Former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu, has said the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and not the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje, should be blamed for the recent “No Vacancy in Aso Rock” remark by the APC boss.
 
However, a House of Representatives member, Aminu Jaji, cautioned that “it is premature” for the former governor of Kaduna State, Nasir el-Rufai, Ganduje and other prominent Nigerians to be trading words over the 2027 elections.
 
Also, African Development Bank (AfDB) President, Akinwunmi Adesina, debunked reports associating him with the race for Nigeria’s presidency in 2027.   Adesina reportedly gave a hint that he would be contesting the presidency in 2027 following his ‘I am ready to serve’ comment in a recent interview.
 
Speaking with journalists, yesterday, Okechukwu argued that the PDP’s decision to disregard the rotation principle governing Nigeria’s Fourth Republic was responsible for the party’s present challenges.
 
“Those blaming Ganduje for saying that there is no vacancy at Aso Villa should blame Atiku Abubakar,” he said.  According to him, the PDP’s “erroneous breach” of the zoning convention fractured the party beyond repair, adding, “It has albeit produced ‘Wike Masquerade’, which cannot be easily wiped off the party’s bone marrow.”

He maintained that the PDP might struggle to function effectively as Nigeria’s leading opposition party and could ultimately play a secondary role in a merger, similar to how the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria was absorbed into the APC.

THE Zamfara lawmaker appealed at the unveiling of the ‘One Nigeria’ project in Abuja by the National Association of Former Local Government Council Chairmen in Nigeria.
 
The plot to stop President Bola Tinubu in 2027 heightened in the past few weeks with pressure coming from Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Babachir Lawal; Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and some Northern politicians.
 
Their anger was further fuelled by Tuesday’s warning from Ganduje that Northern politicians nursing presidential ambition in 2027 should bury the idea. Jaji said, “I think he (el-Rufai) is more concerned about 2027 because of the way and manner the present administration is going about its robust policies. Perhaps he was also carried away by the way the opposition is looking at 2027. But I think 2027 is not here yet, though it is close.
 
“But we as Nigerians must learn to put the country first before any other interest. For instance, Americans practise policy election. But we in Nigeria conduct unity elections all the time. This is why I believe 2027 may not be different. Our national interest has increasingly been undermined by divisive politics, with unity, which should be our guiding principle, often overshadowed by sentiments. This division poses a serious threat to the security, peace and stability of our nation.”

THE AfDB president denied the media reports, stating that he never said that he wanted to contest for president. In a post clarifying his statement on his X handle, yesterday, Adesina said his interview was misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media reports.
  
“A segment of my recent interview on @ARISEtv has been both misinterpreted and misrepresented in several Nigerian media outlets. What I said was, ‘I will be available to serve in any capacity, globally, in Africa, anywhere, including my own country.
 
“A listen to the substantive and robust interview, which is available online, will show this to be the case. For clarity and for the record, I did not say that I am running for the office of President of Nigeria,” Adesina said.
 
It is not the first time Adesina, whose tenure as the AfDB president ends in May this year, will distance himself from Nigeria’s presidential race. Amid speculations ahead of the 2023 elections, Adesina released a statement ruling himself out of the presidential race.