Politics
Former Vice President Mohammed Sambo will never abandon PDP – Source says
A competent source close to the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Kaduna State has stated on Wednesday 30th August that the immediate past Vice President, Arc Mohammed Sambo, is still a prominent member of the party and has no intention to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
The sources have disregard every rumours spreading around in the Ex Vice President’s home state, Kaduna that he is about to cave in to purported pressure from the anti-graft agencies to join the ruling party or face trial for imaginary corruption cases.
“I can tell you categorically that Arc Sambo is not under any pressure from any quarters to defect to APC or any party for that matter to purportedly save his neck. He has served his state and country to the best of his ability. In all the positions he has held, the former Vice President made transparency and probity his watch words, so there is nothing with which to blackmail him to leave PDP, a party which he toiled with other patriots and like minds to build,” the competent source from the People’s Democratic Party in Kaduna said.
Related: Reasons why you should vote for me as president in 2019 – Bukola Saraki
According to the source, “The claim that the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is putting any pressure on the former Vice President due to some corruption infraction is not only false but unfounded. The anti-graft agency has investigated him on the strength of the whistle blower policy and as it stands the whistle blower is now in jail for supplying false information to the Commission – the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) has prosecuted him for fraudulent misrepresentation and Arc Sambo’s Kaduna residence which was damaged as a result of the forced entry was repaired. In the same vein, the EFCC had distanced itself from the raid carried out in his Kaduna residence while the one in his Abuja office carried out by the EFCC did not yield any negative outcome as all his items removed were returned and his office earlier damaged was repaired by the anti-graft agency.”
The source noted that the recent renewed media attacks against the former Vice President may not be unconnected with the gubernatorial contests within the PDP family in Kaduna State. He said: “The late entry of Mohammed Sani Sidi, former Director General National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), into the race has elicited commentaries as to the reasons for his sudden entry. While some speculate that his entry into the race is due to prompting by the former Vice President, others are of the view that incumbent governor, Mallam Nasiru el-Rufa’i, is sponsoring him. Like all other permutations, this is entirely a false assertion as the Ex-VP – being an elder statesman – has no business with the sponsorship of any candidate.”
On the presence of the former Vice President at some events of the APC Government, the source went further to say that : “It is foolhardy for anyone to suggest that Arc Sambo has any ceremonial relationship with the APC just because he attends some events organised by the APC-led government. Governor el-Rufai invited His Excellency to the commissioning of the first phase of the Zaria water project, which Arc Sambo started during his days as Kaduna State Governor and had attained some appreciable level of completion before he left for Abuja to assume the office of Vice President. He attended the event because it was one of his legacy projects. The second event to which he was invited and attended was the 100 years centennial celebration of Kaduna State. Do these two invitations and attendance make him anything less PDP?
“At the national level, the former Vice President has attended only events for which he belongs in the protocol list of government. His visitations to the incumbent President and Vice President were in honor of legitimate invitations and in some cases retaliatory from them”.
“It is instructive to further state that the former VP has attended all the PDP functions to which he was invited. He was at the two National Conventions of the party and North-West zonal meetings to which he was invited.”
The source laughed off insinuations that Arc Sambo is sponsoring the presidential ambition of leading PDP aspirant Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, describing it as “diversionary and high-level mischief”.
Contacted for comments, Arc Sambo’s Media Adviser, Umar Sani, said: “We have no time to join issues with the mischief makers peddling these falsehoods. The former VP has no stain of corruption and so has nothing to be afraid of. He is not under any pressure and will neither defect to APC nor will he ever abandon PDP under any guise.”
Politics
Edo PDP opposes suspension of LG bosses by state assembly, says ‘It’s unconstitutional’
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”.
Politics
Ex-sports minister Bolaji Abdullahi resigns from PDP
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).
Politics
PDP debunks inviting Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency
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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