Ayu: PDP is not based on any one person, and no one can undermine it.

Ibekimi Oriamaja Reports

The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, yesterday read the riot act to party members in apparent reference to Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, asserting that the PDP is not based on any one person and that no one can undermine its leadership. When the party accepted Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, a former governor of Kano State and senator for the Kano Central Senatorial District, who legally defected to the PDP, Ayu gave the waning in Kano.

Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s presidential candidate, stated that the event was a referendum on the All Progressives Congress, which is now in power (APC). Atiku urged Nigerians to support him because he had undergone testing and was therefore qualified to lead the nation out of its current economic and security difficulties.

But yesterday, at a different gathering, Wike stressed that something big was about to happen and that what was now happening in his party was just the beginning. He spoke those things at Port Harcourt when he opened some recently finished projects.

Shekarau, who on Monday formally joined the PDP, wrote to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to alert it of his new status and to ask the commission to remove him from consideration as the NNPP’s candidate for the Kano Central senate seat.

When the PDP hosted Shekerau in Kano, Ayu spoke on how the party was founded on Nigerians.

“The PDP is established by the people, which is why it is known as the people’s party,” he said. It was never founded on a single person and it will never be constructed on a single person.

“As the party of the people, it is not holding back. We shall triumph in every election, not just in the north but also in the south and in the south-south. Nationwide, the PDP will prevail.

“The PDP government will be in place by this time next year. No one can undermine this party. We won’t let ourselves become sidetracked. Don’t worry about all those crises being sold.

“We will defeat all obstructive forces. All obstacles will be conquered. Every PDP participant is significant. We shall make every effort to win back everyone who abandoned the PDP.

Speaking at the occasion in Hausa, Atiku praised the Senate and House for working together across party lines to pass the Nigeria Startup Bill. He urged Muhammadu Buhari, the president, to sign the legislation into law.

“Nigerians are hungry for victory in our campaign, because they know that when the PDP wins, the triumph is to the people,” the PDP presidential candidate stated in a statement.

“I’m sure you’ve observed that my staff and I have confined the topics of our engagements to those that are linked to policy. We are aware—as are you, to a large extent—that the next election is a vote on the current government. Because of their failure, we have the authority to hold the APC accountable through our democratic system.

Atiku declared, “I am a candidate, who is prepared for the job and ready to hit the ground running from day one! I am the candidate with the magic key to the problems facing the country!

“Our campaign promises regeneration and is dedicated to giving the people back control. The PDP is committed to these ideals. I am not a trial-and-error leader, as I stated in Lagos during the NBA national conference. My ability to do the task has been demonstrated through trial and error.

“Dear buddy, please allow me to thank you once more for the fantastic work that you are doing by continuing to support the campaign. Please allow me to encourage you to do more as well. We can really prevent the APC from failing us again when we put in more effort.

On his verified Twitter account, Atiku praised the bipartisan efforts of the House of Representatives and Senate. He explained that the ICT sub-sector contributed roughly 18.44 percent of Nigeria’s GDP as of the end of Q2 in 2022, making Nigeria’s start-up scene one of the biggest in Africa and a popular destination for tech talent.

The PDP presidential candidate stressed that the ICT sector was a vital component of his framework and plan for national development in order to guarantee economic growth and diversification in the next years.

“My administration intends to enact a disruptive economic agenda that will place ICT at the forefront of our policy development strategy and ensure that digital technologies and innovations in ICT, and IT-enabled products and services, are given an enabling environment to drive and help build our new digital economy, particularly in areas like e-commerce, IT manufacturing, ICT enabled outsourcing, the broader start-up ecosystem, and other emerging technologies,” he said.

In order to create a healthy tech ecosystem that fosters innovation, competitiveness, and job creation for our burgeoning youth population, my government will see to it that the gap between established/startup tech companies and the country’s regulators is closed.

“I had previously discussed the necessity to switch to an e-government system in my policy document and my most recent Arise Interview, in order to lower expenditure expenses, increase workflow management, service delivery, and general efficiency.

As we construct a new and improved futuristic economy, this change will also present chances for the ICT sector to innovate and develop solutions for government digital services.

Aminu Tambuwal, the governor of Sokoto State and the head of the PDP governors’ forum, welcomed Shekarau back to the party and noted that the former governor of Kano State had been away for a while but was now back in his native country. Instructing Shekarau to continue aiding in the party’s and Nigeria’s overall repositioning, Tambuwal promised that, in the end, “We shall offer Atiku all help to become President.”

Ifeanyi Okowa, the governor of Delta State and a PDP vice presidential candidate, praised Shekarau for his sacrifice in leaving the NNPP and its senatorial ticket in favor of the PDP.

Okowa praised Shekarau for recognizing the brightness in Atiku and called him the light and hope of Nigerians. He claimed that with Atiku’s experience, he would give the currently in disarray sectors of the economy, security, and education a facelift.

The governor of Delta State bemoaned the hardship of the populace and promised that it would soon come to an end if Atiku were elected president.

“There is light and optimism in PDP,” proclaimed Okowa.

He was upbeat and emphasized that PDP would win by a landslide in the south, southern Nigeria, and the north.

Wike: The PDP will experience something soon.

Nyesom Wike, the governor of Rivers State, said something historic would happen within the PDP yesterday. Wike also promised to shortly name the 2023 presidential aspirants who intend to drain Nigeria’s coffers.

The governor gave a speech at the opening of internal roads in Rumuesara, Eneka town, in the state’s Obio/Akpor Local Government Area. He claimed that some politicians who were campaigning for votes in order to win the 2023 presidential election had bad intentions for the nation.

He argued that because he knew better, he should have exposed such candidates sooner rather than later, giving Nigerians a chance to utilize their votes to reject them.

When discussing the present problems inside his party, the governor said, “All of us should be calm over what is occurring in PDP. In reality, nothing has occurred thus far. But something will occur by the grace of God.

“Some other people are currently planning how they will seize control of Nigeria in order to plunder the residual resources these other people have already kept.

“I’m fortunate to know these folks, and when the time is right, I’ll let you know who they are. You must be aware of the situation in Nigeria. Ignore the folks who are frantically trying to save or rescue you (Nigeria). Just keep an eye out to see what happens next.

While his administration has continued to launch initiatives for Rivers residents, Wike claimed that his opponents were busy funding an anti-Wike media campaign.

The governor claimed that despite these unfavorable media reports, his administration had continued to provide good governance in order to improve relations with the residents of Rivers State.

Look at us focusing on providing our citizens with decent governance, he said. What exactly is excellent leadership? People are happier when there is effective government. Providing infrastructure for the populace is good governance. Politics have no place in good administration. Good government requires strong leadership. Even though our term is drawing to an end, we continue to flag off and commission projects every day.

Wike explained how challenging it would be for inexperienced politicians to approach the Rivers electorate and ask for their support when they had never improved their situation.

“Now that I’ve arrived in Eneka to offer this fundamental infrastructure, I can come back to Eneka and ask you to follow me, let’s go there, or let’s stay here,” he said to the populace. Do they possess the capacity to visit you and speak with you? Can they visit you to talk?

“It’s someone who hears from you and from whom you have also heard. In this one, you’ve done nothing for my people, you haven’t sought their input, and now you want to dictate where they should cast their ballots?

We will thus visit you and ask to see your voting location. We haven’t lied to you or played tricks on you, so I know from our history that you will follow us when the time is right.

Shekarau writes INEC about her new status and decision to drop her Senate candidacy.

Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, a former governor of Kano State and a senator for Kano Central, wrote to INEC to ask that his NNPP Senate campaign be withdrawn.

Shekarau claimed he quit the NNPP because the group refused to carry out a deal he had made with them back in May when he switched from the APC to the NNPP.

Speaking at his defection ceremony, Shekarau announced that he and his supporters had joined the PDP. The ceremony was held at his Kano home. “I and my supporters have today abandoned NNPP for PDP,” he continued.

Governor Darius Ishaku of Taraba State, former vice president Namadi Sambo, senator Walid Jibrin, chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT), and ex-governors of Jigawa (Saminu Turaki and Sule Lamido), Sokoto (Attahiru Bafarawa), Kaduna (Ahmed Makarfi), and Adamawa (Sale Lamido) were also present (Boni Haruna).