Politics

Edo Poll: Obedients Move Against Obi, Endorse PDP’s Ighodalo

Published

1 year ago

September 20, 2024

Less than 72 hours to the Edo State Governorship election, the Obedients support group for the 2023 Presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, have endorsed Asue Ighodalo, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate.
The group, which rooted strongly for the presidential aspiration of Mr Obi in Edo, promised to deliver hundred thousand votes for the PDP candidate, adding that Ighodalo was most prepared amongst the candidates for the election.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday in Benin City, the state capital, the co-convener, Augustine Isikhuemen, said that they decided to embrace the candidature of Ighodalo, following his proven track records and developmental prowess.
He said: “Obedients are committed to accountable and responsible code of government. Our members are committed to contributing to the realisation of a better future for Nigeria through the new Nigeria project anchored on loyalty, integrity, and democratic values.
“Because the Obedients are based on these principles and we endorsed Obi because he happens to have what we seek in a good leader like capacity, competence, compassion for the downtown trodden, character and knowledge of how to run the economy.
“We are having an off cycle election in Edo State, what the Obedients of Edo have done is to say those principles we stood by in 2023, we are not going to shift from them. And Asue Ighodalo possesses those qualities.
“The Obedients are not rooting for Asue because he is from Edo Central, far from it. The reason is that if you look at the qualities of Asue Ighodalo, his manifesto touches everything and every body in the state.
“Looking at that, we believe he has the competence, capacity, concern for the downtrodden, just like Peter Obi. Therefore, Asue ticks that box.
“So, looking at all these qualities and other candidates, it was quite clear that the Obedients in the truth to live according to their name, must support Asue Ighodalo in line with what Peter Obi told us. He told us we can make a choice and we have made a choice in Asue Ighodalo.
“Asue is a seasoned lawyer and investments banker whose law firm is about the biggest in Nigeria today and they are most respected worldwide. Funding under his administration wouldn’t be a problem because he will know how to get foreign direct investment into the state.
“He has ran a manufacturing company like Dangote Flour Mills. Therefore, the industrial sector in the state would be at home with him. He has ran a bank, he would therefore know how to make sure that the funds and finances of the state are well managed.
“This man has integrity and he is walking the talk. It is only PDP whose candidates are Asue and Ogie that have broken their manifestos down to local government by local government across the 18 local government areas. This is revolutionary in Nigeria, nobody has done this before.
“He is prepared for the job of governance and the people of Edo are wise enough to know who will best serve their interest and that person is Asue Ighodalo and Osarodion Ogie.”
Corroborating the position of Isikhuemen, the state coordinators of the group, Blessing Agho and Jegede Idemudia said the members of the group were convinced that the PDP candidate was the right person to govern Edo State.
According to Agho, 90 per cent of the Obedients support group, including candidates who ran the 2023 election in Edo, were with them in the support for Mr Ighodalo.

Politics

LP Crisis: Ex-NWC Member Dumps Dumps Abure Faction

Published

4 days 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 days 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 days 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.”