Tinubu’s London Meeting With Fubara, Indication Of Desperation – Adikwuru

Hon. Dennis Adikwuru is a People’s Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Imo State. Adikwuru, a member of Imo State Presidential Campaign Council under Media and Publicity Sub-committee in the 2023 elections and erstwhile State Publicity Secretary, Imo State Professionals for Atiku, is also the State Coordinator, Imo PDP Grassroots Movement.

He spoke to EJIKEME OMENAZU on the current political situation in the country, especially as it concerns his party, the movement of its structure in Delta State to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the purported plans by other states to join the ruling party, among other crucial issues. Excerpt: As a top chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), how do you see the movement of your party’s structure in Delta State PDP defecting to the ruling All Progres­sives Congress (APC), including the state governor Rt. Hon.



Sheriff Oborevwori, his deputy, the party leaders, and former Governor and Vice Presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa? The announced total defec­tion of Delta State PDP to APC is unfortunate and unwarrant­ed. However, I see it as seeking a new haven and yielding to the APC’s pressure using the Eco­nomic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as a threat tool. The former governor and Atiku’s presidential running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa has been on EFCC’s trail and he finds the APC as a source of succour.

Like I said, it is very unfortunate and undeserving in a civil democra­cy. The Akwa Ibom governor, Pastor Umo Bassey Eno, a PDP man, has already endorsed President Bola Tinubu. How do you see this devel­opment? Again, another shameful out­ing by the Governor of Akwa Ibom State, who openly volun­teered to lead the campaign for Tinubu’s re-election in 2027.

It appears he is playing the script for the Senate President, God­swill Akpabio, who is also turn­ing into a demigod like Nyesom Wike. The Akwa Ibom governor seems to be lost in carrying on the Legacy Governance of his predecessors and I tell you that he will make the worst governor of Akwa Ibom. What is your take on the recent meeting in London between Presi­dent Bola Tinubu and Governor Sim Fubara? The purported meeting be­tween Mr.

President and the Rivers State governor, Fubara, whom he suspended, is an indi­cation of Tinubu’s desperation to turn Nigeria into a one-party state. It is simply to coerce Fuba­ra to defect to the APC and, in the end, to capture and annex Rivers State as part of the APC enclave. What next do you anticipate, if not to count Rivers State as part of the growing conquered terri­tories of the ruling APC? The Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Nyesom Wike just said that most PDP governors have endorsed the second term of President Bola Tinubu and that they always go to Aso Rock at night.

How would you react to this? I am not surprised at Wike’s disclosure of PDP governors visiting the Presidential Villa at night and their endorsement of Tinubu for second tenure. Like I had revealed in the past that the EFCC has become an instrument of intimidation and coercion on the opposition, I can tell you that APC is winning and succeeding in getting PDP governors to switch over. How would you describe the state of the PDP presently, especially as it has been unable to conduct its National Convention? The People’s Democratic Par­ty will soon settle down to con­vene its National Convention.

This is an aftermath of the reso­lution of the impasse regarding the authentic holder of the posi­tion of the National Secretary. I will also state here that the meddlesomeness of strangers, especially persons who had left the party, has contributed to the lingering of the PDP crisis. Not­withstanding that it is a PDP af­fair, which should be handled as an internal party affair, certain erstwhile PDP members, who are now party less, have taken to raising the crises to imagin­able and unimaginable propor­tions.

With the settled matter of the office of the National Sec­retary, now fully assumed by Distinguished Senator Samuel Anyanwu, full party activities, including the National Conven­tion, will be put in place. With the emerging trend, don’t you see that Nigeria has already become a one-party state? Nigeria, under the APC re­gime is tilting towards a one-par­ty state. But, I don’t think it will work out.

Perhaps the President does not understand what he and his party are driving at in turning Nigeria into a dictato­rial state, an aberration in de­mocracy and the resultant mob rule. He does not know yet that he will lose control of power and authority as President and Com­mander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. His plan to turn the country to a one-party state shall be resisted by well-meaning Ni­gerians, I assure you.

What is your view on the current status of the PDP Acting National Chairman and National Secretary? The lingering crises on the po­sition of the National Secretary of PDP have been foreclosed and Senator Samuel Anyanwu is and remains the National Secretary until the next convention of the party. Concerning the position of the party’s National Chair­man, Damagun is the Acting National Chairman, and there is no controversy about that. What is your take on the Benue State crisis and the allegation by the state governors that the at­tackers are foreigners? The genocide in most parts of the country, especially in the North Central states of Benue and Plateau is a demonstration of loss of control by the Tinubu government.

The daylight kill­ings and wanton destruction of homes and farmlands of arm­less, innocent and defenceless Nigerians in the face of an ac­claimed subsisting Federal Gov­ernment is nothing, but failure. Whereas it is the sole duty of the Federal Government to protect the territorial integrity of Ni­geria and as well lives and prop­erties of the citizens, and in the aftermath of the failure, to car­ry out this responsibility, there comes a vote of no confidence on the Tinubu government. The mere fact that the attackers of Nigerian citizens are alleged to be foreigners further shows that the government is either collab­orating with the insurgents to completely annihilate a certain population of the citizenry, or cannot contain and resist the power of the foreign insurgents.

What next do you expect other than to call for the resignation of the Tinubu government? As politicians strategise towards the 2027 elections and with Gover­nor Hope Uzodimma completing his second term, what is your take on where the pendulum should swing to as regards the Imo governor­ship, especially as it relates to the exist¬ing Imo Charter of Equity? It is obvious that Hope Uzo­dimma, the Imo governor, will serve out his second and final tenure by 2027. The issue of Charter of Equity has been a se­rious contentious issue. I would like to say that Governor Hope Uzodimma will likely produce his successor, thereby breaking the jinx in Imo State.

The histo­ry of governance in Imo State has it that no past governor was able to enthrone a successor of his choice. This is probably why he is harping on Imo Charter of Equity with Owerri Zone as the beneficiary. But, in truth, there is nothing like the Charter of Equity in Imo State as there is no record of its implementation since 1999.

Ironically, the present governor is not a product of any Charter of Equity and the entire Imo citizenry look enthusiasti­cally towards the realisation of an Owerri zone governor come 2027. Do you foresee Governor Charles Soludo losing the Anambra gov-er­norship election? If so, to which party? With the desperation of the ruling APC to emerge as a one state government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, nobody will be surprised if Governor Chuk­wuma Soludo is edged out in the oncoming Anambra governor­ship election. Besides, the elec­torate is disillusioned and has lost faith with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) since votes do not count any longer in Nigeria.

However, under a level playing scenario, Soludo will be re-elected by the Anambra people. The International Monetary Fund (IMF) has just downgraded the Nigerian economic development by 3%. How would you describe the ugly development? The IMF is accomplishing its economic mission on Nigeria.

The IMF is in league with the Tinubu’s economic strangula­tion policies which have reduced the growth of the economy and heightened hardship on Nige­rians. It is ironic for the IMF, which is the mastermind of Ni­geria’s economic woes, to issue the downward economic trend notification on an economy it has destroyed..