Category: Politics

  • One-party state ‘ll suffocate Nigerians, lead to anarchy – Jonathan warns

    One-party state ‘ll suffocate Nigerians, lead to anarchy – Jonathan warns

    Former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has warned that any attempt or manipulation to impose a one-party system on the nation’s political space will suffocate the country and possibly lead to confusion and anarchy.

    Jonathan gave the warning in Abuja today, Wednesday, during the memorial lecture and day of tribute for the former federal commissioner for information, and South-South leader, Chief Edwin Clark.

    The ex-president noted that a one-party state may not be an evil thing as Julius Nyerere of Tanzania used it to unite his country because they have many tribes.

    However, he noted, it was procedural in Tanzania, and not through manipulation.

    According to Jonathan, if a one-party state has become desirable for the country, the process must be thorough and systemic, not by accident or political manipulations.

    The former Nigerian leader’s concern comes against the backdrop of the gale of defections sweeping through the ranks and strongholds of the country’s opposition parties – the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP; the Labour Party, LP, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP – to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.

    Jonathan, who described Clark as his father, said that there was no need to look for any replacement for the late Ijaw leader because that would not be achievable as he was a unique personality, with a very sharp memory that no one can beat.

    Jonathan added that Clark was courageous and ready to take on anybody at any time.

  • ‘Rein in your son’ — Atiku urges Tinubu over alleged NANS interference

    ‘Rein in your son’ — Atiku urges Tinubu over alleged NANS interference

    Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Bola Tinubu to restrain members of his family, particularly his son, Seyi Tinubu, over an alleged attempt to interfere in the leadership of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS).

    In a statement released Friday by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku said Nigeria should not be treated as “a private estate,” describing recent developments as a threat to democratic principles and civil liberties.

    The statement, titled “Tinubu Must Call His Family To Order: Nigeria Is Not A Private Estate”, followed allegations by a factional president of NANS, Comrade Atiku Isah, who claimed Seyi Tinubu attempted to bribe him with N100 million to endorse President Tinubu.

    Isah, during a press briefing on Wednesday in Abuja, said the bribe attempt took place in Lagos and was followed by his alleged abduction and assault by thugs on April 15 after he rejected the offer.

    “I could not endorse a president who had failed to deliver on his campaign promises,” Isah stated. He also alleged that after refusing the bribe, he was “assaulted, stripped, and abducted.”

    Seyi Tinubu has since denied the allegations, saying he had never met Isah and accusing him of fabricating the story to smear his name.

    Reacting to the development, Atiku Abubakar condemned the alleged attempt by the president’s son to exert control over NANS through coercion.

    “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu must urgently rein in his family members, particularly his son, Seyi Tinubu, who appears determined to purchase political loyalty for his father by any means necessary, including coercion, violence, and intimidation,” Atiku said.

    He described the allegations made by Comrade Isah as “deeply alarming and strike at the core of democratic norms and civil liberty,” warning that such accusations against a member of the First Family were both “disturbing and dangerous.”

    “Had this incident ended fatally, it would have been recorded among the growing list of atrocities committed by criminal elements in the country,” he stated. “That it is allegedly tied to the President’s own son makes it even more horrifying. What’s worse is the emerging suggestion that even top security officials are not beyond Seyi Tinubu’s overreaching influence — an unacceptable compromise of state institutions.”

    Atiku warned against any effort to “subjugate” civil society organizations such as NANS through “threats, bribes, or brute force.”

    “Nigeria is a democratic republic, not a monarchy handed down to one family,” he said.

    The former vice president also dismissed claims that he was politically aligned with Comrade Isah, noting that their past meeting was focused solely on education reform and student welfare.

    “Attempts to drag former Vice President Atiku Abubakar into this scandal by alleging a political alliance with Comrade Isah are baseless, malicious, and desperate,” the statement read. “Comrade Isah’s advocacy and public stance must be evaluated based on fact, not fiction.”

    Atiku further called for an independent investigation into the allegations, expressing concern over possible complicity by security agencies.

    “We issue a clear warning: nothing must happen to this young man. Any harm to him will not go unnoticed or unchallenged. Nigerians deserve truth, accountability, and a leadership that respects the rule of law — not a regime that weaponises power to silence dissent,” he added.

  • Delta APC Leadership How Tinubu stopped Oborevwori Omo-Agege fight

    Delta APC Leadership How Tinubu stopped Oborevwori Omo-Agege fight

    For the old All Progressives Congress (APC) members in Delta State, led by the former Deputy Senate President (DSP), Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, their biggest surprise in the last nine calendar days is how the state governor, Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, managed to take over the party’s leadership in the state.

    Omo-Agege and his followers were still pondering the real reasons Governor Oborevwori and his predecessor, Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, both new APC members, collapsed the structure of the once-dominant Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta State, penultimate Wednesday, when the blunt reality dawned on them on Monday, April 28.

    By the way, the Deputy Senate President in the 9th Senate, Omo-Agege, was the APC governorship candidate in the 2023 governorship polls. The ex-DSP had his eyes on the 2027 governorship elections, so Oborevwori’s joining the APC was akin to terminating his plan.

    He did not wish, and never wanted, the sitting governor to sign up with the APC. As is already known, he did everything to block his entry.
    However, the Monday defection in Asaba, the state capital, which President Tinubu described as “a political tsunami of unimaginable proportion,” turned out to be the coronation of Oborevwori as the new leader of the APC.

    Omo-Agege was, to say the least, dumbfounded by the development, but the instructions were directly from Mr. President.

    Futile attempts to stop Oborevwori

    Having failed in his initial plan to halt Oborevwori and Okowa from joining the APC, publicly announced on April 23, Senator Omo-Agege shifted his battle to stopping the governor from becoming the leader of the party in the state, a position he held and greatly treasured until Monday.

    President Tinubu, Senator Kashim Shettima, the vice president, national chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Ganduje, and other APC leaders knew of his unprecedented prowess in capturing two senatorial seats and other elective positions for the APC in 2023, although he lost the governorship.

    He had also been involved lately in repositioning the party for the 2027 elections in the state despite being embroiled in a cold war with other leaders.

    While Omo-Agege leads a group, the Minister of Aviation and Aerospace, Festus Keyamo (SAN), heads the other division branded as the College of Leaders in the Delta State APC.
    Senator Omo-Agege took the battle of who leads the party to the national chairman of the APC, Ganduje, his friend, and other top shots of the party in Abuja.

    He and his loyalists took advantage of the meeting of the Delta APC leaders, which the national leadership convened in Abuja last weekend, to stop Oborevwori from commandeering the party leadership from him in Delta State.

    Sources said that the empathy of Ganduje and some other leaders on the issue was with Omo-Agege.

    Some stakeholders from the state on Omo-Agege’s side wanted the question of who leads the party resolved before the meeting delved into welcoming Governor Oborevwori.

    Tinubu knew the contentions as soon as they emanated. And that was why he contacted Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum, to chair the meeting of national party leaders with the Delta APC leaders. He gave him briefs on how to handle it.
    Governor Uzodinma told the Delta APC leaders that the meeting was to officially inform them that Oborevwori and the entire PDP structure were declaring for the APC on Monday.

    He said they should return to base to welcome Oborevwori, Okowa, and the entire PDP in the state into the APC after debriefing them on the president’s instructions.

    The Abuja meeting ended with no discussion on who leads the party, which was what Omo-Agege wanted. Thus, it was similar to delaying the Evil Day.

    Omo-Agege decided to stay in Abuja and accompany the vice president on Monday, presumably to push more buttons before the Monday show, while many others went back to Delta State.

    Unverified reports claimed that some APC frontrunners in Abuja advised Senator Omo-Agege to drop his attempt to remain the party’s leader because he could not lead the party with a sitting governor as a member of the party.

    The only prominent APC member in the state to decline to congratulate Oborevwori three days after he declared his intention to join the APC defection, which he referred to as a movement, was Senator Omo-Agege.

    But he (Omo-Agege) broke the ice on Sunday, 24 hours before the formal declaration on Monday, in a press statement he signed personally.
    Part of the letter read, “The leadership of the Delta State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) warmly welcomes His Excellency, Governor Sheriff Oborevwori, and all leaders and members of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) into the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

    “This historic move underscores the success of President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in driving growth and development in our country.

    ”In line with outcomes of deliberations with the national leadership of our party, the Progressive Governors’ Forum, and Delta APC stakeholders, I wish to assure all stakeholders that any issues arising from this development are being carefully considered and managed with prudence and foresight, in the best interests of our party and our beloved state.

    ”Let us embrace this development with unity, understanding, and a shared commitment to the progress of Delta State and Nigeria.
    ”In this renewed spirit of brotherhood in Delta APC, I urge all LGA and ward chairmen, their executives, party members, and our teeming supporters to turn out en masse for the welcome reception of our new members into the APC on Monday, April 28, 2025, in Asaba.

    ”This development reaffirms our commitment to progressive governance, promising a brighter future for our people and a more prosperous, secure, and united Nigeria. Together, we will work tirelessly to achieve greatness for Delta State and Nigeria.

    “I also use this opportunity to express my sincere gratitude to President Bola Tinubu for his political sagacity and visionary leadership, the National Chairman and the entire National Working Committee of the APC for their unwavering support, and tireless efforts. May their efforts continue to yield positive outcomes for our great party.”

    He signed the statement suspected to have been issued in Abuja as “Deputy President of the 9th Senate and Leader, APC Delta State.”
    His claim and insistence on being the leader of the APC, Delta State, and paragraph two of his statement were pointers that he was not yet prepared to accept Oborevwori’s takeover of the party.

    He pointed out that issues concerning the governor’s joining the APC were being carefully considered by the party.
    His voice conveyed that the party was still undecided.

    Tinubu’s speech was read by the vice president in Asaba, but the politician who accompanied him on the plane was unaware of its contents.

    Keyamo, the stormtrooper

    Meanwhile, Keyamo, the leader of an APC faction in the state, who never hid his admiration for Oborevwori, led the three senators of the party, to wit Senator Ned Nwoko, representing the Delta North senatorial district, who resigned from the PDP in January; Senator Ede Dafinone, Delta Central; and Senator Joel-Onowakpo, Delta South, on Sunday to Asaba to celebrate Oborevwori as the unquestionable leader of the party.

    Other Delta APC leaders in the entourage were Rt. Hon. Ejiroghene Waive, representing Ughelli North, Ughelli South, and Udu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives; the executive director (Business Development) of NEXIM Bank and former national woman leader of APC, Stella Okotete; and an ex-House of Representatives member, Hon. Doris Uboh.

    Keyamo, who broke the calabash at the consultation, said the Delta APC leaders have accepted Oborevwori unconditionally as the APC leader in the state, which was contrary to Omo-Agege’s claim the same day that he was leader of the party.

    Keyamo’s words: “These are the gatekeepers of the APC in Delta State. Outside this group, there is no APC in Delta State. If any person tells you otherwise, the person must be a comedian.”

    ”We are here to wholeheartedly, 100 percent, welcome you to the APC. We welcome you unconditionally. I repeat, sir, we welcome you unconditionally. It is a blessing to us, a blessing to the state, and a blessing to Mr. President that Delta State is now aligned with the ruling party at the center.

    ”As our leader, undisputed leader (Nwoko, Dafinone, Omowakpo, Waive, and every other member of the delegation clapped), we wholeheartedly surrender to your leadership and ask for direction.

    ”Where you say we go, we’ll go, and where you say we don’t go, we will not go. That is the state of things today; there is no division after today; it is blended as one in Delta State, and we have wholeheartedly accepted your MORE agenda as our agenda.

    ”And if you look at the content of the MORE agenda, sir, it is the same thing as the Renewed Hope Agenda of Mr. President.”
    Senator Nwoko’s attendance at the meeting indicated that he had bowed to Oborevwori’s leadership in the new APC, which was different from his previous position with Omo-Agege.

    Tinubu’s 43-word bombshell

    While Governor Uzodinma and nine other APC governors arrived in Asaba on Sunday and spent the night for the next day’s event, seven other APC governors came on Monday.

    As stated earlier, Senator Omo-Agege flew with the vice president, Shettima, not knowing the content of the president’s speech in the vice president’s possession.

    But Oborevwori and Okowa knew what they negotiated and signed.

    After the niceties, praising Oborevwori and Okowa for the mind-boggling collapse of the PDP, and finding a nest in the APC, Shettima, who spoke for President Tinubu, dropped a 43-word sentence that made nonsense of any further claim to the leadership of the party in the state by the Obarisi of Urhobo land.

    He said, “Now that you (referring to Oborevwori, Okowa, and others) have come, we are all co-owners because, according to the constitution of the party, the governor is the leader of the party in the state. This is now as much your party as it is ours.”

    Obarisi Omo-Agege’s mien did not betray his feelings on the podium where he sat, but expectedly, it would not have gone well with him.
    However, the party’s undeniable leader, Mr. President, has spoken. In the APC, his word is essentially the law.

    OBOREVWORI: I am the leader

    Governor Oborevwori, encouraged by the president’s speech, stated, “There are some things that people say in newspapers, that there is confusion, there is a faction in Delta APC.”

    Before he let out his stinker, he said, “As I have come (joined the APC), there will be no faction again.” Let me tell you,” he yelled, “the governor is in charge, and we are taking charge.”

    “I don’t believe in any faction, whether the Omo-Agege or Keyamo faction; everybody must queue, and we will unite the party to move this state forward for the benefit of our people and to bring development, peace, and unity to our state and Nigeria.”
    Senator Okowa, standing behind him as he spoke, smiled and quietly cheered.

    Omo-Agege simmers down

    At this stage, Omo-Agege knew there was nothing he could do to stop Oborevwori, for Tinubu had spoken.

    It was not, therefore, surprising that Ovie Omo-Agege, at the defection ground on the same day, embraced Oborevwori as the new leader of the party in the state.

    The governor, Okowa, Omo-Agege, and Keyamo took a group photograph currently trending on social media, signposting that they have all reunited.

    The governor raised both Omo-Agege’s and Keyamo’s hands at the same time as a sign of victory for all—no victor, no vanquished.
    An APC leader said, “The next step would have been to frustrate Oborevwori and Okowa, using the state structure solidly in Omo-Agege’s control to stop the governor from picking the APC governorship ticket in the 2022 primaries. That could have happened if things were not sorted out.”
    ”But with Oborevwori as the leader of the APC and Okowa behind him, it is clear that at the next ward congress, the governor will erect his structure to entrench himself, which is what he will use to run the party.

    “Being the new leader of the party, every other person will queue behind him, so there is no need to fight him anymore since the president has approved his leadership,” he said.

    An excited Governor Oborevwori posted on his Facebook page, “Today, I, along with the entire structure of Delta State PDP from the ward to the state level, have moved en masse to the All Progressives Congress (APC) at a well-attended ceremony at the Cenotaph, Asaba.”
    ”At the event, I assured Mr. President, who was represented by the Vice President, His Excellency Senator Kashim Shettima (GCON), that as the leader of APC in the state, the unity of our party is paramount as we work together for the best interests of the people of Delta State.

    ”Let me also take this opportunity to appreciate our national chairman, Alhaji Umar Ganduje, and my brother governors who came in large numbers to receive this great multitude of Deltans who are now members of the APC. This is the show of love and solidarity our country needs to foster progress.”

    “Today, I joined His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was represented by Vice President Kashim Shettima, along with other governors, to warmly welcome Governor Sheriff Oborevwori into the progressive family of the All Progressives Congress (APC),” Omo-Agege continued in a similar post.

    Okowa’s nifty spadework

    Informed party leaders attributed how the PDP in Delta State crumbled and unburdened into the APC without Oborevwori losing his status and smoothly taking over the leadership of the APC to the sagacity of ex-governor Okowa, who tinkered with the process.
    Senator Okowa’s influence has soared with the way he handled the PDAPC’s new order in the state.

    President Tinubu, who supervised the negotiations, praised Okowa’s remarkable ability to organize what seemed to be complex issues in a methodical manner.

    The vice president, Shettima, speaking for Tinubu in Asaba, said, “I would like to express my gratitude to Senator Ifeanyi Okowa for the exceptional relationship he has with his successor.”

    “Senator Okowa, you are indeed a great leader, and Governor Oborevwori, for embracing him, for treating him with respect and decorum, you are an even greater leader.”

    National Chairman of the APC, Ganduje, also recognized Okowa’s starring role in the affair and commended the affable bond between him and the governor.

    He asserted that the National Working Committee (NWC) was deeply impressed by the cordial relationship between the predecessor and successor, which is unusual in the country.

    Obarisi fought gallantly

    If anybody thinks that Senator Omo-Agege lost out in the unfolding event, he must be mistaken, for the Obarisi of Urhobo fought gallantly.
    He remains a highly regarded leader of the party, known for his managerial ability in the face of storms.
    Obarisi is one politician who bulldozes the political terrain without fear and usually does not give his opponents the chance to strike back after overwhelming them.

    He likes fighting his political opponents into submission, a characteristic of Tinubu, the Jagaban.
    Some party leaders hinted that President Tinubu would reward Omo-Agege for his troubles and doggedness for the APC in Delta State. But only the president can speak on his plans for the Obarisi.

    Oborevwori, who regards the Obarisi as his friend, knows that he is a leader whose interests and suggestions regarding the progress of the APC in the state should not be nonchalantly dismissed.

    The new APC leader is aware that Omo-Agege is entitled to some patronage from him as governor, including considering his preferred candidates in certain areas and other honors.

    He also knows that his entry into the APC means that Omo-Agege may not contest the 2027 governorship on the party’s platform because of him (Oborevwori).

    That practically means that after his second tenure in 2031, it will take another 16 years for the governorship of the state to rotate to the Delta Central district, which he and Omo-Agege hail from.

    Except there is a change of the ongoing political arrangement that Ibori and other leaders helped to establish in the state, the Delta South senatorial district is supposed to field the next governor in 2031, while the Delta North senatorial district follows in 2039.

    Which is to say that the governorship will get to the turn of Delta Central again in 2047 if Oborevwori serves two tenures.

  • Tinubu not running Yoruba govt, Afenifere declares

    Tinubu not running Yoruba govt, Afenifere declares

    The Pan Yoruba Socio-Political Group, Afenifere, yesterday dismissed insinuation in some quarters that President Bola Tinubu was running a Yoruba government. Rather, the group said that the administration of President Tinubu, is a “Nigerian government”. The group’s Organizing Secretary, Abagun Kole Omololu, in a statement issued yesterday condemned a clandestine plot as contained in an expose by one Dr Sandra Duru to sabotage the administration of President Tinubu which conspirators have stereotyped as a Yoruba government.

    According to Afenifere, “This is no light accusation. It is a revelation that demands reflection from patriots and repudiation from all who still hold Nigeria dear. Let it be said, plainly and without ambiguity, that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s government is not a Yoruba government. It is a Nigerian government. He did not ascend to the presidency by tribal inheritance but by democratic choice — the result of votes cast in faith by Nigerians of every tongue, creed, and religion.

    “To label this administration as ‘Yoruba’ and weaponize that label as grounds for sabotage is not only dishonest, but a vile act of tribal opportunism and sedition. We reject it utterly.

    “We remind the nation: When President Muhammadu Buhari held office for eight years, no one branded his leadership as a ‘Fulani government.’ No tribal coalition was formed to deny him a second term on the grounds of ethnicity. He was allowed to serve out his mandate in full — and rightly so.

    The same principle of equity and continuity must apply now. Let no one demand justice only when it suits them, but deny it when it is owed to others. President Tinubu shall serve his full term of eight years, by the will of the good people of this country and under the watch of the Constitution. To suggest otherwise is to play Russian roulette with our national destiny. “Afenifere salutes Dr. Sandra Duru for her uncommon courage — for speaking truth not only to power, but to conspiracy. Her voice is a reminder that integrity still walks among us, and that silence, in the face of wickedness, is not an option for those who love this country.

    “Nigeria is not a personal or tribal empire. Our nation will not bow to tribal blackmail. It will not bend to invented narratives. And it will not break under the weight of conspiracy. Let all patriots rally to the defence of truth, justice, and constitutional order. We have come too far to be dragged backward by petty ambition disguised as activism. Let us reject the agents of sabotage — not because they threaten one man, but because they threaten all of us”.

  • Remember what Uduaghan said after joining APC and returning to PDP? Elder Ogidi, South-South PDP boss reminds Deltans

    Remember what Uduaghan said after joining APC and returning to PDP? Elder Ogidi, South-South PDP boss reminds Deltans

    Elder Emma Ogidi is the Caretaker Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the South-South Zone. On Tuesday, the PDP’s acting National Chairman, Ambassador Umar Damagun, announced that Ogidi would oversee the party in Delta State.

    This came after Elder Sheriff Oborevwori, the state governor, and Senator Ifeanyi Okowa, his predecessor, defected on Monday, shattering the state’s party system and declaring support for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Following Governor Oborevwori and Okowa’s shocker, Ogidi, a former Delta PDP chairman, was tasked with assessing what remained, speaking to the members, boosting their confidence, and seeking trustworthy candidates to join the caretaker committee.

    The heavily built political figure and businessman arrived in Asaba, the state capital, on Wednesday, 24 hours later.

    He told Saturday Vanguard that his task was to evaluate and identify the party members who chose not to participate in the mass defection and search for new leaders.

    The former commissioner who served as Delta State’s representative on the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) board stated that he was eager to work with others to create a stronger and better PDP.
    Excerpts

    With Governor Sheriff Oborevwori and former Governor Senator Ifeanyi Okowa gone, does Delta State still have a PDP?

    Yes, PDP still exists in Delta State; yes, our number has been depleted, no doubt about that, but as for the existence of the party, yes, it exists in the state.

    You are to reorganize and revive PDP in Delta State; how do you plan to handle it?

    When the news went out that I had been given the assignment, I received many phone calls from people who said they were not going anywhere. There is still this enthusiasm in PDP. You know why? In all these years, the development you see in Delta State is PDP-driven, so the PDP has been successful.

    People ask what is happening; the truth is that we are all from different backgrounds, so those who joined the APC have their reasons for that. But those of us who remained have our reasons for remaining behind.

    One reason is that PDP has been successful in Delta State. PDP brought all the development you can see today in Delta State.
    Most of those hundrednaires, thousandsaires, and millionaires you see today were all made by the PDP, so, for that reason, some of us are still committed to giving back to Delta State.

    PDP should be grateful to Deltans because they supported us. This is my strong view, and I plead with Deltans to see that there is still hope for the PDP in Delta State.

    Are you saying that not all the PDP members joined Governor Oborevwori and Okowa in defecting to the APC?

    How can? Not all; you can see some of us standing. I am not standing alone; there are numerous out there, and we will take them. In no distant time, we will address the press formally, but let me thank Vanguard for being the first to ask me this question.

    Delta State is a PDP state. You would recall that a former governor, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, went to the APC; he came back, and I know what he said. He said he had been there, and there was nothing there. You see, the truth is that this is not a period to start responding to everything. It is a period of taking stock.

    Those of us who are left in PDP are taking stock. Of course, you know this is a chapter, and we will report to Abuja, our national headquarters.

    Which political bigwigs can you boast of remaining in the PDP?

    I am more of a headhunter now, so the moment I start mentioning names, they will think they are automatic caretaker committee members. I do not want to do that, but if you ask me this question in a month, I will confidently tell you.

    I do not want to cause them any trouble right now because the individuals in question will comprise the first eleven members of the caretaker committee, which will steer the state’s process.

    Part of the reasons the governor and Okowa gave for defecting was that the PDP was riddled with crisis at the center. Is it that your party can no longer hold itself?

    There is no family without problems, but the ability to resolve problems makes it a great family. PDP is still a brand. I am touched by the number of calls I get despite the issues. I know people are anxious to link up with the national PDP. Yes, compare us with 16 years at the national level.

    PDP is still the biggest opposition in the country, and our antagonists are active in destroying us. The problem at the national level is glaring, but we are making strong efforts to fix it.

    After all, elections are still far away, but I tell you that within less than three months, you will see what we have done in PDP. We would have fixed most of the problems.

    A senior PDP leader said there would be an implosion in the APC the PDP defectors went into; do you share his opinion?

    Yes, of course, there would be an implosion there. The APC is a shark-infested river. I can tell you that for free. I can tell you that the PDP people who left are survivalists.

    Check them; all the successful people there try to maintain their integrity, but when they go deeper, they will still be infected, so I believe they will come back, and of course, we are always ready.

    We can see that the PDP is on the verge of losing more governors. If you look at the body language of the governor, Umo Eno of Akwa Ibom State, it is clear he wants to board another airplane; doesn’t that worry the party?

    It is very worrisome; we are worried, but let me tell you, there was a time PDP had about 27-29 governors, and we lost. So, the increase in APC doesn’t mean they will win the election.

    If you want to know, the ordinary man has the answer. Except that they did not vote or their votes were not allowed to count, the APC would not win the next elections.

    The ordinary man is suffering; you can’t play politics with hunger. When you are hungry, you are hungry; when there is insecurity, there is insecurity; you cannot politicize that. Which is why I said I cannot go there.

    I can’t even see their template for dealing with hunger. If you look at it this way, do you mean the APC will deal with hunger in a few months?

    I don’t like comparing myself with others, but I am patient. The Bible says we should be patient; if you want to survive this life, you should be patient, so I know they will return soon. I have that belief.

    Top politicians in the country plan to form a coalition. What is the true position of the PDP on this?

    We are busy right now putting the house together. Our walls are cracking, and we want to renovate the house. You have to go wherever you want to go with a strong foundation. When you go with a shaky foundation, you lose in the negotiations.

    So, at the NEC meeting next month, we will take a position on the coalition and how we go about it. It will come up, and whatever decision we take will be binding. Individuals are now going their separate ways, but as a party, we have not made that choice.

    Even Atiku Abubakar, the 2023 presidential candidate, is reportedly planning to quit the PDP, according to former governor Okowa. How does that affect your party?

    Let us look at it this way: when a woman wants to leave the house, she will look for every reason to leave. And once they have made up their minds, you cannot stop them. They don’t know it is their friend who is making them leave. They realized that another person had come to take over their seats only when they had left.

    It is worrisome that the beneficiaries are leaving. I will be very worried if Atiku Abubakar leaves because he mentored many of us. I should be worried, but one thing I know and have at the back of my mind is that PDP will not die. I strongly believe it.
    Human beings make up the party, and sometimes, as they leave, others will come.

    What is your word to the PDP stakeholders in Delta State who refused to join the exodus to APC, as the man mandated to rekindle the party?

    First, I thank God for them. I will also tell them that they are men and women of integrity. God bless them.

    What should they expect from you in one month?

    In the next month, they will know I am a true servant here to bring everybody back together to have a stronger and better PDP.

    Some of us think that Governor Oborevwori and Okowa wouldn’t have left the PDP without at least whispering to you. Were you unaware of the planned exit all these months, or did you know only when they exited?

    I was in the meeting on Wednesday; first, the caucus, and second, the general meeting. Then, I made up my mind that I wanted to remain in PDP.

    Ex-governor Chief James Ibori remains a founding leader of the PDP in Delta State. He has not resigned from the PDP, but his body language smells of APC. So, will you reach out to him?

    Every party in the state would want to reach him; I will contact him.

  • Why Tinubu, Atiku shouldn’t run — Baba-Ahmed

    Why Tinubu, Atiku shouldn’t run — Baba-Ahmed

    Dr Hakeem Baba-Ahmed served as the Special Adviser on Political Matters in the Office of Vice President Kashim Shettima for 17 months before resigning.

    In this interview aired on Politics Today, a Channels TV programme, he speaks on his open letter to President Bola Tinubu in which he asked him not to contest in 2027, why he stepped down from the administration and the gale of defections that has rocked the country in recent weeks. Excerpts:

    Who offered you the role of political adviser?

    To be honest, Vice President Kashim Shettima. But he had to get the consent of the president before I became an adviser. I mean, the vice president facilitated my appointment, and the president approved it. So, I would say President Tinubu approved my appointment. Otherwise, I would never have been an adviser.

    Given what you represented politically in the past, did it cause some kind of distrust between you, some of your friends and family members?

    No, not at all. Not at all. And look, working for a government, especially Tinubu’s government that had inherited a really messed up country by Buhari, was the most patriotic thing anybody could do. You could not just turn your back on an administration that says: ‘come and help fix the country after the damage that you so graphically criticised’. I was one of the most vocal critics of former President Buhari. So, if a government takes over from President Buhari and says: ‘come and help fix the country,’ you could not possibly say: ‘no, I prefer to be a critic for life’. I participated very actively in Buhari’s election.

    I was chairman of his party for four years in my state, long before he became president, so I was not a critic. I became an outspoken critic: one, because my organisation had seen the situation in which the country was. A few months into the presidency of President Buhari, we could see that he was just interested in becoming president, and he was not interested in governing. Certainly, not governing well, and we started criticising him. We began by advising him privately. Then we started saying he was wrong here and he was wrong there. And then when it became clear that he was not interested in public opinion, we became outstanding critics.

    For those of you who backed Buhari, did he disappoint you?

    Absolutely.
    But Buhari represented the North…
    No, he did not. If you are talking about how he became president, that is a different thing. We did not support Buhari because he was a Northerner. We supported Buhari because he was a better option than Jonathan in 2015. He was a much better option at the time. And we supported him because we could quite clearly see that Jonathan’s administration was weak. It was soft on Boko Haram. It was soft on corruption.

    It was soft on a lot of things that we believed a government that had inherited from Yar’Adua ought to have been doing. We needed a president who would hold the country together, and we saw in Bahari a better option. And we supported him, not because he was a Northerner, but because we thought he was tough on corruption. He had fought Chadians who had invaded Nigeria many years ago. He had run a country that jailed corrupt politicians for 300 years and stuffs like that. We supported him, and it could have been anybody. We just were looking for a better option than Jonathan.

    But Buhari ended up being the opposite…

    Yes, absolutely. I do not think we have had a government that is worse than Bahari’s government.

    You think Buhari’s government was the worse in history?

    Well, we have not had a government, and not by the records that I have seen. And believe me, I am 70 years old and I have followed Nigerian politics from way back in the early 70s.

    I have not seen eight years under a leadership that just did not govern, did not care about the priorities, did not set priorities, did not chase, did not care about how the poor lived, how secure the country was, how the young people needed to find futures. I did not see one. Therefore, I could not see myself sitting on the fence when another government that had the mandate of Nigerians to fix Buhari’s damage says: ‘please come in and help.’ It would have been irresponsible to say no.

    Do you regret that you worked with Tinubu?

    No, I do not.

    Would you do it again if you had the opportunity?

    With the way the Tinubu government is going, no. But regretting going in, I do not. I got out because there was no space. I did not see that fire, commitment and zeal to fix a country that has been wrecked. Instead, I saw a country getting worse.

    Are you saying what you saw was more of a facade, not real commitment?

    See the records. The one I saw was where, in 2023, Nigerians lined up, elected President Tinubu, because they thought, okay, Buhari is gone, we are in a mess, let us elect a president that would fix Nigeria. President Tinubu comes in and says: ‘put your belts on, we are going into some turbulence’. Thus removed subsidy, and you would think a president at that stage was quite prepared to undertake such a monumental policy. It turned out he did not. He had a handful of advisers that then had to fix a problem. They started looking for solutions.

    From day one, he pushed the country to the deep end. And we have never really recovered in a way. We keep seeing promises. And the difference between what President Tinubu’s people say the country is, and the difference between that and what the country is today, is miles apart. And you have to wonder whether we are living in the same Nigeria. I think that the issue is: should one have committed to working for a government that had at least the mandate of the people to fix things, particularly in the Northern part of the country. It is unbelievable the levels of insecurity and poverty.

    Is it worse than the Buhari government left it?

    It is worse than Buhari left it.

    Really? But the statistics do not say it’s worse?

    This is the thing with the statistics that the administration keeps reeling out. And you really wonder where they get the statistics from. You go to villages, go to Kastina, go to Zamfara, go to Niger State, go to Plateau, go to Benue, virtually, in fact literally, go to every part of Nigeria. More blood is shed now than it was maybe two years ago. And yet you see these kind of statistics that say there are less killings, there are less violence. You have to ask, do our leaders actually know how our people live? Who is telling them all this? How do these statistics get acquired? Because if you want to really measure how people live, you do not do that by just some statistics that someone gives you. Do the president’s people really tell him the state of the country? Does he know? Does he know the level of poverty? Does he know how many families, entire families live in that village?

    This was a man who was governor of Lagos State and he was on the street himself. Is it different from the Tinubu that is in the presidency right now?

    I saw a president that was stubborn, almost visionary, but he ran Lagos for eight years. Whether he ran it well or not, I do not know. But he ran Lagos well. He resisted former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s overbearing and strong determination to get rid of him. Beyond that, then I saw him as a calculating politician. He gave his platform to Atiku. He gave his platform to Nuhuru Ribadu. He participated actively. Then he agreed with Buhari, created a platform which allowed Buhari to become president. Because for 2003, 2007, 2011, Buhari was running, he did not get anywhere.

    So without Tinubu, Buhari might or might not have made the position?

    To be honest with you, I think that coalition, CPC-APC-AC, was decisive in terms of giving President Buhari victory. And as I said, I was part of the campaign. I had a front line seat, so I know what I am talking about. And Tinubu’s contribution to Buhari’s emergence was genuinely a deciding factor. So in many ways, you have to give him credit for being a calculating president. I do not know what has happened since 2015, but I do not see the fire. I do not see that calculation. I did not see much of him, to be fair to him.

    You were called in to advise this government on what Tinubu was very good at. Some think that he is a master strategist, politically speaking. And that is what you were called in to do. Would you say that you were allowed to do your job?

    No, I did not do any job. I was supposed to be an adviser on political matters.

    To the vice president or to the president?

    To the president, in the office of the vice president. You have to understand, at least in constitutional terms, it is the same thing. Basically, it is supposed to be both the vice president and I, we are both supposed to advise the president.

    In the real sense of it, there isn’t a political adviser to the president…

    There are two. There is one called Darazu. So there are two special advisers on political matters. Well, I have not met the first one either.

    With about six months or so that you spent in that place?

    I spent a year and six months there.

    Did you request to meet the president?

    To be honest, I suspect if I met the president, if I did sit down with him, I might say things to him that he might not be very happy about. I think they developed cold feet. Because if I did, I would have told him exactly what I said in that open letter: ‘Mr President, please do not run again.’

    Why? What gives you the authority?

    It is not authority. I am making a request. I am not giving him instructions. I remember I said, I would have said: ‘Mr President, please do not run again.’

    Why?

    I think that first he has become a president, so that’s settled. A lot of the people who are now, including President Tinubu, quite possibly, want to be president just simply because they want to be presidents. We had the case of Buhari, perhaps even Atiku whose multiple attempts at becoming president may be primarily driven by the desire to be president. If he spends the next two years of his life on the things that he ought to have done that he has not done yet or improving on what he has done.

    And then, like I said in my letter, look for a younger person, more energetic, healthier, more focused, more committed to the future of this country; find even from your party, find someone that a group of people among younger people, the kind of people who really feel the pain about what Nigeria is today. The kind of people whose children are just growing up and they can look at them and say: ‘what will happen to my child or my grandchild in the next 20 years?’ The way this country is going downhill, consistently going downhill. There are a lot of educated, very athletic Nigerians who desperately want to be part of the future of this country. Trust them with power. You have done your bit. And so you do not need to run for another one. Spend the next two years fixing Nigeria, fix the economy as much as possible, fix insecurity.

    So you think that he doesn’t have the capacity for the next four years after the initial four years?

    Well, it is not so much that he does not have the capacity. I do not know what will happen in the future. I have not seen evidence that the last two years have prepared him to continue to govern for six years, but more importantly, he does not need to be president to actually do something good for this country.

    If he draws the line at 2027 and prepares his party and the country to vote in a new set of people everywhere APC governor stands now, use your power and influence, get them to bring out younger people, a lot of people with energy, commitment, passion to fix what is broken, which is this country, history will record you as the greatest leader.

    Would you like him to have taken that choice of that person from the South-West?

    Let him come from anywhere. Believe me, at this stage, it is not important anymore. He could come from anywhere at this stage. Anybody who is talking to you about North and South doesn’t know what they’re talking about.

    So you are not impressed by what you have seen so far. And you don’t think that with what is on the ground, he should not run in 2027. Do you also imagine that maybe you were wrong in your assumption that maybe Tinubu was a better candidate than those who were on the ballot in 2023?

    I never really participated much in choosing who should vote.

    But for the benefit of hindsight, do you think he was better than the lot that were on the ballot in 2023?

    Again, to be honest with you, I participated with Northern groups in assessing these candidates. You remember there was a time when Northern groups got together. About five or six people turned up and we asked them questions. Beyond the moment parties choose who they wanted, as far as I was concerned, my job was done. In fact, everybody’s job was done. You had to leave the whole thing to the voter. Voters decided it was Tinubu. As far as I was concerned, that is a decision made democratically. If anybody disputed it, they could go to court. I had no problems with him being legitimately elected as president. I wanted him to succeed. I want him to succeed.

    If he calls you back and says, sorry for whatever happened…

    He won’t. No, I won’t go back. I can’t. Come on. Not for anything. Not for anything. I have done my bit. It did not work out. I have to move on.

    But what if it’s in the interest of the nation?

    It can not be in the interest of the nation if I am just going in and out. I will be like some of these politicians jumping to one party in the morning and then the next evening, they have another party. They are talking about coalitions. I want to be better than those guys.

    There is this very strong story going around that the vice president may have been sidelined. When you were on the inside, what did you see?

    I did not see it. I find it odd.

    Is the cordiality still there between the men?

    Well, between the two of them, I think those rumours are cooked. To be honest, we never really interacted. I never sat down with Tinubu to ask him about how he felt about Shettima. I spoke with Shettima. And that is what I can tell you only from Shettima’s perspective. I do not think Shettima feels he has been sidelined. I do not think he feels Tinubu has any grievances against him.

    But what did you see?

    I saw a president and a vice president who worked well. The synergy was there.

    Was it better than the Obasanjo-Atiku synergy in the first four years?

    You picked the wrong example. The first four years of Obasanjo-Atiku were immensely powerful, and had a lot of trust. But you have to remember, Obasanjo literally didn’t know anything about being a democratic president. Atiku did because he was a politician. He was also an elected governor. Now then, in the transition between 2003 and 2007 again, Obasanjo’s second term, they fell out. And that’s it. Obasanjo decided he was not going to go on to sack him or impeach him, but he’s going to continue and he will render him completely redundant. And he did.

    Since that letter where you asked him not to run in 2027 was published, people have asked me why you singled out Tinubu. What about other politicians?

    If I have a chance to sit with the Waziri of Adamawa, I would say to him, he might know a little bit better than I know Tinubu. Sir, you have done your bit, you have held up the democratic process and represented it well. Your name has been written in gold. You have been persistent. It’s time to yield the ground, yield the position to a younger person. Do not run. Play the father role. Find good younger person.

    Do you think Atiku will listen to that kind of advice?

    I think so. To be honest with you, I think so. I do not think it matters. He wanted to be president. I’m advising them against what appears to be what they want. And I’m trying to point out to them. Actually, the truth about it is that if the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, were to field a younger person, more capable, somebody with less skeletons in their cupboard, somebody with less liabilities, age and health and everything.

    Believe me, they will take the All Progressives Congress, APC, to the cleaners. With all this bulging party, bulging with people running away from prosecution, people looking for offices, the APC is growing with a lot of the wrong people. All these defections are informed by only one thing, they are looking for positions or running away from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC.

    But the EFCC Chairman said there is nothing like that, and there is no political interferences…

    They won’t write to him saying: ‘dear chairman of EFCC, it may have come to your notice that I am leaving my party PDP to join APC. Believe me, it has nothing to do with the file that is in front of you, I want to fix the country.’ They are likely not going to tell him.

    I am telling you that the people who are running into the APC from all over the place are actually a liability to the APC. It is simply a political refugee camp, and it would burst.

    What is the position of the North on Tinubu?

    The North wants Tinubu to fix Northern problems. Insecurity, poverty, joblessness, drugs. I attended the meeting of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF. The language there and the atmosphere was different from any other time I have seen. My group, the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, is the most militant group.

    Yesterday’s meeting, the one I attended was unique in the manner people spoke, not hostile, not subversion just simply a demand. The North demands more attention. Attention to its problems. Insecurity is rising. Poverty is rising. We are beginning to be marginalised.

    We look like a region of voters, only useful every four years. With two years to go, the North is saying to President Tinubu, look at us, we matter. This country is breaking down, every inch of Nigeria is suffering, but the North is suffering a lot more than others. You won’t get that rhetoric that it has be a Northerner this time.

    The language will be: it has to be a better person. We want to see someone who has either work for the North or will work for the North and the South-East, South-West and South-South.

  • Shettima departs for Gabon to attend presidential inauguration

    Shettima departs for Gabon to attend presidential inauguration

    Vice President Kashim Shettima will, on Saturday, May 3, depart Abuja for Libreville, Gabon, to represent Nigeria at the inauguration of the country’s president-elect, Brice Nguema.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Shettima will attend the event at the instance of President Bola Tinubu.

    The spokesperson of the vice president, Mr Stanley Nkwocha, who made this known in a statement, said Nigeria remains supportive of the peaceful democratic transition in Gabon.

    Nkwocha also reaffirmed the Nigerian government’s broader strategic interest in promoting democratic governance and regional stability in Central Africa.

    He said that the vice president is expected to return to Nigeria after the inauguration.

    NAN reports that Nguema, who had served as Gabon’s interim leader since August 2023, secured a decisive victory in the country’s April 12 presidential election.

    According to final results released by Gabon’s Constitutional Court, Oligui Nguema garnered 58,074 votes—equivalent to 94.85 per cent of the total votes cast.

    Oligui Nguema faced seven challengers in the race, including former Prime Minister Alain Claude Bilie-By-Nze, who finished second with three per cent of the vote.

    Other candidates failed to surpass the 1 per cent threshold. (NAN)

  • Fubara returns to Port-Harcourt after Germany vacation

    Fubara returns to Port-Harcourt after Germany vacation

    Suspended Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara has returned to Nigeria on Friday evening after a two-week vacation abroad.

    Fubara arrived at the international wing of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa, around 7 PM and was received by a small group of aides.

    In a viral video, the governor was escorted to a waiting Sports Utility Vehicle, which immediately drove him away from the airport.

    Although the governor had been in Germany, sources indicate he held a closed-door meeting with President Bola Tinubu in London, United Kingdom, during his time away.

    Fubara’s return comes amid ongoing political tensions in Rivers State.

    The governor, his deputy Prof. Ngozi Odu, and members of the State House of Assembly were suspended by President Tinubu following the declaration of a state of emergency in the oil-rich state.

    The President cited rising attacks on oil pipelines by militant groups and worsening security concerns, which he linked to the power tussle between Fubara and 27 lawmakers reportedly aligned with the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

  • Lagos LG polls: Monarch asks daughter to withdraw from race

    Lagos LG polls: Monarch asks daughter to withdraw from race

    LAGOS— THE Akweno of Kweme Kingdom in Badagry West Local Council Development Area, LCDA, in Lagos State, Oba Sejiro James, has called on his daughter, Princess Damilola James, to withdraw from the local government elections.

    The monarch urged his daughter and other aspirants, particularly from Ward A, his home ward, to step down in the interest of equity and fairness.

    Princess Damilola, a strong contender for the chairmanship seat, received this advice during a recent visit to the palace by another aspirant, Princess Oluremi Ajose, daughter of Oba Oyekan Ajose Possi III, who had earlier pleaded the monarch’s royal blessings for her ambition.

    Speaking during the visit, the monarch emphasised that the royal fathers’ decision to back Princess Oluremi stems from a collective commitment to fairness and justice among the five wards that make up Badagry West LCDA.

    “My endorsement and that of other royal fathers is not based on personal preference. It is anchored on fairness,” Oba Sejiro said.

  • Canada votes for new government to take on Trump

    Canada votes for new government to take on Trump

    Canada elects a new government on Monday to confront annexation threats from the United States and deal directly with President Donald Trump, whose trade war has defined the campaign.

    The Liberal Party, led by new Prime Minister Mark Carney, looked set to lose easily to the Conservatives’ Pierre Poilievre until the US president’s attacks on the country sparked a sudden reversal in poll forecasts.

    Carney, 60, has never held elected office and only replaced Justin Trudeau as prime minister last month. He had a lucrative career as an investment banker before serving as the central bank governor in both Canada and Britain.

    Carney has argued his global financial experience has prepared him to guide Canada’s response to Trump’s tariffs.

    He has also promised to revitalize internal trade and expand Canada’s economic opportunities abroad to cut reliance on the United States, a country Carney says “we can no longer trust.”

    The United States under Trump “wants to break us, so they can own us,” he has warned repeatedly through the campaign.

    “We don’t need chaos, we need calm. We don’t need anger, we need an adult,” Carney said in the campaign’s closing days.

    Poilievre, a 45-year-old career politician, has tried to keep the focus on domestic concerns that made Trudeau deeply unpopular toward the end of his decade in power, especially soaring living costs.

    The Tory leader has argued Carney would bring a continuation of what he calls “the lost Liberal decade,” arguing that only a new Conservative government can take action against crime, housing shortages and other non-Trump issues Canadians rank as priorities.

    “You cannot handle another four years of this,” he said over the weekend.

    Poilievre has critiqued Trump, but insisted ten years of poor Liberal governance had left Canada vulnerable to a newly hostile United States.

    – ‘A good pick’ –

    Final polls indicate a tight race but put Carney as the favorite.

    Surveys have also consistently shown voters view the ex-central banker as the best candidate to deal with Trump.

    Jeff Sims, who lives in Quebec near Canada’s capital Ottawa, said he believes Carney has “the pedigree” to be prime minister.

    “Two central banks under his belt, I think that’s a good pick,” the 46-year-old told AFP on Sunday.

    At a weekend Conservative rally in the battleground city of Oakville, west of Toronto, Janice Wyner rejected the notion that Carney marked a departure from Trudeau.

    Trudeau’s “policies stunk and it’s the same party,” she told AFP.

    “Canada is just in a mess. I’m 70 years old. It’s not even a country that I recognize and I’m worried for my grandkids.”

    Like many voters, Nadine Sokol, a 41-year-old who also lives near Ottawa, listed “the threat coming from the US” as her “number one issue.”

    – Historic turnaround –

    If the Liberals win, it would mark one of the most of dramatic turnarounds in Canadian political history.

    On January 6, the day Trudeau announced he would resign, the Conservatives led the Liberals by more than 20 points in most polls, and Poilievre looked on track to be Canada’s next prime minister.

    But Carney replacing Trudeau combined with nationwide unease about Trump transformed the race.

    Public broadcaster CBC’s poll aggregator on Sunday put the Liberals’ national support at 42.8 percent, with the Conservatives at 38.8 percent.

    As with US elections, national polling numbers may not predict a result.

    The performance of two smaller parties — the left-wing New Democratic Party (NDP) and the separatist Bloc Quebecois — will be closely watched.

    In past elections, strong NDP performances in Ontario and British Columbia, and a good showing by the Bloc in Quebec, have curbed Liberal seat tallies, but polls suggest both smaller parties could be facing a setback.

    Nearly 29 million of Canada’s estimated 41 million people are eligible to vote. A record 7.3 million people cast advanced ballots.

    In the massive G7 country which spans six times zones, polls open at 8:30 am local time in the Atlantic province of Newfoundland and Labrador.

    Canadians will elect 343 members of parliament, meaning 172 seats are needed for a majority. The Liberals won a majority in 2015 but have governed with a minority since 2019.