Politics

Charles Idahosa Puts PDP Governors To Task Over Agreement With Obaseki

Published

2 years ago

January 28, 2024

A member of the Board of Trustees, BoT, of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Charles Idahosa has taken the party’s governors and other national leaders involved in the June 2020 agreement that brought Governor Godwin Obaseki to the party to task over the agreement they reached with him.

Idahosa, who was at the time a close associate of the governor and helped to broker the deal said the governors and PDP leaders pleaded with Hon Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama who was set to get the ticket to step down under an agreement that he said Obaseki has now failed to honour.

Idahosa, one of the leading political actors in Edo State with experience from the Lucky Igbinedion era disclosed how he helped to guide Obaseki when he ran into troubled waters with Senator Adams Oshiomhole but said he is now full of regrets over the governor’s failure to honour basic agreements.

Idahosa who returned to the PDP with Obaseki but has now dumped him to identify with the mainstream of the party in the Legacy Group led by Chief Dan Orbih, national vice-chairman, South-South, said:

“The truth of the matter is that the national should do what is right. All those that took part in the agreement and settlement with Ogbeide-Ihama who was already the candidate of the PDP before we forced him down, they are still alive if they are no more governors, they are still relevant they should say the agreement they reached at that time and they should tell us who fulfilled his own or who did not.

“Because if by any error of omission or commission they deny Ogbeide-Ihama the governorship ticket which he is supposed to get because of what they arranged for Obaseki to come in who was given a waiver by the same national, PDP is finished in Edo State.

“Ogbeide-Ihama was already the candidate of PDP, it was already clear, nobody was going to stop him,” Idahosa said of the position in June 2020.

“I invited him (Ogbeide-Ihama) to my house. Himself and Osaro Idah, because we are related. Here in my sitting room. I pleaded with him and he stepped down. I told Obaseki, you go and discuss with them. That was how they went to Port Harcourt. He left here in my house in the night with one of his uncles, his mother’s immediate younger brother, a retired director in the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry.

“He is alive today. It is like after reading 48 Laws of Power, where they told you to destroy those who made you and that is what he is doing,” Idahosa said.

Addressing fears on Ogbeide-Ihama’s capacity to win the election for the PDP given his political experience as having only represented Oredo Federal Constituency, Idahosa said:

“He broke the jinx in Oredo, it had never happened before. Oredo is a mini Edo state, there is no tribe that is not represented in Oredo, he went there twice nobody has ever done it, he broke the jinx. Before him, you only go for four years, nobody has been able to go two times, he was there twice and he has been in the party since 1998.”

Politics

BREAKING: 17 ADC Reps Follow Join NDC

Published

2 hours ago

May 5, 2026

Editor

About 17 African Democratic Congress, ADC, lawmakers in the House of Representatives have defected to the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC.

This was disclosed by Speaker Abass Tajudeen on the floor of the House on Tuesday.

Tajudeen also announced the defection of Leke Abejide from the ADC to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Lawmakers who defected to the NDC include Yusuf Datti, Uchenna Okonkwo, Adamu Wakili, Thaddeus Attah, George Ozodinobi, Lilian Orogbu, Oluwaseyi Sowunmi, Peter Aniekwe, Mukhtar Zakari, George Oluwande and Munachim Umezuruike.

Others are Emeka Idu, Jesse Onuakalusi, Ifeanyi Uzokwe, Afam Ogene and Abdulhakeem Ado.

This comes barely a day after former presidential candidates Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso defected from the ADC to the NDC.

Obi and Kwankwaso have pledged to continue their pursuit for a better Nigeria in the NDC.

Politics

JUST IN: Why I left ADC For NDC With Kwankwaso – Peter Obi Opens Up

Published

22 hours ago

May 4, 2026

Editor

A former presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has given reasons why he resigned from the African Democratic Congress, ADC, to join the Nigerian Democratic Congress, NDC, alongside a former governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso.

In a long post on X on Monday, Obi insisted it was not out of anger or ambition.

Rather, he said the move is a continuation of the quest to build a new Nigeria.

Obi wrote: “Yesterday, I formally joined the Nigerian Democratic Congress (NDC), alongside my dear brother, Engr. Dr Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, with one clear purpose: to continue the struggle for a new Nigeria built on justice, competence, accountability, and compassion for the ordinary Nigerian.

“As I stated yesterday, this decision was not made out of anger, personal ambition, or convenience. It came after deep reflection on the present condition of our nation and the urgent need to rescue Nigeria from the dangerous path it is currently heading.

“Over the years, I have remained steadfast in my conviction that politics should never be about individuals, positions, or personal gain. It must be about the people, especially the millions of Nigerians who today can no longer afford necessities, whose businesses are collapsing, whose children are losing hope, and whose future is becoming increasingly uncertain.

“I left the ADC for the same reason I left the Labour Party: the severe, orchestrated litigation and internal crises deliberately designed to ensure that I, alongside many other notable individuals, do not effectively participate in the electoral process. I sincerely appreciate and remain deeply grateful to the Leadership of ADC for the opportunity to work together in pursuit of a better Nigeria. I am particularly grateful to ADC Chairman Senator David Mark for his exceptional Leadership. I also deeply appreciate my Leader and elder brother YE, Atiku Abubakar, as well as other respected leaders within the party.

“As we join the NDC, I sincerely appeal to the Nigerian Government against the encouragement of unresolved litigations and the infusion of crises within political parties. Democracy must never become a weapon against the people. A healthy democracy thrives on strong institutions, credible alternatives, and the freedom of citizens to make choices without intimidation, manipulation, or fear. Opposition parties must not be weakened or destroyed, because when democracy loses balance, the people ultimately suffer.

“Nigeria today is passing through one of the most difficult periods in its history. Poverty is rising. Hunger is widespread. Insecurity continues to threaten lives and livelihoods. Businesses are shutting down daily. Our young people are becoming discouraged, and many citizens have lost faith in the system. At a time like this, leadership must be driven not by propaganda or division, but by competence, capacity, character, and compassion.

“Our decision to join the NDC is therefore not an abandonment of values, but a continuation of the same mission we have always stood for: building a Nigeria where leadership is about service, where public resources are managed responsibly, where institutions function independently, and where every Nigerian, regardless of tribe, religion, region, or social status, can live with dignity, security, and hope.

“I remain committed to working with all Nigerians of goodwill across political, ethnic, and religious lines. The task before us is bigger than any individual or political party. It is about the future of our children and the survival of our dear nation.

“I thank Nigerians, especially our youths and women, for remaining peaceful, resilient, and hopeful despite the enormous challenges confronting the country. I urge you not to lose faith in Nigeria. Nations do not change because people surrender to hopelessness; they change because people continue to believe, continue to sacrifice, and continue to stand for what is right.”

Politics

Peter Obi, Kwankwaso Formally Join NDC, Warn Members Against Litigation

Published

2 days ago

May 3, 2026

Editor

Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has warned party members to steer clear of any form of litigation that can plunge the party into chaos ahead of the 2027 elections.

Speaking in Abuja on Sunday after he was formally joined the party alongside the former governor of Kano State,

Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso , the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party(LP), urged members to embrace dialogue in the interest of the party

“Please let there be no litigation. Party members, please don’t go to court. We want to build a party, we are not lawyers,” he pleaded.

The two political figures were received into the opposition party on Sunday at its national secretariat in Abuja.

Earlier, Obi had announced his exit from the African Democratic Congress (ADC), while Kwankwaso had indicated he was engaged in “wide-ranging consultations” with the NDC.

The National Chairman of the party, Cleopas Moses Zuwoghe, presented membership cards to both leaders at the event.

Speaking afterwards, Kwankwaso said their engagement with NDC stakeholders was driven by a shared vision and ideological alignment.

“We came to discuss with stakeholders of the party and found that our ideologies and beliefs are largely the same,” he said.

He urged Nigerians to register with the NDC ahead of the deadline for party membership registration, stressing the need for broader participation in the political process.