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PDP Loses 25, 000 Members to APC in Kano

Published

7 years ago

December 18, 2018

Eric

Over 25,000 members of the Kwankwasiyya movement of the Peoples Democratic Party from Kano South have dumped the party for the All Progressives Congress.

While receiving the new members, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, used the occasion to present flags to all candidates contesting for seats in the House of Representatives and State Assembly in the 2019 general elections.

According to the defectors, they were in Rano Local Government Area to witness the formal presentation of flags to Senator Kabiru Gaya and other candidates from Kano South by Governor Ganduje, during the final grand rally for all candidates from the zone.

It should be noted that Kano State, being the most populous state in the federation has 24 candidates for the House of Representatives and 40 gunning for the State House of Assembly seats.

At the Kano Central zone, the former two-term governor of the state and the former Minister of Education, Malam Ibrahim Shekarau, the Sardauna of Kano, was presented with a decorated flag.

Similarly, all other contestants from the zone for the 2019 general elections, were decorated with party flags, at another event, held at Kano Pillars Stadium, Sabon Gari, in the metropolis.

A one-time governor of the State, Senator Kabiru Ibrahim Gaya, who is currently representing Kano South, was also presented, with a decorated flag at Rano LG.

Prior to the zonal campaign rallies, Ganduje and the party stakeholders from the entire 44 Government areas of the State held a crucial meeting to map out strategies for the 2019 general elections, at Coronation Hall, Government House, Kano.

At the meeting, Ganduje made it abundantly clear that the impressive achievements of the APC, at both federal and state levels, were enough credentials for the party to emerge victorious in the 2019 elections.

He said that, “President Muhammadu Buhari’s unrelenting efforts in developing our dear country from all fronts, particularly in the areas he (Buhari) identified as his priorities, security, economy and employment, are platforms to give us more courage for 2019.”

At the three senatorial zones, Ganduje urged party supporters, to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari secured the over five million votes he promised him in the forthcoming 2019 presidential polls.

“Nigeria has no any other serious candidate than President Muhammadu Buhari. We believe in his honesty, integrity, accountability and transparency attributes. That is why his good work as our President goes across the nation. Without considering any ethnic, religious or sectional lines, he is a true patriotic democrat and a sincere Nigerian” Ganduje said.

Governor Ganduje promised the decamping PDP/Kwankwasiyya defectors equal treatment in the party. He assured them that they have come to where they and their children would benefit from the abundant dividends of democracy.

The Punch

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Tinubu Nominates Oyedele As Minister of State for Finance, Moves Anite-Uzoka to Budget Ministry

Published

13 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

A statement signed by the Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy Bayo Onanuga, has announced that “President Bola Tinubu has nominated Taiwo Oyedele as the minister of state for finance, replacing Doris Anite-Uzoka.

“Mrs Anite-Uzoka will now move to the Ministry of Budget and National Planning, as the Minister of State, her third portfolio in the administration.

“President Tinubu has today conveyed the nomination of Mr Oyedele to the Senate for confirmation in a letter to the Senate President, Godswill Akpabio.

“Until President Tinubu nominated him as a minister, Mr Oyedele from Ikaram, Akoko, Ondo State, was the chairman of the Presidential Committee on Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms, which overhauled Nigeria’s tax system.

“Mr Oyedele, 50, is an economist, accountant and public policy expert.

“He attended Yaba College of Technology, where he obtained a Higher National Diploma (HND) in accountancy and finance. He attended Oxford Brookes University and earned a BSc in applied accounting.

“He also completed executive education programmes at the London School of Economics, Yale University, the Gordon Institute of Business Science, and the Harvard Kennedy School.

“Mr Oyedele spent 22 years of his working career at PwC, joining in 2001 and rising to become the Fiscal Policy Partner and Africa Tax Leader.

“Mr Oyedele is also a professor at Babcock University in Ogun State and a visiting scholar at the Lagos Business School.”

Featured

Defection: Atiku’s Son, Adamu, Resigns As Adamawa Commissioner

Published

18 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Adamu Abubakar, the first son of former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, has resigned as Adamawa State’s commissioner for works and energy development, days after Governor Ahmadu Fintiri defected from the Peoples Democratic Party to the All Progressives Congress.

Abubakar’s resignation letter, dated 2 March 2026, was addressed to the governor through the Secretary to the State Government. He gave no reason for his departure.

The timing is pointed. Fintiri announced his defection to the APC in a statewide broadcast last Friday, saying his cabinet and the PDP’s state structure had moved with him. Within 24 hours, 22 commissioners and special advisers publicly announced they were following suit. Abubakar, whose father remains one of the PDP’s most prominent national figures, was not among them.

In a statement issued Monday night, Abubakar’s media aide Abdulaziz Jauro said the former commissioner thanked the governor for the opportunity to serve and pledged continued loyalty to the administration’s developmental agenda. He also expressed gratitude to his father “for granting him the moral support and blessing to serve the people of Adamawa State” — a line that, read in context, suggests Atiku was consulted on the decision.

Abubakar said his resignation was not a withdrawal from public life. “This does not mark the end of his commitment to public service,” the statement read, “but rather the beginning of new avenues for developmental collaboration.”

The resignation leaves unresolved the question of whether it reflects a political break with the governor over his defection or a personal decision unconnected to the broader party realignment now reshaping Adamawa’s political landscape.

Featured

DSS Nabs Man over Assassination Attempt on Peter Obi

Published

20 hours ago

March 3, 2026

Eric

Nigeria’s Department of State Services (DSS) has detained a man in connection with the recent attack and alleged assassination threats targeting Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

According to AIT, the shooting incident took place on February 24, 2026, in Benin City, Edo State, during a political gathering attended by Obi and several figures from the African Democratic Congress (ADC). The meeting was hosted by former APC National Chairman, John Oyegun. Gunmen reportedly opened fire at the venue, causing panic and forcing attendees to disperse for safety.

According to security sources, shortly after the attack, an individual identified as Udeme Monday Stephen allegedly took to social media claiming responsibility and issuing additional threats against Obi, warning of further violence.

Intelligence officials reportedly initiated swift investigations, employing digital tracing and forensic tools that led to the arrest of the 26-year-old suspect in Rivers State. He is said to be a teacher at a private secondary school in the Eliozu area of Obio-Akpor Local Government Area.

The suspect remains in DSS custody and is expected to face prosecution. The agency reiterated its commitment to responding to credible threats and safeguarding lives and national interests without bias.