Politics
Atiku is cosmopolitan person, I don’t believe he will fail like Buhari says Alex Kadiri
***Advocates for rotational Presidency to be part of electoral law so that Ibo man can be President
Following the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Saturday as the Presidential flagbearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senator Alex Usman
Kadiri, an APC stalwart, who represented Kogi East from 1999 to 2003 has said his prediction of another Fulani President in 2023 is gradually coming to pass.
The elder statesman had predicted that based on the capacity to garner votes, Atiku is the only politician in PDP today that is assured of at least 8million to 12 million votes even if he does not go out for the campaign.
He said every political party aspires to win the Presidency hence they cannot just give their ticket to anybody who will go and mess it up.
“About a month ago, I told you we are going to have another Fulani President After Buhari whether we like it or not and my prediction is coming slowly to reality assuredly.
“Atiku as a man has a broader mind than Buhari, he is a cosmopolitan person, his first wife is Yoruba, most of his good friends are Ibos or Yorubas, and he even has another wife who is Ibo. He has businesses in Port Harcourt, Lagos, and Yola. He is a well-traveled person, he is an enlightened person. I think if we must tell ourselves the truth he will make a better President than Buhari.
“Buhari is from my Party, I am APC but I must criticize where I think it is right for me to criticize because I am an 80 years old man, I can’t pretend. As far as I am concerned Buhari has been a failed President I don’t believe that Atiku would fail like Buhari even though he is also a Fulani man
On the clamor for Ibo Presidency, he said,
“My wife is Ibo, I have nothing against the Ibos, more Ibos come to my house to argue with me politically than even my Igala People. I have told them the story. Today, Tomorrow no party that wants to win the Presidency of Nigeria will want to give their ticket to an Ibo man because there is no Ibo man who can bring 10 million votes, in fact, those in the ring now none of them can bring 2million votes to a party.
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“Look at what happened in the PDP presidential primary there were 95 Ibo delegates, and the Ibo man who scored votes got 14 votes so even among the 95 delegates. Even the Ibos didn’t believe in him. That is what they did to Peter Obi.
According to him, The only way an Ibo man can become President is not through these high sounding English and insults they pour on people, they should prevail on their representatives in the national Assembly to lobby their colleagues to put rotational presidency in the electoral law if putting it in the constitution would be cumbersome.
“They should insert in the electoral law that the Presidency of Nigeria must rotate from zone to zone, somebody from North East must be President let it move to South West, to South East, South South and to the North Central.
“I am saying this because that is the only way I can see an Ibo man becoming President of Nigeria.
“Yet they are full of insults, they believe they are more educated. Every part of the country now has educated people. Yes, they are better in business but governance is not business the way they are looking at it.
So if there is provision in the electoral law that says the Presidency must rotate from zone to zone, let each zone have five-year tenure, they can even start from the South East after these series of elections then an Ibo man will become President of Nigeria but let me tell you, the day we zone that to the south East they will kill themselves.
“How can Ohaneze Ndigbo say that no Ibo man must accept the Vice Presidency of Nigeria? Whether they accept or not the Presidential candidate must pick someone from anywhere he likes and he can still win the election.
“Look at the point I am making, the same Ohaneze threatening Atiku that he will not get any vote from the South East. They commit themselves to things they know they can enforce.
“How can somebody sit in Enugu or Aba and say that they Ohaneze will ask all Ibos above the age of 18 not to vote for a particular person, that is being Naive.
“Don’t they know that if an Ibo man becomes a candidate of any party tomorrow the Hausa Fulani can also decide that they would not vote for the Ibo man? It is not possible.
“I am saying they should amend the electoral law or the constitution whichever is easy so that the Presidency can rotate from zone to zone if not as it is today, parties are looking for those who can win elections for them.
“They are looking at somebody who can have residual votes to give them. If they don’t do what I am suggesting then nobody from North Central can ever aspire to be President of Nigeria because the Hausa Fulani will not vote for him, even the Ibos who are making all these noises will not vote for him, the Yorubas will not vote for him.
“Our people can only get to the Presidency via a coup and coups are no longer fashionable if nobody from North Central can become President based on the constitution or the current electoral law. So we are blocked.
“Now the south South can align with the Hausa Fulani and one of them can emerge. Goodluck Jonathan became President because he aligned with the late Yaradua.
“After five years when people forgot about Yaradua what became his fate?
So I will advocate that the electoral law should be amended through an act of the national Assembly to create room for the zoning of the Presidency from one zone to the other, turn by turn and in the process we should exclude the NorthWest and the South West from being number one or two, we can start from South East followed by North Central and them North East, South South before we go back to South West and the North West. We can not continue like this.
“Ibos can never be President of Nigeria by hauling insults at people. They cannot threaten anybody, all these their empty threats I tell them I will be 80years next month, you cannot threaten me to vote for you. You have to convince me that you can be President of Nigeria.
On the Biafra issue he said the Biafra Ojukwu fought for included today’s Rivers State, Cross Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Delta States. “You cannot go to Portharcourt today and talk to the Rivers man that he is going to be part of Biafra, you cannot do the same in Bayelsa, you can go to Akwa Ibom or Cross River and make claims on television and in Abuja here that you are fighting for Biafra.
“If you are fighting for the South East to Become a Country, then name the States that are going to be part of this Biafra. Not the old Biafra that Ojukwu had in mind. Those days are gone, those States are gone.
With the wave of insecurity unrelenting and the belief that it has a political undertone, the Edo State Government is contemplating arresting those sponsoring what it described as ‘touts in possession of over 5,000 illegal arms in Edo State’.
This was detailed in a press statement on Sunday in Benin City by the Chief Press Secretary to the Edo State Governor, Fred Itua.
According to Itua, the state government would no longer condone the menace of illegally armed political thugs and touts, so would not hesitate to unveil the mask to pick up those behind the non-state actors of a particular political party, disturbing the peace of the state.
He wrote, “The Edo State Government is gravely concerned about the rising wave of insecurity fuelled by armed thugs and criminal elements associated with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
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“These individuals, who were heavily armed before the 2024 Edo Governorship Election, have refused to surrender their weapons, posing a clear and present danger to the safety of our citizens.
“It is on record that former Governor Godwin Obaseki, before the last election, openly threatened that “Nigeria would burn.” This was not a mere political outburst — it was a premeditated declaration backed by the systematic arming of touts and thugs.
“These individuals, many of whom were drafted into the Edo State Security Network under the previous administration, still possess over 5,000 illegal firearms, which they now use to perpetrate robbery, kidnapping, and violent attacks across the state.
“The Edo State Government is aware that PDP leaders, who had direct control over these armed operatives, have refused to assist in disarming them. Instead, they continue to shield these criminals, providing them with cover as they unleash terror on innocent citizens.
“Worse still, intelligence reports indicate that PDP leaders are stockpiling additional arms, with the intention of orchestrating mayhem should their candidate, Asue Ighodalo, fail to secure victory at the Tribunal.
“The State Government is calling on all security agencies to intensify their investigations, track down these armed criminals, their sponsors and bring them to justice.
“No individual, regardless of political affiliation, is above the law, and Edo State, under the leadership of Governor Monday Okpebholo, will not tolerate any attempt to destabilize the peace and security of our people.
“We urge law enforcement agencies to move swiftly and ensure that all illegally possessed firearms are recovered, and those responsible for the current state of insecurity in Edo are held accountable.
“The security and well-being of Edo people remain Governor Okpebholo’s utmost priority, and he will not allow politically sponsored violence to take root in our State.”
Former Lagos State governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr. Abdul-Azeez Adediran, popularly known as Jandor, has officially defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Jandor announced his return to the ruling party on Monday during a press conference at his office in Ikeja, Lagos.
His decision comes weeks after resigning from the PDP, citing internal crises and a lack of party discipline as key reasons for his departure.
READ ALSO: Ex-Lagos PDP Flagbearer Jandor Dumps Party
“Our story in the PDP was a case of working with perennial political saboteurs,” Jandor stated. “We have resolved to love our future much more than we hate our past.”
According to Jandor, the PDP’s failure to address anti-party activities during the 2023 general elections led to his decision. He expressed frustration over what he described as a pattern of betrayal within the party.
He also emphasized that his move to the APC followed extensive consultations with family, political associates, elder statesmen, and well-meaning Lagosians.
“The primary reason a political party exists is to win elections and form a government to serve the people. We have decided to join a party that prioritizes winning for its members, regardless of who is on the ballot,” he said.
Before settling for the APC, Jandor revealed that he engaged in discussions with leaders from other political parties, including the Social Democratic Party (SDP), African Democratic Congress (ADC), and Young Progressive Party (YPP).
Addressing concerns about his previous exit from the APC, Jandor likened his political journey to a Yoruba adage about learning from different experiences.
“In APC, we have a leader who, even if you fault his choices, is determined to win for the party and its members. In Lagos PDP, however, we had a leader who, at every election cycle, worked against his own party and dashed the hopes of many,” he said. “We have chosen the better alternative.”
Jandor acknowledged the role of key figures in persuading him to rejoin the APC, particularly President Bola Tinubu’s Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila, and Tinubu’s son, Seyi Tinubu.
“I must recognize the relentless efforts of Rt. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, who has been on my case for over a year to return home and join hands with Mr. President,” he said. “Upon hearing of my resignation from the PDP, Seyi Tinubu immediately reached out and urged me to come back home.”
Jandor assured his supporters that his move was in Lagos’ best interest and urged them to follow him into the APC.
“We remain committed to the values of service, integrity, and progress. Together, we will continue to champion the cause of a better Lagos for present and future generations,” he declared.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has dismissed fears that recent defections from the ruling party will affect President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s chances of securing re-election in 2027.
Speaking in Osogbo on Sunday, Oyintiloye described the ongoing political realignments as inconsequential, insisting that Tinubu has a “winning strategy” to counter any opposition at the right time.
His comments come amid reports that former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has defected to the Social Democratic Party (SDP) and is reaching out to former APC stalwarts, including Rauf Aregbesola, to join him.
READ ALSO: El-Rufai Abandons APC, Says Party No Longer Represents Progressives
Despite this, Oyintiloye maintained that defections are a normal part of politics and would not derail the president’s re-election bid.
“Take it or leave it, no amount of political gang-up can stop the re-election of President Tinubu in 2027. Those who are gathering against him should study the kind of person he is,” Oyintiloye said.
He further argued that Tinubu’s achievements, political acumen, and goodwill across the country would secure him victory in the next election. According to him, the president is making deliberate efforts to put Nigeria on the path of greatness, and these efforts are already yielding positive results.
“The president will succeed, and his political enemies will soon realise their mistake in opposing him,” he added.
While expressing confidence in Tinubu’s chances, Oyintiloye urged the president to intensify public engagement and sensitisation efforts to showcase his administration’s achievements and future projections.
With political tensions rising ahead of the 2027 elections, Tinubu’s camp remains optimistic about his chances, despite defections and emerging opposition alliances.
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