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JUST IN: PDP NEC Member says Wike No Longer a Member of the Party
The immediate-past governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike, is no longer a member of the party, given his conduct before, during and after the 2023 general elections.
This is according to a member of the Peoples Democratic Party’s National Executive Committee, Timothy Osadolor, who said Wike’s recent public outings wherein he appeared to be leaning towards the All Progressives Congress, give him away as a man in perpetual craving for the spotlight at all times and regardless of the cost to his image as an opposition political leader.
He said, “The PDP has ignored Wike because the man is no longer himself. There are more ways to deal with people apart from sanctioning them. You can keep someone in isolation. He (Wike) can boast that he is the one that stayed away but is it not better to stay away than come to party activities and nobody wants to associate with you? He has been given a cold treatment because he went to court to procure a judgment that says he cannot be suspended but there is no judgment that says he cannot be avoided.
That is what the PDP has been doing to him and technically, if Wike wants to say the truth, he will tell you that he is no longer a member of the PDP. No PDP leader or member behaves the way he does.”
But in a swift reaction, a chieftain of the PDP and immediate past Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Chris Finebone, said Wike remained a bona fide member of the opposition party.
Describing Osadolor’s comments as wishful thinking, Finebone said he does not have any power to speak for the party.
He stated, “We can’t identify who he represents, but I think it is wishful thinking. It is wishful thinking and the man who is said to have said that is inconsequential as far as we are concerned.
“And so, whatever he has said is of no effect. His Excellency, the former Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, is 110 per cent a member of PDP and nothing has changed. And nothing can change it.”
On the accusation that Wike has been hobnobbing with Tinubu, he said it was petty and frivolous.
News
El-Rufai speaks on Abuja airport arrest attempts by security operatives
El -Rufai wrote.“Our country must outgrow executive overreach particularly involving opposition figures and former public office holders, and deliberate disregard for the rule of law
A former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has condemned what he described as an illegal attempt by security operatives to arrest him at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, following his arrival from Cairo, Egypt.
El-Rufai made this known in a post on his verified X (formerly Twitter) handle on Thursday, where he accused authorities of executive overreach and disregard for the rule of law.
“My lawyers have issued a statement that condemns the illegal attempt to arrest me today at the Abuja airport upon my arrival from Cairo,” El-Rufai wrote.“Our country must outgrow executive overreach particularly involving opposition figures and former public office holders, and deliberate disregard for the rule of law,” he added.
News
INEC needs N873bn for 2027 elections, says Amupitan
The 2027 election budget is structured into five major components: N379.748 billion for operational expenses, N92.317 billion for administrative costs, N209.206 billion for technology, N154.905 billion for capital expenditure, and N42.608 billion for miscellaneous items.
INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan has estimated a total of N873.778 billion for the conduct of the 2027 general elections, while requesting N171 billion for its 2026 operational budget.
Amupitan made the projection on Thursday when he presented the Commission’s budget proposals before the National Assembly Joint Committee on Electoral Matters.
He clarified that the nearly N874 billion earmarked for 2027 polls is separate from the 2026 budget, which covers routine operations, by-elections, and off-cycle polls.
The 2027 election budget is structured into five major components: N379.748 billion for operational expenses, N92.317 billion for administrative costs, N209.206 billion for technology, N154.905 billion for capital expenditure, and N42.608 billion for miscellaneous items.
The projection does not include a pending request by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) for an upward review of allowances for corps members deployed as ad-hoc election staff.
News
El-Rufai resists arrest by security agents at Abuja Airport
Regarding today’s incident, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai’s media aide, confirmed that ” As he arrived at the airport, security agents approached him, but Malam El-Rufai declined to follow them without a formal invitation. They, however, snatched his international passport from an aide.”
Security agents today at the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport, Abuja, attempted to arrest former Kaduna State Governor, Malam Nasir Ahmad El-Rufai, upon his arrival from Cairo, Egypt
Ohibaba.com reported the previous day that El-Rufai, in an interview with BBC Hausa, said he could be arrested in Nigeria at any time.
He accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of pressuring politicians to either align with the party or face political consequences.
El-Rufai also claimed that some of his associates had already been detained. “Four people we worked with in Kaduna have been arrested; so it’s only a matter of time before they come for me too,” he said
Regarding today’s incident, Muyiwa Adekeye, El-Rufai’s media aide, confirmed that ” As he arrived at the airport, security agents approached him, but Malam El-Rufai declined to follow them without a formal invitation. They, however, snatched his international passport from an aide.”
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