Politics

Jonathan Is Angry With PDP Over 2015 Betrayal — Clark

Published

2 years ago

July 12, 2022

Editor

Former Federal Commissioner for Information and South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark, on Tuesday, gave an insight into why former President Goodluck Jonathan stopped attending meetings of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

According to Clark, former President Jonathan is angry with his party because of what party members, led by the former National Chairman and past Governor of Bauchi State, Adamu Muazu, did to him when he wanted to be re-elected in 2015.

Clark noted that PDP leaders from the North worked against Jonathan because, according to them, it was the turn of the North to produce the President.

He stressed that many of the PDP governors from the North mobilised funds for the then candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari, against their own flag bearer.

The elder statesman and leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, noted that Jonathan had learnt his lesson, which explained why he stopped attending meetings of PDP especially the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party.

He spoke at his Asokoro residence in Abuja, when he played host to the Delta Central APC Leaders of Thought, DECALT, led by its National Leader, Chief Ominimini Obiuwevbi.

The leader of Southern and Middle Belt Leaders Forum, SMBLF, lamented that the same northern governors in the PDP, who had rejected zoning, were now talking about competence and integrity in 2022.

He accused the party of what he described as manipulation leading to the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as its presidential candidate for the 2023 election.

Clark said: “Now coming home politically, Jonathan was the President for some time as the result of the death of President Yar’Adua. Jonathan ruled for about five years, he is a Christian and the northerners said it was their turn.

“From 2011, they have been worrying Jonathan. Even in 2015, the northern PDP leaders ganged up with APC, Tinubu and removed Jonathan from office. They did not campaign, Jonathan was on his own.

“So, when people say why Jonathan is not in PDP, not attending PDP meetings, I can safely say that he’s learning his lesson that the people he trusted did not trust him.

“They squandered the party’s money and left.

“So, when people say why is Jonathan not in PDP, he knows how they betrayed him: how the northern PDP governors contributed money towards Buhari’s success, how members of government betrayed him.

“The national Chairman of PDP at the time was Governor (Adamu) Mu’azu. He did not go to his hometown to campaign, he was only following Jonathan about.

“He knew what he was doing. Everyone of them wanted Buhari to win. So, Buhari won. He has ruled for eight years.

“Now, the same northerners are now saying competence, no zoning, integrity.

“It fell for the prey, they maneuvered PDP with Alhaji Abubakar who has been wanting to be president of Nigeria over the years, championing the cause of division. So, the PDP, a party we love, PDP a party of southern Nigeria, disappointed us.

“In 2019, 11 million people voted for Atiku Abubakar (PDP). Five million from the North, five million from the South. Now he doesn’t think that we ever did anything for him.

“So, Nigeria has change. If anyone tells you that all is well in Nigeria that person living in a fool’s paradise.

“I’m happy to note that you are members of the ruling party that is APC and I will give you a message to Mr. President, who is the leader of your party.

“But we are in the minority, but in every society the minority and the majority must live together. We have never seen a community where you have only the majority. If that’s the case amongst them some will become minority.

“We are the largest ethnic nationality in Delta State, but within you some people are dominating. Because we are alive, we don’t need this society where people are not equal.

“That’s what Mandela fought for that everybody is equal. People should live in a country where you grow up to do anything God created you do.”

Clark recalled that when governors of the southern states insisted on zoning the presidency to the South, the SMBLF immediately keyed into it.

However, he regretted, despite agreement for southerners not to accept the running mate position to any Northern presidential candidate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State has been picked as the vice presidential candidate by the PDP even though he hosted one of the governors meeting in Asaba.

According to the South-South leader, the APC he thought the people of the South-South should have no business with, became the party that listened to the yearnings of the region over zoning and the need for the South to produce the next President come 2023.

Clark who noted that he would have voted for the ruling APC, but for his age and its decision to fly a Muslim-Muslim Presidential ticket.

He said: “Several times we met here and before the PDP had their primary, we met here again and repeated the same thing.

“We didn’t know that our own Governor, who initiated this meeting, if you agreed for a meeting to be held in your house and you backed out thereafter; you have betrayed your colleagues. Isn’t it?

“So, that’s why one of my cousins called Okowa miscreant.”

Politics

Why Tinubu Didn’t Intervene In Ganduje’s Troubles – APC Leaders

Published

20 hours ago

May 12, 2024

Editor

Following weeks of aborted moves and protests to remove the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje, concerned chieftains of the party have explained the reason President Bola Tinubu steered clear of the drama.

The embattled chairman was purportedly suspended by the APC executive of Ganduje ward in the Dawakin Tofa Local Government of Kano State on April 15, a move that was quickly thwarted by the state chapters of the party, which suspended the ward executive.

The development resulted in legal tussles with the Kano State High Court granting an ex parte order restraining him from parading himself as a member of the party, leading to Ganduje securing a counter ex parte order from the Federal High Court in Kano presided over by Justice A. M. Liman, who ruled out the purported suspension.

A few days after the legal fireworks, scores of demonstrators stormed the national secretariat of the APC in Abuja to demand his resignation and allow the seat of the leadership, previously occupied by Abdullahi Adamu, to return to the North Central.

However, supporters of the APC national chairman have expressed shock over the deafening silence of the president, who political observers believed was his ally and close friend.

Reacting in an interview with our correspondent, the APC Publicity Secretary for North-West, Musa Mada, pointed out that there was nothing suspicious about President Tinubu’s silence.

He said, “The whole thing (Ganduje’s purported suspension) is just speculation. If we look at it from 1999 to date, no president has proven to be more of a party man than Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

“His silence does not mean that he is not interested in the party. But he understands that the entire hullabaloo is more of a party affair. One thing people should know is that the moment you find a party so quiet, that party is insignificant.

“But where you find people agitating or fomenting trouble at a party, they are striving to get attention or seek some form of recognition. Tinubu is now the president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, even though he is still a card-carrying member and leader of the APC. It is not everything he must react to because he doesn’t have the time. He has more important things to do.”

The APC chief also slammed the National Leader of the New Nigeria People’s Party, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso for allowing his feud with the embattled chairman to degenerate into political blackmail and backbiting among Kano party faithful.

Mada claimed that he was aware that the only thing standing between Kwankwaso and his alleged desire to defect to the ruling APC was the presence of Ganduje as the leader of the party.

“Those fomenting trouble in Kano are of two factions. There are those of the APC extraction and others from the camp of Kwankwaso. If you have been following what is happening in the so-called Ganduje’s Ward, even we in the North know it was the handiwork of Kwankwaso in Kano.

“They are using that avenue to create propaganda. I believe Kwankwaso, as a statesman, should have done better because both of them have been together for about 40 years.”

But another APC chieftain, Sylvester Monidafe, did not share his sentiment.

He stated, “My concern is not about Ganduje himself, but the party and Tinubu’s legacy. I have known Tinubu since 2006 in the ACN days when I returned to active politics.

“We all saw how he stood up to President Olusegun Obasanjo when he tried to undermine the South West states. Basically all the governors except Tinubu fell for his tricks. He stood up to the man and said ‘No way’ before he formed the AD.

“I have been with this man for that long. We used to call him ‘the last man standing.’ He is politically astute and I don’t think he will allow Ganduje or anybody to soil his name.

“On the talks that the president may be attempting to throw him under the bus for Kwankwaso, I have no idea. But I know Tinubu would like to do the right thing. You may want to ask what the right thing is.”

Politics

Edo Labour Party Suspends Youth Leader

Published

1 day ago

May 11, 2024

Editor

Leadership of the Edo State chapter of Labour Party says it has suspended Youth Leader of the party, Ken Omusi, over an alleged invasion of the party secretariat in Benin City on Thursday.

Omosi, alongside other youths were said to have invaded the party secretariat, sacked the the Kelly Ogbaloi-led State Working Committee and declared himself (Omosi) as the acting chairman of the party.

He further claimed that over the last three months, not less than 350 members had been suspended on the WhatsApp platform of the party by the state chairman without the backing of the party.

While announcing the dissolution of the executives of the party, Omusi called on the national leadership of the party in Abuja to ratify their actions and resolutions.

But addressing newsmen in Benin, chairman of the party, Ogbaloi, while condemning the invasion by the Youth Leader, noted that Omusi has since been suspended for anti-party activities.

Ogbaloi added that the State Working Committee, in the spirit of brotherhood ahead of the governorship election, has lifted the suspension earlier slammed on some members.

According to him, a reconciliation committee would be set up by the state executive to make peace with any of the aggrieved members before the election.

He, however, appealed to members of the party to leverage on the forthcoming new voter registration exercise to expand the voters base as well as ensure broader participation in the electoral process.

“A robust membership drive shall be launched to attract new members and reconcile with the disenchanted individuals who have legitimate grievances”, he added.

He equally urged all members of the party, as well eligible voters in the state, to rally behind the Labour Party’s governorship candidate, Barrister Olumide Akpata and his running mate, Prince Yusuf Asamah Kadiri, in the election

Politics

Rivers Crisis: Why Gov Fubura Got Into ‘Trouble’ – Secondus

Published

1 day ago

May 11, 2024

Editor

Former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, has said Rivers State Governor, Similaye Fubura, was being haunded by his political opponents for daring to prevent the looting of the state.

He explained that the political crisis in the state was orchestrated by those who demand unfettered access to the finances of the state a demand the governor has refused to accept.

Secondus who spoke in Abuja, on Saturday, also accused the immediate past Governor of the state and now Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, of being the brain behind Fubura’s political troubles.

He explained that Wike’s conduct, utterances and unrelenting fued with the governor, has cast the state in bad light.

Secondus said, “Wike has been Governor for eight years and is now Minister of the FCT. As Minister, what, has he (Wike) attracted in terms of Federal projects to our dear State since he assumed office? Perhaps misery, grief, and anguish. As Governor he had supervised the exit of investors from the state due to his draconian policies.

“He had on an occasion mentioned that he is capable of causing crisis and he is not far from the truth, as he is causing an unfathomable crisis in Rivers State.

“Mrs Patience Jonathan and I worked for his emergence as governor, have we ever breathed down his neck? Instead what we get is disrespect and insults.

“ I can attest to Dr. Odili’s performance as Governor being the State PDP chairman then. I hasten to say without any fear of contradiction that he is the best governor of Rivers State in this dispensation.

“Wike claims that our revered Dr. Odili made him but in his characteristic manner, he publicly ridiculed the Odili’s without any justification. He owes them an unreserved apology and he should do so publicly.

“These media attacks against the political leaders of Rivers State are unwarranted and diversionary.

“For the records you should account for the three hundred million dollars($300m) you collected from the NNPC for the Ogoni Oil well and the cash refund made by the Saipem oil and gas company and subsequently account for your eight-year tenure of over N4Trillion realized, mismanaged and squandered. Rather than trying to cover your inadequacies through media attacks.”

These attacks, he stressed, might dovetail into a national crisis if not properly checked.

While appealing to President Bola Tinubu to reign in the FCT minister, Secondus added, “I call on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, to prevail on the FCT Minister, Nyesom Wike to stop overheating the Rivers State political atmosphere and allow Fubara to work. Whatever Wike thinks he is It must be stressed that Rivers people made him.”