Politics
Edo PDP Chairman Denies Rumoured Rift With Obaseki
The Edo State chairman of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi, has denied the rumoured wrangling between Governor Godwin Obaseki and the leadership of the party in the state, saying that such rumours were from the fifth columnists who want to cause apprehensions and do not wish the party well.
The Edo PDP Chairman who spoke with journalists in Benin weekend in an interview said, “not at all, in fact I can say this anywhere, it is a very mutually respected relationship between the party and the government.”
According to him, there is cordiality between us because the governor is who he is, he believes we can play politics fairly, justly and so those potential rumuors that people are imagining is not there. And I think I can assure everybody that we expect it not to be there because the governor is not that kind of person.
“He will basically tell you that this is what I want to do but make sure that it is in line with the party’s Constitution and once it is in line with the party’s Constitution, I am all for it.”
“So normally I do not comment on members’ comments, I respect everyone’s opinion, do I agree or disagree, that is my personal opinion which I might not wish to air.”
“The PDP is a very big party. Even in a family of two, three, four or five as it may be, you have issues. Am I saying we might not have issues, worries and fears?”
“Of course they will be there and my job is to manage those fears, my job is to make sure and don’t forget some of these apprehensions stems from the fact that people have fear.”
“That fear can be genuine, it can also be a wrong perception, so my job is to explain to everyone among the critical segment of the party to say this fear you are having is not real and this is why it is not real and once I take out time to explain to the different stakeholders and critical segment of the party I think they are good.”
“Of course there will be fears, of course there will be apprehension, of course there will be people feeling that they are being shortchanged, my job is to explain that, no, everybody will be carried along.”
“The governor is that kind of person, he will carry everybody along, it might not be everybody at the same time and that is where we need to do the explanation. It may not be for you now, don’t worry next time it will be you surely.”
On the victory of the governor at the Federal High Court in Abuja, Aiziegbemi said, “we are grateful to God, we are grateful to the judiciary, we give all the glory to God but we think we shouldn’t have gone through this route at all, we always believed that the governor had his papers intact, we were extremely convinced that he had those papers that was why he was granted all those wavers that we granted him in the first instance both from the national and the state chapters of the party.”
“So, we think that we are at the right track, we pray all these distractions should end now and we plead all those that are taking matters, though it is within their rights to go to appeal court but we don’t need all those now.”
“Our desire is to serve Edo people, Edo people have made their choice on the 19th of September 2020, and they have chosen Governor Godwin Obaseki, for the sake of Edo people I expect that everybody should sheath their swords and come and help and support the governor so that the people that they wish to serve in the first instance when they were contesting against the governor the people will have the dividends of democracy.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has extended the deadline for political parties to submit the list of candidates for the 2027 governorship and state Houses of Assembly elections from Saturday, August 8, to Tuesday, August 11, 2026.
The commission announced the extension in a statement issued on Saturday and signed by the National Commissioner and Chairman of its Information and Voter Education Committee, Mohammed Haruna.
According to INEC, the decision followed appeals by political parties for additional time to complete the submission process through the dedicated online portal.
“The submission window, which according to the revised Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the General Election was originally scheduled to close on Saturday, 8th August, 2026, has been extended to Tuesday, 11th August, 2026,” the commission said.
In a a related development, INEC announced the suspension of PVC collection in Osun State ahead of the August 15 governorship election.
The commission said voters who applied for replacement of lost, damaged or defaced Permanent Voter Cards would have until midnight on Sunday, August 9, to print downloadable copies of their cards.
The electoral body explained that the deadline was necessary to enable it compile data on downloaded PVCs and produce final statistics on the total number of cards collected ahead of the election.
INEC said PVC collection in Osun commenced at the Registration Area level from July 22 to 28, 2026, but was extended to July 31 following complaints about large crowds and difficulties experienced by voters at collection centres.
The exercise subsequently moved to the local government level and ran from August 1 to 7.
The commission also disclosed that replacement downloadable PVCs had been made available to voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas following the theft of cards during attacks on the two collection centres.
It stressed that the stolen cards could not be used to vote.
INEC reassured Osun residents of its preparedness for the August 15 governorship election.
“The commission reiterates that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
“INEC reassures the people of Osun State of its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive governorship election on 15th August, 2026,” the statement said.
The commission said the deadline, initially set for Saturday, 8 August, has been extended to Tuesday, 11 August 2026, following appeals from political parties for more time.
INEC also announced that the window for voters who applied to replace lost, damaged or defaced PVCs to download their replacement cards will close at midnight on Sunday, 9 August.
The move is to enable the commission compile final PVC collection figures ahead of the 15 August Osun governorship election.
INEC said replacement downloadable PVCs have also been provided to affected voters in Odo-Otin and Ife Central Local Government Areas after hoodlums carted away cards from two collection centres, stressing that the stolen cards cannot be used to vote.
The commission reaffirmed its readiness to conduct a free, fair, credible and inclusive election in Osun State.
Gov. Kefas made the remarks over the weekend at the Federal Medical Centre (FMC), Jalingo, during the flag-off of the second phase of the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach in Taraba State, organised as part of activities marking Prof. Yilwatda’s 58th birthday.
The governor commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing to mark his birthday by providing medical care to people in need.
“What Professor Nentawe did is a powerful demonstration of what leadership should be,” Gov. Kefas said.
He assured that his administration would continue to support initiatives that complement government efforts to improve healthcare delivery and the wellbeing of residents.
Speaking at the event, Prof. Yilwatda called on Nigerian leaders to embrace the culture of giving and use their positions to touch the lives of the less privileged.
He said his decision to celebrate his 58th birthday in Taraba State was deliberate and informed by the needs of underserved communities, particularly people who face difficulties accessing healthcare because of distance and financial constraints.
According to him, the intervention followed a needs assessment and was extended across the three senatorial districts of the state.
He said the exercise commenced on August 3 at Takum General Hospital and covered the Federal University Teaching Hospital, Wukari; First Referral Hospital, Sunkani, Ardo-Kola Local Government Area; General Hospital, Bali; General Hospital, Gembu; and FMC Jalingo.
Prof. Yilwatda said the intervention provided medical services to thousands of beneficiaries, including people who required surgical procedures.
He said sustainable national development could only be achieved when strong institutions placed Nigerians at the centre of development.
“Leadership is about service,” he said, urging political and public leaders to make giving back to society an important part of their responsibilities.
He reaffirmed his commitment to serving Nigeria and its people, saying his personal vision was to make every day of his life useful to humanity.
“Every day that I live, the vision is: let it be useful to humanity,” he said.
The Taraba State Commissioner for Health, Dr. Bordiya Buma, commended the initiative, saying it was consistent with the Renewed Hope agenda and efforts to strengthen healthcare delivery in the state.
Dr Buma said the second phase followed the successful completion of the first phase, which was conducted simultaneously in six local government areas, with two LGAs selected from each of the three senatorial districts.
According to him, more than 10,000 patients were attended to during the first phase, including people with medical and surgical conditions.
He disclosed that 327 general surgeries, 71 eye surgeries and 575 dental procedures were carried out during the exercise.
The commissioner expressed appreciation to President Bola Tinubu for the Renewed Hope Medical Outreach and thanked Prof. Yilwatda for supporting the initiative and choosing Taraba State as a beneficiary.
The Minister of Health and Social Welfare, Prof. Muhammad Ali Pate, also commended Prof. Yilwatda for choosing Taraba State to mark his 58th birthday through a medical outreach.
Prof. Pate said making healthcare the centrepiece of the birthday celebration was significant because health affects everyone.
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