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PDP Presidential Aspirant To Face Probe Over Alleged Leakage Of National Zoning Committee Report

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A Presidential aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, (name withheld) is to be probed by the National Executive Committee NEC of the party for allegedly leaking the report of Governor Samuel Ortom led National Zoning Committee.

The presidential aspirant who is to face a probe alongside others suspected to have aided him in accessing the highly confidential document may be expelled from the PDP as a punishment.

Sources at the Wadata House National Secretariat of PDP said that a 7-man probe panel is to be put in place at any moment to expeditiously deal with the matter considered deliberate sabotage.

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National Chairman of the party Dr Iyorchia Ayu was said to have personally felt thoroughly bitter and embarrassed over the speed at which the Zoning Report found its way out of the Wadata House and circulated to some persons considered as destabilising agents working against the 2023 agenda of the party.

READ ALSO: 2023: INEC Clears Air On Extending Deadline For Party Primaries

An on the spot investigation by the National Executive Committee NEC was said to have revealed a shocking step being made to run the party into trouble in its planned May 28 Presidential primary election to nominate the party’s flag bearer in the coming presidential election.

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The National Zoning Committee Report was submitted to Dr Iyorchia Ayu led PDP NEC and is slated for debate on May 10 when a final decision on the zoning issue is expected to be adopted.

However, less than 36 hours after the submission of the report, some top officials of the party were said to have been influenced by external forces leading to the leak of the report.

To worsen the situation, the leaked report was used at the Federal High Court in Abuja for a suit seeking to stop the planned Presidential primary on the ground that the zoning was not done in favour of the South-East geo-political zone.

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Specifically, the suit was instituted by serving Commissioner for Trade and Investments in Abia State, Cosmos Ndukwe.

The National Zoning Committee Report was one of the key documents attached to Ndukwe’s ex-parte application filed alongside his originating summons in the suit against the presidential primary.

Ndukwe, a former Deputy Speaker in the Abia State House of Assembly had filed an exparte application seeking to stop the presidential primary of the PDP on account of zoning.

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In doing so, he attached the communique of the Governor Ortom Committee whose recommendations are yet to be ratified by the PDP NEC but scheduled for May 10.

PDP NEC, it was gathered, concluded that exhibiting the Zoning Committee Report in the open court is a confirmation that an interest higher than Ndukwe is behind the alleged plot to scuttle PDP presidential primary.

A source in the National Working Committee NWC of the PDP informed our Correspondent on the grounds of anonymity that the party is considering probing the presidential aspirant and others who may be implicated in the leakage of the document and sanctioning them appropriately in line with its constitution.

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Two of the presidential aspirants were said to have been dropped after a screening exercise last Friday and Ndukwe is suspected to be one of them even though Senator David Mark led Committee did not mention names of the aspirants that were screened out.

A careful look at the leaked document confirmed that the Ortom Committee had actually recommended that the presidential contest of the PDP should be thrown open for all aspirants irrespective of their zones of origin.

Attempts by our correspondent to reach the PDP national Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu for comments were unsuccessful as his security details insisted on written permission before he could be accessed.

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The security details hinged cited pressure of work which Ayu is handling on the 2023 election preparation as the reason to block our Reporter.

READ ALSO: 2023: Protesters Storm APC Secretariat, Warns Jonathan Agenda Is Recipe For Disaster

However, apart from Governor Ortom, the 35-member National Zoning Committee consisted of Attahiru Bafarawa, Prof Jerry Gana, Olabode Ibiyinka George, Ahmed Markarfi, Abubakar Kawu Baraje, Wale Oladipupo and Boni Haruna.

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Others are Jonah David Jang, Adamu Wasiri, Prof ABC Nwosu, Senator Abdul Ningi, Mao Ohuabuwa, Sanusi Daggashi, Tom Ikimi, Ayodele Fayose Ibrahim Dankwambo and Sule Lamido among others.

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Tinubu, Six APC Governors Hold Closed-door Meeting At Aso Villa

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday met with six governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a closed-door session at the State House, Abuja.

The purpose of the meeting was not immediately disclosed, and details of its agenda remained unclear at press time.

In attendance were governors Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Usman Ododo (Kogi,) Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto) and Dr. Nasir Idris (Kebbi), who arrived at the Presidential Villa separately.

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The meeting, held in the President’s office, lasted almost two hours.

Although no Presidency official offered insight into the agenda, the consultations come amid rising security concerns across the country and ongoing political engagements within the ruling party.

The governors declined to speak to journalists after the meeting.

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READ ALSO:JUST IN: Navy Officer Who Had Altercation With Wike Reportedly Escapes Assassination Attempt

President Tinubu has recently intensified his focus on national security by convening a series of high-level meetings involving key security stakeholders, including the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as intelligence coordinators and senior officials from various security agencies.

This increased engagement comes in response to a worrying upsurge in banditry, kidnappings, and violent crimes that have spread across multiple regions, causing widespread public concern and escalating pressure on the federal government for urgent and effective intervention.

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These strategic meetings, frequently conducted in secrecy to ensure confidentiality and candid discussion, have aimed to undertake a comprehensive review of ongoing security operations nationwide.

Discussions have prioritised enhancing coordination and communication among military, police, and intelligence units to foster a more unified and cohesive response to security challenges.

In addition, the sessions have explored innovative and tactical measures that leverage intelligence gathering, rapid deployment, and community engagement to dismantle criminal networks and restore order.

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READ ALSO:JUST IN: Tinubu Holds Closed-door Meeting With Rivers, Ebonyi Govs

Throughout these consultations, President Tinubu has underscored that safeguarding the lives and property of Nigerians is paramount.

He has called on the security apparatus to move beyond reactive measures and adopt more preventive, intelligence-driven strategies that anticipate threats before they escalate.

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The administration’s renewed approach signals a commitment to reinforcing national security architecture and improving the operational effectiveness of all agencies involved in the fight against crime and insurgency across Nigeria.

In other news, the National Security Adviser (NSA), Nuhu Ribadu, has expressed optimism that the security challenges – terrorism, banditry, kidnapping, and other violent crime – Nigeria has been facing for almost three decades now will be overcome.

READ ALSO:Tinubu Submits Fresh Ambassadorial List To Senate, Ibas, Dambazau Make Cut

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The NSA described those behind the “painful and unnecessary” challenges as “evil” and vowed they would be defeated.
Ribadu made remarks during the opening of a one-day dialogue organised by the National Peace Committee, in partnership with the delegation of the European Union to Nigeria and the U.S., on “a whole-of-Society Approach to the Prevention of Violence and Conflict in Northern Nigeria,” on Thursday in Abuja.

“This (security challenges) also shall pass. We are going through tough times. This will also go.

“But it’s very, very painful, what we are going through. It’s unnecessary.
They are very unfair to us, those who are responsible for this. They are evil.

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“But they will be defeated. It’s a matter of time, and peace will be restored. That one we can assure you. Because there are people who are working, not necessarily making noise.

“There are people who are making sacrifices. Every single day, we go to bury our own deaths. Painful as it is. But most people don’t talk. Sacrifice is ongoing,” the NSA said.

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JUST IN: Tinubu Holds Closed-door Meeting With Rivers, Ebonyi Govs

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday held separate closed-door meetings with Rivers State Governor Siminalayi Fubara and Ebonyi State Governor Francis Nwifuru at the State House, Abuja.

The engagements came amid heightened political tension in Rivers State and renewed speculation over Governor Fubara’s future within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Fubara arrived at the Presidential Villa at about 5:01 p.m. and was received by the Presidential Protocol Liaison Officer before being escorted to the President’s office.

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He departed at about 5:45 p.m., but details of the meeting remained undisclosed as of press time.

Shortly before his arrival, Governor Nwifuru had been ushered in for a separate audience with the President. The purpose of his visit was also not revealed.

READ ALSO:Police Arrest Suspect For Raping Woman To Death In Rivers

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Nwifuru , a former Speaker of the Ebonyi House of Assembly and now an All Progressives Congress (APC) governor, has in recent months held several engagements with the Presidency, largely centred on infrastructure development and security coordination in the South-East.

Tinubu’s meeting with Fubara follows Friday’s defection of 17 members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, loyal to the Minister of the FCT, Nyesom Wike, and led by Speaker Martin Amaewhule, from the PDP to the APC.

The mass defection has significantly altered power dynamics in the state legislature and heightened uncertainty about Fubara’s political trajectory.

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lawmakers believed to be aligned with the governor remain in the PDP, and they have yet to resume their seats since the lifting of the state’s emergency rule on September 18.

READ ALSO:OPINION: Can Tinubu, Our Eddie Kwansa, Now Come Home?

The Guardian earlier reported that President Tinubu met with six APC governors in a closed-door session at the State House, Abuja.

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The purpose of the meeting was not immediately disclosed, and details of its agenda remained unclear at press time.

In attendance were governors Umar Namadi (Jigawa), Monday Okpebholo (Edo), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Usman Ododo (Kogi,) Aliyu Sokoto (Sokoto) and Dr. Nasir Idris (Kebbi), who arrived at the Presidential Villa separately.
The meeting, held in the President’s office, lasted almost two hours.

Although no Presidency official offered insight into the agenda, the consultations come amid rising security concerns across the country and ongoing political engagements within the ruling party.

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READ ALSO:(VIDEO) Obasanjo To Tinubu: Why Are We Negotiating With Bandits?

The governors declined to speak to journalists after the meeting.

President Tinubu has recently intensified his focus on national security by convening a series of high-level meetings involving key security stakeholders, including the service chiefs of the Army, Navy, and Air Force, as well as intelligence coordinators and senior officials from various security agencies.

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This increased engagement comes in response to a worrying upsurge in banditry, kidnappings, and violent crimes that have spread across multiple regions, causing widespread public concern and escalating pressure on the federal government for urgent and effective intervention.

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Ambassadorial Nominees: Ndume Asks Tinubu To Withdraw List

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Ahead of the Senate’s screening and confirmation of the ambassadorial nominees sent to the Red Chamber by the Presidency, former Senate Leader Ali Ndume has appealed to President Bola Tinubu to withdraw the list from parliament.

The federal lawmaker declared that the composition of nominees was in clear breach of the Federal Character principle, as enshrined in the Constitution.

Checks revealed that while certain states have three and four nominees, states like Gombe have no representation, while the only nominee from Yobe, Senator Adamu Garba Talba, died last July.

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The entire North East state has 7 nominees in the list.

Further checks revealed that the South West geopolitical zone has 15 nominees, while the North West and South East have 13 and 9, respectively.

READ ALSO:Full List: FG Releases Names Of 68 ambassadorial Nominees Sent To Senate For Confirmation

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North Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominees, while South South region has 12 nominees.

The Senate President at plenary on Thursday formally read the list of nominees and referred it to the Senate Committee on Foreign Affairs for further legislative action.

The Senator representing Borno South in a statement issued on Saturday maintained that the list of nominees was in clear breach of Section 14(3) of the Nigerian Constitution which mandates that the composition and conduct of the federal government must reflect the “federal character of Nigeria” to ensure national unity and loyalty.

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The section reads: “The composition of the Government of the Federation or any of its agencies and the conduct of its affairs shall be carried out in such a manner as to reflect the federal character of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few State or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or in any of its agencies.”

READ ALSO:Tinubu Submits Fresh Ambassadorial List To Senate, Ibas, Dambazau Make Cut

The former Chief Whip of the Senate admonished President Tinubu to avoid taking decision that will fuel ethnic tension and promote distrust in the country, amidst the wrong narrative being promoted by the Western world against his administration.

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He said: “My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical time in the life of his administration, he should avoid missteps that could endanger national unity and promote ethnic distrust.

“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholders in the country.

“He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on Federal Character Principle that government’s structure and operations must represent the diverse states and peoples of Nigeria.”

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