Politics
Rivers PDP elders tackle Ada George over attack on Wike
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The Rivers State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Elders Committee yesterday objected to the attack on the Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, by former Governor Rufus Ada-George.
In a letter of September 13 to President Bola Tinubu, the committee described Ada-George as a “meddlesome interloper” who does not speak for the people of the state.
Signatories to the letter included the Chairman of the Rivers Elders Forum, Chief Ferdinand Alabraba; Chief Emmanuel Anyanwu; former president of the Nigerian Bar Association, Chief O C J Okocha (SAN); Senator George Sekibo, former House of Representatives Deputy Speaker Chibudom Nwuche; Senator Olaka Nwogu, Chief Ken Chikere, Chief Frank Owhor, and Chief Kenneth Kobani.
Others were Ambassador Desmond Akawor, Chief Boma Iyaye Chief Felix Obuah, former Assembly speaker Ikunyi Owaji-Ibani, Prof Henry Ogiri, Chief Emmanuel Deeya, Dr Sampson Parker, Alabo Dakorinama George-Kelly, Chief Marcus Nle-Eji, Isobo Jack, Chief Igo Aguma, Rufus Godwins; Director-General of NOSDRA, Chukwuemeka Woke, and Chief Nyema Weli.
The elders also accused Ada-George of encouraging Governor Siminalayi Fubara to renege on the peace brokered between him and Wike by President Tinubu.
They said the letter written by the elder statesman and his group did not represent the interests of the people.
According to the elders, from all indications, the subject-matter of that open letter is the statement made by Chief Nyesom Wike, immediate past Governor of Rivers State and the current Minister of the FCT, at the recently successfully concluded Rivers PDP State Congress in Port Harcourt.
“The letter also included other matters totally irrelevant to the subject-matter but designed deliberately to attack the person of the Minister.
“Ordinarily, we would have completely ignored the publication for two reasons. First, the letter was written by an amorphous group falsely claiming to be speaking for Rivers people and secondly, the authors are mere meddlesome interlopers in a purely Rivers PDP affair.
“But for the benefit of the reading public, we deem it necessary to correct the various false claims, petty insinuations and outright misrepresentations contained in their letter.
“The Minister, speaking at the Rivers PDP State Congress held in Port Harcourt, informed delegates of attempts by some PDP Governors to interfere with Rivers politics and political crisis and went on to advise such governors to steer clear as anything contrary shall elicit a retaliatory response from him as he would also interfere in the politics of those states.”
Throwing its weight behind Wike, the elders said This metaphorical comment during the Rivers PDP congress did not imply that he would bring in arms and ammunition or bring in petrol to set fire in any state.
They added: “That was the statement made by the Minister and which Chief Rufus Ada George and his group took out of context, mischievously twisted and characterized as “an invocation of violence”.
“This is the latest act of grandstanding by Chief Rufus Ada George and his group pretending to support the Governor of Rivers State, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, while masking their real motive to escalate and prolong the political crisis in Rivers State for their selfish interests.
“We are not surprised at the antics of this same group who, on 26th December 2023, addressed that ill-conceived letter titled: “Peace in Galilee” to the governor of Rivers State, urging him to renege on his commitment to peace as enshrined in the peace plan brokered by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.”
The elders also accused Ada-George and his group of disdain for peace in the state by instituting lawsuits to stall the implementation of the President’s Peace Plan by Fubara.
They said the latest letter sent by the group to President Tinubu to malign Wike had exposed them as the people fuelling and setting “real fire into the crisis in Rivers State.”
The elders called for the interrogation of every member of the group by security agencies for the invocation of violence in Rivers State.
They added: “How else can one characterise such elders who are only out to escalate the crisis in the state even when the governor himself had committed to peace?
“ It is therefore, laughable that they have the impudence to send a letter of appeal to Mr President whose kind and fatherly intervention to resolve the Rivers crisis was rebuffed by them.
“Furthermore, the letter by the Chief Rufus Ada-George group is replete with several false and frivolous narratives, totally irrelevant to the subject-matter, all in an effort to tarnish the political standing and achievements of Chief Nyesom Wike.
“But they failed woefully in that regard and only succeeded in exposing themselves as truly envious of his unassailable political profile which is already in the public domain.”
Hailing Wike, the elders said he left an “indelible legacy of achievements unmatched by any former governor of Rivers State and this was openly attested to at several public fora by no less a personality than a former two-time Governor of Rivers State, His Excellency, Sir (Dr) Peter Odili CON, GSSRS.”
They stressed: “His Excellency, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, recognised Wike’s achievements, appointed him Minister of the FCT and Wike is currently replicating his excellent performance as Governor in the FCT.
“It was therefore, no surprise that Wike, who received the prestigious Presidential Award of Excellence on Infrastructural Delivery as Governor of Rivers State has again been honoured with that award as Minister of the FCT.
“We expected Chief Rufus Ada George and his elders to commend this proud son of Rivers State for that uncommon feat and stop frustrating themselves by writing frivolous letters against him.
The elders said the group, in pursuit of its “clannish agenda and leveraging on the political crisis in Rivers State, have made it its “pre-occupation to write open letters with Chief Nyesom Wike as target.”
They stressed: “These are people who did not supported Tinubu for President and not happy that Wike was invited to serve as Minister in the Tinubu administration and is doing very well.
“It is only fair to remind them that Wike is a visionary leader, highly detribalized, whose principled stance on zoning and power-sharing, not only at the national level but also in Rivers State, puts him way above their divisive ethnic sentiments. Wike handed over a peaceful state to his successor.”
According to them, Wike’s tenure as vovernor was not “only successful in delivering unparalleled dividends of democracy, but also positively changed the dynamics of inter-ethnic relationships through his strategic collaboration with the political leadership of the ethnic groups in the state.”
They added: “Whether Chief Rufus Ada George , Chief E K Clark and their elders like it or not, Wike still maintains a very huge and stable political following in Rivers State.”
The elders said the people have lost faith in Ada-George and his group, after Wike and Fubara failed to attend a reconciliation meeting organised by them.
They urged them to “reflect on that clear failing and play a more constructive role by placing the interest of the State above personal gains.”
They said: “It is now clear beyond doubt that the resentful attitude of the Chief Rufus Ada- George group towards the Tinubu presidency is the same, if not worse, than their attitude towards Wike’s ministerial status.
“They should have examined their conscience to know if they deserved to be heard by Mr President, having rejected his Peace Plan and continued to put fire into the political crisis in the state.”
The elders urged President Tinubu to disregard their letter in its entirety for lacking merit and reason.
They added: “For the Chief Rufus Ada-George group and the likes of Chief E.K Clark, we advise them to assume a more noble role as statesmen as every attempt at witch-hunting Chief Wike will remain a wild goose chase and refrain from further fuelling the crisis in Rivers State so that Governor Fubara, who they refused to support during the elections, can govern in an atmosphere of peace and tranquillity.”
The Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of allegedly removing candidates nominated by the party for the 2027 general elections and replacing them with names it said were unknown to the party.
The party made the allegation in a statement signed by its National Chairman, Sen. Moses Cleopas Zuwoghe, following INEC’s publication of the list of candidates for the State Houses of Assembly elections.
Zuwoghe described the development as a deliberate attempt to undermine the party ahead of the 2027 elections, warning that it could create confusion and dissatisfaction among the party’s supporters.
The NDC chairman particularly cited the Anambra State House of Assembly list, where he alleged that 10 names published by INEC were neither nominated nor authorised by the party.
The affected constituencies listed by the party include Onitsha South 1, Onitsha South 2, Orumba North, Anaocha 1, Idemili North, Njikoka 1, Nnewi South, Nnewi South 2, Ayamelum and Dunukofia.
According to Zuwoghe, the party conducted its primaries and appeal process before producing a final list of candidates endorsed by relevant stakeholders, the party leadership, representatives of its presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and the appeals panel.
He alleged that after the final list was uploaded to the INEC portal using the code provided to the party, nine names were kept in “Pending” status by INEC officials.
Zuwoghe claimed that INEC officials told the party that the names were already in the commission’s system based on information submitted by officials who monitored the NDC primaries.
The chairman said the party subsequently challenged the names and submitted the identities of its actual candidates, but alleged that INEC refused to make the necessary changes.
He further alleged that the electoral commission subsequently collected Form EC-9 directly from the disputed candidates and uploaded the forms without going through the party.
“This not only runs against the grain of the Electoral Act and INEC’s own guidelines, it is simply unacceptable,” Zuwoghe said.
He argued that where there was a discrepancy between the candidates submitted by a political party and information allegedly obtained by INEC’s monitoring teams, the commission should have left the affected positions blank rather than publish candidates the party did not recognise.
The NDC also alleged that similar incidents had occurred in other states, including Benue and Imo, describing the development as part of what it called a broader pattern of opposition parties being prevented from presenting their preferred candidates.
“We, as a party, are also carrying out our own independent investigation, the preliminary findings of which are already pointing to the complicity of INEC officials in foisting names purporting to be our candidates,” the statement said.
The party called on the INEC Chairman to urgently investigate the matter and determine how the disputed names found their way onto the commission’s published list.
Zuwoghe said the NDC would pursue the matter through legal channels, including approaching a court of competent jurisdiction to seek redress and have what it described as its authentic candidates restored.
He urged members of the public and NDC supporters to disregard the disputed names, insisting that they were not candidates nominated by the party.
The NDC chairman vowed that the party would pursue the matter “to the very end” to ensure that the disputed candidates are removed and the alleged irregularity reversed.
Politics
Zamfara 2027 governorship battle: Group salutes PDP candidate for scaling INEC hurdle, pledges mobilisation support
The inclusion and recognition of Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP), for the 2027 Governorship election in Zamfara State, by the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), has been commended by the Zamfara Youths Alliance for Good Governance, (Z-YAGG).
In a statement issued Sunday in Abuja, and jointly signed by Comrade Adamu Mohammed; Mallam Jubril Bello Magaji; Alhaji Garbadeen Sani Gummi – Chairman, Secretary, and Publicity Secretary respectively, the Group declared that, “with INEC’s fulfillment of Section 29(3) of the Electoral Act, 2026, the coast is now clear for the forthcoming General Elections, and particularly Zamfara State Governorship election.”
The Group emphasized that, “it is disheartening and shameful that the good people of Zamfara have been subjected to different stages of underdevelopment, hardship, and economic squalor, continuously since 1999. Somehow, indigenes and residents of the State keep wondering why the suffering despite the huge natural endowments. Moreso, the perpetual insecurity which has crippled agriculture, commerce, trade, and other viable economic activities speaks to the level of governance in Zamfara; both present and past.”
The Z-YAGG reiterates that it is apolitical but argues “we are interested in whatever is good for the people, even as another election circle draws near. For now, having done detailed studies on all the candidates, we are impressed with Rt. Hon. Ibrahim Shehu Gusau, of the PDP. He is better equipped with the right antecedents and pedigree to pilot the affairs of Zamfara. It is on this score that we congratulate him for successfully scaling INEC’s hurdles”
The Group concluded by pledging, “to mobilize, canvass for votes, and support his ambition when the campaign for the Governorship and State Assembly elections starts. With presence in the entire Local Government Areas, we will evolve ingenious campaign templates to market him to every segment and sector of people in Zamfara State.”
Politics
Kwara 2027: Zakari Mohammed, Kale Kawu, Speaker Danladi, Apaokagi Make The List As INEC Displays Names, Details Of Guber Candidates
A total number of 13 political parties have fielded candidates for the 2027 Kwara State governorship election..
Names and details of the candidates of the political parties in question were displayed at the state headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Olorunsogo, Ilorin on Saturday.
The list of candidates and the parties that have had their candidates recognized by the electoral umpire include Action Alliance, APP, ADC, NDC, Accord Party, SDP , ADP, APC , PDP , NNPP, NDP, APGA and APM.
This will definitely allay Kwara State ADC members and supporters’ fears cognizant that supporters of rival political parties had excluded the ADC and its guber candidate from the list they made available on social media earlier in the day.
Dr. Ridwanullah Apaokagi , former rep Zakari Mohammed (ADC Guber candidate), Speaker Salihu Yakubu Danladi, Seko Jubril Gure, Engineer Bolakale Kawu and Professor Abdulmumin Ajia were among the guber candidates that had their names and details displayed by the electoral umpire.
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