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.
Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has launched a fresh attack on opposition political parties, accusing them of deceiving Nigerians and failing to live up to the democratic standards they claim to represent.
Speaking during his monthly media briefing in Abuja on Monday, Wike said recent controversies surrounding the primaries of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC) have exposed what he described as the hypocrisy and lack of credibility within the opposition camp.
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According to the former Rivers State governor, parties that have consistently presented themselves as the “new face of democracy” and a credible alternative to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) are now grappling with the same internal crises they often criticize in other political parties.
“You can’t fool Nigerians anymore,” Wike declared, insisting that the opposition’s claims of being different from the established political parties have been undermined by disputes and protests that trailed their internal elections.
He questioned the ability of the parties to provide effective leadership if they could not successfully conduct transparent and peaceful primaries.
Wike specifically pointed to complaints raised by some presidential aspirants during the parties’ congresses, arguing that the allegations of irregularities and unfair practices showed that the opposition was not immune to the political shortcomings it frequently condemns.
The FCT minister said Nigerians are increasingly becoming aware of what he called inconsistencies in the opposition’s messaging, stressing that parties cannot market themselves as political “messiahs” while struggling with internal democratic processes.
He further argued that the developments reinforce the relevance of older political parties that have spent years navigating Nigeria’s political landscape.
While noting that both the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the APC have faced criticism in the past, Wike maintained that experience remains an important factor in sustaining democratic institutions and managing political competition.
The minister’s remarks come amid heightened political activities and realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections, with opposition parties seeking to position themselves as strong contenders against the ruling APC.
A fresh twist has emerged within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) ahead of the 2027 general elections, as a faction of the party has rejected the camp backing former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and instead unveiled businessman and academic, Prof. Chris Uba, as its presidential candidate.
The development comes days after another wing of the party reportedly produced Atiku as its presidential flagbearer following a nationwide primary election, deepening the leadership and candidate dispute within the ADC.
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Speaking during the formal presentation of candidates in Abuja on Sunday, the faction’s National Chairman, Bala Gombe, said the presidential ticket was zoned to Southern Nigeria in line with the principles of equity, fairness, inclusiveness, and federal character.
According to Gombe, three aspirants initially purchased the party’s Expression of Interest and Nomination Forms to contest for the presidential ticket.
They included Dr. Bashir Sani, Prince Williams Charles, and Prof. Chris Uba.
He explained that the party adopted the consensus option provided under the Electoral Act, leading to the emergence of Uba as the sole presidential candidate after the withdrawal of the other aspirants.
Gombe stated that the decision was taken in the interest of party unity and in compliance with relevant provisions of the Electoral Act, which recognize consensus as a lawful method of candidate selection.
He further announced the unveiling of 29 governorship candidates across the six geopolitical zones, saying they emerged through the party’s internal democratic processes.
Among those presented were Muhammad Usman Shuwa (Adamawa), Idris Adamu Yanoko (Kano), Shamsudin Muhammad (Kaduna), Ibrahim Al-Ameen Gumi (Zamfara), Babagana Mala (Borno), Musliu Babadele (Lagos), Rukayya Salami (Osun), Gbenga Gbenga (Oyo), Gada Suswan (Benue), Dijatu Abdul Salam (Nasarawa), and Christopher Benjo (Delta), among others.
The faction maintained that it had successfully concluded its governorship, National Assembly, and State House of Assembly primaries nationwide in accordance with the Constitution, the Electoral Act, and the party’s electoral guidelines.
The latest development signals growing internal divisions within the ADC as political parties intensify preparations, coalition talks, and strategic realignments ahead of the 2027 general elections.
Founded in 2005, the ADC has continued to position itself as an alternative political platform while seeking to strengthen its structures and expand its influence across Nigeria.
Former Kano State Deputy Governor, Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, has emerged as the governorship candidate of the Nigeria Democratic Congress ahead of the 2027 general elections.
The announcement was made by the leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement and former Kano State governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, in a statement released on Friday.
Kwankwaso also confirmed that former Kano deputy governor, Dr. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, would contest for the Kano Central Senatorial seat under the platform of the NDC.
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According to him, the decision followed wide consultations within the party and was guided by the principles of equity, fairness, loyalty, and competence.
“I am delighted to announce that His Excellency, Comrade Aminu Abdussalam Gwarzo, has been selected as our Kano NDC gubernatorial candidate for the upcoming elections,” Kwankwaso said.
He added that the party remained committed to unity and progress as preparations intensify ahead of the 2027 polls.
Kwankwaso also expressed optimism about the party’s chances in the elections while praying for a peaceful and successful affirmation process.
Gwarzo, a close ally of Kwankwaso, previously served as Deputy Governor under Governor Abba Yusuf before resigning following Yusuf’s defection to the All Progressives Congress.
Before his tenure as deputy governor, Gwarzo served as Commissioner for State Affairs during Kwankwaso’s administration and also held office as Chairman of Gwarzo Local Government Area.
Meanwhile, Gawuna served as Deputy Governor under former Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje and was the APC governorship candidate in the 2023 election before recently aligning with the NDC.
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