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PDP party can’t afford another eight years in opposition, Atiku tells BOT members

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Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on members of the Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be united in working towards the party’s victory in 2023.

Abubakar, who spoke during an interactive session with BoT members to seek their support for his presidential aspiration in Abuja on Tuesday, said anything short of victory would not be good for the party.

He said the 2023 general elections offered the party opportunity to return to the power.

“I am worried and you should be worried too that if we do not win, it means we will be in opposition again for the next eight years.

“By the next eight years, I don’t know how many will be left in politics and it may even ultimately lead to the death of the party because people gravitate, particularly in developing countries, towards governments.

“Ordinary people naturally gravitate towards government. So this is a very, very crucial and historical moment in history, for our survival. I want you to think about it.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s meeting with the Board of Trustees of the @OfficialPDPNig
“We are now at a crucial moment in this country. Many of you here, it is either we retire together or we move on together,” Mr Abubakar said.

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The former vice president said that PDP administration had, from 1999 to 2007, made remarkable achievements that has not been matched by any subsequent administration.

Mr Abubakar said that PDP would score more votes in 2023 if the BoT members worked together.

“Somebody said that we recorded 12 million votes during the last election. Those are not only my votes, those were our votes.

“In achieving or recording those 11 million votes, it was all of us and I believe if we work together again, we can surpass those votes,” he added.

He, however, dismissed insinuations that he was working against the possible zoning of the PDP presidential ticket to the South-east.

“In the party, we invented and formulated this zoning policy simply because we wanted every part of this country to have a sense of belonging and I personally have paid my dues on the issue of zoning.

“Many of you were members of our government when all the PDP governors came in 2003 and said I should run and I said no. We have agreed that power should remain in the South-west, Why should I?

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“Some of those governors that supported me, some of them went to jail, some of them were kicked out of their offices, we made sure that we kept the policy.

Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s meeting with the Board of Trustees of the @OfficialPDPNig
“Therefore, you cannot come and try to imply that the PDP has not been following the zoning policy,” he said.

According to him, 14 of PDP’s 16 years in power were led by southern presidents (Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan).

“So we should not be stampeded by the opposition party. They have a moral obligation which is inescapable.

“Some say the South-east have not been given the chance. When I joined the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) which my friend Bola (Tinubu) set up, he gave me a set of condition for giving me the ticket, one of which was that I should make him the vice president.

“I said no, ‘I’m not going to make you vice president. Instead, I took Senator Ben Obi,” Mr Abubakar said.

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He also recalled that when he got the ticket again in 2019 to run, he took another person from the South-east, Obi (Peter), as running mate.

“ So there is absolutely no reason they should say that there is a deliberate attempts to exclude the South-east in political participation or power sharing.

“So I thought I should disabuse your mind and of course, as an enlightened political class, I don’t think there’s any deliberate policy to exclude anybody in this country,” he said.

On his part, Raymond Dokpesi, who is the Director General of Atiku Abubakar Campaign Council, called on BoT members to disregards all the ethnic and religious sentiments

He said that only the former vice president has what it takes to reposition the country.

“We have seen the list of aspirants that have shown interest across the various parts of the country but there’s none that has his credentials, his experience, his capacity and acceptance internationally and nationally.

The Chairman of the BoT, Walid Jubrin, assured that the BoT would provide a level playing field for all aspirants.

 

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Former deputy governor Agboola Ajayi wins Ondo PDP guber primary

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Agboola Ajayi, a former deputy governor of Ondo, has been declared the winner of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial primary election in the state.

 

Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, the deputy governor of Bayelsa, who chaired the electoral committee that supervised the poll, announced the results on Thursday in Akure, the state capital.

 

Ewhrudjakpo said Ajayi scored 264 votes to defeat other aspirants.

 

“By virtue of the results, Ajayi Alfred Agboola having scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner of this primary and hereby declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the November 2024 election and is hereby returned as the candidate,” he said.

Ajayi was the candidate of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) in the 2020 governorship election and also served as deputy governor of Ondo state from 2017 to 2021.

 

Kolade Akinjo, who came second in the election scored 157 votes while Olusola Ebiseni polled 99 votes to clinch the third position.

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On June 21, 2020, Ajayi, a lawyer and businessman, resigned his membership from the ruling party All Progressives Congress (APC) and joined the PDP.

 

He cited irreconcilable differences between him and his principal, the late Rotimi Akeredolu, the former governor of Ondo.

 

He then joined ZLP after losing the PDP gubernatorial primary to Eyitayo Jegede and became the candidate of the party in 2020.

 

Ajayi had served as a councillor, chairman of Ese-Odo LGA, and house of representatives member before he was nominated by the late Akeredolu as his deputy in 2016.

 

 

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BREAKING: Emeka Ihedioha dumps PDP

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Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, ex-deputy speaker, House of Representatives, CON, has announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party, a party he says he has been associated with since its inception in 1998.

Ihedioha, who ascribed himself as one of the founding members of the PDP, cited the party’s inability to carry out internal reforms and provide credible opposition as the reasons behind his decision.

 

In a statement on Tuesday titled “Resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party,” Ihedioha reflected on his long-standing commitment to the party’s development and transformation.

 

He stated, “Since 1998, I have contributed my quota to the development and transformation of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as one of the founding members. All these years, I have taken pride in the fact that the PDP is a party that will always look inward for internal reforms and provide credible leadership for the people, whether in power or outside power.”

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However, Ihedioha expressed his disappointment with the party’s recent trajectory, which he believes deviates from his personal beliefs.

He said, “Regrettably, in recent times, the party has taken on a path that is at variance with my personal beliefs. Despite my attempt to offer counsel, the party is, sadly, no longer able to carry out internal reforms, enforce its own rules or offer credible opposition to the ruling All Progressives Congress.”

 

Acknowledging the difficulty of his decision, Ihedioha emphasised the necessity of taking this step.

 

“It is in the light of the foregoing, that I am compelled to offer my resignation from the People’s Democratic Party effective immediately. While this decision was difficult to take, I, however, believe that it is the right one,” he stated.

 

Despite his resignation, Ihedioha affirmed his commitment to contributing to the nation’s democratic process and good governance.

 

“Despite this resignation, I will always be available to offer my services towards the deepening of democracy and good governance in Nigeria,” he declared.

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Atiku, Wike attend PDP national caucus meeting

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The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general elections, Mr Atiku Abubakar and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mr Nyesome Wike, on Wednesday attended the PDP’s national caucus meeting in Abuja ahead of the party’s National Executive Committee meeting, scheduled to take place on Thursday.

 

This is the first time that the former Rivers state governor will be attending a meeting of the PDP since after the presidential election last year.

Mr Wike has been at loggerheads with the PDP leadership and did not support the party’s choice of Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate for last year’s election.

 

Apart from his opposition to Mr Atiku’s campaign in the election, the decision of Mr Wike to accept a ministerial role in the cabinet of President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress had worsened the rift between him and key stakeholders in the part.

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This caucus meeting is one of a series of meetings by members of the PD, ahead of the NEC meeting, where critical decisions regarding the leadership of the party and other issues that have threatened the party’s unity will be discussed.

 

Ahead of the caucus meeting, all the governors elected on the platform of the PDP were in a closed-door meeting at the Akwa Ibom governor’s lodge in Abuja.

 

Governor sighted at the meeting include Sheriff Oborevwori (Delta State), Douye Diri (Bayelsa State), Siminalayi Fubara (Rivers State), Bala Muhammed (Bauchi State), Umo Eno (Akwa Ibom State), and Ahmadu Fintiri of Adamawa State among others.

 

The caucus comprises the governors and leaders of the national assembly elected on the platform of the PDP, some members of the Board Of Trustees and some members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC).

 

Also on Wednesday, the embattled National Chairman of the PDP, Senator Iyorcha Ayu, withdrew his appeal, which sought to challenge his removal as the party’s national chairman. His move is also believed to be connected with the party’s upcoming National Executive Meeting.

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Ayu was suspended by the executive committee of the PDP in Igyorov ward in Gboko Local Government Area of Kogi State had in 2023 over alleged anti party activities.

 

They also claimed that Ayu was not paying his membership dues and did not vote in the March 18 governorship and the House of Assembly elections in Benue State.

 

Dissatisfied with the party’s decision, Senator Ayu approached the court to challenge his removal.

 

However, a Federal High Court in June last year affirmed the decision of the party to sack Senator Ayu, a judgement that led to an appeal, which he has now withdrawn.

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