Buhari: I’m Confident APC will Win July 16 Osun Guber Poll

•Lauds Oyetola’s selfless service to the people 

•Atiku group distances self from Ekiti PDP factional crisis 

•Crisis in Kano PDP as stakeholders want chairman suspended

Deji Elumoye in Abuja, Victor Ogunje in Ado Ekiti and Ibrahim Shuaibu in Kano

President Muhammadu Buhari has expressed confidence that the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), would emerge victorious in the July 16 governorship election in Osun State.

He, therefore, hailed the selfless service of Governor Adegboyega Oyetola of the state, to the people, which he said would earn him a second term in office.

In a related development, a group rooting for the Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate in 2023, Atiku Abubakar, has dissociated itself from the factional crisis rocking the party in Ekiti State.

At the same time, the lingering crisis in Kano PDP, has taken a new twist as a faction, led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, has called for suspension of the party’s Chairman, Shehu Wada Sagagi.

However, presenting the party’s flag to Oyetola at the State House, Abuja, yesterday, the president commended the performance of the governor for serving the people tirelessly in his first term in office, adding that he had confidence in the party winning the election, fairly and squarely in the coming week.

“I wish you the best of luck”, the president said

Responding to the invitation to participate in the Grand Finale of the rallies, next week in Osogbo, Buhari said, “I hope I will make myself available to boost your morale.”

But he gave assurances that the APC was committed to furthering the development journey of the state.

President Buhari gave kudos to the co-chairs of the Osun State Governorship Campaign Council, Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu and Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje of Lagos and Kano States as well as the Vice Chairman and Niger State Governor, Abubakar Sani Bello, for putting so much energy into the campaign to re-elect Oyetola.

Presenting the candidate earlier to the President, the Deputy National Chairman of the Party, Senator Abu Kyari, who stood in for the National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, commended the President for leading the party to victory.

He described Oyetola as a performing governor, who has done well in his first term and is deserving of a second one, even as he expressed optimism too that the party would emerge overall winner in the general election in February next year.

Atiku Group Distances Self from Ekiti PDP Factional Crisis

A group rooting for the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has dissociated itself from the factional crisis rocking the party in Ekiti State.

The group, The  Atiku Mobilisers (TAM), regretted the polarisation  of Ekiti PDP into two factions, and urged the Dr. Iyorchia Ayu-led National Working Committee of the party to wade into the matter and bring the contending forces together.

A group of SWC members  loyal to former Governor Ayodele Fayose, had on Monday elected one Alaba Agboola, a known protege of Senator Biodun Olujimi to replace the former chairman of the party in the state, Hon Bisi Kolawole.

In another meeting convened in Ado Ekiti by anti-Fayose forces in the SWC, former Chairman of Ado Ekiti Local Government, Hon. Deji Ogunsakin, was elected a factional Chairman.

The internal squabbles in the party, had largely been interpreted by the public to be a resonation of the crisis between Atiku and Rivers State Governor and Fayose’s known ally, Nyesom Wike.

But a communique issued after its meeting held in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday and signed by 22 members of the group, said neither the group nor its principal had anything to do with the internal crisis in Ekiti APC.

Prominent among the signatories were former Assembly Speaker and Acting Governor, Hon Tunji Odeyemi; former Deputy Governor, Sikuru Lawal; former PDP State Chairmen, Makanjuola Ogundipe and Idowu Faleye, former Secretary to the State Government, Dr. Modupe Alade, a former Commissioner, Segun Akinwumi, among others.

Crisis in Kano PDP as Stakeholders Seek Chairman’s suspension

The lingering crisis in the opposition PDP in Kano State, has taken a new twist as a faction, led by former Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Aminu Wali, has called for the suspension of the party’s state chairman, Shehu Wada Sagagi.

The party had already split into two factions in the state, as Muhammad Sani Abacha and Sadiq Wali emerged factional gubernatorial candidates respectively.

At a press conference yesterday in Kano, the Wali faction called on the national body of PDP to use section 58(l) to sanction Sagagi over his anti-party activities, capable of causing division in the party.

A former governorship aspirant in the party, Yunusa Adamu Dangwani, who read from a speech, recalled that Sagagi, at a press briefing on Tuesday, called for the resignation of the national chairman of PDP, Iyochia Ayu, on the premise that he (Ayu) promised to step aside and allow a national chairman from southern Nigeria once a presidential candidate emerges from the north.

By this alleged statement, Dangwani accused Sagagi of dancing to the tunes of anti-PDP forces both within and outside the party in the state.

According to Dangwani, “Ayu never made such a promise. What he said after he was jointly nominated for the National chairmanship – after some engagements by senior party stakeholders from the three zones from the north, was that, he would step aside as National chairman to allow for a chairman of southern extraction once a northern presidential candidate emerges and wins the presidential election.

“We are not surprised by the mischievous utterances of Sagagi. He is only being used by agents of destruction, who are hell-bent on creating confusion among the millions of PDP members, supporters, sympathisers and leaders with a view to reversing the clear signals of victory that the PDP now massively enjoys across the country.

“We, therefore, urge the National Working Committee to immediately invoke the relevant provisions of the party constitution 2017 as Amended, on Shehu Wada Sagagi.

“We specifically recommend putting him through the party constitution by suspending Shehu Sagagi immediately and directing him to appear before the National Disciplinary Committee to show course why he should not be punished for bringing the party into disrepute,” he said.