Category: Featured

Emeka Ihedioha, the former governor of Imo State, has congratulated Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of Delta State, on his selection as Atiku Abubakar’s running mate.
Ihedioha characterised Okowa as a “distinguished, dedicated, disciplined, and determined party man” who will contribute significantly to the PDP’s presidency.

In the 2023 general elections, he urged party members to back Atiku Abubakar and Okowa for president.

“On behalf of the leaders and members of the Peoples Democratic Party in Imo State, I congratulate Senator Dr Ifeanyi Arthur Okowa on his meritorious nomination as our great party’s Vice Presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections,” Ihedioha wrote in a series of tweets.

“This is a follow-up to my belief that Governor Okowa is a very distinguished, loyal, disciplined, and committed party man who, given his well-known, extensive legislative and administrative history spanning several years in our country, can offer great value to and complement the presidential ticket.”

“He will serve as a partner to His Excellency Alh. Atiku Abubakar GCON, the PDP presidential candidate, who is very experienced, intelligent, prepared, and a wonderful unifier.”

The Igbo socio-cultural organisation Ohanaeze Ndigbo claimed on Thursday that Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, has given politics in Nigeria a new dimension.
Damian Okeke-Ogene, Vice President of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, revealed this on Thursday in Nanka, Orumba North Local Government Area.

Okeke-Ogene remarked, “Obi stands for people who wish to enthrone a new political and social order that would end the recycling of leadership,” while speaking to the Anambra State branch of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in his hometown.

He also expressed sorrow over the South-East governors’ failure to forge a united front in both the PDP and the APC on the election of a candidate.

“The unexpected emergence of Mr Peter Obi as the presidential candidate of the Labour Party has given Nigeria politics a new dimension,” Okeke-Ogene stated.

“He is a contender who has received widespread national and international support. This is not due to the fact that the president is of Igbo descent or that the presidency is rotated, nor is it due to ethnic or religious grounds. Rather, it is because of Obi’s support for those who wish to enthrone a new political and social order that will put a stop to the leadership recycling that has become a burden to Nigerians.

“His ascension has sparked a mass movement that will have a similar, if not greater, impact than the End SARS Protest, because people see in him a candidate who can evolve a new Nigeria, capable of changing the way things are done by upholding progressive ideology that is not based on tribe, religion, or political leaning.”

“The political class in the South-east thwarted Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s efforts to advocate an Igbo presidential candidate.

“It’s unfortunate to observe that all of the delegates at the conventions were more or less controlled by the leadership of their respective political parties, which was reflected in their voting pattern and was a slap in the face of the South East’s aspirations.”

The All Progressives Congress has asked INEC to appoint Ahmad Lawan as its senatorial candidate for Yobe North in 2023.
The APC expressed its intention to upload Mr Lawan’s name as its candidate from the district in a letter to INEC dated June 14, 2023, which was received on June 15 at the electoral office’s headquarters in Abuja, effectively calling Bashir Machina’s bluff.

Mr Machina had previously stated that he would not hand over his mandate to Mr Lawan, claiming that he had won the senatorial primary while the Senate President was in Abuja pursuing the ruling party’s presidential ticket. On June 8, Mr Lawan lost his Senate seat to Bola Tinubu, and he returned to his district to claim his party’s ticket for his sixth Senate run.

The APC appeared to have relied on a clause that required primary contenders to voluntarily withdraw from a race or be arbitrarily substituted by the party, depending on the circumstances. As an aspirant, Mr Machina acknowledged the clause but did not support it.

INEC’s spokesman did not respond to a request for comment on whether the ruling party’s explanation for the submission of Mr Lawan’s name is satisfactory to the electoral office. A request for the legal basis for the party’s action was not returned by a spokesman.

Mr Machina would have a good chance in court, according to legal analyst Chioma Okechukwu, who believes the APC’s decision was risky.

“Since he legally won the primary, they need his permission to substitute his name,” Ms Okechukwu explained. “While political parties have the authority to nominate candidates, INEC must conduct due diligence to ensure that each nomination follows the law’s due process.”