Politics

Rivers People Will Determine Atiku’s Fate Saturday, Says PDP

Published

2 years ago

February 24, 2023

As the election is less than 10 hours from now, the Peoples Democratic Party in Rivers State has said that voters in the state will determine the fate of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, at the polls on Saturday.

The PDP spokesman in the state, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, in a phone conversation with our correspondent on Friday, said the Rivers people were intelligent people and that they would make their choice at the polls.

This is as the governor of the state, Nyesom Wike, is still bent, till die minute, on not campaigning for the candidate of the party.

Speaking with our candidate on the fate of Atiku in the elections, Chief Nwuke said, “My thinking is that quite a lot of people here are politically enlightened, and they have been following developments in the past few months. Most (of them) feel completely agitated that the interest of the South was not protected by the party.

“Not many people here are pleased that the situation is the way it is that somebody from a section of the country is the presidential candidate and another person (Iyorchia Ayu) from the same section of the party is the chairman of the party.

“There have been conversations going on among the people. I believe that most of them will vote the candidate of their choice. It’s left to the people, the people are sufficiently enlightened.

“When it comes to the party’s candidate, they will vote the PDP.”

Nwuke said so much was at stake regarding the elections in the state, which included the interest of the state, and the interest of the South.

According to him, if the people’s interests at the polls turn out to be against the party’s candidate, then the party would learn a lesson for the future, “they would not make that kind of mistake.”

He said, “If the people vote Bola Tinubu or the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, it will also mean they voted a southern candidate.”

However, the All Progressives Congress Chapter in the state, is upbeat about the chances of the party’s candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

In a phone conversation with our correspondent late Friday, the Publicity Secretary of the party, Darlington Nwauju, said, “We’re prepared for the elections and we want to win.”

Also responding to questions on the chances of Tinubu in a state ruled by the PDP, the governorship candidate of the party, Tonye Cole, said power often changed hands. “Power is about to shift completely,” he said.

The PUNCH reports that Wike of Rivers State who is the leader of five aggrieved PDP governors known as G-5, including Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State, Ifeanyi Ugwanyi of Enugu State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State, have turned backs against Atiku over what they described as unequal representation in the hierarchy of the party’s leadership.

Amid this crisis, rather than supporting Atiku, Governor Ortom had declared his support for Obi of the Labour Party.

Politics

Worst Of PDP Defections Yet To Come – Saraki Warns

Published

2 hours ago

June 28, 2025

Editor

Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Reconciliation Committee, and former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has warned that more defections from the party may still occur, even as efforts continue to reposition the party ahead of the 2027 general elections.

Saraki made this known during an interview on Arise TV on Friday.

He said: “PDP would likely see one or two more defections, and we should prepare ourselves for that; there is a possibility.

“We haven’t seen the worst of the defections for PDP. We would probably see maybe one or two governors who will defect, and we might see some senators who will defect.”

He, however, described the timing of the crisis as an advantage, arguing that it gives the PDP time to recover and rebuild before the election cycle begins in full swing.

“For some of us, this happening early in PDP is an advantage. We are lucky that this is not happening, let’s say, late 2026; we would not even have had time to recover and regroup,” he said.

“We have just under two years to the election, and we are lucky to have that. I think, with a lot of commitment and understanding, it is not a lost cause.

“A party with over 26 years of history that has been around, the largest party, we will definitely have low times like this.”

Despite the turbulence at the national level, Saraki said the PDP remains strong at the grassroots and across state structures.

He said: “When you go round the country, the state chapters, the local government chapters, the party is still very strong in the grassroots. In some areas in the country, they are not even aware of what is happening at our level, in Abuja.

“The reactions we are seeing at the grassroots give us a lot of encouragement. But what we need to do is to get to the bottom and start to build.”

He added that the party is already laying the groundwork for the 2027 elections but warned that the stakes go beyond just party survival.

“This is not just about resolving today’s issues. It’s about building for the future. The next convention must not be business as usual. We must bring in new, younger faces who represent the future of this party.

“If PDP fails, Nigeria edges closer to a one-party state. And that would be a disaster for democracy.”

Politics

CSO, PDP Bicker Over Fagbemi’s Stand On Osun LG Crisis

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

Editor

An Osun-based civil society group, The Osun Masterminds, has urged the State Government to respect the opinion of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Lateef Fagbemi, regarding the leadership crisis rocking local government areas in the state.

The group said Fagbemi, being the number one law officer of the federation, his opinions on issues relating to law are not just official, but are also binding.

This was disclosed by the Executive Director of the group, Prof. Wasiu Oyedokun-Alli, while speaking with journalists at the monthly media briefing of the organisation held in Osogbo on Friday.

Oyedokun-Alli, who said accused the state government of disregard for, not just the Appeal Court, but also the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, adding that the group has studied several legal positions on the Osun local government disputes and came to the conclusion that the government was swimming against the tide of clear court pronouncements.

“We are to point out, however, that the utter disregard for, not just the Appeal Court, but also the Office of the Attorney-General of the Federation, by the Osun State Government is a matter of grave concern. Where we understand that the Attorney-General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, is the number one Law Officer of the Federation, we must realise that his opinions are not just official, they are also binding.

“We have studied several legal positions on this matter, especially from highly revered silks who have dissected the pronouncements of the Court, and one thing remains obvious – the Osun State Government is swimming against the tide of clear Court pronouncements.

“The question that begs answers, however, is why the Osun State Government is so unwilling to work with Local Government Chairmen elected under a different political platform. Where we respect the principles of separation of powers, should we not be willing to work together even if the political parties are not the same? Has the APC-led Federal Government refused to work with the Adeleke Government because it is of the PDP?”, Oyedokun-Alli said.

Calling on the stakeholders to prevail on the Osun State Government to end the LG crisis, Oyedokun-Alli, however, urged the residents, regardless of party affiliation, to cohabitate in peace.

Responding to issues raised by the group, the spokesperson for the ruling Peoples Democratic Party, Oladele Bamiji, said TOM was a partisan organisation that has consistently supported the All Progressives Congress in the state.

Bamiji further said, “Their so-called ‘civil society’ posturing has long collapsed under the weight of its hypocrisy and shameless servitude to the dictates of APC in Osun and beyond, and it is sad they are dead to their dented image out there.

“TOM has again confirmed to the people of Osun that it is nothing but a busy body propaganda irritant of the APC, issuing monthly rankings, not out of civic concern but to earn its monthly stipend from its political sponsors.

“We find it laughable and frankly disturbing that any group claiming to possess civic literacy would hold binding the personal opinion of a political appointee like the Attorney General of the Federation, Lateef Fagbemi, over and above the ruling of a competent court of law.”
(PUNCH)

Politics

BREAKING: Confusion As APC Chair, Ganduje Resigns

Published

1 day ago

June 27, 2025

Editor

National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, has resigned from his position, Saturday Vanguard has learned.

Although the exact circumstances surrounding his resignation remain unclear as of press time, a senior party official confirmed the development, stating simply, “Yes, it is true. He has resigned.”

Sources revealed that Ganduje’s personal belongings were earlier moved from his office at the APC national secretariat, further fueling speculation.

The development has thrown the party’s headquarters into confusion, with staff and visitors visibly shocked by the unexpected news.