Politics

Why I Was Absent At Tinubu’s Commissioning Of Rivers Projects – Tonye Cole

Published

3 years ago

May 4, 2023

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Rivers state, Tonye Cole, has justified why he was absent durig the visit of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to commission projects in the state.

Cole said Governor Wike should have informed the APC in Rivers state that he was inviting Tinubu and would want the party to be part of the programme.

He stated this while speaking in an interview on Arise Television on Thursday.

Cole claimed he was absent during Tinubu’s visit because he was not invited.

He said, ”I will describe the visit from two sides. First side of it is the President-elect. As a President-elect of Nigeria, he has the right to go anywhere. And the Rivers State Government invited him, and he has come, honoured that invitation, and has come to Rivers State as a President-elect; with that, we have no problem at all.

”Where the issue is is that the Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, ought also to be the governor of all Rivers people. And one of the things that he should have done if he is inviting the President-elect, who is the President-elect of all Nigerians, would have been to call us as APC in Rivers State to inform us that he is inviting the President-elect and would want us to be part of that programme.

”We never got any invitation, I was never invited personally, I was not invited in my private capacity as a candidate of the party, neither was our party, APC, in the State invited to any of those things;

“…and I believe that is where the difference between the President-elect acting in his capacity as President-elect for all Nigerians and Governor Wike acting in his capacity as a governor of just a particular Rivers people. That is where our disagreement stands.”

Recall that Tinubu, on Wednesday visited Rivers State at the invitation of Wike.

While in Port Harcourt, Tinubu commissioned the Rumuokwuta/Rumuola flyover in Port Harcourt, where he described Wike as a man of integrity who abandoned his interest for the nation’s interest.

Wike had declared a public holiday for people to celebrate Tinubu over a two-day visit to the state.

But the APC in Rivers dissociated itself from the visit of Tinubu to the state.

The APC Publicity Secretary in the State, Darlington Nwauju, said the party has nothing to do with Tinubu’s visit.

Nwauju had told Wike “to play less divisive politics and exercise restraint in planting seeds of discord amongst opposition political parties.”

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Politics

Crisis Hits APC Govs Forum As 18 Rejects Uzodinma’s Removal

Published

11 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Editor

A serious crisis is currently brewing in the Progressive Governors’ Forum following the sudden removal of the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma, as its chairman.

Reports had it earlier that a cross-section of All Progressives Congress, APC, governors removed Uzodinma and installed the Enugu State Governor, Peter Mbah, as its chairman.

Although the Director-General of the forum, Folorunso Aluko, in a statement on Friday, said the reports of Uzodinma’s removal were fake and misleading, sources privy to the matter confirmed to DAILY POST that some governors met on Thursday night and removed Uzodinma.

The meeting, according to reports, was led by the Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, and was held at the Ogun Government Lodge.

However, in a swift move to counter the decision of the Abiodun-led group, 18 other governors met behind closed doors at the Imo Lodge on Friday and passed a vote of confidence in Uzodinma.

Some of those present at the meeting included the governors of Ondo, Kaduna, Taraba, Sokoto, Ebonyi, Borno, Lagos, Kogi, Kano, Yobe, Kebbi, Benue and Jigawa states, while Nasarawa State was represented by its deputy governor.

Speaking on the unfolding events, Governor Uba Sani of Kaduna State said: “All of us woke up to that very unfortunate story, which was virtually in all the media in Nigeria. But the truth of the matter is that the APC Progressive Governors’ Forum is very united.

“We are stronger now than at any other time. And, of course, we are all supporting the president for what he has been doing.

“We also want to assure everyone that the APC is united, the governors are united, the forum is united, and there is no problem at all.”

Politics

BREAKING: APC Governors Forum Splits As Uzodimma, Abiodun Lead Rival Factions

Published

12 hours ago

May 8, 2026

Editor

The Progressive Governors Forum, PGF, has been factionalised.

The rival factions emerged after its chairman, Governor Hope Uzodimma, was reportedly removed on Thursday.

While Uzodimma insisted that he remains PGF chairman, Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun and Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq are leading a separate faction.

Another bloc within the forum has reportedly aligned behind Abiodun and AbdulRazaq.

The development, which comes amid growing political realignments within the ruling party, marks a significant crack within the ranks of APC governors ahead of the 2027 general elections.

According to reports by Arise TV, details surrounding the disagreement remain unclear, but sources within the party said tensions had been building over internal leadership control and strategic positioning ahead of the next election season.

DAILY POST reports that, as of the time of filing this report, none of the factions had officially released a detailed statement on the cause of the division.

Politics

2027: Why We Called On Goodluck Jonathan To Run For Presidency – Ohikere

Published

1 day ago

May 7, 2026

Editor

Supporters of former Nigerian President Goodluck Jonathan have explained why they marched to his office, urging him to run in the 2027 presidential election.

While addressing the Coalition for Jonathan 2027 in Abuja on Thursday, its National President, Tom Ohikere, said the group was motivated by concerns over the state of the country.

Ohikere, on behalf of the coalition, appealed to the former president to “save Nigeria from impending collapse.”

He recalled an earlier visit to Jonathan on April 8, 2026, during which the group first appealed to him to contest the 2027 election.

The coalition noted that it had yet to receive a clear response from the former president and expressed concern that he had not picked up a nomination form from any political party.

According to them, Jonathan should commit to the race, obtain a presidential nomination form from any party of his choice, and contest the election, pledging to mobilise support for him across the country.

“Last month, April 8, 2026, the Coalition for Jonathan 2027 paid a friendly visit to Your Excellency to urge you to run in the 2027 presidential election to save Nigeria from impending collapse. Though we did not meet you in person, we believe that our message was unreservedly passed on to you, as it was to the entire Nigerian people through the media.

“Since then, we have had little information as to whether you have yielded to our clarion call, as you have not yet, to our knowledge, picked up a nomination form for the presidential contest in any registered political party.

“Because of our genuine fear of a possible collapse of Nigeria, as peace and unity are now gradually eluding all of us, we decided to march to your office again today, hoping you will step out to receive us and make a statement that will gladden our hearts and the entire nation.

“We are asking you to hear our cries and contest the 2027 presidential election, sir. This mammoth crowd that came with us here today is a fragment of your supporters nationwide and represents every tribe, tongue, and religious belief in this country. We, young and old, girls and boys, men and women, are all here crying for your voice to say ‘yes’ to our request,” Ohikere said.

Recall that Jonathan had hinted at the possibility of returning to the presidential race in 2027, saying he would “consult widely” following growing calls for him to contest.

Jonathan made the remark while responding to members of the Coalition for Jonathan 2027 who marched to his office to urge him to run for president in the next general election.

“Presidential race is not a computer game, but I heard you, and I will consult widely. But the most important thing is that Nigeria should have young people who will plan for our grandchildren,” Jonathan said.