Welcome to the round-up of the latest political news in Nigeria, political gist, highlights of political events, and happenings in Nigeria for today Tuesday, 2nd August 2022.
Read all the major political news, political event highlights, and happenings in Nigeria for today on a single page right here.
Muslim-Muslim Ticket: ‘Babachir Lawal, Dogara, Others Spewing Hatred, May Decamp Soon’
Director of Media and Communications, Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, has claimed that those in the All Progressives Congress (APC) opposed to the Muslim-Muslim ticket are angry because they lost out in the plot to emerge as vice-presidential candidate.
Recall that a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, and former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, had vowed to mobilise northern Christian electorates to vote against the candidate of the ruling party in the 2023 election over his decision to field a Muslim as his running mate.
Northern Christian leaders met last Friday to reject the APC presidential ticket for not representing Christians and Muslims.
Among the leaders, who spoke during the event, were Lawal, Dogara, a former Minister of Youths and Sports Development, Solomon Dalung, and Senator Ishaku Abbo (Adamawa North).
Onanuga said he won’t join issues with Babachir Lawal and Dogara, accusing the duo of spewing hate over the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
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PDP May Not Come Second In 2023 Presidential Election – APC Group
An All Progressives Congress (APC) coalition group, identified as the Grassroots Governance Group (APC-G3), has lampooned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for allegedly dragging the ruling party into their intractable issues.
APC-G3, in reaction to a statement by the Board of Trustees, BoT Chairman of the PDP, Senator Walid Jibrin, said the opposition party leaders are aware that they may not get a second position in the 2023 presidential election.
Naija News understands that Jibrin had earlier said that the crisis that surfaced in the PDP after its presidential primaries would soon be over as plans were underway to meet Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and nip the issue in the bud.
Jibrin said what is happening in the umbrella camp can never be compared with the situation in APC especially their decision to field a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Countering the PDP chieftain, APC-G3 said Nigerians must see the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima as credible combinations that are here to serve the country, and not a particular group of people.
Deputy National Publicity Secretary of APC-G3, Kingsley Ndunagu, in the statement on Tuesday, said Jibrin was only trying to introduce religion into APC’s choice of presidential and vice-presidential candidates.
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2023: ‘Why APC Is Worried About Kwankwaso’ – Osita Okechukwu
The Director-General, Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, has revealed why the All Progressives Congress (APC) is worried about the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP) presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso.
Speaking on Arise TV on Tuesday, the APC chieftain gave an analysis of what would be the outcome of the 2023 election.
Osita also faulted the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the party, stressing that as a Christian he would have preferred a Christian to be the vice presidential candidate of APC.
He added that Atiku may not get votes in the South East and South-South like the Peoples Democratic Party used to have but APC is worried that Kwakwaso might deprive the party of some votes in the North.
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2023: PDP’s Wike/Atiku Problem Not As Bad As APC’s Muslim-Muslim Problem – Jibrin
The Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jibrin has submitted that his party has fewer problems to deal with ahead of the 2023 elections compared to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
According to Jibrin, the PDP is already dealing with all the challenges and grievances from its presidential primaries and everything would be sorted before the 2023 polls.
He observed that the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the PDP presidential candidate and the subsequent emergence of Ifeanyi Okowa as his running mate has upset some stakeholders within the party particularly Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and his loyalists.
The PDP stalwart however promised that steps have been activated to resolve all outstanding issues and reconcile aggrieved stakeholders.
On the other hand, he stated that the Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket of the APC has created a lot of controversies and heated arguments along religious and ethnic lines.
In his view according to a statement released on Monday, the issues plaguing both parties shouldn’t be compared.
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2023: Why I Dumped Igbo Presidency To Support Tinubu – Okechukwu
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Director-General, Voice of Nigeria (VON), Mr Osita Okechukwu has explained the reason behind his decision to jettison the agitation for a 2023 Igbo presidency.
Speaking on Tuesday, Okechukwu said he had no other option but to dump the agitation for Igbo presidency after Asiwaju Bola Tinubu emerged as the APC presidential candidate.
He said though he had always supported and promoted the idea of an Igbo presidency for 2023, reality changed his position after Tinubu emerged.
The VON DG posited further that as a loyal party man, though Tinubu was not his preferred choice, he had to let go of his own position and support the party candidate who emerged from a free and fair primary election.
Naija News understands he made his view known on Tuesday during an interview appearance on Arise TV.
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2023: Why I Agreed To Be Peter Obi’s Running Mate – Baba-Ahmed
The founder of Baze University in Abuja, Datti Baba-Ahmed, has revealed the reason he agreed to be the running mate of the presidential candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi.
Speaking on Trust TV’s Daily Politics on Monday, Baba-Ahmed said he agreed to be Obi’s running mate because of his integrity and principle on financial management.
The LP vice presidential candidate added that he investigated the former Anambra State Governor over allegations that he is in support of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and its activities.
Baba-Ahmed revealed that his investigation showed that Obi was not linked with the outlawed group and its activities in the South East.
The LP vice presidential candidate added that he would not have joined the former governor if the allegations are true and confirmed.
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2023: Details Of Tinubu, Shettima’s Meeting With APC Governors, Others Emerge
The details of the meeting between the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, his running mate, Kashim Shettima and some governors elected on the platform of the party have emerged.
Naija News had earlier reported that Tinubu met with some governors and leaders in the party to strategize ahead of the 2023 general election.
The Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, while addressing newsmen after the meeting, revealed that the APC Presidential Campaign Council will be unveiled soon.
El-Rufai, after submitting a report of a consultation committee to Tinubu on Monday, said the decision of who should emerge as the Director-General of the Council would be disclosed.
He further stated that the report will be presented to the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) before Tinubu unveils members of the council.
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Atiku May Have Supported Muslim-Muslim Ticket In 1993 – Reno Omokri
Former presidential aide, Reno Omokri has admitted that the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, supported the Muslim-Muslim ticket in 1993.
Omokri made this on Monday after a book written by the former vice president revealed that he may have supported the Abiola-Kingibe ticket during the 1993 presidential election.
Naija News reported that the book titled, ‘My Life, shows that Atiku supported the presidential ambition of MKO Abiola for a vice-presidential candidate slot.
Abiola, however, dropped Atiku and picked Babagana Kingibe as his running mate in the election.
Atiku in the book claimed that the late former president, Umaru Musa Yar’adua, at the time was pissed with the betrayal of Abiola who had dropped Atiku for Kingibe.
In a tweet via his Twitter handle on Monday, Omokri said that Atiku may have supported the Abiola-Kingibe ticket in 1993 because there was no terrorism and banditry.
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Identities Of APC Senators Set To Defect To PDP Revealed
The identities of Senators elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) set to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have been revealed.
Naija News reports that most of the senators are said to be aggrieved with APC leadership over the way the party handled the last primaries which denied them return tickets to the National Assembly.
Meanwhile, the planned defection is said to have rattled the leadership of APC with some of the senators accusing Senate President Ahmed Lawan of refusing to read the letters of defection submitted to him last week.
However, Lawan denied the allegation made against him by some of the lawmakers ahead of the planned defection.
It is understood that if the senators defect from the APC to the PDP, it would make the ruling party lose its majority status in the Senate.
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Adeleke: Aregbesola’s Faction Allegedly Planning Violent Protests
The Osun State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the faction of the party backed by the Minister of Interior, Rauf Aregbesola, of plotting a violent protest against the State chairman of the party, Gboyega Famoodun.
This was contained in a statement by the Media Adviser to Osun APC chairman, Kola Olabisi, on Monday.
According to Olabisi, a group from the State as well as some PDP members have risen to fund a series of demonstrations against Famodun, following the outcome of the Osun gubernatorial election.
The APC members accused Aregbesola’s faction of openly celebrating the loss of the incumbent Governor, Gboyega Oyetola and the victory of PDP across social media.
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Over 2,000 PDP Members Decamp To APC In Kebbi
The Kebbi State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) received a troop of defectors from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the weekend, Naija News learnt.
The decampees who are said to be two thousand, five hundred and twelve in total from the Shanga Local Government Area of the state were led into the nation’s ruling party by a former PDP Chairman of their council, Alhaji Yakubu Dala.
All former exco members, delegates, women and youth leaders in the area reportedly joined Dala in the defection.
Confirming his defection, Dala attributed their decision to join APC to the tenacity and good leadership style of Governor Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, as well as the cohesion within the party in Kebbi State.
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That will be all for today. You can read more political and other Nigerian news on Naija News
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