Politics

APC primary: I see danger ahead, Fayose tells Tinubu

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Former governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose, yesterday, urged Tinubu to tread with caution, as he prepares for the presidential primary.

Fayose, in an open letter to Tinubu, warned the presidential hopeful that he “may be swimming against the political tide of the cabal in your party.”

The letter reads: “Let me start this letter to your good-self, whom I considered as one of the leading lights of the Yoruba nation, as a letter that may not be patronising, especially for the content based on the subjective views I will express here as a Yoruba man and not as a politician. 

“I equally wish to state that I am not an APC man and will never be. I am writing based on my observed views and the attached possible dangers about your good-self against today.

“One of the undeniable facts is your outburst in Abeokuta, which is a clear indication that you clearly saw a political danger to which you reacted. This informed the basis of my writing to you now.

“I equally read the reactions of your political allies both in the North and in the South. The reactions gave me great cause of concern for you and your life. Again, I see danger.

“As a knowledgeable student of history whom you are; our great late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo and the celebrated winner of the June 12, 1993 general election; Alhaji Moshood Abiola, were led to the Golgotha by self acclaimed champions of democracy. I am sure the same people may advise you to ignore my advice.  

“Going by the handwriting that is now clearly on the wall, if I may comment sir, I see you as one that may be swimming against the political tide of the cabal in your party. They are equally prepared for your actions and reactions and are fully set to contain the same as they did to both Awolowo and Abiola.  

“Unfortunately, your kingdom has been badly balkanized if what happened in Abeokuta is anything to go by.

“My advice: The book of Proverbs chapter 22 verse 3 (The Good News Translations), “sensible people will see trouble coming and avoid it but unthinking people will work into it.

“Again, Asiwaju, for reasons of not being misrepresented, I will like to stop here and allow you to make your decisions, good or bad, as a wise full-grown adult who you are. I wish you the best of luck.”

Politics

PDP presidential primary: Fayose breaks silence after scoring zero vote

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Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has finally spoken for the first time since Saturday night when he scored zero in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential primaries.

Fayose was one of the fourteen presidential aspirants who battled for the main opposition party’s sole presidential ticket but failed to score a single vote.

However, he has finally broken his silence, congratulating the winner, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and commending Governor Nyesom Wike, who came second.

Atiku emerged the Presidential candidate of the PDP for the 2023 general election, having secured a total of 371 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Wike, who garnered 237 votes.

From the details of the results from the exercise: Atiku Abubakar – 371; Nyesom Wike- 237; Bukola Saraki – 70; Udom Emmanuel – 38; Balla Mohammed – 20;
Pius Anyim – 14; Sam Ohabunwa – 1; and Olivia Tariela scored 1. There were 12 void votes.

“To this end, I congratulate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar our flag-bearer and wish him and our party success in the general election

“I congratulate former VP Atiku Abubakar over his emergence as the PDP presidential candidate. I also commend Governor Nyesom Wike for remaining consistent in action and character,” Fayose tweeted.

Politics, World News

PDP primary: Atiku Abubakar meets Wike, Fayose, others

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Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, on Monday, May 30, 2022, met with Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, in Abuja.

Atiku had defeated Wike at the party’s presidential primary in Abuja on Saturday, May 28, 2022, night.

The Monday meeting, it was gathered, was to reconcile the two party chieftains and give the PDP a robust outing in the 2023 presidential election against the ruling All Progressives Congress

The meeting was also attended by former Ekiti State Governor and PDP presidential aspirant, Ayodele Fayose, amongst other PDP chieftains.

Atiku polled a total of 371 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, who garnered 237 votes.

Former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, scored 70; Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, scored 38; Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, polled 20 votes; Anyim Pius Anyim scored 14, Sam Ohabunwa polled 1 and Olivia Tariela also scored one vote.

Politics

2023: Fayose rejects consensus option, vows to press ahead with presidential bid

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The former Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, has kicked against the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to throw the presidential contest open amidst calls for zoning of the presidential ticket to the Southern part of the country.

There were reports that the PDP national leadership had decided to throw the contest open for all aspirants to try their luck at the party’s primary election slated for later in the year.

However, the Chairman of the party’s zoning committee, Samuel Ortom, in a programme on national television earlier on Wednesday insisted that the decision has not been ratified by the party’s leadership.

Fayose, who featured in a Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, vowed that he would never to drop his presidential ambition for anybody in the party.

He insisted the PDP must zone the ticket to the South.

The ex-governor said: “I don’t believe in not zoning this presidential ticket. I was a member of the zoning committee except for the last day that I picked up my form.

“All they said was ‘because the party ought to have started the process a long time, for reasons on the fact that some people have bought forms, maybe the party can find a way to work around consensus’. They never made that statement (on throwing the presidential ticket open).

Let me say to you, the only solution is zoning. The north can’t contest the primary — the one we had in Port Harcourt which was an all northern affair — and come and tell us that there won’t be a southern affair.

“I saw the people going around for consensus. Who will step down for who? Did you ask me to step down? I won’t step down.

“They said they want all of us to come and do consensus. I don’t know about them. I have taken my form today. I am not going to step down.

“Who knows if it is me that Nigerians want to vote for? Do you know the mind of Nigerians? Do you know who they want? Any meeting or anywhere they talk about consensus, as good as that language looks, it is undemocratic.

“It is Nigerians that will determine who will win the election. How did I win in Ekiti as a two-term governor, defeating two incumbents? Life starts from somewhere.

If I do not matter, why did you bring me here? Nigerians love me. I purposely went there to get this form. I will start to go to states to let them know. I am prepared for this onslaught. I’m going to contest this election.”

The trio of former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, and his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Mohammed, had met severally in recent days in a bid to forge a consensus agreement ahead of the PDP presidential primary.

Politics

Fayose joins 2023 presidential race

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The Former Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, on Thursday declared his 2023 presidential bid.

In a statement he personally signed, the former governor also dismissed reports on the endorsement of his Anambra State counterpart, Peter Obi, and the South-East for the presidency next year.

He said: “Report credited to me that I endorsed Peter Obi for President and zoning of the Presidency to the South-East is false.

“No doubt, I have great respect for Peter Obi as a leader and I respect his aspiration, but at no point did I endorse his presidential ambition or that the presidency be zoned to South-East.

Rather, my take is that the presidency be zoned to the Southern part of Nigeria.

May I also state clearly that I will be seeking the ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to contest the next presidential election.”

The development has swelled the number of politicians eyeing the PDP presidential ticket ahead of next year’s election.

The aspirants include former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, ex-Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, among others.

Politics

Nigeria has lost direction under Buhari – Fayose

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A former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, said on Wednesday the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) must produce Nigeria’s next President in 2023 because of the failure of the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led government.

Fayose, who appeared on a Channels Television’s programme, Politics Today, insisted that Nigeria has lost its bearing under President Muhammadu Buhari’s watch.

He also charged the President to sign the Electoral Act Amendment Bill in the interest of the country.

The National Assembly had earlier on Wednesday re-amended the electoral bill and approved both direct and indirect primaries for political parties in the country.

The lawmakers also added the consensus option for the nomination of candidates by parties.

He said: “PDP must produce the next President in Nigeria. There is nobody that can vote for this party (APC) again. The government has lost its bearing on how to control the country. People are hungry, you are building a rice pyramid. Carry the rice to the grassroots.

“Now that the National Assembly has done the right thing, he (Buhari) should waste no time at assenting to the bill and let the process have enough time to adjust.

“It is becoming common of President Muhammadu Buhari to dodge assent. Remember before the 2019 elections, he was supposed to sign this thing to law; he did not, he gave excuses.

“I am not saying what the National Assembly did is right or wrong, but President Buhari should leave office and leave with a name that people will remember that he turned around the electoral process.”

Politics

Ekiti PDP broker peace between Olujimi, Fayose

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Stakeholders in the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have agreed to embrace peace in the interest of the party.

Ripples Nigeria gathered that the Ekiti PDP had been polarized along the lines of loyalty to former Governor Ayodele Fayose and Senator Biodun Olujimi.

This was contained in a statement signed by Fayose’s media aide, Lere Olayinka, in Ado Ekiti, on Tuesday, March 9.

According to Olayinka, the feuding party leaders took the decision to let peace reign after a recent meeting in Lagos.

The spokesman also listed party leaders who attended the peace meeting to include: Senator Duro Faseyi, Chief Dipo Anisulowo, Otunba Yinka Akerele, Tunji Odeyemi, Gboyega Oguntuase, Alhaji Lateef Ajijola, Deji Ogunsakin, and Mrs Funmi Ogun.

He said the two groups also resolved that “the journey to lasting and genuine reconciliation of the two groups have begun and continual and in the light of the above, all party followers of the two groups are hereby requested to sheath their sword forthwith and desist from any attack on all the leaders in the party.”

Furthermore, the stakeholders also “unanimously agreed that only with true dialogue that we can achieve victory in our coming elective elections in Ekiti State” and “that we shall continually seek all avenues for peace and resolutions of all crises in the party within the ambit of the law.”

Politics

FAYOSE TO LAGOS PDP: To make progress retire Bode George from politics

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The former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has asked the Lagos State chapter of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to send Chief Bode George on political retirement.

He said that George, a former deputy national chairman of the PDP “must be sent to political retirement if the party must make progress in Lagos State.”

His media aide, Lere Olayinka, said in a statement on Wednesday, that Fayose stated this when he spoke at the inauguration of the PDP Campaign Committee for the Lagos East senatorial bye-election on Tuesday.

He called on the party to support the PDP candidate in the senatorial bye-election, Babatunde Olalere Gbadamosi (BOG).

According to Fayose, George should rather be a support stand for the younger ones in the party instead of dragging positions with them.

“Lagos is ripe for PDP to take and we will take the state if we work hard and put our house in order.

“This senate election is for PDP to take if we are ready to take it. You have done it before by producing House of Reps members and you can do it again by producing a senator.”

He however said that “before PDP can win any election in this Lagos, the party must first separate wheat from chaffs.

The former governor, who urged leaders of the party in Lagos State to desist from exposing rancour among the party members, laid emphasis on giving the younger ones in the party opportunity to grow and allow them to be in key positions in the party.

According to Fayose, “it is high time to tell Bode George to go and retire. Let him be a support stand for the younger ones in the party.

“As I am here, I am about 60 years of age, I have grown above fighting for minister that it will get to a point and someone will say he is sacking me. I will never be such minister not to talk of contesting any post with younger ones in the party.

“It is time for young people in the party to tell elderly ones to take the back seat. I’m not against the elders, but I want them to know when to take the back seat. If they don’t, the young ones will force them. All those stories of we formed this party in 1998, eight of us sat in my sitting room to form the party is no longer important because the young too must be allowed to grow.

“At this level, if you see any elder contesting chairman with the younger ones, you must know that such fellow needs to be retired.

“I am Ayodele Fayose, you can quote me anywhere. I said, you must retire Bode George if you want progress in the PDP in Lagos. You must stand firm and fight for your right.

“As an elder, he is supposed to stay at home and be giving blessing to his children aspiring to grow not to be contending positions with them.”

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