Politics

Boycott Of Tinubu Rally: We’ve Been Vindicated – Enugu PDP

Published

1 year ago

January 12, 2023

Editor

The Enugu State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has described the APC presidential rally held Wednesday in Enugu as a “monumental flop.”

A statement issued on Thursday by the Director of Communications and Spokesperson of the Enugu PDP Campaign Council, Barr. Nana Ogbodo, noted that the boycott of the presidential rally by notable leaders of the party in the state, have further validated its position that the crisis and recent protest against the State Chairman of the party, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah, and the governorship candidate, Chief Uche Nnaji, in Abuja is squarely “a fight between angry and deprived members and a greedy and conceited State party leadership.”

“What else can be more humiliating than the embarrassing drama that played out live on national television on Wednesday? It is an open rebuke of a delusional leader,” the statement read.

“The National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu; former Senate President, Sen. Ken Nnamani; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Geoffrey Onyeama; former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime; Senator Ayogu Eze, former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Hon. Eugene Odoh, DG Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, and indeed all the notable leaders and stakeholders of the party were conspicuously absent as they shunned the Enugu presidential rally.

“Although the party leaders in the state were at the Enugu airport to receive the APC’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, they, however, boycotted the rally at the Okpara Square and converged at the residence of the former governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime where they addressed members of the press.

The party leaders, including Senator Ken Nnamani, Chime, Onyeama, Hon. Odoh, among others told journalists that they were still insistent on their position during the August 2022 protest meeting with the party’s national leadership that they would not work with Chief Ugchukwu Agballah, whom they described as an imposter, and called on the party leadership to “do the right thing”.

Recall that the aggrieved members of the Enugu APC had on Monday staged a protest at the party’s national secretariat where they submitted a petition to the national leadership over what they described as acts of “impunity, gross misconduct, incompetence, divisiveness, maladministration and alleged embezzlement of party funds totalling about N1.3 billion.

READ ALSO: 2023: Enugu APC Stakeholders Boycott Tinubu’s Really In Enugu

The protesters led by Comrade Adolphus Ude, leader of the Concerned Enugu APC Members, who is also pioneer Deputy Chairman of the party in Enugu, also called the attention of APC national leadership to the “fraudulent parading of Barr. George Ogara as the party’s deputy governorship candidate whereas the name and particulars of Chief Robert Ngwu were still contained in the records and website of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as the real deputy governorship candidate”.

They called for the immediate removal of Agballah and the appointment of a caretaker chairman to salvage what may still be left of the party in Enugu State.

Reacting to the development, the Enugu State PDP said further: “Maybe, Chief Ugochukwu Agballah will henceforth face his demons and stop blaming the PDP or our governorship candidate for every of his self-inflicted woes.

“We have no reason to worry about the Enugu APC that is already irredeemably destroyed by Agballah. We maintain that he is a clergy without a congregation. Despite shamelessly bussing rented crowd from neighbouring States, Agballah could still not fill the small venue he chose for something as huge as a presidential rally.

“Agballah should, therefore, go home and make peace with his aggrieved party members and restitute whatever he has taken from them.

“We call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately commence the probe of the serious allegations of embezzlement of members’ and party funds levelled against Agballah and the governorship candidate, Chief Uche Nnaji, by well-known Enugu APC leaders”.

Agballah had since denied all the allegations against him, declaring that some members of the party were being used by the PDP to cause disharmony

Politics

Atiku Hints On Supporting Obi For 2027 Presidential Race

Published

10 hours ago

May 18, 2024

Editor

The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has said that if in 2027, the party decides that it is the South-East’s turn and selects Peter Obi as its candidate, he will readily offer his support.

“I have said repeatedly and I even said it before the 2023 general elections that if the PDP decides to zone the presidential ticket to the South or South-East specifically, I won’t contest it. As long as it’s the decision of the party, I will abide by it. But I contested the 2023 presidential ticket because it was thrown open to all members of the party.

“If the party decides that it’s the turn of the South-East and Peter Obi is chosen, I won’t hesitate to support him,” Atiku declared in a recent interview with BBC Hausa Service.

He added that a merger between the PDP and Labour Party is possible.

Atiku added that members of the party would decide his fate in the 2027 general elections.

The former Vice President mentioned that his recent meeting with Obi might indicate a possible alliance leading up to the 2027 general elections.

Responding to questions about the meeting with Obi, Atiku said, “It’s just a normal friendly meeting that we often have, particularly among us in the opposition parties. Such meetings are healthy for Nigeria’s democracy and in the country’s interest.”

On whether this will bring about a merger, he said, “Yes, it’s very much possible. We can merge to achieve a common goal. So, it’s possible, and nothing can stop it if we wish to achieve that.”

The former Vice President, who denied that the choice of presidential candidate might frustrate the merger discussion, said, “That’s not true. That challenge will not arise. I can tell you that the choice of who will fly the flag of the party won’t be an issue.”

On why he’s still in active politics, Atiku said, “Yes, we can’t keep quiet and watch things go wrong. People are suffering and we are committed to making Nigeria a better place.

“It means you are not tired of politics of Nigeria? Not at all. I am still in active politics in Nigeria, at least, as long as God permits.

“My age doesn’t stop the young ones from testing their fate. Everybody, irrespective of age, is allowed to aspire to be anybody in the society, politically or otherwise.”

Regarding his 2027 Presidential ambition, the former Vice President said “That would depend on the decision of my party. I can’t make any categorical statement on that. It’s the duty of the party to decide on the way to go in the next election.

“Until that time comes. Let’s just wait and see how it will turn out.

“It must not be interpreted like that. I must not be eyeing elections to have meetings with political friends and associates. Currently, we are practising democracy in this country which we fought for with our blood.”

Last week, Obi held a private meeting with Atiku and some other PDP leaders in Abuja.

Obi also met separately with former Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido and former Senate President Bukola Saraki, sparking speculation about a possible coalition for the 2027 general elections.

Obi was a PDP member until 2022, when he left to pursue his presidential ambitions with the Labour Party.

He finished third behind Atiku in the February 23 presidential election, which was won by Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress.

Atiku blamed Obi’s departure from the PDP for his loss to Tinubu.

Analysts argued that Atiku’s 6,984,520 votes combined with Obi’s 6,101,533 votes could have secured a win against Tinubu, who received 8,794,726 votes.

Monday’s meeting marked the first public interaction between Obi and Atiku since the election.

Social media and online platforms were flooded with viral photos of Obi’s meetings with the three PDP figures on Monday.

In 2019, Atiku and Obi ran together on the PDP ticket but were defeated by former President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC.

However, due to internal conflicts, Obi, who was Atiku’s running mate in 2019, left the PDP and ran as the Labour Party’s candidate in the 2023 presidential election.

Politics

JUST IN: Ex-PDP Deputy National Chair, Oyedokun Defects To APC

Published

2 days ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, has resigned his membership of the party and announced defection to the All Progressives Congress.

Oyedokun, a notable personality within the political circle in Osun State and beyond, said he decided to dump the PDP after consultation with his loyalists.

He said he would be joining APC, where his experience, efforts, and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.

His resignation letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP through the ward, local government and state chairmen of the party obtained late Thursday further read, “As a functional member and leader of PDP (Ward 13, Jagun/ Osi-Bale Ode, Odo-Otin South Local Government, Osun State,) whose high electoral productivity and value have been credibly and positively acknowledged in my ward, across the local council, state and country-wide for the enhancement of the fortune of the PDP, I have the honour (though with pain) in announcing the renunciation of my membership of the party on principle, having observed that the ideals of we, founding members, had been sorely contaminated.

“In taking this step which is not even without due consultation with my teaming loyalists in the PDP, I have consequently decided to shift my allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) where I believe my experience, efforts and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.”

Oyedokun’s defection to the APC is coming at the time the aspirant he supported during the 2022 Osun governorship primary of PDP, Mr Dotun Babayemi is also moving to the national ruling party.

Osun APC said on Wednesday that Babayemi and his supporters would be dumping PDP and joining the party at a rally scheduled to be held in Osogbo on Friday.
PUNCH

Politics

Poll: APC Has No Sellable Candidate, Nothing To Campaign On – Edo Govt

Published

5 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

The Edo State Government claimed on Monday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has no credible candidate for the September 21 governorship election.

This was an assertion made by the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, at a press conference in Benin City.

Nehikhare also alleged that the party is using lies and propaganda as its campaign strategy.

According to him: “The only APC strategy for the governorship election is to resort to lies and propaganda. When a party takes lies and propaganda as an election strategy, it means it has nothing to offer the people. The party lacks people with character, capacity, and intellect.”

The commissioner who took journalists through a screened shot WhatsApp chat said: “What we have here is the official APC WhatsApp platform, their own people screenshot their discussion. One of them who has a conscience asks, is this the only thing we have?”

Nehikhare, who said APC is ashamed to campaign for its candidate, noted that, as of today, nobody had heard of what the party has for the state.

“All we heard is how they are going to help their paymaster, lies and propaganda that will not help the state,” he added.

He opined that lies and propaganda are not strategies the opposition party, like APC, can use to win the September 21 governorship election.

The commissioner, who warned against misinformation and fake news ahead of the governorship election, urged media practitioners to be neutral in matters concerning lies and propaganda.

He, however, noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration has a lot of achievements to market and sell its candidate for the election.