Politics

El-Rufai, PDP In A Fight To Finish In Kaduna

Published

1 year ago

March 16, 2023

Editor

As the Saturday, March 18 date for the governorship and state assembly elections approaches, political observers project that the seeming redrawing of Nigeria’s electoral map, which began during the February 23 presidential and National Assembly elections, could continue.

That means the reign of some gladiators in some political parties and states will be determined at the polls. So, it is either they guard their ‘political kingdom’ and win their turf for their parties or they are dethroned.

Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s Kaduna State presents one such interesting scenario. During the February 25 elections, the Peoples Democratic Party almost rendered the governor, a king without a kingdom with his ruling All Progressives Congress getting a thorough beating at the polls.

The PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, defeated the APC candidate, Bola Tinubu, in the state.

Atiku garnered 554,360 votes to beat Tinubu, who got 399,293 votes to come second while the Labour Party’s Peter Obi polled 294,494 votes to claim third position.

El-Rufai has been the governor of the state since 2015 under the APC. But, under his reign, the APC lost the three senatorial seats to the PDP at the National Assembly polls.

The main opposition party also won 10 seats out of the total 16 seats for the House of Representatives in the state.

The Central North Senatorial district seat was won by Lawal Usman of the PDP who polled 225,066 votes to defeat the former Chief of Staff and Commissioner for Budget and Planning to Governor El-rufai, Abdullahi Sani, of the APC, who garnered 182,035 votes.

According to the Returning Officer, Prof. Haruna Adamu of the Ahmadu Bello University, Zaria, the candidate of the Labour Party, Ibrahim Sani, came third with 87,510 votes while Umar Tijjani of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, polled 24,395 votes to place fourth.

The PDP also clinched the Kaduna North Senatorial District won by its candidate, Khalid Mustapha, who defeated the incumbent, Senator Suleiman Kwari, of the APC.

Mustapha scored 250,826 votes to defeat Kwari, who got 190,008 votes.

The governorship battle

Against the above backdrop, many see the Saturday governorship election in the state as both challenging and of course interesting, a battle to finish between El-Rufai’s APC candidate and the PDP.

The PUNCH reports that no fewer than nine governorship candidates in the state on March 6 endorsed the candidate of the PDP, Isa Ashiru, as the consensus candidate.

Under the platform of the ‘Kaduna State Rescue and Rebuild Gubernatorial candidates Forum,’ they claim that the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC is a mere ploy to divide the state along religious lines.

The nine parties comprised the Young Progressives Party, Action Alliance, Allied Peoples Movement, All People’s Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, and National Rescue Movement as well as the leadership of the Accord Party, ADP and the Zenith Labour Party.

Addressing a press conference in Kaduna, the Chairman of the Forum, who’s also the governorship candidate of the YPP, Sani Yaya, said they decided to endorse the PDP candidate because he remained the best man for the job.

Going by how people voted in the state during the presidential election, pundits believe the PDP could have its best outing since 2015 this time around. If the pattern of voting continues, the PDP might cruise to victory again on Saturday.

Meanwhile, the idea of a Muslim-Muslim ticket strategy introduced by El-Rufai, which worked for him in 2019, may also be in favour of the APC governorship candidate, Uba Sani.

Before his election as senator in 2019, Sani had served as political adviser to El-Rufai in 2015. He is the incumbent senator for Kaduna Central senatorial district

His campaign jingles and programmes dominate virtually all local radio stations in Kaduna.

He promises to review and build on El-Rufai’s achievements in the past seven and half years, though citizens of the state do not seem to generally be in agreement on the governor’s achievements, especially, Christians, who might have reservations. The APC’s Muslim-Muslim ticket is what the opposition parties are exploiting to campaign against the APC.

Meanwhile, as much as the election is majorly between the APC and the PDP, there is also a major factor which is the growing influence of the Labour Party.

The LP governorship candidate, Jonathan Asake, was the President of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union, which makes him popular in Southern Kaduna. Asake is an obstacle which the APC and the PDP have to deal with.

No doubt, the major contest will be between the APC and the PDP on Saturday, and while the PDP will want to capitalise on the success it recorded in the presidential election in the state, the ruling APC will be doing everything to spring back into reckoning from the February 25 defeat and save the outgoing governor from a devastating political misfortune.
PUNCH

Politics

Group Says Court Would Rectify LP Primary Infractions In Favour Of Imansuangbon

Published

2 days ago

May 9, 2024

Editor

A pressure group under the umbrella of Shine Your Eyes Group, (SYEG) has asked Edo Labour Party in the state to save the party and its candidate, Olumide Akpata, from legal embarrassment over the weighty allegations as contained in the petition filed against his emergence by Barrister Kenneth Imansuangbon, than attacking the SYEG over it position.

The group said the major issues before the court for determination among others is whether in substituting his deputy Alufokhai Oluyinka Faith he complied within the time limit and the constitution.

In a statement endorsed by the group’s coordinator, Comrade Jonah Ifada and Secretary Osagie Omoregie, said INEC should not be blamed for any perceived infraction by the party, adding that the electoral body did not nominate Alufokhai for the LP in the first place.

Ifada argued, “What Imansuangbon in his application is asking the court to determine is whether the party followed the normal National Working Committee, NWC’s approval?

“Whether the mandatory signatories by Abure and the National secretary was obtained and if the answer are in the negative then Akpata does not have a substitution and therefore not a candidate of the LP in the eyes of the law.”

Ifada said the APC and PDP are keenly watching and waiting in the wings for the party to make this grievous mistake adding that the Supreme Court judgment in Bayelsa was very explicit and in line with section 29 of the electoral act.

“We want to say with due respect to our judges that the world is watching and that if Donald Trump can be brought to trial before the watchful eyes of the world Olumide can’t use the court to legitimate his error and Nigeria need to move with the rest of the world and respect of rule of law and democracy.

“Olumide among others pledged oath of allegiance to another country called Vanuate which is against Section 182 of our constitution. Imansuangbon is not contending that he was born in Germany but our Country is against his voluntary oath of allegiance to another country.

“We want to remind him that he cannot appropriate and reprobate at the same time. In the coming days, activities in Vanuate will be revealed to Nigerians and the world,” he added.

It further noted that it is not the turn of Edo South and that was why the APC and PDP went to Edo Central to nominate their candidates.

The group also reminded the LP publicity secretary, Comrade Sam Uroupa that Shine Your Group he attempted to deride in his watery statement is an existing body that includes all ‘mama, ‘papa, pikin and those who want a better Edo state are members of the body and are in the majority.

Politics

Edo Poll: PDP Gubernatorial Aspirant Resigns From Party

Published

4 days ago

May 7, 2024

Editor

Felix Akhabue, a former gubernatorial aspirant for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the September 21, Edo State election, has resigned from the party.

Akhabue was among the 10 aspirant who contested the party’s primary election in February and protested against the conduct of its ward and local government congresses.

Akhabue, a former, chairman of Esan West Local Government Area as well as Commissioner for Wealth Creation, Cooperative and Industry in Governor Godwin Obaseki’s first tenure, dumped the party in a letter dated May 6, 2024, and addressed to the Ward 7 chairman of the party in Esan West local Government Area.

Politics

Edo Poll: Akoko-Edo PDP Leaders Meet Deputy Gov, Pledge Massive Votes For Ighodalo

Published

4 days ago

May 7, 2024

Editor

Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area of Edo State Tuesday assured the Deputy Governor of the state, Marvellous Omobayo, of their preparedness to deliver block votes to the party’s governorship candidate, Barrister Asue Ighodalo in the forthcoming September 21st governorship election.

The leaders who came from ward (4), (3) and ward (5) was led by Comrade Princeswill Ogunnubi (ward 4), said Akoko-Edo, since the appointment of their kinsman as deputy governor, Akoko-Edo is a no go area for the opposition All Progressives Congress in the state, just as he predicted victory for the PDP.

Ogunnubi, who spoke during a courtesy call on the deputy governor at his office on a solidarity visit, noted that the visit was imperative to assure the number two citizen of the state of their readiness towards the continuity of the PDP in the state beyond 2024.

He said. “We are not just here today in solidarity with you on your appointment but to also assure you of our unalloyed support to deliver on the political trust and confidence reposed in you by the governor on your appointment.

“You can see that since your assumption as the deputy governor the youth of the state that forms majority of the voting population are excited and solidly behind you to see that you succeed and as a people are eternally grateful to Governor Godwin Obaseki.

“It is on record that we have never had it this good apart from the statutory elective political offices. The time has come for us to compensate the governor by delivering Barrister Asue Ighodalo as the next governor of the Edo State.”

Also on the visit, Mr Ernest Akpaja, another leader, stressed on the need for all party members to close rank and join forces in the task ahead.

“This appointment is a testament to the Governor’s commitment to diversity and inclusiveness. We believe Deputy Governor Godwin will make significant contributions to advancing the governor’s development agenda,” Akpaja said.

Omobayo who was elated at the visit, appealed to the leaders to sustain the unity of purpose in ensuring that Akoko-Edo is solidly “PDP and PDP is Akoko-Edo.”

While thanking the leaders remarked, “Without mincing words, I can assure you that Akoko-Edo will get more positions under the PDP if voted back into power. More better days ahead for our people.”