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We Won’t Sanction Wike, Makinde, Other Aggrieved Govs – PDP NEC
There are indications that the Peoples Democratic Party will not take punitive measures against five of its governors for their recent utterances against the leadership of the party.
Governors Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Samuel Ortom (Benue), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu) and Seyi Makinde of Oyo states have been consistent in their call for the removal of the PDP National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu. They hinged their demand on the need for an equitable distribution of the party’s elective offices in line with the PDP constitution.
The PUNCH reports that they specifically noted that since a Northerner, Atiku Abubakar, emerged as the party’s presidential candidate, Ayu (also from the North) should bow out to give room for a Southerner to replace him.
In their determination to press home their demand, the five governors resigned their membership of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council in September and have since openly championed positions considered inimical to the party’s electoral fortunes in 2023.
Meanwhile, these recent events, among others, have led to calls for the governors to be sanctioned to instil some elements of discipline among party members.
However, a former chairman of the Board of Trustees of the party, Chief Bode George, stated that caution must remain the watchword as the party intensifies moves to pacify the aggrieved governors and their allies ahead of the 2023 polls.
He told The PUNCH exclusively, “As an elder, we will continue to appeal to Ayu to put on his thinking cap. Atiku should remain a nationalist because he wants to govern Nigeria.
“Even if the party wants to do so (sanction them), the time is not now. As an elder of the party, if Atiku remains completely adamant that he will not listen and Ayu is blowing tantrums all over the place, whatever anybody wants to do, they will do it. These governors are not pawns on the chessboard, and Atiku should know this.
“Atiku can’t be talking about the constitution of the party now. Could he have emerged as a presidential candidate if we had not set aside our constitution? What is sauce for the goose is sauce for the gander,” he said.
The PDP elder statesman further maintained that “Even if Atiku wins today, he has already planted discord in the minds of the people. Atiku met with these governors and told them he would bring the chairmanship to the South. If he is playing games with these governors, they are also ready to play games with him. He (Atiku) is thinking that he is already in the Aso Rock Villa.
“People are lying to Atiku, telling him he would win without these governors but he doesn’t know how angry our people (South-West) are. The whole North will vote for him and let’s see how he will get 25 per cent of the South-West’s votes,” he stressed.
Also speaking, Deputy National Youth Leader of the party, Timothy Osadolor, told The PUNCH, “The party in its wisdom has decided to tolerate them. Wike is trying to damage the ticket of Atiku Abubakar so that in 2023 he will position himself for the 2027 elections. If Wike damages Atiku’s ticket, won’t he need the support of Northerners to run in 2027? Wike is putting himself on the wrong side of history and those clapping for him do not know that he is using them for his advantage.”
Also, a member of the PDP National Executive Committee and former National Secretary, Ibrahim Tsauri said Wike and his colleagues “are taking undue advantage of the powers they have,” adding however that the party must continue to explore the path of reconciliation.
According to Tsauri, “The party cannot implement any sanction now because the PDP is a truly national party that is interested in progress, not divisions.”
Taking a different position is a member of the PDP National Working Committee, NWC, who does not want his name in print, was quoted as saying, “Atiku wants Ayu to remain, so what do you want me to say? If the presidential candidate thinks he can win without the support of these governors, good luck to him. Ayu is there with his mouth running, threatening everybody. We wish them the best of luck.”
The Punch
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Biodun Oyebanji, winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election.
Oyebanji secured a landslide victory, polling 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challenger, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Dr. Wole Oluyede, who garnered 40,543 votes. The African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, came a distant third with 12,872 votes.
The election, held across all 16 local government areas of the state, was overshadowed by reports of irregularities and widespread allegations of vote buying, drawing strong condemnation from observers.
The official results were announced on Sunday morning by the Chief Returning Officer, Professor Adenike Oladiji, who declared Oyebanji duly elected after meeting the constitutional requirements.
In her declaration, Professor Oladiji stated: “I, Professor Adenike Oladiji, hereby certify that I am the Returning Officer for the Ekiti State Governorship Election held on June 20, 2026, and that the election was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the law. Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress, having satisfied the requirements of the law and scored the highest number of valid votes cast, is hereby declared the winner and returned elected.”
Source: Reuters
Arise Television anchor, Rufai Oseni, has alleged that there may be attempts to prevent key opposition figures, including Peter Obi and Atiku Abubakar, from appearing on the ballot for the 2027 general elections.
Oseni’s remark followed a Federal High Court judgment ordering the de-registration of some political parties.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja, on Monday, ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to deregister the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Accord Party (AP), Action Peoples’ Party (APP), Zenith Labour Party (ZLP), and Action Alliance Party (AAP) over alleged constitutional breaches.
The judgment arose from a lawsuit filed by the Incorporated Trustees of the National Forum of Former Legislators (NFFL), which argued that the affected parties failed to meet constitutional and statutory electoral performance requirements necessary for continued recognition as political parties.
Justice Lifu subsequently barred INEC from recognising the affected parties, accepting nominations from them or permitting them to participate in activities related to the 2027 general elections.
The ruling, if upheld, could affect the political ambitions of several politicians, including former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who is the ADC presidential flag-bearer, and Osun State governor Ademola Adeleke, who is seeking re-election on the platform of the Accord Party.
But speaking on Arise TV’s Morning Show on Tuesday, Oseni described the court ruling as a “test” of public reaction, warning that more actions could follow ahead of the next general election.
According to him, opposition parties such as the African Democratic Congress, ADC, and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, should be cautious, claiming that efforts could be made to stop major figures from participating in the election.
Oseni argued that the judgment was part of a broader process aimed at shaping the political landscape ahead of 2027.
He maintained that the ruling came despite some of the affected parties having recorded electoral victories in recent elections.
He warned that Nigerians must remain vigilant to safeguard the country’s democracy, stressing the need for judicial reforms alongside efforts to tackle insecurity.
Oseni said: “NDC, ADC should be careful because there will be attempt, and this is me predicting now, to ensure that Obi, Atiku and other big contenders are not on the ballot.
“This that you saw yesterday is just a test. This is not the real place where the whole thing is going. This is me predicting now.
“You know before you have a show you test the microphone. They want to see the reactions of Nigerians. More is still coming.
“You can see how they carry a judgement when ADC won two House of Representatives seats in Kogi, one Kogi House of Assembly seat, APP one chairmanship seat in Jigawa, Zenith Labour party won several seats in Abia, but they still went ahead and issued judgement for deregistration after the Court of Appeal, a higher court, said it should stay on that.
“If we want to deal with this judicial rascality, can I tell you something? The judge that gave this judgment, nothing will happen to him. Nothing on this earth. They are just coming.
“And who is leading this group? Gbajabiamila. Have you forgotten what Gbajabiamila said on Hon Ajibade’s birthday? So they are just coming. This one is just a test. The next one they will do is the NDC.
“With the way they’re going, if Nigerians don’t shine their eyes when they will finally have this election, you will not have the major contenders in the ballot. This thing they have just done is to test reactions from Nigerians.
“I saw this thing coming. You know we are going into an election in which Atiku Abubakar is the only major candidate from the North. It’s not like the last one you have Kwankwaso that can split the Kano votes. And you have Peter Obi and general consensus that a lot of people are in abject penury, insecurity is raging hard.
“This is the beginning of many things. They are just testing the microphone. It’s engineered. More is coming. Nigerians, it is you that will save your democracy. Judicial reforms have become so important as insecurity in Nigeria.”
