Politics

PCC Kicks Over Governors’ Threat To Dump Atiku

Published

3 years ago

December 27, 2022

The five aggrieved Peoples Democratic Party governors’ loyalists and the camp of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, quarrelled over moves by the governors to endorse their preferred presidential candidate in January.

The governors had vowed not to campaign for Atiku, hinting that they would reveal the presidential candidate they would support, few weeks to the February 25 presidential poll but the Atiku Campaign Council warned that dumping the PDP standard bearer would mark the end of their political careers.

Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu states and some political heavyweights from the South are at loggerheads with Atiku following the refusal of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu to resign on account of the lopsided leadership of the party.

Though Atiku and the governors held several meetings in Nigeria and London, United Kingdom, Ayu’s refusal to vacate office as demanded by the governors had frustrated the reconciliation moves.

Wike had consistently maintained that in several meetings with Atiku after the party convention, the latter promised to prevail on Ayu to quit; a claim that had been denied by Atiku and his spokespersons.

The governors, who subsequently pulled out of Atiku’s campaign council, have inaugurated their state campaign councils without a word of support for Atiku.

Barring any twist, The PUNCH gathered that the governors would in the days ahead begin campaigns against the PDP presidential candidate in their respective states.

It was gathered that issues of trust and loyalty to the party would feature prominently in their campaign against Atiku.

Last week, Wike, the arrowhead of the move against Atiku, told the Rivers State chapter of the PDP to await his January directive on the presidential candidate to vote; a remark that elicited a sharp rebuke from his once trusted ally and immediate past National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus.

Wike, The PUNCH gathered, is disposed to supporting the All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu.

An unconfirmed report suggests that the tough-talking governor was not sure of the ability of the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, to garner sufficient votes across the country.

Sources said the River State governor and his colleagues planned to brand Atiku as a serial defector who cannot be trusted with power by the electorate.

An associate of the Benue State governor, who does not want his name in print, said the five governors “have agreed among themselves to support a presidential candidate from the South.’’

Ortom’s stand

“Governor Ortom is clear about it that it is not right to have another President of Fulani extraction after eight years of a Fulani President. His argument is that when Olusegun Obasanjo was leaving office in 2007, he was against Peter Odili succeeding him because it would have been against the spirit of fairness. That is why he picked and campaigned for Umaru Yar’Adua,’’ the source stated.

According to him, the position of Governor Ortom is that “it is unhealthy to have not just another Northerner but another Fulani man take over from another Fulani man.

‘’From the get-go, he was in the forefront of the move for a Southerner to take over power in 2023. This is the position of the five governors. Some may be working for other candidates and I understand that Nyesom Wike is working with Tinubu.”

Confirming this development, the immediate past Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Diran Odeyemi said Makinde may have a soft spot for Obi but expressed doubts that he would ever make his stand public.

“A lot of political games are going on. In Oyo State, the deputy governor, Bayo Lawal, has been attending events of the Atiku campaign organisation even though his boss is a member of G-5.

“Seyi (Makinde) is not ready to lose his re-election bid and is therefore keeping his choice close to his chest. He may have instructed his foot soldiers on what to do but he would be wise enough to go with the crowd in the end.

‘’Nothing can be ruled out for now and if he thinks working with Atiku can help his cause, he will go for it. Wherever the pendulum swings, he will take the glory,” he said.

Atiku’s challenge

All things considered, Odeyemi noted that Atiku had a mountain to climb should the five governors forge a common front against him in the election.

“There is no doubt that he is a popular candidate but if these governors unite against him, it is going to be a difficult election for him. This is why we are appealing that the party goes into the election as one united family,” he added.

But the spokesman for the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Senator Dino Melaye warned the governors about the fate that would await them should they dump Atiku for an opposition candidate.

Their political careers, he predicted, would come to an end should they ditch the candidate of their party.

He stated, “No blackmail, hate, or outrageous envy will stop Atiku. I pray it is not true (G-5 governors’ imminent endorsement of their preferred candidate).

“Attacking Atiku will cost them their political future. You don’t fight a man who has done nothing to provoke you. Atiku’s only offence is that he won a presidential primary transparently and openly. No man should play God.’’

Sounding confident about the PDP standard bearer’s electoral chances, the former lawmaker said, “It is too late to stop Atiku. They should have a re-think while they can. Atiku will be president because the people have decided.

‘’My advice to the G-5 is ‘don’t end your political career because of an inordinate ambition and capricious manifestation that will yield no result.’ If they take that step, it will be the last kick of a dying horse.”

Another spokesman of the PDP Campaign Council, Daniel Bwala noted that the 12 million Northern votes President Muhammadu Buhari often garnered at every election he participated in, are now in the bag for Atiku in 2023.

“If you don’t know, Atiku has inherited the 12m votes of Buhari already. When you add his 8m plus the 12m, Atiku is already coming to the election with 20m votes,” he claimed.

He also enumerated several reasons the election is Atiku’s to lose.

Bwalla said, “Haven’t you seen that the PDP was the first to inaugurate a campaign council; the first to commence campaign, the leading party in terms of coverage and impact? And we are presently closing in on all the zones.

“Have you not been reading the wide acceptance of Atiku across board? Look, no one can kill an idea whose time has come; no one! Need I remind you that the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System for the election is an election of the people over the big man or big men?

“Have you not seen that in the All Progressives Congress rallies in Niger, Kaduna and elsewhere that when they chanted Nigeria, the crowd replied sai Atiku? Or is it Peter Obi whose Akwa Ibom, Cross River, Rivers and Lagos rallies put together is not up to half of our (PDP) Katsina rally where the President of APC’s party comes from, that can win this election?”

Nwuke faults Melaye

Reacting to Melaye’s statement on the future of the aggrieved governors, a PDP chieftain and Wike’s ally, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, said he was simply arrogating the powers Atiku doesn’t have to the candidate.

Nwuke, who is the Chairman, Publicity and Communications Committee, Rivers State PDP Campaign Council, said the governors could decide who to support for the plum office.

Nwuke, a former member of the green chamber of the National Assembly representing the Etche-Omuma constituency, stated, “Giving what is playing out, I think they are adults and they will be in a better position to answer that question.

“Except to say that malice may need to be proven by those who say any decision taken that does not support Atiku or any candidate for that matter is something to be seen as anti-party.

“Then, I think it will be proper to wait, go slowly and try to appreciate that position when they take that position. The rest will fall within the realms of speculation if we were to go on without clearly seeing what action they take and how they take them.”

Nwuke said Melaye should be concerned about more fundamental issues.

“Perhaps from Dino Melaye’s perspective, Atiku will then be God. Atiku is not God. He can be Dino’s God, but he cannot be God to others; in this case, the governors. So, I don’t know how one can arrogate to an individual such extensive qualities.

“We are talking about a presidential candidate rising to the occasion, being able to sell himself. We have been seeing results from the polls carried out in this country and you will be worried that candidates are known to be upfront there to be the clear leader of those poll results.

“I think people like Dino should be worried about that, not arrogating to the candidate the powers that he doesn’t have,” the former Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications said.

He added, “In a couple of days from now, it is obvious that the G5 will manifestly say what they want to do. I can assure you that, that will happen.”

Asked if they have agreed on the presidential candidate to support, he said meetings are being held.

“Meetings are taking place. Conversations are going on. At the fullness of time, these gentlemen who are in no way divided will come out with a common position.

“Whatever that common position turns out to be will be what the G5 will pursue going forward. But note that they have made it clear that the issues they are dealing with go beyond the 2023 elections.

“They have made it clear that the issues are not only of the PDP but issues of great national interest. And because these are matters of national interest, there will be no need to hurry. They will at the fullness of time espouse their position on issues.”

On when the meeting to decide which candidate the G5 governors will be supporting, he said the interest of the media is understandable.

According to him, “I think the media should be interested in the outcome of the meeting. And through their channels via their channels, I’m sure whatever happens you’re going to be among the first to know.

“They will take a common position and amongst them, you know how they operate. One of them will speak to the media and thereafter that common position I believe will be respected by all.”
PUNCH

Politics

In Defence Of Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe: The Generational Shift Reshaping Edo Politics

Published

19 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

By DAN Osa-Ogbegie

For decades, Edo politics remained trapped within a narrow and predictable cycle of political recycling. The same ageing actors moved endlessly from one office to another, from one administration to the next, and from one political alignment to another, as though leadership in Edo State had become the exclusive inheritance of a permanent political aristocracy.

Meanwhile, thousands of intelligent, energetic, and capable young Edo people watched helplessly from the margins while opportunities for leadership, governance, party administration, and public service remained tightly controlled by individuals whose political relevance dated back several decades.

That unhealthy political culture is now gradually changing.

Today, one of the most important political transformations taking place within the All Progressives Congress in Edo State is the deliberate transition from recycled political gerontocracy to a younger generation of political actors. That transition is unfolding under the leadership of Senator Monday Okpebholo, Governor of Edo State and Leader of the APC in Edo State, together with the State Chairman of the party, Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Predictably, such a shift has unsettled entrenched interests.

Those who became accustomed to monopolising political relevance naturally feel threatened by the emergence of a younger generation that is increasingly assertive, visible, influential, and institutionally empowered. Yet, history teaches a simple lesson: no political structure survives indefinitely without renewal.

No serious political party can continue recycling the same exhausted political machinery forever while expecting innovation, grassroots energy, modern governance ideas, and long-term political sustainability.

That reality appears to be clearly understood by Governor Monday Okpebholo and Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe.

Much of the criticism unfairly directed at Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe in recent times stems from the fact that he has become one of the visible faces of this generational transition within Edo APC. Beneath the noise, propaganda, and political bitterness lies an undeniable truth: the party is consciously opening spaces for younger people in ways not seen for many years.

From the youthful Deputy Chairman of APC in Edo State, Sylvester Aigboboh, to several younger commissioners, Special Advisers, members of the State Executive Council, board chairmen, local government administrators, and strategic appointees across government, the evidence of deliberate political renewal is becoming increasingly impossible to ignore.

In Uhunmwode Local Government Area, Hon. Austin Imafidon has emerged as one of the young faces of focused governance and grassroots administration. Beyond politics, he has already established himself successfully in business, bringing into governance the mindset of productivity, enterprise, and modern administrative engagement.

In Etsako, Hon. Sunny Ekpeson has continued to attract national attention as the youngest ALGON Chairman in Nigeria, representing a clear departure from the era where local government leadership was treated as the permanent preserve of ageing political operators disconnected from younger demographics.

In Ikpoba-Okha Local Government Area, Hon. Eric Osawaru represents another example of the younger political generation now entrusted with leadership responsibilities, while in Oredo Local Government Area, Engr. Gabriel Iduseri equally reflects the growing confidence being reposed in younger administrators within the APC structure.

In Owan, Hon. Aitalegbe Ernest, popularly known as “China Boy,” has also emerged as one of the prominent young political figures gaining traction as the incoming Chairman of the local government, further reinforcing the expanding generational transition currently taking shape across Edo State.

The same pattern is visible across government institutions and strategic agencies.

Pastor Stanley Dave Ighodaro, a successful entrepreneur with thriving business interests in Europe, now heads the Edo State Parks and Gardens Agency. His emergence reflects an increasingly important shift towards bringing professionally exposed and globally minded younger individuals into governance and public administration.

Similarly, Kassim Otono, who serves as Special Adviser on Oil and Gas to the Executive Governor of Edo State, represents another example of younger technocratic involvement within the present administration. His inclusion within such a strategic sector underscores the growing confidence being placed in younger professionals and politically aware technocrats within government.

This is how enduring institutions are built.

A political party that refuses to regenerate itself eventually becomes intellectually stagnant, structurally weak, and electorally disconnected from evolving social realities.

Governor Monday Okpebholo deserves commendation for recognising that governance in a rapidly changing society cannot remain permanently tied to political methods and leadership assumptions developed several decades ago. Contemporary governance demands adaptability, technological awareness, stronger grassroots engagement, administrative energy, and a deeper connection with younger populations.

Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe equally deserves credit for helping stabilise the party while managing this difficult but necessary transition process. Generational shifts are never easy within political systems historically dominated by established interests. Resistance is inevitable. Political resentment is expected. Internal anxieties naturally emerge whenever old monopolies begin to weaken.

Leadership, however, requires courage.

The recently concluded primaries further revealed this evolving direction within the APC. The emergence of candidates such as Rt. Hon. Omoregie Ogbeide-Ihama, Osazee Igbinovia, Dr. Emmanuel Paddy Iyamu, Omosede Igbinedion, Sir Lucky Eseigbe, and Odianosen Okojie reflects a growing political philosophy that increasingly values capacity, grassroots relevance, contemporary appeal, and generational continuity.

Equally symbolic is the emergence of several young Acting Local Government Council Chairmen who are now candidates of the party in the forthcoming local government elections. That development sends a powerful message across Edo State that political participation is gradually becoming more accessible to younger people with competence, commitment, and organisational value.

For too long, many young people in Edo politics were reduced to political spectators, social media defenders, praise singers, or election-day foot soldiers while actual power remained tightly guarded elsewhere. Such a model was never sustainable.

A society that continuously sidelines its younger generation ultimately weakens its own political future.

The ongoing transition within Edo APC does not amount to hostility towards elders or experienced political actors. Experience remains valuable. Elder statesmen still possess institutional memory and political wisdom that younger actors can benefit from immensely. Mentorship, however, must never become political suffocation. Guidance must never evolve into permanent political domination.

Every generation deserves the opportunity to participate meaningfully in shaping the future it will eventually inherit.

That is precisely why the current direction of the APC leadership in Edo State deserves objective acknowledgement rather than emotional hostility.

Many of those attacking Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe today are not truly angry about party administration. Their deeper discomfort arises from the reality that political influence is gradually shifting away from old centres of control towards a newer generation of actors who may no longer depend entirely on traditional political gatekeepers for relevance or survival.

Societies evolve.

Political cultures evolve.

Leadership itself evolves.

No generation owns political power forever.

Ultimately, the future of Edo State cannot be built exclusively around recycled political veterans whose greatest political moments belong largely to the past. A forward-looking society must continuously create room for younger leadership, newer ideas, fresh administrative energy, and modern political thinking.

That future is already unfolding within the APC in Edo State.

History may eventually remember Khalifa Jarrett Tenebe and Governor Monday Okpebholo as central figures in the difficult but necessary political transition that began moving Edo away from recycled political dominance towards a broader and younger leadership culture capable of preparing the state for a different era.

Daniel Aroren Noah Osa-Ogbegie is a Benin based legal practitioner and public intellectual from Uhunmwode Local Government Area.

Politics

JUST IN: Omo-Agege Resigns From APC

Published

20 hours ago

May 27, 2026

Editor

Former Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege has resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) with immediate effect.

In a letter to the Chairman of Orogun Ward 2, Ughelli North Local Government, Delta State, dated May 22, 2026, Omo-Agege said after reviewing recent developments within the ruling party and consulting with his associates and supporters, it is clear that his political objectives and those of his constituents are better served outside the party.

“I will not remain a sitting duck in a party where I cannot advance the interests of Delta Central, Delta State and Nigeria,” he said.

On Ovie Omo-Agege’s castle-in-the-air
“I thank the APC for the opportunity to serve as Deputy President of the 9th Senate. I wish the party well and have requested that my name be removed from all membership records, registers, and communication lists,” Omo-Agege added.

Omo-Agege, in a statement by his media adviser, Sunny Areh, affirmed that his focus remains on delivering development and effective representation for Delta Central, Delta State, and Nigeria. He added that he will seek to pursue these goals outside the APC.

Details shortly…

Politics

Amaechi Rejects ‘Concocted’ ADC Presidential Primary Results

Published

2 days ago

May 26, 2026

Editor

Former Minister of Transportation and presidential aspirant of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Rotimi Amaechi, has rejected the outcome of the party’s presidential primary election, describing the exercise as deeply flawed and lacking credibility.

The ADC on Monday conducted a nationwide direct primary to select its candidate for the 2027 presidential election, with former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Managing Director of the defunct FSB International Bank, and Amaechi emerging as the leading contenders.

Reacting in a statement issued on Tuesday, Amaechi alleged widespread voter disenfranchisement, manipulation and serious electoral malpractice during the exercise, insisting that the results being announced were “concocted” and did not reflect the will of party members.

According to him, the primary process was compromised from the outset, with several genuine party members allegedly denied the opportunity to participate in the election across different states.

Amaechi accused some party officials of undermining the integrity of the exercise through what he described as coordinated irregularities capable of damaging the credibility of the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

He maintained that the conduct of the primary fell short of the democratic standards, transparency and fairness expected in a credible internal party election.

The former Rivers State governor called on the leadership of the ADC to urgently address the alleged irregularities and protect the democratic rights of party members.

He warned that failure to uphold transparency and internal democracy could weaken public confidence in the party and its ability to present itself as a viable alternative ahead of the next general elections.

Amaechi’s rejection of the process is expected to deepen internal tensions within the ADC as opposition realignments and political calculations ahead of 2027 continue to gather momentum.