Author: oduduwanews

Governor Nyesom Wike and his colleagues in the Integrity Group, Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, Abia State Governor Mr. Ikpeazu Okezie, Enugu state Governor Ifeanyi Ugwanyi were in Ibadan on Thursday to rally support for the re-election of Oyo State Governor, Engr. Seyi Makinde, who is seeking a second term in office.

The four governors, who are members of the G-5 governors in their separate remarks, declared their support for the re-election bid of Governor Seyi Makinde at the flagg-off of the governorship campaign at Mapo Hill, Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

The governors, however, in their separate remarks kept silent on the presidential candidate to support in the forthcoming presidential election.

Addressing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faithful, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, commended Governor Makinde for fulfilling his 2019 election promises to the people by transforming the state in terms of economy and infrastructures.

Wike was quoted as saying: ” vote all Senatorial, House of Representatives, House of Assembly candidates but Makinde will tell you the presidential candidate to vote for when the time comes.

Governor Seyi Makinde in his remarks expressed his appreciation to the people and party faithfuls for entrusting the destiny of the state under his care assuring that more developmental projects and programs will be witnessed in the state if reelected for another term of four years.

Makinde, who boasted of jerking up the state’s internally generated revenue from about N1.7 billion to N3.8 billion as at November ending, 2023 among other achievements promised to do more for the people of the state.

Highlight of the event was the official presentation of PDP flag to Governor Seyi Makinde and all other candidates on the platform of the party in the forthcoming general elections.

PDP stalwarts and members of Atiku/Okowa presidential campaign organization including former Minister of state for FCT, Chief Jumoke Akinjide and other leaders from the south west zone of the party all attended the event in Ibadan

The supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar today trooped out in thousands in Oyo State to express their solidarity for him.

Recall, there has been lingering crisis in PDP following the group of five governors’ insistence that the party’s chairman, Iyorcha Ayu tenders his resignation after the primary election that produced Atiku Abubakar as the party’s presidential candidate.

The walk which took off from Total Garden, Secretariat road in Ibadan saw the supporters of Jumoke Akinjide, Deputy Director-General Atiku campaign Council, Women Affairs, Wole Oyelese, former Mines and Power Minister, Ashim Gbolarumi, Former Oyo state Deputy Governor and a host of others routing for Atiku’s election, moving to Agodi Gate, locking down the streets to Itutaba,Oje,Isale Alfa, Beere to Mapo as the people were addressed at different junctions.

Addressing the mammoth crowd, Oloye Jumoke Akinjide stated the objectives of the “freedom walk” as creating awareness for the people of the state on why Atiku is the best for the Presidential job.

She used the ocassion to call the attention of party members to tommorow’s PDP gubernatorial campaign flag-off in Oyo State and directed that members should troop into the venue while also imploring them to stand against Makinde and his G-5 allies should they use the campaign venue to pronounce support for any presidential candidate other than Atiku Abubakar.

Oloye Akinjide catalogued the woes that have bedevilled the people of Nigeria under the APC administration for the past eight years—-the inflation rates, insecurity, economic downturn, removal of foods from homes and what have you, and the need to have an Atiku who has stated several times that he already has his bill to restructure Nigeria.

The PDP stalwart told the traders who besieged the campaign at Oje market that Atiku as a former customs officer understands how it pinches them when borders are closed by the Buhari government and knows how to alleviate the problem.

She reminded the people that Atiku has always been a friend of the Yorubas as his actions to make it possible for Abiola and Olusegun Obasanjo to win elections in 1993 and 1999 respectively are there as historical evidences. Party supporters, especially women chanted and danced gleefully to the music of Taye Currency, the Fuji maestro, in support of Atiku’s presidential election bid.

Security Agencies, the Police, Civil Defence Corp, Road Safety, DSS, all maintained an unprecedented security network to make the “freedom walk” a success.

The erstwhile Minister of Aviation and the Director of Digital Media to presidential candidate of APC in 2023 general elections, Femi Fani-Kayode has condemned allegation made by Gov Nyesom Wike that some APC governors in the North had been having meeting with the presidential candidate of PDP, Waziri Atiku Abubakar in Dubai.

Fani Kayode in a statement made available through his official Twitter account as read in part:

“In the light of the fact that Governor Nyseom Wike of Rivers state, a leading member of the G5, has claimed that some APC Governors are meeting with Waziri Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the PDP, in Dubai and elsewhere (an allegation which I cannot possibly confirm or deny), I am constrained to make the following submission.

“For those that may be attending such meetings or are considering the possibility of doing so kindly consider the following.

“A violation of the sacred covenant and betrayal of the honorable commitment of a power shift to the South in 2023 will take us back to the June 12th 1993 crisis and will have grave consequences for democracy and our national unity. Nigerians were NOT born slaves and will NEVER be slaves.

“An Atiku Presidency woul represent a violation of that sacred covenant and would be manifestly unjust to the people of the South.

“There can be no peace where there is no justice and there can be no unity where there is no peace.

“If Waziri Atiku Abubakar, a Northern Fulani man from Adamawa state, emerges as President in February, Southerners would then be forced to ask themselves whether we are equal partakers in Nigeria and whether we really have a place and stake in the nation.

“Nothing would confirm the notion that we are nothing but second class citizens and slaves more than an Atiku Presidency given the fact that we would have just finished 8 years of Northern Fulani rule under President Muhammadu Buhari.

“If it had been a non-Fulani from the North that was contesting on the platform of the PDP it would have been easier to accept but to have a Fulani to Fulani succession is unacceptable just as it would have been unacceptable for President Olusegun Obasanjo, who is a Yoruba, to have been succeeded by another Yoruba man or for President Goodluck Jonathan, an Ijaw, to be succeeded by another Ijaw man.

“In any case this whole ugly and unfolding scenario begs for an answer to a wider question, namely should the South be denied the Presidency for the next 8 years having not had it for the last 8 simply because we come from the “wrong” part of the country?

“Whether you stand with Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as I do, or with Mr. Peter Obi, as my friend and brother Bashorun Akin Osuntokun does, is neither here nor there because for either of the two to win there must be a power shift, the North must be ready to let go of power and an Atiku Presidency must not be allowed to see the light of day.

“They say politics and democracy is a game of numbers and this is true but it must also be guided by justice, decency, principle and honor.

“We are free to make our choices about who to support but let those choices be bound in equity, justice and fairness.

“The tyranny and injustice of the so-called majority cannot be visited on the so-called minority without consequence.

History proves that and posterity will confirm it.

“In the light of this I say, in the name of God and for the sake of our collective future, let power shift from the North to the South next year, let us avoid the ugly conundrum of perpetual Northern rule and let us, in peace, love and unity, rebuild the bridges of trust between our people and heal our land.

“Whether Northerner or Southerner Nigerians are ONE but to confirm that we must pass the baton of leadership between North and South in an equitable, reasonable and just manner.

As we enter the New Year kindly ponder on this matter.

“The consequences of getting it wrong would be dangerous, dire, too hard to bear and too troubling to enunciate.

“Let us hope and pray that sanity prevails”.