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Photo: Vanguard PDP governors Abuja — The lingering crisis of confidence between the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, leadership and seven of its estranged governors reached a climax, yesterday, with the aggrieved governors formally defecting to the All Progressives Congress, APC. But it was not all rosy for the G-7 governors as two of the governors -- Babangida Aliyu of NigerState and his Jigawa counterpart, Sule Lamido-- disagreed with the other five on timing of the defection. While Lamido stayed away from the meeting, Aliyu only showed up at the venue, met briefly with his counterparts and hurried out of the Kano Governor's Lodge, the venue of the meeting, before the communiqué announcing the merger of nPDP with APC, was read to the media. In attendance at the meeting with the APC leaders, were the governors of Niger, Rivers, Kwara, Adamawa and a representative of the Jigawa

Email This   BlogThis!   Share to Twitter   Share to Facebook   Former governor of Ondo State Dr. Olusegun Agagu is dead. The former governor reportedly died at his Ibadan residence in Oyo State around 6 PM Nigerian time some 24 hours after returning from vacation in the US. Director of Publicity of the  Peoples Democratic Party in Ondo State, Ayo Fadaka confimred Dr. Agagu's death to  Saharareporters . He said   the former governor had been in good health checking up on party operatives since returning from vacation yesterday. He said party members were shocked to learn that the former governor and minister slumped and died this afternoon. Eni Akinsola, a media aide to Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, told SaharaReporters  that the state government was yet to be officially briefed about the passing of the former governor.

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced Monday that she supports President Obama's call for a military strike on Syria and urged Congress to vote to back him. "I will continue to support his efforts, and I hope the Congress will as well," Clinton said at a White House event, after she discussed the latest developments on Syria with Mr. Obama earlier in the day. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., announced Monday that the Senate will hold the first congressional vote to authorize military action in Syria this Wednesday, which will be a procedural vote to begin debate. Meanwhile, while still pressing for Congress to authorize U.S. military force in Syria, Obama administration officials on Monday said they would consider Russia's new proposal for Syria to avert a U.S. military strike by placing its chemical weapons under international control and dismantling them quickly. Syria says it "welcomes" Russian proposal Democratic sena

The protesters. Hundreds of women on Wednesday stormed the streets of Abeokuta, Ogun State, to protest against the recent Senate resolution on child marriage. The protesting women carried placards bearing various inscriptions such as ‘Give us education, not marriage,’ ‘Child marriage is barbaric,’ ‘Woe to husbands of underage,’ and ‘Ogun children reject child marriage.’ The women protesters carried out their action under the aegis of the Concerned Women Forum, which is made up of women groups, market women and men, religious groups, as well as civil society groups. Addressing newsmen during the protest at the Iwe Iroyin House, Oke Ilewo, Abeokuta, secretariat of the Ogun State Council of the Nigeria Union of Journalists, the Iyalode of Egbaland, Chief Alaba Lawson, condemned the passing of the resolution on early marriage by the lawmakers. Lawson wondered why the lawmakers should make such an issue their focus when there were other more important matters that required their

The starting point will be to engage Nigerians in a continuous debate about your manifesto. They want to see the APC’s road map for the future. They are waiting to be convinced. Dear Sirs, I hope this letter meets you in a good, patriotic spirit. Let me first use this opportunity to join other Nigerians in congratulating the opposition on the registration of the long-awaited alternative party, the All Progressives Congress. Its registration by the Independent National Electoral Commission was a significant moment for Nigerians. It, hopefully, signals a new dawn considering that for once, a truly national opposition platform which has been elusive in the Fourth Republic, appears to have emerged to challenge the ruling party in 2015 and beyond. In many ways too, the merger of the once disparate opposition parties under a unifying bloc represents a milestone in the quest for the enthronement of genuine democracy. That the union has come at a time when this democracy is under imminen

Two days ago Lagos State Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, loss his father and was buried according to Islamic rite. Ace music producer and Marvin Record Boss Don Jazzy pay a condolence visit to the Governor yesterday . Don Jazzy share the pictures on his Instagra page with Hastag Greatest Gov ever liveth. IDJA # “”Deepest condolences to our Dear Governor Fashola and his entire family.”

Ogun State Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun A chief of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ogun State, Mr. Buruji Kashamu, has said the newly-registered All Progressives Congress and the emerging Labour Party in Ogun will not pose any threat to the electoral fortunes of the party in the state come 2015 elections. Kashamu said this on Sunday evening at a rally in Ado-Odo/Ota during which 500 members of the new APC and LP defected to the PDP. He alleged that while the people of Ogun State had continued to show disaffection with the style of the Action Congress of Nigeria-led government of Senator Ibikunle Amosun, the emerging LP had been burdened by the image of its promoters, whom he said become politically irrelevant. The ACN is one of the political parties that merged to form the APC. He said, “In 2011, the fight within the PDP and the fact that the people wanted a change, combined to deny the PDP of victory. Now, our people have tasted the change and it is bitter. “The tru

The father of the governor of Lagos state, Babatunde Fashola, Ibrahim Ademola Fashola on Monday died at the age of 80 years at an undisclosed hospital. In a statement signed by the Chief of Staff to the governor, Mr. Lanre Babalola said the remains of Elder Fashola will be buried on Tuesday, the 6th of August 2013 at Vaults and Gardens Ikoyi by 1pm. Meanwhile, President Goodluck Jonathan Monday has sent a condolence message to Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State who is presently away on lesser Hajj in Saudi Arabia A statement by the Special Adviser to the president on Media and Publicity, Dr Reuben Abati, said the president on behalf of himself, his family, the Federal Government and the people of Nigeria, conveys sincere condolences to the governor. “As they mourn Pa Fashola, President Jonathan urges Governor Fashola, his family and people of Lagos State to give thanks to God Almighty for the octogenarian’s very exemplary and accomplished life,” The President urged 

Leader of the Niger Delta Peoples Volunteer Force, NDPF, Alhaji Asari Dokubo, has accused the four northern governors who visited the former President, Olusegun Obasanjo, of playing sectional politics. The four northern Governors who had earlier visited the Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, also met with former Heads of state, Generals Ibrahim Babangida and Abdulsalami Abubakar in Minna. Describing the visit as “a wasteful venture”, Dokubo said, no matter the gang-up against the re-election bid of President Goodluck Jonathan, he will emerge victorious. According to him, Obasanjo no longer has the clout to influence or dictate national politics, saying he cannot decide what will happen in the 2015 election. The ex-militant leader in an interview with Sunday Independent, asked “Where were those four Governors when Obasanjo was President of Nigeria for eight years? “I agree that Obasanjo helped in contributing to the emergence of Goodluck Jonathan as president, the Ijaws

Senator Gbenga Ashafa Senator representing Lagos East Constituency, ‘Gbenga Ashafa, has said the Peoples Democratic Party has no “convincing” candidates for the 2015 elections. He stated this during the graduation ceremony for 50 students from an Information Communication Technology empowerment programme, funded by him in Lagos on Friday. Ashafa, who described the tenure of the PDP as “non-productive and non-progressive”, said Nigeria needed leaders that were ready to make sacrifices for the development and empowerment of the youth. He said, “Nigeria, under the leadership of the PDP, suffered setbacks and challenges more than progress. The registration of the All Progressives Congress shows that Nigeria can be great again. “PDP has failed this country and it has no convincing candidates again. This is why there is no reason why we should give the party another opportunity. “Look at the 15 years that the PDP has ruled this country, what can we show for it? All what we have

National Publicity Secretary, Congress for Progressive Change, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin The Congress for Progressive Change in Ogun State has disowned its governorship candidate in the 2011 gubernatorial election, Wale Okunniyi, over the recent emergence of campaign posters in parts of the state, proclaiming him the party’s flagbearer in the 2015 poll. This is coming on the heels of a statement credited Okunniyi, in w2hich he was said to have vowed that the CPC bloc within the All Progressives Congress would produce a candidate that would vie for the guberbatorial ticket of the newly formed party in the state with Governor Ibikunle Amosun for the 2015 poll. The CPC, which along with the All Nigeria Peoples Party, recently merged with the Action Congress of Nigeria to form the APC, has however assured Amosun, the incumbent governor of the state, of its loyalty and support. The CPC, in a statement jointly signed by its State Chairman, Adekunle Mudashiru; and Publicity Secretary, Sin

Happy belated birthday to Barack Hussein Obama II, who, according to an expertly rendered Democratic National Committee file known as birth-certificate-re-do.jpg turned 52 years old yesterday. The president celebrated the big five-two by “spending part of the day at the Camp David presidential retreat in Maryland after playing golf yesterday with friends from his Hawaii and Chicago days,” E! News reports . Michelle Obama tweeted a photo of the couple and captioned the image : “Happy birthday, Barack! Your hair’s a little grayer, but I love you more than ever.” Note that this message follows the accepted social metrics for joking about old age on a loved one’s birthday. It is not O.K. to joke about old age on, for instance, a 50th birthday due to actual self-consciousness on the part of the celebrant. It is O.K. to joke about old age on minor birthdays—say, 52—because 52 is not really a Thing. The 55th birthday is tricky because there are no hard and fast rules about good-natured te

Dr. Umaru Dikko The health of the newly appointed Chairman of the Disciplinary Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Umaru Dikko, is giving some members of the party a cause for concern. we learnt on Thursday that Dikko, who was the Minister of Transport during the Second Republic, had gone to seek medical attention for an undisclosed ailment in a London hospital. Dikko, 77, was recently appointed to head the PDP committee by the party’s National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur. A family source, who pleaded anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media on the issue, confirmed this to one of our correspondents in Kaduna. The source told our correspondent that the Second Republic minister was indeed receiving medical attention in England following an ailment he was not at liberty to disclose. The source said, “We learnt he is getting better now and we pray he will be around during Sallah (after the Muslim holy month of Ramadan). “You know, he has n

Mrs. Patience Jonathan The Rivers State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, on Friday said the wife of the President, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, lied against him in her public account of the misunderstanding between him and the President’s wife a few weeks ago. The governor spoke in Port Harcourt when clergymen of the Niger Delta Bishops Forum paid him a courtesy visit at the Government House. He said it was important for the public to have a true picture of what transpired between him and the President’s wife. He said, “I want to be put on record that the wife of the President said when my wife came to beg me, I pushed her away. I have never quarrelled with my wife publicly and I will never quarrel with my wife publicly. “There was no time I pushed my wife away and there is no time I will push my wife away. I just want to correct that so that nobody goes away with the impression that somebody told my wife, ‘go and talk to your husband, s

Maxi Okwu | credits: File copy A leader of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Mr. Maxi Okwu, who was elected the party’s national chairman, has faulted reports that his faction of the party had reconciled with the faction led by Victor Umeh, who is recognised as the national chairman by the Independent National Electoral Commission. He said the reconciliation between Umeh and the Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi, was driven by personal interest in the forthcoming governorship election in the state and did not mean the APGA crisis had ended. AsB was told that he still stood on the April convention, where he was elected national chairman and would not accept Umeh as the national chairman of APGA. He said, “APGA has not reconciled. It is only Obi and Umeh that reconciled, but that is not APGA. Other leaders of the party, including me, were not carried along. Of course Obi and Umeh are two prominent players, they can attract attention but they alone don’t make up APGA. “I

The chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ekiti State, Mr Makanjuola Ogundipe, resurfaced in the state capital on Tuesday and announced the suspension of a governorship aspirant of the party, Mr Ayo Fayose, and three members of the state executive committee of the party. The members of the state executive whose suspensions were also announced by Mr Ogundipe are the secretary of the party, Mr Tope Aluko; the publicity secretary, Mr Kola Oluwawole and the women leader, Mrs Busola Oyebode. Ogundipe, who addressed newsmen in Ado Ekiti on Tuesday, expressed regret over the invasion of the party secretariat, describing it as “unfortunate and highly regretted,” and added that the state working committee of the party “after a careful study and thorough investigation” decided to suspend the people.

Governor Babatunde Fashola The Lagos State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria has refuted speculations that Senator Oluremi Tinubu, the wife of the National Leader of the Party, Bola Tinubu, has been chosen to succeed Governor Babatunde Fashola as Lagos governor. The speculations, which have become a subject for debate on the Internet, has it that Tinubu has decided to impose his wife on the state, by  ensuring that she emerges as the candidate of the ACN in the 2015 governorship election. But the Publicity Secretary of Lagos ACN, Mr. Joe Igbokwe, told SUNDAY PUNCH that it was mere fabrication, saying the Senator was not interested in governing the state. “No, it’s not true. There is no element of truth in that. It is a figment of the imagination of the people who are propagating the idea. The woman is not interested in that. There’s nothing like that. We see it as a rumour of the marketplace. It’s all noise and no substance. She is satisfied with where she is in the

  Former Ekiti State Governor Ayo Fayose Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party in Ekiti State, who are automatic delegates for party primaries, have kicked against a consensus arrangement the national leadership of the party is proposing to select its candidate for the 2014 governorship poll. The leaders, who held a meeting in Ado Ekiti, expressed their support for former Governor Ayo Fayose while some of them advocated that the party should conduct primaries to pick the most popular candidate. The leaders include current and former local government chairmen of PDP, women leaders, secretaries and treasurers in the 16 local government areas of the state. The PDP leaders, in a communiqué made available to journalists after the meeting, adopted Fayose, saying he had the capacity and acceptability to wrest power from the ruling Action Congress of Nigeria in the state.

The leadership of the People's Democratic Party, PDP, in Rivers State has said it is in total support of the suspension of Governor Rotimi Amaechi, and accused him of already working with the opposition All Progressives Congress, APC. The party leaders, led by the state party chairman, Felix Obuah, had a meeting with President Goodluck Jonathan and also apologised to the president for the governor's actions, which they described as 'shameful.' The Obuah led leadership, opposed to Mr. Amaechi, is believed to be sponsored by the Minister of State for Education, Nyesom Wike, and the presidency. They were declared the authentic leadership after a court sacked the party leadership loyal to Mr. Amaechi. Speaking to journalists after Thursday's meeting, Mr. Obuah said, "W are pained and our heart bleeds today that the main champion of opposition in the country against Mr. President and indeed the Federal Government of Nigeria is our own son, Governor Rotimi Chib

It first began like a rumour. Now, it is spreading fast and furious like a wild bush fire in the harmattan.  Before we knew it, the speculation had also gone viral on the Internet, creating an instant buzz and talking point online. It is not totally surprising though. As the race for 2015 gathers momentum, speculations about who will occupy which position have become the subject of intense public debate. Usually and as it is with our brand of democracy, they first brew like the anecdotal ''beer parlour gossip'' but they soon begin to gain a life of their own over time. But as it has often been said, there can never be smoke without fire. Also in this clime, politicians are usually evasive in declaring their intention for public office.  Even when they so desire to run, they will still "insist on consulting with their consistency''. And when their posters begin to appear like a thief in the night in the public space, they will lay the blame at the doors