The three Peoples Democratic Party senators from Kebbi, on Tuesday, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The News Agency of Nigeria reports that their letters of defection were read separately on the floor of the chamber by Deputy Senate President, Jibrin Barau, who presided over the plenary.
The senators are: Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central); Yahaya Abdullahi (Kebbi North) and Garba Maidoki (Kebbi South).
Details later…..
Three members of the House of Representatives from Katsina State elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, have officially dumped the party for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC.
Speaker of the House, Rajudeen Abbas, announced this on the floor of the House during plenary on Thursday.
A letter from the defectors was read by the Speaker.
The defectors cited the lingering internal crisis and unresolved issues within the PDP as the major reasons behind their decision to leave the party.
They further stated that the instability within the PDP has made it difficult to effectively serve their constituents and align with progressive governance.
Governor Dikko Radda of Katsina State, in a show of solidarity and support, was present in the chamber to witness the lawmakers’ formal defection to the APC.
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors Forum, have distanced itself from a coalition of opposition politicians.
The Forum under the leadership of the Bauchi State governor, Bala Mohammed, said it won’t join any alliance ahead of the 2027 presidential election.
It disclosed this during a meeting in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital on Monday.
The Forum also heightened the crisis over the authentic national secretary of the party by backing the Deputy National Secretary, Setonji Koshoedo, as Acting National Secretary.
Recall that PDP’s former presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar had announced the birth of an opposition alliance.
The coalition is believed to include former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and ex-Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, among other politicians.
Atiku had said the coalition is aimed at removing President Bola Tinubu in 2027.
The announcement of the coalition came after El-Rufai defected from the All Progressives Congress to the Social Democratic Party, SDP.
El-Rufai had accused the APC of lack of internal democracy since Tinubu assumed power.
However, former presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party, Adewale Adebayo, had said Atiku and Obi were in talks to join the SDP.
He said if Atiku, Obi and other prominent politicians willing to join SDP can stick to the party’s culture, they would defeat and retire Tinubu and the APC.
Meanwhile, a chieftain of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Buba Galadima said El-Rufai was Atiku’s placeholder in the SDP should the PDP deny him its presidential ticket.
The Supreme Court has nullified the judgements of the Court of Appeal and Federal High Court, which sacked Senator Samuel Anyanwu as National Secretary of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP.
LEADING REPORTERS gathered that a five-member panel of the apex court on Friday held that the issue of who is the National Secretary of the PDP borders on the internal affairs of a political party, which is not justiciable.
Justice Jamilu Tukur, who delivered the lead judgment of the Supreme Court, consequently struck out the judgment of the trial court delivered in October last year and also set aside the majority judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had in December affirmed the sack of Anyanwu as PDP’s National Secretary.
Justice Tukur subsequently affirmed the minority judgment of the appellate court delivered by Justice Ekanem, which had nullified the judgment of the trial court on account of lack of jurisdiction.
Besides, the apex court held that the plaintiff, Aniagu Emmanuel, who initiated the suit at the trial court, lacked the necessary legal backing to do so, since he did not show how he was affected by who is the National Secretary of the PDP.
Details later…..
Former Vice President and 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed rumours that he is planning to leave his party for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).
Reacting to the speculation, Atiku’s special adviser on broadcast media, Abdulrasheed Shehu, took to X (formerly Twitter) to debunk the claims.
“Disregard the misinformation! Atiku Abubakar has neither joined nor is joining the SDP. This baseless speculation is a deliberate attempt to mislead,” Shehu wrote.
The rumours gained traction amid reports of Atiku’s growing political ties with former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai. Some sources suggested that both politicians, along with their allies, might be preparing to realign politically in response to ongoing challenges within their parties.
El-Rufai, who has recently fallen out of favour with President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration, openly expressed dissatisfaction with the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). He stated that if the APC strays too far from the founding principles that shaped it, he may consider leaving—but certainly not for the PDP.
This stance has fueled speculation that the SDP could become a new political home for both Atiku and El-Rufai, especially as the PDP continues to struggle with internal leadership crises.
The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has opposed the idea of Seyi Tinubu, son of President Bola Tinubu, succeeding Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the state’s governor in 2027.
This follows endorsements by groups like the Coalition of Nigerian Youth Leaders, which suggested Seyi Tinubu could run for governor in Lagos. Another group, Friends of Seyi Tinubu, described him as a visionary leader with exceptional qualities.
Responding, Lagos PDP spokesperson Hakeem Amode rejected the proposition, saying, “Lagos will not serve him.”
He argued that governance should not become a family inheritance, warning that any attempt to impose Seyi would meet strong resistance.
“Governorship is not a gift,” Amode told Punch, adding that the people of Lagos showed their disapproval of the Tinubu political dynasty during the last presidential election by voting against the president.
Governors under the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) have arrived in Jos, Plateau State, for a key meeting on Saturday.
The meeting, which comes ahead of the party’s national convention scheduled for next Thursday in Abuja, is aimed at addressing the ongoing leadership tussle within the party.
Although the specific agenda of the meeting has not been officially disclosed, sources within the party indicate that the gathering of the PDP governors in Jos is aimed at solidifying their positions in the upcoming leadership elections. The dispute over the party’s leadership, particularly regarding the position of the national chairman, has been a point of contention in recent months.
The meeting is expected to provide a platform for the governors to articulate their positions and strategies for the election of a new national chairman at the convention.
The party’s leadership crisis went bad following the suspension of the former national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, by his ward exco. Since then, the search for a new leader has been fraught with disagreements over who should fill the role.
A faction of the party led by 2023 presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar is pushing for the removal of Acting National Chairman Umar Damagum. Meanwhile, another faction backed by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, is seeking his retention till a national convention in 2025.
“As the PDP moves closer to its national convention, all eyes are now on the Jos meeting, with party loyalists and observers keen to see whether the governors can broker a resolution to the leadership crisis.
The outcome of this crucial meeting could determine the future trajectory of the party, especially in its quest for political relevance in the coming years,” BusinessDay quoted a source as saying in Jos.
Justice Peter Lifu of the Federal High Court in Abuja has restrained the National Executive Committee (NEC) and Board of Trustees (BoT) of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) from removing Umar Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of the party.
The court ordered that no other person must be recognised as PDP national chairman other than Damagum until the national convention of the party scheduled for December next year.
Justice Lifu issued the restraining order against the PDP NEC, BoT, and others while delivering judgment in a suit instituted against them by Senator Umar El-Gash Maina.
The judge held that in line with Articles 42, 47, and 67 of PDP, it is only at the national convention of the party that national officers can be elected.
In the suit, Justice Lifu said that PDP members are bound by the constitution of the party and as such must always act in line with the provisions and obedience to the party’s law.
The plaintiff, who claimed to be chairman of PDP in Yobe State had instituted the suit against PDP and eight others alleging that some stakeholders of the party have been holding clandestine meetings to forcefully remove Damagum from office in gross violation of the party’s constitution.
He said that a former deputy governor of Kogi State, Phillip Salawu, was being pushed forward as a replacement for Damagun by the stakeholders.
Maina claimed that upon becoming aware of the plan, two separate letters complaining against the clandestine meetings were delivered to the national secretary of the party, Samuel Anyanwu, and that despite the acknowledgment of the two letters, the national secretary and BoT members have never deemed it fit to act on the letters and their claims.
In the suit instituted on his behalf by Joshua Musa who is a Senior Advocate of Nigeria, the plaintiff therefore prayed the court to invoke articles 45, 47, and 67 of the PDP Constitution to stop the move to replace Damagum as the acting national chairman.
The plaintiff specifically asked the court to declare that the national chairmanship of the PDP is rotated between the north and south regions and not through any other procedure not enshrined in the PDP’s Constitution.
In his judgment after perusing the PDP’s Constitution and exhibits, Justice Lifu agreed with the plaintiff that Damagum can only be replaced at the national convention of PDP or through an order of a court.
Justice Lifu also held that any attempt to truncate the un-exhausted four-year tenure of the northern region without the national convention of the party would amount to an affront to the Constitution of the PDP.
Following the suspension of His Excellency, Amb. Illiya Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of our great Party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the National Working Committee (NWC) has approved the appointment of Alhaji Yayari Ahmed Mohammed as the Acting National Chairman.
The appointment which takes immediate effect is pursuant to the provisions of the Constitution of the PDP (as amended in 2017)
The NWC calls on all Organs, leaders, critical stakeholder and members of our great Party to remain focused at this critical time especially as the NWC commences arrangements towards the holding of the Party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting already scheduled for Thursday, 24th October, 2024.
Signed:
Hon. Debo Ologunagba
National Publicity Secretary
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, and National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade, SAN.
The suspension was announced by the PDP National Director of Publicity, Chinwe Nnorom, in a statement issued early Friday.
Leading reporters reports that Ologunagba and Ajibade recently emerged as key voices, urging the National Chairman, Umar Damagum, to adhere to the party’s constitution, especially in the crisis rocking the Rivers State chapter of the party.
The NWC directed Ologunagba and Ajibade to step aside, citing the need to investigate concerns raised against them.
“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) arising from its 593rd Meeting today, Thursday, October 10, 2024, has directed the National Publicity Secretary (NPS), Hon Debo Ologunagba and National Legal Adviser (NLA), Kamaldeen Adeyemi Ajibade, SAN, to step aside,” the statement read in part.
A committee led by Deputy National Chairman (South) Taofeek Arapaja has been constituted to investigate the issues raised against the suspended officers. The committee will operate in accordance with the party’s constitution, the statement added.
Meanwhile, Ibrahim Abdullahi Manga will serve as Acting National Publicity Secretary, while Okechukwu Osuoha will act as Acting National Legal Adviser, effective from today, October 11, 2024.
In a surprising turn of events, a faction of the NWC has also suspended the National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, citing anti-party activities. The faction alleged that Damagum and Anyanwu’s actions violated the party’s constitution and their oath of office.
