While those in the APC are locked in a bitter feud over the mode of primary elections to pick standard-bearers, their PDP counterparts are battling with alleged undue influence of some power brokers at the top echelon of the party.
APC postponed the deadline for the collection of nomination form for governorship from September 10 to 11, just as it has fixed its national convention for September 29.
On the other hand, the national convention of the PDP is slated for October 7 to choose its presidential candidate.
No decision on consensus in Oyo
There has been no decision yet from stakeholders in Oyo State All Progressives Congress (APC) on the efforts of Governor Abiola Ajimobi to explore the option of a consensus governorship candidate.
A meeting of the party’s governorship aspirants called by Governor Ajimobi on Saturday was well attended by the aspirants with the exception of the Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittue who shunned the meeting.
The meeting, which Sunday Tribune gathered was adjourned to today after hours of deliberations, resolved to adopt indirect primary mode for selection of candidates.
An insider told Sunday Tribune that the governor appealed to the aspirants on the need to ensure unity of purpose, while commending the quality of aspirants jostling in the party.
Why I shunned meeting with Ajimobi —Shittu
Minister of Communications, Adebayo Shittu, on Saturday, said he shunned a meeting summoned by Governor Ajimobi because he did not want to walk into the governor’s trap.
Speaking with Sunday Tribune on telephone, Shittu said the governor had perfected plans to impose indirect primary method on the party and get the aspirants to endorse same.
“I am his target. He has convinced himself that if Shittu succeeds him, he will be in trouble.
“The governor has become so unsettled now and he is running up and down.
“If he does not support me and I win, he will be in trouble,” the Minister said.
No going back on Akinlade’s candidature —Amosun
The governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, on Saturday, insisted that there was no going back on the adoption of the candidature of Honourable Adekunle Akinlade as the governorship candidate of the party in the 2019 elections.
Amosun said this while addressing leaders and members of the party from Ogun East, who had earlier endorsed Akinlade as the consensus candidate of the party, at the Government House, Oke Igbein, Abeokuta.
Amosun also added that the remaining 40 elective positions from the deputy governor, the National Assembly and State House of Assembly had been allocated, saying the lists of candidates for these positions would be made available on Monday.
Just as the party announced the Commissioner for Agriculture, Mrs. Peju Adebajo, as the deputy governorship candidate of the party.
He, however, said that the party would explore direct primaries if the consensus fails, but maintained that all positions were being filled through consensus process.
“Our party allows for consensus candidate. For us in APC, we already have our candidates. In all positions, we are going to have consensus candidates. However, anybody that wants to do otherwise should come out for the direct primaries.
“We have allocated all the 40 elective positions through same process. We have zoned the position of governor to Ogun West and it is only Ogun West that can bring forward their candidate which they have done and is acceptable by us.
“The entire Ogun State is in unison. We have adopted Akinlade as our candidate and there is no going back. The people of Ogun State are not fools. They have know those who served them better.
“Our party will carry the day in the forthcoming elections. Anybody that wants to do otherwise will find themselves to blame. This matter is too hot for them to handle.
“We have our register and we will demonstrate to the people of Nigeria that we have a way of doing things here called “Ogun Standard,” and we are going to maintain it,” the governor insisted.
Meanwhile, four governorship aspirants from Ogun East, have picked their expression of interest and nomination forms, despite the purported consensus arrangement.
They are former deputy governor of Ogun State, Senator Adegbenga Kaka; the chairman of the Corporate Affairs Commission, Prince Dapo Abiodun, the Special Adviser on Investment Promotion to the Governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El-Rufia, Mr. Jimi Lawal and Mr Owodunni Opayemi.
Amosun’s consensus candidate won’t stand —Kaka
APC governorship aspirant from Ogun East and former deputy governor of the state, Senator Gbenga Kaka, has criticised the adoption of Akinlade by Amosun and “a section of Ogun West Senatorial district” as the party’s candidate.
Speaking on Fresh F.M interview programme monitored in Ibadan, Kaka said it was “unthinkable and unfathomable to say Ogun APC has produced a governorship when the procedure laid down in the party’s constitution on the emergence of candidate has not been followed.”
“It is null and void and of no consequence whatsoever. It can’t stand in the face of law. It is a violation of the party’s constitution and NEC’s guidelines. It does not hold water.
“We have three senatorial districts. If it is a senatorial district that decided on consensus candidate for the district, which is even doubtful because there are other aspirants from the party in the district who did not subscribe to what was done. It was consensus of a section Ogun West’s consensus and not that of Ogun APC as a whole.
On the reported zoning of the slot to Ogun West, he said “You don’t shave somebody’s head in his absence. You don’t zone a position until you reach a consensus to zone that position. It is not something done in the corner of a room. Do it in the open.
“We are not looking for the governor of Ogun East or Ogun West. We are looking for the governor of Ogun State. Wherever we can get best, let us get it from there or at the least let the people of the state decide,” he said.
el-Rufai, Shehu lock horns in Kaduna
Sunday Tribune investigations in Kaduna State showed that the battle of who control the soul of the APC is raging between the camp of the state governor and loyalists of Senator Shehu Sani.
While the governor, Nasir el-Rufai continues to exert his control on the party machinery, Senator Shehu Sani is also not relenting in ensuring that he becomes politically relevant.
The recent declaration by the state chapter that it has adopted an indirect mode of conducting its primary didn’t go down well with the camp of Senator Sani and other aspirants.
But the duo of Senator Shehu Sani and Senator Sani Saleh, maintained that they are for direct primaries.
Advancing reasons why they believe in direct primaries, the duo disclosed it would provide opportunity for the party to produce its best eleven and they are said that there is a litigation in court challenging the present executives.
Horse-trading unsettles zoning in Akwa-Ibom
In Akwa-Ibom State, three aspirants have purchased the governorship nomination form.
A former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Senator John Udoedehe; incumbent Managing Director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Obong Nsima Ekere and his predecessor, Mr. Bassey Dan Abia (Snr), have so far grabbed the forms.
The battle would have been a straight contest for Ekere and Abia, who hails from the same Senatorial District of Eket, as incumbent governor Udom Emmanuel, but Udoedehe’s insistence that Uyo Senatorial District must be represented in the race, it was gathered, forced stakeholders to jettison the earlier decision to zone the slot to Eket, to throw the contest open in a direct primary.
Udoedeh, it could be recalled had left the PDP in the run up to the 2011 polls, to become the main opposition face in AkwaIbom, following irreconcilable differences he had with his erstwhile friend, former governor GodswillAkpabio, whom he chaired his campaign committee in 2007.
No worries for Gov Lalong
Meanwhile, though the Plateau State chapter of APC has adopted indirect party primary to choose its candidate for the governorship poll, some forces opposed to it are determined to seek a reversal.
The party adopted direct primary at the enlarge meeting of the stakeholders of the party held in Jos, the state capital.
The state chairman of the party Honourable Letep Dabang while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the meeting said the method was unanimously adopted as a result of insecurity in the state.
Though there are some stalwarts of the party especially those contesting at another level such as State House of Assembly, House of Representatives and Senate who want direct primary for some obvious reasons but the moment the party hinged the adoption of indirect on security they quickly beat a retreat to avoid condemnation from the people of the state facing security challenges.
From all indications, the party seems to have adopted the incumbent governor, Simon Lalong to run to the second term.
As of the time of filling this report, no member of the party has shown interest in contesting for the governorship of the state on the platform of the All Progressive Congress.
Eze picks form in Enugu APC
In Enugu State, APC was reportedly set to adopt the former Senate Committee Chairman on Works, Senator Ayogu Eze as its sole gubernatorial candidate.
Prior to the emergence of Senator Ayogu, the Nollywood Actor, Kenneth Okonkwo, and two others, had boasted to turn the table against the incumbent, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of the PDP in next year’s election.
Although, the state chairman of APC, Dr Ben Nwoye, told reporters in Enugu recently that that there would be primaries, as of the time of going to press, only Senator Ayogu was said to have bought the nomination form for governorship election in the party.
Katsina: 47 aspirants reject indirect primary
No fewer than 47 aspirants under the banner of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have unanimously opposed the adoption of indirect primaries by the party in Katsina State.
This was contained in a communique signed by Alhaji Abubakar Samaila, on behalf of the aspirants, and made available to newsmen on Saturday in Katsina.
“47 aspirants opposed the use of indirect primaries in the state in electing the party’s standard-bearers for various positions during the elections.
‘’Direct primaries remained the most transparent and credible process of electing popular candidates for the party.
‘’We are not part of those who adopted indirect primaries in the state, we have unanimously rejected any process other than direct primaries in electing those that will represent the party in 2019 elections,’’ he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reported that the party had adopted indirect primaries during its stakeholders meeting held on Thursday, and said that the decision was binding on every member of the party in the state.
The APC chairman, Alhaji Shitu Shitu, also said that the stakeholders unanimously adopted both President Muhammadu Buhari and Governor Aminu Masari as sole presidential and governorship candidates respectively in 2019.
10 senatorial aspirants battle seat with Gov Ahmed
At least 10 aspirants for the position of Kwara South Senatorial district representative in the 2019 general election are jostling to slug it out with Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed.
Few months to end of his two-term tenure as governor of Kwara state, Ahmed, at the weekend, has declared his intention to run for a seat in the Senate under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), after series of denials over the intention.
Some of the senatorial aspirants include the incumbent, Dr Rafiu Ibrahim of the PDP, Mr Lola Ashiru, Alhaji Sulaiman Ajadi, Mr Nurudeen Balogun, Honourable Saheed Popoola and Hajia Mariam Santana, among others.
Governor Ahmed, who announced this via his twitter account on Saturday, said he had picked up the PDP nomination form for the Senatorial primary election.
“In response to calls by my people and in keeping with my strong desire to upscale the excellent work we have done in all three zones of the state, through effective, purposeful representation, I have picked up the PDP nomination form for Kwara South Senatorial District.
I’ll rescue Katsina from APC’s misrule —Lado
Senator Yakubu Lado has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration in Katsina State of failure and has vowed to retrieve it and set it back on the path of progress and prosperity.
Speaking to journalists at the weekend in Abuja moments after submitting his expression of interest and nomination forms to vie for the governorship ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he said he was on a mission to rescue the state from the lack of direction the ruling party has subjected the it to in the last three and half years.
He said: “APC has failed. It has not only failed but it has set back Katsina state over several decades. Under the previous PDP government in Katsina, it was a progressive state with emphasis on human capital development and infrastructure.
“But look at what we have today. The government of APC has eroded all the gains of the last administrations and replaced them with hunger and starvation.
“Today, all the important sectors, be it health, education, agriculture, among others are suffering because the present government lacks the initiative to provide proper leadership.
Borno, Yobe PDP pledge support For Saraki
Borno and Yobe states chapters of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have pledged their support for the presidential aspiration of the Senate President, Dr Bukola Saraki.
Delegates and other stakeholders of the party in the two states made the pledge when a delegation sent by Saraki visited them separately on Friday in Maiduguri and Damaturu respectively.
Receiving the delegation in Maiduguri, the Borno state PDP Chairman, Alhaji Usman Ma’aji, who spoke on behalf of other stakeholders, said their support for Saraki was reciprocal to appreciate the confidence reposed in them by the Senate President by appointing one of them as Director-General of his campaign organisation.
Ma’aji said the only way to appreciate such recognition and gesture to the PDP in the state was to stand by Saraki, and ensure his victory not only at the primary election level but even at the general election.
Ma’aji said: “Saraki has made us stakeholders in this project and we are committed to his victory because with our son as the arrowhead, the victory will be ours and as such we cannot afford to disappoint.
Similarly, PDP delegates and stakeholders in Yobe state said their resolve to support Saraki was informed by his ability to successfully manage the Senate in spite of distractions from his political detractors.
The state deputy chairman of the party, Alhaji Adamu Rahama, who represented the party chairman of the state described Saraki as the “most outstanding among all the PDP aspirants”.
Rahama said Saraki deserved praises and support of all PDP members across the country for his ability to check the execesses of the APC-led Federal Government.
Group purchases form for Alao-Akala
A group, Akala Support Group, loyal to the former governor of Oyo State, Chief Adebayo Alao-Akala has picked nomination and expression of interest forms for him to vie for APC ticket in the state.
The leader of the group, Chief Wale Ohu who spoke after the group picked the form, said that the group was in support of either direct or indirect primaries in picking the party.
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