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Defectors To APC Chairman: Oshiomhole Will Eat His Words In 2019

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As a sequel to the outburst of the chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, in which he carpeted the defectors from the ruling party, saying they have no electoral value, some of the affected politicians yesterday hit back at the former governor of Edo State, vowing to prove their worth at the next general elections in 2019.

Most of the defectors, who now belong to the main opposition group, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), were of the view that Oshiomhole would know their electoral values in 2019.

Ibrahim: Talk is cheap

First to fire the salvo was the Chairman, Senate Committee on Banking and Financial Institutions, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim (Kwara South). While blasting Oshiomole for dancing back and forth, the senator asked the APC chairman to stop being hypocritical.

“Talk is cheap, February 2019 is around the corner. The chairman has been talking from two sides of his mouth lately. We are in another party now, they should leave us alone and concentrate on the crisis in their party”, he said.

Kwankwaso: Wait till the chips are down

On his part, a former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, who spoke through one of his aides, Binta Sipikin, said the APC chairman should not be in a hurry to test their political weight but should wait till 2019 to see what they could prove.

Sipikin, who said her boss’ electoral values would speak out in 2019, said: “Let me remind him on how Kwankwaso nearly emerged the APC presidential flagbearer in 2015, which clearly shows how popular Kwankwaso is. “It is not a fiction that Kwankwaso in 2015 APC primaries in Lagos came second to Buhari which shows clearly in Nigerian politics he is a force to be reckoned with”.

She promised that Kwankwaso and his followers would surely show a political difference under the PDP, which he helped formed. “Let me said clearly that by 2019, we will show to the whole world that Kwankwaso is truly a force to reckon with when it comes to Nigerian poli-tics”.

2019 will decide, says Reps Atunwa Chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Justice, Hon. Razak Olatunde Atunwa, who coordinated the defection of members in the lower chamber, has said he will not join words with Oshiomhole.

Atunwa, who described Oshiomhole as a factional chairman of the APC said: “I won’t join words with Adams Oshiomhole. But I am sure you know and the whole world knows the value of the caliber and quality of leaders and politicians that have exited the APC”.

Continuing, Atunwa, who represents Ilorin West/Asa Federal Constituency of Kwara State, said Oshiomhole couldn’t say that of their leaders, who any politician could ignore at his own peril. “In Kwara State, you can check whether the Senate President, Bukola Saraki, is a politician that would lose an election.

Has he ever lost an election? You should also check in Sokoto if Governor Tambuwal is a pushover; you can also go to Kano and check if Senator Kwankwaso, a two-time governor, a former minister and a serving senator does not have electoral value. “So, for anyone to be saying that we are of no electoral value, I will ask them to wait until 2019 and see who has no electoral value.

It is not about shouting on the pages of newspaper” The former commissioner and one-time speaker of the Kwara State House of Assembly noted that; “As I said before, our defection is not about individual interests but it is about the people; it is about democracy and it is about good governance.

“If you had listened to Buba Galadima, he said Nigeria is sliding into anarchy. There is impunity and lack of respect for rule of law. We are not in a popularity contest but when the time comes, we will all know who has no electoral value”, he concluded.

Defection has jolted APC –Rep Ossai

Also reacting to Oshiomhole’s declaration, chairman of the House Committee on Ethics and Privileges, Hon. Ossai Nicholas Ossai, said it was laughable that the party chairman suddenly discovered that the defecting lawmakers were of no electoral value.

“It is laughable that Oshiomhole is now saying our colleagues who defected have no electoral value. Is it now that he discovered this? When he was going about begging them and visiting their houses, they were of electoral value?

“The fact of the matter is that the defection has jolted the APC and the chairman has seen defeat starring him in the face so he can afford to describe our members who strayed to the APC but have now come back home. PDP is a party of peace, a party of honour and a party that respects human life and dignity”.

Ossai who represents Ndokwa East/Okwuani Federal Constituency of Delta State said: “I have just been honoured by the people of Benue State with an award. I can tell you that the people are angry with the APC, nobody there will vote for APC.

So, is Oshiomhole saying Governor Ortom is of no electoral value? Why were they begging him not to dump the APC? “I think his outburst is a cry of impending defeat. The APC is disorganised and of course, more defections are expected in the days ahead. But the simple point is change has collapsed”, he stated.

Oshiomhole ignorant, combative labour style, disservice to the APC –Rep GBillah

Also responding to Oshiomhole’s position, chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Petroleum Resources (up stream), Hon. Mark Terseer Gbillah, said “it is unfortunate that Oshiomhole has come with his combative labour union style into the chairmanship of the APC and is going to be the greatest disservice to the APC”.

Gbillah who represents Gwer West / Gwer East Federal Constituency of Benue State opined that Oshiomhole’s “unguarded comments are only confirming to some of us that there is no democracy in that party.

“When he talks about no electoral value, does he realise that the President did not come to my constituency to campaign? The President came to my state but stopped at the state capital and he forgets that I carried out the campaign for him? When he talks about going back to where we belong, he forgets that some of us have never been members of the PDP.

“I have never been in politics before 2014, but I saw the APC as a decent platform where I could realise my dream of serving my people diligently; but I found out that is not the case.

“What is the APC saying about the imposition that is going on under Oshiomhole as chairman in Bauchi, where the governor has singlehandedly picked somebody to run for the Senate as replacement for the late Senator Wakil? “But all I can say is that when 2019 comes, we shall know who actually have electoral value because it was the president that rode on our backs to win elections in 2015.

“So, for Oshiomhole to think that people who won elections to come here (National Assembly) have no electoral value is very unfortunate and it shows the ignorance of the chairman of the party himself.

“He said he was not losing sleep over our defection yet, he is not sleeping till 2am holding nocturnal meetings. So, he is talking from both sides of the mouth and eroding the credibility that he had in him

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Edo PDP opposes suspension of LG bosses by state assembly, says ‘It’s unconstitutional’

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo says the suspension of all the chairpersons and their deputies in the 18 LGAs of the state is “unconstitutional”.

The chairpersons and their deputies were suspended on Tuesday by the Edo state house of assembly for two months over alleged misappropriation of funds.

Blessing Agbebaku, the speaker of the house, said Monday Okpebholo, governor of Edo, had written a petition to the assembly regarding the chairpersons’ refusal to submit the financial records of their LGs to the state government.

In a statement, Anthony Aziegbemi, chair of the PDP in Edo, said the “illegal” suspension is a disregard to a supreme court decision that affirms the autonomy and independence of local governments.

“How can the governor direct the State Assembly to suspend democratically elected chairmen of the 18 local councils for insubordination when these elected officials enjoy autonomy and independence as enshrined in the constitution and are not subordinates of the governor, the state assembly, or any other arm of government?,” he said.

“We are also aware that the chairmen and their vices were not even given the opportunity to be heard in their detence and were suspended unheard on watery trumped up charges, in total disregard to the constitution.

“We want to restate that the constitution remains supreme, and any attempt to undermine its provisions or disregard the judiciary and its rulings is not only illegal but also a direct attack on democracy and the rule of law.

“The speaker of the Edo state house of assembly and the entire assembly have clearly overstepped their constitutional mandates with this illegal action and we urge them to immediately reverse its decision, in respect to the rule of law and democratic governance.”

Aziegbemi said the suspended officials should report to their councils on Wednesday and carry on with their normal duties.

Also speaking on the issue, Anthony Ehilebo, a PDP chieftain, said Okpebholo has no legal backing to request the financial records of the LGAs.

“In fact, the governor and the assembly members are in contempt of the supreme court,” Ehilebo said when he appeared on Politics Today, a Channels Television programme.

“The purported suspension of the local government chairmen by the state assembly is as absurd as the president asking the national assembly to suspend state governors because they refused to submit statements of accounts to him.

“This is a witch hunt. The LGA chairmen are all PDP members.”

The lawyer said the suspension “is unknown to law and will be ignored”.

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Ex-sports minister Bolaji Abdullahi resigns from PDP

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Bolaji Abdullahi, a former minister of sports and youth development, has resigned from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He disclosed his intention to resign in a letter dated December 16 and addressed to the PDP ward chairman in Ubadawaki, Kwara state.

Abdullahi confirmed the development to TheCable on Monday.

The ex-minister also said he is yet to decide which political platform to pitch tent with.

“The decision of what to do and where to go will be taken in the future that’s left to God,” he said.

In the resignation letter, Abdullahi said he reached the “difficult” decision after days of reflection and introspection.

“I write to formally resign my membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),” the letter reads.

“I have had ample time to reflect, and I have come to the difficult conclusion that this is the only tenable option for me at this time.

“Mr. Chairman, please permit me to express, through you, my gratitude to the leadership of the party for the opportunities that I have had to serve the state and the country on its platform, and for the great moments we have shared.”

Abdullahi was the PDP candidate for the Kwara central senatorial district election in 2023. He lost the race to Salihu Mustapha of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

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PDP debunks inviting Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency

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The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it has not extended an invitation to former President Goodluck Jonathan to contest the presidency on its platform in the 2027 election.

Speaking with BBC Hausa, Ibrahim Abdullahi, deputy spokesperson of the country’s main opposition party, said no ticket has been issued to the former president.

Abdullahi said the party has many eligible people who can contest for the presidency on its platform, adding that a recent interview he granted was interpreted to mean that Jonathan he asked to run on the PDP platform.

“The report that PDP has issued its presidential ticket to former President Goodluck Jonathan or invited him to contest the 2027 presidential election is not true,” he said.

“What happened is this, I had an interview with a journalist where we discussed some issues.

“But in the course of the interview, he mentioned President Jonathan, asking about our opinion of him, because there are reports that he is being urged to run for the presidency.

“I responded by saying that he (Jonathan) is eligible to contest the election, because he is a Nigerian and has the right to do that by the provision of the law, and he still has one more term left.

“So, there is nothing wrong about him contesting the presidential election because he is eligible in the face of the law.”

The deputy spokesperson said the ticket would be given to someone who has shown interest in running for the presidency.

Jonathan, then in the PDP, lost the presidential election to former President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

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