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Edo PDP Crisis: Guber Aspirant Shuns Party Secretariat, Declares Intention At Another Venue

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state party executives, others shun declaration venue

Contrary to insinuations in some quarters that the factionalised members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have put their differences aside after a recent visit by Governor Godwin Obaseki of Edo State to leader of the other faction known as Legacy Group, Chief Dan Orbih, during which they both embraced and laughed together, strong indication emerged on Monday that all is not well within the umbrella party in the state.

This is because a member of the Legacy Group and a governorship aspirant of the party, Engineer Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, while formally making his intention to contest the governorship ticket known on Monday , shunned the party’s secretariat on Airport Road, and used Bishop Kelly Pastoral as his declaration venue.

Ogbeide-Ihama who represented Oredo Federal Constituency at the 8 & 9th National Assembly, arrived at the Benin Airport at exactly 12:30 pm, and was received by a momoth crowd in a carnival-like ceremony after which he trekked from Airport to Ring Road as a way of announcing his arrival in Benin after obtaining his Expression of Interest form at the national secretariat of the party.

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READ ALSO: Obaseki Betrayed 2020 Agreement With Ogbeide-Ihama – Wike

The former lawmaker, however, shunned the state party secretariat on the same Airport Road and used Bishop Kelly Pastoral along the same Airport Road axis.

The Engineer-turned-politician was received by senatorial party leaders and party leaders from Oredo local government area at the Bishop Kelly Pastoral. However, none of the State Working Committee members of the party was there at his declaration of interest.

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Speaking during his declaration, Ogbeide-Ihama said if the PDP can do well by giving him the governorship ticket, winning the election would be as easy as a ‘walk -over.”

He said as a loyal member of the party who has remained in the party since 1998 without any record of defection, he’s the best man for the job, insisting that he has what it takes to govern Edo and attract development to the state.

READ ALSO: Edo Guber: PDP Leaders Canvass Ogbeide-Ihama As Division Erupts Over Zoning

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This is a formal notification and a passionate appeal to leadership of the party to support me for my governorship ambition in the year 2024. There have been speculations and questions if Ogbeide-Ihama is interested in the governorship race or not. I want to formally notify you that I am contesting, and I need your support.

“Since 1998 till now that I have registered as a member of the party, I have remained in the party. I am a loyal member of my party. So, if we are to talk about loyalty, I am the person,” he claimed.

He added: “If you talk about experience, I have the political and managerial experience to govern Edo. I have the managerial skills to manage humans and resources of Edo. I have the human relationship. I want to be governor of Edo and not a senatorial district. I am fully ready. All I need is your support and prayers. I will be governor of the whole Edo State and not a senatorial district.

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“I want to bring development to Edo State. I want to empower our youths so they can stand on their own. I want to stop child mortality. There is no reason why anyone above 70 years in Edo should lack healthcare. I want to give good free healthcare to our aged parents. Edo will be a state all of us would be proud of with Ogbeide-Ihama.”

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Tinubu, Six APC Governors Hold Closed-door Meeting At Aso Villa

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday met with six governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a closed-door session at the State House, Abuja.

The purpose of the meeting was not immediately disclosed, and details of its agenda remained unclear at press time.

In attendance were governors Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Usman Ododo (Kogi,) Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto) and Dr. Nasir Idris (Kebbi), who arrived at the Presidential Villa separately.

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The meeting, held in the President’s office, lasted almost two hours.

Although no Presidency official offered insight into the agenda, the consultations come amid rising security concerns across the country and ongoing political engagements within the ruling party.

The governors declined to speak to journalists after the meeting.

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READ ALSO:JUST IN: Navy Officer Who Had Altercation With Wike Reportedly Escapes Assassination Attempt

President Tinubu has recently intensified his focus on national security by convening a series of high-level meetings involving key security stakeholders, including the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as intelligence coordinators and senior officials from various security agencies.

This increased engagement comes in response to a worrying upsurge in banditry, kidnappings, and violent crimes that have spread across multiple regions, causing widespread public concern and escalating pressure on the federal government for urgent and effective intervention.

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These strategic meetings, frequently conducted in secrecy to ensure confidentiality and candid discussion, have aimed to undertake a comprehensive review of ongoing security operations nationwide.

Discussions have prioritised enhancing coordination and communication among military, police, and intelligence units to foster a more unified and cohesive response to security challenges.

In addition, the sessions have explored innovative and tactical measures that leverage intelligence gathering, rapid deployment, and community engagement to dismantle criminal networks and restore order.

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READ ALSO:JUST IN: Tinubu Holds Closed-door Meeting With Rivers, Ebonyi Govs

Throughout these consultations, President Tinubu has underscored that safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians is paramount.

He has called on the security apparatus to move beyond reactive measures and adopt more preventive, intelligence-driven strategies that anticipate threats before they escalate.

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The administration’s renewed approach signals a commitment to reinforcing national security architecture and improving the operational effectiveness of all agencies involved in the fight against crime and insurgency across Nigeria.

In other news, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has expressed optimism that the security challenges – terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crime – Nigeria has been facing for almost three decades now will be overcome.

READ ALSO:Tinubu Submits Fresh Ambassadorial List To Senate, Ibas, Dambazau Make Cut

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The NSA described those behind the “painful and unnecessary” challenges as “evil” and vowed they would be defeated.
Ribadu made remarks during the opening of a one-day dialogue organised by the National Peace Committee, in partnership with the delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and the U.S., on “a whole-of-Society Approach to the Prevention of Violence and Conflict in Northern Nigeria,” on Thursday in Abuja.

“This (security challenges) also shall pass. We are going through tough times. This will also go.

“But it’s very, very painful, what we are going through. It’s unnecessary.
They are very unfair to us, those who are responsible for this. They are evil.

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“But they will be defeated. It’s a matter of time, and peace will be restored. That one we can assure you. Because there are people who are working, not necessarily making noise.

“There are people who are making sacrifices. Every single day, we go to bury our own deaths. Painful as it is. But most people don’t talk. Sacrifice is ongoing,” the NSA said.

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JUST IN: Tinubu Holds Closed-door Meeting With Rivers, Ebonyi Govs

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday held separate closed-door meetings with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru at the State House, Abuja.

The engagements came amid heightened political tension in Rivers State and renewed speculation over Governor Fubara’s future within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Fubara arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 5:01 p.m. and was received by the Presidential Protocol Liaison Officer before being escorted to the President’s office.

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He departed at about 5:45 p.m., but details of the meeting remained undisclosed as of press time.

Shortly before his arrival, Governor Nwifuru had been ushered in for a separate audience with the President. The purpose of his visit was also not revealed.

READ ALSO:Police Arrest Suspect For Raping Woman To Death In Rivers

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Nwifuru , a former Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly and now an All Progressives Congress (APC) governor, has in recent months held several engagements with the Presidency, largely centred on infrastructure development and security coordination in the South-East.

Tinubu’s meeting with Fubara follows Friday’s defection of 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, from the PDP to the APC.

The mass defection has significantly altered power dynamics in the state legislature and heightened uncertainty about Fubara’s political trajectory.

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lawmakers believed to be aligned with the governor remain in the PDP, and they have yet to resume their seats since the lifting of the state’s emergency rule on September 18.

READ ALSO:OPINION: Can Tinubu, Our Eddie Kwansa, Now Come Home?

The Guardian earlier reported that President Tinubu met with six APC governors in a closed-door session at the State House, Abuja.

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The purpose of the meeting was not immediately disclosed, and details of its agenda remained unclear at press time.

In attendance were governors Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Usman Ododo (Kogi,) Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto) and Dr. Nasir Idris (Kebbi), who arrived at the Presidential Villa separately.
The meeting, held in the President’s office, lasted almost two hours.

Although no Presidency official offered insight into the agenda, the consultations come amid rising security concerns across the country and ongoing political engagements within the ruling party.

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READ ALSO:(VIDEO) Obasanjo To Tinubu: Why Are We Negotiating With Bandits?

The governors declined to speak to journalists after the meeting.

President Tinubu has recently intensified his focus on national security by convening a series of high-level meetings involving key security stakeholders, including the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as intelligence coordinators and senior officials from various security agencies.

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This increased engagement comes in response to a worrying upsurge in banditry, kidnappings, and violent crimes that have spread across multiple regions, causing widespread public concern and escalating pressure on the federal government for urgent and effective intervention.

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Ambassadorial Nominees: Ndume Asks Tinubu To Withdraw List

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Ahead of the Senate’s screening and confirmation of the ambassadorial nominees sent to the Red Chamber by the Presidency, former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the list from parliament.

The federal lawmaker declared that the composition of nominees was in clear breach of the Federal Character principle, as enshrined in the Constitution.

Checks revealed that while certain states have three and four nominees, states like Gombe have no representation, while the only nominee from Yobe, Senator Adamu Garba Talba, died last July.

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The entire North East state has 7 nominees in the list.

Further checks revealed that the South West geopolitical zone has 15 nominees, while the North West and South East have 13 and 9, respectively.

READ ALSO:Full List: FG Releases Names Of 68 ambassadorial Nominees Sent To Senate For Confirmation

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North Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominees, while South South region has 12 nominees.

The Senate President at plenary on Thursday formally read the list of nominees and referred it to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for further legislative action.

The Senator representing Borno South in a statement issued on Saturday maintained that the list of nominees was in clear breach of Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution which mandates that the composition and conduct of the federal government must reflect the “federal character of Nigeria” to ensure national unity and loyalty.

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The section reads: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”

READ ALSO:Tinubu Submits Fresh Ambassadorial List To Senate, Ibas, Dambazau Make Cut

The former Chief Whip of the Senate admonished President Tinubu to avoid taking decision that will fuel ethnic tension and promote distrust in the country, amidst the wrong narrative being promoted by the Western world against his administration.

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He said: “My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical time in the life of his administration, he should avoid missteps that could endanger national unity and promote ethnic distrust.

“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholders in the country.

“He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on Federal Character Principle that government’s structure and operations must represent the diverse states and peoples of Nigeria.”

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