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Why PDP May Lose Abia State – Senator Wabara
A former Senate President and the Secretary, Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr. Adolphus Wabara, has warned the Abia State government and the party that they will lose the state if another Ngwa man tries to succeed Ikpeazu.
Speaking with newsmen in Umuahia Monday, Wabara warned that any attempt to make another Ngwa man succeed Gov Okezie Ikpeazu, who is also an Ngwa man, will be counter productive for the PDP, while the party might get a protest vote in Abia come 2023.
“If Ukwa clan should not be considered because it belongs to Abia South Senatorial zone where power currently resides, then power should move back to Abia North where it started from in 1999,” he said, noting further that, “anything short of allowing power to come to Ukwa or rotate back to Abia North in 2023 would spell doom for the PDP.”
He said he was raising the alarm because of his love for the PDP, and advised the party in the state not to toy with the Abia Charter of Equity and zoning arrangement for which the party is known.
“Zoning is an integral part of the PDP. The Abia State PDP should learn from our national leadership and respect zoning. Our party shall not be doing the right thing at the centre and here somebody will be acting with impunity.
“No single person has the authority to decide the next governor of the state. The party caucus, elders and stakeholders will have to meet.
“Gov. Ikpeazu’s successor may be the governor’s choice but that should only happen after the right thing has been done in line with the constitution of our great party, which is macro zoning to Ukwa or Abia North.
“I am saying this because of my love for our great party, which of course enjoys large followership in Abia. But if the PDP leadership doesn’t do the right thing, the party will get protest vote in 2023.
“Abians will vote the PDP 85% but if the governorship ticket is not ceded to Ukwa or Abia North in line with power rotation arrangement, there will be a protest vote.
“Abia is not ready for Ngwa back to back thing. What they are doing now is exactly why the PDP lost Plateau State to the APC in 2015. Ukwa or Abia North should produce Ikpeazu’s successor,” Wabara cautioned.
Last month, the immediate past governor of the state and Senator representing Abia Central, Senator Theodore Orji, had warned that anybody working against power rotation arrangement, which is in tandem with the Abia Charter of Equity, would be embarking on a dangerous political voyage.
Gov Okezie Ikpeazu’s kinsmen, through the Ngwa Council of Elders led by Dr. Max Nduaguibe, have been advocating that the Abia South retains power for another eight years and vehemently opposed to the agitation for rotation of power to the North, insisting that the Ngwa clan in Abia Central will take over from Ikpeazu.
The Punch
The National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Ganduje, has argued that there is nothing wrong if Nigeria evolves into a one-party state, provided it reflects the will of the people.
Speaking to State House correspondents on Friday after a meeting with President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, Ganduje dismissed concerns raised by opposition leaders over the country’s political direction.
He insisted that the growing dominance of the APC is a reflection of public trust in the party’s governance.
“If one-party state is a wish and blessing to Nigeria; One-party state is not by force; it is by negotiation,” Ganduje said.
“If other political parties see the effect of the positive governance of our party and decide to come to our party willingly, I think there is nothing wrong with that.”
Citing China as an example of a successful one-party system, Ganduje stated that the APC is not actively working to eliminate opposition, but that defections and realignments are part of democratic processes.
“Too many political parties spoil governance,” he added.
Ganduje led three senators from the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), reportedly from Kebbi State, to meet with President Tinubu, announcing their intention to join the APC.
According to him, their defection is the result of extensive negotiations among stakeholders in the state and is part of APC’s broader strategy to strengthen its base.
“This is a good development and in consonance with what is happening in Nigeria today. Almost every week in the Senate and House of Representatives, you see members of other political parties decamping to our party,” he said.
Ganduje assured that the APC is prepared to smoothly integrate the new members, maintaining that the party’s strategy to expand both its numbers and the quality of its membership is aligned with democratic principles.
The Senator representing Kogi Central in the National Assembly, Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, has distanced herself from a viral TikTok video that surfaced online showing her dancing to “Omo Ologo”, a song in praise of President Bola Tinubu.
In a public disclaimer released via her verified X (formerly Twitter) account, Akpoti-Uduaghan denied owning any TikTok account, warning the public against being misled by parody accounts across various social media platforms.
“I do not own a TikTok account,” she posted.
“Many parody accounts exist in my name on X (Twitter), Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. Some have garnered large followings.”
She clarified that the circulating video was manipulated from an old 2023 clip and repurposed with “mischievous intent” to mislead the public.
“While I hold the President in utmost respect, I’d urge everyone to disregard the mischievous post made using an old 2023 video of mine,” she stated.
The video, sound-tracked by “Omo Ologo”, a praise song performed by Dauda Kahutu Rarara at a recent event attended by Tinubu in Katsina, appeared to depict the senator aligning herself with the president’s camp.
President Bola Tinubu has issued a passionate call for unity, resilience, and renewed patriotism, urging Nigerians to stand firm behind ongoing reforms aimed at rebuilding the country’s economic foundation.
Speaking during a grand reception in Awka, Anambra State, on the occasion of his state visit, President Tinubu acknowledged the current challenges facing the nation but assured the people that the hard choices were necessary for lasting prosperity.
“We continue to plead with Nigerians for their patience and understanding,” Tinubu appealed.
“We call on all patriots and progressives to rise and continue to work hard every day for the greatness of our dear country. We have no other country but Nigeria. We must make it great as the pride of the black race.”
He reaffirmed his administration’s commitment to inclusive development, citing progress made in economic reform, infrastructure investment, and improved public finance management.
“We met near-insolvent public finance… unsustainable multiple subsidies… a chaotic and debilitating forex regime. These monsters have been tackled,” he said.
Highlighting renewed investor confidence and growth in agriculture, manufacturing, and technology, Tinubu said the “Renewed Hope Agenda” was already yielding visible results.
He particularly commended Anambra for leading in innovation and development, referencing the commissioning of the Solution Fun City and Government House Mini-City as signs of progress.
Describing Governor Chukwuma Soludo as “a brilliant man” and “a thinker who knows the way,” Tinubu added: “We are working together for a better Anambra and Nigeria.”
The president also praised Anambra State for fully implementing and even surpassing the new national minimum wage, calling it “a signal of true leadership and compassion for the working class.”
Asserting the federal government’s commitment to equitable development, Tinubu promised increased investment in roads, power, rail, and digital infrastructure across all regions, including the Southeast.
