Politics

2023 Presidency: SouthEast Loses Out As Electoral Act Cut PDP Delegates To 811

Published

1 month ago

May 22, 2022

President Muhammadu Buhari’s apparent refusal to sign the amended Electoral Act has shifted political dynamics within the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

Without the president’s signature, the act stipulates that only 811 people, including the president, serving and former governors, and serving and former members of the National Assembly, will be able to elect the PDP’s Presidential Candidate.

The 811 participants 774 national delegates (1 per LGA) and 37 special delegates would make up the 811 delegation (People with disability from each of the 36 states and FCT).

The development had the effect of reshaping permutations for the party’s presidential candidates over the weekend, with Senator Bukola Saraki, Governors Nyesom Wike and Aminu Tambuwal benefiting. It was unclear yesterday how the permutation would affect Atiku Abubakar of the Northeast.

While Saraki has been boosted by the endorsement of the North-Central zone of the PDP, Wike even though without an endorsement from the South-South, is, however, without a serious contender from the region and would be gladdened by the fact that he has a fewer number of delegates within and outside the zone to reach out to.

Tambuwal would also be gladdened by the fact that the Northwest Zone would presenting the highest number of delegates to the convention given the region’s superior number of local governments. Tambuwal’s room for manoeuvre, is however, tempered by incursions made into the zone by Wike and Saraki.

The Northwest has 186 National Delegates more than double the 95 coming from the Southeast, a region that has three major presidential aspirants, Peter Obi, Anyim Pius Anyim and entrepreneur, Pharm Sam Ohabunwa.

The development means strong consequences for the Southeast as the limited number of the national delegates available from the zone is now being split among themselves and others poaching from outside.

While Atiku looked formidable on the national scene, being the immediate past presidential candidate of the party, he has to grapple with Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi for the Northeast’s 112 national delegates.

Atiku is also being challenged by the fact that no governor is openly associating with him besides his home governor, Ahmadu Fintri who according to political insiders sees it as an obligation or rather compulsion to support the former vice-president.

While the stalemate on the Electoral Act is like a catastrophe for the Southeast as it removes the region’s advantages in statutory delegates it also at the same time present’s the region’s diminished LGAs, 95.

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Politics

PDP crisis: Wike Must Support Okowa To Emerge – Camp

Published

9 mins ago

July 2, 2022

A.S Opeyemi

Ifeanyi Okowa, the vice presidential running mate for the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has stated that the governor of Delta State will cooperate with Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State.

According to reports, Wike and certain PDP leaders are unhappy with Okowa’s selection as the party’s vice presidential candidate.

Atiku Abubakar, the PDP presidential candidate, formed a committee to choose his running partner as soon as he emerged.

Wike, who finished second in the PDP presidential primary poll in Abuja, was the candidate chosen by the committee.

But, Atiku had ignored the committee’s recommendation and opted for Okowa as his running mate.

Atiku’s decision is believed to have aggrieved Wike and other party chieftains.

However, the Delta State Commissioner for Information, Charles Aniagwu, assured that Okowa needs Wike’s support ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

Aniagwu assured that Okowa would work with other leaders in the south to get votes for the PDP.

The Commissioner said, “Okowa will work with other leaders in the south and across the country to galvanize the voters. He (Okowa) believes that to have an inroad in Rivers State, for example, he will need leaders led by Wike to get the votes.

“Okowa will work with Wike very well. Okowa will also reach out to our brothers and sisters in the South-West and in the South-East, which is already happening. The challenge at hand is not a one-man show.

“Beyond members of our party, Nigerians believe that the PDP should get it right as the major option for the people ahead of the 2023 general election.”

Politics

2023 Presidency: Your Time Is Not Now, Dino Melaye Tells Peter Obi

Published

15 hours ago

July 1, 2022

A.S Opeyemi

Dino Melaye, a former senator from Kogi West, has explained why he thinks Peter Obi, the nominee of the Labour Party (LP), will not be able to win the 2023 presidential election.

He claimed that bringing the nation’s ethnic groupings together was more crucial than Obi’s plan to reduce the cost of governance, which he had heard throughout Obi’s campaigning.

Dino told Obi to wait for his time in a video that was posted on his verified social media accounts sighted by our correspondent

According to him, Peter Obi is one of the best Nigerians. He is administratively astute and intellectually adaptable. He is a great Nigerian and has a great chance of becoming Nigeria’s president soon.

“I celebrate you Peter Obi, and I celebrate your movement. I celebrate your conscientisation of the Nigerian youth and the public on governance.

“But I want to advise, your time is not now because you’ve to wait for your time. I’ve listened to your postulations. I’ve listened to your arguments, deliveries and campaigns, and 90% of your campaign is dwelling on reducing the cost of governance.

“The problem of this country is beyond just cutting the cost of governance… You don’t need to become governance before you can cut the cost of governance. If you’ve a very effective Minister of Finance, budget and planning, CBN governor and chairman of the Economic team, you can cut governance with the operation of the president.

“What we need today in Nigeria is to unify this country. The country is so much divided.. There’s no trust between the North and the South.”

Politics

Presidential Aspirant Collapses Structure To Join Peter Obi’s Labour Party

Published

2 days ago

June 30, 2022

A.S Opeyemi

The FidelinfoNews reports that the support for the presidential ambition of Peter Obi, the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP) has received a boost as a presidential aspirant of the National Rescue Movement collapses his structure into the party.

LP in a post on its Twitter account on Wednesday evening revealed that Martin Agbaso and his supporters, Emeka Mandela, a presidential aspirant aligned with Obi’s ambition.

According to the party, the presidential organisation of Mandela officially collapsed into Labour Party for the former Governor of Anambra State.

This is coming at a time LP is working on merging with the New Nigeria Peoples Party and its presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso ahead of the 2023 race.

Obi and Kwankwaso have met on the possibility of merging to push out the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party.

However, there seems to be a stumbling block as no presidential candidate is ready to step down to be the other’s, running mate.

Announcing the development on Wednesday, the party wrote, “Labour Party today welcomed new members to our great party. New members include Chief Martin Agbaso & His Supporters, Dr Emeka Mandela (Presidential Aspirant of National Rescue Movement -NRM) who’s a presidential organization officially collapsed into the Labour Party for Peter Obi.”