Author: Ifeanyi Nwagboso

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Igbo apex socio-political organization, has reacted to the emergence of Governor Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta State as the running mate to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Ohanaeze’s Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro, described Okowa as a minus to Atiku. In a statement he signed, Isiguzoro said the choice of Okowa would lead to the failure of PDP in the Southeast because Igbos would not vote for Atiku in 2023. Isiguzoro said Okowa’s choice as Atiku’s running mate is a chaotic selection for “a party not ready to win the 2023 elections.” According to…

The governorship candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Osun State, Ademola Adeleke has boasted that his alleged stolen mandate in 2018 will be recovered in the coming poll. Adeleke, made this disclosure in Osogbo while welcoming hundreds of opposition party decampees led by a former aide of Rauf Aregbesola, Kolapo Alimi on Wednesday. The opposition’s candidate claimed his mandate was stolen in the last election – 2018. “In 2018, they stole the mandate of the people and people are ready to fight for their mandate. So, by the special grace of God, the people of Osun are going…

The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the Igbo apex socio-political organization has threatened to punish the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for ignoring the Southeast in picking the running mate of its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. InfoStride News earlier reported that Atiku on Thursday at the PDP headquarters in Abuja, announced the Delta State Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate. Some Igbos who believe that the region had sacrificed enough to deserve at least a VP slot from the party, are currently expressing anger over the development. Reacting to Atiku’s choice, Ohanaeze, in a statement issued by its Secretary-General, Mazi Okechukwu Isiguzoro,…

President Xi Jinping on Wednesday expressed his readiness to play a “constructive role” to help settle the Ukrainian crisis, according to the Chinese state-TV. In a telephonic conversation with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin, Xi said, “All parties concerned must take a responsible stance, thus promoting the correct settlement of the crisis in Ukraine.” “China is prepared to keep playing its constructive role,” the Chinese state-TV quoted Xi as saying. Xi asserted that Beijing was taking an independent position on the Ukrainian issue, “taking into account the facts and historical realities”. “We actively contribute to preserving peace on the global…

The Chairman, National Peace Commission, NPC, General Abdulsalam Abubakar, has appealed to the people of Ekiti State to live up to the ideals of the state, the ideals of integrity and honour to have a free, fair and credible election on Saturday in the state. Gen. Abubakar called on INEC to ensure that the Ekiti governorship poll is free of rancor, the citizens must be patient and to conduct themselves orderly while INEC offICial must ensure that no obstacles are placed on the path of the people and Nigerians. Gen. Abubakar was represented by the convener, the National Peace Committee,…

A governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress in Rivers State, Bernard Mikko, has filed a lawsuit against the governorship candidate of the party, Patrick Tonye-Cole, the APC and Independent National Electoral Commission, challenging the just-concluded party’s primaries in the state. Mikko in an originating summon brought before a Federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt is asking the court to determine whether in regulations by INEC, in conduct of party primaries, the APC is mandated to conduct its primaries in face of alleged illegalities pertaining the conduct of APC primaries. Mikko is also seeking the court to determine whether…

A governorship aspirant on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara State, Ibrahim Shehu has challenged the victory of Dauda Lawal Dare in the just concluded party’s primary election as the flag bearer of the party. Shehu challenged the party’s governorship candidate at the Federal High court in Gusau, the State capital, saying the primary election of the party was full of irregularities, praying the court to nullify the primary election and order a fresh one. The former federal lawmaker joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the electoral committee chairman sent to the State to conduct…

President Muhammadu Buhari played a neutral and laudable role in the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary for the 2023 presidential ticket, Garba Shehu, said on Tuesday. According to him, those who had assembled to witness a catastrophe were disappointed. In a statement, the presidential spokesman noted that there was no intrigue, no division, no disagreement, no defeated candidates rejecting the result, no splits and no third-party runs. Shehu said the opposition’s reaction to the successful nomination convention has come by way of a counter offensive. The aide said there was clear evidence of a conspiracy to destabilize the governing party…

Taiwan on Tuesday said that China’s claim of Sovereignty over the Taiwan Strait is false and the only waters over which any country has full sovereignty are its 12-nautical mile territorial waters. While accusing Beijing of distorting international law, Taiwan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) spokeswoman, Joanne Ou said that by ignoring Taipei’s sovereignty claim over the Taiwan Strait and downgrading the strait to its own exclusive economic zone (EEZ), China revealed its ambition to annex Taiwan, Focus Taiwan reported. Taiwan will continue to work with like-minded countries to jointly uphold rule-based international orders and promote peace and stability in…

Oyo State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that there is no vacancy at the Agodi secretariat in 2023. The party urged opposition political parties in the state not to waste their money. The PDP said this on Wednesday. The Agodi secretariat is the seat of the Oyo State Government. The PDP, which is the ruling party in the state, has however said that there is no vacancy in the secretariat. The party urged the major opposition political parties in the state, All Progressives Congress (APC), Accord Party, Social Democratic Party (SDP), Labour Party, and others not…

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar is scheduled to meet with governors of the party. The meeting is aimed at concluding plans on who emerges as Atiku’s running mate ahead of the 2023 elections. A notice of the meeting was made public by the Secretariat of the PDP Governors Forum, signed by the Director-General of the PDP GF, CID Maduagbanam. The notice said the meeting started at the Legacy House in Abuja, at 2:30pm. Atiku is yet to pick his running mate since emerging the PDP’s presidential candidate. However, some names like Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers…

Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Eyinnaya Abaribe, has officially resigned his membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to join the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA). His resignation letter was read by the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, during Wednesday’s plenary. Until his resignation, Abaribe was the Minority Leader in the Senate. The letter was entitled “Notification for Resignation from Membership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Senate.” It read: “This is to notify you and my dear colleagues in the Senate that I have formally resigned my membership of the PDP through my ward. “This…

Alhaji Bashir Sheriff Machina, who emerged as the senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ‘Zone C’ Senatorial District of Yobe State has been urged by concerned stakeholders of the party not to step down for incumbent Sen. Ahmed Lawan ahead of the 2023 general elections. TheInfoStride News recalls that Lawan, who was an aspirant for the just concluded APC presidential primary election that produced Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as candidate, has approached Machina to allow him fly the senatorial flag. Abba Maina Yusufari, leader of the stakeholders, in a press statement, said, “For keen observers of Yobe politics, no…

Donald Trump’s closest campaign advisers, top government officials and even his family were dismantling his false claims of 2020 election fraud ahead of Jan 6, but the defeated president was becoming detached from reality and clinging to outlandish theories to stay in power, the committee investigating the Capitol attack was told Monday. On election night itself, Trump was growing increasingly unhappy and refusing to accept the results as they came in, former campaign manager Bill Stepien said in testimony played before the House panel. Son-in-law Jared Kushner tried to steer Trump away from attorney Rudy Giuliani and his far-flung theories…

Two frontline members of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senate Majority Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi; and Adamu Aliero, have officially defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), NAN reports. The formal defections of the two APC senators from Kebbi State were conveyed in two separate letters addressed to Senate President Ahmad Lawan, and read at plenary on Tuesday Sen. Ailero and Sen. Abdullahi represent Kebbi Central and Kebbi North Senatorial districts respectively. Also to defect formally from the PDP to the All Progressives Grand Alliance on June 15, is the Senate Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe His defection and exit as Minority…

The Speaker of the House of Representatives has expressed dismay with the losses suffered by lawmakers at the just concluded primaries. Gbajabimaila, in his welcome remarks on Tuesday, blamed the indirect primaries system for the woeful performance of the lawmakers during the primaries. He noted that the lawmakers had fought against the indirect primaries because they saw it coming. It would be recalled that the National Assembly had passed the Electoral Act with direct primary as the only option for election. But President Muhammadu Buhari rejected the bill until other means of primaries were included. “Many of our members lost…

Ex-Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekwerwmadu has given his personal assessment of the just concluded primary elections by political parties into various political offices and said, “narrow political interests” has affected the 2022 Electoral Act as amended. He said the direct mode of primary election is the only viable alternative in the nomination of candidates in order to consolidate Nigeria’s democracy. The lawmaker decried the overwhelming negative interests of desperate politicians that made nonsense of the 2022 Electoral Act. On security challenges, he feared that Nigeria was gradually turning into another Somalia, if nothing was urgently done to tackle…

As the deadline by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for presidential candidates to produce their running mate almost elapses, President Muhammadu Buhari has held a closed-door meeting with the All Progressives Governors Forum at the Presidential Villa, Abuja. The APC governors were led to the meeting by the Chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum, Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi State, before they left for Ekiti State to participate in the final campaigns preceding the gubernatorial election. Recall that while the APC has produced former Lagos State Governor, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as its presidential flagbearer in the 2023 general elections,…

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken on Monday (local time) discussed the current economic and political challenges with Sri Lanka’s Prime Minister Ranil Wickremesinghe. Blinken spoke with Sri Lankan PM Ranil Wickremesinghe and affirmed the US commitment to the Sri Lankan people during this challenging time and the importance of supporting reforms that address the concerns of all Sri Lankans, including on democratic governance and human rights, read US Department of State press release. The Sri Lankan economy has been facing a crisis owing to a serious Balance of Payments (BoP) problem. Its foreign exchange reserves are depleting rapidly and…

Festus Keyamo, Nigeria’s Minister of State for Labour and Employment, has called on former African Democratic Party (ADC) presidential aspirant, Kingsley Moghalu to join the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. Keyamo made the call after Moghalu resigned from the ADC, having failed to clinch the presidential ticket of the party. Moghalu lost in the primaries to owner of Roots Television Nigeria, Dumebi Kachikwu, on June 8. In a letter written to the National Chairman of ADC, Chief Okey Nwosu, on Monday, Moghalu claimed that the conduct of the election revealed a fundamental clash of values between him and the leadership…