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2019 Presidency : PDP dumps consensus, settles for 6 candidates

Published

8 years ago

September 21, 2018

Barely three weeks to its national convention and presidential primary, the main opposition political party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has foreclosed the option of picking its presidential candidate for the 2019 election through consensus arrangement.

This is coming at a time PDP leaders are making moves to prune down the number of presidential aspirants to six, who will battle for the presidential ticket through balloting at the national convention schedule from October 5-6.

Daily Sun gathered that the PDP leadership and stakeholders, looking for a way to ensure non-contentious presidential primary, have settled for the emergence of its candidate through a process which would see all contestants going through an election, wherein delegates would vote.

Sources revealed that the PDP is opting for a democratic process to pick its presidential candidate in order to avoid an implosion, which may arise if a particular aspirant is pre-picked ahead of the party’s national convention.

It was gathered that the PDP, in a bid to have a united front after the presidential primary election, wants all aspirants to contest and be voted for, so that when the winner emerge there would be no allegation that the aspirants were not given a level-playing field.

Competent sources, however, told Daily Sun that in opting for balloting to pick the presidential candidate, the PDP is looking for someone who has the stature to win the presidential election at the end of the day.

Towards this end, it was gathered, the PDP has listed some qualities its candidate should possess.

Sources revealed that the PDP stakeholders want a candidate who is, first, accepted in the North, where the Presidency has been zoned.

In this regard, the party is looking for a candidate who the North, as a zone, including traditional institution, the elite and down-trodden, would accept as its own, especially since the major opponent, President Muhammadu Buhari, has a northern appeal.

The fear, it was gathered, is that a candidate not acceptable to the North would not stand a chance against President Buhari, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Daily Sun gathered that the PDP is also particular about a candidate, who has popular appeal nationwide, not one who is considered sectional in association and orientation, so that he could easily get votes across the country.

It was gathered that the PDP holds these qualities sacrosanct believing that in the presidential election it would be easy to sell such candidate to the generality of Nigerians as a better option to President Buhari.

Sources revealed that the PDP is also working hard to ensure that there will be no acrimony among the presidential aspirants when the candidate emerges at the national convention, so that everybody would work for victory at the presidential election.

The calculation is that those who would lose through democratic process in presidential primary would not feel short-changed, since it is a product of delegates’ votes, and therefore, would be willing to go to their respective states and strongholds to work for the party’s victory in the presidential election.

It was, however, gathered that after the presidential primary, the PDP and the presidential candidate would meet with other aspirants and agree on compensation after the victory at the presidential election.

However, there is an option that some of the aspirants could use proxies to obtain nomination forms for other elective positions, which they could fall back on after the presidential primary.

The thinking is that with the window of substitution of candidates, such aspirants could take up the tickets of proxies for other elective positions.

In a related development, PDP leaders are making frantic efforts to reduce the number of its presidential aspirants to not more than six.

Daily Sun reliably gathered yesterday that the move to reduce the number of presidential aspirants is spearheaded by the PDP Board of Trustees (BoT).

The PDP leaders are apprehensive that if all the aspirants are allowed to go for the presidential primary, the party may not be able to effectively manage issues that may arise in the nomination process.

An ad hoc committee set up by the BoT is scheduled to meet with the presidential aspirants in Abuja today, apparently as part of efforts to scale down the number of aspirants.

The BoT chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, had earlier mooted the idea of getting the aspirants to agree to a consensus candidate from among them, which did not go down well with several of them.

A total of 13 aspirants obtained the PDP presidential nomination and expression of interest forms to participate in the party’s presidential primary.

They are: former Vice President, Abubakar Atiku; Senate President, Bukola Saraki; former chairman PDP National Caretaker Committee, Ahmed Makarfi; Sokoto State governor, Aminu Tambuwal; Gombe State governor, Ibrahim Dankwambo and former Minister of Special Duties, Taminu Turaki.

Others are former Senate President, David Mark; former governor of Kano State, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso; former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido; former governor of Sokoto State, Attahiru Bafarawa; former governor of Plateau State, Jonah Jang the founder of Baze University, Senator Datti Baba-Ahmed and Stanley Osifo from Edo State.

As part of efforts to reduce the number of presidential aspirants, party leaders in the three geo-political zones in the North are said to be talking with presidential aspirants to arrive at a consensus, to brighten the chances of their zones in clinching the PDP ticket.

Seven of the aspirants are from the North West, three from North Central and two from the North East.

Daily Sun also gathered that the presidential aspirants have equally intensified negotiations among themselves, with the aim of getting some of them to withdraw from the contest.

Senator Makarfi, who is one of the presidential aspirants from the North West, confirmed to Daily Sun in a telephone interview that the aspirants were discussing among themselves.

When asked if there was a possibility of the seven aspirants from North West coming to a consensus, Makarfi said: “Not just from the North West. All aspirants are talking to themselves. It is not a North West affair. It is a Nigerian affair. The ticket is a northern affair. We are speaking with each other.”

A PDP leader from the NorthCentral, who did not want his name in print, told Daily Sun that some northern leaders were also talking with the presidential aspirants on the need for some of them to withdraw from the contest.

According to him, “the Northern Elders Forum and the Northern Consultative Forum have been doing a lot. They have been talking to them. Basically, what they are trying to do is not to force anybody to step down. They want them to see reason to have a manageable number who would go for the presidential primary.

“We agree that all of them are contesting; they have the requisite qualifications to rule the country, but at some points, it goes beyond just qualifying. They are talking to them, making them to have in mind that nobody should approach this primary with aggression. We don’t want a situation where anybody would want to leave the party if not given the ticket.”

Meanwhile, some of the presidential aspirants have continued to kick against the choice of Port Harcourt, Rivers State, as venue of the National Convention.

A party source told Daily Sun that owing to the misgiving expressed by some of the aspirants about holding the PDP convention in Port Harcourt, the leadership may consider a new venue.

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FCMB Limits Exposure in Fraud Attempt

Published

2 weeks ago

March 28, 2026

Sahara Weekly

More than ₦3 billion was targeted, but about ₦677 million reached the culprits, with recovery and prosecutions underway, reflecting how banks are responding to more sophisticated fraud risks.

Nigeria’s expanding digital banking sector is facing increasingly sophisticated fraud attempts, as financial institutions adapt to faster transactions and broader online services.

A recent case involving First City Monument Bank (FCMB), linked to fraudulent activity detected in December 2025, has drawn attention to how banks are responding to such incidents, with a focus on limiting exposure, recovering funds and working with law enforcement.

According to findings referenced in proceedings before the Lagos State Special Offences Court, the incident involved unauthorised transactions tied to a digital product. Early reports erroneously suggested more than ₦3 billion was lost. Subsequent clarification shows that over ₦3 billion was targeted, ₦2.4 billion was blocked and recovered, while ₦677 million got into the possession of the culprits. This outcome reflects the bank’s cyber security and monitoring capabilities, as well as improved collaboration among regulated financial institutions and with law enforcement agencies. Several suspects and beneficiaries have been apprehended, while recovery and prosecution efforts are ongoing, led by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC).

Proceedings at the Lagos State Special Offences Court have resulted in convictions, including that of a repeat offender, with restitution orders issued. Related matters are also being handled at the Federal High Court in Lagos, where additional suspects are being tried in connection with the scheme. This process is aimed at ensuring that bad actors are identified and permanently blacklisted from the financial system.

Authorities say recovery efforts are continuing as additional funds are traced.

Analysts note that the pace of legal action reflects closer coordination between financial institutions and enforcement agencies in addressing cyber-related financial crime.

The case comes as banks contend with more complex fraud methods, including social engineering and automated exploitation of system processes.

As digital products and platforms expand, so too does the risk associated with cyber-crime and related fraud.

“The scale of digital banking means risks are evolving alongside the systems,” said a Lagos-based financial analyst. “Institutions are now judged by how they manage these events.”

Observers say the sector is moving toward a stronger focus on response and recovery, rather than prevention alone.

This includes improving monitoring capabilities, strengthening transaction controls and enhancing collaboration with regulators and law enforcement. The FCMB case, with limited exposure relative to the amount targeted and ongoing recovery, reflects that shift.

For customers, the primary concern is the safety of their funds. In this case, there has been no indication of losses affecting customer deposits. Maintaining that level of protection remains central to sustaining trust in the financial system.

Nigeria’s financial sector continues to grow, supported by digital innovation and expanding access to banking services.

However, analysts say fraud attempts are likely to persist as systems become more complex and interconnected.

They say institutions will increasingly be judged not only on their ability to prevent incidents, but on how effectively they respond and recover when they occur.

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Ex-APC Deputy Guber flag bearer, Joshua MacIver backs Tinubu, express fears over implosion in Bayelsa APC

Published

3 weeks ago

March 21, 2026

Sahara Weekly

….congratulates new State Party Chairman, Warman Ogoriba

APC Deputy Governorship Candidate in the 2023 general elections in Bayelsa State, Great Joshua MacIver has declared his total commitment to the re-election of President Bola Tinubu come 2027, declaring that the Tinubu re-election project is non-negotiable.

Great Joshua MacIver, in his statement titled ” BAYELSA APC CONGRESSES: GOING FORWARD, A CALL TO LOOK INWARDS” and made available to newsmen in Yenagoa, warned APC leaders in the state to look Inward and take note of certain factors which may hinder or cut short our victory.

According to Great Joshua MacIver, such noticeable pitfalls include the imbalance in the united front being put up by the State Governor,Senator Douye Diri among various political blocs in the state.

In the statement issued at the weekend. Great Joshua MacIver stated that “First, before His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, joined the APC in the state, there were clearly two political blocs that made up the party, with the approximate population ratios of the blocs standing at 95% to 5%.”

“After the entrance of His Excellency, Senator Douye Diri, ONLY THE SMALLER BLOC IS BEING CARRIED ALONG IN THE AFFAIRS OF THE PARTY, leaving the greater percentage to their fate, and this situation has the potential to build anger and dissatisfaction in our dear party.”

” The consequence of this has been the high level defection we have witnessed in the party recently and we believe more may likely follow, if we do not put our house in order.”

” If we do not pull together as a party, we may witness a situation where we will lose key stakeholders, especially after the State and National Assembly Primaries as well the Gubernatorial Primaries.”

“Finally, while it is very clear that we are the party to beat in the 2027 elections and that our loyalty to Mr. President IS NON-NEGOTIABLE, we must make haste to say that we cannot afford to create situations or loopholes in our unity which will be exploited by other political interests in the state. We cannot afford to under-rate anyone.”

“Our core interest remains the re-election of Mr. President, a project to which we have committed our all. We also pledge our total loyalty to the party as we have no alternative to the APC. However, our concern is that we must, as a party, look inwards and ensure that we do not create loopholes that can impede our common goal.”

Great Joshua MacIver, however congratulated the newly elected State Executives of the APC in Bayelsà State led by Hon. Warman Ogoriba, saying their emergence is welcomed at this critical time in our national history.

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How Primate Ayodele Foretold Borno Suicide Bomb Attack A Few Weeks Ago (VIDEO)

Published

3 weeks ago

March 17, 2026

Sahara Weekly

“You Can’t Use Primate Ayodele To Score Points For Your Failed Political Ambitions” – Fulani Group Blasts Umar Ardo

At least 23 people were killed in a series of suspected suicide bombings, police in Nigeria’s northeastern city of Maiduguri said on Tuesday.

https://www.stanbicibtcbank.com/nigeriabank/personal/products-and-services/all-loans/stanbic-ibtc-mreif-home-loans

More than 100 other people were injured in the blasts that took place on Monday evening in the capital of Nigeria’s restive Borno state.

No group has claimed responsibility for the suspected attacks.

The deadly blasts come after a military post was attacked overnight Sunday to Monday, which authorities blamed on suspected Islamist militants.

This sad incident is coming barely two weeks after Primate Elijah Ayodele, the Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church specifically warned against attacks in some states. He mentioned these states while calling on security operatives to pay close attention to them.

These were his words:

“Another attack is coming up in these following states where the military must watch carefully and intelligently; Kano, Kaduna, Zamfara, Kebbi, Niger, Borno, Kwara and Kogi state. They want to do a deadly attack, it’s preventable but it depends on how they will handle it. I have told you about the danger coming up.”

@primateayodele

#borno #nigeria #fulfillment #security #primateayodele

♬ original sound – Primate Ayodele

Unfortunately, some of our military agencies don’t believe spiritual intelligence can save the country from so much danger hence, their neglect of this prophetic warning but now, it has been fulfilled with the miliary losing credibility by the day while Primate Ayodele continues to gain momentum.

Likewise, At least 26 passengers and crew sustained varying degrees of injuries on Monday following an accident involving the Kaduna–Abuja train, according to the Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC).

Opeifa explained that the train departed Rigasa in Kaduna at 7:15 a.m. and was approaching Asham station around 9:16 a.m. when a loud bang was heard after the power car and trailing locomotive collided with one of the passenger coaches.

In July 2025, Primate Ayodele asked nigerians to pray not to see train mishap on the Kaduna-Abuja route.