Still smarting from the loss of five states in
the April general elections, the Peoples Democratic Party has begun
moves to avoid another round of defeat in the coming 2012 governorship
poll in five states.
Nationwide investigations by SATURDAY PUNCH showed that the PDP National Working Committee, at its weekly meeting on Wednesday, directed members in the affected states to ensure that all crises were resolved before the elections.
There have been renewed political activities in Kogi, Cross River, Bayelsa, Adamawa, Sokoto and Edo states since the Independent National Electoral Commission announced on August 3, 2011 the dates of the governorship elections in the affected states.
According to INEC, the Bayelsa State governorship poll will hold on January 11, 2012; Adamawa State, January 14, 2012; Sokoto State, March 10, 2012; Cross River and Edo states, July 14, 2012.
The people of Kogi State will elect another governor on December 3, 2011.
It was learnt that the PDP had mandated its branches in Bayelsa, Sokoto, Cross River, Kogi and Adamawa to ensure that the party retained the states in the elections.
The PDP currently controls 23 states, while the opposition parties are in power in 13 states. The PDP lost Ogun, Oyo, Nasarawa, Imo and Zamfara during the April polls.
A member of the PDP NWC said, “We don’t want a repeat of what happened in April. We don’t want to lose any state. In fact, we plan to win Edo State next year.”
In spite of the PDP’s resolve on the governorship poll, some branches of the party are still enmeshed in crises over the governorship primaries in their domain.
Kogi State
The state PDP’s decision not to hold fresh governorship primaries had triggered a crisis in the party with some aspirants criticising the decision.
Our correspondents learnt that some aggrieved aspirants might support the rival Action Congress of Nigeria if the party refused to back down on its decision.
The PDP legal adviser in the state, Mr. Ada Mohammed, had told journalists in Ilorin at the end of meeting of the state working committee on Wednesday that Jubril Isah would remain the candidate of the party in the forthcoming governorship election.
Isah emerged as the party’s candidate at a primary election held before the April governorship poll.
The aggrieved aspirants are Senator Alex Kadiri; Alhaji Isa Kutuepa; Mr. Simeon Maha; Senator Yahaya Ugbane; Mr. Abiodun Ojo; Air Vice-Marshall Salihu Atawodi; Dr. Sani Shaibu; Alhaji Eje Abutu; Dr, Gabriel Oduma and Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed.
In a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting in Abuja, they said, “We urge our party, the PDP, to do the right thing and direct the state PDP executive to refrain from misdirecting/misinforming the generality of our party members and consequently creating conditions for our opponents to defeat the party.”
A PDP chief in the state warned that the party should not take the aspirants’ threat lightly because the ACN might cash in on the internal crisis in the ruling party. The ACN ranks was boosted a few weeks ago when an ex-governor of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Audu, joined the party. The ACN and the All Nigeria Peoples Party were said to have agreed to work together ahead of the December 2011 governorship poll in the state. Audu is said to have made his intention unhidden to wrest power from the PDP.
But the PDP chairman in the state, Mr. Hassan Salawu, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, said there was nothing to worry about as he was confident that the PDP would retain its control of the state.
The state’s ACN chairman, Mr. Hadi Ametuo, in a separate telephone interview with one of our correspondents, however said the party was poised to win the election.
He alleged that the PDP had done nothing substantial to improve the welfare of the people in the state. He said the state was lagging behind in development.
He said, “We have many plans to dislodge the PDP. Everybody is tired of the PDP because they have nothing to show for the nine years they have been ruling the state.
“The development of Kogi State is the worst. They are having problem with the civil servants. We are going to defeat them. When it is time, we will bring out the strategy and it will be the winning formula.”
Bayelsa State
In Bayelsa, investigations showed that though there had been growing criticisms against Governor Timipre Sylva, the state PDP was relying on the goodwill being enjoyed by President Goodluck Jonathan, who is from the state to retain its hold on power.
A source in the party said, “Although many people believe that the governor has not performed to their expectation, the President won’t allow himself to be disgraced. The governorship election is a test of his popularity.”
Before the release of the election timetable by INEC, tempers had boiled over among stakeholders in the state, who felt that the governor had achieved nothing to merit a re-election.
But immediately after the timetable was made public, it was observed that Sylva had relocated temporarily to project sites, monitoring contractors and pressurising them to complete their projects on time.
The governor was said to have relied heavily on his promises to the people of the state that most of the ongoing projects would be completed in October.
It was gathered that the sudden rush of the governor to complete most of the abandoned projects in the state was informed by some moves within the PDP that a fresh primary election be conducted to choose a more credible candidate for the party ahead of the election.
The governor’s efforts were reportedly aimed at dousing such suspicions and swaying the party leadership to allow the incumbent PDP governors to become consensus candidates in their various states based on performance.
But Sylva, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said he was not making any move to prevent the party from holding a fresh internal election ahead of the governorship poll.
He said his projects would deliver him as the party’s choice and give the PDP a clear edge above other parties in the state.
On his preparedness for the election, he said, “I don’t think that there is any problem at all. The election date had been fixed and we’re confident that by the grace of God and by the grace of the people of Bayelsa State, we will win again.”
But our correspondent gathered that the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Chief Timi Alaibe, remained a thorn in the flesh of the governor.
Though Alaibe has been quiet, it was learnt that his unusual silence had unsettled the PDP family in the state. The chairman of the LP, Mr. Bobo Atari-Adour, believed that Alaibe would still fly the flag of the party in the election.
He said the LP was prepared to take the seat of power from the PDP, claiming that people would shun the party in the election over its alleged non-performance.
He claimed that the PDP had underdeveloped all sectors of the administration, including education and health.
Cross River State
The ACN and LP, investigations showed, had stepped up efforts to wrest Cross River State from the PDP.
But there are strong indications that Governor Liyel Imoke will flag the PDP’s flag during the 2012 governorship poll.
The state PDP chairman, Chief Ekpo Okon, in an interview with SATURDAY PUNCH on Thursday, said his party had never taken the opposition parties for granted.
He noted that already, the party had started campaigning, stressing that it would explore all avenues to ensure that victory came its way in the poll.
He said, “We have never taken any opposition for granted. We have always prepared for our elections. That is why anytime we’re having elections, we always campaign from polling unit to polling unit.
“It’s not to say we’re in doubt that we would win elections. Our campaign structures are still on the ground and we’re conscious of the fact that there will be an election. We can assure them that we are ready for them.
“However, we’re not going to start campaigns immediately because once we do that, the governor will become distracted. Don’t forget that he still has one full year ahead of him; so, we will allow him to continue to work. Campaigns will commence the period prior to the governorship primaries, which will come up sometime in December this year.”
But the state chairman of the ACN, Mr. Cletus Obun, said his party had already started cementing its relationship with the electorate at the grass roots so as to ensure that it won the poll.
“We’re working very hard towards the election and as part of the preparations, we have commenced a membership drive. When we say a membership drive, we mean cementing our relationship with the people at the grass roots. I will say again and again, the ACN has the trump card of what will happen in Cross River State.”
On whether the party will field the same candidate (Senator Matthew Mbu, Jnr.), the ACN chairman said, “That is a constitutional matter. The candidacy of our last candidate has elapsed; so, he will have to face fresh primaries. But I can assure you that our last candidate is a good match for Imoke. I assure you that our last candidate was better than the PDP candidate.”
Also, the LP governorship candidate before the last April governorship election was postponed, Mrs. Imah Nsa-Adegoke, said, “We’re hopeful that we will get the people’s mandate. We can’t continue to run a government in Cross River State that is insensitive to the plight of its citizenry.”
Edo State
It was gathered that the PDP chiefs in Edo State, including the ex-chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, had swung into action to ensure that the party reclaimed the state from the ACN.
Investigations showed that a PDP meeting was purposely convened to plan strategies for defeating Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
On the PDP preparations in the state, the chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, said, “With the release of the timetable, INEC has announced the obituary date of the ACN in Edo State.”
The state ACN chairman, Thomas Okosun, said, “If the PDP continues to live in the past, who can blame them? The name alone is bad news and connotes failure. It is the person that has not had the benefit of two wives that will say otherwise, but our people have seen the light.
“ACN’s programme in Edo State as being marshalled by our governor is something that the people will not part with. Let them day dream.”
Adamawa State
Investigations by SATURDAY PUNCH showed that the governorship race in Adamawa State would be a straight fight between a former Lagos State governor, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa of the Congress for Progressive Change, and incumbent Governor Muritala Nyako.
It was gathered that the CPC was banking on the influence of its presidential candidate, retired Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to defeat the PDP in the state.
A CPC chief in the state said, “The governor is already jittery. He and his party know that their days are numbered. Ours is people’s party. We will defeat them.”
But the PDP National Vice-Chairman (North-East), who is from the state, dismissed the CPC’s threat.
He asked, “And if you are to talk about winning governorship elections, which party are you talking about in Adamawa State? How many senatorial districts are in Adamawa State? How many went to the PDP? How many went to the others? The fact remains that the PDP won six of the House of Representatives seats.”
Sokoto State
Investigations showed that in Sokoto State, the PDP’s confidence had been boosted by its performance in the April polls, where it won most of the national and state assembly seats.
The National Publicity Secretary of the CPC, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, said it was the hope of the party that history would not repeat itself.
“We hope INEC has got over the hiccups of the last elections. We hope they will be able to give Nigerians more credible elections, so that our people can have confidence in them,” he said.
Fashakin said the message of the party to INEC was to conduct elections that were free and fair in Sokoto and Adamawa states.
By Niyi Odebode, Fidelis Soriwei, Olamilekan Lartey, Abuja; Mudiaga Affe, Calabar; Success Nwogu, Ilorin; Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa; and James Azania, Benin Coutesy Of: Punch
Nationwide investigations by SATURDAY PUNCH showed that the PDP National Working Committee, at its weekly meeting on Wednesday, directed members in the affected states to ensure that all crises were resolved before the elections.
There have been renewed political activities in Kogi, Cross River, Bayelsa, Adamawa, Sokoto and Edo states since the Independent National Electoral Commission announced on August 3, 2011 the dates of the governorship elections in the affected states.
According to INEC, the Bayelsa State governorship poll will hold on January 11, 2012; Adamawa State, January 14, 2012; Sokoto State, March 10, 2012; Cross River and Edo states, July 14, 2012.
The people of Kogi State will elect another governor on December 3, 2011.
It was learnt that the PDP had mandated its branches in Bayelsa, Sokoto, Cross River, Kogi and Adamawa to ensure that the party retained the states in the elections.
The PDP currently controls 23 states, while the opposition parties are in power in 13 states. The PDP lost Ogun, Oyo, Nasarawa, Imo and Zamfara during the April polls.
A member of the PDP NWC said, “We don’t want a repeat of what happened in April. We don’t want to lose any state. In fact, we plan to win Edo State next year.”
In spite of the PDP’s resolve on the governorship poll, some branches of the party are still enmeshed in crises over the governorship primaries in their domain.
Kogi State
The state PDP’s decision not to hold fresh governorship primaries had triggered a crisis in the party with some aspirants criticising the decision.
Our correspondents learnt that some aggrieved aspirants might support the rival Action Congress of Nigeria if the party refused to back down on its decision.
The PDP legal adviser in the state, Mr. Ada Mohammed, had told journalists in Ilorin at the end of meeting of the state working committee on Wednesday that Jubril Isah would remain the candidate of the party in the forthcoming governorship election.
Isah emerged as the party’s candidate at a primary election held before the April governorship poll.
The aggrieved aspirants are Senator Alex Kadiri; Alhaji Isa Kutuepa; Mr. Simeon Maha; Senator Yahaya Ugbane; Mr. Abiodun Ojo; Air Vice-Marshall Salihu Atawodi; Dr. Sani Shaibu; Alhaji Eje Abutu; Dr, Gabriel Oduma and Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed.
In a communiqué issued at the end of their meeting in Abuja, they said, “We urge our party, the PDP, to do the right thing and direct the state PDP executive to refrain from misdirecting/misinforming the generality of our party members and consequently creating conditions for our opponents to defeat the party.”
A PDP chief in the state warned that the party should not take the aspirants’ threat lightly because the ACN might cash in on the internal crisis in the ruling party. The ACN ranks was boosted a few weeks ago when an ex-governor of the state, Alhaji Ibrahim Audu, joined the party. The ACN and the All Nigeria Peoples Party were said to have agreed to work together ahead of the December 2011 governorship poll in the state. Audu is said to have made his intention unhidden to wrest power from the PDP.
But the PDP chairman in the state, Mr. Hassan Salawu, in a telephone interview with one of our correspondents on Friday, said there was nothing to worry about as he was confident that the PDP would retain its control of the state.
The state’s ACN chairman, Mr. Hadi Ametuo, in a separate telephone interview with one of our correspondents, however said the party was poised to win the election.
He alleged that the PDP had done nothing substantial to improve the welfare of the people in the state. He said the state was lagging behind in development.
He said, “We have many plans to dislodge the PDP. Everybody is tired of the PDP because they have nothing to show for the nine years they have been ruling the state.
“The development of Kogi State is the worst. They are having problem with the civil servants. We are going to defeat them. When it is time, we will bring out the strategy and it will be the winning formula.”
Bayelsa State
In Bayelsa, investigations showed that though there had been growing criticisms against Governor Timipre Sylva, the state PDP was relying on the goodwill being enjoyed by President Goodluck Jonathan, who is from the state to retain its hold on power.
A source in the party said, “Although many people believe that the governor has not performed to their expectation, the President won’t allow himself to be disgraced. The governorship election is a test of his popularity.”
Before the release of the election timetable by INEC, tempers had boiled over among stakeholders in the state, who felt that the governor had achieved nothing to merit a re-election.
But immediately after the timetable was made public, it was observed that Sylva had relocated temporarily to project sites, monitoring contractors and pressurising them to complete their projects on time.
The governor was said to have relied heavily on his promises to the people of the state that most of the ongoing projects would be completed in October.
It was gathered that the sudden rush of the governor to complete most of the abandoned projects in the state was informed by some moves within the PDP that a fresh primary election be conducted to choose a more credible candidate for the party ahead of the election.
The governor’s efforts were reportedly aimed at dousing such suspicions and swaying the party leadership to allow the incumbent PDP governors to become consensus candidates in their various states based on performance.
But Sylva, in an interview with one of our correspondents, said he was not making any move to prevent the party from holding a fresh internal election ahead of the governorship poll.
He said his projects would deliver him as the party’s choice and give the PDP a clear edge above other parties in the state.
On his preparedness for the election, he said, “I don’t think that there is any problem at all. The election date had been fixed and we’re confident that by the grace of God and by the grace of the people of Bayelsa State, we will win again.”
But our correspondent gathered that the governorship candidate of the Labour Party, Chief Timi Alaibe, remained a thorn in the flesh of the governor.
Though Alaibe has been quiet, it was learnt that his unusual silence had unsettled the PDP family in the state. The chairman of the LP, Mr. Bobo Atari-Adour, believed that Alaibe would still fly the flag of the party in the election.
He said the LP was prepared to take the seat of power from the PDP, claiming that people would shun the party in the election over its alleged non-performance.
He claimed that the PDP had underdeveloped all sectors of the administration, including education and health.
Cross River State
The ACN and LP, investigations showed, had stepped up efforts to wrest Cross River State from the PDP.
But there are strong indications that Governor Liyel Imoke will flag the PDP’s flag during the 2012 governorship poll.
The state PDP chairman, Chief Ekpo Okon, in an interview with SATURDAY PUNCH on Thursday, said his party had never taken the opposition parties for granted.
He noted that already, the party had started campaigning, stressing that it would explore all avenues to ensure that victory came its way in the poll.
He said, “We have never taken any opposition for granted. We have always prepared for our elections. That is why anytime we’re having elections, we always campaign from polling unit to polling unit.
“It’s not to say we’re in doubt that we would win elections. Our campaign structures are still on the ground and we’re conscious of the fact that there will be an election. We can assure them that we are ready for them.
“However, we’re not going to start campaigns immediately because once we do that, the governor will become distracted. Don’t forget that he still has one full year ahead of him; so, we will allow him to continue to work. Campaigns will commence the period prior to the governorship primaries, which will come up sometime in December this year.”
But the state chairman of the ACN, Mr. Cletus Obun, said his party had already started cementing its relationship with the electorate at the grass roots so as to ensure that it won the poll.
“We’re working very hard towards the election and as part of the preparations, we have commenced a membership drive. When we say a membership drive, we mean cementing our relationship with the people at the grass roots. I will say again and again, the ACN has the trump card of what will happen in Cross River State.”
On whether the party will field the same candidate (Senator Matthew Mbu, Jnr.), the ACN chairman said, “That is a constitutional matter. The candidacy of our last candidate has elapsed; so, he will have to face fresh primaries. But I can assure you that our last candidate is a good match for Imoke. I assure you that our last candidate was better than the PDP candidate.”
Also, the LP governorship candidate before the last April governorship election was postponed, Mrs. Imah Nsa-Adegoke, said, “We’re hopeful that we will get the people’s mandate. We can’t continue to run a government in Cross River State that is insensitive to the plight of its citizenry.”
Edo State
It was gathered that the PDP chiefs in Edo State, including the ex-chairman of the party’s Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, had swung into action to ensure that the party reclaimed the state from the ACN.
Investigations showed that a PDP meeting was purposely convened to plan strategies for defeating Governor Adams Oshiomhole.
On the PDP preparations in the state, the chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, said, “With the release of the timetable, INEC has announced the obituary date of the ACN in Edo State.”
The state ACN chairman, Thomas Okosun, said, “If the PDP continues to live in the past, who can blame them? The name alone is bad news and connotes failure. It is the person that has not had the benefit of two wives that will say otherwise, but our people have seen the light.
“ACN’s programme in Edo State as being marshalled by our governor is something that the people will not part with. Let them day dream.”
Adamawa State
Investigations by SATURDAY PUNCH showed that the governorship race in Adamawa State would be a straight fight between a former Lagos State governor, retired Brig.-Gen. Buba Marwa of the Congress for Progressive Change, and incumbent Governor Muritala Nyako.
It was gathered that the CPC was banking on the influence of its presidential candidate, retired Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari to defeat the PDP in the state.
A CPC chief in the state said, “The governor is already jittery. He and his party know that their days are numbered. Ours is people’s party. We will defeat them.”
But the PDP National Vice-Chairman (North-East), who is from the state, dismissed the CPC’s threat.
He asked, “And if you are to talk about winning governorship elections, which party are you talking about in Adamawa State? How many senatorial districts are in Adamawa State? How many went to the PDP? How many went to the others? The fact remains that the PDP won six of the House of Representatives seats.”
Sokoto State
Investigations showed that in Sokoto State, the PDP’s confidence had been boosted by its performance in the April polls, where it won most of the national and state assembly seats.
The National Publicity Secretary of the CPC, Mr. Rotimi Fashakin, said it was the hope of the party that history would not repeat itself.
“We hope INEC has got over the hiccups of the last elections. We hope they will be able to give Nigerians more credible elections, so that our people can have confidence in them,” he said.
Fashakin said the message of the party to INEC was to conduct elections that were free and fair in Sokoto and Adamawa states.
By Niyi Odebode, Fidelis Soriwei, Olamilekan Lartey, Abuja; Mudiaga Affe, Calabar; Success Nwogu, Ilorin; Mike Odiegwu, Yenagoa; and James Azania, Benin Coutesy Of: Punch
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