Politics
Wike excited as Orbih is re-elected PDP S/South Chairman
The re-elected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) South-South Zonal Vice Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, has described the ongoing crisis within the party as self-inflicted.
He noted that the party’s constitution had been disregarded in favour of personal interests by a few members.
Speaking at the South-South Zonal Congress of the PDP in Calabar on Saturday, Orbih urged party faithful to make the necessary sacrifices to revive and strengthen the party.
He called for the election of officers who would uphold the party’s constitution in the zone, emphasising that such individuals must also have the fear of God.
Orbih said: “We must follow the party’s guidelines if we are to revive it. These guidelines are subject to the constitution.
“The power to elect new officers of the party is not subject to anything but the constitution.
“We must start rebuilding the party from here. The party cannot dictate who an individual should associate with, nor determine their friends or enemies.”
Similarly, Minister of the FCT, Mr Nyesom Wike, noted that, by all indications, the party remained strong in the zone.
He commended Orbih and his re-elected executive members for maintaining the party’s stability in spite of its challenges.
He, however, urged the party’s leadership to speak truth to power if it truly sought to regain its lost glory.
Wike added that the zonal congress held in Calabar would be the last to elect the Zonal Working Committee.
“Presently, we have leaders who can’t speak the truth and are full of betrayal.
“No part of the constitution says that congress should not be held when some persons are indisposed. No any other congress will hold after this.
“This is our job. This is our terrain. We are not new to this. The constitution didn’t say national working commitee shall conduct the zonal congress.
“This is the final congress in the South South. We don’t need quantity but quality,” he said.
In his address, former Governor of Cross River, Mr Donald Duke, urged PDP members in the zone to remain focused and fully committed to the party.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Orbih and all the immediate past zonal officers, who were elected four years ago in Port Harcourt, were re-elected during the congress in Calabar.
They were all returned unopposed, but an election was conducted to reaffirm their positions.
The zonal executive consists of 10 members, in addition to six ex-officio members.
The congress was attended by former governors, former and serving members of the National Assembly, among others.
GWG.ng however, reports that the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, in a statement on Saturday in Abuja, said the outcome of the Calabar purported congress was null and void.
Ologunagba said that the party NWC’s attention was drawn to a reported social gathering in Calabar, Cross River where the organisers falsely claimed same to be the PDP South South zonal congress .
He recalled that the NWC at its meeting on Thursday, in exercise of its powers under Section 29 (2)(b), pursuant to Section 31 (2) (c) and (j) of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017) postponed the conduct of the South South zonal congress from the earlier scheduled date of Feb. 22.
Ologunagba said that the postponement was to allow for further consultation on critical issues relating to the smooth conduct of the congress in the Zone.
He had earlier been tackled by Orbih who claimed that the NWC of which he is a member never met to give directives on the zonal congress.
The All Progressives Congress is poised to wrest control of all six Federal Capital Territory (FCT) area councils from the opposition, the party’s National Chairman, Prof. Nentawe Goshwe Yilwatda, has declared.
Yilwatda made the announcement on Friday during the inauguration of a 138-member National Campaign Council for the FCT Area Council elections at the APC National Secretariat in Abuja.
He instructed the committee, led by Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, to mobilise support and deploy strategies aimed at securing all six chairmanship positions and 62 councillors seats in the polls scheduled for Saturday, February 21, 2026.
The chairman further urged the campaign team to capitalise on the growing influx of prominent political figures joining the party daily, emphasising that their involvement would strengthen the APC’s chances of victory across the FCT.
“With the calibre of people coming into the party on a daily basis, I will advise the committee to mobilize and put in place a strategy to claim the FCT. Those who worked against the party are now with us, and we should be able to leverage that to win the next Saturday election in the FCT.
“We must ensure we win the 6 Area councils and 62 councillorship seats,” the Chairman directed the committee.
The chairman added that the campaign council will focus on two major objectives — aggressive mobilisation of voters and deployment of well-articulated strategies to secure victory on Election Day.
He explained that the composition of the campaign council reflects Nigeria’s geopolitical diversity, noting that Abuja is home to residents from all parts of the country.
He stated that leaders from the South-South, South-East, North-Central, North-East, and North-West have been strategically assigned to mobilise residents from their respective regions who reside in the FCT.
“The FCT belongs to all Nigerians. If we execute our strategies effectively and work as one united party, victory is assured,” he said.
Addressing newsmen after the inauguration, the National Chairman dispelled the claim that only opposition parties are on the campaign trail, with major opposition leaders leading.
Responding to the allegation, Yilwatda said, “Who told you they were not campaigning? The campaign is done at the grassroots, among our people, across all tribes of Nigeria. It’s not selective. We have our governors who have been coming to town.
“They are from the South-South, South-East, North-Central, and North-West, representing all regions of the country. We have governors from all these regions, and all of them have been reaching out to the people in their own way, going to the communities, and they have dispatched leadership within those groups and tribes.
“So, we are mobilizing more than any other political party in Nigeria. We are confident we will win the election,” Yilwatda boasted.
Assuring the party of delivery, the campaign committee Chairman and Governor of Kwara State, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq, said his council would not disappoint the party leadership for the trust and confidence reposted on the committee.
AbdulRazaq then called on party members in the FCT to team up together for the victory of the party.
In his remarks, the Secretary of the Council and Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Benjamin Kalu said the committee “will bring the energy of the young minds, the innovative mindedness of the young people to push the agenda to the grassroots.
“We will be on the streets. We will be in every household. We will go door to door, business to business, to sell the message of APC.
“It will no longer be mentioned that APC lost the election in Abuja. That was in the past. We are about to rewrite history. My people that I love so much, the people, my Igbo people that I love and who loves me will not allow me to be ashamed knowing fully well that I’m at the helm of affairs to make sure that the bulk vote of the Igbo communities in Abuja that we harvest them for the greatest party within the black race that is called the APC.”
Earlier, the Deputy National Organizing Secretary, Nze Chidi Duru, said the campaign council was enlarged from 137 to 138 to accommodate the former Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
A former National Women Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Hajiya Maria Waziri, has left the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kebbi State.
Waziri made her decision public on Monday at the Government House in Birnin Kebbi, where she arrived with a group of her supporters to formally register with the APC.
She was received by the state governor, Nasir Idris, who praised her move and described it as coming at the right time for the party and the state.
The governor assured Waziri and those who came with her that they would be fully accepted into the APC without discrimination.
Idris said the ruling party remained open to all politicians who were ready to contribute to the development of Kebbi State.
He added that his administration would continue to focus on projects and policies that improve the lives of residents, regardless of their political background.
The governor also spoke about his personal relationship with Waziri, noting that he was familiar with her experience and political strength and believed she would add value to the party and the state.
The APC chairman in Kebbi State, Abubakar Kana-Zuru, also welcomed the former PDP leader and her supporters.
He assured them that they would enjoy equal rights and opportunities within the party, just like other members.
Kana-Zuru pointed to the achievements of the current administration in the state and said Waziri’s decision to join the APC showed confidence in the direction of the government.
Speaking on her decision, Waziri explained that her move was influenced by the performance of the APC-led government in Kebbi State and at the national level. She noted that this was her first time changing political parties in about 20 years.
She said she had spent most of her political life in opposition and chose to remain there until now, but recent developments in governance convinced her to take a new path.
Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have said the candidacy of former Lagos State Governor, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, in the 2027 governorship election will make the party’s electoral victory seamless in the state.
The party members made this declaration during the South-South APC Lagos State Women Forum PVC Sensitisation Exercise and APC e-Registration Mobilisation held in Ikorodu area of the state that was propelled by the Tinubu – Ambode Support Group.
The party faithful, women leaders, and grassroots mobilizers had gathered at the event to strengthen the party’s base and encourage wider political participation.
In her address at the event, group women leader, Mrs. Justina Osara, emphasized that President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former Governor Ambode remained symbols of purposeful leadership, visionary governance, and people-oriented administration.
Osara noted that Ambode’s track record in office speaks volumes, particularly in the areas of infrastructure development, public service reforms, and inclusive governance.
According to her, Ambode’s re-emergence on the political stage would bring renewed confidence, unity, and strategic direction to APC, especially at the grassroots level where his policies and projects positively impacted ordinary citizens.
She commended women leaders from the South-South community for their commitment to democratic participation through PVC sensitisation and active involvement in the APC e-registration process, describing them as the backbone of grassroots mobilisation and a critical force in shaping electoral success.
Speakers at the event described former Governor Ambode as a leader who listens, delivers, and prioritizes the welfare of the people, and further described him as a bridge-builder, a technocrat with a human face, and a dependable political asset whose leadership style aligns with the aspirations of party members and the general populace.
They concluded by assuring APC members that with renewed mobilisation, unity, and the strategic inclusion of experienced leaders like Ambode, the party stands on a stronger footing to achieve greater electoral victories and deliver more dividends of democracy to the people of Lagos State and beyond.
They urged all members, especially women and youth, to continue participating actively in PVC registration, party e-registration, and grassroots mobilisation, stressing that collective effort was key to securing a more prosperous future for the APC.
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