Senator Dino Melaye, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Kogi State gubernatorial race, has expressed his strong disapproval regarding the recent clash that reportedly occurred between Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The clash reportedly took place on Saturday when armed thugs, believed to be supporters of Alhaji Muritala Yakubu, the SDP candidate, attacked the governor’s convoy. In response, Senator Melaye issued a statement to the press in Lokoja, stressing that the peace and well-being of the people of Kogi should not be endangered by political disputes or the…
Author: Ifeanyi Nwagboso
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President, Kashim Shettima to follow the path of the late President Umaru Yar’adua by making their assets declaration public. The opposition in an interview with ThePunch on Sunday, June 4, 2023, said it was not enough for Tinubu and Shettim to fill out assets declaration forms and submit them to the Code of Conduct Bureau. In a telephone conversation with the newspaper, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba said the president and his vice should demonstrate their readiness for transparent leadership. “They should follow the…
Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, on Sunday says the legislative background of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima heralds improved executive-legislative relations for the country. Buni, in a statement by his Director-General Press and Media Affairs, Alhaji Mamman Mohammed in Damaturu, said the Tinubu administration ”is a meeting point of the executive and legislative arms of government that could fast track development. “Tinubu, Shettima and the SGF, George Akume were former Governors and Senators, while the newly appointed Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila is the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, making it a unique…
China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu used a speech in Singapore to attack US strategy toward the Indo-Pacific, saying Washington is seeking to stoke confrontation through its support for Taiwan, military deployments and building alliances in the region. And Li vowed that China would defend its interests — particularly over Taiwan, the biggest potential military flashpoint between the world’s biggest economies. “We will never hesitate to defend our legitimate rights and interests, let alone sacrificing the nation’s core interests,” Li said Sunday. “As the lyrics of a well-known Chinese song goes, when friends visit us, we welcome them with fine wine.…
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kogi State, Dino Melaye, has said Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State should support the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in his push to reclaim his mandate. Melaye said Makinde should walk into the presidential election tribunal and support Atiku to show that the healing process has begun. Makinde, along with the G-5 governors led by ex-Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, had turned against Atiku during the last presidential election. While Makinde and Wike supported President Bola Tinubu, other members of the G-5 governors supported Peter Obi of the…
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has enjoined members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across the country to steer clear of issues that could divide the party and instead focus on its unity. The governor made these declarations during a retreat organised by the party for elected officials in Bauchi on Saturday. Makinde, while speaking at the retreat, insisted that the process of healing the party must begin immediately. In his address to the gathering, the governor urged party members to embrace peace and put aside issues capable of causing division in the party as a result of the…
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has urged the present administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to engage in genuine dialogue with organised labour and other stakeholders over petroleum subsidy removal to reach a fair and reasonable solution. The party gave the advice in a communique at a retreat for the elected officials on its platform, held on Saturday in Bauchi. The PDP in the communique, signed by its acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, made available to newsmen in Abuja, expressed concerns over what it described as the quick removal of the subsidy and the lack of adequate consultation. The…
Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, on Saturday, called for unity among members of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He asserted that its strength lies in the ability of the members to remain united in the face of adversities. Governor Mohammed made the assertion at a one-day PDP retreat for elected officials in Bauchi, adding that the party remained resilient in the face of challenges. According to the Governor, the party’s conflicts with its governors and among members only serve to not only divide it and members but also undermine their shared objectives. “Despite the challenges we…
Opposition Senators-elect and House of Representatives members-elect are expected to meet at separate times with Tinubu at the State House in Abuja between 3 pm and 5 pm on Monday, June 5, 2023. The President’s notice of invitation, dated June 3, 2023, was signed by the Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijani Umar, on behalf of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. According to the notice, opposition senators-elect are billed to meet with Tinubu by 3 pm, while opposition House of Representatives members-elect will gather at the same venue to engage the President by 5 pm. The invitation…
A faction of the Labour Party, led by Lamidi Apapa, has asked the party’s presidential candidate in the last general elections, Peter Obi, to withdraw his case against President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Election. The faction gave the advice on Friday, June 2, 2023, following the incident which happened at the tribunal on Thursday where the court chided Obi and the Labour Party for lack of preparation in their petitions and thereby stepped down the hearing. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Abayomi Arabambi, said the development vindicated their…
A Catholic Priest in Edo State, Rev. Fr. Andrew Obinyan has charged Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia to rely on God for guidance in his desire to bring good governance and development to Benue State. Obinyan, who gave the charge on Saturday in Benin while speaking with newsmen, said that is the only way Alia can succeed as governor of Benue. He said, “I know you will sacrifice for Benue State to grow and prosper, but all that will definitely take some time. “You should begin your administration with this plea: ‘God, I don’t know what to do.…
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has described President Bola Tinubu’s government as temporary. Atiku made the remark while stressing that he would reclaim his alleged stolen mandate in court. He spoke during a PDP stakeholders’ meeting for elected officials of the party in Bauchi State on Saturday. PDP urged members of the National Assembly of the PDP not to be “rubber stamp members of the National Assembly.” According to Atiku: “You are there to serve as a formidable opposition to this temporary administration. “Based on the results announced by the INEC and pending…
The member-elect in the House of Representatives for Ogbaru Federal Constituency and leader of the Labour Party, LP, caucus of the 10th National Assembly, Victor Afam Ogene has expressed the readiness of his party to work with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, if it would take charge of visible opposition in the country. However, Ogene warned the PDP that the Labour Party would lead the charge on behalf of the Nigerian people to create a new nation if it stays on the “audio side” and remains an opposition party in name. He made the assertion during the one-day retreat for…
President Ranil Wickremesinghe has called for joint action by all parties for Sri Lanka to emerge from the unprecedented economic crisis. Wickremesinghe, who made the remarks while addressing a legal conference held at the Central Resort of Nuwara Eliya on Friday, said that none of the political parties in Parliament currently possess a 50 per cent voter base. The economic challenges faced by the country ten months ago as an “unprecedented situation in history,” Wickremesinghe, also the debt-ridden island nation’s finance minister said. It has been 10-11 months since our country faced a state of failure. However, we have managed…
Governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has suggested how to resolve the lingering crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the national level. The Governor, who leveraged the Plateau experience that culminated in the party’s overwhelming victory at the just concluded governorship election in the state, insisted that leaders must walk their talk and be level-headed in dealing with other party faithful. Mutfwang made the suggestion while responding to a question on how he resolved the crisis in the Plateau State chapter of the party during a retreat for elected officials, held at the New Banquet Hall, Government House,…
Pastor Reuben Wilson, a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa, has said the emergency of Bola Ahmed Tinubu as Nigeria’s President is the handiwork of God. Wilson, who is also the South-South Coordinator of The Asiwaju Group (TAG), made this known in a statement he issued on Saturday in Yenagoa. According to him, the emergency of Tinubu as the APC flag bearer when most people never gave him any chance of winning the election is an indication that God is at work. He noted that with the expertise and experience of the president, as well as the…
The immediate past Governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike has denied he is planning to defect to the All Progressives Congress (APC), after meeting with President Bola Tinubu on Friday. Wike met Tinubu along with his Oyo State counterpart, Seyi Makinde and a former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori. However, the chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) insisted he only visited Tinubu to offer him support four days after he was sworn-in as the president of Nigeria. When asked by State House correspondents if switching to the APC was on the agenda of the meeting he had, Wike…
The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) has said that the fuel subsidy regime is not a sustainable system for the nation’s economy. At a briefing in Abuja on Friday, members of the forum also expressed their support for the decision taken by President Bola Tinubu on the issue. Gov. Hope Uzodinma of Imo, who spoke to State House correspondents after a meeting with the president, said the decision to remove fuel subsidy was an inherited legacy by the administration. He said that what Nigerians should be talking about now is sustainable alternatives that would benefit every citizen, adding that subsidy removal…
Former presidential aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Tein Jack-Rich has congratulated Sen. George Akume and Mr Femi Gbajabiamila, over their appointments as Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), and Chief of Staff (COS) to the President respectively. Akume and Gbajabiamila’s appointments were announced on Friday by President Bola Tinubu’s Director, Information, Mr Abiodun Oladunjoye. Jack-Rich, who described the SGF and COS’ appointments as well deserved, said the duo were no doubt round pegs in round holes. He expressed optimism that the former Benue governor’ and ex-speaker’s antecedents as seasoned administrators, legislators and leaders, would come to…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its governorship candidate in the March 18 governorship election in Ebonyi, Ifeanyi Chukwuma Odii, said on Friday that at least 60 witnesses would be called to prove their case against Gov Francis Nwifuru’s victory. Counsel for the petitioners, Gordy Uche, told the three-member panel of the Ebonyi State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, headed by Justice A. L. Ogunmoye, during the pre-hearing session in Abuja. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had declared Nwifuru of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the governorship poll conducted in the state. Nwifuru garnered a total of…