The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa has said the All Progressives Congress, APC, and its presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu are not smart.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, the Governor of Delta State, said making Kabiru Masari a placeholder showed that APC was not organized and not ready for election.
Okowa said: “You can find that the APC is finding it difficult to get who would be their vice presidential candidate, we are hearing something we have not heard before, somebody on placement to be replaced.
“They are actually not smart, that makes us believe they are not even ready for the election, there seems to be a lot of confusion in the APC, unlike us, right from day one, we‘ve made our decision and I believe we‘re on the right path.”
The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, had set a deadline for the submission of presidential running mates.
To beat the deadline, Tinubu submitted Masari’s name as his running mate, but it was alleged that Masari is just a placeholder.
However, the spokesman of the APC presidential candidate, Tunde Rahman had insisted that his principal submitted Masari’s name as his running mate.
He, however, disclosed that Tinubu is consulting with President Muhammadu Buhari, the APC leadership, and Masari over a final decision on the issue of his running mate.
Rahman said Masari may step down in the interest of the party.
The publication of the personal particulars of candidates for the 2023 elections has been followed by animated discussions among Nigerians on social media
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), on Friday, published the particulars of candidates for the 2023 general elections.
The publication has been followed by animated discussions among Nigerians on social media on the academic credentials of some of the presidential candidates.
In the front burner of the discussions are questions around why the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, provided no information on his primary and secondary education.
Stating his occupation as “POLITICIAN,” the 70 years old APC National Leader claimed he obtained a B.Sc degree in Business and Administration from Chicago State University on June 22, 1979 before participating in the compulsory national youth service from November 12, 1982.
Although not seen by PREMIUM TIMES among Mr Tinubu’s published particulars at the INEC office, he swore to an affidavit that his certificates are missing.
“I went on self-exile from October 1994 to October 1998. When I returned I discovered that all my property, including all the documents relating to my qualifications and my certificates in respect of paragraph three above, were looted by unknown persons.
“My house was a target of series of searches by various security agents from the time the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria was forced to adjourn following the military takeover of government of 17th November 1993,” the two-term former governor of Lagos State claimed in the court affidavit.
Similar concerns were raised over his background when he contested for governor in 1999 and 2003. The late human rights lawyer, Gani Fawehinmi filed a suit asking the courts to compel the police to prosecute Mr Tinubu for perjury and forgery after a petition accused him of those offences in his filings with INEC in 1999.
After the Supreme Court dismissed the suit on the ground that Mr Tinubu had immunity as governor against being prosecuted in court, the Lagos State House of Assembly investigated the matter and absolved Mr Tinubu of the charge of gross misconduct.
Mr Tinubu is considered by many political commentators as the candidate to beat in the 2023 presidential race, the reason for the intense public attention on his candidature.
The former Lagos governor’s spokesperson, Tunde Rahman, did not respond to calls to his phone lines at the time of filing this report when this reporter tried to seek further clarifications on the issue.
Atiku not exempted
PREMIUM TIMES scrutiny of the published documents by INEC picked up a similar thing about two or more candidates.
Despite not being a novice in the contest for president, the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, also has a few questions raised about his academic credentials.
Mr Abubakar, who served as vice president from 1999 to 2007, will be hoisting the PDP presidential ticket for the second time in 2023. He had lost to President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 election.
Mr Abubakar also did not provide information on his primary education. The
1965 West Africa School Certificate (WASC) result presented by the 75 years old candidate identified the student as Siddiq Abubakar. He also holds a Master’s degree in International Relations from Anglia Ruskin University in the United Kingdom.
Before joining politics, Mr Abubakar worked with the Nigeria Custom Service until he retired from the agency in 1989 at the rank of Deputy Director.
Mr Abubakar’s records show that he attended Jada Primary School, Adamawa State, but that information is missing in his published biodata by the INEC.
“Well, I think it is INEC that you should be making those enquiries to. Whatever it is that they published was not in my hands,” Paul Ibe, a spokesperson to Mr Abubakar told PREMIUM TIMES on Sunday.
“I don’t know what was submitted to INEC and what was not. So INEC is in the best position to know what it received and what it did not receive,” he said when asked about lack of information on the candidate’s early education.
His running mate, Ifeanyi Okowa, also did not state his primary education in the published documents.
Kwankwaso, Obi
The two candidates are being tipped to give the APC and PDP candidates a run for their money. Unlike Messrs Tinubu and Atiku, Mr Kwankwaso provided full information on his academic credentials.
He bagged his first leaving certificate in 1968 and his secondary school certificate in 1975.
Mr Kwankwaso, 66, has Craft Training Certificate, ND, HND, Post Graduate Diploma, M.Sc and Ph.D, which he recently concluded.
He attached a copy of his provisional Ph.D certificate with his thesis on Design and Construction of Irrigation System in Northern Nigeria.
Before resigning in 1991 to join politics, Mr Kwankwaso had worked at Water Resources and Engineering Construction Agency (WRECA) for over 15 years.
Among the four top contenders in the race, he is the only candidate who has served as governor, lawmaker and minister.
Much celebrated in his huge social media fan base, Peter Obi is the candidate of Labour Party (LP) which he joined last month after quitting the PDP.
With a knack for quoting figures/statistics at every given opportunity in any public discourse, the two term governor of Anambra, identified himself as a politician and business executive.
Mr Obi attended primary, secondary and tertiary schools between 1973 and 1984.
Before joining politics, he had worked at Fidelity Bank in Lagos, but he did not stay the years in the INEC published documents.
Mr Obi, 61, is the youngest among the top four presidential candidates.
There are indications that the northern governors of the All Progressives Congress from the North-West and North-East are divided over the choice of a suitable running mate for the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
This is as the former Lagos State governor on Sunday revealed that he was still searching for his running mate for the 2023 presidential election.
The development is coming in the wake of controversy over Tinubu’s claims that he lost his academic certificates in his submission to the Independent National Electoral Commission.
A party chieftain, who spoke on condition of anonymity, told The PUNCH that the delay in settling for an acceptable candidate among the governors spurred the party to temporarily opt for a placeholder.
The APC had submitted the name of a party chieftain in Katsina State, Ibrahim Masari, to the Independent National Electoral Commission as its surrogate running mate.
Masari is a serving board member of the National Institute for Policy and Strategic Studies in Kuru, Plateau State.
The source told one of our correspondents that weeks after Masari’s name was submitted to the INEC, the APC had yet to settle for a candidate.
He attributed the challenge to internal wrangling and agitation between governors from the North-East and North-West.
“I think it is down to two governors, Babagana Zulum of Borno and Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna, who have been seriously agitating for the vice-presidential slots. While the former wants his predecessor to be considered for the exalted, the latter has his eye on the seat,” he said.
The APC Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, however, kicked against the report, which he averred must be the figment of the imagination of people peddling the speculation.
“I can’t respond to speculation. All I can say is the media should allow the APC presidential candidate to make his decision. Once a decision is taken, we will announce it,” he fumed.
The Spokesman for the Bola Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, also toed his line when he disclosed that his principal was still consulting with the party and the northern governors.
When asked about any probable northern candidates being touted as Tinubu’s running mate, Onanuga disclosed that he could not speak on it.
“I am telling you the truth. I don’t have any information on it at the moment,” he said.
North-East, North-West
A party member at the APC secretariat, however, told our correspondent that the friction between the North-East and North-West was unavoidable.
He also fingered some North-West governors who championed the move to concede the presidential ticket to the South as principal actors at the negotiation table.
“The North-West governors believe they won the ticket for Asiwaju. It was also evident at the primary where they influenced delegates from the North-West to direct most of their votes in the direction of Tinubu. With such massive support, they felt it is only fair for the running mate to come from their region.”
On why the North-East is also not willing to settle for other positions other than the vice-presidential slot, the APC stalwart disclosed that the region could also not be ruled out because of the massive votes they had churned out in the last two elections.
He noted, “We have seven states in the North-West. But the North-West controls the highest votes from the whole North. North-East, on the other hand, has six states with three being controlled by APC governors.
“They are Yobe, Gombe and Borno. In the North-East, the states risk being penetrated through Adamawa which is Atiku’s stronghold. Kwakwanso is also creating problems in North-West, especially Kano. He has started extending his tentacles into Kaduna too. It is like a virus.
“This time, we know Kano can’t fetch us the usual votes we have been getting in the past. It is kind of dicey despite the New Nigeria Peoples Party and Labour Party not being able to agree on an alliance yet.
“But at the end of the day, we will get it right. It is not a big deal. Politics is all about balancing the equation. It is all about coming to a roundtable, saying if this region takes the presidency, another takes the vice-president; what is in it for us? One thing is obvious though: Whatever the deadline is, the APC will meet up with it,” he said.
Lagos APC chair
Chairman of Lagos APC, Cornelius Ojelabi, urged Nigerians to cut Tinubu and his party some slack, saying the choice of running mate would be decided at the appropriate time.
“They should allow the man to take his time before choosing a running mate. We don’t need to jump to any conclusion as of now. The issue of a running mate should be a personal matter to him. I think we should just give him some time,” he said.
The Director-General of Asiwaju Tinubu Presidential Campaign Organisation, Adebayo Shittu, conceded that his principal might have no say in who would be his running mate.
This is even as he claimed that the APC presidential candidate had told no one the formula that would determine his running mate.
“But common-sense dictates that they will look at the zones that will produce the highest votes for him. Secondly, the success of Asiwaju at the presidential primary cannot be alienated from the role that the northern governors played by conceding the ticket to the South.
“He, therefore, has to reciprocate by allowing them to choose a candidate that will adequately represent them, particularly the cultural interest in that region,” he said.
Tinubu on VP
Speaking in Abuja on Sunday, Tinubu, who is the National Leader of the APC, said he was still studying how the House of Representatives Speaker, Gbajabiamila and the Deputy Speaker, Ahmed Wase, had been working harmoniously, in his search for a running mate.
He said this at the presentation of a book titled ‘Mr Speaker: The Legislative Life, Service and Resilience of Femi Gbajabiamila and the unveiling of a Legislative Mentorship Initiative to mark Gbajabiamila’s 60th birthday.
At the event were the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), represented by the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof Ibrahim Gambari; former Governor of Ogun State and Chairman on the Occasion, Chief Olusegun Osoba; Governor of Ekiti State and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Kayode Fayemi; Governor of Kebbi State and Chairman of the Northern Governors’ Forum, Atiku Badugu, among other prominent politicians and businessmen.
Tinubu said, “I could see his deputy (Wase) sitting down there too. You are a very good symbol of unity, dependability and honesty. Thank you. Thank you for both of you, you have not rocked the boat. I will need to learn from both of you (on) how you made the pair work because I’m still searching for my running mate.”
A political analyst, Shuaibu Doro, explained that the delay by Tinubu in picking a running mate was deliberate and strategic.
He noted, “It is deliberate, given the multiplicity of interests that have to be taken care of here and then; given that the country is a multicultural and heterogeneous and multi-religious society. So, these types of interests have to be taken care of.
“Announcing the name of a running mate at this moment could be costly for Tinubu, especially with the calls from different quarters that a Muslim-Muslim or Christain-Christian ticket is a no-no. It is also to avoid certain strategic errors.”
Also commenting, Tonye Isokariari, hinted that the APC candidate was making consultations to ensure he takes the right decision.
“I think he is trying to make more consultations; consultations are key and Nigeria is a very complex country. Lots of consultation is important so that the right decision is taken at the end of the day.”
Certificate controversy
Meanwhile, critics on Sunday criticized Tinubu over his disclosure that the academic certificates he received from his primary and secondary schools were missing.
Those who commented on Tinubu’s statement on Sunday included Lauretta Onochie, Personal Assistant on Social Media to the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) and some supporters’ groups.
The former Lagos State governor with two degrees from two American universities disclosed in an affidavit submitted to INEC that his primary and secondary school certificates were stolen by “unknown soldiers” during the military junta in 1994.
The PUNCH had reported that in the said affidavit released on Friday, as part of his eligibility filings for the 2023 presidential elections, Tinubu did not tick the columns for his primary and secondary education.
As the critics flayed Tinubu, there were indications on Sunday that the northern governors of the APC from the North-West and North-East were divided over the choice for Tinubu.
On her Facebook account, Onochie recounted how Buhari was also accused of being an illiterate who was cloned by an individual from Sudan, dismissing those spreading the report as “clowns.”
She wrote, “I am not sure why they cannot manufacture a different line of lies. In 2014, a Retired Army General of repute, Muhammadu Buhari, did not go to school. He’s less than a year from finishing his second term as the President of our great nation.
“In 2022, Senator Tinubu, a governor for two terms and a Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, did not go to school. In 2016, President Buhari was said to be cloned, and he was later replaced with some folk from Sudan. Fast forward to 2024, President Tinubu will be cloned or replaced by some folk from Togo. The same clowns. The same lies.
“If it’s not their preferred party, if it’s not their religion; if it’s not their tribe, then, it’s not good. Fake news must be created to destroy the person. Nigerians know better now. They know the merchants of fake news; those who create multiple accounts on social media to disseminate fake news. They labour in vain.
“Instead of marketing their candidates, they prefer churning out fake and half-baked stories. It only shows their preferred candidates have nothing of value that can appeal to Nigerians. Campaigns will start soon. Dem go hear am.”
Another tweep named Shehu Sadiq, wrote, “The Tinubu certificate saga should quickly be a subject of litigation before they rig election for him and tell us he’s under immunity. Opposition parties and civil society groups should take this up ASAP. A semi-illiterate must not rule Nigeria again.”
Popular social commentator and columnist, Femi Aribisala, on his Twitter handle, alleged that Tinubu committed perjury because he did not attend Government College, Ibadan as he claimed in his affidavit.
“I wrote in 2014 that Tinubu’s affidavit that he attended Government College Ibadan (GCI) between 1965 and 1968 is false. I was in GCI from 1962-1968, and Tinubu was not there. Tinubu now tells INEC he did not go to primary or secondary school. This means he committed perjury,” he tweeted.
Another Twitter user, Okpala Izuchukwu Zuma, tweeted, “INEC Nigeria should be careful with this Tinubu certificate scandal. It has huge implications if justice is not done. ”
Similarly, a tweep named Captain, wrote, “I pray that someone from the late Gani Fawehinmi chambers will have enough balls to tell Nigerians all that transpired during the certificate forgery case against Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the role Yemi Osinbajo played in the entire saga. Young Nigerians need to know their history.”
The National Publicity Secretary of All Nigeria Peoples Party, Agbo Major, said, “This whole certificate drama is still within the realm of speculation. These certificates, if they are there are to be submitted to the INEC as support documents accompanying his EC9.
“Declaring documents which physical copies are not accompanying them is perjury. This is the same as submitting documents that are not real. It is a punishable offence under the constitution as well as the Electoral Act to lie on oath.
“It is, therefore, the job of INEC to clear the air on this drama but the obvious advantage is that Nigerians are now showing more interest and interrogating the process.”
The Peter Obi Support Network, in a reaction by its Deputy Director of Communications, Adegbite Adekunle, made available to The PUNCH by Obi’s Media Consultant, Daniel Elombah, said, “Nigerians deserve a President whose records are not subject to credible controversies. It is obvious from the records and testimonies in the public domain, that the APC presidential candidate’s background is shrouded in mystery, and Nigerians cannot afford to elect someone whom they do not know and cannot attest for.
“We can say without equivocation that the APC, as it stands, does not have a qualified presidential candidate, given the particulars published by the Independent National Electoral Commission.
“The constitution is clear on the academic qualifications expected of anyone presenting himself to contest for the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, and Bola Ahmed Tinubu, apparently, does not possess these qualifications.”
Reacting, the National Coordinator of South West Agenda for 2023, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, said, “I will not call it a certificate saga. Tinubu has been a senator and a two-term governor of Lagos State. If you have no primary and secondary certificates, you can’t hold these positions. So there is no certificate scandal, just the imagination of those who wish to abuse themselves.”
A group, Tinubu Network Organisation, in a thread on its Twitter account, @TNOnigeria, noted that the late activist and human rights lawyer, Gani Fawenhinmi, had dragged the APC standard-bearer to court over the issue in 1999.
According to the TNO, Fawenhinmi had dragged the case up to the Supreme Court, which ruled that Tinubu could not be prosecuted by the police for alleged certificate forgery; that only the Lagos State House of Assembly could investigate him.
Special Adviser on Civic Engagement to Osun State Governor, Mr Olatunbosun Oyintiloye, has predicted a landslide victory for Governor Adegboyega Oyetola in July 16 governorship poll.
Oyintiloye disclosed this on Sunday while addressing members of Nigerian Incorporated Electronic Practitioners, Osun State Chapter during an engagement meeting organised by the Civic Engagement Office held in Osogbo on Sunday.
Representing Oyetola at the meeting, Oyintiloye said the campaign of calumny by the opposition parties against the present administration would not stop the incumbent governor’s reelection.
According to him, the landslide victory recorded by the All Progressives Congress in the Ekiti governorship election would be replicated for APC during Osun poll.
He said, “For us defeat is not an option in the coming election. The victory that will be recorded in the election through the popular votes of the electorate for Oyetola and APC. It will surpass that of Ekiti state.
“We are prepared for the election and it will not be out of place to extend hands of fellowship to everyone to join us in moving the state forward. I want to emphasise that failure is not an option. Victory is certain by the grace of God.”
He, however, urged the electorate to get their Permanent Voter Cards and support Oyetola’s reelection.
A statement by Oyintiloye noted that the chairman of the association, Mr Olusegun Atoyebi, commended Oyetola on various developmental projects he initiated across the state.
The Supreme Court on Friday struck out President Muhammadu Buhari and the Attorney General of the Federation’s suit challenging Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act.
The case was expunged on the grounds that it lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the suit and is an abuse of court process.
Earlier, a notice for the judgment delivery was served on President Buhari and the National Assembly on Thursday, inviting them to appear before the court today for the judgment.
The President and his Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, had filed a suit at the Supreme Court, seeking an interpretation of the controversial clause in the Electoral Amendment Act 2022.
In the suit filed on April 29, Buhari and Malami, who are the plaintiffs, listed the National Assembly as the sole defendant.
There have been several debates regarding Section 84(12) of the amended Electoral Act 2022 which was assented to in February.
Upon assenting to the act, President Buhari had asked the National Assembly to delete the contended clause, however, the parliament declined the president’s request.
Section 84 (12) of the legislation holds that, “no political appointee at any level shall be a voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”
In their suit marked SC/CV/504/2022 and filed on April 29, 2022, President Buhari and Malami sought an order of the apex court to strike out the section of the Electoral Act, which they argue was inconsistent with the nation’s constitution.
According to the court document, the plaintiffs contend that the Section 84(12) of the Electoral (Amendment) Act, 2022 is inconsistent with the provisions of sections 42, 65, 66, 106, 107, 131, 137, 147, 151, 177, 182, 192 and 196 of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended), as well Article 2 of the African Charter on Human and People and Peoples Rights.
The plaintiffs further contended that the constitution already makes provisions for qualification and disqualification for the offices of the President and Vice President, Governor and Deputy Governor, Senate and House of Representatives, House of Assembly, Ministers, Commissioners and Special Advisers.
President Muhammadu Buhari
They urged the Supreme Court to make: “A declaration that the joint and or combined reading of the section 65, 66, 106, 107, 131, 137, 147, 151, 177, 182, 192 and 196 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, (as amended), the provision of Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act, 2022 which also ignores Section 84(3) of the same Act, is an additional qualifying and/or disqualifying factors for the National Assembly, House of Assembly, Gubernatorial and Presidential elections as enshrined in the said constitution, hence unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void”.
However, in its decision on Friday, the Supreme Court held that President Buhari having assented to the bill on February 25 2022, can not turn around to challenge same act .
In a unanimous judgement delivered by Justice Emmanuel Agim the court said allowing the suit to have it’s way will amount to approbating and reprobating at the same time and no court of law shall allow that.
The Apex Court unanimously agreed that President Buhari lacked the jurisdiction to bring the suit before it because of the nature of the reliefs sought.
The 86-member Campaign Council was inaugurated in Abuja on Thursday.
The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdulahi Adamu, has told the campaign council for the July 15 governorship election in Osun State that he has zero tolerance for failure.
Mr Adamu stated this while inaugurating the 86-member council at the party secretariat in Abuja on Thursday.
The council, co-chaired by Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State and Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, has been mandated to secure the re-election of Governor Gboyega Oyetola.
Mr Oyetola faces a tough challenge from Demola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and other candidates.
Mr Adamu, in his speech, said the council should not come back home crying, adding that crying should be left for the opponents.
He asked the council to do everything legally possible to ensure victory for the party.
“Nobody should come back to us crying, failure is not our own by the grace of God. Whatever it takes within the laws of the land, I said go for it, win the election.
“Let them go complain. Let them go wherever. Let’s win the election. We have no apologies whatsoever for this posture because these two elections are for the best to the national election coming up in 2003.
“It will go in our credentials that we have the winning track record. This National Working Committee that you elected we have a commitment. So, we must be prepared to face him eyeball to eyeball,” he said.
Briefing journalists after the inauguration, Mr Ganduje said the council will start with reconciliation of all aggrieved members of the party.
“To win the election is absolutely necessary but following due process, following all democratic ideals.
“But we assure you, we must start with reconciliation to ensure that the party is intact and the machinery is on the right footing. We know all that led to the election being inconclusive. But this time around, it will be conclusive,” Mr Ganduje said
National Assembly members, who failed to win their parties’ tickets for the 2023 elections, are set for a showdown with state governors and their aides.
Findings by our correspondents showed that in states such as Benue, Kebbi, Zamfara, Delta, Ekiti and Ogun, governors or their loyalists defeated incumbent Senators and the House of Representatives members to clinch their parties’ tickets during last month’s primaries.
Many of the National Assembly members have defected to other parties, where they would contest against the governors or their aides, who won the parties’ primaries.
Those who are not contesting are believed to be poised to work against the election of those who denied them of tickets.
The All Progressives Congress National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, had on Wednesday met APC senators as part of moves to halt the planned defection of members of the red chamber.
No fewer than 13 Senators have already dumped the APC for the Peoples Democratic Party and other parties.
In Zamfara State, an APC member of the House Representatives, Kabiru Ahmed, who is representing Gusau/Tsafe Constituency, lost the ticket to Alhaji Sanusi Garba Rikiji, a former Chief of Staff to the Speaker of the House, Femi Gbajabiamila.
According to sources, Rikiji is close to the state Governor, Bello Mattawale. Ahmed defected to the PDP, where he was given the ticket to re-contest the seat.
In an interview with The PUNCH, Ahmed said because he was cheated by the leadership of the APC, as such, he was left with no option but to defect to PDP in order to actualise his ambition.
“I was cheated by the APC leadership, as such, I decided to change the party and joined the PDP and I thank God that I got the ticket to contest for the same position.”
Another APC House of Representatives, Ahmed Fulani, lost the ticket following the reconciliation between Mattawale and a former Governor of the state, Abdul Aziz Yari. He was replaced by Zubairu Abdulmakik. Fulani defected to the PDP where he would contest the 2023 poll.
In the Kaura-Namoda/Birnin Magaji constituency, the incumbent member, Sani Umar, could not get the ticket to re-contest as he was replaced with Aminu Sani Jaji.
In an interview with The PUNCH, the APC Publicity Secretary, Yusuf Idris, said House of Representatives members who could not get the tickets defected to the PDP even before the primaries.
He stated, “Those members of the House of Representatives who did not get their tickets under the APC had already left the party before the primaries.”
“They refused to participate in the primary and returned to their former party, the PDP where they got the same tickets.”
Okowa’s aides triumph
Three PDP House of Representative members, Mr Nicholas Ossai, Mr Ben Igbakpa and Efe Afe failed to secure tickets to contest the 2023 elections.
Ossai, a third-term member representing Ndokwa/Ukwuani Constituency, was defeated by an aide of the state Governor, Ifeanyi Okowa, Mr Nnamdi Ezechi.
Also, Ms Erhiatake Ibori-Suenu, daughter of former Governor of Delta State, James Ibori, defeated Igbakpa to pick the PDP ticket.
Afe of the Uvwie/Okpe constituency lost to immediate past Commissioner for Water Resources, Evelyn Obiri.
Speaking to one of our correspondents, Ezechi promised to work hard to win the general election,
Efforts to reach Nicholas Ossai and Ben Igbakpa failed as calls put across to them were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.
Ekiti lawmakers
In Ekiti State, one senator and four House of Representatives members lost their bid to return to their positions following last month’s primaries.
It was gathered that some of those who won the National Assembly primaries were close to the governor.
Some of the National Assembly members who lost have, have resolved to seek legal redress to challenge the elections.
The APC Senator representing Ekiti North Senatorial District, Olubunmi Adetumbi, was defeated by Cyril Fasuyi, the Director General of the party’s governorship candidate, Abayomi Oyebanji, who won last Saturday’s poll in the state.
Also, Peter Owolabi ((APC Ekiti North Federal Constituency 1) was defeated in his return ticket bid by Mr Akin Rotimi, a former Senior Special Assistant on Strategic Communications to the state Governor Kayode Fayemi.
However, nothing has been said about the ticket for Ekiti Central Federal, Mrs Omowumi Ogunlola’s constituency, which was contested by her, Biodun Omoleye, former Chief of Staff to Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi and Mr Dele Phillips.
However, state Publicity Secretary, Segun Dipe, in an interview with The PUNCH, said Fayemi did not grab the party’s National Assembly tickets. He said “Those who won and those who lost are governor’s men and governor’s women.
“So, I don’t know how on earth anybody will think the governor will be interested in collecting tickets from somebody who is with him and give it to somebody who is with him. People will just come with conjectures.
“I think people should just allow our internal democracy to work out. At every stage of our election or process, people will always go ahead to make permutations, but they should just allow us to do things our way and stop all these concerns especially if they are not APC members.
“I don’t think any APC member will say that Senator Adetumbi is not Fayemi’s man or that Cyril Fasuyi is Fayemi’s man more than him. I don’t think anybody will say Wumi Ogunlola is not Fayemi’s woman or that anybody is Fayemi’s man or woman than anybody,” he said.
Prominent APC members in Kano State, including a former governor and incumbent Senator, Ibrahim Shekarau; a former member of the House of Representatives, Abdulmumini Jibrin and an ex-presidential aide, Kawu Sulaiman defected to the New Nigeria Peoples Party where they will contest National Assembly elections.
Following the APC leaders’ failure to resolve the crisis in the Kebbi State chapter, federal lawmakers, including Senator Adamu Aliero; Senator Yahaya Abdullahi and a member of the House of Representatives, Mohammed Jega, have joined the PDP. Aliero will contest the Kebbi Central Senatorial seat with the state Governor, Atiku Bagudu.
In Benue State, three PDP House of Representatives members lost the party’s tickets.
They are Francis Ottah Agbo representing Ado/Ogbadibo/Okpokwu; Mark Gbilah of Gwer West/Gwer East and Kpam Sokpo of the Buruku constituency.
An APC House of Representatives, Herba Hembe, dumped the party for the Labour Party, where he contested and won the governorship ticket.
He, however, defected to the Labour party where he contested and won the gubernatorial ticket.
But Senator Orker Jev representing Benue North-West failed to seek re-election because Governor Samuel Ortom got the ticket.
The PDP Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, in an interview with The PUNCH, said, “He (Jev) only exercised his right not to contest because as a party member you have the right to contest and not to contest.”
Jev’s media aide, Samson Yanor, in an interview with The PUNCH, said a zoning arrangement was between two areas of the state; Jemgba and Minda
According to him, the senatorial slot which has been in Jemgba for the past 16 years ought to move back to Minda, hence the senator’s decision.
The Senator representing Kwara Central zone, Dr Ibrahim Oloriegbe, lost the party’s ticket to the Turaki of Ilorin, Alhaji Saliu Mustapha.
Oloriegbe said that he accepted his defeat by Mustapha which he attributed to the wish of Allah.
In Plateau State, all the three incumbent senators will not return to the National Assembly.
While the Senator representing Plateau North, Istifanus Gyang, who was elected on the platform of the PDP failed to secure the party’s ticket as he lost to a House of Representatives member, Simon Mwadkwon; the Senator representing Plateau South, Prof.Nora Daduut, who was elected on the platform of the APC did not contest the party’s primary.
The state Governor, Simon Lalong, got the APC’s ticket.
Senator Hezekiah Dimka, representing Plateau Central on the platform of the APC, contested the governorship ticket of the state but lost out.
Out of the eight available House of Representatives seats in the state, only the lawmaker representing Shendam/Mikang/Qua-anpan on the platform of the APC, Komsol Longgap, failed to clinch the party’s ticket.
A member of the House of Representatives representing Illela/Gwadabawa Constituency in Sokoto State, Abdullahi Balarabe Salame, in an interview with The PUNCH, said he had no regret not going back to the National Assembly.
Salame, who is a member of the APC and governorship aspirant, stated, “I joined the race for the governorship primary with belief that every member would be given a level playing field.
“When I and some other aspirants saw how the things were being handled, we complained to the national headquarters of our party but nothing was done.
“On the day of the primary, we held a press conference calling for direct primaries but the leaders of the party never cared.”
Also Senator Ibrahim Gobir, Senator representing Sokoto East, will not return to the Senate.
Gobir lost to Ahmed Aliyu Sokoto, the anointed candidate of the leader of the party in the state, Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko.
Abiodun’s aides
Also, five out of nine House of Representatives members in Ogun State and all the three senators are not re-contesting their seats. The Senator representing Ogun Central, Ibikunle Amosun, did not contest the APC senatorial primary.
Those who lost their return tickets are Lanre Edun (Abeokuta South), Jimoh Aremu (Egbado-North/Imeko-Afon), Kolawole Lawal (Egbdo South/Ipokia ) and Kolapo Osunsanya ((Ijebu-Ode/Odogbolu/Ijebu-North-East). All of them are APC members. A House of Representatives member, Adekoya Adesegun (PDP Ijebu North/Ijebu-East/Ogunwaterside) also lost the ticket.
While Senator Tolu Odebiyi, Ogun West, was defeated by Senator Olamilekan Adeola, currently representing Lagos West. Lekan Mustapha, Ogun East, was said to have stepped down for a former governor of the state, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.
The Chief of Staff to the state governor, Shuaib Salis, secured the Ogun Central ticket.
It was learnt most of those who won the party’s tickets were loyalists of the state Governor, Dapo Abiodun, while those who lost out were in the camp of his predecessor, Amosun.
Edun had after the primary threatened to challenge the result, describing the exercise which led to the emergence of the current Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Afolabi Afuape, as the party’s candidate as a charade.
Commenting on the political struggle between the governors and the National Assembly members, a political analyst and Media Specialist, at Caleb University, Mr Olawale Adekoya, berated governors, who would contest senatorial seats.
He said, ‘’The trend is dangerous because we have desecrated and abused the parliament. The parliament is the heartbeat of modern democracy. A national assembly is meant for the best brain, that is where the power of scholarship, charisma, intellectualism, and inherent quality must be found. What we have today is that the national assembly has been turned into a retirement ground where old and sick Nigerians are being navigated to spend the rest of their political years. Certain laws should be put in place to checkmate this dangerous trend.
On his part, the Head of Department of Mass Communication, University of Lagos, Prof. Adepoju Tejumaiye, stated, ‘The whole issue revolves around the fact that we don’t have laws. Many of our politicians do not have morals and we don’t do things the right way in this country. If our politicians continue to behave recklessly this way, our democracy will not grow because they like doing things to favour themselves and enslave all of us. We have not seen the end of it’’
Ike Ekweremadu, former deputy senate president, and his wife, Beatrice, have been arrested and charged to court for bringing a child to the UK for organ harvesting.
Confirming the arrests in a statement, the metropolitan police said the pair were charged to court on Thursday following an investigation by the police’ specialist crime team.
The police added that the investigation was launched after detectives were alerted to potential offences under modern slavery legislation in May 2022.
“Beatrice Nwanneka Ekweremadu, 55 (10.9.66) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting,” the statement reads.
“Ike Ekweremadu, 60 (12.05.62) of Nigeria is charged with conspiracy to arrange/facilitate travel of another person with a view to exploitation, namely organ harvesting.
“They have both been remanded in custody and will appear at Uxbridge Magistrates’ Court later today.”
“A child has been safeguarded and we are working closely with partners on continued support.
“As criminal proceedings are now under way we will not be providing further details.”
Jubril Gawat, a Senior Special Assistant (SSA) to Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos state on New Media, has defended All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu after a Bloomberg article about him.
Bloomberg had shared an article titled “Graft Allegations Dog Nigeria’s Main Presidential Hopefuls”, centered of Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and Bola Tinubu.
In the article, it was stated that Tinubu who is a former Governor of Lagos state, “fought a lawsuit in which the US accused him of laundering proceeds of heroin trafficking and eventually reached a settlement”.
It read;
Front-runner Bola Tinubu, who secured the ruling party’s nomination earlier this month, was being investigated by the country’s anti-corruption agency as recently as last June. Three decades ago he fought a lawsuit in which the US government accused him of laundering the proceeds of heroin trafficking and eventually reached a settlement.
In July 1993, when Tinubu briefly served as a Nigerian senator, the US government filed a forfeiture lawsuit in Chicago against bank accounts in his name, claiming there was “probable cause” to believe they held the proceeds of heroin dealing. The case followed a probe by the Internal Revenue Service and other agencies into a trafficking network involving Nigerian suppliers.
The IRS secured warrants in January 1992 to seize almost $2 million, according to court filings. While living in Chicago between 1989 and 1991, Tinubu had deposited more than $1.8 million into one of the accounts, before transferring large sums to another bank, according to the US government’s complaint. While disputing the US’s reason for targeting the accounts, Tinubu settled in September 1993, agreeing to give up $460,000 to the US government in exchange for the release of the rest of the money. Tinubu wasn’t indicted over the matter.
Gawat who reacted to the article, shared a screenshot of the part which stated that Tinubu was never indicted. He tweeted “Tinubu was never indicted over the matter”.
The screening took place at the PDP national headquarters in Abuja.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday, commenced the screening of nominees for deputy governorship positions for the 2023 general elections.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the screening took place at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
The Deputy Governorship Candidates Screening Committee chaired by a former National Chairman of the PDP, Okwesilieze Nwodo, also has Akilu Indabawa as secretary and Sunday Omobo as the administrative secretary.
A nominee for deputy governor for Akwa-Ibom-State, Akon Eyakenyi, speaking to journalists shortly after her interview, commended the state governor, his wife, party leaders and the people of the state for nominating her.
Ms Eyakenyi, the senator representing Akwa-Ibom South Senatorial District, who was cheered by women groups from the state, said that women of the state had every right to be excited over the slot of the deputy governor given to them for the first time.
“I am going there as a mother for the 31 local governments of Akwa Ibom State covering women, men, youth and the elderly.
“I am going there to serve, to set a standard and ensure that after me, another woman can pick up the position.
“I will also ensure that women have their due and right at the executive, legislative and party levels.
“I am also going to be a model and standard to every woman in Akwa-Ibom State,” Ms Eyakenyi said.
The PDP Governorship Candidate for Lagos, Olajide Adediran, who was also at the PDP national secretariat, also spoke with journalists about his potential running mate.
Mr Adediran, who is popularly known as Jandor, said the nomination of five persons for his running mate shows that Lagos as a centre of excellence has many qualified persons for the position.
“Every one of the five nominees is qualified to be my deputy governor,” he said.
He gave assurance that his running mate would be as popular or more popular than him.
“We represent a breath of fresh air in Lagos State. You have seen that in me and my running mate as well,” he said.
The northern region is the stronghold of the ruling APC, as it governs 14 of its 19 states. But this is the first time the party is presenting a southerner as its presidential flag bearer.
What fate awaits the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, in the northern states in the 2023 election?
The question is of interest to political observers because the region is the stronghold of the ruling party, as it governs 14 of its 19 states, but this is the first time the party is presenting a southerner as its flag bearer.
Mr Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, polled 1,271 votes at the APC primary on June 8, defeating 13 aspirants after seven others stepped down for him at the convention ground.
He will slug it out with the candidates of 16 other parties in the February 25, 2023, general election, including Atiku Abubakar of the People Democratic Party (PDP), Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria People Party (NNPP) and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.
Patient courtship
Before declaring his intention to run for president in January, Mr Tinubu had been the leader of the APC in the South-west zone, where he had been influential since the beginning of the Fourth Republic in 1999. However, northern state governors provided the most critical support that helped him to win the party’s nomination.
This did not come as a surprise to close observers because Mr Tinubu in recent years had taken deliberate steps to build alliances with political leaders in the region.
Initially, some northern APC governors did not support Mr Tinubu because of their own ambitions. But he eventually won them over, helped no doubt by the position of a majority of them that the South should produce the successor to President Muhammadu Buhari next year. But he had also deliberately courted many of them over the years.
One of the governors, Muhammad Badaru of Jigawa, who eventually stepped down for Mr Tinubu at the primary, narrated how the former Lagos governor helped him to win his election as governor.
Mr Tinubu announced his presidential bid in January, after numerous engagements with northern leaders. He was the Guest Speaker at the prestigious Arewa House lecture series in Kaduna last year, an event he preceded with visits to Kano and Katsina states within a week.
While in Katsina, last March 24, he donated N50 million to victims of a fire disaster at the city’s central market.
Speaking on the occasion, Mr Tinubu said: “For the fire disaster, I am personally most touched because I am a son of a market woman leader. My late mother was the president of the Nigerian Men and Women Market Association.
“We, together with my mother, had been to Katsina several times for political rallies and Durbar. Coming to Katsina, it is not only to celebrate but to share the joy and sorrow, particularly in this period where Nigerians need each other both in pain and joy. We will continue to pray that Nigeria will be peaceful,” the former governor said.
Arewa House Lecture
Speaking at the opening of the 2021 annual Arewa House Lectures, which he chaired in Kaduna on March 27 that year, Mr Tinubue called for massive investment in job creation to address the economic and security challenges of the region.
The theme of the lecture was “Reduction of the Cost of Governance for Inclusive Growth and Youth Development in Northern Nigeria in a Post- COVID-19 Era”.
He said the government must think outside of the box in finding solutions to the challenges posed by unemployment. According to him, frustration and despair among the youth were largely caused by chronic poverty and the breakdown of social institutions.
“Building vital infrastructures such as irrigation and water catchment systems will help agriculture, arrest desertification, and provide jobs.
“Another readily available area primed for investment is the agro-allied industry which, for the northern region, is particularly advantageous,” he said.
On the herder/farmer dispute, he said the government “must appreciate that martial security measures alone will not suffice.
“We cannot resolve this problem by holding on to one-dimensional answers. We must all be dispassionate in our search for solutions. These challenges are multi-faceted and so the solutions must be.
“The issue of insecurity, unemployment, and extremism has many things to do with governance, over time. We must tackle our deep and widespread poverty.
“If we limit the government’s role under the erroneous assumption that government spending is intrinsically unproductive, then we tether ourselves to failure.
“The development of any populous nation has always been dependent on the ability of the government to allocate sufficient funds to projects and programs that create and encourage enduring growth and employment,” Mr Tinubu said.
The 12th Colloquium in Kano.
Mr Tinubu held the 12th edition of his annual Colloquium in Kano in 2021 under the theme, “Our Common Bond, Our Common Wealth.” The colloquium is a lecture series held on his birthdays since 2009, two years after he left government.
At the event, during which he inaugurated the headquarters of the state’s anti-graft agency, Mr Tinubu lauded Governor Abdullahi Ganduje for strengthening the anti-corruption institutions in his state.
He also preached peace, unity, and tolerance among Nigerians and then held a closed-door meeting with clerics and the five first-class emirs in the state at the Government House in Kano.
These engagements probably contributed to the support that the former Lagos governor received from northern state governors at the APC National Convention. But now that he is the party’s presidential candidate, has he done enough to connect with the voters in the region?
Courtship
Habu Muhammad, a former head of Aminu Kano Centre for Democratic Research and Training (Mambayya House), a research and training unit of the Bayero University, Kano, said Mr Tinubu’s visits to Northwest states were in promotion of his ambition to succeed President Buhari come 2023.
“Tinubu is an astute politician who believes that with the support from Kano in particular and the northern states, he will actualise his ambition of becoming the next Nigerian president,” Mr Muhammad, a professor of political science, told PREMIUM TIMES.
He said if Mr Tinubu’s tours of northern states were solely to preach unity, he should have gathered southern leaders to preach the same message to them too.
“Since he started celebrating his birthday in 2009, I can’t recall the celebration taking place in the north. Holding it in the north now is political. But there is nothing wrong with that because it is politics. In politics, someone must indicate interest and that person must lobby for support. Tinubu has political relevance, he has people and supporters across Nigeria. In the end, Nigerians will decide whether he is the right person or not,” Mr Muhammad said.
However, Mr Muhammad warned that Mr Tinubu may encounter challenges in the north if leaders in his South-west region continue to be silent about the alleged persecution of Hausa/Fulani groups over the farmers/herders crisis.
He said Mr Tinubu himself had not spoken out against the attacks on northern businesses and Fulani communities in his home region.
But the candidate faces other challenges as well.
Kano: NNPP’s challenge, Ganduje’s record
Kano is the most populous state in Northern Nigeria. The APC got its highest votes, about 1.9 million, in the state in 2015, a feat it also repeated in the 2019 presidential election.
However, Governor Ganduje appears to have mismanaged the party in Kano. Many of its important stakeholders have left the party in anger and frustration. This may affect the support that the APC presidential candidate may get in the state at the poll.
A former governor Ibrahim Shekarau, a former presidential aide, Kawu Sumaila; and a former federal lawmaker, Abdulmumini Jibrin; are among those who have defected to the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) brought to the state by a former governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, who is also running for president.
Both Messrs Sumaila and Jibrin are formidable politicians in the Kano South Senatorial district, which has 15 local government areas (LGAs). Rano LGA, which had 71,641 in the last elections, will be one of the battlefields in the zone for the APC, NNPP and PDP.
Other council areas in Kano South like Kiru, Wudil, Gaya, Tudun Wada, and Doguwa will also see close contests. However, the Chief Whip of the House of Representatives, Alhassan Ado-Doguwa, has vowed to deliver the Kano South Senatorial district to the APC as he did previously.
Luckily for the APC too, Barau Jibrin, the senator representing Kano North District, which has 14 LGAs, remains in the party. Mr Jibrin, who is the Senate Appropriations Committee chairman and is seeking re-election, and Abubakar Kabir, who is the member representing Bichi in the House of Representatives, are popular in the district. With the influence of the Emir of Bichi, Nasiru Ado-Bayero, who is an in-law to President Buhari, the APC may sweep the poll in this zone.
But the ruling party will face stiff opposition in Kano Central Senatorial District where Messrs Kwankwaso and Shekarau hail from. Mr Kwankwaso’s followers (members of the Kwankwasiyya Movement) are numerous in the city.
The unresolved APC crisis emanating from the primary election in some of the metropolitan council areas, like Fagge, is an added advantage to the opposition parties.
The member representing Fagge at the House of Representatives, Aminu Suleiman, won the APC primary election despite complaints of alleged poor representation made against him by some residents. Mr Suleiman, however, dismissed the allegation as politically motivated, saying he secured hundreds of jobs for his constituents.
In addition, many APC supporters are disenchanted over the poor performance of the APC-led federal government in the last seven years.
Overall, APC needs a lot of hard work to harvest the usual humongous votes it has been getting in Kano central. However, many residents commend the Ganduje administration for executing landmark projects in the Kano metropolis.
The NNPP is unlikely to win in Kano but may play the spoiler for Mr Tinubu and his opponent of the other major party, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP.
Keen contests
The contests in other Northwest states will be keen between the APC and PDP. The ruling party will likely maintain its grip on Kaduna and Katsina states. In the former, Governor Nasir El-Rufa’i is widely adjudged to have performed well but the animosity against him in the southern part of the state means the PDP also remains strong in the state.
In Katsina, the home state of President Buhari, despite the challenges of insecurity, Governor Masari has also executed many projects and addressed the security challenges in rural communities.
But Sokoto and Kebbi will be battlefields for the two parties.
The APC has bright chances in the North Central Niger State, as the structure of the PDP seems to have collapsed in the state over the years. A former governor, Babangida Aliyu, who ought to be the leader of the party in the state, has been silent, perhaps because he is battling corruption charges.
With the absence of the PDP structure, APC chieftains in banditry-prone Shiroro, Munya, Rafi, and other council areas are noticeably supporting the victims of attacks. Those politicians are more likely to influence the elections even in communities displaced by terrorists.
The APC states and APC ruling states
The APC controls 14 states in the North. Yobe, Borno, and Zamfara are traditional APC states – the PDP has not won a governorship election in the three states since the beginning of the Fourth Republic, and there is a high tendency that Mr Tinubu will win those states hands down.
But the APC presidential candidate will suffer from the perceived sins of some of the governors in states like Jigawa and Kebbi, who have either been accused of hijacking the party structures or abandoning governance for their personal businesses.
Abdullahi Tsoho, a labour union leader and governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in Jigawa, said over 9,000 teachers retired from the state civil service in the last seven years, but the government has not recruited to fill the vacancies.
Instead, Mr Tsoho said the government has focused on building new classroom blocks without teachers to teach.
Even his party members had complained that Governor Badaru has never done empowerment programmes for residents in the last seven years, while farmers also complained that farming inputs, machines and agrochemicals he reportedly imported from China were never sold to them at subsidised rates. Some farmers lamented that farm inputs are cheaper in the open market than from the state-controlled Agricultural Supply Company (JASCO), managed by a confidant of the governor.
Also, farmers alleged that Mr Badaru’s role as head of the presidential task force on fertiliser did not benefit farmers in his state as the price and availability of fertilizer in Jigawa remain a concern.
However, unlike in Kebbi where aggrieved APC members defected to the opposition PDP, they have refused to leave in Jigawa. A party member said many of them are instead waiting for the elections to pay back for the alleged wrongdoings of the governor.
Meanwhile, a former lawmaker, Farouk Aliyu, is challenging the governor in court over the alleged imposition of candidates of the party.
Thus, the unresolved party crisis and perceived political sins of the Jigawa governor may affect the support for his party’s presidential candidate in the state.
50/50 in the Northeast – Don
A professor at the Department of Political Science, University of Maiduguri, Umara Ibrahim, agreed that the APC presidential candidate may win three of the six states in the North East.
He told PREMIUM TIMES that it would be difficult for the PDP to win in Borno and Yobe states and that APC, being in government in Gombe, is also most likely to take the state. The PDP is in government in Adamawa, Taraba and Bauchi states.
The don said the APC may gain more influence in the zone if it picks its vice-presidential candidate from the zone.
Mr Ibrahim said Atiku has a large following in Bauchi State, which would make the state difficult to win for the presidential candidate of the APC. He added that though the governor, Bala Mohammed, lost in the PDP presidential primary, he will still support his party to win the state.
Muslim-Muslim
Mr Tinubu, a Southern Muslim, is under pressure from Nigerian Christian leaders to pick a Northern Christian as his running mate. But Sa’idu Dukawa, a professor of Political Science at Bayero University, Kano, said fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket will serve his electoral interest better in conservative Northern states.
Mr Dukawa believes that Mr Tinubu’s choice of a running mate will influence the support he gets from the average voters in Kano and other conservative Muslim states in the region.
“If Tinubu picks a Muslim running mate from the North, the APC may win all the states it now controls, and even get additional states. But if they chose otherwise, the party may lose some of their states. There is no doubt about this because religion will definitely influence the voting pattern,” Mr Dukawa said.
He said the predominantly Muslim population in the North is now interpreting the calls by religious groups on Mr Tinubu not to pick a Muslim running mate as a plot against their religion.
“The simple arithmetic is that only three of the 19 Northern states are being governed by Christian governors. The Muslim population will want one of their own to represent them as the vice president,” he added.
However, he said Mr Tinubu may also face a backlash from this arrangement with the majority of Christians not voting for him both in the North and in the South. The don said the aim of any political party is to win an election, and that politicians will always adopt the option they think will make them win.
The APC has named Kabir Masari, a Muslim from Katsina State, as his running mate but many believe he is not the final choice and would be substituted before July 15.
That notwithstanding, Mr Dukawa said voters should always consider competence over religion and vote for the candidate that will address the security and economic challenges, irrespective of their regions and religions.
The majority control of the All Progressives Congress in the Senate is currently under threat as no fewer than 20 APC senators have concluded plans to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party, Labour Party, New Nigeria Peoples Party and others.
The PUNCH learnt that the APC, which had earlier lost 13 senators to the opposition parties, might lose more parliamentarians aggrieved for losing their return tickets to the National Assembly during the party primaries.
It was gathered that the party leaders were worried that if the rate of defections continued and the opposition PDP gained more members, the ruling party might lose its majority status in the Senate.
During Wednesday’s plenary, Senator Dauda Jika representing Bauchi Central, announced his defection to the NNPP, bringing the number of APC senators to 67.
Currently, the five minority parties in the upper chamber have 43 senators with the PDP boasting 39 senators, while the Young Peoples Party, All Progressives Grand Alliance, Labour Party and the New Nigeria People’s Party have four senators.
To stem the gale of defections, the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, met with the APC senators behind closed doors at the National Assembly complex, Abuja, some minutes past 2 pm on Wednesday
Adamu, who first went to the office of the President of the Senate, Ahmed Lawan, for a brief meeting before the general meeting, said that the party was worried by the wave of the defections among the APC senators.
Speaking to journalists after his meeting with the APC caucus, he noted that it was a usual occurrence during the election period but it was enough for any leader to worry over the loss of any member.
He stated, “The meeting with the senators was most fruitful. The issue of defection is an unfortunate development when it happens but this is a season where there are all sorts of behaviour in the political space and ours is not an exception.
“In every election year, this kind of thing gives cause for stakeholders to sneeze and Nigeria is not an exception so is the APC, not an exception. I don’t care about what is happening in other parties, my focus is on the APC. But we all know that the occurrence is not only happening in the APC, it’s happening across other political parties too. And because we are the ruling party, our problems are exaggerated before the public.”
Adamu also said he did not know if the problem of defection would persist in the party but he had met with his colleagues at the National Assembly and he believed the issue was surmountable.
He added, “There is no responsible leader that would not be worried when he loses one member not to talk of two. At the moment we are faced with the stark reality of our problems. I have committed my colleagues at the National Assembly to face the problem squarely and see the problem as solvable. We are in politics, I don’t know what would happen tomorrow, and nobody does.”
Meanwhile, a lawmaker who spoke to one of our correspondents on the condition of anonymity, stated that the party chairman had to come down to the National Assembly to dissuade the senators from defecting from the ruling APC.
According to the source, not lesser than 20 senators intend to leave the APC to other parties, particularly the PDP within the next week.
The source said, “The party chairman came to have a meeting with the APC senators because he said that they learnt through intelligence that not lesser than 20 more senators were planning to defect to other parties within the next one week.
“The chairman asked each of the aggrieved senators to lay bare their grievances which we all did one after the other. Having heard our problems, the chairman instructed that we put them into writing.”
The lawmaker also stated that Adamu promised that the party would look into the issues raised and do something about it as it was a dangerous time for lawmakers in the party to defect because it was the election year and such moves were grave for any political party.
The source added, “The chairman asked us all to put all of our complaints into writing after which the APC caucus leaders would sit with the National Working Committee and look into the issues raised.
“Senator Adamu further stated the party would then see what it can do to help the situation. He, however, stated that lawmakers who do not feel comfortable with the help provided by the parties can then leave. But leaving without proper consultations with the party sends a wrong signal of discord. It presents the party as if in disarray and without proper leadership.”
“This is an election year and it’s not good to present the party as having leadership issues,” the source quoted Adamu to have said.
The PUNCH reports that there has been a wave of defections across the APC senatorial seats.
A number of the APC senators had cross-carpeted to other parties due to their failure to secure a return ticket to the NASS with many of them alleging that their states’ governors hijacked the senatorial primary elections.
In the past week since the resumption of the plenary, not less than six senators have sent their defection letters to the Senate President.
They include the Majority Leader, Senator Yahaya Abdullahi representing Kebbi North senatorial district, who defected to the PDP.
Abdullahi alleged that the democratic challenges and deficits in Kebbi State did not just start from the last congresses, but from July last year “when the governor illegally decapitated the state leadership of the party, imposed unelected ward, local government and state executives of the party.”
He stated in his defection letter to the Senate, “At a point, I thought of resort to the courts, but decided against that course of action after realising that political challenges require political solutions in the democratic arena where it is the people and not the judges who are the final arbiters.
“I came to this decision after a very hard struggle with my conscience and emotions. It is either to remain on the side of my people or to selfishly look the other way. All politics is local. I cannot therefore in good conscience, continue to work for the success of this administration at the centre while the people of my state, my primary constituency, continue to wallow in abject poverty and destitution under the misrule and manipulation of a despot.
“I have, therefore, decided to pitch my tent with the Peoples Democratic Party to join forces with my compatriots at home who are struggling against incompetence, imposition and violation of democratic norms, principles and practices.”
Also former governor of Kebbi State, Adamu Aliero (Kebbi Central), defected from the ruling APC to the PDP stating that his “predicated on the fact that there is no internal democracy in the APC.”
He alleged that the state’s governor, Atiku Bagudu, had “bastardised, the party and electoral processes in the state which are now characterised by high-handedness and unfairness.”
Similarly, Senators Ahmad Babba-Kaita (Katsina North), Lawal Gumau (Bauchi South), and Francis Alimikhena (Edo North) also announced their defection from the ruling party on Tuesday at the plenary.
While Babba Kaita and Alimikhena defected to the opposition PDP, Gumau on the other hand, defected to the NNNP.
The notice of their resignation and defection was contained in three separate letters read during plenary by the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, on the floor.
But, the senator representing Oyo South Senatorial district, elected on the platform of the PDP, Senator Kola Balogun, Tuesday formally defected to the APC.
APC Senate spokesman
The Chairman of the Committee on Media and Public Affairs, Senator Ajibola Basiru, in an interview with Channels Television, allayed fears of the party losing its majority status.
Basiru noted that despite the gale of defections that had the APC caucus in the chamber, it had gained more members.
He said, “I want to first say that all politics are local. The politics of the State of Osun is different from national politics. I don’t know any of the existing National Assembly members in the State of Osun that has defected. So, if the argument is based on defection, I don’t see how the defections of somebody in Kebbi State or Katsina State will affect the fortune of my party in the State of Osun. ”
He claimed that the number of the APC senators had increased to 67.
On why the lawmakers were defecting, Basiru said, “As to the question of the people who have been defecting, they may have their reasons, some of them may be because they have lost their popularity in their party; it may be because of the peculiar challenges or what they faced in their state.
“All I know is that the South-West has spoken in Ekiti and will speak louder in Osun, to say that the PDP, to the extent that it does not even have regard for the cohesion and federal character nature of the country, and it does not even care about the feeling of the people of southern Nigeria in terms of power shift, would be roundly rejected in the election of July 16, 2022.”
The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, did not respond to calls or attempted to answer the questions sent via WhatsApp.
However, a member of the National Working Committee, who craved anonymity, said that defection was normal in politics.
“It doesn’t mean that it will hamper the chances of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“The real electioneering starts from September. We are not under any form of pressure or panic mode,” he said.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Debo Ologunagba, described the defections as a welcome development.
He said “What happened today is a welcome development; it shows that Nigerians will begin to have legislators that will formulate laws that will change the narratives of insecurity, lack of employment and a purposeful representation. It shows that the party is the only hope for the people. We are hoping that more will still join our party.”
In his reaction, the National Chairman of the Inter-Party Advisory Council, Yabagi Sani, said the senators’ action did not come as a surprise.
“It is democracy in action. People have the right to associate with whoever they want to associate with. The moment people see that their interests will not be advanced where they are, of course, they will change. There is nothing strange about what is happening. It happened before to the PDP when five chieftains including governors moved to the APC. I don’t think it is anything that is unheard of in this country. It is now left for APC to put its house in order,” he submitted.
‘APC defections ominous’
Prof Sylvester Odion-Akhaine, a political science lecturer at Lagos State University, believed the recent defection is an ominous sign the APC must checkmate.
He added, “What we are looking at is a very complex 2023. In this case, we cannot assume that the APC and PDP, being dominant parties, will carry the day. We are also seeing a very high power politics by the ruling oligarchy in Nigeria, realigning the way that undermines the power shift to the South.
“This is the indication because when people move from one political party to the other in the Nigerian context, it is unhealthy and symptomatic of the fact that we don’t have institutionalised political parties in Nigeria.
The permutation of either of them getting victory will be quite complex and tough. The current defection from Tinubu’s party is ominous for the APC,” he argued.
Also speaking, Mr Tonye Isokariari, said the defections were not unusual, adding, “People cross-carpet when they feel the party is not working for them. But is not the right thing, more people will also join the APC as much as people in the APC are leaving.”
Meanwhile, no fewer than 15 APC members in Kano State have defected to the NNNP.
They include a former governor of the state and now the Senator of Kano Central, Ibrahim Shekarau; a member representing Rano/Bunkure/Kibiya Federal, Constituency, Alhassan Rurum; member representing Takai/Sumaila Federal constituency, Shamsudden Dambazau and former member representing Kiru/Bebeji and former Executive Director of the Federal Housing Authority, Jibrin Kofa.
The former Speaker of the Bauchi State House of Assembly, it was gathered, was considering joining the NNPP.
Labour Party’s (LP’s) presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, and Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, have met behind closed-doors with Rivers State Governor and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stalwart, Nyesom Wike.
Obi, a former Anambra State governor, arrived the Government House in Port Harcourt yesterday and was received by Wike.
Both of them were said to have gone into the office of the Rivers State governor where they discussed briefly.
They came out after the discussion but refused to comment on any issue as Wike bade his visitor goodbye.
There were indications that their discussions centred on the development in the PDP and the unfair treatment the party meted out to Wike during the presidential primaries.
It was learnt that the process that led to the choice of Delta State Governor Ifeanyi Okowa as the running mate to the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, was part of the discussion.
Obi was also said to have solicited Wike’s support for his presidential ambition ahead of the 2023 general election.
It was gathered that Mohammed, who was among PDP’s presidential aspirants, came shortly after Obi departed the Government House.
Like in Obi’s case, Wike reportedly ushered in Mohammed to his private office, where only two of them held secret discussions.
Sources said Mohammed, who refused to speak on the motive behind his visit, came out of the meeting and hurried into his vehicle.
But it was learnt that Mohammed’s visit was on the heels of the controversies that trailed the process that led to the selection of Atiku’s running mate.
The Bauchi governor’s visit was said to be part of the fence-mending efforts to placate Wike to enable the party address his grievances.
Though M9ohammed is a known friend of Wike, it could not be ascertain whether he came on his own accord or he was sent by Atiku.
Also, the Southern Nigeria Peoples Assembly (SNPA) yesterday warned former Vice President Atiku Abukakar that ex-Niger State Governor Babangida Aliyu was damaging the chances of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of winning the 2023 presidential election by his “malicious attitude” towards Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike.
It described as “ungraceful cum uncomplimentary” Aliyu’s view in a TV interview on Tuesday that the Rivers governor lacks the capacity, character and temperament to be Atiku’s running mate.
The group, in a statement by its Leader, Livingstone Wechie, said: “The assertions by the former governor of Niger State raise a lot of concern, even if it fails the sensitivity test completely. As a matter of fact, his view of Nyesom Wike – an illustrious and highly celebrated Ikwerre son – is an affront not only to his ethnicity and region but the Nigerian state particularly in the face of the current political and economic disputations and contradictions bedevilling the Nigerian State today.”
It said Aliyu acted “far below dignity” and un-statesman-like, adding that his comments appeared to be aimed at fuelling a crisis and fanning the embers of avoidable conflict within the ranks of the PDP “at a time the party should be mending walls and begging for peace after a fierce and sharp contest which shook the political atmosphere almost to a negative trajectory”.
According to the group, the former governor’s impact and role in the development of the PDP “is very scanty and non-existent”.
SNPA noted that Aliyu’s claim that Wike hijacked the PDP and chased members away, was “very timid”.
It stressed that such utterances “are not only aimed at further dividing the party, but putting it at the risk of losing the undeniable cult followership and votes from the over 230 local government areas that voted Nyesom Wike at the presidential primaries. This garrulous and flippant move is possibly to the detriment of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in 2023, if not arrested now”.
Apostle Anselm Madubuko has reacted to former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu’s claim of South-East voting for People’s Democratic Party and not Labour Party’s Peter Obi.
The lawmaker from Enugu state who acknowledged that Peter Obi is a credible candidate and “their son”, had said that the South-East needs to be dynamic and also know that Obi who is a former Governor of Anambra state can’t win the presidential election.
He averred that people from the region should not make decisions they will regret later. Ekweremadu also likened voting for Peter Obi as “throwing away votes”.
Reacting to this, Madubuko stated that “it will soon be time for another new yam festival ol boy”, in reference to Ekweremadu being beaten up in Germany after he turned up for a New Yam Festival he was invited for in 2019.
In the video shared online at the time, Ekweremadu was attacked by a mob as he attempted to enter the venue of the event in Nuremberg, Germany. In the one-minute video, the mob chanted ‘go back’ while trying to deny Mr Ekweremadu entry.
President Muhammadu Buhari has insisted that only his government has implemented the solution to decades-long herder/farmer conflicts, exacerbated by desertification and demographic growth.
In an interview with Bloomberg, the President said the National Livestock Transformation Plan, putting ranching at its core, is the only way to deplete the competition for resources at the core of the clashes.
Buhari however alleged that Governors from some individual states have sought to play politics where ranches have been established; even though disputes have dramatically reduced.
Buhari
On war against terror, President Buhari said that in 2015, Boko Haram held a territory the size of Belgium within the borders of Nigeria. He however said today, the terrorists are close to being extinct as a military force.
Buhari while reaffirming that a leader of ISWAP was eliminated by a Nigerian Airforce airstrike in March, noted that the jets acquired from the US and intelligence shared by the British were not provided to previous administrations and stand as testament to renewed trust re-built between Nigeria and our traditional western allies under my government.
He said;
“Terrorists no longer hold any territory in Nigeria, and their leaders are deceased; and vast infrastructure development sets the country on course for sustainable and equitable growth.”
A popular social media influencer and good governance advocate, Victor Israel has taken to his social media platform (Twitter) to disclose what transpired between him and some market traders in Agege, Lagos, when he approached them to speak concerning the Labour Party Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi.
According to Victor, the market traders said they only know about the ruling All Progressive Congress’ candidate, Ahmed Bola Tinubu and haven’t heard of Peter Obi.
“We told market women in Agege about Peter Obi, they said its Tinubu they know. We went ahead to show them the cost of cooking gas now, the prices of food now and the number of children at home because of ASUU strike. They were sober by the time we left…“
Take a Look at the Screenshot of His Post Below:
The Influencer’s post generated several reactions as Nigerians aired different thoughts concerning the presidential candidate. Checkout some feedbacks his post gathered below:
The Nigerian senate has raised an alarm of terrorist enclaves being identified within three local government areas of Kwara and Niger States.
Channels Television reported that this formed part of discussions raised after the upper chamber considered a motion on the worsening insecurity in Kainji Lake National Park and threat to communities in Kaima, Baruten and Borgu Local Government in Kwara and Niger states.
Sponsor of the motion, Senator Sadiq Umar said kidnapping and other forms of criminality have now become prevalent in communities close to Kainji Lake National Park and this has led to palpable fear in the communities.
Umar said;
“Many are leaving their villages and farms to seek refuge in the towns that will soon be threatened as well if nothing is done about this insecurity situation. In fact, some communities have started paying the criminals some sort of tax to be allowed to stay safe.”
After the motion was deliberated on, the senate asked the military to carry out a comprehensive onslaught of bandits and criminal elements within the Kainji Lake National Park and the identified communities.
Over 500 supporters of the Peoples Democratic Party from the Boripe Local Government Area of Osun State, have defected to the All Progressives Congress.
The defectors were received into the APC at a campaign rally held in Iragbiji, the hometown of Osun State Governor, Adegboyega Oyetola.
A statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor, Ismail Omipidan, on Tuesday, said the defectors attributed their defection to the convincing manner Oyetola has been managing the affairs of the state.
They also restated readiness to support Oyetola with their votes in the July 16 governorship election.
Addressing crowd that attended the rally, Oyetola commended them for supporting his administration.
He then assured that if re-elected, his second term “would be more rewarding and resourceful, as the first term was a foundation for a brighter future.”
Oyetola also urged citizens who were yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards to do so, to enable them exercise their civic duty during the forthcoming governorship election.
The Director-General (D-G) of the Budget Office, Mr. Ben Akabueze, has called for timely release of federal government audit reports by the Office of the Auditor-General of the Federation.
Speaking at the presentation of the 2021 Open Budget Survey report, in Abuja yesterday, Akabueze said releasing audit reports of many years behind, “is useless in terms of utilization.”
According to him the current administration had undertaken several Public Finance Reform (PFR) initiatives which were yielding results and was encouraged to do more, to ensure greater transparency in budget implementation.
His words, “Government has over the past several years undertaken a number of reforms in the public finance space which have culminated in the significant improvements we can now report.
“Nigeria posted its best performance in the Open Budget Survey, improving by 24 points for transparency in the latest Open Budget Survey. The total transparency score of 45 in the 2021 survey, is a significant leap from the 21 scored in the 2019 survey.
“The outcome of the 2021 Open Budget Survey is one that signposts our commitment to continuous reform efforts.
The committee has been saddled with the responsibility to ensure the re-election of Gboyega Oyetola on July 16
Nigeria’s ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC), has announced an 86-member campaign council for the Osun State governorship election.
The council will be co-chaired by the governor of Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Governor Umar Ganduje of Kano State.
According to the list released by the National Chairman of the party, Abdullahi Adamu, on Tuesday, the committee has been saddled with the responsibility to ensure the re-election of Gboyega Oyetola.
Mr Oyetola faces challenges from Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and 13 other candidates at the July 16 election.
The ruling party has enlisted the services of all state governors alongside the Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila as deputies to Messrs Sanwo-Olu and Ganduje.
The committee will be inaugurated on Thursday at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja.
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