Politics

PDP Crisis: Ayu vows not to resign, says those calling for his resignation are boys

Published

4 years ago

August 31, 2022

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The National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP), Iyorchia Ayu, has said he will not resign his position because he sees no reason for him to do so.

Ayu stated this in an interview with BBC Hausa Service on Wednesday.

He has been under pressure from a group of governors and former governors of the party, led by Rivers governor, Nyesom Wike, to step down and allow a southerner take his position.

The governors had been complaining against the imbalance in the leadership of the party in which Ayu, the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and the heads of the major organs of the party are all from the North.

The party leaders also accused Ayu of being a partial and divisive leader.

But responding to the demand on the programme of Wednesday morning, the PDP leader said those calling for his resignation are boys in the party who do not know how the party was formed.

It will be recalled that a meeting was held in London last Thursday between Atiku and the camp of Wike over the crisis in the party.

The meeting was held over dinner at the Park Lane Carlton Hotel. Those from Wike’s side at the meeting included Governors Seyi Makinde of Oyo State, Samuel Ortom of Benue State and Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State. Governor Ahmadu Fintiri accompanied the candidate.

Sources at the meeting had disclosed that the Wike camp told Atiku that it would only negotiate with him for its support if Mr Ayu steps down and is replaced by a candidate from a southern zone of the country.

Speaking on behalf of the group, one of the governors said the condition was to ensure that the party corrects the lopsidedness in its leadership before the campaigns begin and that it was in line with a pledge Ayu made before he was elected by consensus at the party’s national convention last year.

The governor also accused Ayu of polarising the PDP. He said contrary to the description of Ayu by Atiku as the unifier of the PDP, the former Senate President is allegedly the most divisive figure to have occupied the party’s top office.

But in his response, Ayu said he was elected by party members based on the guidelines stipulated by the party. He said party leaders had agreed during the convention that the party would not consider the zone where the party chairman hailed from when electing the presidential candidate.

“I was elected for a tenure of four year., I am even yet to complete a year in the office. The election of Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate did not bother the seat of the party chairman. I won the election and it is based on the party’s constitution.

“I did not commit any offence, I am committed to my work, and I don’t bother about the noise going on,” Ayu said.

Ayu also dispelled the fear that the crisis in the party involving Mr Wike may cost the PDP victory in the 2023 general election.

“I co-founded the PDP in Nigeria and some boys who don’t know how we struggled and what we went through can’t cause problems for the party.

“When we started the PDP, we did not know those boys, they are children, they don’t know why we founded the party. We will not agree with one person to come and destroy our party,” Mr Ayu said.

Related Topics:Atiku Ayu PDP CRISIS Wike

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Politics

2027: APC governors reject any form of political alliance, say it’s capable of undermining Tinubu’s re-election

Published

2 months ago

September 15, 2026

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The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has said it will not endorse any alliance or political arrangements that could undermine President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid or the party’s candidates in the 2027 elections.

The forum chairman, Imo governor, Hope Uzodimma, speaking in Abuja after the forum’s meeting, said his colleagues would exclusively support Tinubu and APC candidates at all levels in the 2027 elections.

“The forum unanimously resolved that its members will not participate in, support, or endorse any alliance or political arrangement capable of undermining the re-election of Mr president, weakening the APC or adversely affecting any candidate of the party at all levels,” Uzodimma, who was flanked by his colleagues, said.

“In other words, the forum has no intention to support any candidate at any level that is not an APC candidate.”

He said the governors’ campaign efforts would focus on all APC candidates contesting under the party’s platform.

“Because our candidates are standing in the election as being sponsored by our party, the governor’s campaign commitment is exclusively to all APC candidates,” Uzodimma said.

He said the forum would not entertain any arrangement that could “create confusion, divided loyalty or competing interests” within the party.

Uzodimma also said the APC would adopt an integrated, locally responsive campaign structure ahead of the 2027 elections, with all levels of the party’s campaign architecture aligned with Tinubu’s expectations and the party’s strategic objectives.

Nyesom Wike, minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), is leading the rainbow coalition, a cross-party alliance supporting Tinubu’s 2027 re-election bid.

Wike said the coalition is a shift from party politics to a collective political movement focused on advancing the state’s interests.

Politics

INEC clears 18 presidential candidates, running mates for 2027 poll

Published

2 months ago

September 12, 2026

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The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released a list of 18 presidential candidates and their running mates for the January 2027 presidential election.

The final list, titled “Presidential and National Assembly Elections for Jan, 2027 – Presidential Final List of Candidates”, was signed by Rose Oriaran-Anthony, INEC secretary.

The list includes major contenders such as Atiku Abubakar of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Peter Obi of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), and Omoyele Sowore of the African Action Congress (AAC).

Atiku is listed with Rotimi Amaechi as his running mate, while Tinubu is paired with Vice-President Kashim Shettima.

Obi, the NDC presidential candidate, is listed with Rabiu Kwankwaso, former governor of Kano State, as his running mate.

Sowore is paired with Haruna Magashi.

Other presidential candidates on the list are Rufai Omo-Aje of the Action Alliance (AA); Abbas-Bin Aliyu of the Action Democratic Party (ADP); Yusuf Kabiru of the Allied Peoples Party (APP); Seyi Makinde of the Allied Peoples Movement (APM); and Adenuga Sunday of the Boot Party (BP).

Also listed are Adebisi Olusoji of the Democratic Leadership Alliance (DLA); Sunday Okereke of the Labour Party (LP); Ada Okwori of the National Democratic Party (NDP); and Nkem Okereke of the National Rescue Movement (NRM).

Donald Duke is listed as the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), while Adewole Adebayo is the candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

The remaining candidates are Peter Agada of the Young Progressives Party (YPP) and Daniel Nwanyanwu of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP).

The document also contains the ages, gender, and academic qualifications of the presidential and vice-presidential candidates.

The presidential and national assembly elections are scheduled for January 16, 2027, while the governorship and state houses of assembly elections would be held on February 6, 2027.

Politics

‘We’ll take care of you if we win presidency’ — Kwankwaso asks Atiku to step down

Published

2 months ago

September 10, 2026

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The vice-presidential candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has urged former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar to step down from the 2027 presidential race.

Kwankwaso, a former governor of Kano state, spoke at his residence in Abuja during a meeting with members of the Fulani Farmers Association.

According to Thecable, Kwankwaso, who is running mate to Peter Obi, NDC presidential candidate, urged Atiku to reconsider his presidential ambition, citing his age and health.

He added that he and Obi would take care of Atiku if they won the presidency.

“Go to the Wazirin of Adamawa’s house and tell him in Fulani that he needs to focus on his traditional title of Wazirin, given his age and health,” he said in Hausa.

“If Allah grants us success, we will take good care of him, especially since you all come from Adamawa. An apology should be offered to him.”

Abubakar has run for the number one office six times, but has been on the ballot as a presidential candidate on three occasions — 2007, 2019, and 2023.

In April, the former vice-president, who will turn 81 next year, said the 2027 general election would be his last attempt at the presidency.

Atiku was conferred the title of Wazirin Adamawa in June 2017 by Muhammadu Barkindo Aliyu Musdafa, the 12th traditional ruler of the Adamawa emirate, following the death of Muhammad Abba, the previous titleholder.

Atiku had held the title of Turaki of Adamawa since 1982, which was eventually passed to his son, Aliyu.

The Wazirin Adamawa is a high-ranking traditional title in the Adamawa Emirate, with the holder serving as the emir’s prime minister, most senior councillor, kingmaker and close adviser.

In 2025, Adamawa state government issued a directive requiring all kingmakers and traditional council members to be indigenes of the emirates or chiefdoms they represent.

The policy was said to have stripped Atiku of the Wazirin title, as he hails from Jada in the Ganye emirate.