Former Benue State governor and leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in the state, Chief Samuel Ortom has rejected reports claiming that he and other senior members of the party are considering replacing the party’s 2027 governorship candidate, Chief Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, with the Executive Secretary of the Nigerian Shippers’ Council, Dr Pius Akutah.

Ortom described the reports circulating on social media as false and misleading, saying they misrepresented the purpose of a recent meeting involving some prominent Benue stakeholders.

In a statement released by his media assistant, Zege Terhide, the former governor said the report was a “mischievous” distortion of the discussions held during the meeting.

He explained that the meeting brought together himself, Senate Minority Leader Senator Abba Moro, Aondoakaa and other notable Benue indigenes, including Chief Simon Shango, Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher, Dr Pius Akutah, Emmanuel Ameh and Dr Matthias Byuan.

According to Ortom, the gathering was part of broader consultations involving influential stakeholders, aimed at creating a strategic partnership that would serve the interests of Benue State.

He firmly denied that the issue of changing the PDP governorship candidate featured in the discussions.

“At no time during the meeting was the replacement of Chief Aondoakaa as the PDP governorship candidate discussed, contemplated or placed on the agenda,” Ortom said.

The former governor said there was nothing unusual about political figures consulting with stakeholders, noting that such engagements were part of the democratic process.

He consequently criticised those attempting to portray the meeting as a secret political arrangement.

“It is, therefore, mischievous for anyone to take a legitimate meeting of Benue leaders and manufacture an entirely different motive for it,” he said.

Ortom further explained that engagements involving politicians and influential individuals should not automatically be viewed as evidence of hidden political schemes.

“Political consultations and engagements across party lines are neither strange nor secret conspiracies, particularly when they are driven by the larger interest of the people,” he stated.

Addressing the controversy surrounding the 2027 PDP ticket, Ortom made it clear that Aondoakaa remained the party’s candidate for the Benue governorship election.

“Chief Michael Aondoakaa, SAN, remains the duly nominated governorship candidate of the PDP in Benue State for the 2027 election,” Ortom declared.

He said Aondoakaa continued to enjoy the backing and confidence of the PDP leadership and members across the state.

Ortom also expressed optimism about Aondoakaa’s prospects if elected, pointing to his experience, competence and understanding of the challenges confronting Benue.

According to the former governor, the PDP candidate had the capacity to provide effective leadership and drive improvements in critical areas, including security, economic recovery and sustainable development.

He warned those behind the alleged replacement story to stop circulating what he described as fabricated claims capable of creating unnecessary tension within the party and among Aondoakaa’s supporters.

“Political journalism and commentary must be anchored on facts, not conjecture, deliberate falsehood or the attribution of imaginary motives to legitimate engagements,” he cautioned.

Ortom called on PDP members, Aondoakaa’s supporters and other residents of Benue to disregard the report and concentrate on the party’s preparations ahead of the 2027 elections.

He maintained that the controversy would not derail the PDP’s efforts to unite stakeholders and build a strong coalition of Benue people ahead of the election.

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*No, Wike will actualise his boast, will deliver Tinubu – Rufai Oseni

By Juliet Umeh

The political temperature ahead of the 2027 general election rose another notch this week as comments by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, that Rivers State was already secured for President Bola Tinubu triggered a heated debate on ARISE Television’s The Morning Show.

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The programme also examined claims by Catholic leaders that the Presidency should pay closer attention to the realities facing Nigerians, with the show’s anchors disagreeing over whether President Tinubu is being shielded from public opinion.

The controversy followed Wike’s declaration during his media chat in Abuja that politicians eyeing Rivers State for the 2027 presidential election should “forget it,” insisting that the state belongs politically to President Tinubu.

“I am telling you, let nobody make a mistake. The only person that can win Rivers State is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu,” the minister declared, describing himself as “a political realist.”

The remarks immediately generated reactions on social media, with many users arguing that such comments could discourage voters and undermine confidence in the electoral process.

On ARISE Television, Ayo Mairo-Ese urged Nigerians not to interpret Wike’s comments as a foregone conclusion, describing them as political posturing intended to unsettle opponents.

“What he was doing is what we call mind games. It is ‘political big speak’. It is psychological warfare,” she said.

According to her, regardless of political influence, elections are ultimately decided by voters.

“Wike has one vote, just like every other Nigerian. The people of Rivers State will determine who emerges as the winner.”

She, however, warned that influential political figures should exercise caution because statements suggesting that election outcomes have already been determined could deepen voter apathy.

She also challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to strengthen public confidence by conducting elections that leave no room for manipulation.

“INEC has to demonstrate that every vote counts and that elections are free, fair and credible,” she added.

But co-anchor Rufai Oseni disagreed sharply with Mairo-Ese’s interpretation, arguing that Wike’s remarks should not be dismissed as mere political posturing because they reflected what many Nigerians already perceive about the country’s electoral system.

Oseni argued that the minister’s confidence was rooted in his political influence and controversies surrounding the 2023 presidential election in Rivers State where figues declared didn’t tally with the ones on IREV which he said the BBC pointed out in a special report on Ngeria. Although he said that Wike’s statements reinforced public distrust in democracy, he was ready to bet with anybody that Wike’a claims would come to pass.

“With due respect, he is not saying what he has not done. He is saying what he has done,” Oseni said, citing reports that questioned aspects of the 2023 election in Rivers and recalling Wike’s own claims about his dominance of the state’s political structure.

He argued that pretending such fears do not exist would only deepen public cynicism, insisting that many Nigerians already doubt whether elections truly reflect the will of the people.

“We keep saying we don’t want voter apathy, but many people already believe the process is a charade already,” he said.

He maintained that many Nigerians already believe the electoral process is compromised and that journalists should confront that perception rather than dismiss it in the name of encouraging voter participation.

Dr. Reuben Abati, however, rejected Rufai’s position, insisting that no politician has the constitutional authority to determine electoral outcomes.

“Wike is just like every other Nigerian qualified to vote. He has only one vote,” Abati said.

“He cannot sit today and announce the outcome of the 2027 election in Rivers State.”

Describing Wike’s position as “a trip of delusion,” Abati stressed that only INEC is empowered by law to declare election results.

He urged Rivers voters not to surrender their democratic rights because of political pronouncements.

“The people of Rivers State have the right to go out and make their own informed choice,” he said, adding that those who attempt to undermine the electoral process should be held accountable.

The discussion later shifted to criticism of the Tinubu administration by Catholic leaders following recent comments by Archbishop Emeritus Cardinal John Onaiyekan and Monsignor Obiora Ike.

While some commentators suggested that those around the President were shielding him from the realities confronting Nigerians, Rufai disagreed.

“There is no way the President will not know about all these things. He knows,” he said.

According to him, President Tinubu has repeatedly responded to public criticism during meetings with religious leaders and traditional rulers, showing that he is fully aware of the hardship facing citizens.

“The issue is not awareness. The issue is whether the government’s narrative is landing with Nigerians,” he argued.

He noted that although the administration continues to defend its economic reforms, many Nigerians remain unconvinced because of rising hardship, insecurity and the high cost of living. Abati took a different view, defending the right of religious leaders to speak on national issues. He said the Catholic Church has historically challenged governments whenever it considered it necessary in the public interest.

“The Catholic Church has a reputation for speaking its mind. They are not in the business of opposing the government for the sake of it,” he said. He added that the government should see such interventions as constructive criticism rather than hostility.

“What we want in Nigeria is a prophetic Church that defends the interest of the people and speaks truth to power.”

The exchanges reflected growing national anxiety over electoral credibility, governance and public trust ahead of the 2027 general election, with the three analysts offering sharply different interpretations of whether Wike’s declaration was merely political bravado or a reflection of deeper concerns about Nigeria’s democratic process.

By Emmanuel Iheaka

SINCE the return to democracy in 1999, no governor of Imo State has produced a successor. The first governor of the state in the current republic, Chief Achike Udenwa, failed to install a successor at the end of his two-term of eight years in 2007.

Successive governors of the state have emerged through either what could be described as ballot revolution or powers from above.

By the time the dust of the 2007 governorship election in the state settled, Chief Ikedi Ohakim of the now defunct Progressive Peoples Alliance, PPA, had been declared the new helmsman of Imo. Ohakim would later be ousted in 2011, in what could be described as one of the biggest political upsets in the current republic in the state.

Eccentric Rochas Okorocha led a people-centred movement to displace Ohakim. But again, Okorocha failed to install a successor, when what majority saw as a selfish bid to crown his son in-law, came crumbling like a pack of cards.

Former Speaker, House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, had the shortest stay on the governorship saddle of the state, following his sack by the Supreme Court, which paved the way for the incumbent, Senator Hope Uzodimma.

Can Uzodimma break the jinx by producing a successor? Time will tell. However, there are early indications that the opposition will literally be fighting the battle of their life in the bid to maintain the history of the state, in not allowing any governor to produce a successor. Though the state government and the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, have distanced themselves, the early attacks on opposition parties leave no one in doubt that it is not going to be a walk in the park for those opposing the APC.

Pre-poll violence

About a week ago, thugs reportedly disrupted a meeting of the Nigeria Democratic Congress, NDC, in Owerri Municipal, in which a Senatorial candidate of the party, Uche Onyeagucha, was addressing party members.

Few days after the incident, the Young Progressives Party, YPP, and the All Peoples Party, APP, reported an attempt to break into their secretariats and destruction of their billboards at about midnight.

The Imo State Chairman of YPP, Michael Anyanwu, said he got a distress call at about 3:00am on the fateful day, alerting him of the attack. Anyanwu vowed that his party would fight on.

“I got a distress call by security guards on ground that between the hours of 3 and 4am, some unidentified men in an unmarked Sienna vehicle came to our party secretariat, vandalised our signages and wanted to make entry into the party secretariat, if not that our security guards had to create panic alert which made them to disperse.

“This is not campaign signage, this is just to show landmark. I wonder why we will be targeted. Are they trying to silence opposition parties in Imo State?

“I have gone to the police to make an entry. We are law-abiding party; we are not going to be cowed by anybody”, the chairman submitted.

Attack stage-managed – APC

The ruling APC has dismissed the said attack as stage-managed, and warned the opposition to play by the rules.

In a statement, the state Publicity Secretary of the APC, Onwuasoanya Jones, said there were indications that the purported attack might have been stage-managed.

APC stated that it is not threatened by the existence of any opposition party in the state and urged the opposition to play by the rules.

“The All Progressives Congress in Imo State is not threatened by the existence of any political Party and would not go outside the law and established democratic methods in ensuring that we maintain our unassailable popularity and acceptability with Imo people.

“Our Party frowns at any act of violence and disorderly behaviour and we encourage all opposition parties in the state to play by the rules by working towards convincing Imolites with logical arguments and verifiable records about why their parties might deserve the consideration of Imo people, rather than resorting to crude and unlawful strategies in order to draw attention.

“While these parties might consider this as Disruptive Advertising or Marketing strategy, we must warn them to ensure that they follow the law in carrying out their activities and marketing their political parties to the populace, as any attempt to disturb the peace of the state or cause panic will be reported to the appropriate authorities for necessary investigations and actions”, the party had submitted.

Speaking to Vanguard, APP which has become a major opposition party in the state, however, appears unperturbed and unruffled. Cajetan Duke, former Publicity Secretary of the party in Imo, and now the Chief Press Secretary to the leader of the party, Chima Amadi, insisted that APC is exit-bound in the state. According to Duke, the recent actions of the APC follow the known last minute pattern of actions of previously ousted ruling parties in the state.

“APP has demonstrated enough readiness for the 2027 general elections in Imo. APC is aware that APP is the party to beat in Imo. APP is now the largest number one opposition party in Imo. We have two National Assembly members. That’s an indication of strength and acceptability.

“What is happening in Imo has become a panic-reaction pattern by governments. In 2011, the PDP government was very hostile to Imo people because they realised the people had rejected them, to the point the government prevented APGA from holding a rally at the stadium. At a time, Rochas had to hold the rally on the streets of Owerri. What was the resultant effect of it, the people spoke through the ballot.

Panic mood

“In 2019, the outgoing government went into that panic mood and became hostile to the opposition. When they realised the people had left them, they decided to weaponise the government against the opposition. At the end of the day, the people stood their ground.

“Today, the APC in Imo knows that the 2027 election is about the people trying to take back their destiny in their hands. The people are looking for credible alternatives and they have found that in APP.

“You cannot intimidate people who have made up their minds. We have seen governments come and go. We know the behavioural tendencies of a government that is exit-bound. Imo people should remain resolute and law abiding. The darkest part of the night is the hour next to dawn. Guard your PVC, our votes will count”.

Another major opposition party in the state, the African Democratic Congress, ADC, told Vanguard that it was battle-ready for the APC.

State Publicity Secretary of the party, Macdonald Amadi, claimed that ADC has captured the nooks and crannies of the state .

“My party has come to save Nigeria from hunger and starvation; provide basic health, quality education, and infrastructure. Our party is rooted in rule of law, and abhors violence and election rigging.

“If there is any party that is prepared to rule in Imo, it is ADC. Our party has sold itself to the people of Imo in all the nooks and crannies of the state. We are ready for the 2027 general elections.

“Our party is against blackmail and running down individuals. ADC believes in constructive criticism and holding governments accountable by getting them to pursue policies aimed at ensuring the welfare of the people.”

Uzodimma’s scorecard

There is a seeming consensus that the Uzodimma administration has done well in road construction and rescuing the state to a large extent, from the insecurity that ravaged it for years. But not a few point to the apparent neglect of the education sector, with many school buildings in decrepit condition. There is also what analysts describe as the disconnect between Uzodimma and the people, owing to what they term the governor’s elitist disposition.

The APP led by the energetic Chima Amadi, and House of Representatives member, Ikenga Ugochinyere, has been vociferous in its criticism of the Uzodimma administration. 

The ADC, led by Emeka Ihedioha, has however, not been that loud. The surprising appearance of the erstwhile House of Representatives Speaker at the recent celebration of Imo at 50, where he received an award from Uzodimma, had sparked speculations and permutations about the 2027 political intrigues.

The NDC doesn’t seem to have a definite governor aspirant at the moment. But one can easily guess that the former Chairman of the Nigeria Electricity Regulatory Commission, Dr. Sam Amadi, will fill in the gap.

Whatever be the case, the forthcoming 2027 off-circle governorship election in Imo will be a clash of the titans that will either rewrite or retain the political history of the state.