•As party emerges coalition’s choice •Mark, Aregbesola named chair, secretary •Oyegun, CPC caucus in APC join •Nwosu’s NWC disowns publicity secretary •Tinubu leading Nigeria to creeping dictatorship —Former Senate president
NATIONAL chairman of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Chief Ralph Okey Nwosu and the party’s national secretary, Alhaji Saheed Baba Abdullahi, formally dislodged themselves as members of the opposition party’s National Working Committee (NWC) on Wednesday and handed over to former Senate President, David Mark and former Minister of Interior. Rauf Aregbesola, as interim national chairman and secretary, respectively.
Both Mark and Aregbesola will, however, work with other members of the ADC NWC.
Nwosu, in his speech titled, Beyond Politics and Power, revealed that the ADC agreed to accommodate members of the National Opposition Coalition Group after 12 NWC meetings.
He equally said the discussions between his leadership and the coalition lasted for over 18 months.
The immediate past national chairman of the ADC dismissed claims by one Dr Isa Matara, National publicity secretary, who alleged in a statement that the entire NWC members and National Executive Committee (NEC) were not taken along before the deal with the coalition was sealed.
Nwosu dismissed the claim as unfounded.
Turning to members of his team, he declared that the decision for a rejig came from all NWC members and secured the endorsement of NEC.
He said: “ I got the commitment of almost all the men on this table and they are all decent men.
“We agreed to bury our differences and our positions for the sake of Nigeria.
“The endorsement that we got was for Senator David Mark as Interim National Chairman of ADC.
“We decided to resign so that they can paddle the canoe that will take us to the Villa.
“We want to ensure a credible leadership that will restore the pride of our people.
“ In securing the approval of Rauf Aregbesola as national secretary, we considered his service record and pedigree.
“Look at David Mark and Aregbesola, you will know that it isn’t about self but a new beginning. Nigerians are yearning for a coalition.”
Nwosu assured the new interim national chairman and secretary that other members of the NWC of ADC would be willing to work with them.
“I want to assure you that working with our Board of Trustees (BoT) chairman, and other ADC NWC members and the Board which you will meet, you will have nothing to fear. I will be working from the bare floor, but I will always be there,” he said.
Senator Mark, in his inaugural speech, bemoaned the state of the nation under the Bola Tinubu administration.
He said: “Let it be known to all that this coalition of national political opposition groups goes beyond gaining political power. It is a concerted effort to rebuild the crumbling pillars of Nigeria’s democracy.
“Today marks the beginning of what we believe would be a long, difficult and tedious journey. However, it is a journey that we are prepared to undertake, united in our collective belief that no price or sacrifice is too high in the service of our fatherland.
“It is on record that within two years of the current administration coming to power, it has hijacked all democratic institutions, and sent our country on a creeping descent into total civilian dictatorship. The blatant destabilisation and infiltration of all major opposition political parties is aimed at achieving only one objective, to enhance total state capture and leave Nigerians with no alternative or options in 2027. This coalition is to prevent our country’s descent into a one-party state.
“The blatant destabilisation and infiltration of all major opposition political parties is aimed at achieving only one objective, to enhance total state capture and leave Nigerians with no alternative or options in 2027. This coalition is to prevent our country’s descent into a one-party state.
“We have never seen a government so much at home with corruption, a government that disdains accountability in all ramifications. A government more concerned with the next election rather than the survival of the ordinary Nigerians. A government so totally consumed with politicking that governance is abandoned, while the majority of our people wallow in hunger and poverty.
“We have never seen this level of insecurity across the length and breadth of our nation. Bandits and kidnappers kill Nigerians at will and on daily basis. Yet, this ongoing tragedy has not moved the government to any action that would stop these mindless killings and stem the tide of needless bloodshed. Indeed, the Nigerian people deserve a government that protects them and makes them feel safe in their own homes.”
The former Senate president also chided the 10th National Assembly which he dismissed as an appendage of the Executive arm.
“Equally disturbing is the total emasculation of the legislative institution. Never in our history have we witnessed a National Assembly where legislators, the trustees of the very bastion of our democracy, saddled with the sacred duty to protect Nigerians from misuse of executive power, are reduced to cheerleaders and praise singers of the President, head of the executive arm.
“Without doubt, the transformation of Nigeria’s National Assembly to a mere appendage of presidential authority is a dangerous conspiracy against the Nigerian people. It is the reason why the government is able to get away with various whimsical, unconstitutional policies and actions or inactions that have reduced more Nigerians to abject poverty and widened the boundaries of insecurity and fear.”
He maintained that the goal of the coalition to dislodge the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government was not about power grabbing but to save democracy and Nigerians at the receiving end of a party, which he submitted, has placed politics above governance.
Those who attended the event cut across the major opposition parties, including the ruling APC.
The list included former Vice President and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar; 2023 Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, and his running mate, Senator Datti Ahmed; former Kaduna State Governor, Mallam Nasir El-Rufai.
From the APC were former Minister of Transportation and presidential aspirant, Rotimi Amaechi; former Attorney General of the Federation, Abubakar Malami (SAN) and former national chairman of the APC, John Odigie-Oyegun and Professor Oserheimen Osunbor, among others.
Those who left PDP will run back —Damagum
Acting national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ilya Umar Damagum has said those who left the party will run back to the party following the resolution of all the schism within the party.
He said those members who have moved out of the party for whatever reason can now return to the party as their fears has been addressed and the PDP is back as one family.
The assertion of Damangum came on the heels of the announcement by a PDP top shots and former president of the Senate, Senator David Mark, that he was withdrawing his membership of the party.
In his letter of resignation, he hinged his decision on what he described as deepening divisions, persistent leadership crisis, and irreconcilable differences have reduced the party to a shadow of its former self, subjecting it to public ridicule.
“After wide consultations with my family, friends, and political associates, I have resolved to join the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement in Nigeria, as part of the collective effort to rescue our nation and preserve our hard-earned Democracy,” the letter read.
To those that were leaving the PDP, Damagum, said they should know that no place outside can be as accommodating as the PDP.
“To those that are contemplating, they should know that they have no place and there is nowhere that will be as accommodating as our party.
“But if they feel otherwise, I would wish them good luck. But I know they will run back,” he stressed.
He said that the PDP remained a united family despite the initial challenges as all the stakeholders have come together to resolve the thorny issues.
“To APC, I want to send a message that you can continue to harass and buy our members. But the 2027 election is between Nigerians and APC. So, it is better to start now and correct your ways.”
He said, “We are not conquered. We are law-abiding citizens. We deserve to be heard. For democracy to thrive, people must say their minds. People should be listened to and policies should be people-oriented. It is not for the few.”
The party chairman said, “As PDP, we have mastered the art of conflict resolution. We know our problems and we have resolved them among ourselves.
“To those that are contemplating, they should know that there is no place and there is nowhere that will be as accommodating as our party.
“But if they feel otherwise, I will wish them good luck. I know they will run back.”
He said the party would be decisive on those whose action in the name of the party brings the main opposition to disrepute.
“I want to re-emphasize that if you are a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, we are drawing a line for those that go to de-market the party. We will watch them and take appropriate actions at the right time.
“If you believe in this party, you should be an ambassador that protects the fortunes that this party has given to the citizens of this country when it was there,” he said.
Why I dumped PDP —David Mark
Former President of the Senate, Senator David Mark, has decried the precarious state of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) due to a protracted internal crisis.
in a letter sent to the Otukpo Ward 1 of the party on his withdrawal of membership of PDP in Benue State, he recalled how he worked assiduously to rebuild, reconcile, and reposition the party.
Mark wrote: “You may recall that over the years, I have remained firm and deeply committed to the ideals of the PDP. Even when nearly all stakeholders departed the party following our loss in the 2015 presidential election, I pledged to remain the last man standing,” he stated.
“I have worked steadfastly to rebuild, reconcile, and reposition the party, efforts which, without sounding immodest, helped restore the POP to national relevance and made & once again a party of choice for many Nigerians.
“However, recent events marked by deepening divisions, persistent leadership crisis, and irreconcilable differences have reduced the party to a shadow of its former self, subjecting it to public ridicule.
“After wide consultations with my family, friends, and political associates, I have resolved to join the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement in Nigeria, as part of the collective effort to rescue our nation and preserve our hard-earned Democracy.”
Political scene reduced to football seasons when footballers change clubs —Fadaka
A former South-West publicity secretary of the PDP, Ayo Fadaka, noted that the political scene has been reduced to football seasons when professional footballers change clubs for a variety of reasons.
Fadaka said: “Principled commitment to one’s Party is now a thing of the past as an accentuation of political goals and its actualization is now the propelling reason politicians are moving from one party to the other.
“With the likes of Atiku Abubakar, David Mark and others departing the PDP, this underscores the magnitude of the crisis besieging the party that makes many to believe that it is disadvantaged to have a good run in 2027; this of course may turn erroneous because if PDP gets its convention right, it may bounce back strong.
According to Fadaka, “Nigeria today is in the midst of so many challenges that beg for attention.
“While a percentage of Nigerians lay the cause and reasons of these challenges on the doorstep of the APC administrations of President Bola Tinubu and his predecessor, others believe outright that it is time these issues were confronted and solved once and for all.
“This is the battle cry of those calling for the coalition of forces to confront President Tinubu and his APC. I just want to hope that those slanting to rule Nigeria henceforth have diligently developed a blueprint that will chart a developmental road map that will enhance the progress of our nation.
PDP stakeholders to coalition leaders: Our party won’t collapse into coalition
Some state chapters of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have slammed the call by the promoters of the National Coalition of Political Opposition Movement in Nigeria that the PDP should collapse its structures into the coalition that has adopted the African Democratic Congress (ADC).
The chapters said the PDP remained a strong brand, in spite of the internal challenges as the issues are being redressed by the party leaders.
The chairman of PDP in Ondo state, Honourable Bakita Bello, said the exit of some high-profile party members, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Governor Aminu Tambuwal, and former Governor Sule Lamido, should not warrant the call that PDP collapsed into any broad-based coalition.
Bello said: “These notable politicians have exited the PDP not once, but twice in the past, only to return. Except for Alhaji Sule Lamido, who may be leaving the party for the first time, the others have found their way back after their previous exits.
“What made them return each time they left still awaits them ahead at their destinations.”
He described the movement of politicians between parties as a natural phenomenon in a fluid democratic environment, but stressed that loyalty, discipline, and the courage to manage internal challenges are key attributes of true leadership.
Similarly, the Kwara PDP said it has no plan to join any coalition or groups outside the established structure of the main opposition party.
In a statement by the state secretary of the party in the state, Abdulrahman Abdullahi Kayode, the party urged its members and supporters to guide against being deceived or misled by the antics of some politicians.
It claimed that there are attempts by certain individuals and political actors to lure PDP members and supporters into the newly formed coalition.
It also warned some politicians in the country to desist from using Dr Saraki’s name to lure people to or curry favour within their new political fold.
“They should campaign based on their own track records and not hide behind the name and legacy of our leader.
“We wish to categorically state that the PDP, particularly in Kwara State under the leadership of Dr Abubakar Bukola Saraki, has no affiliation whatsoever with the coalition being spearheaded by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar or any other group outside the established structure of our great party.
“We urge our members and supporters across the state to remain vigilant and not be deceived or misled by the antics of stranded and unpopular politicians who, having deserted our party, are now seeking relevance by falsely using the name of our leader, Dr. Bukola Saraki to win support for their new political adventure.”
and then