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Wike group rejects BoT’s new leadership for PDP *Caretaker C’ttee, a joke
Abdulrahman Mohammad, National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), belonging to the camp of Nyesom Wike, Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), all but scoffed at the 13-member Interim National Working Committee (INWC), raised by the party’s Board of Trustees (BoT) as a non-event.
In a statement, shortly after the committee was announced by Adolphus Wabara, PDP BoT Chairman, Mohammed dismissed claims upon which the body rested its decision after its 103rd National Executive Committee (NEC), describing the development as illegitimate and misleading.
The embattled party boss, who conveyed his position through, Jungudo Mohammed, spokesman of the camp, said: “The PDP wishes to categorically state that no such meeting was convened by the leadership of the party. Consequently, any resolutions, announcements, or claims emanating from that gathering are null, void, and of no effect.”
Stressing the irony in individuals he claimed previously opposed the idea of a caretaker committee, now embracing it, he said every NEC meeting must be preceded with due notification to the Independent National Electoral Commission to be valied.
Hear him: “Even if, for the sake of argument, they possessed the legal authority to convene such a meeting (which they do not), they have once again failed to comply with the provisions of the Electoral Act 2026.
“Specifically, the mandatory requirement to give the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) a minimum of 21 days’ notice for such a meeting was blatantly ignored. There is no evidence of compliance, nor was INEC in attendance as required by law. This alone renders their actions null and void.”
Mohammed questioned the authority of the BoT, a mere advisory body to raise the 13-man committee led by Taminu Turaki, saying such a move ran against the grains of the PDP constitution, urging relevant regulatory bodies to examine the conduct of those involved, particularly members of the senior bar.
Describing the development as part of a pattern, the party said the alleged NEC meeting was a continuation of earlier failed attempts to create confusion within its ranks.
His words: “We therefore call on all party members, stakeholders, and the general public to completely disregard this illegitimate assembly and its outcomes. It has no constitutional basis, no legal standing, and no binding authority whatsoever.
“The PDP remains committed to upholding its constitution, the rule of law, and democratic principles under the able leadership of Abdulrahman Mohammad and Senator Samuel N. Anyawu.”
The wives of the five engineers allegedly murdered in Ebonyi State yesterday rejected the comments attributed to the Minister of Works, Dave Umahi, on the development, describing it as an attempt to “sweep the truth under the carpet”. The group renewed calls for an independent reinvestigation into the case.
Nelson Onyemeh, Ernest Edeani, Ikechukwu Ejiofor, Samuel Aneke, and Stanley Nwazulum were reportedly kidnapped in November 2021 while supervising construction work on the Abakaliki Ring Road project.
The protesting women, whose husbands were consultants with NELAN Engineering firm, accused authorities of inconsistencies, interference, and a possible cover-up in the handling of the case, which dates back to November 3, 2021.
In a statement, Mrs. Patricia Onyemeh, Mrs. Lovette Edeani, Mrs. Ifeoma Ejiofor, Mrs. Esther Aneke, and Mrs. Nwazulum faulted Umahi’s claim that the engineers were victims of a communal crisis, as they insisted no such conflict occurred at the time.
They said: “The characterisation of the disappearance of the five engineers as a consequence of communal crisis is completely outrageous, misconceived, and flawed.” The engineers, according to the families, travelled to Ebonyi for an official meeting linked to the African Development Bank-funded ring road project when Umahi was governor.
They said: “Credible accounts indicate that our husbands were last seen in connection with official engagements tied to the Ebonyi Ring Road project. “This raises serious questions as to whether the incident can be fairly reduced to communal violence.”
They further alleged that while investigations were ongoing, Umahi announced that the engineers had been killed and buried, a move they said raised “serious suspicions”. The women said: “This announcement by a sitting governor, while security agencies were still tracking movements, raises grave concerns.”
The women also questioned the sudden removal of a Department of State Services (DSS) investigator, Victor Onyesom, who was reportedly handling the case.
They further accused the police of presenting unidentified skeletal remains to the families without conducting DNA tests. The group said: “The police claimed the remains were those of our husbands, but refused DNA testing.
You risk getting into trouble if you by any means, join in spreading the rumour that Tony O. Elumelu, because it is manifestly false, United Bank for Africa, one of the establishments of the popular Nigerian business mogul, warned on Monday.
Against the backdrop of rumours spreading across the social media, the bank rejected the claims as fake and damaging, saying at no time did the industrialist and Chairman of the Heirs Holdings, divorce his wife, Awele Vivien Elumelu.
The bank, in a statement, which also described the story as also defamatory, and malicious publication, the statement said: “These statements and all similar content are entirely fabricated, reckless, and without basis. The claims are a deliberate falsehood designed to mislead the public and cause reputational harm.”
Stressing that the matter had been reported to law enforcement authorities, the statement, signed by Alero Ladipo, confirmed that three people linked to the publication had been arrested.
Naming those involved in spreading the rumour as Mr Kingsley Akunemeihe (@Directorkem), Mr Chigozie Success Ihebom, and Mr John Surpruchi Nwanorue (@problemchimky), the bank informed that investigations were ongoing and could lead to more arrests and prosecutions.
The statement added: “Investigations are ongoing and are expected to lead to further arrests and prosecutions of all persons involved in originating, amplifying, or sustaining this defamatory campaign. This serves as a formal notice to all individuals, platforms, and entities involved in the publication, reposting, or continued dissemination of this content to immediately cease and desist.
“Failure to comply will result in the initiation of legal proceedings, including claims for defamation, injunctive relief, damages, and any other remedies available under applicable law.
“The UBA Group is resolute in protecting the reputation, privacy, and integrity of our brand, that of Mr. Elumelu and will pursue all necessary legal avenues — civil and criminal — to ensure that all responsible parties are identified and held accountable.”
Everything was done to make Obi happy and to retain him in the African Democratic Congress (ADC), Bolaji Abdullahi, spokesman of the party, said on Monday, insisting that no other member got the type of attention the former governor of Anambra State received by the top echelon of the party.
Regretting that Obi, candidate of the Labour Party (LP), in the 2023 presidential election eventually rebuffed all the favours and turned his back on the party, Abdullahi, National Publicity Secretary of the hitherto coalition party, also saw Obi’s exit as a relief to enable members focus on ADC’s main objectives.
A guest of Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, he accused the former governor of harbouring a different agenda, adding that his joining the National Democratic Congress (NDC), was premeditated, and an option he took because of his inability to face the challenges of a coalition arrangement, which thrived on competition, negotiation and compromise.
Obi alongside Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, also former governor of Kano, who also contested the 2023 election on the platform of the New Nigerian Peoples Party (NNPP), left the ADC to formally join the NDC, a decision, which seemed not to sit well with the leaders of the former arrangemen.
Bemoaning the development, the ADC spokesman, who explained that the action though hurtful, was not fatal stressed that Obi’s exit came as a result of his penchant for seeking a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to contest the presidency, which ADC could not offer him without fair contest.
Hear him: “The kind of party Peter Obi needed was the party he is now. A party that belongs to one man, that can say I guarantee you the ticket before he comes in.
“But in a political party like a coalition where a lot of negotiations need to happen, where you cannot take anybody for granted, where you have to make sure you keep everybody within the coalition even when they don’t get what they want… I don’t think Peter Obi can survive in such an environment, and that is why he’s gone to NDC because NDC can promise him the ticket.
“Personally, I’m not happy they left, but in a way, it is a bit of relief. Now we can really focus on doing what we need to do without being under the pressure cooker that they were trying to put us in. His departure is a setback but not a fatal blow. We are not going to go into a dogfight with them; they are not our enemy.”
Emphasising on practical steps the party took to achieve its objectives of increasing its appeal on Nigerians in order to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) government, he said, Obi failed to align with such far-reaching moves because he had different set of interests.
Hear him: “We set up a manifesto committee that worked for about two to three months to develop a document that clearly outlined what we will do differently. You may invite His Excellency Peter Obi here and ask him, what is the ADC position on fuel subsidy? What is the ADC’s framework on security? He doesn’t know, because he’s never been interested.
“They are just waiting for the tickets to be handed to them. If you say you want to contest election, and you believe in changing the country, you should know what your party stands for. The ADC is a party with clear ideology and structure capable of offering Nigerians credible alternatives, but some political actors were more interested in using the party as a mere “special purpose vehicle” for their personal ambition.
“Everything that the government has thrown at the ADC, we have resisted. We have fought back and remained committed to our goal of rescuing Nigerians from the failure of this government. We have been fighting for democracy within a party that has given us the best chance to serve the Nigerian people. Even Peter Obi once said at a coalition meeting that if we present two candidates against Bola Ahmed Tinubu, we would be handing him victory in 2027. So, what has changed?”
“None of the aspirants or leaders was given as much consideration as Peter Obi. The office of the National Organising Secretary is the engine room of the party. It handles congresses, elections, and core operations. That office is occupied by his nominee,” he said.
Addressing claims by some of Obi’s supporters that the party was skewed in favour of a particular candidate, Abdullahi said such assertions were unfounded.
“We met with Peter Obi consistently. He attended coalition meetings regularly. He made it clear he would only join if the ticket was zoned. He took nearly a year to join the ADC and never raised concerns about bias within the party, because there was none,” he added.
Using a metaphor to illustrate his point, Abdullahi said: “When a woman wants to leave a marriage, she gives all kinds of reasons, including being suffocated by too much love. That is what we are seeing now.”
He emphasised that while individuals are free to associate with any political platform, those who choose to leave should avoid offering what he described as “flimsy excuses.”
Abdullahi also revealed that Obi’s defection appeared to have been in motion for some time, citing a meeting held two months ago in Kano involving Obi, Kwankwaso, and former Bayelsa State Governor, Seriake Dickson.
“After that meeting in Kano, I reached out to Governor Dickson and asked what had transpired. Kwankwaso had been considering joining the ADC, and suddenly, things changed. It raised questions about whether there were efforts to divide the opposition and create an advantage for the incumbent,” he said.
According to Abdullahi, Dickson indicated that the NDC remained an alternative platform open to interested politicians.
“What this suggests is that the defection of Peter Obi and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso was pre-planned. It even raises the question of whether Kwankwaso’s involvement in the ADC was a trojan horse at the onset,” he added.
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