Politics
Crisis Rocks Bayelsa CNPP
Crisis is rocking the foundation of the once vibrant Conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) in Bayelsa State following attempts by its chairman, Sunday Frank-Oputu, to perpetuate himself in office by elongating his tenure.
The conference which had been providing a platform for oppositions in the state went into limbo soon after the pioneer chairman, Comrade Miriki Ebikibina left to become the leader of Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).
A faction of the CNPP led by its Secretary, Brisibe Kpodoh and the Organising Secretary, Owei Tongu is insisting that Frank-Oputu’s tenure expired last August, but the chairman has maintained that his tenure would elapse in February, 2011.
Kpodoh and Owei Tongu’s faction last Saturday convened a meeting in Yenagoa where it sacked Frank-Oputu and constituted a five-man electoral committee headed by the state chairman of Hope Democratic Party (HDP), Bonus Wombu, to conduct a fresh election for the body.
It was learnt that when Frank-Oputu got wind of the planned meeting, he sent threatening text messages to dissuade members from attending, warning that anybody who attended the meeting would not benefit from any largesse to the CNPP from its numerous sponsors.
One of the text messages, to journalists read: “Please, ignore the meeting called by Brisibe Kpodoh and Owei Tongu. They do not have the right to call for any meeting of CNPP without my approval as the Chairman. Please, note: anybody that attend such meeting shall not be part of any benefit due CNPP members. Strongly advised? Enough of this (sic) ingrates. Thanks. I’m watching.”
Kpodoh who confirmed the development said Frank-Oputu’s tenure ended last August and that he had refused every entreaty to inaugurate an electoral committee for members to seek fresh mandate.
Kpodoh, who is also the state Chairman of African Democratic Congress, explained that he and the Organising Secretary convened the meeting in order for CNNP to move forward, stressing that Frank-Oputu was peddling blatant lies by claiming that his tenure would expire in February next year.
“I’m a member of that executive. And I know that our tenure expired on 8 August. Frank-Oputu does not want to vacate the chairmanship because he has been using it to fraternise with Governor Timipre Sylva”, he said.
Kpodoh, noted that the situation had rendered the conference ineffective in its duty to keep the administration on its toes over the years.
He said Frank-Oputu had refused to convene a meeting because he wanted to continually use CNPP to line his pockets with government patronage.
But Frank-Oputu dismissed the claims of Kpodoh, maintaining that he remained the chairman of CNPP until 21 February, 2011.
According to him, officials of the national secretariat of CNPP who inaugurated him as chairman issued a certificate indicating that his tenure would expire next year, adding that he had announced the suspension of the Secretary and the Organising Secretary.
“Already, I have suspended Brisibe Kpodoh and Owei Tongu for calling a meeting without my approval”, he added.
Alhaji Abubakar, who is also the 2027 presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), stressed that Chief Obasanjo’s latest public outburst against him is yet another failed attempt to rewrite history.
Alhaji Abubakar specifically said that if the true history of Chief Obasanjo’s political journey is ever written—free from selective recollection and personal bitterness, he (Atiku) would feature prominently as one of those whom God used to change the course of his (Obasanjo) life and political career.
These were contained in a statement the Senior Special Assistant on Public Communication to the former Vice President, Mr Phrank Shaibu, released in which Atiku said he watched the former President’s interview with profound sadness, but not anger, because it reflected the disposition of a man who has allowed personal resentment to cloud historical truth.
Alhaji Abubakar said the genesis of Chief Obasanjo’s hostility towards him is well known to Nigerians, stressing that he is proud that he stood against the third-term agenda and stood by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
In the words of Alhaji Abubakar: “I have no apology whatsoever for frustrating every attempt to subvert our democracy for personal ambition. If Chief Obasanjo’s bitterness stems from my refusal to support an unconstitutional third term, then I wear that resentment as a badge of honour.
“No individual, regardless of his status or accomplishments, is bigger than the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The Constitution is supreme, and I chose Nigeria over personal loyalty”.
Alhaji Abubakar noted that the struggle against the third-term agenda was never about two individuals, but about preserving Nigeria’s constitutional democracy for future generations.
He said: “The Nigerian people won that battle. Democracy won that battle. History has already delivered its verdict. It Is therefore unfortunate that the same man whose unconstitutional ambition was resisted now seeks to sit in judgment over those who defended the Constitution”.
The ADC Presidential candidate said it was particularly instructive that barely twenty-four hours before Chief Obasanjo’s latest outburst, the Director-General of the World Trade Organization (WTO), Dr. Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala, publicly paid glowing tribute to the economic management team he led, describing it as “the best Nigeria has ever had”.
“Whether or not the timing is merely coincidental is for Nigerians to judge. What is beyond dispute, however, is that while distinguished Nigerians who served at the highest levels continue to acknowledge my contributions to one of Nigeria’s most successful periods of economic management, Chief Obasanjo appears determined to diminish them.
“Chief Obasanjo may choose not to appreciate my role in building one of Nigeria’s most prosperous economic eras, but history has been far kinder. The record speaks for itself, and so do the testimonies of those who worked closely with that administration,” he said.
Alhaji Abubakar further stated that Nigerians also deserve to remember the other side of history which Chief Obasanjo conveniently omits, saying: “History records that while Chief Obasanjo was in prison, I stood firmly by him. I supported his family, worked tirelessly with other patriots for his release and never wavered in my belief that he deserved his freedom”.
He further said: “When he eventually regained his freedom, he had little to his name. I received him, clothed him, ensured he was properly cared for and extended every support necessary to help him regain his footing.
“Beyond that, I mobilised political structures, built alliances and made enormous personal and political sacrifices that culminated in his emergence as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria”.
Alhaji Abubakar, however, said he harbours no regrets over any of those acts.
According to him: “Do I regret helping Chief Obasanjo? Absolutely not. When God gives you the opportunity to lift another human being, you do so without expecting repayment. Acts of kindness are matters of conscience, not commercial transactions”.
He added, however, that gratitude should never be replaced with revisionism.
Alhaji Abubakar particularly expressed disappointment that, at a time when Nigeria is battling economic hardship, mass unemployment, insecurity and widespread despair, a former President would devote so much energy to recycling old grudges instead of contributing solutions to the country’s challenges.
In the words of Atiku: “The 2027 election should be about rebuilding Nigeria, restoring security, reviving the economy and giving hope to the next generation—not reopening old political wounds”.
The former Vice President said he had deliberately maintained restraint over the years out of respect for the office Chief Obasanjo once occupied and in deference to the relationship they once shared.
He said: “That restraint should never be mistaken for weakness or docility. There comes a point when silence in the face of repeated distortions of history ceases to be a virtue. While I have no desire to engage in a public quarrel with a man I once stood beside in his most difficult moments, neither will I permit falsehoods, half-truths and calculated attempts to rewrite history to go unanswered.
“Chief Obasanjo is entitled to his opinions. He is entitled to his personal grievances. What he is not entitled to, are his own facts,” Alhaji Abubakar insisted.
The ADC presidential candidate reaffirmed that his attention remains firmly fixed on Nigeria’s future.
According to him; “I have chosen the path of service over resentment, vision over vendetta and national renewal over personal recrimination. Those who mistake my civility for capitulation, or my restraint for weakness, make a grave mistake.
“History is stubborn. It cannot be rewritten by bitterness, nor erased by repeated falsehoods. In the end, history will render its verdict—and so will the Nigerian people,” he stated.
According to the electoral umpire, campaigns for the presidential and National Assembly elections will commence on August 19, 2026, and end on January 15, 2027, exactly 24 hours before the elections scheduled for January 16, 2027.
INEC also announced that campaigns for governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will begin on September 9, 2026, and conclude on February 5, 2027, ahead of the polls slated for February 6, 2027.
The commission explained that the campaign schedule complies with the Electoral Act 2026, which stipulates that electioneering activities must not begin earlier than 150 days before an election and must end at least 24 hours before voting.
INEC urged political parties, candidates and other stakeholders to strictly adhere to the approved timetable and conduct their campaigns in accordance with the law, while encouraging the public to obtain electoral information only from its official communication channels to avoid misinformation.