Politics

Edo Poll: APC Prunes Aspirants – Update On Suspended Guber Forms

Published

2 years ago

January 16, 2024

By Joseph Ebi Kanjo

The All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to prune its governorship aspirants in the forthcoming election in Edo State to six, INFO DAILY has learnt.

Before now, the party had over 26 aspirants drawn from the three senatorial districts jostling for the governorship ticket.

This number, perhaps, made the party to convene a stakeholders meeting on January 13, in Abuja, which also led to the suspension of sales of expression of interest and nomination forms.

The Abuja meeting convened by two times governor of the state and a serving Senator, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, set up a five-man committee saddled with the responsibilities of screening and interfacing with the aspirants with a view to pruning the number.

The committee was given Monday, January 15 to submit its report and make recommendations to leaders of the party during a similar meeting fixed for the same Monday.

Number one criteria, INFO DAILY gathered, the committee required from the aspirants was their result sheets of the last general election from unit to senatorial level.

Facts have, however, emerged that the committee has pruned the number of aspirants to six after the screening, and would consequently make its recommendations to leaders of the party in a stakeholders meeting scheduled to hold the day after tomorrow (Thursday).

A source who gave INFO DAILY update on activities of the screening committee, said many aspirants didn’t meet up with the number one criteria, adding that two aspirants were therefore selected from each senatorial district of the state to make up the six number of aspirants.

Stating that only a few met the number criteria, our source who disclosed this in confidence added: “Only six aspirants are going to be recommended by the committee. Two from each senatorial district.

“From Edo central in the last election, only two aspirants won their units, ward, local governments and senatorial. They are Senator Monday Okpebholo And Col. David Imuse (rtd.).

“In Edo South, virtually all the aspirants, apart from Dennis Idahosa, lost their units, wards, local governments and senatorial. Only Idahosa won his unit, ward, local government but unfortunately he lost his senatorial. Pastor Ize-iyamu won his unit but lost his senatorial. The others lost their units.

“From Edo North, virtually all the aspirants won their units, up to senatorial.

“But in the final analysis, only six would be recommended to the stakeholders meeting that is coming up on Thursday. That stakeholders meeting would further screen and maybe come up with three aspirants, each from the three senatorial districts who would be directed to go and purchase their forms.

“But by and large, what the party is actually doing is to try and get a consensus candidate,” our source hinted.

Politics

What PDP Said About Wike’s Media Parley

Published

9 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, of being a constant agent of provocation in the political space, alleging that he creates trouble to mask selfish intentions.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, stated this in a statement issued on Monday in response to Wike’s media parley with selected journalists in Port Harcourt, also held on Monday.

According to the PDP, remarks made by the minister on several occasions are proof that he falls short of being a locus classicus of anti-democratic adventurism.

The party said Wike’s conduct was not new, stressing that he has consistently acted as an agent provocateur in the political arena, stirring controversy to advance personal interests.

The PDP further stated that since Wike assumed office as Governor of Rivers State in 2015, he has remained a recurrent source of trouble within the party’s leadership.

“From the Sheriff era, where he was a forerunner in the Sheriff-for-National Chairman movement and later turned to fight and remove Sheriff; later he championed the Uche Secondus-for-National Chairman movement (in fact, he granted a very combustible interview that polarized the party just before the convention) and then was the same person fighting to remove Secondus.

“The same Wike led the movement to produce Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman against the advice of many party leaders, and so soon thereafter, it was Wike again who led the Ayu-must-go struggle.

“By his end-of-year media chat, Minister Nyesom Wike has reiterated his support for, and in fact declared that he is the ‘number one supporter’ of the presumptive candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2027 Presidential election, while remaining a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, confirming the basis of his expulsion from the PDP, for anti-party activities,” the statement said.

Politics

JUST IN: INEC Excludes PDP From Ekiti Governorship Election

Published

11 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the 2026 Ekiti governorship election, Dr Wole Oluyede, and his deputy were conspicuously absent as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, released the provisional list of party candidates ahead of the election.

INEC on Monday posted the list of candidates from 12 political parties vying for the state’s top job at its office on New Iyin Road, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

The list shows that the All Progressives Congress, APC, is fielding the incumbent governor, Biodun Oyebanji, with Monisade Afuye as his running mate.

Other candidates include Opeyemi Falegan of the Accord Party, with Omoyemi Olaleye as deputy; Akande Oluwasegun of the African Action Congress, paired with Oluwasanmi Fajuyigbe; and Ayodeji Ojo of the Action Democratic Party, with Itunu Ibitoye as running mate.

Similarly, the African Democratic Congress is presenting Oluwadare Bejide and Paul Olowoyeye, while the Action Peoples Party has Bidemi Awogbemi and Akinyemi Adewumi on its ticket.

The PDP’s absence may not be unconnected with the leadership crisis currently rocking the party at the national level.

Politics

Wike Speaks On Defecting To APC

Published

15 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, dismissed any possibility of dumping the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Wike, however, disclosed that a lot of PDP leaders will join him if he decides to defect to the APC.

The Minister, who spoke during his media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said: “Today, if I say that I want to go to APC that will be the end of even talking about it.

“You will see other states, joining, leaders in other states joining, I’m not a leader that’s concentrated in the state. No.

“If today I say gentlemen, we have had enough of PDP we have to move, watch those who will decamp in Benue, Plateau, Abia, Edo.”

The Minister also declared that he is still a member of the PDP, hence Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is unhappy.

“I’m a member of the PDP, that’s why I’m still there and Seyi is not happy. That’s not correct, that you are a member of the assembly or council Chairman or National Assembly does not mean that there is no other person,” he added.