Politics
S’West PDP’s Request For Ayu’s Ouster Vindicates Wike -Chieftain
The South West wing of the People Democratic Party demand for resignation of party’s National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu has vindicated Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, a party chieftain has said.
Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, a former member of the House of Representatives ( Etche-Omuma Constituency, Rivers) made this remark in a statement yesterday in Lagos.
The Tide source recalls that the PDP was hit by crisis after Alhaji Atiku Abubakar emerged the party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections.
Some PDP governors and leaders had insisted that for fairness and balancing, the North should not hold both the party’s presidential ticket and chairmanship position.
Leading the struggle for Ayu’s resignation, who is from the North Central part of Nigeria was Wike and some other leaders from the southern Nigeria.
This position was again reiterated by the South West PDP leaders led by Governor. Seyi Makinde of Oyo State on Wednesday, when Atiku met with leaders from the zone ahead of the commencement of 2023 general elections campaign on Sept. 28.
Nwuke said all along, some people had tried to divert attention from the real issues by claiming that Wike, for selfish reasons, was trying to destabilise the PDP since he did not win the primaries and could not become Atiku’s running mate.
He, however, said that the stance taken by Yoruba PDP leaders when Atiku visited them had shown that the struggle for the correction of imbalances in the party was not about Wike.
Nwuke said, “Wike is not the issue as some people will want us to believe. Wike has become the symbol of the struggle for the protection of the rights of the people of Southern Nigeria.
“For some reasons, persons close to the PDP flagbearer have tried to be clever by half. There is a limit to name calling.’’
“Despite attempts to confuse issues and hide the truth, the actual message is out. It is about the South and nothing else.
right’, adding that ‘returning the chairmanship of the party to the South at this time is what is right’.
He said that leaders of the party must acknowledge that what happened in the build up to the special convention when some people chose to run against zoning was unconstitutional.
According to him, this is the right thing to do in the present circumstance.
“Finally, accepting that a balance of power on a North/South basis is what is right is the best thing to do as we go forward.
“Now that the South West has spoken, Abubakar will have to decide whether he wants to be a mere presidential candidate or if he wants to win an election. He will have to choose between Ayu and the South as we prepare for 2023.
“At this time, we are not begging them to do what is right, we are demanding that they do what is right in the interest of the PDP. Anything short of that will not work,” Nwuke added.
Abubakar on Wednesday, met with Makinde, a former governor of Ekiti – Ayodele Fayose, the Osun governor-elect, Sen. Ademola Adeleke, former Osun govermor -Mr Olagunsoye Oyinlola, and his Ondo State counterpart, Dr Olusegun Mimiko among other leaders of the party from the South-West.
Abubakar was in the company of his running mate and Delta Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa and other top hierarchy of the party.
The meeting was to discuss the future of the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.
The Senate yesterday received the 2026-2028 Medium Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper from President Bola Tinubu, marking the formal launch of the 2026 federal budget cycle.
In a letter addressed to the upper chamber, Tinubu said the submission complies with statutory requirements and sets out the fiscal parameters that will guide the preparation of the 2026 Appropriation Bill.
He explained that the MTEF/FSP outlines the macroeconomic assumptions, revenue projections, and spending priorities that will shape Nigeria’s fiscal direction over the next three years.
The letter was read during plenary by the Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Barau Jibrin (APC, Kano North), who urged lawmakers to expedite consideration of the document.
“It is with pleasure that I forward the 2026 to 2028 Medium-Term Expenditure Framework and Fiscal Strategy Paper for the kind consideration and approval of the Senate.
“The 2026 to 2028 MTEF and FSP were approved during the Federal Executive Council meeting of December 3, 2025, and the 2026 budget of the Federal Government will be prepared based on the parameters and fiscal assumptions therein,” the President stated.
Last week, the Federal Executive Council approved the fiscal projections, pegging the oil benchmark price at $64.85 per barrel and adopting a budget exchange rate of ?1,512/$1 for 2026—figures expected to significantly shape revenue forecasts and expenditure planning.
After reading the President’s letter, Jibrin referred the document to the Senate Committee on Finance, chaired by Senator Sani Musa (APC, Niger East), with a directive to submit its report by Wednesday, December 17.
The Senate adjourned shortly after to allow committees to commence scrutiny of the fiscal framework and continue the ongoing screening of ambassadorial nominees.
Tinubu’s communication to the Senate came less than 24 hours after he transmitted the same MTEF/FSP documents to the leadership of the House of Representatives.
The letter was read on the House floor by the Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Benjamin Kalu, who also urged timely legislative action as required by law.
The MTEF and FSP are statutory instruments mandated by the Fiscal Responsibility Act and serve as the blueprint for Nigeria’s annual budgets.
They outline the government’s fiscal stance, macroeconomic assumptions, revenue frameworks, projected deficits, and sectoral priorities over a three-year period.
The Tide reports that approval by the National Assembly is a prerequisite for the executive to present the Appropriation Bill for the next fiscal year.
In a statement on Saturday, the former Senate Leader stated that the allocation of nominees across states and geopolitical zones falls short of the constitutional requirement for fair representation in the composition of the Federal Government.
The ex-Senate Whip warned that allowing the list to pass could deepen ethnic suspicion at a time when the administration should be consolidating national unity.
He highlighted disparities in the spread of nominees, noting that while some states have three or four slots, others have none. He also cited the inclusion of Senator Adamu Garba Talba from Yobe, who reportedly died in July.
“The entire North-East states have seven nominees in the list. Further checks revealed that the South-West geo-political zone has 15 nominees, while North-West and South-East have 13 and 9, respectively.
“North-Central region has 10 nominees in the list of career and non-career ambassadorial nominee while South-South parades 12 nominees,” Senator Ndume said.
According to him, such imbalances could heighten tensions and undermine Section 14(3) of the Constitution.
“My sincere appeal to President Tinubu is to withdraw this list. At this critical juncture in his administration, he should avoid missteps that could undermine national unity and foster ethnic distrust.
“I know him to be a cosmopolitan leader who is at home with every segment and stakeholder in the country. He should withdraw that list and present a fresh set of nominees that will align with the spirit of the Constitution on the Federal Character Principle,” Senator Ndume added.
He accused the legislators of undermining the sanctity of the legislature and acting as instruments of destabilization.
“The members of the Rivers State House of Assembly have, by their actions since they assumed office, shown that they are political puppets and a clog in the wheels of democratic progress,” Comrade Ememobong stated, adding that “They will go down in history as enemies of democracy and those who made mockery of the legislature.”
“So the easiest way to describe their action is a defection from APC to APC,” he said.
Comrade Ememobong announced that the party would deploy constitutional provisions to reclaim its mandate from those who have “ignobly and surreptitiously” abandoned the platform on which they were elected.
“Consequently, the PDP will take legal steps to activate the provision of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (1999 as amended) to recover the mandate gained under the banner of our party which these people have now switched to another platform,” he said.
He urged party members in Rivers State to remain calm and steadfast.
“We urge all party members in Rivers State to remain faithful and resolute, as efforts are underway to rebuild the party along the path of inclusiveness, fairness and equity,” Comrade Ememobong assured.
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