TheNewsGuru

Tag: Gladiators

  • Among Delta guber gladiators, I’m their senior – Kenneth Gbagi

    Among Delta guber gladiators, I’m their senior – Kenneth Gbagi

    Chief Kenneth Gbagi, governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Delta State has said among the gladiators wanting to be governor in the State, he is their senior brother in the profession of politics.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports Gbagi, who is a former Minister of State for Education, said this on Sunday at a media briefing in his hometown in Oginibo Community, Ughelli South Local Government Area of the State.

    Gbagi, a former chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Delta, owned up that this was his first time to appear on the ballot papers to seek for elective position, assuring that he would win the 2023 election.

    He said that his decision to leave the PDP was not to divide votes as being insinuated in some quarters.

    “I want to be on the ballot papers and let God decide my faith at the poll. I am running on the ticket of SDP and for your information, this is the first time in my life I will be running for an election in any political party.

    “I am a competent man and that is why I wanted to prove my competency at the ballot. Among the gladiators wanting to be governor in Delta, I am their senior brother in the profession of politics.

    “I am the only one who has served Nigeria at the cabinet level of the Federal Government,” he said.

    Gbagi called on Nigerians to support any presidential candidate from the Southern part of the country in the 2023 general elections.

    “I will support any presidential candidate from the South. I do not know how to pretend. I urged Nigerians to support the shift of government from the North to South based on the principle of equity.

    “We believe in one Nigeria and I do not hate the North. Anything that will scuttle the shift of governance to the South for eight years and back to the North for eight years is unacceptable,” he said.

    On the structure of SDP in Delta, Gbagi said that the 2023 general elections would not be based on structures, adding that the electorate would vote for leaders that would guarantee the future of their children.

    The candidate said he would work with the youth, pensioners and others that meant well for the state.

    Gbagi assured the people that when voted as governor, he would revive the ailing industries in the state to generate employment and increase the revenue base of the state.

    According to him, other areas of focus would be education, health, and pensioners, among others.

  • Anambra 2021: Echoes of drums of war as gladiators battle over who emerges Governor

    Anambra 2021: Echoes of drums of war as gladiators battle over who emerges Governor

    By Emman Ovuakporie

    Anambra gubernatorial election is one poll that will go a long way in signposting the shape and manner the 2023 general elections will look like in Nigeria.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) in this analysis is going to take a look at the factors that will go a long way in determining who captures the day come November 6.

    With the relaxation of the sit-at-home order by Indigenous People of Biafra, (IPOB) after Movement for the Actualization of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) took a stand that Anambra guber race must hold has gone a long way to reduce the mountainous tension that was building up before the November 6 guber race.

    The apex electoral body in Nigeria too,the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC) had vowed that the election must hold.

    With this unfolding developments, Anambra seem set to produce the next Governor of the state adjudged to be the number one state in Nigeria that is always producing the highest number of guber candidates in the country.

    In most cases formidable candidates that are not pushovers fall by the way side because money laced with politics always play a pivotal role in Anambra political affairs.

    The list of registered candidates by INEC shows that Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), along with 15 other candidates — all male — are vying for the governorship position.
    There are, however, seven females vying for deputy governorship position.

    As it’s, there are 18 gubernatorial candidates trying to grab Willie Obiano’s job come November 6, but from all indications it may just be a four-man race revolving around Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, Valentine Ezigbo of PDP, Ifeanyi Ubah of YPP and Andy Ubah of APC the ruling party in Nigeria.

    These four political bigwigs are all billionaires with massive investments both known and unknown to Nigerians here and abroad.

    Anambra people may not know what is in government House that’s attracting all these men that by every sense of it are more than comfortable if not for power to control resources of the state.

    Let’s take a look at each of these four political gladiators.

    Sen Ifeanyi Ubah, 50 years old is the Senator representing Anambra South Senatorial District in the Red Chamber who contested under a relatively unknown YPP party in the South East but finally landed in the Senate.

    A good fighter who throws in all it takes to win a battle. Ubah is one contestant to watch out for on Saturday. He is definitely not going to be a pushover because he’s firmly in control of his senatorial district. A little spread into other districts may turn the table in his favour.

    Prof Charles Soludo, an economist and one time former Governor of the Nigerian apex bank, the Central Bank of Nigeria, (CBN) who had tried in the past and woefully failed is Governor Obiano’s right hand man.

    The 61years old economist who under normal circumstances could have easily grabbed Obiano’s job may have a lot to contend with because of his over confidence in the state might mentality.

    This mentality may really work against him on Saturday if he does not watch his flanks very well. He is running under APGA the only surviving Igbo party in Nigeria. This alone is an added advantage for Soludo but his larger than life confidence might just be his undoing at the polls.

    Sen Nnamdi Ubah, popularly known as Andy Ubah of the ruling APC definitely may not become a political relic after Saturday because the ‘federal might’ will probably work in his favour if he can conveniently put his house in order before Saturday.

    He has not really shown any confidence about the possibility of emerging Governor but believes the ruling party could perform miracles without prophecy on Saturday.

    But one thing is certain, he is a grassroot politician with native intelligence. If he applies his native wisdom adequately, ‘federal might’ could just help him shove aside others.

    Valentine Ezigbo, 51years old ,he is the man carrying the flag of the umbrella party, the PDP. He is the immediate past Chief Executive of Transcorp Plc. Described in many quarters as an astute business man and politician.

    The PDP over the years has lost steam in Anambra due to the poor political leadership at the centre and this can negatively work against this robust politician.

    He should quietly wait for his turn to govern the state because Anambra politics is all about how stomach infrastructure can be distributed via the highest bidder.

    Other contestants are just bench warmers vying to add Anambra guber contestant to their curriculum vitae.

    But the election on Saturday is going to be turbo charged and from all indications, it’s a warfare that will be filled with mines and the man with the largest war chest might just emerge Governor.

    It’s also going to be a ‘state might’ vs ‘federal might’.

  • [TNG Analysis] Edo 2020: It’s Wike Vs Ganduje as both gladiators mobilise Edolites for their parties

    [TNG Analysis] Edo 2020: It’s Wike Vs Ganduje as both gladiators mobilise Edolites for their parties

    By Emman Ovuakporie

    The stage is finally set for the mother of all political battles as the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP and the All Progressives Congress, APC prepare to deliver candidates of their parties come September 19 Edo guber polls.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that both leading parties in Nigeria are leaving nothing to chance as they roll out their amoured cars and amoury to emerge victorious in the Edo guber polls.

    The APC had on Thursday announced the Governor of Kano, the all powerful Abdullahi Ganduje to lead the onslaught against the PDP.

    The governor of Imo state, Senator Hope Uzodinma is his deputy.

    The PDP sensing that it’s not going to be just another guber election announced the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike a political bulldozer in the south south geo-political zone to match Ganduje.

    The APC election campaign council is loaded with both serving and former governors that are not pushovers.

    Leading the pack of former governors is the immediate past chairman of the APC and former governor of the state, Adams Oshiomhole, former governor of Bayelsa, now minister of state, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Senator Oserheimen Osunbor, former governor of Delta State, Emmanuel Uduaghan and other political heavy weights, serving lawmakers and former lawmakers in Edo State.

    Leading the attack of the PDP is Wike who is reputed to be a good wrestler, supported by the Governor of Adamawa, Ahmadu Fintiri who is a strong political mobiliser in the north east geo-political zone of the country.

    The battle stage is set and the outcome of this battle will go a long way to shape the 2023 general elections in Nigeria.

    While the APC has carried out reconciliatory moves to douse the fire that almost consumed the party, courtesy of the face-off between governor Godwin Obaseki and his former godfather Oshiomhole, the party seems set to put all that behind it.

    The major focus of APC now is how to reclaim the state and send a signal to political detractors that 2023 is already wrapped up.

    The PDP too is not resting on its oars as it’s equally going to use Edo as a testing ground to assess 2023.

    The party has vowed that never in history again will the PDP flag leave the Denis Osadebey Government House in Benin City.

    In the guber race are two front liners, Godwin Obaseki and Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu who had met in 2016 on the battle ground and Obaseki triumphed.

    The permutations as to who will occupy Edo government house by November 11th still remains sketchy as in politics particularly in this part of the world, 24hours is enough to turn the tables.