Politics

He’s Always Leaving, Wike’s Aide Mocks Atiku Over PDP Exit

Published

5 months ago

July 17, 2025

The Senior Special Assistant to the FCT Minister on Public Communication and Social Media, Lere Olayinka, has described the resignation of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the Peoples Democratic Party ahead of the 2027 election, as “good riddance to bad rubbish”.

The PUNCH reports that former Atiku resigned from the PDP in a letter dated July 16, 2025, addressed to the Chairman of his Jada 1 Ward in Adamawa State, citing “irreconcilable differences” in the party, while describing his exit as a heartbreaking decision, being a founding father of the party.

Speaking on Thursday on Channels Television breakfast show, Sunrise Daily, Olayinka noted that with the former VP’s exit, the party could gather itself together.

He said, “Well, my first reaction yesterday was that, Atiku Abubakar leaving the PDP, to me, is good riddance to bad rubbish. It is like how our Hausa people will say ‘sai gobe’. One thing I would have loved to see in the reportage yesterday was that the headline should have been ‘Atiku Abubakar leaves PDP again.’

“Because he has been leaving. Since 2007, he has been leaving. So if he chose to leave now, fine. Then the party can now begin to look at itself and bring itself together again. Unfortunately, it is too late, because like I’ve said many times, Atiku Abubakar happened to be like the weapon fashioned against the PDP.”

Addressing Atiku’s alliance with the coalition under the African Democratic Congress, the media aide cited Atiku’s anti-party moves against the PDP, noting that Atiku may yet return to the PDP if his journey in the coalition did not favour him.

“In 2003, PDP’s effort to win Lagos State was frustrated by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar when he was Vice-President, and that was how anti-party started in PDP. In 2018, you can google it, when he went to Lagos, he personally apologised for the role he played in frustrating the effort of the PDP to win Lagos State in 2003.

“In 2007, Atiku Abubakar holds the record of the first Nigerian as vice-president, sitting vice-president, that went to another party, while still holding the mandate of the PDP as vice-president. He went and formed Action Congress with the other people, and he contested as presidential candidate of Action Congress in 2007, even as a sitting vice-president, holding the mandate of the PDP.

“In 2014, it was the same Atiku Abubakar that led the rebellion, that pulled down the PDP, that took the PDP out of power. The only thing that interests Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is to be president of Nigeria, and I begin to wonder, is it that a doctor prescribed presidency to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, so that if you don’t become president, something will happen to you? Because that is the way it is.

“The only thing that is important to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is Atiku and Abubakar. The moment he’s in this party, he cannot get a ticket to contest, he moves to another party. And let me also say this. Write this one down. After this experiment in their coalition, which me I call coalition of confusion, he will still leave their coalition and probably come back to the PDP, as he has been doing,” he said.

Olayinka also faulted Atiku’s release of his resignation letter while the country was still mourning the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari, stating, “The same Atiku has been in Daura, he could not even wait for the seven days mourning period of Buhari to end before making a political decision, I don’t understand why somebody would be so desperate to this extent.”

He advised the PDP to begin putting its house in order, stating however that it may not be necessarily for the PDP to “make a good showing” in 2027.

“What I believe is that the PDP should now begin to put its house in order. It might not be necessarily to make a good showing next year, I mean 2027, because it is very close now,” he said.

Politics

Tinubu Sends Ex-INEC Chair, Former Oyo First Lady, 30 Additional Ambassadorial Nominees To Senate

Published

7 hours ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has forwarded 32 additional ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, just days after submitting an initial batch of three names.

In two separate letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the President urged the upper chamber to consider and swiftly confirm 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career nominees.

The list includes four women among the career nominees and six women among the non-career nominees.

Prominent names on the non-career list include Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia State; former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta); former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmud Yakubu; former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; and former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Others are former Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Tasiu Musa Maigari; former Plateau State Commissioner, Yakubu N. Gambo; and former Deputy Executive Secretary of UBEC, Yakubu K. Musa.

Also nominated are former Plateau senator, Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut; former Lagos Deputy Governor, Otunba Femi Pedro; former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State.

Additional nominees include former Oyo First Lady, Fatima Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; former Adamawa senator, Grace Bent; former Abia governor, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim of Ondo State; and former envoy to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu (Benue).

The career ambassadorial nominees are Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba), Miamuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa), Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi), Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa), Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi), and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun).

Others include Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara), and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).

The new nominees are expected to be deployed to countries with which Nigeria maintains strong and strategic diplomatic relations, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as to Permanent Missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.

Their specific postings will be determined after Senate confirmation.

Recall that President Tinubu, last week, forwarded three ambassadorial nominees, Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun), who are being considered for postings to the UK, USA, or France.

President Tinubu said additional ambassadorial nominations will be announced in due course.

Politics

Soludo Visits Tinubu, Goes Into Closed Door Session With President

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, on Thursday, paid a courtesy visit to the President, Bola Tinubu, GCFR at the State House.

Report by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Soludo, Mr Chris Aburime stated that President Tinubu received the Anambra State Governor with excitement, describing him as his long standing friend of over 22 years.

Aburime said, “The President used the occasion to further congratulate Governor Soludo on his landslide victory in the just concluded Anambra gubernatorial election.

“Recall that President Tinubu had earlier issued a congratulatory message to Governor Soludo immediately the governorship election was concluded.”

Governor Soludo was declared winner with 73% of the votes cast by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Other details of the meeting were, however, not disclosed as the press Secretary told DAILY POST that both men went into a closed door meeting after the reception.

Politics

2027: I Will Resign If Tinubu Loses In Edo – Governor Okpebholo

Published

2 days ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholor has vowed that President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election in Edo State.

Okpebholor in an interview captured in a viral video vowed to resign if the outcome of the 2027 election does not favour the president in Edo State.

According to him, the entire people in Edo State are ready to vote for the president, citing projects that his (Okpebholor) administration executed since the All Progressives Congress, APC took over the state.

He claimed that there is no opposition in the state, stressing that everyone is supporting the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said, “There is no opposition here in Edo everybody is for Asiwaju in this state.

“Tinubu is more popular than me in Edo state. If he doesn’t win the presidential election in Edo in 2027, I will resign.”