The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: PDP

  • PDP accuses Presidency and APC of plot to alter the newly enacted Electoral Act

    PDP accuses Presidency and APC of plot to alter the newly enacted Electoral Act

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, accused the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plot to alter the newly enacted Electoral Act.

    PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said it had uncovered plots by the government to ‘orchestrate’ an amendment to the Electoral Act, so to introduce new clause that would allegedly compromise the 2023 polls.

    The opposition party claimed the ploy is to create an avenue for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to alter the timetable for the 2023 general election. It claimed APC wants the election timetable pushed forward because the ruling party is running behind schedule.

    “The APC, having realised it is running out of time and cannot meet up with the already released electoral timetable now seeks to frustrate and derail the ongoing electoral process.

    “The PDP has it on good authority that the President Muhammadu Buhari presidency has perfected plots to use the APC leadership in the National Assembly to orchestrate an amendment to the Electoral Act to create opening for INEC to alter its already released 2023 election timetable and schedule of activities to accommodate the APC.

    “Our party has information about how the APC has been mounting pressure on INEC to push forward the already scheduled dates for the 2023 general election.

    “The PDP vehemently rejects this plot by the APC which amounts to shifting the goal post in the middle of the game and cautions INEC to resist such heinous design against our democracy.

    “The election timetable has already been released, political parties have commenced processes, Nigerians have since set their minds on the election dates to vote out the APC and there is no going back on that resolve.

    “The PDP, therefore, cautions the Buhari presidency and the APC leadership in the National Assembly to note that any attempt to alter the timetable is an invitation to serious political crisis in the country as Nigerians will firmly resist them.”

    The party called on its members in the National Assembly to be vigilant and firmly resist the alleged plot to alter the Electoral Act. Similarly, it charged all lovers of democracy; the civil society, the media, organised labour and the international community to stand against alleged attempts to derail the democratic process.

    Meanwhile, the PDP has extended deadline for the sale of nomination forms from April 1 to April 8.

    The party, in a statement by Ologunagba, also extended the deadline for the submission, as well rescheduled the date for the screening of aspirants.

    (Sun)

  • FG accuses PDP of plotting another EndSARS protest

    FG accuses PDP of plotting another EndSARS protest

    The Federal Government has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of plotting another round of EndSARS protest and peddling lies about the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed told a press conference in Abuja, yesterday, that though there is nothing wrong in having a viable opposition, the PDP went too far in seeking the country’s destruction through its utterances and actions.

    In its reaction to the weekend national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Abuja, at the weekend, where a new National Working Committee of the party was elected, a day after, the PDP, in a statement by the its spokesman, Debo Ologunagba, the party said it was “appalling to see APC leaders come out one after the other at their national jamboree to spew out lies and false performance claims on the economy, infrastructure and security even in the face of biting economic hardship, high cost of living, excruciating fuel emergency, lingering crisis in the education sector and escalated insecurity that was happening real time and simultaneously when the ridiculous claims of achievements were being made.”

    But, the Federal Government accused the PDP of advocating the destruction of Nigeria by threatening to unleash another round of EndSARS on the country and deliberately misinforming Nigerians on the APC government.

    “…As you know, the folks on the other side have been doing everything in recent times to overheat the polity, distort the achievements of our Administration and spread misinformation. Yes, it is very cold out there for the hungry and desperate opposition, but every indication is that they don’t even want to wait for the 2023 elections before testing their popularity or acceptability at the polls.

    “How else does one explain their court case seeking the declaration of our convention as illegal? How do you explain their threat of another EndSARS that pushed Nigerian to the brink? How do you explain their glaring misinformation regarding the nation’s state of affairs?

    “There is nothing wrong in having a fiery and viable opposition in a democracy. We were there before and we remain the ones to beat in terms of a determined, viable and relentless opposition. But, in our time, not once did we advocate the destruction of Nigeria just because we couldn’t have our way. Not once did we seek to gain power via a desperate court action. If you destroy the country you are seeking to govern, what country will you govern? Must you cut your nose to spite your face?

    “In their most recent act of desperation, they sought to erase seven years of unprecedented achievements by the Buhari Administration. In the most egregious show of shamelessness and a blatant refusal to be remorseful, they even had the audacity to express righteous indignation that the damage they inflicted on the country in their 16 years of misrule has not been totally undone in just seven years. In other words, those who brought the country to its knees are now accusing those working hard to repair things of non-performance. They said they are ready to rescue Nigeria. Pray, where do kidnappers rescue their victims? These same guys who kidnapped the fortunes of their country are suddenly posing as rescuers. Caveat Emptor; buyers beware! Nigerians beware!” government said.

    The minister dismissed the opposition party’s claim that the PDP government handed over $550 billion economy, with single digit inflation and a much reduced debt profile.

    “Ask them what infrastructure did they leave behind? Ask them how many motorable roads did they leave behind? They frittered away our gains from oil sales. How many times, on paper, did they launch the second Niger Bridge? How many times did they launch reconstruction of the Lagos-Ibadan expressway on paper?

    “We are not saying that opposition should not critique. What we are saying is that they should not promote anarchy because we didn’t do that in our time. They wrecked the the economy and we are rebuilding it. They wrecked the country’s infrastructure and we are rebuilding them?…When PDP left, 21 states could not pay the salary of their staff. They should stop re-writing history while we are alive..”

    Asked if he was satisfied that the APC government has ameliorated the sufferings of Nigerians, in light of the present economic situation in the country, Mohammed replied: “I’m very proud of this administration’s efforts to ameliorate the suffering of Nigerians. Before we came, there was nothing like the National Social Investment Programme (NSIP).

    “They gloat that Nigerians are suffering under our watch. But we say that while they laid the ground work for today’s suffering with their mismanagement of national resources at a time of plenty, we have introduced unprecedented measures to alleviate the suffering of Nigerians, especially the very vulnerable. Our NSIP is the biggest of its kind in sub-Saharan Africa. The N-Power benefits one million people; the Government Enterprise and Empowerment Programme (GEEP), has benefitted four million people; the National Home Grown School Feeding Programme (NHGSFP) is providing quality meals daily to 10 million primary school pupils, in addition to empowering over 100,000 cooks and the same number of small holder farmers in the local areas where the schools are located; the Household Uplifting Programme (HUP), which has the Conditional Cash Transfer (CCT) as its flagship intervention, provides N5,000 monthly grants to almost 2 million eligible households across the country, in addition addition to the 1 million Urban Poor who are benefitting from the Conditional Cash Transfers, under the directive of Mr. President to further expand the programme due to the Covid-19 Pandemic.”

    On the double digit inflation raving the economy, the minister noted that, “ inflation is a global issue. On petrol scarcity: if only they did the needful (in overhauling infrastructure), we would have been benefitting from increase in crude oil prices today.”

    (Sun)

  • PDP S’east: Zoning pattern must be strictly observed and adhered to.

    The PDP South-East has directed that the existing zoning patterns in states and constituencies of the zone must be strictly observed and adhered to in every state and constituency of the zone.

    Briefing newsmen after the Zonal Executive Committee, ZEC, meeting of the PDP, held in Enugu, and attended by the leader of the party in the South East and Governor of Enugu State, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, his Abia State counterpart, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu, the National Secretary of the Party, Senator Sam Anyanwu, members of the State and National Assemblies, members of PDP National Executive Committee, NEC, Board of Trustees, BOT members, among others, the National Vice Chairman (South East), Chief Ali Odefa disclosed that it was unanimously agreed that the PDP should zone the Presidency of the Federal Republic of Nigeria to the Southern part of the country ahead of the party’s primaries.

    Odefa added that the PDP South-East stands with the resolution of the Southern Governors’ Forum “that the Office of the Presidency should be zoned to the Southern part of Nigeria”.

    On the issue of zoning at the state and constituency levels in the zone, the PDP National Vice Chairman stated: “We said where there are zoning patterns, they must be strictly observed and adhered to in every state and constituency”.

    Chief Odefa added: “We also went ahead to make interventions for our members who are holding political and elective positions in Anambra State who didn’t defect to other political parties in the time of the election but stood by the party (PDP) in times of bad weather, that they should be given support to return to their various offices”.

    He, therefore, revealed that the zonal leadership of the party will make a presentation to the National Working Committee for assistance in that regard.

    (Vanguard)

  • Encourage the conduct of third-party testing of the INEC technology platform to ascertain its performance – Chidoka to INEC

    Chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chief Osita Chidoka, has called for an integrity test on the technology of the Independent National Electoral Commission for the 2023 general election.

    Chidoka called on INEC partners to encourage the conduct of third-party testing of the electoral umpire’s technology platform to ascertain its robustness, integrity, and performance.

    This was contained in a statement signed by his Special Assistant (Media), Ikechukwu Okafor, that quoted Chidoka who spoke at a conference on US Policy and Nigeria’s 2023 elections held on Friday, March 11, at the Kenney Auditorium at Johns Hopkins School of Advanced International Studies, Washington DC.

    The former Minister of Aviation stressed that INEC’s improvement in the use of technology would be key to the success of the elections, adding that a third party test from consultancy firms would address the issues experienced during the Anambra governorship and the FCT council elections.

    Chidoka also praised INEC’s drive to adopt technology and continuous innovation, describing the slow adoption by political parties as the weak link in the political process.

    “The experiences of failures and downtimes affecting voter accreditation in Anambra and FCT municipal elections makes the testing and certification essential.

    “It is worrisome that a government agency, INEC, is leading technology adoption while the political parties are lagging and making little or no effort to adopt technology in their processes,” Chidoka stated.

    Commenting on the issues concerning the decline in voter turnout since the 2011 election, Chidoka argued that a decrease in voter turnout could be due to several factors.

    According to the former minister, these factors may include the increasing number of voters in the register without a corresponding clean up to reflect death, double registration and other issues that contribute to the growth of the voter register.

    He said, “INEC cannot determine Nigeria’s election voter turnout until the voter register is cleaned up through removal of dead people, de-duplication and clean up of the register started since 2011.”

    The conversations at the conference focused on ways US policy can strengthen democratic institutions in Nigeria and help the country manage its security challenges, and help affirm commitment to civilian electoral rule in Nigeria.

    Speakers at the conference included US academics such as Carl Levan, Peter Lewis, Darren Kew, US Deputy Assistant Secretary Bureau of African Affairs, Michael Gonzales and Brig. Gen Saleh Bala (retd).

    Nigeria Civil Society had Dr Hussaini Abdu, Ayisha Osori, Uge Timipanipre and Cynthia Mbamalu who joined online as panelists at the conference.

    Other panellists included Bishop Mattew Kukah, Oge Onubogu, Kole Shettima and DJ Switch.

    (Punch)

  • 2023 Presidency: PDP will reclaim Nigeria – Tambuwal

    Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has reiterated that the Peoples Democratic Party reclaim Nigeria and Zamfara State in the 2023 general elections.

    Tambuwal stated this on Monday in Gusau, Zamfara State capital, where he had gone to consult the party’s stakeholders on his options to prosecute or drop his ambition to run for the position of President in the country in 2023.

    The Gusau visit is the second leg of Tambuwal’s presidential bid discourse as he visited Jigawa State last Tuesday.

    According to him, the rollback of the fortunes of the PDP in leading Nigeria and Zamfara State will soon be over.

    He observed that the reasons why he left PDP in 2018 are

    still subsisting under the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC) are still subsisting, “therefore, the leadership of the APC in the country must be challenged in order to make things work right.”

    He enumerated the challenges caused by the APC government as insecurity, economic downturns, debilitating healthcare system, and the “collapse of virtually everything”.

    The Governor pledged that “if we succeed in our bid the country will witness a reversal of the current bad fortunes.”

    On the recent moves by the Zamfara state House of Assembly to impeach the Deputy Governor of the state, Barrister Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, Tambuwal said, “The matter is in the court and any law-abiding person must allow the law to take its due course.”

    In his remarks at the occasion, former Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Attahiru Bafarawa, said the purpose of their visit is to present Tambuwal to the state PDP stakeholders for consultation with them on the pursuit of his ambition to run for President next year.

    “He is not a stranger to you. He’s our brother. Sokoto a d Zamfara states are the same entity. He (Tambuwal) sought the same position in 2019. Then seven of us from the North contested and he emerged second.

    “Young and energetic then and now, I believe he still has the capacity to do it very well more than us. He is ready. I have no doubt that he will represent us very well if he gets the chance,” Bafarawa said.

    Receiving Tambuwal’s delegation, the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau expressed appreciation to the team for the visit.

    While enumerating the political credentials of Tambuwal, he pledged to support him in his bid if he so decides. “There’s no turning in our determination to back him all the way,” he assured.

     

    (Punch)

  • NGF to hold a crucial meeting on Wednesday.

    The 36 state governors would meet on Wednesday in Abuja to discuss pressing national concerns.

    The meeting is scheduled for the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at 8pm.

    An invitation to the governors was sent by the Director-General of the NGF, Asishana Okauru, according to a statement issued by Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, head of public affairs of the forum.

    Bello-Barkindo said pressing national issues would be discussed in the meeting and that the governors would also receive briefings from the NGF’s Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) team.

    At the end of the meeting, Chairman of NGF and Governor of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi, is expected to address a press conference on issues discussed.

    Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum would meet in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, today.

    The forum, in a statement by its Director General, CID Maduabum, yesterday, said the meeting to be presided over by its chairman and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal “will review the state of the states, the state of the nation and readiness of the PDP to provide the necessary leadership to rescue and rebuild Nigeria.

    “The PDP governors are working in concert and consultations with other leaders of the party and in particular the Senator Iyorchia Ayu-led National Executive Committee to craft a credible process and programme for Nigeria’s positive rebirth. Ayu has been invited to attend the Port Harcourt meeting to hold consultations with the governors on strategies for executing the Rescue and Rebuild Nigeria project.”

    (Sun)

  • Zoning: 2023 Elections

     

    When the news broke last Monday that APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu disclosed to Nigerians that he had been in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to inform President Muhammadu Buhari of his intention to contest for the nation’s top job next year, my mind was at once settled and in turmoil over the declaration.

     

    Settled because the man we all have come to know as the Jagaban has officially put to rest any doubts about his presidential ambition and confirmed that the activities of various support groups in the past few months were fore-runners of the big word from the big man himself.

     

    I was equally troubled because the announcement threw up the issue of rotation or zoning again.This is because after President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, from the North, it had become the natural expectation that the next presidential candidate of the ruling party from the APC must come from the South, in line with the informal rotation credo of the power elite, irrespective of which faction, in which party, is in power at any time.

    By that, all competent Nigerians from the North, including those from Katsina, Buhari’s home state have been automatically excluded.

     

    Similarly, the main opposition party, the PDP, which practised and religionised zoning in the 16 years it held federal power is currently enmeshed in gritty politicking over which part of the country should get its presidential ticket.

     

    The argument in the PDP is worsened by the political arithmetic being peddled to the effect that in the 16 years of the PDP, the South held presidential power longest — eight years by Obasanjo, three years by late Umaru Yar’Adua, five years by Goodluck Jonathan, as a result of which the presidential ticket should go to the North, amid an uproarious clamour for a Southern president.

     

    I do not expect much from the other political parties, most of which are trading platforms and special purpose vehicles used to reclaim senatorial, house of assembly, and in some past cases, governorship seats.

     

    They will, after wheeling and dealing, announce that they have adopted the candidates of one party or the other.

     

    In September 2021, the governors of our Southern States met in Asaba, and among other things, declared in their communique that the next president of the country should come from the South.

     

    That resolution, along with their position on the issue of VAT generated much applause.

     

    I have never liked rotation, or zoning. My personal view of the idea is that it elevates the politics of exclusion to the high pedestal of political righteousness by justifying exclusion of one part with arguments in support of inclusion of the benefitting zone or region. The polemics change at every election cycle.

     

    The most potent argument against zoning, in my view, is that we stand to lose all the time by it.

     

    If the PDP arithmetic gains traction, it means another president from the North. On the converse, if the clamour for a Southern president succeeds, the best hands that this nation needs at these times may never smell the office. Zoning helped drive us to where we are today.

     

    Recall that in the November 5, 2021 edition of this column, I posited that religion and zoning are red herrings in Nigerian politics. They have, since 1975, been used by militicians (military politicians) to mask incompetence in the management of public affairs and institutionalise graft in governance.

     

    It has also been used to suck politicians of all ethnic groups into the dragnet of corruption in national life. Zoning is actually a creation of the military administration that succeeded General Yakubu Gowon.

     

    The Gowon Administration which preceded the Murtala/Obasanjo regime had as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters — Brigadier Emmanuel Ekpo, and later, Rear-Admiral Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey.

     

    As the names show, General Yakubu Gowon and his two chiefs were Christians, in addition to the Vice-Chairman of the Federal Executive Council, till 1971, being another Christian in the person of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Murtala Muhammed, a Moslem, had Obasanjo, a Christian as deputy.

     

    When Murtala died and Obasanjo succeeded him, he appointed Shehu Musa Yar’Adua as his deputy.

     

    That was the take-off.

     

    Today, zoning has become a mantra that must not just be sung by politicians irrespective of party affiliation, it has assumed the status of an unwritten political grundnorm.

     

    Whether I am right or wrong about zoning will not matter if we continue politicking the way we always do.

     

    As I write this, at least four politicians from the South have indicated interest in the presidency.

     

    They are Asiwaju Tinubu, David Umahi, Orji Uzor Kalu, and Dele Momodu.

     

    The number may increase by the time you are reading this. What I want all of us to take to the bank is that Southern Nigeria will splinter its electoral treasure, while those adept at political manipulation, and who always voted for politicians of their ethnic stock run away with the prize in 2023.

     

    Watch, and may The Almighty preserve us all till then and beyond.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com

  • PDP, APC fight over Plateau State Gov’s plan to spend N18bn on flyovet

     

    THE Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, are at each other’s throats over plans by Governor Simon Lalong to spend N18 billion on British-American flyover. The PDP, which is contending that government should tackle insecurity in the state, alleged that the project was a ploy for siphoning state resources.

     

    State Publicity Secretary of the Party, John Akans, in a statement in Jos titled: “As Lalong spends N18 billion on British-American Flyover: Kidnappers take over Plateau”, accused the governor of inflating the cost of the contract.

     

    Akans said: “The Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is continuously worried with the reckless way and manner Governor Simon Lalong is running affairs of the state. Reliable information is that the governor has earmarked a whooping sum of N18 billion for the recently announced British-American flyover when he is yet to complete other projects on ground.

     

    “It is believed that the governor inflated the cost of the less than half- kilometre bridge to siphon money as he prepares to hand over in the next one year. This is happening amidst the overwhelming and escalating insecurity in the state where people are being killed and kidnapped almost on a daily basis without succour because he has also refused to help the security agencies do their work. The proliferation of criminals in the state which has resulted in rampant killings, kidnappings and ritual activities is wreaking havoc in the state. People are no longer sleeping with their two eyes closed, including our traditional leaders who are the worst victims because of fear of criminals. Why a road construction in Plateau State should cost higher than that of Borno State where Governor Zulum awarded similar construction of such flyover bridge at the cost of N1.6 billion, while Abdulrahman of Kwara also awarded the construction of 34.5km road at the cost 3.7 billion.”

     

    But in a swift reaction, the ruling APC rebuked the PDP for raising such allegations, saying the PDP is “either suffering from crass ignorance or it has totally lost focus of governance process barely seven years after it was sacked by the electorate from governing the state.” Sylvanus Namang, the State APC Publicity Secretary in a reply asked the opposition party to note that “The mega project will cover design, compensation for land and property, geophysical surveys, soil test, load test and the main construction of the interchange (flyover) at the British-America Junction and dualisation from the junction to Lamingo Junction totaling 1.7 kilometres.”

     

    According to him: “Our attention has once again been drawn to a press release by the sleepy PDP in Plateau state. The press statement could have been simply ignored as one of its usual mischief except for the need to put the records straight for the reading public and for posterity. Going through the statement, it could be observed that the party is either suffering from crass ignorance or it has totally lost focus of the governance process barely seven years after it was sacked by the electorate from governing the state.”

     

    “The Honourable Commissioner of Works, Pam Bot-Mang on 18th December, 2021, issued a press release detailing the public on what the whole project entails. For the sleepy PDP’s information, the mega project will cover design, compensation for land and property, geophysical surveys, soil test, load test and the main construction of the interchange (flyover) at the always very busy and congested British America Junction and dualisation from the junction to Lamingo Junction totaling 1.7 kilometers.

     

    “The easy route for the PDP mischief to make its allegation look convincing is the reference to the project being inflated by the governor in order to divert the funds to personal use. This cheap blackmail cannot fly in the face of the Plateau State government’s recent winning of the international prize for transparency in governance in faraway South Korea.”

     

    Namang added, “The party alleged that the insecurity being witnessed in the state is because the state governor has “refused to help the security agencies to do their work.” Nothing can be further from the truth as no governor under the present democratic dispensation has funded and provided the enabling environment to security agencies as governor Lalong.

     

    “Let the point be clearly made, security is everybody’s business and when we ignore this fact, we shall all become victims. The APC government in Plateau State has invested greatly on security with innovation such as the Plateau Peace Building Agency, PPBA which is copied by several states.

     

    “It has consciously mended the broken fences of ethnic rivalries. Why can’t the PDP commend the security agencies when necessary rather than the crocodile tears and orchestrated lamentation by its leaders?”

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguradngr.com

  • PDP will return to power in 2023

    The National Vice Chairman South South of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dan Orbih, has assured the party is poised to return to power come 2023 given the successful completion of it’s national convention last Saturday.

    He spoke on Sunday while congratulating the new members of the National Working Committee (NWC) who emerged on Sunday morning.

    The PDP confirmed the emergence of Dr Iyorchia Ayu and 20 others as new national officers.

    Commending the rancour-free convention, Orbih said that the emergence of the Iyorchia Ayu leadership specifically marked a new dawn in the history of PDP and a rekindled hope in Nigeria.

    Speaking to Journalists at the sideline of the convention, Orbih said: “PDP has today shown, by the quality and outcome of its convention, that it has the capacity to offer Nigerians exceptional leadership in the management of its human and material resources.

    “This convention was not only rancour-free, it provides great insight into the organizational capabilities of the PDP in sharp contrast to what the current administration has bequeathed the country in the last six years.

    “With this great outing, PDP is set to return as the ruling party in 2023.

    “I congratulate all of the new national officers, particularly our representatives from the South-South zone, the National Financial Secretary and National Women’s Leader, whose contributions to the growth of PDP are already well celebrated.”

    Orbih also called on Nigerians to prepare to dump the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023, stating “APC has, in the last six years, inflicted so much insecurity, pain and agony on Nigerians that no wise person would want them returned to power.”

    Source: www.thenationonlineng.net

  • Dele Momodu joins PDP, gives reasons –

    Dele Momodu joins PDP, gives reasons –

    Dele Momodu joins PDP, gives reasons –

    DELE MOMODUDele Momodu

    A former presidential candidate, publisher, and journalist, Dele Momodu, has joined Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party.

    Momodu announced this in a statement on Friday.

    He explained that his decision was to contribute meaningfully to the development of the country.

    The former presidential candidate complained that the achievements recorded under the PDP administration “have been diluted, wasted, or diminished by the present APC government.”

    He said, “I have consulted widely. And it is clear to me that given the dangerous and disastrous drift that our nation has experienced in the past six years, the only party from which amends can be made to rectify our situation is the Peoples Democratic Party.

    “This accords with my vehement opposition to the policies and practices of the All Progressive Congress and its leadership, which has denuded our country of everything we hold dear – national unity, cohesion, security, economic prosperity, educational advancement, social infrastructure, and above all, our cherished moral values.

    “For these reasons, I am happy to declare that I am now a full-fledged participating member of the great and patriotic Peoples Democratic Party.

    “It is deeply saddening and regrettable that some of the biggest and landmark achievements recorded under the PDP administration have been diluted, wasted, or diminished by the present APC government.”

    (punchng.com)

  • PDP won’t zone Presidency to the South in 2023 – Saraki

     

    Former Senate president, Dr. Bukola Saraki, has said despite the fact that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has zoned its national chairmanship to the North Central, it did not prevent any qualified aspirant from any zone from contesting the presidency in 2023.

     

    Speaking on a national television programme monitored in Lagos, yesterday, the former Kwara State governor debunked speculations that the party would zone its presidency to the south since it zoned its national chairmanship to the north.

     

    He said the leadership of the party had at different fora reiterated its commitment to throwing open the contest for the 2023 presidential ticket to all zones as long as it gets the best candidate from the process.

     

    “On the issue of zoning, the party has made it very clear in all our meetings that even though we have zoned the position of party offices, it does not preclude anybody that has any presidential ambition. Most of our leaders have said that, and we have said that at our NEC, and all the possible meetings, that even though we have taken the chairmanship of the party to the North Central, it does not preclude anyone from contesting. What we are looking for is the best candidate that would win the election.”

     

    Saraki said the party was undaunted by the defection of three of its governors (Ebonyi, Zamfara and Cross River), federal and state legislators, saying that such actions were expected. He, however, said the PDP will receive a former governor into its fold this week, and that Nigerians should not be surprise if bigwigs from the All Progressives Congress (APC) defect to the PDP when the 2023 elections draws closer.

     

    “It is not true that we are haemorrhaging members because I had said it a couple of times that there were certain governors that we knew were going to leave. In fact, they had left, but we were just waiting for their final exit, so we were not surprised. We have got some big wigs that will be coming to our party this week, there is a former governor that would join us and you should know that when leaders in the ruling party want to defect, they don’t defect early. I think Nigerians should not be surprised when they begin to see some defections from the ruling party.

    “In 2015, the number of states that APC has now is almost the same as what we had in the PDP, and the concern that people are defecting should not matter. More importantly, the country is in a different place now and Nigerians have seen what the ruling party has to offer. We all have differences in our party and we are resolving because this is the only alternative party for Nigerians that would provide leadership, that is why we in the PDP believe that the interest of Nigerians should supersede our individual interests. We have been able to resolve our differences across the states so that we can convince Nigerians that we are able to take over the leadership of the country,” he said.

     

    When asked if he will contest for the presidency in 2023, he said it was too early for anyone to declare such ambition even as he debunked speculations that if he contested and lost, he would leave the PDP.

     

    “Because some people defected from the PDP to APC does not mean that I would defect. You have to look at my antecedents in 2019 and you will see that the fact that I didn’t win elections didn’t make me defect, so I can’t see why that would come up. Where we are now is not about anyone’s personal ambition, it is about how we can work to make this country better. What is important for us is to build a strong party and that was why I took up the responsibility of leading the reconciliation committee because there was concern that the party was losing a lot of steam. We can’t talk about our ambition without a strong party and in due time I will answer the question of whether I will contest or not.”

     

    On the court case brought against the PDP by its former national chairman, Uche Secondus, he said: “We have a court case involving him because he is still our chairman, but we are looking beyond that and looking at our congress. Do we look like a party that is resolving its issues and trying to move forward to its convention to elect new leaders? Today, we are not meeting to resolve state congresses because we have been able to move forward. We cannot afford to get it wrong in 2023 and PDP is in a better position to give credible leadership.”

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • 2023: Lack of Internal Democracy may cause PDP, APC to implode – Jega

     

    Former chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has alleged that moneybags’ and godfathers have hijacked the dominant political parties in Nigeria and that the lack of internal democracy within the parties may cause them to implode. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) are Nigeria’s dominant parties.

     

    Jega, who spoke on a television programme monitored in Lagos, yesterday, said it was impossible for APC and PDP to change and do the right thing as evident in the disorderly primaries they conducted recently.

     

    He lamented that after 22 years of democracy, Nigeria is yet to rid itself from the overbearing influence of people who see political parties as special purpose vehicles for winning elections for their personal gains. He also said it was not yet time to require political parties to conduct direct primaries.

     

    “People have captured and controlled political parties for self-serving objectives, so no energy is devoted to organising primaries. Governors deploy state resources to control political parties in their states to decide which candidate will emerge. It is all driven by self-serving objectives and it is political rascality.

     

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    “After 22 years of democracy, we have still not freed ourselves from this overbearing control of people who just use parties as special purpose vehicles for winning elections by hook or by crook. That is why many of us are beginning to think that these so called dominant parties are really a huge disappointment, a drag to the democratisation process of our counter, and if we are hoping for change within these political parties, I regret to say it will be very long in coming. This is why many of us are pushing for a new purpose vehicle for democratic elections and to ensure that we move in the right direction.”

     

    Jega said it would be hard work for the new party they are forming to upstage APC and PDP, but that it was not impossible given the commitment of the people involved.

     

    “We have to address the problems that are crippling us. It is impossible for APC and PDP to change and say they want to do the right thing and you can see the evidence in the so called primaries they conducted recently and how disorganised it was. Many of these parties may explode or implode because of some of the crises associated with their primaries. I am sure that many patriotic Nigerians are not happy to see these kinds of perpetual political wrangling take place in political parties and the arena of governance.”

     

    Jega described the conduct of primaries as a purely party affair and noted that INEC’s responsibility was restricted to to that of a monitor. He criticised political parties for not paying attention to their primary objective of moblising citizens on the basis of a clearly defined programme or manifesto and getting people to register as members.

     

    “The parties have been dominated by so called godfathers and moneybags who are not interested in membership because they think that they can use money to field the candidates they want and to get the candidates they want elected. So the issue of having registered members is not their concern, so if they are required. My personal opinion is that it is not yet time to require political parties to conduct direct primaries,” he said.

     

    Commenting on electronic voting, he said though Nigeria was not ready for it, it was however time INEC began looking around for the electronic voting technology adaptable to the country and how to harness it.

     

    “We are not as prepared with electronic voting as we are with electronic transmission of results. For electronic voting, since the prohibition has just been lifted, it is now time for INEC to begin to look around for what electronic voting technology is adaptable to Nigeria and begin to source it and pilot it before beginning to think of how to deploy it. Once we are ready, we may start doing it in phases by starting with large urban centres with higher literacy rates. It is what INEC can begin to look into.”

     

    Commenting on the preparedness of INEC to carry out electronic transmission of results he said: “I believe that it is possible in 2023 for INEC to do what I can call an ‘A grade’ electronic transmission of results. The objective would be to do it 100 percent but if we can get 70 or 80, it is still an ‘A’ and we should be happy with it and keep improving.

     

    Our fear of failure should not prevent us from trying something new that is being done all over the world because of how important it is to the conduct of free and fair election and the elimination of fraud. I am happy with the decision of the National Assembly and the harmonisation committee.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com