Politics

Edo Poll: Group Wants Osunbor As APC Consensus Candidate, Says He’s Most Qualified, Experience

Published

2 years ago

December 13, 2023

…warns any candidate aside Osunbor may jeopardise Esan agenda

Group under the aegis of African Green Peace Initiative has called on leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) particularly in Edo Central Senatorial District to pick Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, as candidate of the party in the 2024 Edo State governorship election.

The group argued that among the lineup of aspirants vying for the number one seat of the state, Osunbor remains the most qualified going by his antecedent, hence he should be made the consensus candidate of the party.

Briefing newsmen in Benin on Wednesday, Coordinator of the group, Dr Uzoya Okuogbosun, said “It is going to take a human and visionary personality like His Excellency Professor Oserheimen Osunbor to redeem Edo state from the current decay, hopelessness and deadly existence”.

He argued that any attempt to deny the Prof. of Law the ticket may jeopardise the most agitated Esan agenda as, according to him, the electorate in Edo State may cast their votes in vendetta against any candidate aside Osunbor.

He said: “We are making a passionate appeal to the leadership of the APC in Esan land, that is, Edo Central Senatorial District, and other parts of Edo to cooperate and collaborate towards the emergency of the most qualified, most experience, most seasoned and most popular aspirant of the Esan ethnic extraction, that is, His Excellency, Prof. Osunbor.

“If due to some immaterial challant consideration you make the mistake of excluding your best and went ahead to activate the process that eventually led to the emergency of an unpopular candidate, it will lead to ɗisarticulation of the Esan agenda, because the electorate in Edo State who cannot be taken for granted may go out and cast their votes of vendetta against such candidate. (Sic)

“Any purported screening exercise ostensibly orchestrated to exclude the Esan ethnic group and particularly Osunbor, is a product of youthful confusion, because the Esan ethnic group, that is, Edo Central Senatorial District is not the only group to decide who becomes their governor.”

According to Okuogbosun, all other senatorial districts of the state have benefited from power sharing since 1999 apart from the Esan extraction who produced the governor in 2007 but was annulled by a court judgement.

He said for this reason, it will be fair to allow the central to produce the next govetnor, insisting that Osunbor remains the best candidate for the job.

While appealing to Esan leaders in the APC to cooperate to put their house in order, he said: “Since the inception of the fourth republic, every district in Edo State has rotated power between themselves, to the exclusion of the Esan ethnic group. The only time the Esan group was able to produce the governor was when Osunbor emerged as governor in year 2007. This success was eventually annulled by a court ruling.”

Politics

Obasanjo, Atiku, Obi Meet In Abuja

Published

14 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi met in Abuja on Saturday.

The trio were among prominent political figures who attended the Tambuwal Colloquium, titled “Leadership, Service and Statesmanship at 60,” held at the New Event Hall of the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja, in honour of the 60th birthday of former Sokoto State Governor and Senator, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal.

Atiku confirmed his presence at the event in a post on his X handle, stating that he had arrived at the venue for the colloquium organised to mark Tambuwal’s milestone birthday.

The former vice president also shared images of himself, Obasanjo and Obi at the event.

The event attracted political leaders, statesmen and stakeholders from across the country.

Politics

PANDEF Wades Into Rivers Crisis, Sets Up Seven-member Mediation Team

Published

20 hours ago

January 10, 2026

Editor

The Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF) has intervened in the political crisis in Rivers State, calling on all actors to sheathe their swords and embrace peace in the interest of the development of the state and the region in general.

Expressing concern that the political disagreement involving the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mr Nyesom Wike, Governor Siminalayi Fubara and the State House of Assembly might degenerate to total lawlessness, the Board and National Executive Committee of PANDEF set up a seven-member reconciliation team to resolve the issues.

The team, which is headed by a former Attorney-General of the Federation, Chief Kanu Agabi, has six other members.

They are Senator Obende Domingo (Vice Chairman); Chief Essien Nduese; Dr Timiebi Koripamo-Agari; Chief Mike Ejiofor; Mrs Nella Rabana-Andem, SAN; and Prince Godwin Okotie, the Deputy National Secretary of PANDEF, who will serve as the secretary of the team.

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“The Board and National Executive Committee of the Pan Niger Delta Forum (PANDEF), the apex socio-political body representing the people of the South-South geopolitical zone, notes with very grave concern the recent spate of political developments in Rivers State. Regrettably, these developments have now degenerated into the decision of the Rivers State House of Assembly to commence impeachment proceedings against the Governor of the State and the Deputy Governor.

“This is a deeply disturbing situation that demands urgent attention in order to forestall further escalation and breakdown of law and order. This concern is heightened by the critical importance and strategic centrality of Rivers State to the Niger Delta region and to the broader socio-political stability and economic well-being of Nigeria as a whole.

“In keeping with its non-partisan posture and its overarching role as a unifying and motherly platform for the region, PANDEF calls on all parties involved in the resurgent political imbroglio to sheathe the sword and embrace peace, guided by the principles of give-and-take, dialogue, tolerance, and political equanimity.

“All stakeholders must place paramount importance on peace, development, and the welfare of the people of Rivers State, as well as the interests of other citizens of the South-South, Nigerians at large, and the sizable expatriate community resident in the State. We must now focus squarely on good governance and development of the state”, the body said in a statement jointly signed by King Alfred Diete-Spiff; Obong Victor Attah (both Co-chairmen of the Board of Trustees, BoT); and Ambassador Godknows Igali, the National Chairman of PANDEF.

While commending President Bola Tinubu, the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC), respected elders of Rivers State and other well-meaning Nigerians “for their previous and ongoing efforts aimed at restoring peace and stability in the state”, PANDEF urged the political actors in the crisis to cooperate with the team, and they embarked on the mediation and reconciliation task.

“PANDEF calls on all parties to fully cooperate with this distinguished and highly respected team of senior Nigerians and sons and daughters of the South-South zone, as they selflessly commit their time and experience to this arduous assignment, with the objective of achieving a peaceful, fair, and sustainable resolution through a dispassionate and inclusive process”, it added.

Politics

Wike: Why Removing Fubara Will Be Difficult – Ex-Commissioner

Published

2 days ago

January 9, 2026

Editor

A former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communication, Austin Tam-George, has said that attempts to impeach Governor Siminalayi Fubara would be difficult to sustain, citing what he described as the governor’s performance record and the lack of concrete allegations against him.

Tam-George made the remarks on Thursday while speaking on Prime Time on Arise Television, arguing that the impeachment process being initiated against Fubara was to scuttle his chance for a second term.

According to him, Governor Fubara has continued to place the needs of the people at the centre of his administration, with visible interventions in rural development, housing, education and healthcare.

He said this, in his view, has made it difficult for opponents to justify moves to remove the governor from office.

Tam-George also called on the All Progressives Congress, APC, to intervene, arguing that the party should not allow what he described as the humiliation of a sitting governor.

He said: “Well, all I think he needs to do is to do exactly what he’s been doing from the beginning, which is to place the people at the center of gravity of his administration, prioritize the needs of the people, so that the people can see the direct impact of government action in their lives.

“And that’s exactly what he’s doing in terms of rural development, in terms of housing sector transformation, which I mentioned that he is doing the same in education sector and in health.

“So if he continues, if he persists in placing the people’s need at the center of focus of his administration, there is no way they are going to be able to justify this kind of shenanigans.

“Because, if you look very carefully at the so called articles of impeachment, you will see that there is no specificity in terms of any infraction by the governor or his deputy.

“What they are trying to do is to make sure they scuttle the administration so that the governor doesn’t then get to the point where he will be seeking a second term.

“Let me be clear, just two days ago, Nyesom Wike was at one of the local governments, and he made it clear in a moment of epiphany, he made it clear that, look, if Governor Fubara were to get a second term in office, it will amount to his own political burial.

“So all of these things that we are seeing the so called impeachment proceedings they’ve initiated, it’s actually an effort to try to scuttle the prospects of the governor coming for a second term, and I don’t see how they will succeed.

“If you look at the so called articles of impeachment, as I said, they lack specificity in terms of the kind of infraction that they allege that the governor has committed. He has done nothing wrong, and they will see how the process will play out.

“My sense, and in fact, if I were to advise the governor, my sense is that he should just maintain the people, retain the people at the center of gravity of his administration, meet their needs, run a transparent administration as he always done, and then the truth will come out, and he will be able to defend the administration.

“I think the the governing APC should also step in because they can’t possibly allow the governor of the office with probably one of the best performance records in the country to be humiliated by some of these members of the assembly.”