There has been fallout among members of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP in Oyo State after the last presidential election which produced Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as the president of the country.
Some aggrieved members of the PDP have vowed to work against the emergence of Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde for second term due to his role in making sure that the PDP presidential candidate lost Oyo State to APC in the last presidential poll.
Meanwhile, some of the aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in Oyo State, under the platform called PDP Vanguard, have declared their support for the All Progressives Congress, APC governorship candidate, Teslim Folarin, on Saturday, March 11, 2023.
The group, made up of about 190,000 supporters disclosed this in a statement on their official Twitter account @pdpvanguard, on Wednesday.
The statement read: “It is essential that every eligible voter in Oyo State exercises their right to vote.
“The importance of this cannot be overstated, as every single vote counts and can make a significant difference in the outcome of the election.
“Folarin is the answer!”
Meanwhile, a statement by Folarin’s media aide, Yekeen Olaniyi, on Thursday, welcomed the development, calling on other opposition parties to take a cue from the PDP Vanguard by joining him to rescue the state from Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration.
Olaniyi said, “Oyo State security system has shamefully degraded from a mountaintop of excellence during the days of “Operation Burst” to a despicable gutter of security deterioration such that the state residents now live in palpable fear and tension.”
On Wednesday, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Committee (PCC) denied having a standing agreement with governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state as speculated.
The PCC was apparently reacting to a meeting the governor had with aggrieved candidates of the PDP for a national assembly, where Makinde begged for their support on the March 11 governorship election to defect to APC in the future.
According to a filler from Makinde’s camp, the governor told aggrieved candidates that he had agreed with the president-elect that he would defect to the APC after the election, and the president-elect supported his idea.
But reacting to the news of the so-called agreement between the president-elect and the governor, a member of the PCC in the state, Queen Nike Ajagbe, said Makinde was only deceiving his members, adding that the visit of the campaign team had nothing to do with the endorsement of the governor.
She said a president-elect is a party man who cannot joke with the success of his party across the country, especially the South West, which is regarded as his stronghold.
Speaking further, Ajagbe explained that it was in the programme of the campaign committee to visit all the opposition governors whenever they are in their state for the campaign; hence nobody should see it as an endorsement but a privilege to host a widely accepted presidential candidate.
The Member, Directorate of Special Duties 3, PCC said being the governor of the state; the president-elect only visited governor Makinde as he did to other opposition governors whenever he visited their states.
Citing the example of the River state governor and other state governors where the president-elect visited the government House before proceeding on campaigns, the Personal Assistant and Special Accountant to MKO on Hope 93 said she was part of all the visits of the president-elect to Makinde. No agreement was made between the campaign team and Makinde.
She said for Makinde to know that Tinubu is a party man, she said immediately the president-elect left Makinde’s office, he went straight to the ancient Mapo Hall to raise the hand of the governorship candidate of the party, Senator Teslim Folarin.
The PCC of the party said people are surprised to read that the governor claimed he had an agreement with the president-elect when he was unable to disclose his support for the president-elect elect openly, especially when he remarked that people of the state should vote for a unifier of the country during the governorship debate on Splash FM.
Meanwhile, the governorship candidate of the APC in the state, Senator Teslim Kolawole Folarin, in a statement by his media aide, YSO Olaniyi, condemned the governor for lavishing N500million on aggrieved PDP candidates and other stakeholders.
Folarin said Makinde has demonstrated that he has nothing to offer the good people of the state than spending lavishly to please his partymen, adding that it was the same way Makinde was spending the state resources on a private jet while fighting for the so-called G-5 governors in his party.
The three-term senator, therefore, urged the people of the state to vote massively for the APC in March 11 governorship election to maintain the same party both at the federal and state levels.
Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, will on Friday, join his Oyo State counterpart, Engr Seyi Makinde, to inaugurate the completed Ibadan Airport road project and the Aviation Fuel Tank Depot within the airport.
In a statement made available to newsmen on Thursday in Ibadan by the Oyo State commissioner Information, Culture and Tourism, Dr Wasiu Olatunbosun, other projects to be flagged off include the Omololu Olunloyo Park in Ibadan. Dr Olatubosun said that the projects were part of the state government’s quest to boost its economy and create accessible roads in the state.
According to him, the Park project, on completion, would create an additional economic impact in the state, while the inaugurated project would also be beneficial to residents of the airport road. He added that the projects were expected to boost the domestic economy, as well as industrialisation in the country.
The vice presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed, has said the party will challenge the results of Saturday’s presidential election in court.
Baba-Ahmed alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC) used irregularities and violated the Constitution to win the presidential poll.
The APC candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was declared winner of the election by the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu.
Asiwaju Tinubu polled 8.8 million votes to defeat his closest rivals, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP, Peter Obi of LP and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP).
Nigeria’s main opposition party was defeated in the race to clinch the nation’s number one seat of power, the office of the presidency. After its defeat, some members who are not happy with what was experienced so far in the polity, have decided to walk out of the party.
Although the aggrieved members of the PDP are yet to publicly announce their possible destination, but some are actually resigning their membership from the main opposition party.
After Atiku Abubakar’s loss, a former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayo Fayose, has announced his resignation from the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). According to a report, Fayose announced his resignation from the PDP on Wednesday, March 1st while appearing as a guest on a programme on ARISE News.
Fayose said his decision to quit the party appears to be connected with perceived irreconcilable differences in the PDP, which according to him, has fractured the party.
The Ooni of Ife has congratulated the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and winner of the just concluded presidential election in Nigeria, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu on his emergence as president elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, urging him to start working before inauguration.
In a statement released on Wednesday by the Ooni’s Palace Director of Media and Public Affairs, Otunba Moses Olafare, the African foremost monarch described Tinubu as a man of destiny, a game changer and a progressive workaholic who does not only merit the victory but also has adequate proven capacity to lead the country to an enviable position in the global committee of nations.
“Your Excellency, I congratulate you and your amiable wife on behalf of the Oduduwa race worldwide as you have victoriously emerged as the President elect of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
“You are indeed a man of destiny, you are a game changer and you are a progressive workaholic who has worked assiduously with right strategy and tactics justifying the merit of your recorded victory.
“As a pragmatic leader and manager of resources with adequate proven capacity to lead this country to an enviable position within the global committee of nations, please don’t disappoint Nigerians and the African people.” Ooni said.
Ooni, the Overall Father of Oduduwa race worldwide who doubles as Co-chairman, National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria(NCTRN) charged Tinubu to immediately assemble a transition team of cerebral men and women to come up with an economic recovery blueprint and swiftly upon his inauguration on May 29th 2023 move into action in a way that will further assure Nigerians of the ‘Renewed Hope’
“As a tested and trusted cerebral team leader that you are, you must in a couple days present your transition team of cerebral men and women to give us an economic recovery blueprint as Nigerians can not wait to be liberated from the unbearable economic hardship that has bedeviled the country in the recent times.
“Nigerians have voted for you because of your promise of a ‘Renewed Hope” and you must swiftly from your first day in office come May 29th 2023 set the ball rolling in a manner that will further assure Nigerians of the ‘Renewed Hope’. Ooni said.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has presented certificates of return to Bola Tinubu and Kashim Shettima, as the president and vice-president-elect.
The event is currently taking place at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.
Tinubu and Shettima of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the presidential election held on Saturday.
Speaking at the event, Tinubu said the road to his victory has “been long”.
“The road has been long, yet we worked it. The battle has been hard fought, yet we won it,” he said.
Tinubu said his certificate of return symbolises that each Nigerian has the ability to achieve their dreams.
He said he would work day and night to ensure the development of the country.
“By taking this sacrifice, I accept a sacred duty. I will work day and night to make Nigeria better. We are committed to the progress and development of Nigeria,” he said.
The Arole Oduduwa and Ooni of Ife has appealed to all stakeholders in the ongoing presidential election particularly politicians and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be matured in their conducts in order for peace to reign.
In an emergency press release issued at the Ile Oodua Palace, Ile-Ife on Tuesday, the Ooni who is the Co-Chairman of the National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN), explained that Nigerians particularly the low income earners have been waiting patiently for the electioneering period to be over for them to resume normal activities. “The imbroglio developing from the Presidential election of Saturday is unnecessary, distracting and totally unacceptable.
The nation does not need it at the moment. All over the world, elections are known to be disputed. And the tension must be addressed in a way in line with law of the land and in accordance with the best global practices.” “All politicians involved and their respective political parties without exception not to do anything capable of heating up the polity as this dangerously amounts to torching up a simmering fire of Nigerian cohesion.
“The Ooni of Ife in his capacity as the Co-chairman of National Council of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria (NCTRN) hereby charges the nation’s electoral body to remain on the path of fairness, equity and justice as it sets to complete the process of announcing the result of the election as adopted in global best standard.” In the same vein, the Ooni urged Nigerians to remain patient and understanding of the fact that the country is far bigger than all entities and personalities.
“Nigeria and indeed some Nigerians are yet to recover from the hurts that emanated from the mismanagement of the #ENDSARS protest, that is why we must be watchful of our conducts and speeches. “Nigerians have suffered enough and any form of uproar will add to the already harsh condition of living for Nigerians especially the poor and vulnerable amongst us.
I equally urge our youths to resist all pressure to be utilized by unpatriotic elements as thugs.” The Ooni stated. Signed: Otunba Moses Olafare, Director, Media and Public Affairs, Ooni’s Palace.
Some Yoruba leaders under the aegis of Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) and Yoruba Assembly on Monday asked the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to complete the electoral process by announcing the results of the presidential poll.
The groups also rejected the call for the suspension of the process by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying his comment amounted to “undue interference” in the constitutional duties of INEC as an independent agency under the law.
According to the organisations, there is no room for annulment, no basis for intermediate government and the military should not be incited against the democratic process.
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has appealed to the chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Mahmood Yakubu to save the country from impending danger by rectifying the errors in the recent elections.
Obasanjo’s appeal was contained in a statement he personally signed on Monday.
Nigeria held the Presidential and National Assembly polls last Saturday where over 80 million Nigerians cast their votes. Two days after what many described as historic presidential and National Assembly polls, results are now pouring in from several parts of the country.
“Let me appeal to the Chairman of INEC, if his hands are clean, to save Nigeria from the looming danger and disaster which is just waiting to happen,” Obasanjo stated.
The 85-year-old statesman also appealed to the citizen to exercise patience expressing confidence in the system working right.
“Compatriot Nigerians, please exercise patience until the wrong is righted. I strongly believe that nobody will toy with the future and fortune of Nigeria at this juncture,” he said.
