The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially expelled Itodo Ubolo as a member of the party in the Ofu Local Government Area of Kogi State.

In a statement issued on Sunday by Hon. Isah Alhassan, who serves as the party’s chairman in Ofu Local Government and is acting on behalf of the ward chairmen, executive members, and key stakeholders of the party, it was announced that Ubolo is barred from being a member of the party.

Alhassan accused Ubolo of engaging in activities against the party before the 2023 November 11 gubernatorial election in Kogi State, highlighting that he acted independently to further his own interests while working for the Social Democratic Party (SDP).

He cautioned Ubolo to cease pretending to be a member of the PDP with the intention of gaining easy recognition in preparation for the upcoming party Congress in Kogi State.

According to him, “You have never been a consistent politician. A man who has changed four political parties within the space of four months.

“Don’t come with your co-travelers to disrupt the peace we are having in Ofu PDP since you and your unstable politicians left the party to join the All Progressive Grand Alliance, (APGA), Accord Party, APC and Social Democratic Party, (SDP) within four months.

“Just because of the recent Court of Appeal ruling affirming the election of Governor Usman Ododo as the winner of the November 11 Governorship election in Kogi State, you have now decided to move from SDP where you were made the Director General logistics and finance to start organizing PDP meetings in your hotel.

“You (Itodo Ubolo) and your co travelers are on a mission to disrupt our party’s upcoming Congress by fielding some of your members to purchase nomination forms to contest various positions across Kogi East.

“I Hon Isah Alhassan, the Divisional Chairman of Ofu Local Government and the entire Local Government Executives of our great party, PDP, say no to your plan.”

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftains have dismissed suggestions that the defection of Anyim Pius Anyim would affect the party’s chances in Ebonyi State.

The former Senate president and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius, defected from the main opposition PDP to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

PDP Former National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan and former PDP Acting National Secretary, Remi Akitoye, said the exit of Anyim would not affect the party or lead to the collapse of the main opposition.

In separate interviews with Independent Nigeria, the two former members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) said the next general election would make so many defectors regret their exit from the party.

PDP former spokesman, in reaction to Anyim’s exit impact on Ebonyi PDP and national party chances in elections, said, “Nobody can collapse PDP. Leaders who are dissatisfied can leave the party but that doesn’t amount to collapsing the party’s structure because the party exists in every polling unit.

“Like you know I’m not the spokesperson of the party. I think that what Anyim has done is honourable. If you think that you don’t have space in the environment, you take your leave.

“That is what he has done instead of staying there and fooling the people. It’s more honourable as far as I’m concerned.”

On his part, PDP’s former National Secretary said, “This is the time a lot of people are playing politics with bitterness.

“I think by next year politics will come to the forefront and things will settle. I’m sure a lot of people who have left now may wish to come back to PDP. Nobody will drive them away.

“Definitely by next year there will be a lot of returnees, that is politics and I believe that it’s good for our democracy at the moment.”

Akitoye said Ebonyi PDP would rise back to build. He said one person could not be dictating for the state’s PDP branch.

“We cannot see it as a destruction. One person cannot be talking for the whole of Ebony State. If I decide to go to the APC I may even decide to say that I’ve brought 20 million people.

“I’m sure that within one or two days people from Ebonyi State will start reacting to the comment. They’ll say, no, let him go with his people, we’re still on ground,” Akitoye said.

The North Central All Progressives Congress (APC) Forum has issued a warning against the planned nationwide protests purportedly aimed at the administration of President Bola Tinubu.

During a press briefing in Jos, Plateau State, the forum’s Chairman, Saleh Mandung Zazzaga, argued that such protests could disrupt the nation’s progress and urged the organizers to reconsider.

Zazzaga highlighted that the motives behind the protests appear to stem from selfish interests rather than genuine concern for national development.

He emphasized that the current administration under President Tinubu is making significant efforts to steer the country towards growth and stability, and such actions could serve as unnecessary distractions.

Furthermore, Zazzaga appealed to potential protesters to consider the security challenges in the North Central region and other parts of the North, which are already under strain.

He stressed that any form of unrest could exacerbate the situation, detracting from the government’s efforts to address these issues.

The APC leader called for unity and support for the government’s initiatives, suggesting that constructive dialogue is the preferable path forward rather than disruptive protests.

He warned that staging protests in the already volatile North Central could pose additional risks to the region’s security.

He said, “Therefore, any protest in the region can be highjacked by hoodlums to cause mayhem and threaten the lives and properties of law-abiding citizens.

“The issue of kidnappings, banditry and other criminal activities the region has been going through over the years is already overwhelming on the region, and it cannot afford to have another restiveness added to it.

“Besides, protests in parts of the region and the North often take an ethno-religious dimension, which also culminated in killings of one another between Christians and Muslims.

“An example of such a protest which often turns violent and takes an ethno-religious crisis, is that of the #EndSARS protest across the country, which took such dimension in Jos, the Plateau State capital, and we have to do a lot to tame it.

“I, alongside other eminent persons in Jos, went around calming the people down to stop the violence, and we ensured that Christians were protected in Muslim areas, and vice versa, and thereafter handed those protected from harm over to the police to unite them with their families safely.

“So, I call on all our members across the region to mobilise vigorously and campaign against any form of protest in the region, and I also urge the governors, religious leaders, traditional rulers and other eminent personalities and opinion leaders in the North Central region to call all their wards to order and advise them against participating in any form of protest due to the peculiar situation of our region.”