Press Statement

Anambra: We Are Set For Winning Campaign- PDP…Says Its Candidate, Valentine Ozigbo Is Most Popular

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says all is set for the official commencement of its winning campaign ahead of the November 6, 2021 Anambra state governorship election, asserting that its candidate, Valentine Ozigbo, stands as the most popular in the race.

The PDP states that its campaign in the Anambra election will be issue-based and focused on the welfare, developmental and security needs of the people above other considerations.

The party asserts that its candidate, Ozigbo, an accomplished professional, possesses all the leadership qualities desired by Ndi Anambra in their collective quest to rescue their state from misrule and reposition her for greater productivity.

The PDP is elated to report that Ozigbo commands the overwhelming grassroot support of Ndi Anambra across the 326 wards and 21 local government areas in the state, adding that the formation and structure of the party in Anambra is intact and ready for the task ahead.

The party urges Ndi Anambra to disregard any claim to the candidature of the PDP by any other person adding that the PDP and its candidate, Valentine Ozigbo, would not be distracted from the determination to drive through the wishes and aspiration of the people in this election.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan

National Publicity Secretary

PRESIDENT BUHARI, WIFE CONGRATULATE ALAKIJA AT 70

President Muhammadu Buhari and the First Lady Aisha Buhari rejoice with Mrs Folorunsho Alakija, distinguished business leader and philanthropist on her 70th birthday on July 15, 2021, extolling her for dedicating her resources to humanitarian causes.

The President and the First Lady thank Mrs Alakija for being an ardent supporter of many social, economic, religious and health causes, contributing generously to the fight against COVID-19 in the country through her donations.

President Buhari and his wife believe that the joyous occasion provides an opportunity for family, friends, associates and well-wishers to reflect on the importance of reaching out to people around with the benevolence God has committed to us.

As a successful entrepreneur who has been acknowledged locally and globally, the President also recognises Alakija’s passion in mentoring young people to make informed investments and business decisions, thereby making a difference in their communities and across the nation.

On behalf of his family, the President offers his

best wishes

to this remarkable Nigerian, praying almighty God to grant her more years of robust health and happiness.

Garba Shehu

Senior Special Assistant to the President

(Media & Publicity)

July 14, 2021

Press Statement

PDP Rallies Nigerians Against Plots To Pass Prohibition of Electronic Transmission of Election Results On Thursday

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) calls on Senators and members of the House of Representatives to shun partisanship and vote in the national interest on section 50 (2) of the Electoral Act amendment bill, which dwells on electronic transmission of results.

The party says that it has come to its attention that certain interests are plotting a rejection of electronic transfer of results on the floors of both chambers of the National Assembly on Thursday.

The PDP asserts that it behooves on every Nigerian, particularly the federal lawmakers, to work on the improvement of our electoral processes in order to engender free, fair, transparent and credible elections.

The party insists that there is no part of Nigeria or any local government headquarters that communication network does not exist and function, to warrant the exclusion of electronic transmission of election results from the law.

It is imperative to add that with the technology proposed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), even where the network is slow, it does not stop the transmission process from arriving at the collation Centre.

The PDP therefore urges the lawmakers not to allow themselves to be swayed by any one or any interest bent on conducting our election in the manipulative manner as desired by undemocratic elements.

The party calls on all Nigerians to remain at alert and be ready to use every legitimate means available and acceptable within our laws to resist this move to further strangulate our electoral process.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan

National Publicity Secretary

Press Statement

Anambra: We Are Set For Winning Campaign- PDP…Says Its Candidate, Valentine Ozigbo Is Most Popular

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says all is set for the official commencement of its winning campaign ahead of the November 6, 2021 Anambra state governorship election, asserting that its candidate, Valentine Ozigbo, stands as the most popular in the race.

The PDP states that its campaign in the Anambra election will be issue-based and focused on the welfare, developmental and security needs of the people above other considerations.

The party asserts that its candidate, Ozigbo, an accomplished professional, possesses all the leadership qualities desired by Ndi Anambra in their collective quest to rescue their state from misrule and reposition her for greater productivity.

The PDP is elated to report that Ozigbo commands the overwhelming grassroot support of Ndi Anambra across the 326 wards and 21 local government areas in the state, adding that the formation and structure of the party in Anambra is intact and ready for the task ahead.

The party urges Ndi Anambra to disregard any claim to the candidature of the PDP by any other person adding that the PDP and its candidate, Valentine Ozigbo, would not be distracted from the determination to drive through the wishes and aspiration of the people in this election.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan

National Publicity Secretary

Press Statement

Zamfara: Your Legal Opinion Is A Pathetic Hogwash, PDP Slams Kayemo

…Says It Stands By Its Position on Matawalle

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says it stands by its position that the Deputy Governor of Zamfara State, Mahdi Aliyu Gusau, should be accorded the statutory office of the state governor given the decision of Governor Bello Matawalle to vacate his office by decamping to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The party insists that it will not be deterred by series of threats and attacks coming from APC including the unintelligent, hogwash and unsolicited legal opinion expressed by the Minister of State for Labour and Productivity, Festus Keyamo, which lacked sound legal reasoning and queries his credentials as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

Keyamo, in his failed  effort to fault our reliance on the Supreme Court’s direct interpretation of Section 221 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) in its judgment on Faleke v. INEC, ended up exposing a poor knowledge of the application of the law, by stating that the judgment cannot apply in a case of defection of a governor from the party on which platform he was elected to another, particularly, a party that did not even participate in the election.

We refer Keyamo to the definite pronouncement of the Supreme Court in that case, to the effect that it is the political party that stands for election, that votes scored in election belong to the political party and that the candidate nominated to contest at an election by his party acts only as the “agent” of his party.

The incontrovertible applicative import of that judgment is that the votes upon which Bello Matallawe assumed office as the governor of Zamfara state belong to the PDP and they are not transferable to the APC, which did not sponsor candidates for that election as required by section 221 of the Constitution.

On Keyamo’s claim that, once elected, the governor drops that party ticket and becomes free even to decamp to any other political party, we ask, if that be the case under the law, how come Mukhtar Shehu Idris of the APC, who was already declared as elected governor of Zamfara State, had to lose the position immediately the Supreme Court decided that the votes cast for APC in that election cannot count.

Nigeria runs a party system and the judgement of the Supreme Court had made it clear that a state governor only stands on the pedestal of votes belonging to the political party which sponsored him at the election and that, once the pedestal is removed, as in the case of Mukhtar Shehu Idris in Zamfara, or once the governor jumps off the pedestal, as in the case of Bello Matawalle, he automatically loses statutory understructure to remain a governor.

Perhaps Kayamo needs be reminded that there is no position of independent candidacy in Nigeria which is why it is the logos of political parties and not names of candidates that are imprinted on the ballot papers, if he had ever participated in elections and voted before.

The PDP therefore finds it strange that Keyamo chose to jump on a rough voyage, for whatever reasons, to attempt to dissuade the PDP from testing these issues before the law courts.

In any case, the PDP is not surprised that Keyamo could offer such warped legal opinion  picked off the shelves of Jankara market since he admitted that his intervention was borne “out of partisanship”.

It is imperative to advise Festus Keyamo that since he has admitted to partisanship and had even begun to offer legal services to a sinking Bello Matawalle and the APC, he cannot do so as a Minister of the Federal Republic, who earns a living from the taxes paid by Nigerians across party lines.

The PDP therefore demands the immediate resignation of Keyamo as a minister and also advises him to join Matawalle’s legal team in his already lost bid to run away with the mandate of the PDP.

Signed:

Kola Ologbondiyan

National Publicity Secretary