News
Atiku Abubakar Speaks On 2023 Presidency
Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, has urged members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to concentrate on strengthening the main opposition platform before the 2023 election cycle.
“Our preoccupation at this point in the @OfficialPDPNig should not focus on elections, but on rebuilding and strengthening our party for the challenges ahead of us,” Atiku Abubakar, who was the party’s Presidential candidate in 2019, said in a tweet Saturday morning.
Read Also: 2023 Election: Atiku Threatens Me For Not Endorsing Him- Walid
Atiku said rather than playing politics when campaign season is still at least 30 months away, resources should be channelled towards bolstering the PDP structure, which has weakened consistently since it lost the centre after 16 years in 2015.
Atiku has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari at the February General Election, but lost by a few million votes.
Buhari’s victory was confirmed by the Supreme Court after a lengthy litigation.
Over the past few days, he has faced rumours of taking desperate measures to get the PDP’s Presidential ticket again in 2023, when Buhari would step down after the two terms permitted by the Constitution.
On Friday, media reports quoted Walid Jibrin, Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, an advisory body of party elders, as alleging threats to his life because he declined to support an automatic ticket for Atiku Abubakar in 2023.
“They said I should say Atiku is the man that I want because I am a Leader,” Jibrin said of some unnamed men who allegedly visited him to threaten him on backing Atiku Abubakar.
“They should not also forget that the party has a constitution and guidelines which say there must be primary for whoever wants to contest”.
Jibrin was amongst the earliest backers of Atiku for the party’s Presidential ticket in 2019. Given his role as a Party Leader who should be impartial in controversial matters like candidate nominations, Jibrin’s overt support for Atiku pitted him against other members of the party ahead of its primaries in Port Harcourt last October.
However, as focus rapidly shifts to 2023 following Supreme Court’s verdict in November on the 2019 elections, the major political parties are becoming increasingly drawn into arguments about who would emerge their respective Presidential candidates in three years’ time.
Although Atiku 73, has not expressed interest in running for office again in 2023, he has not dismissed the possibility or disown those drumming support for him. Perhaps more than anyone else in the main opposition party, he is widely seen as holding sufficient political and financial resources to contest.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, BoT, is currently holding an emergency meeting.
The meeting was called to find lasting solutions to the current leadership crisis bedeviling the party.
Those who have arrived include the BoT Chairman, Senator Adolphus Wabara; Secretary of the BoT, Senator Ahmed Makarfi; and former Governors Achike Udenwa, Sam Egwu, Babangida Aliyu, Senator Ben Obi, and Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola, among others.
The meeting is holding amid the crisis surrounding the struggle for who occupies the position of the PDP National Secretary.
Last week, at the PDP national secretariat, a fight broke out between Samuel Anyanwu and Sunday Ude-Okoye during its BoT meeting.
The crisis between the duo started when Anyanwu left to contest for Imo State governorship election and Ude-Okoye was was selected by the Southeast arm of the party to replace him.
This led to a lawsuit, after which the Court of Appeal sitting in Enugu declared Ude-Okoye as the substantive National Secretary.
But Anyanwu said Ude-Okoye has no authority to assume the position, despite the ruling.
Anyanwu cited his appeal of the ruling at the Supreme Court as grounds for maintaining the status quo
The Nigerian Senate has approved the termination of three Resident Electoral Commissioners who have been suspended since 2023 for flouting the provisions of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Act
The approval followed the request from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, urging the Senate to terminate the appointments of the embattled State Resident Electoral Commissioner for Adamawa, Sokoto and Abia.
Sponsor of the motion and Leader of the Senate, Michael Bamidele Opeyemi sought the invocation of Section 157 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, saying that the law empowers the Chamber to approve the request.
Those whose appointments will be terminated include, Dr Nura Ali, Sokoto State Resident Electoral Commissioner, Barr. Hudu Yunusa Ari, Adamawa State Resident Electoral Commissioner and Professor Ikemefuna Chijioke Uzochukwu, Abia State Resident Electoral Commissioner respectively.
He said, “Aware that the aforementioned Resident Commissioners were earlier suspended in 2023, bordering on allegations of infractions of the Electoral Act; compromise of elections and abandonment of duty without cogent reasons.”
A copy of the motion sighted by Newsmen on Wednesday revealed that the Office of the National Security Adviser, NSA, and the Department of State Services, DSS, indicted Dr. Nura Ali in their reports, having confessed to corruption, incompetence and receiving bribe to the tune of $150,000 from politicians.
According, the plenary which was presided by the Senate President, Godswill Obot Akpabio activated the relevant provisions of the Constitution and approve the termination of appointment of the affected Commissioners.
President Bola Tinubu will depart Abuja on Wednesday for a private visit to Paris, France, before proceeding to Addis Ababa for the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU Heads of State.
“The president will arrive in Addis Ababa early next week for the AU summit,” Mr Bayo Onanuga, presidential spokesman, said in a statement.
The AU Summit is scheduled to hold from Feb. 12th to 16th.
“In Addis Ababa, President Tinubu will join African leaders at the 46th Ordinary Session of the Executive Council and the 38th Ordinary Session of the Assembly of the AU Heads of State, scheduled for Feb. 12th to 16th.
Hea said while in France, President Tinubu would meet with his French counterpart, President Emmanuel Macron.
BREAKING: PDP BoT holds emergency meeting amid Anyanwu, Ude-Okoye crisis
BREAKING: Senate approves termination of appointment of 3 Resident Electoral Commissioners
Tinubu Departs for France Ahead of AU Summit
Know The Airlines, Departure And Arrival Terminals In Lagos Airports By Ayodeji Awokunmi
Know the Airlines, departure, and arrival terminals in Lagos Domestic Airports
Dissecting Caritas CEO’S ‘Public Relations Thoughts And Deeds’ By Stanley Olisa
-
News1 week agoFour arrested in Anambra for burning 74-yr-old woman to death
-
News1 week ago2027: I’m not against coalition – Peter Obi
-
News1 week agoRemedy Yange, EFCC Operative, Dies Suddenly on Lagos Street
-
News6 days agoLAGOS BEGINS 3-DAY FREE HIV TESTING AND COUNSELLING SERVICES IN 19 RIVERINE COMMUNITIES
-
Politics1 week agoOsun 2026: Aregbesola, political family dump APC
-
News1 week agoAfe Babalola withdraws suits against Farotimi
-
News1 week agoNAFDAC confiscates fake products worth over ₦5 bn, seals market in Aba
-
News1 week agoYou’re bloodthirsty tyrant – Reno Omokri links El-Rufai to killings in Kaduna