Politics
Anyim Urges PDP To Respect Zoning
A presidential aspirant on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Anyim Pius Anyim has said that the party must respect zoning if it wants victory in 2023.
Anyim stated this on Monday in Jos when he interacted with Plateau delegates ahead of the party’s primaries.
The former Senate President said that power must shift to accommodate the views of all Nigerians.
He said that those saying that power must remain in a particular zone for PDP to win the election were wrong.
Anyim said that no part of the country would produce president without the support and contribution of other regions.
According to him, it was for such reason the PDP included zoning in its constitution that power must shift from North to South and vice versa.
“If we don’t zone or rotate we will not win the election because the winning formula is fairness, justice and equity. 2023 is a defining moment for the nation because every nation is organic, it needs to grow.
“We have had a checkered history of going forward and backward. Nobody is happy with where we are today as a nation and I have put my credentials on the table as someone who would help the nation to grow. I am seeking to protect our collective future, seeking to promote the growth of the nation,’’ he said.
The former Secretary to the Government of the Federation told the gathering that there must be peace and progress on the Plateau.
Jos, the Plateau State capital, he said was planned by the founding fathers to be centre of learning and tourism.
He promised to develop Jos as international city and restore its status as centre of learning and tourism.
Plateau PDP Chairman, Mr Chris Hassan, said that the former senate president has the capacity to effectively lead Nigeria to greatness.
“We appeal to you to have at least one man on your campaign structure and if you do that you will not forget us. I know the friends you made in Plateau when you were senate president.
“Plateau people are not deceptive people, when they pledge to work with you, they do that with all their whole hearts,’’ he said.
Politics
LP Crisis: Ex-NWC Member Dumps Dumps Abure Faction
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.
