Ibe Pascal Arogorn
A spokesman for the People Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan, has assured Nigerians that the opposition party is stable and unwavering, even in the face of recent defections by some of its governors and lawmakers.
While appearing as a guest on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Mr. Ologbondiyan said the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) does not have the experience of the PDP who was in power for about 16 years.
Speaking further about the recent wave of cross-carpeting which is rocking the PDP, Ologbondiyan said “we have all our structures established in the 36 states and the 774 local governments, as well as over 2000 wards that we have in Nigeria, our party is very stable”.
The PDP spokesman argued that while some governors are decamping to the APC, the people who elected them are not making the same move. He stressed that while the governors may have been lost, the people remain firmly behind the opposition party.
PDP leaders storm Senate, protest Onochie’s nomination as INEC Commissioner
The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party besieged the Senate on Wednesday to protest against the nomination of the Special Assistant to the President on Social Media, Lauretta Onochie, for appointment as a National Commissioner of the Independent National Electoral Commission, representing Delta State.
The party leaders also assured the defecting senators from its party that they would be made to lose their seats in the Senate.
The Party seized the opportunity to submit a letter of protest against the nomination of Onochie for the top INEC job.
The letter was addressed to the Chairman, Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Kabiru Gaya.
The letter, titled, “Rejection of the nomination of Lauretta Onochie as INEC Commissioner,” and signed by Senator Umaru Ibrahim Tsauri, the National Secretary of PDP.
Part of the letter read, “The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has learnt of the nomination of Mrs. Lauretta Onochie as a Commissioner in INEC by Mr. President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“The nomination which was read on the floor of the Senate and forwarded to your committee for screening has created a lot of misgivings in the court of public opinion and judgement.
“Our Party considers it as important to bring to the attention of your committee the fact that our duty is to let you know that the National Assembly must endeavour to do things right and in accordance with the dictates of the laws of the country.
“The Nigeria Constitution 1999 as amended clearly prohibits people like Mrs. Onochie, who is very partisan, in fact, a card-carrying member of a political party to be appointed into INEC as an electoral umpire. Section 156(i)(a) and third schedule, Part 1, Item F, Paragraph 14(1) of the Constitution have outrightly disqualified her.
“We are, therefore, writing to ask the Chairman to save the Senate President, the Senate itself and Mr. President from being ridiculed.
“We call on your committee to reject the nomination of Mrs. Onochie because she cannot be neutral or independent as she is factually known to be an unrepentant card-carrying member of the APC with uncountable number of proofs.
“Her confirmation will be a wholesome abuse of democratic tenets and dragging the reputation of the President and the Senate in the political mud.
“Please, don’t make an avoidable legislative and political mistake for the country.
“Kindly, accept the assurances of our highest consideration and esteem regard.”
“We have internal strong democracy, APC reveals reason governors, lawmakers are abandoning PDP
The All Progressives Congress (APC) says its “strong” internal democracy is the reason Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members are cross-carpeting.
The ruling party said it has a track record of implementing projects and programmes that meet the needs of citizens, hence its growing membership.
In a statement on Wednesday, John Akpanudoedehe, national secretary of the caretaker committee of the APC, said his party has no record of rigging elections like the PDP.
“Strong internal democracy, transparency and fairness in the conduct of its affairs, which are demonstrably lacking in the PDP, are additional reasons that make the APC a better option for Nigerians, including serving state governors, national and state assembly members who are abandoning the PDP and joining the APC,” Akpanudoedehe said.
“We want to remind Nigerians that while many APC members were victims of rigging when the PDP was in power, the APC has no record of rigging elections.
“The Muhammadu Buhari-led administration has introduced electoral reforms aimed at ensuring that all loopholes that open the electoral process to possible abuse in future elections are sealed and eliminated.
“With more than 40 million registered members, the APC has a solid foundation to successfully contest and win elections against other parties without tampering with the verdict of the citizens as was the case when PDP misruled the country for 16 years.
“The PDP is doomed to fail in any future elections because it is rudderless, leaderless and devoid of anything coherent and organisational, thus making it moribund, irrelevant and too feeble to be an effective opposition.”
Akpanudoedehe added that Nigerians are aware that the APC is a party of “integrity”.
Defection: Matawalle’s Integrity, Credibility At Stake – Wike
Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike says the credibility and integrity of the Zamfara State governor, Bello Muhammad Matawalle is now at stake following his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
He said the preoccupation of any governor who means well for his State ought to be the delivery of dividends of democracy to the citizenry and not to join the APC that has failed Nigerians.
The governor stated this during the inauguration of reconstructed Rumuigbo, Chief Johnson Amadi, Igbodo, Finima, Rumuopareli, Bauchi, Ohia and Isaac Boro streets in Old Government Residential Area, Port Harcourt on Tuesday night.
“People must have respect for themselves. There are things I cannot do for the sake of my children. In 2019, Matawalle said I will never leave PDP. I will never disappoint PDP. If I disappoint PDP, I will never have peace in my life. Today, what has happened? Is everything politics? It is not true. Everything cannot be politics. Your credibility, your integrity are important in life. I will never betray my people.”
The governor said only spineless governors and politicians will succumb to threats and blackmail of the ruling APC to join the party or risk persecution. According to him, only governors who cannot perform decamp to APC, primarily to seek protection from a party that is allegedly fighting corruption.
“A governor invited Mr. President (Muhammadu Buhari) to flag off a super highway of 260 km, and up till now, Mr. President has not asked the governor about the highway.”
Governor Wike explained his administration has since 2015 made conscientious effort to transform the landscape of Rivers State and restore the Garden City status of Port Harcourt, contrary to misleading lies being peddled by the likes of former Director General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency, NIMASA, Dr Dakuku Peterside.
The governor said Peterside, who was once stripped naked in Rivers State University for cult related activities, and whose company misappropriated funds meant for the shore protection project in Kalaibiama community in Opobo LGA, lacks the moral rectitude to criticise his administration.
He said it rather unfortunate that those who laid the foundation for cultism in Nigerian universities have gradually found their way into the country’s political sphere.
“Who are those who laid the foundation of cultism in Nigeria? It is those who went to University. Dakuku Peterside was a cultist in Rivers state University.
Dakuku Peterside was stripped naked in Rivers State University. I have never been a cultist from University of Port Harcourt to Rivers State University and to Law School. How can a cultist tell me what is good.”
Governor Wike stressed that it was because of the cluelessness and lack of focus of the immediate past administration in the State, in which Peterside served as Commissioner for Works, that projects like Abonnema Ring Round awarded by Governor Peter Odili, Rumuolumeni-Rumuepirikon road, Woji road among others were abandoned. But, he has since completed these projects in the interest of the State.
The governor described the former NIMASA DG as a political neophyte because PDP has won all the elections in his Opobo Local Government Area since 2015.
Governor Wike maintained that curfew imposed in the State in the wake attacks on security formation will only be relaxed when he receives security brief from the State Security Council.
“I will not lift the curfew until the security people tell me it is time to call off the curfew. Only criminals complain against the curfew. I prefer to protect life and property.”
Former governor of Abia State and senator representing Abia Central, Senator Theodore Orji , who performed the inauguration of the eight streets, commended Governor Wike for the infrastructural transformation taking place in Rivers State.
He noted that Rivers people are happy with the achievements of the Wike’s administration because the state remains the only place where projects are being flagged off and inaugurated every day and night.
Senator Orji said it was rather mischievous for Peterside and others to peddle lies about the glaring developmental strides of the Wike’s administration.
Rivers State Commissioner of Works, Elloka Tasie-Amadi said the reconstructed eight streets have a combined length of 4.4km, an average road width of 9m (7m to 10m) and 3.7km of new drains.
“This project to the uninitiated will look merely like an improvement in the character of the road and its design speeds having been reconstructed and expanded, but it goes beyond the road. It not only improves the character of the neighbourhood and by extension our capital, it (the reconstruction) goes further to positively impact on real estate, security and much more, offering all the benefits associated with good road and transportation access.
“Most importantly, these roads have been built to last, freeing up funds for other needs in the future. It is said that it is always cheaper to do it well the first time thereby avoiding costly repairs and repeat works.”
PDP Has Become Weak, And It Is Getting Weaker – Gov Abdullahi Sule
Governor Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State says the reason some governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is that the opposition party has become very weak and the situation is getting worse.
According to Governor Sule, the depleting of PDP by poaching its governors and lawmakers is a part of politicking.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Sule said the APC is in the process of getting stronger.
“We have been a very strong party and we are doing the best we can to continue to be stronger and the only way we can be stronger is to get more and more people and the right people to get are the leaders of the opposition. That’s what we are trying to do and God so kind we are doing that,” the governor stated.
Sule’s comments come on the heels of the latest defection move by Governor Bello Matawalle of Zamfara State, an exercise that Mr. Sule says is a signal suggesting that the opposition leaders are seeing what President Muhammadu Buhari is doing.
