Politics

Why South-East Won’t Vote For APC, PDP – Igbo Group

Published

2 years ago

June 24, 2022

Editor

The Igbo Elders Consultative Forum also known as Ime-obi Ohanaeze Ndigbo has berated the major political parties in the country for their refusal to zone the presidency to the South-East region.

They described Igbo delegates who voted against South-East aspirants in the presidential primaries for the 2023 election as “serial betrayals and shameless saboteurs”.

The IECF in a statement issued in Abuja on Friday by its Secretary, Prof. Charles Nwekeaku, specifically expressed concern over the commercialization of the presidential primaries of the All Progressives Congress and Peoples Democratic Party.

Nwekeaku declared that the South Eastast won’t vote for both the APC and PDP in 2023, “as they do not deserve our votes anymore”.

He said, “This will not happen again as the Igbo Elders shall provide a new leadership that will strengthen the Ohaneze leadership in Igbo land. Those betrayals will retire from politics shamefully and unceremoniously as they will never represent South East in any public service again.

“We observed with grave concern the unprecedented monetisation of the recent political parties’ primary elections, especially the presidential election at which highest bidders emerged as presidential candidates.

“More worrisome was the failure of the major political parties, namely, the ruling APC, and PDP, to zone the Presidency to the South East in keeping with the Federal Character principle and zoning arrangement as contained in Section 14 (3) of the 1999 constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the various political parties constitutions for the sake of justice, equity, fairness, peace and stability of the country.

“Worse still, the brazen arrogance and bravado that characterized the PDP leadership changing of the goal post at the middle of the game portrays a bleak future for good governance, transparency and accountability for Nigeria as the principles of justice, equity and fairness do not seem to matter again because it is the turn of the South East.

“Equally shocking and saddening was the brazen betrayal and unbridled collusion of some unpatriotic Igbo sons and daughters that shamelessly and unrepentantly joined those who do not mean well for our people to deny President aspirants from the South East their support and votes.

“They worked and voted for Dollar and lucre at the expense of their fellow aspirants from the South East in brazen arrogance and disregard of the demand of the Southern Governors Forum, Southern and Middle Belt Forum, Afenifere, Pan Niger Delta Forum, Igbo Elders Consultative Forum, Ohaneze Global, among other credible and vocal stakeholders that demanded that the Presidency be zoned to the South, and further micro zoned to the South East.

“Except Ebonyi State, other delegates from Anambra, Abia, Enugu and Imo States and their sponsors need to explain to ndi igbo who they sold their votes to and at what cost at the expense of our collective interest of producing the President of Nigeria in 2023.”

According to him, the serial betrayals and shameless saboteurs would forever regret their unpatriotic actions against the collective interest of the Igbos.

Nwekeaku appealed to Igbos to remain calm as the forum was studying the development, and would, “certainly, take decisive actions against those betrayals and opportunists, no matter their position and caliber, to serve as a deterrent for those who are still plotting to betray the Igbos in the planned 2023 general elections.”

He urged the Independent National Electoral Commission to extend the voter registration exercise for three months to enable every eligible Nigerian to register and participate in the next year general elections.

“It is equally important for INEC to resume the online registration in order to decongest the already overcrowded registration centers, thus facilitating the registration of more Nigerians to participate In the democratic process of electing their leaders as it is generally believed that the application of the electronic transmission of votes as contains in the 2022 Electoral Act would make citizens’ votes count in determining the electoral victory in the country.

“For the political parties that denied the Igbo’s presidential slot, we shall reject them completely in the general elections of 2023, as they do not deserve our votes anymore”, Nwekeaku said.

Politics

JUST IN: Ex-PDP Deputy National Chair, Oyedokun Defects To APC

Published

6 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, has resigned his membership of the party and announced defection to the All Progressives Congress.

Oyedokun, a notable personality within the political circle in Osun State and beyond, said he decided to dump the PDP after consultation with his loyalists.

He said he would be joining APC, where his experience, efforts, and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.

His resignation letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP through the ward, local government and state chairmen of the party obtained late Thursday further read, “As a functional member and leader of PDP (Ward 13, Jagun/ Osi-Bale Ode, Odo-Otin South Local Government, Osun State,) whose high electoral productivity and value have been credibly and positively acknowledged in my ward, across the local council, state and country-wide for the enhancement of the fortune of the PDP, I have the honour (though with pain) in announcing the renunciation of my membership of the party on principle, having observed that the ideals of we, founding members, had been sorely contaminated.

“In taking this step which is not even without due consultation with my teaming loyalists in the PDP, I have consequently decided to shift my allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) where I believe my experience, efforts and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.”

Oyedokun’s defection to the APC is coming at the time the aspirant he supported during the 2022 Osun governorship primary of PDP, Mr Dotun Babayemi is also moving to the national ruling party.

Osun APC said on Wednesday that Babayemi and his supporters would be dumping PDP and joining the party at a rally scheduled to be held in Osogbo on Friday.
PUNCH

Politics

Poll: APC Has No Sellable Candidate, Nothing To Campaign On – Edo Govt

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

The Edo State Government claimed on Monday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has no credible candidate for the September 21 governorship election.

This was an assertion made by the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, at a press conference in Benin City.

Nehikhare also alleged that the party is using lies and propaganda as its campaign strategy.

According to him: “The only APC strategy for the governorship election is to resort to lies and propaganda. When a party takes lies and propaganda as an election strategy, it means it has nothing to offer the people. The party lacks people with character, capacity, and intellect.”

The commissioner who took journalists through a screened shot WhatsApp chat said: “What we have here is the official APC WhatsApp platform, their own people screenshot their discussion. One of them who has a conscience asks, is this the only thing we have?”

Nehikhare, who said APC is ashamed to campaign for its candidate, noted that, as of today, nobody had heard of what the party has for the state.

“All we heard is how they are going to help their paymaster, lies and propaganda that will not help the state,” he added.

He opined that lies and propaganda are not strategies the opposition party, like APC, can use to win the September 21 governorship election.

The commissioner, who warned against misinformation and fake news ahead of the governorship election, urged media practitioners to be neutral in matters concerning lies and propaganda.

He, however, noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration has a lot of achievements to market and sell its candidate for the election.

Politics

Defection: Edo Govt, Ex-PDP BoT Member, Idahosa In Verbal War

Published

3 days ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

Edo State government and a former member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Charles Idahosa, on Monday traded words over the latter defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Recall that Idahosa resigned
formally resigned who had last month resigned from PDP, rejoined the APC on Monday in Benin City.

Speaking during his formal presentation to the APC in Benin City, he noted that he left the party four years ago due to internal crisis.

Idahosa added that he dumped the PDP because of what he described as the “damning deeds of the Obaseki-led administration in the last four years”.

He took a swipe at Obaseki for saying that PDP would win the forthcoming September governorship election with 80 per cent of votes.

“I thank God, four years later we all are wiser now. Like the Secretary said, I was a founding member of ACD, ACN and APC. The damage we did four years ago, the APC never remained the same.

“But I am glad we are back to the family. I was nominated to the Board of the Railway when I was in the APC. When I moved to the PDP, I wrote to resign my membership but it was rejected and showed my wide acceptance.

“At 71, I am not here to contest position with anybody, I am here to work. I want to urge APC to keep their eyes on the ball. It is not over until it is over.”

While lambasting Governor Obaseki for his comment that those leaving PDP have been given money, he noted that his greatest regret was not allowing the governor to resign after his first four years in office.

“When he came to beg me like a weather beaten chicken, how much did he give to me? Anytime he goes religious gathering he would say those leaving PDP have been given money.

“He came to me three times in my house to say he wants to resign, that he was tired of being governor but I appealed to him, telling him it was not about him but Benin interest.”

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare alleged that Idahosa was never a PDP member.

Nehikhare noted that Idahosa was also never a BOT member of the party, because the party in the state rejected his nomination.

He alleged that it was as a result of the rejection that he found his way back to APC.

“I heard that he claimed to be a member of BOT of PDP but I want to challenge him to tell us when he was sworn in as a member of PDP BOT. He was not a fit and proper person. Even though he was nominated he was shunned by the party.

“It was this that drove him back to APC which he never left in the first place. He was holding on to the board appointment which was offered him while in APC prior to 2020 governorship election.

“He has reached the end of his political career. He has nothing to offer any political party or any group he joins because he believes in bread and butter politics,” Nehikhare said.