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.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has presented Certificates of Return to candidates who emerged victorious in the June 20, 2026, bye-elections conducted across Rivers, Enugu, Nasarawa, Ondo and Kano states.
The commission announced the development in a statement shared on its official X platform on Tuesday, confirming the formal recognition of the successful candidates as duly elected representatives.
The certificates were presented on behalf of the INEC Chairman, Joash Amupitan, by the Supervising National Commissioner for Rivers State, May Agbamuche-Mbu.
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Speaking during the presentation ceremony, Agbamuche-Mbu congratulated the winners and urged them to justify the confidence reposed in them by their constituents through effective representation and responsive leadership.
She noted that the primary duty of elected officials is to serve the people faithfully and ensure that the interests of their communities are adequately represented at all times.
According to her, voters have entrusted the successful candidates with a mandate that comes with responsibility, accountability and dedication to public service.
“The primary responsibility of elected officials is to serve the people diligently and ensure their interests are well represented,” she said.
INEC stated that the issuance of the Certificates of Return officially affirms the candidates as winners of their respective elections and marks the conclusion of the electoral process.
The electoral body further disclosed that Certificates of Return would also be presented to winners of the Kebbi State House of Assembly election for Zuru Constituency as well as the Ekiti State governorship election.
It added that National Commissioners representing the affected constituencies conducted the presentations, formally confirming the elected candidates as duly returned winners.
The commission expressed optimism that the newly elected officials would work towards improving the welfare of their constituents and contribute positively to democratic governance in their respective states.
The June 20 bye-elections were held to fill vacant elective positions across several states, with INEC overseeing the conduct of the polls and subsequent declaration of winners.
The presentation of the Certificates of Return now paves the way for the successful candidates to assume office and begin carrying out the responsibilities attached to their mandates.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has declared Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) the winner of the 2026 Ekiti State governorship election, securing another four-year term in office.
The Returning Officer for the election, Professor Adenike Oladiji, announced the result at about 3:13 a.m. on Sunday after the completion of collation from the state’s 16 local government areas.
According to the results, Oyebanji polled 319,224 votes to defeat his closest challengers.
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The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Oluwole Oluyede, secured 40,543 votes, while Dare Bejide of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) garnered 12,872 votes.
Oladiji disclosed that 384,940 voters were accredited for the election, while 375,777 valid votes were recorded. She added that 6,332 votes were rejected, bringing the total votes cast to 382,109.
The declaration ended a closely watched governorship contest that saw voters across Ekiti State head to the polls on Saturday amid a generally peaceful atmosphere.
Despite the successful conduct of the election, reports of technical challenges and allegations of irregularities emerged from some polling units.
INEC said all 2,445 polling units designated for the election opened for voting.
According to the commission, 2,257 polling units, representing 92.31 per cent, opened before 8:30 a.m., while 188 polling units experienced minor delays but commenced voting before 10:30 a.m.
The electoral body also began uploading polling unit results to its Result Viewing Portal (IReV) after voting and counting were completed in several locations.
During the election, PDP candidate Oluwole Oluyede raised concerns over developments at Ugele/Arokun Ward in Ikere Local Government Area.
Speaking to journalists after casting his vote at Polling Unit 006, he alleged that many voters were unable to vote because of challenges associated with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS).
Oluyede also alleged voter harassment and intimidation in the area.
Earlier, some elderly voters at the same polling unit expressed frustration after they were unable to complete accreditation due to BVAS issues and called on INEC to urgently address the problem.
ADC candidate Dare Bejide also alleged irregularities during the election.
However, Governor Oyebanji dismissed the allegations and insisted that those making such claims must provide evidence.
The governor, who voted at Polling Unit 003, Okelele, Ikogosi-Ekiti, in Ekiti West Local Government Area, described the conduct of the election as satisfactory and encouraged eligible voters to participate peacefully in the democratic process.
Similarly, the Commissioner of Police in charge of the election, CP Abayomi Shogunle, stated that no case of vote-buying was reported to security agencies during the poll.
Voting ended before 3 p.m. in many polling units, after which sorting and counting of ballots commenced. However, some locations experienced minor disruptions.
At Polling Unit 008 in Ugele/Arokun Ward, Ikere Local Government Area, sorting and counting reportedly became rowdy as party agents and supporters disagreed over the validity of some ballot papers.
At Polling Unit 006, where the PDP candidate voted, voting was still ongoing as of 4 p.m. due to delays caused by accreditation challenges.
Security personnel later intervened to restore order when the situation became tense.
Election observers generally commended the peaceful conduct of the exercise while raising concerns about some procedural issues.
First Vice President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Sebastian Anyia, described the process as peaceful and orderly, expressing optimism that the smooth conduct witnessed during accreditation would continue throughout the election.
The Chief Executive Officer of the Nigerian Women Trust Fund, Brenda Anugwom, praised the determination shown by female voters.
“The women are so resilient; in front of me at the other polling unit, they are laying their blankets on the floor and placing their toddlers, which means they are here to stay; they mean business, and they really want to cast their vote,” she said.
Meanwhile, election monitoring group Yiaga Africa raised concerns over what it described as discrepancies between ballot papers, result sheets and INEC’s published list of candidates.
In a statement signed by Aisha Abdullahi, Chair of the 2026 Ekiti Election Observation Mission, and Executive Director of Yiaga Africa, Samson Itodo, the organisation said:
“Yiaga Africa is observing the Ekiti State governorship election, and our preliminary findings raise serious concerns about the consistency of the materials INEC has deployed.”
The group warned that the inconsistencies could create confusion during voting and collation processes.
Reacting to the concerns, INEC explained that 19 political parties were included on the ballot paper to avoid the cost of printing fresh ballot papers following court orders and other administrative changes.
Ahead of the election, INEC repeatedly assured residents of its readiness to conduct a credible and transparent poll, while security agencies stated that extensive preparations had been made to ensure a peaceful exercise.
The Nigeria Police Force led a multi-agency security operation across the state, deploying personnel to polling units, collation centres and other strategic locations.
Authorities also imposed restrictions on vehicular movement during voting hours and warned political actors against violence, vote-buying and other electoral offences.
With the declaration of the final result, Oyebanji has secured a second term as governor of Ekiti State after recording a decisive victory over his opponents in the governorship election.
Election Results
Biodun Oyebanji (APC) – 319,224 votes
Oluwole Oluyede (PDP) – 40,543 votes
Dare Bejide (ADC) – 12,872 votes
Election Statistics
Accredited Voters: 384,940
Valid Votes: 375,777
Rejected Votes: 6,332
Total Votes Cast: 382,109
Governor Biodun Oyebanji of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has recorded an early lead in the ongoing Ekiti State governorship election after defeating the African Democratic Congress (ADC) candidate, Dare Bejide, in his polling unit and ward.
The result was declared at Polling Unit 004, Ward 2, Ekiti South-West Local Government Area, where Bejide hails from.
The ward is also shared with IT expert and politician Makinde Araoye.
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According to the results announced, Oyebanji polled 140 votes, while Bejide secured 37 votes.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recorded 2 votes.
Result breakdown for PU 004, Ward 2:
APC: 140 votes
ADC: 37 votes
PDP: 2 votes
The outcome handed the APC an early advantage as collation of results continues across the state under the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).
The result is seen as significant because Bejide lost in his own polling unit, an area expected to favour him as a native of the ward.
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