Politics

Wike Mocks Atiku, PDP Leaders Over Protest At INEC Office

Published

2 years ago

March 7, 2023

Editor

Wike Mocks Atiku, PDP Leaders Over Protest At INEC Office

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike on Monday took a swipe at former Vice President Atiku Abubakar who led leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on a demonstration at the national headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to protest the outcome of the February 25 presidential election.

Wike, who spoke at the commissioning of Chokocho-Igbodo Road in the Etche Local Government Area of Rivers State, said he warned the leadership of the party over its insistence that northerners hold onto the presidential ticket and national chairmanship seat of the party.

“While other people are demonstrating, I am commissioning projects. I have not gone to do demonstration; my own is to commission projects and make my people happy,” Wike said.

The Rivers governor also commended the people for voting a southern President in the just-concluded elections.

According to him, Section 7(3)(c) of the PDP constitution recognised zoning and rotational presidency but the leadership of the party contravened the provisions of the party’s regulations.

“I owe nobody any apology at all. I am one of the apostles, one of those who stood firm that power must rotate to the South. This is for equity, this is for fairness and this is for justice.

“Whether you voted for Labour, I have no problem with you. Whether you voted for APC, I have no problem with you. That is what we have argued for: that the north has had it for eight years. Therefore the south must be there for eight years,” he said.

For months before the elections, Wike and four other PDP governors known as the G5 demanded the resignation of Iyorchia Ayu, saying northerners should not be the PDP national chairman and presidential candidate.

Both Atiku and Ayu called the governors’ bluff and did not succumb to their demands in the just-concluded elections.

For the presidential election, Atiku lost in all the G5 states while Labour Party’s presidential candidate, Peter Obi won Enugu and Abia, Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) raked in Oyo, Benue and Rivers.

INEC subsequently declared Tinubu as President-Elect after he came out tops in 12 of Nigeria’s 36 states, and secured significant numbers in several other states to claim the highest number of votes — 8,794,726, almost two million votes more than his closest rival — Atiku.

Atiku, 76, who has now run for president six times, got 6,984,520 votes, while Obi, who, in less than a year, galvanised young voters in a manner some have described as unprecedented finished the race with 6,101,533.

Both Obi and Atiku said the election was flawed and will be challenged in court. They faulted INEC for not uploading election results from polling units electronically to the commission’s Results Viewing Portal (IReV), as stipulated by Section 60 of the Electoral Act 2022.

“The weekend election was neither free nor fair. Preliminary assessments indicate that it is the worst conducted elections since the return to democratic rule. The manipulation and fraud that attended this election were unprecedented in the history of our nation,” the former vice president said last Thursday.

Politics

Use Edo By-election As Template For APC’s Victory In 2027, Idahosa Urges Residents

Published

15 hours ago

August 7, 2025

Editor

Deputy governor of Edo State Hon Dennis Idahosa, has urged the people to show their readiness to support the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2027 general elections by using the House of Representatives bye-election scheduled for August 16 as a template.

Idahosa hinged his call on the fact that Governor Monday Okpebholo had shown his readiness for governance within a year in office and deserved to be supported by the people.

The deputy governor stated this when the APC campaign team birthed at Uhiere, Okokhuo, and Isiuwa, Ovia North-East Local Government Area of the state.

According to him, the Ovia Federal Constituency bye-election is for the people to show “capacity” and nothing more.

“The Executive Governor of our dear state, and my Principal, Monday Okpebholo, by the grace of God, through your support, has promised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu 2.5 million votes.

“The efficacy of that promise starts on August 16 with the Ovia Federal Constituency bye-election.

“This is not a normal election, it is an election to show capacity. The results you give to Omosede unlocks the key to accessing the dividends of democracy.

“The margin of winning is important. This is why we are all here to convince you to ensure that we get at least 70 percent votes from the registered voters in this area,” he stated.

The deputy governor who led the APC team for the campaign said the party’s candidate, Hon Omosede Igbinedion, had the capacity to entrench the dividends of democracy to the area.

At Isiuwa, NIFOR Community, Idahosa praised the people for making the area an APC stronghold.

He said he was not there for the campaign but to introduce their daughter to them and asked them for their support to the party’s candidate for the bye-election.

Similarly, Idahosa also appealed to the people of Okokhuo community for support.

Omosede who was full of praises in visited wards, said “this is the first time, in a long while, since 2015, I am here with a broom, a symbol of development and advancement.

“You know, the umbrella is tattered and scattered, and you know the PDP has fallen. I am grateful to you all who took the time to be here.”

She told the people to hold her accountable for every campaign promise she made.

Politics

2027: Jonathan May Get Automatic Ticket, If… – PDP

Published

1 day ago

August 7, 2025

Editor

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is reportedly considering offering former President Goodluck Jonathan an automatic ticket to contest the 2027 presidential election, if he returns to the party and plays a more active political role.

This was revealed by Daniel Woyengikuro, the PDP’s National Financial Secretary, during an exclusive interview in Abuja. Woyengikuro emphasized Jonathan’s continued influence within the party and the nation’s politics, describing him as the PDP’s national leader.

“Is he not the best candidate for us at this moment? He is not just a former president; he is the leader of the party now. Aside from [former President Olusegun] Obasanjo, the next person in line is him. Goodluck Jonathan is the national leader of this party,” Woyengikuro said.

He confirmed that the PDP has been consulting with Jonathan and his associates, aiming to bring him back into the party’s mainstream leadership as part of a larger strategy to reposition the party and address Nigeria’s growing political and economic challenges.

“Nigeria has reached a point where we need to salvage this country — for our generation and for those to come,” Woyengikuro added. “When we talk about the Southern Presidency, someone like Goodluck Jonathan stands out.”

When asked directly if the party would consider granting Jonathan an automatic ticket, Woyengikuro responded emphatically:

“For me, that’s what I firmly stand for. You can quote me anywhere — I want him to come. An automatic ticket for him, as it stands now. Because we must salvage both this party and the nation.”

He further asserted that Jonathan’s return would significantly reshape the political landscape ahead of the 2027 elections.

Woyengikuro also praised Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, calling him a “vibrant leader” and a strong candidate from the South capable of bridging Nigeria’s generational divide.

“These are the two main individuals I stand for: Goodluck Jonathan and Seyi Makinde,” he concluded.

The PDP is expected to intensify its internal consultations in the coming months as it prepares for the 2027 general elections.

Politics

PDP Announces National Convention Zoning Committee Inauguration Date

Published

1 day ago

August 7, 2025

Editor

The People’s Democratic Party, on Wednesday, announced that the inauguration of its National Convention Zoning Committee will take place on Thursday, August 14, 2025, as part of preparations for its 2025 Elective National Convention.

The party invites key stakeholders to a significant event aimed at shaping the party’s future leadership structure.

This is contained in a press release by PDP’s National Organising Secretary, Umar Bature, on the party’s official X account.

The inauguration is scheduled to start at 12:00 pm WAT at the NEC Hall, Wadata Plaza, Abuja.

The event will bring together PDP governors, members of the Board of Trustees, the National Working Committee, the National Executive Council, serving and former National Assembly members, as well as other key stakeholders.

“This is to formally inform and invite all our governors, BOT, NWC, NEC, serving and former NASS members, and all our stakeholders to the inauguration of the National Convention Zoning Committee (NCZC) of our great party,” the statement read.