Politics
80-year-old Joe Biden announces 2024 re-election bid
President Joe Biden announced Tuesday he is running for re-election in 2024, plunging at the record age of 80 into a ferocious new White House campaign “to finish the job.”
“Every generation has a moment where they have had to stand up for democracy. To stand up for their fundamental freedoms,” Biden wrote on Twitter, along with a video.
“I believe this is ours. That’s why I’m running for re-election as president of the United States. Join us. Let’s finish the job.”
After a series of big legislative wins and momentous foreign policy struggles in his first two years in office, Biden has no real challenger from within the Democratic Party.
But in a campaign that may result in a rematch of the 2020 election against Donald Trump, he is expected to face constant and fierce scrutiny over his age.
The veteran Democrat would be 86 by the end of a second term. Even if a medical exam in February found him “fit” to execute the duties of the presidency, many including in his own voter base believe he is too old.
An NBC News poll released over the weekend found that 70 percent of Americans, including 51 percent of Democrats, believe he should not run.
Sixty-nine percent of all respondents who said he shouldn’t run cited concerns over his age as a major or minor reason.
Biden likes to answer those concerns by saying, “watch me” — meaning that voters should focus on his policy wins at home and his marshaling of an unprecedented Western alliance to help Ukraine defend itself against Russia’s invasion.
Over the next year and a half, Biden will have all the advantages of incumbency, backed by a united party, while Republicans are only just starting a messy primary season.
Trump, despite becoming the first former or serving president to be criminally indicted — and facing probes into his attempt to overturn his loss to Biden in the 2020 election — is the overwhelming Republican frontrunner.
On Monday, Trump was quick to pitch in his own criticism of the man who defeated him last time around.
“With such a calamitous and failed presidency, it is almost inconceivable that Biden would even think of running for reelection,” he said in a statement.
The most likely Republican challenger to the 76-year-old Trump, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, presents a similarly right-wing figure, though starkly younger at 44.
– ‘Rebuilding the middle class’ –
Biden will underline his foreign policy credentials Tuesday when he meets with South Korean President Yoon Suk Yeol, who is starting a state visit to the White House.
Like in 2020, Biden’s video message framed his election bid as a fight to save American democracy from Trump and increasingly far-right Republicans. However, he also stressed his message of restoring an economy with heavy focus on the manufacturing base and jobs for the middle class.
Later Tuesday he was scheduled to deliver an economic address to a union conference being held in Washington.
While not a campaign event, the scheduled theme — “how his investing in America agenda is bringing manufacturing back, rebuilding the middle class, and creating good-paying union jobs” — was set to be at the heart of the Democrat’s 2024 message.
– Bland but comforting? –
Biden’s approval ratings have not topped 50 percent for more than a year and a half.
However, he has consistently over-delivered when it matters. Supporters say the Democratic Party’s surprisingly strong performance in 2022 midterm congressional elections validated the Biden brand.
And while Biden may seem bland in comparison to Trump, he would bank on his moderate, old fashioned image being the secret weapon needed in an increasingly extreme era.
“My dad had an expression,” Biden often says. “‘Joey, don’t compare me to the Almighty. Compare me to the alternative.’”
The Senator representing Bayelsa West, Seriake Dickson, on Thursday announced his resignation from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), declaring that he had joined the newly registered Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).
Dickson, a former governor of Bayelsa State, made the announcement during a media briefing in Abuja, attributing his decision to what he described as irreconcilable differences within the PDP.
The lawmaker said the emergence of the NDC would strengthen Nigeria’s democratic system by providing a credible opposition platform.
According to him, the party recently received its certificate of registration from the Independent National Electoral Commission.
He said, “Last week INEC issued a certificate of registration and we now have the newest party in Nigeria known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress and our symbol is victory, the victory sign.
“So, my dear Nigerians, you now have a credible alternative opposition party known as the Nigeria Democratic Congress.”
Dickson noted that although the party’s registration took longer than expected, its eventual approval was a welcome development for the country’s democratic landscape.
“Yes, it is coming at this time. We would have wished it started some years or months back. We don’t control INEC and their processes; they delayed. We don’t also control the judiciary, but thank God it has finally arrived,” he said.
The senator also stressed that Nigeria’s democracy must not slide into a one-party system, insisting that political diversity remained vital for national stability.
“This nation cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria cannot be a one-party state. Nigeria is not designed to be a one-party state.
“We are a very diverse nation culturally, religiously and politically and that is the beauty of our country.
“So anyone or any party promoting one-party rule in Nigeria is mistaken. We build political parties and get involved in movements to access power for the good of the people, not for our personal benefit,” he added.
Meanwhile, the Independent National Electoral Commission recently announced the registration of two new political parties.
The parties are the Democratic Leadership Alliance and the Nigeria Democratic Congress, bringing the total number of registered political parties in Nigeria to 21.
The announcement was made by the INEC Chairman, Prof. Joash Amupitan, during the commission’s first quarterly consultative meeting with political party stakeholders for 2026.
According to him, the Democratic Leadership Alliance completed the required verification process, while the Nigeria Democratic Congress was registered in compliance with a Federal High Court order.
The Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Federal Roads Maintenance Agency (FERMA) and member representing Ibarapa East/Ido Federal Constituency, Hon. Aderemi Oseni, has congratulated the newly elected State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State.
The party, at its state congress held on Tuesday at Liberty Stadium, Ibadan, elected a former Deputy Governor of the state, Moses Alake Adeyemo, as its new chairman alongside other state executive members.
Oseni, in a statement on Wednesday by his media aide, Idowu Ayodele, described Adeyemo’s emergence as well-deserved, noting that his experience and longstanding commitment to the party would further strengthen its structure in the state.
He said the peaceful conduct of the congress demonstrated the party’s commitment to internal democracy and progressive leadership.
The statement said, “I congratulate our newly elected State Chairman and leader, His Excellency, Moses Alake Adeyemo, and other members of the State Executive Committee on their emergence. This victory reflects the confidence reposed in them by party members across the state.”
Oseni further expressed confidence that the new leadership would reposition the party for greater cohesion and electoral success.
According to him, “This is a critical moment for our party in Oyo State. It calls for unity, reconciliation, and renewed commitment to the ideals that bind us together as progressives.”
The federal lawmaker assured the new executives of his support and cooperation in advancing the programmes of the party and strengthening its grassroots structures.
He urged party members to rally behind the new leadership to ensure stability and secure future victories for the APC in the state.
Politics
Ibarapa East Assembly Hopeful, Ramon Congratulates Ajiboye, Says Emergence Good for Oyo APC
An aspirant for the Ibarapa East State Constituency seat in the Oyo State House of Assembly, Engr. Yusuf Abiodun Ramon, on Tuesday congratulated Alhaji Lateef Akinsanya (Ajiboye) on his emergence as the State Treasurer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State.
Akinsanya was elected at the party’s state congress held today, a development party faithful in Ibarapa East Local Government described as significant for the zone’s growing influence within the APC structure.
In a statement issued shortly after the announcement of the results, Ramon described Ajiboye’s victory as “well-deserved and timely.”
According to him, “Alhaji Lateef Akinsanya has remained steadfast, loyal and committed to the ideals of our great party. His emergence as State Treasurer is a clear affirmation of the trust and confidence members have in his integrity and administrative competence.”
Ramon noted that the election of a party stalwart from Ibarapa East into a critical financial office at the state level would further strengthen grassroots participation and unity within the APC.
“This is not just a personal victory for Ajiboye; it is a collective achievement for Ibarapa East. It reinforces our relevance in the progressive family and encourages broader inclusion in party administration,” he said.
The aspirant expressed confidence that the new treasurer would discharge his responsibilities with transparency, accountability and diligence in order to deepen internal democracy and institutional stability within the party.
He urged party leaders and members across Oyo State to close ranks in support of the newly elected executive members to ensure cohesion and effective management of party affairs ahead of future political engagements.
Ramon reaffirmed his commitment to the growth of the APC in Ibarapa East and Oyo State at large, stressing that sustained unity and responsible leadership remain essential to consolidating the party’s strength across the state.
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