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Zamfara electoral woes will not repeat in Edo State – Deputy governor

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Philip Shaibu, the deputy governor of Edo state, says the All Progressives Congress (APC) crisis that led to the party’s loss in Zamfara state would not repeat itself in his state.

The APC had lost all its votes in the 2019 governorship elections after a five-man panel of the supreme court led by Tanko Muhammad, the chief Justice of Nigeria, declared that the party did not conduct valid primaries in the build-up of the elections.

The party had two primaries in the state due to factional power play in the state — a situation political commentators say may repeat itself in Edo state.

Speaking on this in an interview with Osasu Igbinedion on The Osasu Show, Shaibu said the party has put politics on hold to halt the spread of COVID-19, but assured party faithful that Zamfara will not be repeated in Edo.

“I can assure you that what happened in Zamfara cannot happen in Edo state because we play the game by the rules. We follow the rule strictly, and everything that we do in Edo is guided by the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” he said.

“Anything we do in the party is guided by the constitution of the APC. I can assure you that Edo will not have a repeat of Zamfara. We would have our election by the grace of God in Edo, and Godwin Obaseki and I, will get our second term by the grace of God.

“History is there that you cannot truncate a moving train, that is moving at a speed of development, like the one we are having. We think through all our policies, we don’t know it all but we collaborate with other states and other government agencies.

“What we are doing in Edo is to take governance to a level where our children will have hope for tomorrow. We are dealing with the isssue of education, we are dealing with the issue of infrastructure.

“We are creating a new mindset of people believing in themselves. Edo people are very very proud people, an Edo man or Edo woman, will not want to be the one going to ask for alms. He would want to be the one giving the alms.”

‘COVID-19 OVER PARTY POLITICS’
Edo state APC currently has two chairmen belonging to different factions in the state, suggesting two candidates may be fielded for the governorship election in September 2020.

“As far as politics is concerned, we decided to be silent on politics because the life of our people is critical to us and we don’t want to be distracted with this politics.

“Even the palliatives is distributed across party lines; there was no PDP/APC, all the parties were involved, civil society, traditional rulers, all of us.

“We want to completely focus on COVID, the issue of politics will take care of itself. We don’t know who will be alive when the election will take place, this disease is real and all of us are vulnerable, you can see kings, governors, prime ministers are being affected.

“We have decided that politics should take the backstage for now, when the time to play the politics come, and God spare our lives, we would deal with the issue.”

He said Adams Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the APC, has been suspended in the state, but the court says he can keep working on the national stage while they await another court verdict on the matter.

Shaibu prayed that the APC return as “one big family”.

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Lagos PDP tackles Jandor for defecting to APC

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The Lagos State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party has lashed Dr Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, for defecting to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC ahead of 2027 general election.

The PDP reacted to the news of Adediran’s defection to APC which he announced at a press conference on Monday in Lagos.

The former PDP’s Governorship candidate in the 2023 general election had on March 3 tendered his resignation from the party, citing the lack of discipline and leadership betrayal in the party fold.

The leader of a movement – Lagos4Lagos Movement, was previous a member of APC before he defected to the PDP and contested governorship on the party’s platform before returning to the APC again.

Reacting to his defection in an interview with journalists on Monday, the Deputy Chairman of the PDP in Lagos, Tai Benedict, said Jandor was never “our own” and was allegedly planted by the APC to destabilise the PDP.
Benedict said, “He was never our own. He was an agent sent to our party to destroy our party. The very first time I saw him, I told him to explain – that you are an agent of the APC, sent to our party because they knew we had a bright chance to win that election.

“Although he denied it, eventually, I was vindicated. This was somebody who came to the party, and the first thing he did was to start accusing the leaders and the next thing he did was to disorganise a united party to the national level until he got the ticket of our party from the back.

“You know, it’s very unfortunate, very unfortunate. We have never had it so badly. But all I have to say is we thank God. We’re okay with his exit.

“He came, he singularly picked his running mate. It has never happened. He said because Funke (Akindele) had over three million followers on Instagram, that will make his victory (at the 2023 governorship poll) easier. But we had only 62,000 votes.”

“For me, I thank God that he has left our party. It’s not a good thing to lose membership in parties, I quite agree with that. It’s not good to lose your members to other parties. But there are some members that if they leave, you’ll be happy. One of such members is Jandor.”

The party’s publicity secretary, Seye Oladejo, in an interview with The PUNCH on Monday, said the APC was ready to work with Jandor.

Oladejo said, “Like all politicians, Jandor came to the party with ambition. At the time, that could be realised quickly on the platform of the conservatives, which has been rejected at the polls several times by the people of Lagos.

“So, now that he’s back, we’re happy to work with him. We appreciate the fact that Lagos has been better and safer in the hands of the progressives, who have enjoyed uninterrupted trust and confidence from the people.
“We believe in our party that there is sufficient opportunity for him, like many others, to contribute his quota to the continual success of our government and growth of our party.”

He said the party was expecting more politicians to defect to the APC.

“In the days ahead, we’re expecting more decamps as we approach the next election.”

Dismissing the PDP’s claim that the APC planted Jandor to destablise the opposition, Oladejo said, “It shows how inept ideas this so-called opposition is.”

“We’re talking about a party that’s perpetually in crisis. We’re talking about a party that can’t organise itself, and they want to govern. The electorates in Lagos are informed, they are sophisticated.

“They’re just looking for excuses to justify their incompetence, and the fact that they’re incapable of mobilising whatever modicum of support they have for election victory.”

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SDP’s ex-presidential flagbearer tells El-Rufai, other defectors, he will be candidate in 2027 again

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Following the defection of the former governor of Kaduna State and a Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Malam Nasir El-Rufai to the Social Democratic Party, SDP, the ex-Presidential flagbearer of the party in the 2023 general election, Barrister Adewole Adebayo said, he will be the party’s candidate in 2027.

Adewole stated this amid speculations that El-Rufai defecting to the party may want to highjack the leadership to supplant to presidential candidate in the 2027 election that would stop President Bola Tinubu from second term of office.

Adewole, speaking on Arise Television’s ‘The Morning Show’ on Friday, March 14, 2025, said he is not intimidated by the heavy weight politicians defectring into the party.

When asked if he’s worried about the ‘heavy-weight’ politicians joining the SDP, Adewole said he is not worried by the claim that the high-profile politicians defecting to the party can push him aside.

El-Rufai said he defected to the SDP as a result of APC’s lack of leadership sincerity, accusing APC leaders of fuelling their selfish ambition against the yearnings of Nigerians.
Since last week that El-Rufai defected, he has been rallying round other topnotch political office holders to join him in SDP with a view to form alliance ahead of 2027 to stop the ruling APC which he insisted has derailed.

But Adebayo said: “Let us understand something. I don’t worry about that; everybody who is coming in knows I will run in 2027.”

He added, “Any coward who will feel threatened by people coming to his party can not be president.”

Adewole also said President Bola Tinubu will be defeated in 2027, and an SDP president will emerge.

“Tinubu is going to be removed from power, that one is sure, and there would be an SDP president,” he asserted.

On coalition, he said the SDP is not yet discussing alliances with any party, adding that political parties that want a coalition can approach the party.

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El-Rufai’s defection a betrayal, but not irreversible – APC Professionals

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The APC Professional Network, an umbrella body for professionals within the All Progressives Congress (APC), has described the defection of former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, as a major betrayal.

Despite his move to the Social Democratic Party (SDP), the group maintains that the situation is not beyond resolution.

In a statement released on Saturday, the group’s President-General, Victor Walsh Oluwafemi, emphasized El-Rufai’s significance within the APC, stating, “Mallam Nasir El-Rufai has played a crucial role in the APC’s growth and governance objectives. His departure, coupled with his recent comments, is both unexpected and disappointing. It raises concerns about party loyalty, consistency, and the commitment needed to build a stronger APC.”

While acknowledging El-Rufai’s right to political association, Oluwafemi noted the impact of such moves on the party’s integrity and unity.

He reaffirmed the APC Professional Network’s dedication to the party’s core values of good governance, accountability, and development.

“As professionals within the APC, we urge our members and supporters to remain calm, focused, and resolute,” he said. “This development must not derail our collective mission of advancing the party’s agenda for a prosperous and united Nigeria, he said”.

The group further called on party leaders at all levels to reinforce internal cohesion and address concerns that could trigger further defections.
“Now, more than ever, the APC must demonstrate leadership, unity, and resolve,” Oluwafemi stressed.

He assured members that the network remains committed to strengthening the party and ensuring its continued success.

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