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Wike Breaks Silence On PDP Primary; Cites Betrayal, Conspiracy And Sabotage

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Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers, says some southerners worked against the zone getting the presidential ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He spoke on Monday, when he addressed PDP supporters in Rivers state.

Wike, who contested the presidential primary on Saturday, came second with 237 votes against former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar’s 371 votes.

In his address on Monday, Wike made references to betrayal, conspiracy, and people who cannot keep to the agreement, but he didn’t mention any name in particular.

“As far as I am concerned, there is nothing to worry about. I contested election based on principle and agreement with all the southern governors and the leaders of the south that the presidency should go to the south this period,” he said.

“We have done our own part and we never betrayed anybody, because it is not in our blood to betray. But it’s a shame to those people. Some of the governors from the south are the people they used to sabotage our interests. However, we have shown them that we are not like them. We have the capacity to do whatever is good for us.

“I don’t want to talk about some other people who cannot even win elections in their own places. I’ve told them that this election, whoever emerges, I will support, and I am not going to go back.

“Yes, it may be painful to you, it may be painful to us, but we cannot abandon the party. And let me also say to those who do not understand, and who take Rivers state for a ride, now they have learned their lesson. You need us. Forget about these people who have nothing to offer and who make noise up and down.

“I saw one governor who was dancing. Meanwhile, he did not win one delegate. I told Atiku Abubakar this afternoon when he came to see me that ‘some of the people following you here, they don’t have votes; they’re empty.’ I have votes. I have something to offer. Do they have anything to offer?

“In 2019, I was the only governor from the south-south who never negotiated with the present government. They came and I said ‘no, I’m not going to be a party to that.’ And that’s why APC never had 25 percent in his state. I said I was not going to sit down with them to negotiate.

“When you see people, they can’t confront me. They can’t face me. It’s merely envy. If somebody is bigger than you, somebody is bigger than you. I told them ‘look, it’s not to go back. If they give you vice-president, you need my support. So, you will come to me.’ PDP knows. Three states determine elections in Nigeria — Lagos, Kano, and Rivers. Anybody who tries to say that Rivers state is nowhere, it’s at your own peril. If you want to bury yourself, let it be.

“So, for me, we have done what we are supposed to do. Leave history for those betrayers of their people. History will judge them. They will live and see how betrayers suffer. We have done our best and the whole world has seen that we have done our best.”

He also made a reference to a governor who “sold out his people”, adding that such people have no right to complain about the south being referred to as the minority.

“Shame to those who will sell out their own thing. I’ve never seen a thing like this in my life. A governor? And tomorrow, you’ll say ‘oh, the south is a minority.’ You are the one making yourself to be the minority. Shame! You’re holding something in trust for your people, and you claim that this is what your people want. Then, you sell out,” he said.

“No wonder we cannot move on development. Look at a region — they ganged up, then your own region cannot gang up? You became tools to be used against the interest of your people. And you think you have won? You have lost. You will continue to be perpetual slaves.

“Rivers people, you don’t need to worry yourselves. God’s time is the best. So, we should take it easy, support the party, and work for our party to win in the state and for our party to win at the federal level.”

BIG STORY

FULL LIST: Tinubu Appoints IBB’s Son, Muhammad Babangida Chairman Bank Of Agriculture, Others As Heads Of Govt Agencies

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President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has appointed Muhammad Babangida, the son of the former military President, as chairman of the revamped Bank of Agriculture.

President Tinubu approved the appointment today, along with seven others. Some of them will serve as chairmen or directors-general of Federal agencies.

Muhammad Babangida, 53, is an alumnus of the European University in Montreux, Switzerland, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a Master’s degree in Public Relations and Business Communication. He later attended Harvard Business School’s Executive Program on Corporate Governance in 2002.

Others appointed by the President are:

Lydia Kalat Musa (Kaduna State) Chairman, Oil and Gas Free Zone Authority (OGFZA).

Jamilu Wada Aliyu (Kano State) Chairman, National Educational Research and Development Council (NERDC).

The Hon. Yahuza Ado Inuwa (Kano State) is the Standard Organisation of Nigeria (SON) chairman.

Sanusi Musa (SAN, Kano State) is the Chairman of the Institute of Peace and Conflict Resolution(IPCR).

Prof. Al-Mustapha Alhaji Aliyu (Sokoto State) is the Director-General of the Directorate of Technical Cooperation in Africa (DTCA).

Sanusi Garba Rikiji (Zamfara State) is the Director-General of the Nigerian Office for Trade Negotiations (NOTN).

Mrs Tomi Somefun (Oyo State) is the Managing Director of the National Hydro-Electric Power Areas Development Commission (HYPPADEC).

Dr Abdulmumini Mohammed Aminu-Zaria (Kaduna State) has been appointed Executive Director of the Nigerian Integrated Water Resources Management Commission (NIWRMC).

 

Bayo Onanuga

Special Adviser to the President

(Information & Strategy)

July 18, 2025

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BIG STORY

Buhari Never Wanted To Congratulate Saraki, Dogara After Emerging Senate President, Speaker — Femi Adesina

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Femi Adesina, who served as Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, revealed that Buhari was initially unwilling to congratulate Bukola Saraki and Yakubu Dogara after they controversially became Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives in 2015.

Adesina shared this in a tribute to Buhari, reflecting on his early experience as the president’s media aide and the difficulty of balancing loyalty with professional duty.

He explained that the incident happened just nine days after he took up the role of presidential spokesman.

According to Adesina, Saraki and Dogara emerged as leaders of the National Assembly against the preference of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Although their emergence was viewed as defiant, it still adhered to constitutional norms.

“I told the President we needed to congratulate them. He balked. But I stood my ground. He said no, I also said no. I said it would portray him as undemocratic,” Adesina wrote.

He noted that Buhari later agreed to issue the statement, making only a small addition to the final version.

“At the end of the day, he reasoned with me and the statement was written, with him just adding one word,” he stated.

“Keeping to his word is part of the famed integrity. Argue with me. If you have a better point, I’ll agree with you.”

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BIG STORY

Road To 2027: Everyone Afraid Of Atiku — Dele Momodu Claims As He Joins ADC

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Dele Momodu, the publisher of Ovation International, has said that “everyone is afraid” of former vice-president Atiku Abubakar.

He made this remark while giving reasons for leaving the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to join the African Democratic Congress, ADC.

Momodu also confirmed that he would be backing Atiku in the 2027 presidential election.

During an appearance on Channels TV on Thursday, Momodu stated that his endorsement of Atiku stems from a strategic understanding of Nigeria’s political dynamics.

He said: “Everybody is afraid of Atiku, and that is exactly why I, Dele Momodu, support him.

“The fear the ruling party has for him shows he remains the most formidable opposition figure today.

“When everyone is trying to discredit or silence a man, it means he’s the one they truly fear.”

Momodu previously ran for president in 2011 and took part in the PDP presidential primaries in 2022.

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