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PDP Women Leaders Caution Tukur Over Inflammatory Statement
Women leaders in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), drawn from the six geopolitical zones, have condemned the threat issued to elected members of the party by a factional National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.
The women leaders described it as inflammatory.
Tukur had, at a press conference last Wednesday threatened elected members of the party that have declared support for the Abubakar Baraje-led ‘New PDP’ that they would lose their seats should they fail to retrace their steps.
The women, who gathered under the aegis of PDP Female Career Politicians, spoke through their leader, Senator Florence Ita-Giwa, yesterday in Abuja, cautioning the chairman to control his emotion.
Ita-Giwa said,”When conflicts like this happen, people tend to make inflammatory statements.
“We have tremendous respect for our chairman but sometimes people say things when emotions run deep but that does not mean it is conclusive.
“Not that we are apologising for anybody but we intend to consult with our colleagues as well as our chairman and everybody.
“This is because we do not want anybody to do anything that will be counter-productive to the existence of this party and peace in Nigeria.
“We cannot afford that.
“We are all still part of the party, including those that walked out from the arena.
“If they wanted, would have said they were leaving the PDP.
“But they have not said that.
“Which means that the corporate existence of the party is still intact.
“We just have to make effort at sustaining it.”
Also, the women regretted that the crisis seemed to be taking ethnic coloration, wondering why majority of the people that had declared for the ‘New PDP’ were from the northern part of the country.
Ita-Giwa also said women were not consulted before the decision was taken to form a new faction.
She, therefore, said they had resolved to meet with Tukur and Baraje, to hear them out in the interest of the party.
Ita-Giwa said, “Not that we are saying it is ethnic-based, but if you look at those that walked out, it was six states from the North and one from the South.
“This is strange, which was why we felt it is taking on ethnic coloration.
“Also, women were excluded from that decision.
“No woman was consulted before that decision was taken.
“Notwithstanding, we are not passing judgment but we don’t want to run a Northern party and a Southern party.
“All we want is for everybody to come back together for us to have peace in this country.
“We are not taking sides and we are surely going to talk to all of them to douse the flame as best as we can.
“However. we do not want to be seen as succumbing to intimidation.”
On the 2015 general elections, she posited that the race should be thrown open to all qualified members of the party, saying that it would be immodest on the part of the leadership of the party to attempt to disenfranchise anybody.
Ita-Giwa spoke further, “however, it is our opinion that it is immodest for someone to ask another human being not to contest elections or to attempt disenfranchisement of another human being.
“If anything, why not let anyone interested contest and then lose.
“It is pertinent though that while we lay claims to neutrality in this intra-party dispute, our loyalty to and confidence in the persons and office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria remains unshaken.
“As a large party, we recognize that political dissension is inevitable from time to time.
“However, such disagreement should never be allowed to fester to the point where positions are taken that threaten the existence of the party.
“We believe that the PDP is big enough to accommodate all shades of opinion without bursting at the seams.
“It is against this backdrop that we appeal to the contending forces currently pulling the party apart, to sheath their swords, step back from the precepts and take a deep breath as they reflect on the disastrous implications of their actions.”
Other members of the group, which included past and present legislators, were: Mercy Almona Isei, Remi Adiukwu Bakare, Kemi Adewunmi, Patience Ogodo, Aduke Minna, Abiodun Olujimi, Senator Khairat Gwadebe, Grace Bent, Theodora Giwa-Amu, Folake Olunloyo-Osinowo and Amina Khadi.
Also in attendance were Iquo Inyang, Oyibo Ahaneku-Nwaneri, Azumi Bebeji, Lynda Ikpeazu, Doris Uboh-Ogunkoya, Ukachi Amaechi, Elizabeth Ogbaga, Janet Adeyemi, Oluchi Okoye, Lola Edewor, Fatima Raji Rasaki, Olanrewaju Otiti, Fendo Mohammed and May Inije.
The Nigeria Immigration Service has officially ended passport production at multiple centres, transitioning to a single, centralised system for the first time in 62 years.
Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, disclosed this yesterday while inspecting Nigeria’s new Centralised Passport Personalisation Centre at the NIS Headquarters in Abuja.
He stated that since the establishment of NIS in 1963, Nigeria had never operated a central passport production centre, until now, marking a major reform milestone.
“The project is 100 per cent ready. Nigeria can now be more productive and efficient in delivering passport services,” Tunji-Ojo said.
He explained that old machines could only produce 250 to 300 passports daily, but the new system had a capacity of 4,500 to 5,000 passports every day.
“With this, NIS can now meet daily demands within just four to five hours of operation,” he added, describing it as a game-changer for passport processing in Nigeria.
“We promised two-week delivery, and we’re now pushing for one week.
“Automation and optimisation are crucial for keeping this promise to Nigerians,” the minister said.
He noted that centralisation, in line with global standards, would improve uniformity and enhance the overall integrity of Nigerian travel documents worldwide.
Tunji-Ojo described the development as a step toward bringing services closer to Nigerians while driving a culture of efficiency and total passport system reform.
He said the centralised production system aligned with President Bola Tinubu’s reform agenda, boosting NIS capacity and changing the narrative for better service delivery.
The Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) has disbursed N2.225 trillion as federation revenue for the month of August 2025, the highest ever allocation to the three tiers of government and other statutory recipients.
This marks the second consecutive month that FAAC disbursements have crossed the N2 trillion mark.
The revenue, shared at the August 2025 FAAC meeting in Abuja, was buoyed by increases in oil and gas royalty, value-added tax (VAT), and common external tariff (CET) levies, according to a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting.
Out of the N2.225 trillion total distributable revenue, FAAC said N1,478.593 trillion came from statutory revenue, N672.903 billion from VAT, N32.338 billion from the Electronic Money Transfer Levy (EMTL), and N41.284 billion from Exchange Difference.
The communiqué revealed that gross federation revenue for the month stood at N3.635 trillion. From this amount, N124.839 billion was deducted as cost of collection, while N1,285.845 trillion was set aside for transfers, interventions, refunds, and savings.
From the statutory revenue of N1.478 trillion, the Federal Government received N684.462 billion, State Governments received N347.168 billion, and Local Government Councils received N267.652 billion. A further N179.311 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) went to oil-producing states as derivation revenue.
From the distributable VAT revenue of N672.903 billion, the Federal Government received N100.935 billion, the states received N336.452 billion, while the local governments got N235.516 billion.
Of the N32.338 billion shared from EMTL, the Federal Government received N4.851 billion, the States received N16.169 billion, and the Local Governments received N11.318 billion.
From the N41.284 billion exchange difference, the Federal Government received N19.799 billion, the states received N10.042 billion, and the local governments received N7.742 billion, while N3.701 billion (13 per cent of mineral revenue) was shared to the oil-producing states as derivation.
The Governing Council of Kenule Beeson Saro-Wiwa Polytechnic, Bori, has decried the inadequate power supply and poor state of infrastructural facilities and equipment at the institution.
The Council also appealed to the government, including Non-Governmental Organisations, agencies, as well as well-meaning Rivers people to intervene to restore and sustain the laudable gesture, dreams and aspirations of the founding fathers of the polytechnic.
The Chairman of the newly inaugurated Council, Professor Friday B. Sigalo, made this appeal during a tour of facilities at the Polytechnic, recently.
Accompanied by members of the team, Prof Sigalo emphasised the position of technology, technical and vocational education in sustainable development.
He noted that with the prospects on ground, and the programmes and activities undertaken in the polytechnic, there is no doubt that the institution would add values to the educational system in our society and foster the desired development, if the existing challenges are jointly tackled.
This was contained in a statement signed by Deputy Registrar, Public Relations, Kenpoly, Innocent Ogbonda-Nwanwu, and made available to The Tide in Port Harcourt.
The chairman who restated the intention of his team of technocrats to ensure that KenPoly enjoys desirable face-lift, said the Council would deliver on its core mandates, accordingly.
Earlier, the Rector, KenPoly Engr. Dr. Ledum S. Gwarah, commended the appointment of Professor Friday B. Sigalo as Chairman of the KenPoly Governing Council.
He described him and his team as seasoned technocrats and expressed confidence in their ability to succeed.
The Rector pledged the management’s support to the Council to ensure that KenPoly resumes its rightful place in the comity of polytechnics in the country.
Facilities visited by the Governing Council include KenPoly workshops, laboratories, skills acquisition centre, library, hostels and medical centre.
Chinedu Wosu
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