[quote]By Emmanuel Aziken



The emergence of at least four heavyweight political ministers out of the Niger Delta is indicative of President Muhammadu Buhari’s determination to reshape the political configuration of the region in the interest of his All Progressives Congress, APC party sources have said.

High level sources in the party told Saturday Vanguard that the dominance of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP over the region would come to an end in 2023 as the likes of Senator Godswill Akpabio, Rotimi Amaechi, Festus Keyamo and Timipire Sylva fight to put the APC in the ascendancy in the region.

Remarkably, the heavyweight ministers from the region have been allocated strategic portfolios through which they are expected to generate the goodwill that will propel the party unto higher grounds in unfolding political contests in the region.

“With these men, some of them former governors PDP is not going to do what they used to do before, there is no way that we will not have a good share of the electoral spoils in the Niger Delta by 2023,” the high-level party source said.

Senator Akpabio who is the minister of Niger Delta speaking on Wednesday night at a post inauguration reception was his political combative self, vowing that the political philosophy of President Muhammadu Buhari would sooner than later be imprinted in his state.

“They stole my election, they thought they were doing me evil, but it has turned out for good,” the former two term PDP governor and PDP Senate leader said to a highly partisan crowd of APC faithful present at the inauguration party.

Among them were Nsima Ekere, the APC governorship candidate in the 2019 election and Akpabio’s one time friend turned enemy and lately, political friend, Senator John James Akpanudoedehe. Like Akpabio, all three who spoke at the post-inauguration party spoke with fervency that the state would soon be taken over by the APC.

The momentum for the APC in nearby Bayelsa State is also bubbling after Sylva was removed from the forthcoming governorship contest in the state and appointed minister of state, petroleum.

The former governor is now being looked upon to yield his political structure in the state to the candidate to emerge ahead of the forthcoming governorship election.

Sources say that the appointment of Sylva as a minister has given fresh hope for the party given insinuations that had he not been appointed minister that he would have used his overwhelming control of the state structure of the party to make himself candidate and again fall to the PDP in the main election.

The growing confidence of the APC is, however, challenged by the PDP’s senior official in the region, Hon. Emmanuel Ogidi, the national vice-chairman of the PDP.

Ogidi in a chat with Saturday Vanguard punctured the confidence of the APC saying that the party’s heavyweight forces were around when the PDP routed them in the 2019 General Election. “All these names you have mentioned were there during the elections but what did they do? Akpabio even lost his seat,” Ogidi said in a telephone interview.

“Amaechi couldn’t do anything even after getting somebody from another party. You know what is going in Rivers State, nobody can defeat Wike.” Asserting that the APC ministers and chieftains lurk around Abuja only to draw false attention to themselves, he said: “They make noise in Abuja but at home they cannot do anything.”

A chieftain of the APC from Akwa Ibom State and former member of the House of Representatives, Mr. Eseme Eyiboh, however, saw the appointment of the heavyweight ministers as an indication of President Buhari’s recognition of the development challenges in the region and the determination to address such. “The presence of these people is to show the sensitivity of the Federal Government to its development challenges in the Niger Delta.

These people who were former governors and community mobilisers understand the development template of the Niger Delta. “Bringing them into the Federal Executive Council is an expression of the Federal Government’s sensitivity to the yearnings of the people of Niger Delta when it comes to development,” he said.

“You can take it to the bank that this is going to be the first time that Niger Delta is going to experience a spiral and impacting development,” Eyiboh further submitted. However, one political actor who surprisingly took the path of peace was Senator Akpabio’s political nemesis in the last Senate election.

Senator Chris Ekpeyong who defeated Akpabio in the Senate election in a letter of congratulation to the new minister of Niger Delta was conciliatory in victory. In a letter of congratulations to Akpabio obtained by Saturday Vanguard, Senator Ekpeyong called for harmony between the new minister and political actors from Akwa Ibom to enhance the development of the state. In the congratulatory letter dated, August 21, Ekpeyong wrote: “Our Niger Delta is one area so neglected for decades despite her contribution to the nation’s resources base, the entire component states despite including our own are yet to maximally benefit from the national current drive for development.

“To this end as you channel development efforts to turn around the landscape of the Niger Delta region, I enjoin you to drive a more formidable synergic effort along with other elected and appointed representatives of Akwa Ibom State extraction to bring more infrastructural and human capacity development to Akwa Ibom State.”

https://www.vanguardngr.com/2019/08/buhari-lines-up-heavyweights-to-battle-pdp-in-south-south/

My thinking when the ministerial list came out. PMB is more politically savvy than people think.

dream on, by 2023 when the buhari effect is remove from APC, they will scatter like soaken garri wey think say em be eba

One thing alot of u should always remember,Buhari rigged himself into second term.


Buhari did not win.


If APC could not win Oyo, where in SW will dey win? Exactly.


Is it Christian Ondo with Afenefere leaders?


Osun, where they used court to deny Davido Uncle?


They lost Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, the whole SE and SS.


So where exactly did Buhari win? Is it Borno where Boko Haram attacked on day of election?


Look, APC will not survive past 2023, that is if APC make it to 2023, with the way things are going in Nigeria in terms of insecurity and revolution.

Add Ovie Omo-Agege to the lot. That dude is an emerging political heavy weight in his home state, Delta

andresia:
Add Ovie Omo-Agege to the lot. That dude is an emerging political heavy weight in his home state, Delta

hammerFC:
One thing alot of u should always remember,Buhari rigged himself into second term.


Buhari did not win.


If APC could not win Oyo, where in SW will dey win? Exactly.


Is it Christian Ondo with Afenefere leaders?


Osun, where they used court to deny Davido Uncle?


They lost Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, the whole SE and SS.


So where exactly did Buhari win? Is it Borno where Boko Haram attacked on day of election?


Look, APC will not survive past 2023, that is if APC make it to 2023, with the way things are going in Nigeria in terms of insecurity and revolution.

u are right...but i dont believe buhari even has the mental capacity to rig an election...he was simply rigged for by core north governors...thats why southern states were called 1st

selemempe:
u are right...but i dont believe buhari even has the mental capacity to rig an election...he was simply rigged for by core north governors...thats why southern states were called 1st

He did not even win Abuja.

hammerFC:
One thing alot of u should always remember,Buhari rigged himself into second term.


Buhari did not win.


If APC could not win Oyo, where in SW will dey win? Exactly.


Is it Christian Ondo with Afenefere leaders?


Osun, where they used court to deny Davido Uncle?


They lost Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, the whole SE and SS.


So where exactly did Buhari win? Is it Borno where Boko Haram attacked on day of election?


Look, APC will not survive past 2023, that is if APC make it to 2023, with the way things are going in Nigeria in terms of insecurity and revolution.

how do you know buhari did not win....??

do you even know how many voted buhari....??

you punched your own selfs in the face by presenting atiku....

many dont like atiku....obi should have parcipated as a president with a yoruba vice....

una realy fvcked up that chance....

i would have voted obi if atiku was not around....

Instead of solving issues on ground you are lining up what. Nigerians we need prayers o

Hmmm

Okay

Who are the heavyweight you mean the lightweights

OK. We are watching.

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Heavyweight kor Mike Tyson ni,d South South is a no go area 4d evil party apc

Just forget! Atiku either takes the election at the tribunal or he wins it in 2023 Inshallahu, Pray we are alive to see a government with a clear strong direction

dre11:

Story for the God's. Will there still be APC after 2023?

Lmao So we can vote Tinubu? Mad people

maclatunji:
My thinking when the ministerial list came out. PMB is more politically savvy than people think.

Yes.... People like you always find something positive in whatever he does. What's heavyweight here? How many of them won their LG for APC in the last presidential election?

They all failed the last election

So amaechi follow for the heavy weights, why wouldnt he take his loud mouth to rivers state his own state and face the music na by Abuja heavy weight.

Go to your grass root and make noise, ekweremadus yam beating would be a joke compared to his

OR
Is it akpabio that lost his constituency and you tried compensating with a portfolio, the southerners are not that gullible so APC can't thrive in a place that's not dominated by zombies

Heavyweights on paper who can only rely on rigging to make any electoral headway.

dre11:

Trash .................... zombie .........

dre11:

Trash .................... zombie .........

see below

hammerFC:
One thing alot of u should always remember,Buhari rigged himself into second term.


Buhari did not win.


If APC could not win Oyo, where in SW will dey win? Exactly.


Is it Christian Ondo with Afenefere leaders?


Osun, where they used court to deny Davido Uncle?


They lost Benue, Taraba, Adamawa, the whole SE and SS.


So where exactly did Buhari win? Is it Borno where Boko Haram attacked on day of election?


Look, APC will not survive past 2023, that is if APC make it to 2023, with the way things are going in Nigeria in terms of insecurity and revolution.

You wanna take over from Doyin Okupe?

Abeg what is the "heavy weight" about an apointment and how would ministerial appointments battle the govs in South-South?

Buhari is actually smart .
However ,
Ocherome Nnanna of Vanguard went to bring news of April as Breaking News to counter and balance that of yesterday because people are trolling the Igbos.
He was the same journalist who insulted yorubas for being elated over PMBs naming of June 12 as democracy day.
https://www.nairaland.com/5378950/ocherome-nnanna-vanguard-went-bring#81577974