk of shame where banks have now shut down and customers have relocated from the peace of their homes to the cubicle of Automated Teller Machines hoping for a wad of naira notes to slip from the currency dispenser?

“How can a party talk of shame where in the place of hope for a better academic system in the university, its presidential candidate is assuring that instead of 4 years, students will spend 8 years? What a renewal of misery and hopelessness?

“How can a party talk about shame when its own presidential candidate is accusing the President of Nigeria and leader of his party of sabotage and an unpardonable economic mismanagement that has taken the naira from exchanging at 200 naira to a dollar to 800 naira to a dollar within 7 years?

“How can a party talk of shame when in a nation of over 200 million people, the APC is parading a man who most times doesn’t know where he is and utters unintelligible bulaba and balabu all over the place?

“How can a party talk of shame where trillions of naira has been spent on fuel subsidy and Nigerians in the pauperised villages are buying a litre of petrol at 400 naira while those who ferry public money around in bullion vans pay 180 naira per litre?

“How can a party talk of shame where the rule of law and the judiciary have been so bastardized that a vibrant and erudite Chief Justice of Nigeria was manacled out of office and was replaced by a lackey who ultimately paved way for a Chief Judge that romances with a dissenting group in a political party? Is it any little wonder that the chairman of an election tribunal danced ‘buga’ in a courtroom to demonstrate his bias in a brazen conduct that awarded from the bench what a contestant could not obtain from the ballot box?”

Melaye further noted that had APC understood the meaning of shame, it would apologize to Nigerians “for arresting development, destroying the economy, bastardising the judiciary, inflicting pain of fuel, food and fund scarcity and making Nigeria a laughing stock all over the world.

“A party that has become irredeemable, consigning the hope of Nigeria in a mentally and physically sagged flag bearer can only be stopped in its tracks by a broadminded visionary leader with a sound mind in a sound body, Atiku Abubakar.

“The APC has performed in its destructive best. We have just two weeks to terminate this pain. Money will circulate again,” Melaye added.

Politics

N’Assembly committee Approves New State For S’East

Published

1 day ago

October 26, 2025

Editor

The Joint Committee of the Senate and House of Representatives on Constitution Review has approved the creation of an additional state in the South-East geo-political zone.

According to a statement by the media unit of the committee, the resolution was reached on Saturday at a two-day retreat in Lagos, where it reviewed 55 proposals for state creation across the country.

The session, chaired by the Deputy Senate President, Barau Jibrin, and co-chaired by the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, resolved that, in the spirit of fairness and equity, the Federal Government should create another state for the region.

Kalu, who joined other lawmakers to champion additional state creation for the region, argued that a new state would give the people a sense of belonging.

When created, the South-East will be at par with the South-South, South-West, North-Central, and North-East zones, each having six states.

The South-East is the only geo-political zone with five states comprising Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu, and Imo.

The North-West comprises seven states: Kaduna, Kano, Kebbi, Katsina, Zamfara, Sokoto, and Jigawa.

According to the statement, Senator Abdul Ningi (Bauchi Central) moved a motion for the creation of the new state, which was seconded by Ibrahim Isiaka (Ifo/Ewekoro, Ogun State) at the retreat.

“The motion received the unanimous support of committee members and was adopted,” the statement read in part

Similarly, the committee also established a sub-committee to consider the creation of additional states and local government areas across all six geo-political zones, noting that a total of 278 proposals were submitted for review.

Speaking at the event, Jibrin urged members to rally support among their colleagues at the National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly to ensure the resolutions sail through during voting.

“We need to strengthen what we have started so that all parts of the country will key into this process.

“By the time we get to the actual voting, we should already have the buy-in of all stakeholders—from both chambers and the state Houses of Assembly,” the Deputy Senate President was quoted as saying.

Politics

PDP Unveils 13-member Screening Panel For National Convention

Published

2 days ago

October 25, 2025

Editor

According to a statement issued on October 25, 2025, by the National Convention Organising Committee (NCOC) and signed by its Chairman, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, who is also the Governor of Adamawa State, the screening exercise will take place on Tuesday, October 28, 2025.

The committee will be chaired by Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), a former Ondo State governorship candidate and respected legal luminary.

He will be assisted by Hon. Mohammed L.S. Diri (SAN) as Deputy Chairman, while Mr. Asue Ighodalo, Esq., will serve as Secretary. Jacob Otorkpa was named Deputy Secretary.

Other members of the committee include: Emmanuel Enoidem (SAN), Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Chief Mrs. Aduke Maina, Iyom Josephine Anenih, Achike Udenwa, Haj. Maryam Inna Ciroma, HM. Felix Hassan Hyat, HM. Zainab Maina, and Chinedu Nwachukwu, who will also serve as Administrative Secretary.

The statement noted that the selection reflected the PDP’s commitment to transparency, integrity, and internal democracy in the build-up to its national convention.

“The NCOC notes and expects that the exemplary conduct and strict adherence to rules and regulations during this very crucial assignment will justify the confidence reposed by the Party in members of the Committee,” the statement read.

Fintiri assured party members that the screening process will be conducted with the highest standards of fairness and impartiality, underscoring the PDP’s resolve to strengthen its democratic institutions ahead of the 2027 general elections.

“This exercise is crucial in ensuring that only credible, competent, and loyal members emerge to steer the affairs of our great party,” Fintiri stated.

Politics

Why I Refused To Endorse El-Rufai As My Successor — Obasanjo

Published

2 days ago

October 25, 2025

Editor

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has revealed how he turned down a suggestion to endorse former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir El-Rufai, as his successor.

Speaking on Friday in Abeokuta, Ogun State, during the second edition of the annual Ajibosin Platform symposium themed “Importance of Leadership in Governance”, Obasanjo disclosed that former Minister of Aviation, Osita Chidoka, had recommended El-Rufai for the presidency, but he rejected the idea.

Chidoka, who delivered the keynote address at the event, had earlier narrated how El-Rufai introduced him to Obasanjo at the age of 34, an encounter that led to his appointment as the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC).

Addressing the audience, Obasanjo took a playful jab at Chidoka for leaving out the El-Rufai story.

“Let him tell you. He didn’t mention that. He was pushing when I was leaving government that his friend, El-Rufai, should be brought in as my successor,” Obasanjo said.

Turning to Chidoka, who was seated among the panelists, he asked, “No be so (Is that not true)?” The former minister nodded in agreement.

Obasanjo explained that he dismissed the suggestion because he believed El-Rufai still needed time to grow politically.

“I did not yield to the pressure. Later, he said, ‘I suggested this person, why didn’t you agree?’ I said El-Rufai needs to mature. You remember?

“When I left government and, many years later, he saw the performances of El-Rufai, he came back to me and said, ‘You’re absolutely correct. El-Rufai needed to mature.’”

The former president, however, commended Chidoka, El-Rufai, and other former aides for their “special attributes,” which he said contributed to the success of his administration.

Speaking further on leadership, Obasanjo emphasised character, exposure, experience, and training as essential qualities of effective governance.

Obasanjo said, “It’s only in politics that I found out there is no training for leadership. Even among armed robbers, I was told there is apprenticeship.

“But it’s only in politics that there is no training in leadership. That’s not good enough.”

El-Rufai served under Obasanjo’s administration as the Director-General of the Bureau of Public Enterprises (BPE) before becoming the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) between 2003 and 2007. When Obasanjo was leaving office in 2007, he instead backed the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua as his preferred successor.

In his address, Chidoka blamed Nigeria’s development setbacks on excuses and what he described as the politics of alibi.

“Leadership finds its true measure not in speeches or charisma but in the systems it leaves behind.

“Moral conviction must translate into the everyday machinery of governance—rules, routines, and institutions that make competence predictable and corruption difficult.

“Nigeria’s problem has never been a shortage of ideas; it is the absence of systems strong enough to outlive their authors,” he said.

He urged leaders to prioritise accountability and measurable results.

“We must therefore make leadership accountable not to rhetoric but to results: measure by building national dashboards and accountability systems that track every promise, every budget, every outcome. Monitor by strengthening the institutions that evaluate government performance and expose complacency,” he said.