Politics
Ekweremadu, Others Hail New PDP National Officers
Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, yesterday, congratulated the newly elected National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and other 20 officers elected during the just-concluded National Convention of the party.
In a statement by his Media Adviser, UcheAnichukwu, in Abuja, Ekweremadu, said the emergence of Ayu and other national officers would give the PDP the much-needed renewed vigour and focus required to rescue Nigeria.
He equally commended the Elder Yemi Akinnwonmi-led leadership of the party and Governor Ahmadu Fintiri-led National Convention Planning Committee for the seamless and transparent elections, saying the PDP has disappointed her evil wishers.
“This is hearty congratulations to the newly elected national officers of our great party, the PDP. Given the pedigree and antecedents of our national chairman-elect and his team, I have no doubt that we got it right.
“Nigeria is in dire need of rescue from the clutches of divisiveness, criminal cartels, vaunting bandits and insurgents, collapsing economy (to put it mildly), and secessionist agitations occasioned by injustice and marginalisation.
“There is no doubt that we have in place a highly promising team led by a widely-accepted, disciplined, experienced, and pan-Nigerian politician in the person of Distinguished Senator IyorchiaAyu, that will help mobilise party faithful and Nigerians at home and the diaspora for the success of this mission,” he said.
On the just-concluded convention, the lawmaker, who also chaired the Screening Appeal Panel of the convention, said: “I must commend our party leaders and elders as well as the Governor AhmaduFintiri-led National Convention Planning Committee for giving the party a highly transparent, seamless, and credible convention. The party has disappointed the evil wishers.
“The first task before the elected national officers even before their inauguration is to work with the incumbent party leadership and elders to extend hands of fellowship and assuage party members, who are aggrieved for one reason or the other.
“We are one big family and the larger national and party interest should always prevail, especially at a time like this when the nation is seriously threatened”.
He wished Ayu and his team a highly successful tenure.
Also speaking ahead of the 2023 elections, the Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum, Hon Aminu Tambuwal expressed optimism that the party was set to reclaim its glory.
According to Tambuwal, despite the antics of detractors to roll back the 16 years impressive credentials of the party, the party was still in the forefront and endearing.
“Analysts and observers agreed that there are attempts to scuttle our unity as a party and as a people. There are people working to present us as weak and in disarray.
“But I am happy to report that contrary to the naysayers the PDP is today the strongest and most cohesive party in Nigeria.
“I am happy to report that those who want to divide and weaken us are the ones failing and we are winning,” the governor said.
Enumerating the problems of the country and the continent of Africa as: challenges of insecurity, unemployment, rising cost of energy, food and other essential items for living decent lives,” he said the PDP as “the best platform to move the country forward” was poised to embark on intensive membership drive that will soon “welcome new members… (and) other patriots and concerned Nigerians to join us… to move Nigeria forward.”
Emphasising the need to harness the potential of young people and provision of succour to old people, he noted that “the current state of the nation is a far cry from the need of our people across the country.”
Tambuwal said the PDP is undaunted by the myriads of challenges “made worse by the (COVID-19) pandemic affected other issues across the world,” he advocated that the PDP should remain “united, disciplined and focused on finding ways to bring out the best of our people and building systems and institutions that aid not destroy.”
He reeled out the achievements of the PDP when it was in power for 16 years.
These include: liberalisation of telecommunications, diffusion of GSM, building of the institutions of drug administration, anti-graft, health insurance and the creation of the National Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC).
Other achievements he listed were introduction of card readers, conception of the Treasury Single Account (TSA), Bank Verification Number (BVN), new pension scheme, modern driver’s license, and restoration of the Abuja-Kaduna rail and location of more airports across the country.
The SokotoState governor said the PDP ‘negotiated and settled…foreign debts, fast paced the country’s economy, implemented bank reforms and stabilized the Naira.
Acknowledging that “governing Nigeria is not an easy task,” Tambuwal chastised the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government that is “carrying a burden that is making it wobble.
“It is time to relieve them of that burden,” he stated.
In his remarks, Adamawa State Governor and Chairman of the convention committee, Hon AhmaduFintiri commended party faithful for what he described as a successful National Convention.
Earlier, the former Senate President, Dr.IyorchaAyu had emerged the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
Ambassador TaofeekArapaja also emerged the National Deputy Chairman (South).
Ayu, who was the consensus candidate at the party national convention in Abuja, got 3,426 affirmative votes out of 3,511 accredited voters.
However, Arapaja secured a total of 2,004 votes to defeat his only rival, former governor of Osun State, Prince OlagunsoyeOyinlola, who polled 705 votes, while invalid votes were165.
Also, Umar Damagum scored a total of 2,222 votes to defeat his sole rival, Mrs. Inna Ciroma, for the position of Deputy National Chairman (North), who polled 365 votes.
The position of National Youth Leader was won by Mohammed Suleiman with 3,072 votes, while his co-contestant, UsmanElkudan, had 219 votes.
Efforts to achieve consensus candidates for all 21 elective national offices of the party suffered a setback as agreement could not be reached for three offices.
The three offices were the Deputy National Chairman (South) and Deputy National Chairman (North), as well as the National Youth Leader of the party.
Those returned unopposed with uniform votes of 3,426 were Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary; Ahmed Mohammed- National Treasurer; Umar Bature as National Organising Secretary and Daniel Woyegikuro as National Financial Secretary.
Other returned elected by the Returning Officer, Governor AhmaduFintiri of Adamawa, were Stella Effah-Attoe as National Woman Leader; KamaldeenAdeyemiAjibade as National Legal Adviser; DeboOlogunagba as National Publicity Secretary; and Okechukwu Daniel as National Auditor.
Also elected were SetonjiKosheodo as Deputy National Secretary; Ndubisi David as Deputy National Treasurer; Ibrahim Abdullahi as Deputy National Publicity Secretary; and IghoyotaAmori as Deputy National Organising Secretary,
AdamuKamale was elected the Deputy National Financial Secretary; HajaraWanka as Deputy National Woman Leader; Timothy Osadolor, as Deputy National Youth Leader, OkechukwuOsuoha as Deputy National Legal Adviser; and Albdulraman Mohammed as Deputy National Auditor.
The new members of the National Working Committee are expected to assume offices after the tenure of the incumbent members expires on December 9.
In his appreciation remarks, the incoming National Chairman of the PDP, Senator IyorchiaAyu said that the PDP was back to take over Nigeria and develop it.
The national chairman-elect said the PDP did it before and would do it again.
“I want to sincerely appreciate the PDP family. Today is simply a “thank you” address. When we started this party 23 years ago, we never in any way imagined that the journey would get us to this stage.
“A stage where we ruled for 16 years, we went into rough times, but for anybody who bothers to see, PDP is back.
“I want to appreciate all of you who have taken time as delegates as observers, as supporters, as members of the media as members of the security services who have made this event such a wonderful event.
“Many people imagine that this convention will lead to the break-up of PDP. Those people who are dreaming like that, their dreams were misplaced.
“Those who have lost hope should know that Nigeria is not a divided country. A small group of people decided to divide Nigeria.
“PDP will come back to unite our people, put them together, north and south, east and west.
“We will move ahead to develop this country. We did it before. We are going to do it again. I want to thank the governors,” Ayu said.
Politics
Reps Constitution Review Committee Holds Zonal Hearing For Rivers, C’River, Akwa Ibom In Calabar
A press statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Cross River State Governor, Mr Linus Obogo, disclosed that the Calabar Centre — designated as Centre B — will host representatives and stakeholders from Cross River, Rivers, and Akwa Ibom States.
The public hearing is scheduled to take place on Saturday, July 19, 2025, at 10:00 a.m. at the Transcorp (Metropolitan) Hotel, Calabar.
The initiative, according to the statement, is designed to promote inclusive dialogue and capture the aspirations of Nigerians from all regions.
It aims to serve as a platform for citizens to contribute meaningfully to the ongoing national efforts to refine and strengthen the country’s legal and institutional frameworks.
“Citizens, civil society groups, professional bodies, traditional rulers, and other interest blocs are invited to participate in this landmark engagement aimed at advancing a more just, equitable, and responsive Nigerian Constitution,” the statement read.
The hearing forms part of the broader review process of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), and is seen as a strategic move toward fostering national unity and addressing structural legal issues within the federation.
For the first time since 2022, when then-presidential aspirant Alhaji Bola Tinubu declared he made former President Buhari Nigeria’s President in 2015, Mr Mustapha dismissed the claims, stressing that the merger only contributed about three million votes in addition to Buhari’s existing 12 million votes in the North.
He insisted that former President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to the breakthrough, not the three million votes from the merging parties, which he described as insignificant.
Speaking on the role of the merging parties, particularly President Tinubu, the leader of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr Mustapha, who was the keynote speaker at the launch of the book ‘According to the President: Lessons from a Presidential Spokesman’s Experience’ authored by Mallam Garba Shehu, described the impact of the votes from other merging parties as very insignificant.
In attendance were former Head of State Yakubu Gowon, chair of the event; immediate past Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; SGF George Akume, who represented President Tinubu; PDP’s 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar; former Chief of Staff to Buhari Ibrahim Gambari; elder statesman Babagana Kingibe; former governors Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Chris Ngige (Anambra), Rauf Aregbesola (Osun), Raji Babatunde Fashola (Lagos); former ministers Solomon Dalung and Sunday Dare; former Army Chief Tukur Buratai, and Bayo Onanuga, President Tinubu’s spokesman, among others.
According to Mr Mustapha, “I do not intend to stir up any controversy. The merger in 2013 was midwifed to create a Buhari presidency. Let us look at the statistics. In the 2003 election, it was the Obasanjo-Buhari presidential contest where Buhari recorded 12.7 million votes. In 2007, it came to 6.6 million, and it went back to 12.2 million in 2011.
“When we were conceptualising the merger, what would give us a headstart? Obviously, it was at the back of our consciousness that the merger with the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), though it had only one state, the ACN had six states, ANPP three states, and when you sum up the total votes that we had as the presidency in 2015, the aggregate of the total votes was 15.4 million.
“So, basically, what we brought to the table after the merger outside the Buhari 12.5 million votes was three million. Before turning to that presidency, it is important to recognise the former President’s role in reshaping Nigeria’s political trajectory.
“In early 2013, as the leader of the CPC, Buhari formally requested and supported the creation of a CPC merger committee, part of a broader coalition-building process that brought together the ACN, ANPP, APGA faction, and elements of the ruling party through the breakaway ‘new PDP’ group. His endorsement and participation, along with other party leaders such as President Tinubu and Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, lent credibility and direction to the merger, helping to unify disparate party factions under the banner of the APC. That coalition-building paved the way for the first democratic defeat of an incumbent ruling party in Nigeria’s history.
“President Buhari’s integrity, national stature, and disciplined messaging were central to that breakthrough. No account of President Buhari’s tenure would be complete without acknowledging the extended periods he spent on medical leave. These moments, while politically delicate, were also telling of his leadership philosophy and personality,” he said.
In his remarks, President Tinubu promised to build on the legacies of former President Buhari, stressing that “nation-building is a relay. The efforts of one administration lay the foundation for the next.
“In this regard, I acknowledge the efforts of my predecessor, President Buhari, and assure all Nigerians that the reform-oriented path he initiated will be consolidated and strengthened under this administration. Our Renewed Hope Agenda is inspired by the desire to build a resilient, just, and inclusive Nigeria—a nation that delivers dividends of democracy to all its citizens”.
Speaking during an appearance on live television on Wednesday, Mr Omokri alleged that Mr Obi’s statements were misleading and damaging to the country’s economic prospects.
Mr Omokri said some investors currently operating in Nigeria were considering exiting the market due to Mr Obi’s remarks.
“That is not true. He doesn’t rile me up. I rile him up. The reason why I came here is because I’m a patriot. Peter Obi lied. You know, foreign direct investors are watching your programme, who are making investment decisions not to come to Nigeria. There are foreign investors in Nigeria that are making investment decisions to leave Nigeria because of the lie he told.
“One of the lies he told is that President Tinubu has borrowed more than the administrations of Yar’Adua, Jonathan, Buhari. That is a blatant lie”, Mr Omokri said.
To buttress his claims, Mr Omokri referenced figures from the Debt Management Office (DMO), maintaining that President Tinubu had actually reduced Nigeria’s external debt burden since assuming office.
“I have here with me data from the Debt Management Office, and Nigerians who are watching can go to DMO.com and search Debt Management Office, Nigeria State of Indebtedness 2015.
“As of 2015, Nigeria was owing a total of $63 billion. When Buhari was leaving office, Nigeria was owing $113 billion. Today, from the DMO, our debt has gone from $113 billion to $97 billion, meaning that Tinubu has reduced our debt by over $14 billion.
“We should be appreciating this man. Yet Peter Obi came here and lied to the Nigerian people. He took the debts and translated them into naira to make it look like the debts have increased”, he said.