My Blog

Category: Politics Lite

  • Edo 2024 Guber: Impressive Turnout of Voters

    Edo 2024 Guber: Impressive Turnout of Voters

    The Edo 2024 gubernatorial election has witnessed an impressive turnout of voters across the state today, as residents turned out in their numbers to exercise their civic duties.

    By 7:15am when reporters visited polling units within ward 12, residents had trooped out early, signaling a strong desire to shape the future of Edo State.

    People with disability and octogenarians were given preference.

    Voting in most wards in Oredo LGA is going on smoothly, and the security situation in most polling units visited remain intact and under control.

    Several civil society organizations monitoring the elections, including YIAGA Africa and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), commended the peaceful conduct and the large turnout of voters.

    The Edo 2024 election is seen as a critical moment for the state, with three major political parties amongst others vying for the governorship seat in a race that will shape Edo’s political landscape for the next four years.

    A physically challenged voter displaying his card
  • Northeast PDP Endorses Damagum: Has the Wike “fire” started burning?

    Northeast PDP Endorses Damagum: Has the Wike “fire” started burning?

    The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (MFCT), Chief Nyesom Wike may have commenced ‘bombardment’ of Bauchi state as threatened against any state that aligns with Governor Fubara in their lingering tussle.
    This is based on the move yesterday, by Ahmadu Fintiri, Adamawa state governor who broke ranks with his colleague, Sen Bala Mohammed of Bauchi state to endorse an alleged  Wike ally, Amb Iliya Damagun to continue in office as Acting Chairman of PDP.
    A statement by Governor Fintiri’s Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou states that the Northeast zone of the Party has endorsed Umar Iliya Damagum to continue as the acting National Chairman of the party.
    Fintiri, it was claimed in the press statement, says the PDP in Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Borno, and Yobe states, expressed confidence in Damagum’s leadership.
    The endorsement leaves out Bauchi state of Governor Bala Mohammed, Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum who is mobilising support of the group for Governor Similaye Fubara of Rivers state.
    By this move, it will seem like the MFCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike has commenced his threat of setting on fire, any state that aligns with his estranged political godson, Governor Sim Fubara of Rivers State.
    The endorsement comes at a time when some stakeholders in the party are agitating for Damagum to step down and for the Northcentral to produce a permanent National Chairman for the party.
    The statement also claimed a court order had prevented the PDP from removing Damagum from his position and urged party members to respect the court order.
    He said, “The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Adamawa, Taraba, Gombe, Borno, and Yobe states have endorsed Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum’s leadership as Acting National Chairman.
    Amb. Iliya Damagun, PDP Acting National Chairman
    “Governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri, speaking on behalf of the five states, expressed confidence in Damagum’s leadership since assuming office. Citing a Federal High Court Abuja restraining order, Fintiri stated that Damagum should complete former Chairman Dr. Iyorchia Ayu’s tenure unless the court decides otherwise.
    “The Governor praised Damagum for restoring public confidence in the party and urged members to respect the court’s ruling for the party’s and democracy’s sake.
    “The Governor who described the performance of the party in the North East region during the 2023 elections as unprecedented at all levels noted that the zone deserves the position of National Chairman more than any section in the North.
    “A Federal High Court in Abuja had barred the National Working Committee, Board of Trustees, National Executive Committee, PDP, INEC, and affiliates from replacing, nominating or appointing any Chairman other than Ambassador Damagum, following a restraining order by the Court.”

  • You Can’t Set Bauchi On Fire, I Have Enough Water – Governor Bala Muhammad mocks Wike

    Bauchi Governor, Sen Bala Mohammed has declared that nobody can set Bauchi State on fire because he has gathered enough treated water to quench any form of fire.
    This remark comes in response to the recent threat by Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike to set opposition PDP states on fire.
    Bala Mohammed issued the response which was apparently directed at Wike when a delegation from the National Secretariat of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) visited him at the Governor’s Office in Bauchi on Tuesday.
    The Governor said that the crisis rocking the party is not personal, stressing that nobody should misunderstand the party as it is still united.
    According to him, “If we have quarrel, it is not personal, nobody should misunderstand us, we are together. This is not a splinter group, this is just a delegation from the National Working Committee of the PDP. We are going to discuss some of the issues in the party”
    “This unsolicited visit by the National Working Committee shows that in Nigeria we have people of conscience and we are connected by the values that established the PDP by our founding fathers”
    Bala Mohammed also said, “Yes, none of the political parties are insulated from crisis here and there, but crisis is there and that why leadership is there.We have to take the bull by the horns to discuss and look at the constitution of our party.”
    “We must do things by the rule of law, we must respect people, we must put our interest aside, we must respect our diversities, we must bring and close rank, especially for party like the PDP that has a history,” he added.
    “We have a pedigree, most of the developments in the country were done by the PDP, since we left nothing has happened. As you can see all the members of the National Working Committee that are here are square heads in square holes”
    He then assured that as the Chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, he will continue to give effective and efficient leadership and meaningful opposition in the country.
  • For those attempting to make a mountain out of mole hill, Mathew Kukah, the Bishop of Sokoto has reminded them that, like the PDP candidate in Edo Gov elections, President Tinubu did not sign a peace accord as a presidential candidate in 2023.
    Kukah, one of the conveners of the National Peace Committee headed by former Head of State General Abdulsalami Abubakar, made this known on Sunday in Benin City during the Edo Election Security Townhall.
    According to the clergyman, the committee can’t force any presidential candidate to sign the peace pact, which has become an electoral ritual in the last decade.
    Kukah asserted that the failure of political parties and their candidates to sign the peace accord sends a wrong signal to Nigerians, which the opposition can easily exploit.
    He said, “The National Peace Committee, what we do is not in the Electoral Act, it’s not law; it’s moral. You can’t compel people to fall in love or love their neighbour.
    “If you go back to the 2019 election, the presidential candidate for the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, was not there to sign the Peace Accord. And, of course, the opposition went to town, which is what it ought to be, and the next day, he (Atiku) turned up to sign.
    “What is also very interesting is that the current president, when he was a presidential candidate, did not sign; it wasn’t our fault that the political opposition didn’t take advantage of it.
    “It’s a pity, but we are not going to take anybody to court for not signing the Peace Accord. The only thing it does to you as a candidate is that it sends a wrong signal which can be very easily exploited by the opposition.”

  • PDP Suspends Dino Melaye

    While it looked away when the second runner up in the last presidential primary, Mr. Nyesom wike brook every rule in the books, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Kogi State chapter has suspended former Senator Dino Melaye, a close ally of the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

     

    The suspension was announced by the Ward executive committee of Ayetoro Gbede, Ward 1, following Melaye’s refusal to honour a summon.

     

    Melaye was suspended for engaging in anti-party activities and alleged misconduct, which is said to have brought embarrassment and disrepute to the party.

     

    The Ward exco took the decision during a meeting on Friday, where they reviewed the report of the disciplinary committee set up to investigate Melaye’s activities.

     

    The resolution, signed by Ward Chairman Abayomi Osamika and Secretary Yodson Dayo, stated that Melaye’s continued membership in the party is no longer tenable.

     

    “The suspension is in line with provisions of Article 59 (1) of the PDP constitution which empowers the Ward party excos to take disciplinary actions against erring members,” it reads in part.

     

    The suspension is effective immediately.

     

  • Atiku’s Ex-aide, Daniel Bwala To Become Tinubu’s New Spokesperson

    Atiku’s Ex-aide, Daniel Bwala To Become Tinubu’s New Spokesperson

    Without any last minute changes, an ex-aide of PDP Presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku, in the person of Daniel Bwala will be announced as the new spokesperson of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
    This is coming barely a week after Ajuri Ngalale went on an indefinite leave of absence due to ‘family health issues’ which indicated either a resignation or dismissal from his job as the President’s spokesperson.
    According to sources privy to this information, President Tinubu will announce the appointment of Daniel Bwala in the next one or two weeks after he returns to Nigeria.
    Although Daniel Bwala worked with PDP in the last election, he has since switched camp to the All Progressive Congress and has been seen with President Tinubu in Nigeria and overseas.
    The source made it known that Bwala’s job for Atiku was an agreement that was bound to expire after the court case. Recall that Bwala was with All Progressive Congress (APC) before he joined PDP during the election campaign period.
    Meanwhile, many are of the opinion that Bayo Onanuga would be the best fit for the position since he has been actively working in that capacity.
    Although Bayo Onanuga would not be a bad option for Tinubu, considering the fact that he has been close to be president for decades and has successfully operated PM News as a media company but the source revealed that President Tinubu isn’t interested in having Onanuga occupy the vacant position of his spokesperson because he is Yoruba.
    It is worthy of note that President Tinubu has been accused of neglecting other tribes in his appointment apart from people who are Yorubas just like him. This is the reason Bayo Onanuga would not be selected to fill the position of a spokesperson.
    According to the source, the appointment is a done-deal for Daniel Bwala as agreement has been made between the President and the former PDP chieftain. It was revealed that in a situation where Bwala doesn’t eventually become the spokesperson, he will be duly compensated with a higher position.
  • Peter Obi, Wife, Not Arrested By DSS – Aide

    Peter Obi, Wife, Not Arrested By DSS – Aide

    These do not look like the best of times for peace loving Nigerians as the fear of arrest by overzealous security agents hang over them like the sword of Damocles.
    The latest is the rumour of arrest Mr. Peter Obi, the 2023 presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) by operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) which has been swiftly dismissed by his media aide, Valentine Obienyem.
    He said there’s no truth in rumours that Obi was arrested at his home in Anambra, stressing that the former Governor was not even in the country at the time the alleged arrest was said to have taken place.
    Obienyem, who made the denial in a statement on Tuesday, added that contrary to claims in such reports, Obi’s wife, Margaret, was also not arrested.
    The media aide said stories about his principal’s arrest were entirely false and baseless.
    “As of Saturday, Mr. Obi was in Rwanda attending to important engagements,” Obienyem said. “He has since returned to Nigeria and is currently in Edo State, where he is actively involved in party and national matters.”
    The statement urged the public to disregard the rumour and stop spreading false information.
    “There was no DSS operation at his residence, and no arrest was made,” Obienyem emphasised.
    According to him, Obi continues to focus on his commitment to the nation, while his team remains steadfast in providing accurate updates on his activities.
  • 2027 Election: Labour Party and Others self-destruct

    2027 Election: Labour Party and Others self-destruct

    Apart from the New Nigeria Peoples Party, other leading players at the last election except the ruling All People’s Congress seem to be imploding, all as a result of frenzied moves ahead of the 2027 general elections.

     

    For instance, both the PDP and the Labour Party, the first and second runners up at the 2023 presidential election have been neck deep in internal wranglings for no specific reasons other than the machinations of greedy party members to self destruct in favour of an individual’s ambition to conquere power in 2027.

     

    In an apparent redundant move the Labour Party has revoked the automatic tickets previously reserved for its 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the Governor of Abia State, Alex Otti, for the 2027 election.

     

    The decision was made during the party’s National Executive Council meeting held on Monday, September 9, in Abuja.

     

    Following the meeting, the party’s National Working Committee, led by Julius Abure, announced that all party tickets, from the presidency to the House of Assemblies, would now be open to all qualified Nigerians.

     

    In a communique signed by the National Chairman of the party, Abure, and National Secretary, Umar Ibrahim, the NEC nullified the decision taken at the stakeholders meeting convened by Otti.

     

    The NEC insisted that there was no vacuum in the leadership of the party after “conducting its National Convention in line with its constitution, the Electoral Act and Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria on March 27, 2024.”

     

  • Rivers LG Election: Court reserves judgment in APC’s suit against INEC, others

    Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court Abuja, Thursday, reserved judgment in the suit filed by the All Progressives Congress, (APC) against the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) against the conduct of local government election in Rivers State.

     

    After listening to the counsel to both parties adopted thier various arguments, the court reserved judgement on the matter to a date that will be communicated to them.

     

    The judge on Thursday reserved judgment date after counsel to all parties adopted their various legal positions for and against the suit.

     

    The court listened to all pending preliminary applications including those seeking joinder brought by the Social Democratic Party, SDP and the Boot Party, BP, as well as the substantive suit.

     

    The court equally heard motions filed by Chief Goddy Uche, SAN, for change of counsel and another seeking the discontinuance of the suit on behalf of the Rivers State chapter of the APC.

     

    Uche filed and argued an application for change of counsel dated August 28 as well as a motion for the discontinuance of the suit signed by Chief Emeka Beke, Chairman APC Rivers State, and Sam Sam Etetegwung, Secretary APC Rivers State, respectively.

     

    While Joseph Daudu, SAN, leading six Senior Advocates of Nigeria including Dr James Ogwu Onoja, moved the court to grant the reliefs sought by the plaintiff, Taiwo Taiwo, SAN, for the Attorney General of Rivers State, and Femi Falana, SAN, representing the Rivers State Independent Electoral Commission, RSIEC, all challenged the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the case.

     

    The respondents counsel equally challenged the competence of the suit on the ground that it was statute barred.

     

    In addition, on the issue of jurisdiction, the respondents’ counsel argued that the proper court with jurisdiction to entertain the case is the Rivers State division of the Federal High Court.

     

    It was equally their argument that the court sitting as a vacation court lacks the jurisdiction to hear the case without obtaining the consent of both parties.

     

    Substantially, the plaintiff counsel argued that the condition precedent for conduct of local government election in Rivers State have not been met by RSIEC.

     

    The plaintiff had approached the court with an application for change of counsel dated August 28, as well as a notice of discontinuance signed by Chief Emeka Beke, Chairman APC Rivers State, and Sam Sam Etetegwung, Secretary, APC Rivers State respectively.

     

    The party, in an originating summons marked FHC/ABJ/CS/987/2024 is seeking a declaration that INEC is bound to manage the updating and revising of the register in such a manner as to ensure that the process stops not later than 90 days before the council poll.

  • 2027: Atiku, Peter Obi, Kwankwaso Resume Merger Dialogue 

    2027: Atiku, Peter Obi, Kwankwaso Resume Merger Dialogue 

    The three prominent opposition leaders in Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi and Rabiu Kwankwaso, are reportedly currently engaged in discussions regarding a potential merger ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
    The trio aim to unseat the All Progressives Congress (APC) incumbent administration led by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
    This move follows the hunger and widespread insecurity in the country, as stated by a spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday.
    The deputy national spokesman for the PDP, Ibrahim Abdullahi, made this announcement while appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily programme.
    He indicated that the three opposition candidates from the previous elections—Atiku of the PDP, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), – are prepared to set aside personal ambitions to create a strong coalition capable of challenging the ruling APC in 2027, with the goal of “rescuing Nigerians from hunger.”
    Abdullahi further remarked that had the previous leadership of the party effectively managed internal disputes and conflicts, prominent figures such as former Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike, Kwankwaso, and Obi would likely still be active members of the PDP, which could have led to a victory over Tinubu of the APC in the last election.
    He said, “We’ve lost Kwankwaso, we’ve lost Peter Obi, all of these people, imagine if they are in the party, we will have gone to win the elections.
    “This APC said they defeated us with one million plus (votes), just one of these names that I mentioned would have covered that gap for us and we would have been in power today and certainly Nigerians would not have been confronted with this despair and despondency in the land.”
    When asked if the PDP is trying to get Obi, Kwankwaso, Wike and others back into the party, Abdullahi said, “Sure, discussion is ongoing. You will see Peter Obi discussing with Atiku, you will see Peter Obi meeting with (Nasir) El-Rufai. Party management is a very difficult thing and we are doing the best in the quagmire that we have found ourselves. Rest assured, there would light at the end of the tunnel. We have learnt our lessons in a bitter way.”
    When inquired further about the potential outcomes of Obi and the others rejoining the PDP, Abdullahi stated, “One of them would yield to the other, thereby providing us with a clear direction.
    “Our concern as a party and to these people that I have mentioned is to ensure that we salvage Nigerians from this despair and despondency, between maladies of hunger and frightening insecurity in the land. You could see cluelessness and ineptitude on the part of these people managing this country.”
    The PDP chieftain said salvaging Nigerians out of the present hardship is more important than the individual ambitions of the trio.
    He said, “Atiku is saying if it is better for him to get Nigeria out of this hopelessness, he would do so.
    “He (Atiku) must not be in the race. Atiku is saying that it is an entitlement to him as a democrat; the constitution provides for him that he could contest at any time.
    “What he is trying to say is that (there) is no ceiling stopping him from contesting. That is his fundamental democratic right but he is not saying that he will force it on the throat of the party or the country.
    “I am telling you clearly: Peter Obi is suitably qualified; he can aspire and we will support him if he gets the ticket. Atiku is suitably qualified and if he gets the ticket, we will rally behind him and give him the desired support to salvage Nigerians out of this situation.”