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Former Governor declares interest in PDP national chair position

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Gabriel Suswam, former governor of Benue state, has declared his intention to run for the office of the national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement issued by Bede Bartholomew, media aide to Suswam, the former governor expressed his desire to vie for the position during an expanded caucus meeting of the party, held at his residence in Katsina-Ala, Benue state, over the weekend.

He said Suswam is seeking to complete the tenure of Iyorchia Ayu, the suspended national chairman of the party.

“The meeting which was convened by the Zonal Vice Chairman Hon. Azua Ashongo, had about all stakeholders in attendance including the former governor of Benue State, HE. Sen. Gabriel Suswam, who announced his interest in the position of the national championship which by the law of the party is still domiciled in North Central and Benue in particular,” the statement reads.

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Bartholomew said those who attended the meeting included Titus Uba, Benue PDP governorship candidate in the 2023 election; Margaret Icheen, member of the PDP board of trustees (BoT); and Maurice Tsav, north-central secretary of the party.

Suswam served as a member of the house of representatives from 1999 to 2007.

He was elected governor of Benue in 2007 and reelected in 2011.

In 2019, he was elected to represent the Benue north-east senatorial district in the senate.

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Ayu was elected as the national chairman of the PDP in October 2021 to serve a term of four years.

According to section 47 (1) of the party’s constitution, each elected officer of the party “shall hold office for a term of four years and shall be eligible for reelection for another term and no more”.

Ayu was suspended from office in March 2023, after the executive members of Igyorov ward, Gboko LGA of Benue, passed a vote of no confidence on him over alleged anti-party activities.

The LGA executives claimed that Ayu worked against the success of the PDP in his ward during the 2023 elections.

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They also alleged that he was not paying his membership dues and did not vote in the March 18 governorship and house of assembly elections in the state.

Ayu’s suspension was upheld by the court. He was stopped from parading himself as the party’s national chairman.

The party subsequently named Iliya Damagum as the acting national chairman.

Ayu was suspended after he declined calls by some members of the party to resign, following the presidential primary of the party in 2022.

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Crisis broke out in the main opposition party after Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the party at the time, picked Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate for the 2023 election, overlooking Nyesom Wike who was recommended by a panel comprising national working committee (NWC) members and governors.

Wike polled second to Abubakar in the PDP presidential primary election in May 2022, after the last-minute withdrawal of Aminu Tambuwal, who asked his supporters to back the former vice-president.

A day after the primary election, Ayu openly celebrated Abubakar’s victory, describing Tambuwal as “the hero of the convention”.

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Obi Urges Nigerian Graduates to Seek Opportunities Overseas if Needed, Vows to Fix Nigeria for Their Return

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Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate in Nigeria’s 2023 election, has encouraged Nigerian students to seek better opportunities abroad if local conditions don’t meet their needs.

Obi shared this advice during his visit to Anambra State, where he made donations to Peter University in Achina/Onneh and the College of Nursing Sciences in Adazi-Nnukwu. Addressing nursing students, he reaffirmed his commitment to supporting institutions that nurture skills, professionalism, and character.

Obi advised students that, if career opportunities are limited locally, they should feel free to explore options abroad.

“If things aren’t working here, go where they will work for you,” he said, expressing optimism that, with efforts to improve the country, Nigerians working abroad would eventually return.

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Speaking at Peter University, Obi urged students to dedicate themselves to their studies, highlighting education as a transformative force essential for national development.

Emphasizing that investment in education is an investment in the future, he encouraged them to aim for excellence, assuring that a stronger Nigeria would await them.

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Parliamentary system better option for Nigeria -Aregbesola

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By Gloria Ikibah.
Former governor of Osun State, Rauf Aregbesola, has called  for Nigeria to dump the presidential system of government and return to the parliamentary system.
Aregbesola made this revelation at a National Dialogue on Home-Grown Parliamentary System in Abuja on Monday.
The immediate past Minister of Interior, who said he is opposed to the executive system of government currently practiced in Nigeria, insisted that the arrangement in the parliamentary system is best suited for a country like Nigeria.
“If you go on believing that an individual, no matter how beautiful, no matter how good, could have the capacity to govern 120 million people all alone without checks, we are joking. So, by that consideration alone, I am opposed to executive system of government.
“I believe the collective arrangement which the parliamentary system guarantees is best for a nation like Nigeria if indeed we are committed to advancing the interest of the large population and mass of our people,” Aregbesola said.
In February this year, a group of lawmakers in the House of Representatives brought a bill seeking amendments to the 1999 Constitution to transit from the current presidential system to the parliamentary system of government.
According to the group made up of about 60 lawmakers, the transition has become necessary to reduce the cost of government in the face of dwindling revenue.
Titled, ‘The Bills Proposing Constitutional Alterations For a Transition To Parliamentary System of Government,’ the bill was sponsored by the House Minority Leader, Kingsley Chinda, and 59 others.
The bill was read on the floor of the House during plenary session in Abuja on Wednesday, February 14, 2024.
In a statement, a Spokesman for the Parliamentary Bill Sponsors, Abdussamad Dasuki said, “Today, we stand on the cusp of history, as lawmakers across party affiliations and regional backgrounds come together to present bills proposing Constitutional Alterations that seek a transition to Parliamentary System of Government.
He added that over the years, the imperfections of the Presidential System of Government have become glaring to all, despite several alterations to the constitution to address the shortcomings of a system that has denied the nation the opportunity of attaining its full potentials.
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2027: Kwankwaso’s visit to Otti sparks possible alliance

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Governor Alex Otti of Abia State at the weekend played host to the former presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, at his Nvosi country home in Isiala Ngwa South Local Government Area(LGA).

Speaker of the House of Assembly  Emmanuel Emeruwa, some aides of the governor, and members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement were  present.

Although Kwankwaso said he was in the state to condole with Otti on the passing of Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, the first governor of old Abia State, rumours of a possible political alliance between him and Otti, the only Labour Party(LP) governor in the country, spread.

Onu was buried in Uburu, his hometown in Ohaozara LGA of Ebonyi State on Friday.

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Kwankwaso’s visit coincided with a reception held by the governor for 15 Abia indigenes who recently graduated from the Nigeria Police Academy in Kano.

Shortly after he departed the state, political analysts said they were sure that the visit was partly informed by efforts of the Peter Obi-led LP faction to align with other opposition parties ahead of 2027.

‘’Don’t forget that  2027 is near. Do you think the two men would meet like they did now with talking about the next presidential election? That is impossible,’’ one of them told  The Nation.

Another said Kwankwaso and Otti were  ‘’very much aware that the only way to oust   President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the All Progress Congress (APC)  from  the centre is   a formidable alliance.

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‘’They know that now is the best time to start talking about how to defeat those in Aso Rock. And that, I believe is the core reason for the visit.”

Last month’s  local government poll in the state produced a stunning result with candidates loyal to Otti winning  nearly  all the chairmanship positions on the platform of the Zenith Labour Party(ZLP)

The governor backed the winners because of court cases on the authentic leadership of the leadership of the LP.

One faction of the party is led by Julius Abure while the other supported by Obi and Otti is headed by  Nenadi Usman, a former Finance minister.

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Political analysts argued that if Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Obi, and Kwankwaso fail to put their political differences behind and field an acceptable presidential candidate in 2027, they might end up not making a significant impact.

Otti had while welcoming Kwankwaso recalled how he offered him a  ‘’platform in May 2022  to run ’’ as a governorship candidate.

He thanked  Kwankwaso for his guidance and patriotism.

His words: “Thank you for your guidance, for your patriotism, for everything that you have done for this country.

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“I want to thank you for encouraging me in 2022  not to lose faith,  though we were in different parties, and it appeared as if everything was going to be lost.

“That call that you made about the 20th of May 2022,  for also making your platform available for me to run if I had wanted to use the platform, the rest is now history.”

Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, congratulated Otti on his emergence as governor. He also    lauded his achievements in the state

“For the little time I have been here, I have had the opportunity of talking to a few people who confirmed to me that you are doing very well. We have seen your project everywhere” he said.

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The governor and his visitor urged the new Police officers to work hard,  contribute to the security of the country, and be good ambassadors of the state.

“The challenge is for you to now work very hard, knowing fully well that in this society, the son of a nobody can be the father of somebody,” said Otti.

“If people like us who grew up here without any hope at that time can be here, there is no reason why you can’t get here. But I am challenging you to be the best you can be.

“Always do things right and do the right things. You can always get to where you are headed. Cutting corners does not take you too far, “ the governor added.

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Kwankwaso charged the new police officers to be professional in the discharge of their duties.

“Let me take this opportunity, based on my experience, to advise you to first and foremost fear God.

“Two, you need to be professionals. Now you are fresh, just coming out of the prestigious institute.stay there as professionals,” he said.

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