Politics

Between APC And PDP

Published

12 years ago

December 2, 2013

Activities leading to the
2015 general election are gradually gathering momentum. One of these is the coming together on November 26,2013 of the All Progressive Congress (APC),the New People’s Democratic Party (NPDP) and five of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) seven aggrieved governors known as the G7 governors.
When the political drama started last three months, precisely on August 31 2013, many thought that the governors were jokers, but little did they believe that it may turn the political wheel of the nation to another direction.
The journey started after the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) election which Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State won with 19 votes against 16 by Jonah Jang of Plateau State.
It later progressed when five governors elected under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) staged a walk out at the Eagle Square, Abuja, venue of the partys special national convention.
The walk out obviously was due to a culmination of factors after series of attempt were made at appeasing the two parties.
These governors, Babangida Aliyu (Niger),Sule Lamido (Jigawa),Abdufatah Ahmend ( Kwara),Aliyu Wamako (Kano)were not happy with the leadership of the National Chairman of the party,Alhaji Bamagar Tukur.
These five governors moved to Shehu Yar’Adua centre to join Rt Hon Chibuike Amaechi and Murtala Nyako(Adamawa) who were not at the convention.
After the walk out, the governors started to consult some prominent members and the founding fathers of the party with the view to settling the problems .They met the former President, Chief Olusengun Obasanjo, Ibrahim Babangid, Alex Ekwueme and many others.
But as the group made each move, those behind the picture and walking behind the actors thwarted all efforts and caused more problems which widened and escalated the problem in the party.
While these were going on,the APC,a new political party which emerged as a result of the fusion of four political parties took the advantage to woo the aggrieved governors and the end result of that romance of some months ago became a marriage.
The APC leaders led by Lagos State Governor Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu and former head of state and presidential candidate of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), Gen.Muhammed Buhari toured some states with a view to wooing the Governors to come over to the party.
When the group arrived Rivers State early last month, their arrival generated another problem between the Rivers State Command of the Nigeria Police Force and Governor Amaechi.
The Police had to stop a large crowd of PDP party faithfuls at the entrance of the Port Harcourt International Airport, Omagwa from going into the airport to welcome the visitors. That later resulted to the Governor trekking about five kilometer to the presidential lounge of the airport. However, before this encounter, the Police in Rivers State had carried out series of confrontation against the state government to the extent of blocking the entrance of Government House and preventing the governor from entering into his official residence.
The five governors may have different reasons for joining the APC,but among them was to save and strengthen democracy.
In his own view , Governor Amaechi said the Federal Government’s lack of commitment to the commencement of Train Seven of the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) is a major constraint to the socio-economic development of Rivers State.
Chibuike Amaechi who stated this Thursday in his broadcast to the people of Rivers State, said the step which was taken by the Petroleum Minister, Diezani Allison-Madueke would deny Rivers people tens of thousands of jobs and also discourage investments in the state.
The governor said the minister insisted that investors should go and invest in the Brass NLNG project rather than in the NLNG Train Seven project in Rivers State.
The governor while justifying his decision to leave the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for All Progressive Peoples Congress (APC), also accused the Federal Government of sidelining Rivers State in boards and other federal appointments at the federal level. “Rivers State is treated with levity. Out of the several councils of universities, no Rivers person was found worthy of becoming a University Council Chairman”, he fumed.
He also mentioned total absence of federal presence in Rivers State as another major ploy against the state, adding that the good governance tour in the state exposed the total lack of federal presence in the state which he described as the cash cow of the federation.
Abandonment of work on the East-West Road, deliberate delay of work on the Port Harcourt International Airport, the third busiest airport in the country, when work on other airports have been completed, and commissioned, and the poor state of Bonny-Bomu road leading to the only functional LNG project, he said shows the lack of interest of the Federal Government on its projects in the state.
The governor remarked that “no personal interest or ambition can be higher than the welfare of the people that gave him their mandate without condition”, he said. He accused the Federal Government of ceding oil wells belonging to Rivers State to Bayelsa, Abia and Akwa Ibom States.
“Even after we got a judgement that the oil wells were wrongly ceded to Akwa Ibom State and should be returned to us, only dry wells that were no longer producing oil were returned”, he said.
“In the specific case of the Soku Oil Wells, despite a decision reached that the monies should remain in an escrow account till all matters concerning it are resolved, the Federal Government continues to pay neighbouring Bayelsa State the revenue meant for Rivers in a classic case of robbing Peter to pay Paul”, the governor maintained.
Governor Amaechi who also noted that internal party democracy had been sacrificed on the altar of personal greed and injustice declared that it would be impossible to achieve set goals and aspirations of the state under the PDP as presently constituted.
The Deputy Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly Hon. Leyii Kwanee supported the Governor for his action and decision and said the Ogonis have not benefited from the PDP-led government as he accused the party of marginalising the Ogonis by not implementing the report of the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP).
“As an Ogoni man, I’m so pained that Mr. President and the PDP-led government, for the past two years have not been able to implement the UNEP report. It is a sufficient anger,” Kwanee stated.
Hon. Kwanee who is also the member representing Khana Constituency 2 in the Assembly, condemned Ogoni sons in Abuja who had not used their friendship with the President to influence him to implement the report.
One thing that is clear and certain now is that the coming together of the APC, the new PDP and five governors have threatened the PDP’s existence. That move is destined to change the face of politics permanently and for good.
It would also end the issue of impunity and rivalry and ensure competition for the good of the people thereby empowering the electorate to choose who leads them in their respective states, Senate, House of Representatives and State Assembly rather than imposing leads by political godfathers.
Although, the situation may create two party system, it will as well strengthen and deepen democracy in the country.
The situation may change for the PDP that once enjoyed the monopoly both in the Senate and House of Representative.
Hon. Sokonte Davies,representing Bonny/Degema Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, confirmed that the PDP is now in minority in the lower chamber and if the two other governors join with their supporters in the Senate and House of Representatives,the PDP may no longer be the largest party in Africa.

APC leaders listening with rapt attention to Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (right), during their visit to Rivers State, recently.

Politics

LP Crisis: Ex-NWC Member Dumps Dumps Abure Faction

Published

4 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

A former National Organising Secretary of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Clement Ojukwu, has expressed regret that the several legal cases brought against the party since the 2023 general elections have impacted the party’s performance.

Mr Ojukwu, who recently returned to the interim National Working Committee led by Senator Esther Nenadi Usman, noted that the party had 34 elected members in the House of Representatives, eight Senators, and 80 members at the state Houses of Assembly after the 2023 general elections.

“Now we lost all of them,” he said. “I don’t think we have as many as five members in the National Assembly.”

The former national officer of the LP talked to journalists in Abuja and said he chose to join the caretaker committee led by Senator Nenadi-Usman because they are now the officially recognized leaders of the Party.

“I chose to work with the caretaker committee to help save the Labour Party, for the benefit of the party. I also want to use this chance to ask my colleagues at the national, state, and local government levels to come together and help rebuild our party.

“Another election is around the corner. We lost everything we have. They have left to other political parties. So I’ll reach out to all my friends in the other group to get together and work on making this party stronger again.

“The caretaker committee has formed a reconciliation committee. Let’s come together and talk so that we can restore the first opposition political party in Nigeria.”

Mr Ojukwu, who was part of the Julius Abure’s group, said there are no more factions in the LP.

He added, “There is a court ruling, and since it is valid, the right people are in the correct positions.”

He urged Barr Abure and others to drop the legal cases they have filed because they are not helping the party.

“Litigations are killing political parties”, he said. “They’ve seen many political parties disappear because of legal battles, and the Labor Party is losing support every day, which makes me feel sad.”

Mr Ojukwu said he did not think joining the Senator Nenadi-Usman’s NWC was a betrayal of the Abure group, describing himself as “the oxygen” of that faction.

“I’m with this group because of the verdict. But I never betrayed anybody. Rather, I was betrayed,” he added.

Politics

2027: NIGERIANS FAULT INEC ON DIGITAL MEMBERSHIP REGISTER DIRECTIVE

Published

4 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

A number of Nigerians have strongly criticized the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for its directive to all political parties in the country to submit digitalized membership register within 32 days.

It would be recalled that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), following it’s reversed timetable, directed all political parties in the country to submit their digitalized membership registers within 32 days.

Speaking on the reversed timetable in an interview with The Tide in Port Harcourt, respondents said the directive amounted to disqualifying opposition political parties from fielding candidates in all the elections next year.

They said if the directives by the commission is implemented, only the All Progressives Congress (APC) would participate in the elections since it started it’s digital membership registration since February, last year.

Responding, an elder statesman in Rivers State, Chief Sunnie Chukumele, said the revised timetable was okay, but the timeframe for submission of digital membership register was being made at the wrong time.

Chief Chukumele said, for the past two years, all opposition political parties have been battling various issues in court, adding that they did not have the time to embark on membership drive, talk less of digitalizing their membership registers.

“My reaction is that the only issue with this revised timetable is the timeframe given by INEC for parties to submit digitalize memberships register in all the states of the federation, while giving notice of Congresses and convention. That is not possible”, he said.

He said only the ruling APC is likely to meet up with the directive, since it began its registration since last year.

Chief Chukumele, who is also the National Coordinator of Coalition of Rivers State Leaders of Thought (CORSLOT), alleged that the directive of the electoral body may have been targeted to prevent other parties from fielding candidates for the elections next year.

“When you say all the parties should submit digitalized registers of membership in 32 days, how will that be possible to conclude it in 32 days”, he queried.

He noted that “APC used one year ago to do, so APC has one year in the kitty plus 30 days. This is highly regrettable”.

The CORSLOT national leader urged the election umpire to do away with stringent conditions that will make it hard for opposition political parties to field candidates in the elections.

Also speaking, Mr Jacob Enware from Edo State queried the rationale behind the directive, especially when some opposition political parties are still having cases in court.

In his words, ”What opposition political parties are you talking about, is Labour Party not in court or PDP that is yet to resolve their issues?

”For me, INEC should provide a level playing field for all, because aside the APC, no party can meet up this criteria.”

In his own response, Mr Nathaniel Ebere said he was not prepared to vote for anybody whether INEC provides a level playing field or not.

He alleged that his vote would not count, “so I will not waste my time”.

By: John Bibor

Politics

IT’S A LIE, G-5 GOVS DIDN’T WIN ELECTION FOR TINUBU – SOWUNMI

Published

4 hours ago

March 2, 2026

The Tide

A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Convener of The Alternative, Otunba Segun Sowunmi, has expressed reservations about the political stance of Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, while calling for reconciliation among key party figures.

Otunba Sowunmi made the remarks during a television interview on Saturday, when asked about the relationship between Gov. Makinde and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Chief Nyesom Wike.

He said, “I don’t believe Seyi Makinde. Because I know them all. I’ve been in this party since it was registered. And I’ve been loyal, faithful, diligent with this party from the get-go, and I’ve never left.”

He underscored his longstanding commitment to the PDP, referencing prominent figures who had exited the party at different times: “I’ve had the grace, and the honor, and the dignity of watching even my father, Obasanjo, shed his card. As much as I love him, I didn’t leave the party”.

He added, “I’ve had the privilege of watching my beloved senior brother, Governor Gbenga Daniel, leave the party a few times. As much as I respect his vision and his ideas, I’ve never left. I’ve watched my former principal, Atiku Abubakar, leave a few times. I’ve never left.”

Otunba Sowunmi stressed that his comments were rooted in deep involvement with the party: “So when I talk about PDP, I’m not talking as an outsider, I’m talking as one of their totems, who was actually carrying them.”

He disclosed that he wrote to Makinde during the governor’s last birthday, urging reconciliation among a bloc of five governors who had formed a movement during the 2023 elections.

“At Governor Seyi Makinde’s last birthday, I wrote him a letter where I tried to say, look, you guys, the five of you, succeeded to the extent of creating a movement of your own”, he said.

He added, “And you fought very hard to make a point in the 2023 election. Although I don’t believe you won the election for the president, that’s a lie. They contributed, but I hate when people take the glory of other people’s work.”

Otunba Sowunmi warned that unresolved differences among the group could weaken the party: “You guys, you must go back to your four friends, your five friends, and you guys go and sort it out. Because not sorting it out with your five friends is going to leave the party worse off.”

He added, “But now that you’re fighting, or you’re not agreeing with yourselves, why don’t you go back to that same energy that allowed you to agree, so that you can use that energy inside to agree, and then we can lead the party.”