Politics
Ondo guber: ‘I’ve got nothing to fear’ – Aiyedatiwa
The Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, has said that he has nothing to fear with 16 aspirants jostling for the ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in the April 20 governorship primary election.
Aiyedatiwa stated this on Thursday in Abuja after submitting his nomination and expression of interest forms at the party secretariat.
He said his desire to continue as the governor of Ondo State was not just borne out of his ambition alone; it was in response to the demands, callings, yearnings and aspirations of the people of the state.
His words: “We have almost 15 aspirants jostling for this same office and they are eminently qualified. Let me tell you here that we know ourselves; they have been around and we know who they are and what they can do.
“There is nothing to fear; we are all indigenes of Ondo State but the people know what they want. The students, the men, the support groups, and the artisans are calling for me to continue. These are the people who will determine who will be their governor, and I can tell you they have even spoken, by all that they have been saying since this whole process started. So there’s nothing to fear.”
Asked why he decided to contest after serving as the deputy governor before becoming the governor, Aiyedatiwa noted that all power lies with the executive governor of a state.
He added: “In a democracy, the deputy cannot act on his own. As deputy, I was then serving the state through the governor because the deputy has no function of his own unless what is assigned to him by the governor.
“So, in the years of being a deputy governor, I was serving the people through the governor and running with the agenda put in place by the governor, though we were on a joint ticket.
“As acting governor, yes, we follow through, the period was just for 21 days when the governor is on vacation. I want to commend the late governor for all that he did when he was governor of the state. We worked together for the vision he had for the state. I couldn’t do anything differently because it was the same joint ticket.”
Aiyedatiwa stressed that, as governor, in the last three months, he has tremendously brought innovation into governance through the things that he and his team have been doing.
According to him: “In governance, we have seen in the last three years as deputy governor areas of weakness and areas that we can improve upon. These are the areas we are working on so that we can improve on what has been before because I have always been part of the administration in the last three years.
“Part of what we have been able to improve upon is ensuring that no staff of Ondo State is owed their salaries. All their arrears had been cleared immediately when I came into the office.”
By Francesca Hangeior
The special adviser to the president on policy communication, Daniel Bwala, has accused Senator Ali Ndume of planning to defect from the All Progressives Congress (APC) to join the opposition coalition.
Bwala made the allegations amid ongoing political tension between both men.
The accusation comes after Ndume, the longest-serving lawmaker in the National Assembly since 1999, criticised President Bola Tinubu’s emergency declaration in Rivers State. Ndume suggested the president should instead declare a state of emergency on security and the economy.
In a move seen as politically symbolic, Ndume also stated that Tinubu should be concerned if former President Muhammadu Buhari is no longer in support of his administration. His comments came shortly after former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other opposition figures paid a visit to Buhari in Kaduna.
Ndume, however, clarified that he is not opposed to Tinubu personally but is critical of some of his policies. He added that he holds the president in high regard and considers him a mentor.
He alleged that Ndume has a history of disloyalty and had engaged in similar conduct in the past.
“Let me tell you today — and I want everybody to hear this, especially the chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje: Senator Ali Ndume’s spirit and soul are with the coalition; it’s only his body that’s still in the APC. He is already on his way out,” Bwala said.
“He did the same thing during his time with Senator Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, when he felt he wasn’t being supported.
“That’s how he moved to the PDP. But before he made that move, he kept meeting with them. All the while, he was there as a snitch.
“He was giving intelligence and information to the other side. Now, the reason I say the national chairman has to be very careful and observant is because he’s dog-whistling for these people. It would be better to handle it the way El-Rufai did.
“El-Rufai just said, ‘I’m leaving.’ You give more honour and credit to el-Rufai because he didn’t stay behind to be a snitch. He left.
“But this one, he claims loyalty. Yet, from a strategic point of view, he thinks, ‘If I stay and keep shooting from within, people will say, Ah, this one is even a member of the party.”
Meanwhile, key opposition leaders, including Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, and Nasir el-Rufai have intensified efforts to form a coalition to challenge Tinubu in 2027. El-Rufai and some of his allies have already defected from the APC to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in preparation for future political realignments.
Governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are expected to convene in Ibadan, Oyo State, on April 13 and 14, 2025, to deliberate on the party’s future and the possibility of forming a broader opposition alliance ahead of the 2027 general elections.
This meeting comes at a crucial time, as calls grow louder for opposition parties to unite in challenging the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). However, internal divisions and differing agendas among prominent PDP figures have reportedly hindered meaningful progress in coalition talks.
A major item on the agenda will be whether the PDP should pursue strategic partnerships with other opposition parties or focus on repositioning itself as a standalone political force.
Sources within the party indicate that while several governors are in favor of an alliance, internal disagreements have made it difficult to reach a consensus.
Legal issues are also expected to dominate discussions. The governors plan to contest the federal government’s recent imposition of emergency rule in Rivers State, as well as the suspension of Governor Siminalayi Fubara, who is currently serving as the vice chairman of the PDP Governors Forum. These developments have deepened the party’s internal challenges and sparked fresh concerns about federal overreach in state matters.
Another key issue on the table is the unresolved leadership dispute concerning the position of national secretary. With the Supreme Court having recently issued its Certified True Copy (CTC) of the judgment, the governors hope to determine whether Senator Samuel Anyanwu or Sunday Ude-Okoye is the rightful holder of the position.
2027 loading former president Muhammadu Buhari becomes beautiful bride as barely hours after VP, Atiku Abubakar visited ex-president, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Ganduje, on Friday, led members of the party’s National Working Committee on a visit t to Kaduna State.
The visit took place hours after former vice president Atiku Abubakar led the People’s Democratic Party delegation on a courtesy call to the former president.
The delegation included former Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai; former governor of Sokoto, Aminu Tambuwal, former governor of Imo State, Achike Udenwa; former governor of Benue, Gabriel Suswam; former governor of Adamawa, Jibrilla Bindow; former Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami, and former Minister of Communications, Isa Pantami.
Speaking with reporters after the meeting, El-Rufai said the visit to the former president was not political and asked “adversaries” not to lose sleep.
The former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory added that the visit was for “unity and brotherhood”.
The outcome of the APC NWC’s visit remains unknown; there have been speculations of disunity in the party, as some members of its members recently defected to the Social Democratic Party.
Atiku also cleared the air on Friday, saying that the visit was for the Sallah celebration as against speculated coalition talks.
In a post on his official X handle, Atiku wrote, “As the Waziri Adamawa, I was obligated to be in Adamawa during the Sallah celebrations. I held forth for the Lamido Fombina (Adamawa) in some of the activities of the Sallah celebrations. Today, I had the opportunity to pay a post-Sallah visit to His Excellency, Muhammadu Buhari, President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 2015-2023. It was a wonderful time with him. As usual, he cracked me up (to the extent that my ribs were hurting) with his peculiar humour.”
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