Politics

APC presidential ticket: Adamu’s consensus plot fails, 21 aspirants in battle royale

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Eniola Akinkuotu, Friday Olokor,  Adebayo Folorunsho-Francis, Stephen Angbulu and Deborah Tolu-Kolawole

An attempt by the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdullahi Adamu, to select Senate President Ahmad Lawan – a northerner – as the preferred candidate of the APC, failed on Monday as both the Presidency and 12 northern governors of the party openly distanced themselves from the move.

Adamu had summoned a meeting of the 25-member National Working Committee at the party’s headquarters in Abuja ahead of the presidential primary slated for Tuesday (today).

At the meeting, Adamu informed the NWC that Lawan was the anointed candidate of the party, a move which was not accepted by all of the members.

It was gathered that the national chairman insisted the choice of Lawan was arrived at after due consultation with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).

After the meeting, Adamu hurriedly jumped into his vehicle and zoomed off.

The APC’s stand on Monday threatened the hope of the South to produce the next president as a northerner, former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, on May 28 got the presidential ticket of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party after defeating southern aspirants including the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel.

But northern governors in the APC, at their meeting on Saturday night, raised the hope of the South when they insisted that the presidential candidate of the party should emerge from the southern part of the country.

Adamu’s plot to impose Lawan was on Monday greeted by a groundswell of opposition from some NWC members, northern governors and other presidential aspirants.

Moments after the NWC meeting,  about seven members led by the National Organising Secretary of the APC, Suleman Argungu, told journalists at the party secretariat that Lawan was not the preferred candidate of the party.

Argungu stated, “We want to state that the pronouncement of Lawan as the consensus candidate was the chairman’s opinion and he is entitled to his opinion. It is not the position of the party.”

Others who supported Argungu were the National Vice Chairman (North-West), Salihu Lukman; Deputy National Chairman (South), Isaac Kekemeke; the National Youth Leader, Dayo Israel.

Amid the commotion, 12 northern governors emerged from a meeting with the President at the Presidential Villa where they stated that the President had confirmed to them that he had no preferred candidate.

The governors said they stood by their decision to zone the party’s presidential ticket to the South, a move which angered Kogi State Governor and Presidential aspirant, Yahaya Bello.

According to a communiqué issued after the meeting, the governors said, “After careful deliberation, we wish to state our firm conviction that after eight years in the office of President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the APC for the 2023 elections should be one of our teeming members from the southern states of Nigeria.

“It is a question of honour for the APC, an obligation that is not in any way affected by the decisions taken by another political party.”

Speaking on behalf of the governors, Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Simon Lalong of Plateau State regretted that the communiqué from the earlier meeting, where they endorsed power shift, had leaked to the public before they officially informed the President of their resolution.

He, however, noted that the governors had to inform the President in person as part of last-minute preparations for tomorrow’s primary elections.

“Mr. President, as a believer in democratic process, believes that any candidate must emerge through a transparent process and the emphasis that Mr. President told us that for this election, for now, he has no anointed candidate and therefore directed that the Progressive Governors Forum meet with the National Working Committee of the party to agree and proffer further solutions and recommendations for his own succession.”

Asked why their Kogi State counterpart was absent from the meeting, a distraught Governor Nasir El-Rufai (of Kaduna) said it was not compulsory for all 14 of them to agree on the southern ticket.

According to him, Bello had excused himself from the meeting with the President because he rejected the resolution made by the governors. El-Rufai argued that 13 out of 14 yeses are enough to front the agenda for a southern candidate.

“We all met before coming to meet with Mr. President, including the governor of Kogi State. As you can see, he’s not the only aspirant, the governor of Jigawa State is also an aspirant and he’s here with us and we met.

“But the governor of Kogi State chose to excuse himself from meeting with Mr. President because he believes that he does not agree with our position. There are 14 APC governors out of the 19 northern states. The 13 of us are on one page on this subject and we all came to see the President, but the governor of Kogi State excused himself and it is within his democratic rights to excuse himself. But 12 out of 14 is a super majority. 13 out of 14 is an even bigger super majority and the 13 of us met with the President today,” he said.

El-Rufai argued that the governors do not need a 100 per cent agreement rate to proceed with their decision.

On his part, the Chairman of the Progressives Governors Forum, Atiku Bagudu, accused the main opposition of ignoring the south and throwing open its Presidential ticket, despite having zoning in its constitution.

According to him, the APC will look out for the interest of the South in its considerations.

“Remember, the main opposition party PDP, they even have zoning in their constitution. But when it came to the selection of candidates, they ignored sections of Nigeria that are saying it’s our turn. In our party, we don’t even have zoning in our constitution, but knowing our president, how magnanimous he is, we felt comfortable to make a recommendation to him that even though we don’t have zoning, Mr. President, can we consider this?” Bagudu explained.

Other northern governors in attendance were:  Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa), Aminu Masari (Katsina) Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa) Bello Matawalle (Zamfara) Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Abubakar Bello (Niger), Yahaya Inuwa (Gombe), Babagana Zulum (Borno) and AbdulRahman Abdulrazaq (Kwara).

Agreeing with the governors, Buhari in a statement afterwards said he had not anointed any of the presidential aspirants.

This was as he said the party’s delegates would decide the outcome of Tuesday’s primary elections.

According to a statement signed by his Senior Special Assistant, Media and Publicity, Garaba Shehu, Buhari spoke at a meeting with 12 Northern APC Governors at the State House, Abuja, saying he has “no preferred candidate,” and has “anointed no one.”

The statement is titled ‘I have anointed no one, there shall be no imposition, says president Buhari’.

While noting that he is determined to ensure that “there shall be no imposition of any candidate on the party,” Buhari said the party is important and its members must be respected, and made to feel they are important.

The President said he had a clear mind about what he was doing and asked the APC governors to feel the same way: “You were elected as I was. Have a clear mind as I have. God gave us the chance; we have no reason to complain. We must be ready to take pain as we take the joy. Allow the delegates to decide. The Party must participate, nobody will appoint anybody.”

The Kwara State Governor, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, through his Special Adviser on Political Communications, Alhaji Bashir Adigun,  told The PUNCH  there was no going back on the southern Presidency.

Adigun said, “We have been inundated with enquiries on whether our Governor, AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq supports the resolution of Northern leaders on power shift to southern Nigeria.

“We like to state emphatically that the governor was ab initio fully part of the meeting and resolution of the northern leaders that the next President should come from southern part of the country.

“The governor could not immediately sign the resolution of the meeting because he was at his niece’s wedding held  on Saturday June 4,2022 where he was the Chief Host .

Presidency tackles Tinubu

Also in a separate statement, the Presidency rubbished claims by APC stalwart, Bola Tinubu, that he was largely responsible for Buhari’s victory at the 2015 polls after the President had failed in three earlier attempts.

According to a statement signed by Shehu, the Presidency said the past should not decide the next general election and what matters today is to elect a candidate that would “make our country better than it has ever been.”

The PUNCH reports that Tinubu, had raised some dust last Thursday when he claimed that without him, Buhari would not have emerged the president in 2015.

The Presidential aspirant made the claim at the Presidential Lodge in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, when he was addressing the APC delegates ahead of the party’s primary elections.

In its reaction, the Presidency said “It is perhaps not surprising that on the eve of the All Progressives Congress flag bearer primary there are those running as candidates who wish to associate themselves with the President’s rise to elected office seven years ago.

“There are many people who played parts large and small in his historic election in 2015, making history as the first opposition candidate to defeat a sitting president with power changing hands peacefully at the ballot box.

“There are those who advised the President to run again; those who decided to build a political party – the APC – that could finally be the political vehicle capable of delivering victory where all other opposition parties and alliances before it had failed.

“Those decisions may have been agreed upon by a few. But they were delivered by thousands and voted for by tens of millions. No one can or should claim to have made this possible.”

It added that as crucial as the 2015 victory was, it is not what should decide the next general election.

Meanwhile, The PUNCH learnt on Monday that although 21 APC Presidential aspirants were in the race, the battle for delegates votes was largely between Lawan, Tinubu, Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and former Governor Rotimi Amaechi.

Others in the race are: Oil mogul, Tein Jack-Rich; former Governors Godswill Akpabio, Ibikunle Amosun, Ogbonnaya Onu, Sani Yerima, and Rochas Okorocha; Governor Ben Ayade (Cross River), Governor Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), Governor Bello (Kogi), Deputy Senate Majority Leader, Ajayi Boroffice; a former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Dimeji Bankole; fiery Lagos cleric, Tunde Bakare; Mrs Uju Ken-Ohnenye; Pastor Nicholas Nwagbo, a former Minister of Information, Chief Ikeobasi Mokelu and a former Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba.

Both Governor Badaru of Jigawa State and a former Senate President, Ken Nnamani, have withdrawn from the race.

Nnamani announced his withdrawal during a meeting with journalists in Abuja on Monday.

He said, “In the present circumstances, it does not make any sense for me to continue in the race as I have not had the opportunity to market my profile and ideas to the delegates of our party in a manner that allow for deliberation and introspection.

“Therefore, I discontinue my aspiration and wish the party successful primary and unity of purpose so that we can win the 2023 general elections.

“I will continue to engage with the party and its leadership to make sure that the ideas and values that I cherish and propagate find strong footing in the party administration and in public leadership after election.”

Meanwhile, the legal department of the Bola Tinubu Campaign Organisation on Tuesday rejected attempts to anoint Lawan as the party’s candidate, insisting that the Electoral Act says consensus must be agreed to by all aspirants before the party can adopt it.

The Director, Legal Directorate, Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Babatunde Ogala (SAN), said this in a statement titled, ‘Consensus Candidate a Legal Impossibility’.

The statement read in part, “While the national chairman has yet to deny or offer any clarification on the alleged declaration, it is necessary to state that such a declaration is a legal impossibility. This is because under the regime of the Electoral Act 2022, consensus, though provided for as one of the means by which a political party may produce its candidate, must specifically occur in a precise form.”

Meanwhile, a former Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State says the powerful cabal in the Presidency is planning to give All Progressives Congress leader, Bola Tinubu, the ‘MKO Abiola’ treatment at the Presidential primary of the APC.

Fayose said this in an open letter to Tinubu on Monday which he personally signed.

MKO Abiola was the acclaimed winner of the June 12, 1993 Presidential election but was denied victory after the result was controversially annulled. He was eventually detained by the military government of General Sani Abacha the following year for declaring himself President. He died four years later.

In his open letter, Fayose said it was obvious that Tinubu was swimming against the tide and he needed to proceed with extreme caution.

The letter read in part, “Going by the handwritings that are now clearly on the wall, if I may consider sir, I see you as one that may be swimming against the political tide of the cabal in your party. They are equally preparing for your actions and reactions and are fully set to contain same as they did to both Awolowo and Abiola.”

Fayose said unfortunately Tinubu’s empire – which comprised almost all the six South-West governors and ministers as well as Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo – had been balkanised as evidenced by Tinubu’s outburst in Abeokuta last week.

Advising the APC, a political analyst, Tonye Isokariari, said the APC must do the needful to save the party from imploding ahead of the 2023 election.

He said, “The national chairman made a comment, the NWC members have come out to say they are not party to that I believe everyone is entitled to his own opinion. Yes, the APC will survive this,  It’s an internal crisis. As we speak the governors are meeting with the NWC members. So, whatever is going on, they will solve the problem. Well that’s our hope, that they will do the needful for the interest of justice, fairness and equity.”

Another political analyst, Jide Ojo, said Adamu’s declaration  might unsettle the party if not properly resolved.

He said, “The drama that happened today  will unsettle the APC if it is not properly resolved. Before now, Adamu had been accused of running a one-man show. He did same by declaring Lawan as the consensus candidate of the party which the northern governors, President and NWC have disassociated themselves.”

Veteran journalist and spokesman for the Bola Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, says he was the one who introduced Prof. Yemi Osinbajo to then Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, in 1999, a decision he now regrets.

Onanuga said this in a statement on Monday in reaction to an interview by The PUNCH with a former National Secretary of the defunct Congress for Progressive Change, Buba Galadima, who had lambasted Osinbajo for daring to contest against Tinubu, his former boss.

A’Court restrains NASS

 In a related development, the Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal on Monday issued an order restraining the National Assembly from imposing statutory delegates at the ongoing convention of the APC.

Delivering his ruling, Justice Haruna Tsammani also restrained the enforcement of the judgment of a Federal High Court in Kano delivered on June 3 granting the enforcement of the amended Section 84 (8) of the Electoral Act, 2022.

The ex parte application by the APC national chairman which was moved by A.A. Popoola and Karma Fagbemi, had pleaded with the Appeal Court to stay the execution of the judgment of Justice A.M. Liman of a Federal High Court in suit No. FHC/KN/CS/137/2022 permitting Senator Mas’ud El-Jibrin Doguwa, Hon. Habila Sani, Hon. Bilyaminu Yusuf Shinkafi, the Senate, the Speaker of House of Representatives and the Independent National Electoral Commission to enforce the amendment.

Justice Tsammani also ordered the service of processes of the order by substituted means against the parties in the matter and adjourned hearing of the motion on notice for stay of execution to June 9.

Adamu had contended that  Section 84(8) of the Electoral Act on statutory delegates participation in the primary, which amendment was still awaiting presidential assent was not in conflict with Section 223 of the Nigerian Constitution of 1999 and Article 20(iv) of the APC constitution.

He had further argued that the suit was filed in Kano on May 24 without joining of the Attorney General of the Federation as the Chief Law Officer of the Federation.

Politics

BREAKING: Oyo Deputy Governor Defects To APC

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The deputy governor of Oyo State, Rauf Olaniyan has announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC). 

Olaniyan made this announcement in an interaction with journalists on Sunday.

He said the decision came in yielding to yearnings of his supporters who were tired of waiting after remaining afloat in the PDP, for a while.

He said the defection did not affect his relationship with the state governor, Seyi Makinde, saying he remained on the same page with the governor regarding governance.

He maintained that he was not resigning as deputy governor.

Politics

APC In Make-Or-Break Presidential Convention

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AFTER several months of intrigues and backstabbing by power blocs, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is set to conduct the much-anticipated presidential convention where its standard-bearer will emerge ahead of the next general election. 

The national chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, on Sunday inaugurated 19 committees to handle the process, barely 24 hours to the scheduled date. 

Against the stand of the northern APC governors to cede power to the South, certain aspirants in the race from the North have refused to defer to the resolution asking them to withdraw from the race. 

Six of the northern governors in a communique issued at the end of their weekend meeting in Abuja “strongly recommend to President Muhammadu Buhari that the search for a successor as the APC presidential candidate be limited to our compatriots from the southern states.” 

They further maintained that, “It is a question of honour for the APC; an obligation that is not in any way affected by the decisions taken by another political party.” 

Feelers from the camp of the aspirants, however, revealed that they might have decided to snub the northern governors. 

At the weekend, only Jigawa State governor, Abubakar Badaru, has formally withdrawn from the race. 

Head of Communications, Yahaya Bello Campaign Organisation, Dr Yemi Kolapo, said the Kogi State governor would not drop his ambition as he dismissed the resolutions of the northern governors as mere recommendation that is not binding on her principal. 

She said: “Are they presidential aspirants? They only gave mere recommendation. Has the party agreed to their suggestion? Even the national chairman of the party said no decision was taken at the dinner with Mr President on Saturday. 

“We started this campaign before any of the aspirants. At this stage, on the eve of the election, you can’t be telling us to withdraw.” 

President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, who incidentally is from North-East, has also snubbed the resolutions of the northern governors. 

Iyke Ekeoma, spokesman of the Ahmed Lawan campaign organisation, said the position taken by President Buhari mandating presidential aspirants to present a consensus candidate superseded the resolutions of the APC northern governors. 

He said: “The president’s position supersedes the resolutions of the APC northern governors. It is merely advisory, not binding on the aspirants. Even the party’s national chairman hasn’t said anything on zoning. 

“The president has tasked aspirants to bring a consensus candidate. That’s the level we are; we are still in the race.” 

The meeting to produce a consensus candidate among presidential aspirants from the South-West, held at the Abuja residence of former Ogun State governor, Chief Segun Osoba, also ended in a deadlock. 

A source at the meeting told Nigerian Tribune that none of the aspirants was willing to step down. 

“All of them asked Chief Osoba and Baba Bisi Akande to give them time to consult with their supporters. Some even said they want to consult their immediate family. Only Pastor Tunde Bakare was absent,” he said. 

Ahead of the convention, investigation revealed that party chieftains and aspirants are involved in several meetings to arrive at the consensus option suggested by President Buhari. 

On Sunday, however, Senator Adamu inaugurated the 19 committees of the presidential convention. 

According to an earlier statement by APC national publicity secretary, Felix Morka, Kebbi State governor, Abubakar Atiku Bagudu, will chair the election management sub-committee. 

There was drama at the inauguration as the APC national chairman announced Imo State governor, Hope Uzodinma, who was initially paired with Governor Bagudu in the election management committee, as chairman of central steering committee. 

Borno State governor, Professor Babagana Zulum, however, objected as he noted that his Imo State counterpart was assuming the status of a sole administrator. 

Adamu later announced the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Mohammed Bello, as deputy chairman to Governor Uzodimma. 

Lagos State governor, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, is to lead the finance and logistics subcommittee, while the Ogun State governor, Dapo Abiodun, will superintend over accreditation and decoration. 

The APC national chairman, in his remarks, appealed to the leadership of the various committees to be diligent in order to achieve a seamless process. 

“This convention is a bit different from other conventions. It is different because it is the first transition convention of our great party. The forthcoming convention will be expected within our constitution to produce the standard-bearer of our great party to contest the presidential slot. 

“We are very careful that we chose different persons to be part of the committees that have been enumerated by the national secretary. It is our prayers and hope that every person who is allotted a committee will be anxious to give his or her best to serve in the slot that is given him or her,” he said. 

Uzodinma, in his speech on behalf of chairmen of other committees, assured the APC National Working Committee that they would live up to expectations. 

Meanwhile, contrary to expectations, the actual process of voting will take place on Tuesday. 

“The process is likely to be a three-day exercise,” a source told Nigerian Tribune.

Politics

Buhari agreed to support Tinubu for President – Buba Galadima

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A signatory to the 2013 merger of the All Progressives Congress, Alhaji Buba Galadima, tells ENIOLA AKINKUOTU and TOPE OMOGBOLAGUN about the agreements between Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) and former Governor Bola Tinubu of Lagos State.

As a former associate of the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), do you think the President will impose his candidate or leave it open for all aspirants to contest in the Presidential primary of the APC?

You don’t need to be a prophet or soothsayer to know that the President will indeed anoint whosoever he wants to be the candidate of the APC. But what one needs to look at is whether he could do that with some sense of decorum, with some sense of decency, with some sense of consideration for the opinion of the majority members of his party. My answer is No. Therefore, whoever he anoints will cause bickering,

infighting, and a lot of anti-party activities. This will bedevil the APC.

As one of the founding members of the APC, was there any agreement at any time that Tinubu would succeed Buhari?

Not perfectly an agreement, but there was an understanding because Tinubu with one other person and the President also with another person sat down and the information we got was that they agreed that if Tinubu would help Buhari win, he would become the Vice-President. When that was not possible, they called him to ask him to assist because of the exigencies of the time, which wouldn’t have allowed for a Muslim-Muslim ticket.

They said that whatever he does, he should deploy and make sure that Buhari becomes President and that when he (Buhari) is going, he would also do whatever he would in his powers to assist Tinubu to become President. It looks like they are now going back on that understanding. And a promise is a promise whether written or unwritten because if you can subvert it, God knows your heart. And God never accepts betrayal. When you are committed, whether it is sour or bitter, or tasty, you have to swallow it.

Now,  it looks like they want to go back on that understanding with Tinubu. This is why Tinubu is bitter and I understand this bitterness, because of what has happened to him, which I told him years back. I told him what was going to happen to him. And everything that I predicted those years is now happening. My prayer for him (Tinubu) is that he should come out of this unscathed and healthy. That is my biggest prayer for him.

But for him, it looks like he has already been subverted. The only way he can get his momentum is if the party agrees to do primaries. If the party agrees to go to the primaries, I have no doubt in my mind that Tinubu may emerge victorious, but as far as the consensus which they want to adopt is concerned, he is out of the game.

Who were those present when Buhari and Tinubu reached this agreement you claimed?

I won’t tell you but the people involved know. Tinubu came to the meeting with a former governor while Buhari came with a sitting governor. That is why that governor is solidly behind Tinubu today and because of the fear of God. But I wouldn’t want to mention the names of the two of them, because, Tinubu himself has alluded to this kind of understanding.

So are you saying that Buhari is the kind of person that does not honour promises?

Well, I don’t know. You should be the judge or ask Tinubu to whom he made the verbal promise.

So you foresee a situation whereby the party can have some crises or can even break if Tinubu is schemed out?

Well, the truth of the matter is that Nigerian politicians are cowards. Nigerian politicians are unprincipled. If they are courageous and principled, the APC would have broken into pieces a long time ago. But because of betrayals, God will never allow the APC to succeed, and even if they succeed, they will never have peace.

So what do you think of Tinubu’s outburst in Abeokuta last week and the threat by the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, to punish him?

Well, who is the APC chairman? Where was he when some of us were fighting for Buhari? Where was he? He should remember what he did to us in 2003. Is it because Buhari has forgotten?

If Buhari recollects what the APC national chairman did to him, he would not even ever allow him to shake his hand, let alone make him chairman.

What did the APC chairman do in 2003?

Well, you can ask him (Adamu Abdullahi) that Buba Galadima said that you did something to Buhari in 2003. And that it is abominable to the extent that he (Buhari) shouldn’t even shake hands with you or stay under one roof with you. Let him tell you what he did to Buhari during our campaigns.

But some may argue that in politics, alliances change. What would you say of Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo who was Tinubu’s protégé but is now running against his former boss?

So, politics does not connote decency or respect at all? Is that what you are trying to tell me? I am a principled person. I am with Rabiu Kwankwaso, for example now, even if you give me the whole of the Central Bank of Nigeria, that cannot change me. And you can ask Goodluck Jonathan’s people about me. In 2015, they tried to induce Sule Yahaya, who was our director-general; Mustapha Saliu, the man from Kwara State who was Deputy National Chairman of the CPC and me, just for us to make an appearance and endorse the candidacy of Jonathan but we refused to take it.

Therefore, we are not doing things for personal benefits. We do things hoping that it would be the best for Nigeria. That is why I don’t believe in sentiments; primordial sentiments of religion, tribe or where one comes from. We have tried all these and we have failed as a nation. Why don’t we try for once capacity and capability to accommodate all Nigerians and deliver Nigeria from this present status instead of predicament?

You think Osinbajo should have given up his presidential ambition for loyalty to Tinubu?

If he doesn’t, can you now trust him? If you look at how Osinbajo came with Tinubu and he’s now contesting against Tinubu who brought him, how safe would you be to work with such a person?

If the man who did all this to someone who made him commissioner, made him this, made him that and he is now fighting him. You will now want to fight for him now, what would be your status later in life with him?

Now that you are in the NNPP…

(Cuts in) I am the national chairman of the Reformed APC, a faction that broke off from the APC and I am still one. But there is no law, either an act or the constitution of the party, or that of the country that prevents any member of any political party from supporting a candidate of other parties.

Maybe my knowledge is small, but if you think there is, please advise me on the law or in the section of the constitution that stops that so that I could stop parading myself as Chairman of the Reformed APC or supporting another candidate or aspirant of another political party.

Are you not afraid that they can expel you for anti-party activities?

What are they waiting for? Even if they expel me, that is physical. It is because of me that there’s the APC. Even, the APC never held a Board of Trustees meeting since its inception. If I were chairman of INEC, I would de-register the party for that contravention of the article of BOT.

It is already indelibly written up to eternity that I was the number four person who signed the amalgamation treaty of the APC; you can’t take that away from me again. Anybody that is chopping or stealing in the APC now is to my foresight of signing to amalgamate the party to become APC.

The northern governors have all agreed that the presidential ticket will go to the South. So don’t you think that it’s almost automatic that at least the APC is going to come out with every southern presidential candidate?

You don’t know the reason they did that, and how powerful they can be. But that is the decision of their party. I don’t give a damn about it. Because every political party envies getting to a position where they can achieve success, it’s not about sentiment, if they think that a southern presidential candidate will give them victory? So be it.

If other people think that a northern presidential candidate will give them victory, so be it. That is democracy. But what we’re asking for is a level playing field, free, fair, transparent, processes and election. So let he who has got the support of the majority of Nigerians win

What do you see emerging as the candidate for the APC?

That’s not my problem. We are not afraid of the person that the APC will pick because if Kwankwaso is given a proper atmosphere and levelled the playing field, he will defeat anyone who emerges on the platform of PDP or APC, even if they are put together.

Why do you think Kwankwaso will win when the NNPP doesn’t even have a single governor?

It’s because you don’t believe in yourself. You don’t believe in your capacity to organise and network Nigerians. Kwankwaso became the governor of Kano State for the second time without a councillor, without a local government chairman, without a member of the state or National Assembly. Without any elected person. He contested the election in 2011 and won the governorship of Kano. We can replicate that for Nigeria.

Politics, World News

Zelensky: 113 Ukrainian churches damaged, destroyed by Russian shelling.

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Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said Saturday that 113 churches in Ukraine have been hit by Russian shelling since the beginning of the invasion.
The Skete of All Saints monastery in Lavra, located in the Donetsk region of Ukraine, has burned down, becoming the latest religious structure desecrated by the Russian army, Zelensky said in an address. Three monks were killed by shelling in Lavra on Wednesday.

“During the full-scale war, 113 churches have already been destroyed or damaged by Russian shelling. Among them are the ancient ones – those that withstood World War II, but did not withstand the Russian occupation,” said Zelensky.
“There are also those that were built after 1991,” he added, specifically addressing the incident in Lavra: “Reconstruction of the Skete of All Saints of the Svyatohirsk Lavra began in 2001. June 10 would be another anniversary of the beginning of construction.”

Zelensky said that “Worship services are forced to be held in the basement” in Ukraine due to the possibility of Russian shelling.
Zelensky implored the Ukrainian Orthodox Church, which he noted “is still considered in Moscow to be connected with the Russian Orthodox Church,” to draw “More decisive conclusions and a clear condemnation of each of those who condone aggression” in response to the Russian attacks on churches.
Zelensky added that Ukrainian diplomats “will do everything” to keep the destruction of churches and other culturally important infrastructure in Ukraine in the international public eye.

“The Russian army can stop burning churches. The Russian army can stop destroying cities. The Russian army can stop killing children. If the same person in Moscow just gives such an order. And the fact that there is still no such order is an obvious humiliation for the whole world,” said Zelensky, in an apparent rebuke to French President Emmanuel Macron’s comment Saturday that world powers should not “humiliate” Russia.

“We must not humiliate Russia so that the day when the fighting stops we can build an exit ramp through diplomatic means,” Macron said in an interview, designating his country as a “mediating power” in the conflict.
Zelensky concluded his address by describing the widespread destruction caused by Russia’s ongoing war on Ukraine.
“Russia is deliberately and systematically destroying Ukraine’s cultural and historical heritage, as well as social infrastructure, housing, and everything necessary for normal life,” he said.

Politics, World News

President Buhari rejoices with Pastor Kumuyi at 81.

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President Muhammadu Buhari has joined Christians and their leaders worldwide, to celebrate with Founder and General Superintendent of Deeper Christian Life Ministry, Pastor William Kumuyi at 81, on June 6.

In a congratulatory message by his spokesman, Mr Femi Adesina on Sunday in Abuja, Buhari felicitated the General Superintendent on the auspicious occasion.

He lauded Kumuyi for his dedication to soul winning, preaching of the gospel and counselling, which he believed had transformed many lives, and left an indelible mark on the growth of the nation.

The president noted the contributions of the Deeper Christian Life Ministry, which started as a Bible study group by Pastor Kumuyi, who was then a lecturer, to the spiritual and moral development of the country, with testimonies in education, health, roads and water supply.He also commended the Ministry for the provision of scholarships to the less privileged.

The president shared the joy of another age with the octogenarian, his wife, Esther, other family members and friends, while acknowledging the inspiring influence of the many books of the Christian leader, especially the devotionals.

He prayed that the almighty God would continue to strengthen Kumuyi and his family in good health and wisdom.

Politics, World News

Presidential candidate for PDP, Atiku condemns attack in Owo church.

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The former president of Nigeria and presidential candidate under the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar has taken to his Twitter page to condemn the unfortunate incident in Owo, Ondo state.

Atiku expressed his grievance with the families and friends of the attacked victims, who were killed and wounded by Fulani Herdsmen in the church. He called on security agencies and the government to act , by bringing the criminals to justice.

Below are this tweets:

Politics, World News

Massacre in Ondo Church today.

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Over 40 people have been reportedly killed in an attack on St Francis Catholic Church, Owa-luwa Street, in Owo town, Owo Local Government Area of Ondo State.
It was learnt that the incident happened in the church, which is less than 200 meters away from the Palace of Olowo of Owo.
Workers at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, confirmed that many people were brought in dead on Sunday.

A viral online video showed some worshippers being killed and lying on the floor of the church in the pool of their own blood.

https://www.instagram.com/tv/CebMoiCIdkz/?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

One of the health workers on duty at the Federal Medical Centre, Owo, where the casualties were taken to said over 50 people had been brought to the hospital.
He said, “They are still bringing people to the hospital, some have been confirmed dead while some are still breathing. But for now, I can’t specify the number of those dead.”

A source in the palace told Punch correspondent that there is tension and panic in the area.
He said, “The church that was attacked was at the back of the palace and we are still wondering how gunmen could carry out such an attack at the centre of the town.

This is unbelievable. Kabiyesi will soon issue a statement on the incident.”
Confirming the incident, the Police Public Relations Officer, Mrs Funmilayo Odunlami, said the command was yet to ascertain the cause of the incident.
“The CP (Commissioner of Police) is on his way to the scene to ascertain the cause of the incident. We have been hearing so many things about it but I will get back to you.”

Family and friends of victims at Federal Medical Centre.

Politics, World News

Bandits abduct 14 in Kaduna community.

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Bandits abduct 14 in Kaduna community.

Some bandits in the early hours of Saturday invaded Iri Station, Idon Ward of Kajuru Local Government Area of Kaduna State and abducted no fewer than 14 people.
A Supervisory Councillor of Admin, Finance and Health of the Council, Bala Jonathan, who confirmed the incident, said the bandits struck in the wee hours on Saturday.
Jonathan gave the identity of those abducted by the hoodlums to include Abdullahi, Yakubu Isah, Samson Julius, Angelina Julius, Pasema Daniel, Junior,  Bobo Julius, Saratu Mohammed, Asenath Sunday, Confidence Jerry, Barnaki Sunday, Moses Kenneth, Danladi Goma and Ummi Jibrin.
“These are the names of abducted persons in Iri Station which we have discovered for now. The sad event happened in the early hours of today, June 4, 2022,” he said.

He added that some of the natives who were kidnapped earlier “are still being held by the criminal gangs because their loved ones and communities have not been able to raise the ransom demanded by their abductors.”
It was gathered that the community (Idon) is fast becoming haven for the hoodlums who at will abduct natives with reckless abandon, leaving the members of the communities with no option but to part with ransoms in order to save their beloved ones.

The Kaduna State Police Command had yet to confirm the incident as of the time of filing this report.

When contacted on the telephone, the state Command’s Public Relations Officer, ASP Mohammed Jalige, promised to get in touch with the officer in charge of the area and get back to Punch correspondent but he hadn’t at press time.
“Let me call the Sector Commander there and get back to you,” Jalige said to Punch correspondent.

Politics, World News

Coups: Consider vulnerable citizens as you impose sanctions, Buhari urges ECOWAS leaders.

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The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari, on Saturday in Accra, urged leaders of the Economic Community of West African States to consider the welfare of the vulnerable citizens of Mali, Guinea and Burkina Faso who he described as the real victims of the unconstitutional power change.
This is as he noted that although the military leadership in Burkina Faso has released President Kabore in line with the request by ECOWAS leaders, further measures must be taken to ensure his safety and full freedom.
According to a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President spoke at the 6th Extraordinary Session of the Authority of Heads of State on the political situations in the three countries.
The statement is titled ‘President Buhari to ECOWAS leaders: Any decision on Mali, Burkina Faso and Guinea must consider the people.’

He expressed concern that since the last Summit of ECOWAS leaders on March 25, not much has been achieved in terms of having an acceptable timetable for the conduct of elections to restore democratic rule in the affected countries.
President Buhari warned that the security situation in both Mali and Burkina Faso has reached alarming levels with incessant attacks by extremist groups on the civilian populace and military facilities, aggravating the humanitarian condition in the two countries.


‘‘The deterioration of the humanitarian situation in Mali and Burkina Faso should be a source of serious concern to us as leaders in the region. As you may be aware, the world is still recovering from the effect of the COVID-19 pandemic, which wrecked the global economy.

‘‘While our economies begin to recover, the impact of the war between Russia and Ukraine has led to a surge in prices of many commodities including foodstuffs.
‘‘We are, therefore, left with no option but to devise means of sustaining our economies by becoming more creative and evolving in finding other channels of demand and supply, in order to ensure that we cushion the effect of the war and prevent our economies from collapsing, and our people remain productive.
‘‘We must, therefore, ensure that, in whatever decision we take, we must remember the mass of the populations in the affected countries, who are victims of the unconstitutional change of government and the adverse consequences of isolation brought about,’’ he said.
Consequently, he called on the Authority to revisit the report presented by former President Goodluck Jonathan, the ECOWAS Mediator on Mali, on a transition timetable for the West African country.
He also noted that Jonathan had recommended 16 months transitional timeframe ‘‘as well as his further personal appeal and observation to us to give the military leadership in Mali up to 18 months for the conduct of election, starting from March 2022.’’

Politics

Osinbajo meets Adamu, five APC governors ahead of national convention

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The meeting, which started at about 7 p.m. in Aguda House, the official residence of the vice president, came a few days after President Muhammadu Buhari met with the APC governors requesting their support to pick his successor.

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, on Thursday, met with the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, and five governors of the ruling party.

The meeting, according to sources, started at about 7 p.m.

However, the identity of the governors is currently unknown.

The meeting took place in Aguda House, the official residence of the vice president.

Laolu Akande, the spokesperson to the Vice President, did not pick up calls placed to his number.

Mr Osinbajo is in the presidential race under the APC alongside 22 others with the special convention to elect a candidate fixed for June 6-8.

Over the week, the presidential race of the ruling party became intriguing after the meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari, APC governors and the national chairman of the party.

“In keeping with the established internal policies of the Party and as we approach the Convention in a few days, therefore, I wish to solicit the reciprocity and support of the Governors and other stakeholders in picking my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023,” Mr Buhari had told the governors.

He departed for Spain on a state visit after the meeting.

On their part, the APC governors have held several meetings to deliberate on an ideal candidate but failed to reach an agreement so far.

Tinubu’s outburst

Earlier on Thursday, Bola Tinubu, a former Lagos State Governor and presidential aspirant of the APC, during a meeting with Ogun State delegates, narrated how Mr Osinbajo emerged as the vice president.

He said Mr Osinbajo, an indigene of the state, would not have emerged as the vice-presidential candidate in 2015 without his support.

“This is me telling you between my life and God Almighty, Buhari called me to be his Vice President. He said because the first time he contested, he picked Okadigbo, a flamboyant Catholic, but Nigerians didn’t vote for him.

“The second time, he picked another Igbo, Ume-Ezeoke, Nigerians didn’t vote for him. He knows that even if he goes to bring the Pope to run as his vice, Nigerians won’t vote for him. So he said, ‘you, Bola Tinubu, you have six governors, you have never lost an election before, come and be my vice.

“He knew all the calculations then favoured us, that was why he wanted me as his vice, but I told him to let us build the party first.

“I told them that I have a candidate that is a Christian that I can nominate so that the party will not break. That was how I nominated Vice President Yemi Osinbajo. I surrendered my right to him (Osinbajo).”

Politics

Peter Obi: Social media support for LP candidate unsettles presidential aspirants

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Since last week when the news broke on the defection of former Anambra State governor, Mr Peter Obi from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the Labour Party, LP, there has been growing support for the former bank chairman, with a lot of support across social media platforms.

First was that in Anambra State where Obi pulled out of the PDP, after a glaring plan to frustrate his effort to clinch the party’s ticket for the presidential election, many members of the party also dumped the party, including its bigwig politicians, its aspirants and very many supporters, all running to the Labour Party, for the simple reason that Obi has moved on.

Upon the news of Obi’s resignation, what one can describe as mass resignation hit the party, with Mr Valentine Ozigbo, PDP’s governorship candidate in the November 2021 governorship election in Anambra, who is running for Senate, withdrawing from the race, but failing to announce his resignation from the party. Apart from Ozigbo’s withdrawal, Hon Valentine Ayika, Hon Tony Nwoye and Hon George Ozodinobi, all former members of the National Assembly are among those who also withdrew from their aspiration and resigned from the party.

As at then, a source within Anambra PDP, however, had told DAILY POST that more prominent politicians in the State will still dump PDP in the coming days. The source said it was in anger that Peter Obi left the party, as Uba and others were working to humiliate him in the State, even as he battled his fellow presidential aspirants.

“More people will leave before the end of this week. It is true that PDP in Nigeria has problems, but the problem of Anambra PDP is far more than that of the national. It is still the reason they have not held a primary election for any position, till today. The plot is for all Obi’s line up to move en mass, and join the Labour Party, from where they will give PDP a fight,” the source said.

Exactly as predicted, more people are still leaving the PDP for the Labour Party, but the worry is now not only that of the PDP, but has spread to the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, and all who have interest in the coming election.

Currently, one can say that if online support can win presidential elections in Nigeria, Mr Peter Obi is already comfortably coasting to victory in the 2023 presidential election.

For example, on all social media platforms in the country, there have been all manner of support for Obi by Nigerians who believe he is the best man for the job. There have been comedy skits, political posts by ordinary Nigerians who have shown support for the former governor. Among them are social media posts, which have stated that even if Peter Obi joins ‘end of the year party’, ‘end of discussion party’, ‘party after party’, they would still vote for him.

Such cult followership is enough to send jitters down the spine of any other political party, especially as during the first 48 hours of his defection to LP, the server of the party’s website was reported to have broken down as a result of huge traffic, as people registered to become members of the political party.

There have, however, been varying views on the followership Obi is gaining on the internet, as some people have stated that following on social media may not translate to physical votes during the election. But a rights activist, Ejike Mba, who spoke to DAILY POST is of the view that it is from forming opinions on social media that people build the determination about where to vote.

He also stated that such open declaration for Obi on social media may also influence people who do not have a stand yet, while also stating that there is absolutely no truth in the insinuation that social media votes do not transform to physical votes for candidates.

He said, “If you ask me, the best thing that has happened this year is the acceptance of Mr Peter Obi to run for president, and as if that is not enough, he quietly exited the PDP and moved to a less known party when it became obvious that PDP was bent on frustrating him. I’m a supporter of Peter Obi, and there is no way people can tell me that the kind of cult following he is enjoying today can not translate to positive support during the election.

“Let me tell you, the people that are not happy are people that are in the ruling political party, APC. If you are someone who uses Facebook, Twitter, Instagram or even WhatsApp, you will see the kind of comment people are making about the personality of Obi. In 2015, APC and it’s candidate, Muhammadu Buhari had the same kind of acceptance in the social media, but the only difference was that while the APC and their propaganda arm induced people to make post that were positive about Buhari, the case of Peter Obi is that after visiting a lot of places on the platform of the PDP and also presenting his case and arguing in television shows, people today see him as the man who cuts the shape of the kind of president that can bring hope to this country.

“Have you not seen Peter Obi being mobbed at airports and other public places? Don’t you see the kind of support people are showing to him? The good thing is that unlike the APC, which stage-managed the kind of Buhari they wanted us to believe in, especially through social media influencers who they paid, the case of Obi is that genuinely, people are making positive videos, comments and posts about him because they are convinced about what they want.”

Speaking on the possibility of Obi’s support base which is the youth staying with him through the election, a journalist, Mrs Ify Nzebo said: “Most of the fight is for Obi to fight. Just like people have been saying ‘there is no polling unit in social media’, I still believe that with all the campaigns, people are more politically aware today than they were in 2015 and in 2019. A lot of people have realized the power of the PVC, and they are going all out for it.

“I’m sure the youths will come out enmasse to vote for Obi as they have also been supporting him, but what I’m definitely not sure of is that any of those youths will want to stay behind and protect their votes as they usually say. As for coming out to vote, people will vote Obi enmasse, but if in the case opposition political party decides to use violent thugs to rig the election, most of the youths will rather want to be safe. Thankfully, from what we have heard, the new Electoral Act may not permit such use of violence to rig elections this time.”

On the willingness of the north to relinquish power, Mba said: “Many people have been talking about the willingness of the northern oligarchs to cede power to the south, and they too have shown it that they are not willing. That is why after eight years of two tenure, the north is still not willing to have power zoned to the south. PDP has also confirmed it by electing Atiku Abubakar as their candidate, making Peter Obi’s exit from the party a very good move.

“But one thing I know is that, this could be the very opportunity for the real Nigerian people to choose their own president, irrespective of the options placed before them by a cabal. I’m already sure that the APC will also elect a northerner as candidate, but it is up to the voting public to choose who to vote for. Already, Peter Obi is sitting pretty because this will be the first time that someone outside the two big parties is posing a threat to the big parties, and also being positively believed to have the chance to win.”

Politics

Dollar rain drowns PDP presidential primary, creates bonanza for delegates

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ADELANI ADEPEGBA writes that the opposition Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential primary turned out to be a dollar bazaar as aspirants on the eve of the convention competed to woo delegates

The dollar rain at the Peoples Democratic Party presidential convention in Abuja on May 28 was not unexpected. The stakes were high, tension was fever-pitch. The 14 candidates were ready to deal. For the 764 delegates, the financial windfall was their reward from the transactional primary disguised as participatory democracy, and they were not disappointed. While addressing delegates, most of them paid no attention to the party’s manifesto and how they would rescue the country.

Among the presidential aspirants were a former vice president, state governors, ex-governors, former senate presidents, businessmen, and a publisher.

Atiku Abubakar, the perennial presidential contestant, did not leave anyone in doubt about his resolve to take the prize, regardless of the price. His camp has yet to deny reports that he doled out about $20,000 to each delegate to best his closest rival. He subsequently emerged the PDP candidate with 371 votes.

Atiku was believed to boast a huge war chest made possible in part by his stint in government. Even though,  he has been unable to deodorise or stamp off the foul smell of corruption allegations swirling around him.

Atiku’s closest challenger, Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, came second with 237 votes. Like other contestants, the governor had toured various states to seek support from the delegates. With the swagger of an emperor who could do no wrong, Wike had written off other aspirants, even as he announced to anyone who cared to listen that he was the only person that could win the presidential poll for the opposition party.  Wike’s camp was said to have packaged $10,000 for each delegate in a desperate bid to clinch the coveted party ticket. On failing to achieve his dream, the governor, who stormed the MKO Abiola stadium with no fewer than 25 buses decorated with his campaign banners, quietly left the venue.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission had, a few weeks ago, declared the Rivers State Accountant-General, Fubara Siminayi, and 58 others wanted for N435bn fraud, money laundering, misappropriation of public funds, and abuse of office. For those who may not know, Siminayi, who is Wike’s protégé, just clinched the PDP governorship ticket and may emerge the next Rivers governor in 2023.

A former Director-General, Nigeria Maritime and Safety Agency, Dakuku Peterside, alleged that Wike spent N30bn state funds on delegates during the PDP primary.

“Wike donated about N10bn of public funds in unsolicited charity to states, and about N20bn pursuing his ill-fated presidential bid,’’ the former federal lawmaker claimed.

However, the governor’s spokesperson, Kelvin Ebiri, dismissed the allegations as spurious.

Atiku’s spokesman, Paul Ibe, also denied that his principal bribed delegates, attributing his victory to “hard work and the unity speech.”

He stated, “I can tell you outright that it is false in its entirety, it is not true. Maybe you want to know why Atiku won; I would tell you. Atiku won because of his message, the agenda he has for Nigeria, about security, about unity and education, the economy and devolution of powers and all of that are encapsulated in what is known as the unity speech.

Saraki and Governor Udom Emmanuel of Akwa Ibom were also not left out of the zero sum game as they also allegedly wooed the delegates with their wallets. The only female in the race, Oliver Diana, and another contestant, Sam Ohuabunwa, scored one vote each; a former President of the Senate, Pius Anyim, scored 14 votes while Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, scored 20 votes. The other contestants – ex-governor Ayodele Fayose and Ovation Magazine publisher, Dele Momodu – got zero votes.

Curiously, men of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission appeared at the scene in their red jackets looking for evidence of vote-buying and checking Ghana-must-go backs laden with ballot papers. Observers said the EFCC was merely playing to the gallery as they knew what to do if they were serious about tracing the thousands of greenbacks that exchanged hands before the voting exercise. Their appearance at the PDP convention was described as sheer buffoonery.

A spokesman for the EFCC, Mr Wilson Uwujaren, explained that the officials of the commission stormed the presidential primary elections to monitor delegates’ inducement and financial malpractices.”

However, delegates, who spoke on strict condition of anonymity, said the sharing of money took place at hotels and well-guarded locations.

“Some of the aspirants are serving governors. We were flown in from different states. Do you think it is at the venue that we will be given money? The EFCC are just jokers.

“They are even wearing uniforms. Why didn’t they wear mufti? I am sure they will not go to the APC primaries. The serious aspirants have reached out to us and have done the needful,” said a delegate from Lagos.

He stated, “States like Lagos, Osun, Kaduna and others that have no governor are the ones that are collecting money from all the aspirants. They can make as much as $30,000 from different aspirants because they are swing states.’’

Appalled by the monetisation of the process, one of the aspirants, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, a former Managing Director of defunct FSB International Bank, withdrew from the race on Saturday morning.

A past President of the Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Sam Ohuabunwa, observed that the delegates could not resist the $10,000, $15,000 and $20,000 offered to them by the ‘’four leading contestants,’’ during the presidential special convention. According to him, the effect of money was overwhelming in the choice made by delegates.

He added, “In the current dispensation, a few members of a party are involved in the determination of the fate of the aspirants. They now deal in and distribute major international currencies, especially the dollar.

A policy analyst, Charles Onunaiju, called for a rethink of the democratic process so that it could be value-driven and owned by the citizens.

Politics

Wike visits Atiku as PDP shops for Southern running mate

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Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, on Wednesday evening, visited Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential candidate for the 2023 general elections, Atiku Abubakar, in Abuja.

Wike’s visit happened amidst search by Atiku and the opposition party for an acceptable southern running mate.

The PDP Board of Trustees Chairman, Walid Jibrin, had on Monday said, “The BoT will assist the party and surely the Waziri Adamawa (Atiku) himself to come out with a very acceptable Vice President from southern Nigeria.”

Atiku, who was also PDP presidential candidate in 2019, ran with former Anambra State governor, Peter Obi who left the PDP to become the presidential flag bearer of the Labour Party in 2023.

The PUNCH learnt that Wike reciprocated Atiku’s visit which the former Vice-President paid on Monday.

Unlike Monday’s meeting where a dissatisfied Wike met the camera shutters with an arching frown on his face, Wednesday’s meeting ended on a cordial note as the governor and the ex-VP beamed with smiles in a photo pose after the closed-door session whose details were yet unknown as of press time.

Atiku shared photos of the meeting on his verified social media pages. He said, “It was a pleasure to receive His Excellency Nyesom Wike in the company of notable leaders and officials of our great party, the PDP, at my residence today. I am proud of the promises that this spirit of camaraderie holds for our party as a united front that guarantees victory in the next election to rescue the country.”

Earlier on Wednesday, Atiku solicited the support of his rivals in the opposition party to defeat the ruling All Progressives Congress in next year’s election.

Atiku, after he received the party’s Certificate of Return at the PDP National Secretariat at the Wadata Plaza in Abuja, said his main opponent is the APC and not his co-aspirants in Sunday’s presidential primary.

He urged his contenders to join forces with him to dislodge the APC government led by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd) in 2023.

During the PDP presidential primary held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium on Saturday, Atiku polled 371 votes to defeat Wike, who got 237 votes; a former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, 70 votes; the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom, 38 votes; the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, 20 votes; a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, 14 votes and an ex-President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Sam Ohuabunwa, one vote.

The delegates were said to be surprised when the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, who was one of the front runners for the presidential ticket, stepped down and directed his supporters to vote for Atiku as a result of what sources said was due to the intervention of the northern elders, who were pushing for a northern consensus aspirant.

Wike had lambasted Tambuwal for stepping down for Atiku at the last-minute and had alleged that some PDP governors sabotaged him.

Politics

The bilateral agreements Buhari signed during his trip to Spain 

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President Muhammadu Buhari visited Spain on Wednesday, where he met the Spanish President, Pedro Sanchez, King of Spain, His Majesty, King Filipe VI, and gave a speech at the headquarters of the World Tourism Organization, WTO, in Madrid.

During the visit, bilateral agreements and MoUs were signed covering areas of prisoner transfer, sports and culture, and the economy.

Nigeria’s Minister of Justice and Honorable Attorney General of the Federation (HAGF), Abubakar Malami, signed these 3 Agreements on behalf of the FG.

What they said

Media aide to the Presidency, Tolu Ogunlesi stated that the bilateral agreements covered Mutual Legal Assistance in Criminal Matters, Extradition, and Transfer of Sentenced Persons.

The Presidency stated that “The Agreement on Transfer of Sentenced Persons will allow Nigerians serving jail terms in Spanish prisons (there are apparently quite a number of them) to complete their sentences back home if they so wish. (I’m told the Agreement also guarantees some form of legal aid in Spain).” 

They also added that five (5) MoUs were signed between Nigeria & Spain by Foreign Minister Geoffrey Onyeama, Sports Minister Sunday Dare, and Trade Minister Niyi Adebayo on Economic & Trade Cooperation —Sports —Health —Tourism —Science Cooperation

Politics

Peter Obi’s political (mis)calculation

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Reports that the former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, resigned his membership of the main opposition party were met with mixed feelings. While some saw dumping a party that was unlikely to offer him the ticket as good as good riddance, others felt he was better off muscling it out with the big dogs, nevertheless.

Peter Obi came into limelight in 2006 when he became governor of Anambra State after battling in court for three years to claim his mandate wrongfully given to the then Peoples Democratic Party candidate, Chris Ngige. Obi was of the All Progressives Grand Alliance. Obi contested and won a second term in office.

He left APGA in 2014 to join the PDP that “stole” his mandate. Such moves are unsurprising in Nigeria’s fluid political space. Ngige himself had left the PDP for the APC. Obi decamped without the usual fanfare that goes with movements of former governors. The state structure of the party wasn’t in his control neither did we witness bigwigs of APGA go with him to PDP. Be that as it may, Obi had warmed himself into the hearts of the regular Joe with his public appearances highlighting with his husky voice, his prudence while in office and giving elementary insights on how public funds can be managed.

However, what took his popularity to stratospheric heights was when, against political permutations, the former vice president, Atiku Abubakar, selected him as running mate ahead of the 2019 general elections. It was tough to question Atiku’s pick at the time despite frowns from the Southeast caucus of the PDP and from the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, for the petty reasons like not being consulted before he made the choice was made. PDP lost the election, but Obi continued selling his personality and brand of governance to the public.

As politicians started showing interest in picking their party’s nomination for next year’s elections, Peter Obi was being urged to run. In January this year, he gave a cagey tweet stating that he would contest for the position of the president if PDP zoned it to the south and if not, Nigeria would hear from him.

Zoning is political and not a moral decision. The truth is that had the southwest not voted en bloc for Alliance for Democracy, a political party that then stood for the interests of the southwest region, at lower tier elections leading to the presidential elections of 1999, the argument for a southwest presidency might have been much weaker. The southeast doesn’t have such an electoral history. The voting pattern in the region, which also has the lowest electoral numbers, is sparsely distributed, making it difficult for the major political parties to lay their electoral fortunes on such uncertainties.

Furthermore, zoning worked in the past when the political space was less competitive and was a monopoly of the PDP where the powerbrokers could easily throw out a morally strong candidate that the electorate would like and at the same time fundamentally weak politically to be easily manipulated by the political elite. Times have changed. So, zoning it to the southeast would either mean a puppet red-capped man in power or a major political party risking its political fate to an opponent that presents a rival with higher political numbers. Obi is upright but sure would be nobody’s puppet. Moreover, he never presents himself as a provincial candidate, he offers himself as a Nigerian.

As time passed for PDP to decide on zoning, aspirants began making pronouncements for the top job. Obi was present when Atiku made his declaration. He joined Atiku in a few travels before he made his own modest declaration to run. Obi’s campaign which became a movement captured the hearts of his supporters. His followers grew astronomically especially on social media where they kept on prevailing on, practically blackmailing, the PDP to pick him as its candidate. They did nationwide roadshows and even went to the party headquarters demanding that Obi be chosen. Then came the news that he was resigning his membership of PDP to pursue his ambitions elsewhere.

He cited acts inconsistent with tenets of democracy in his letter of resignation. What are those inconsistencies? Was he expecting a perfect system? How different is the process this time around from that that made him vice presidential candidate in the last electoral cycle? Why leave a leading opposition party with national spread that could still place him a heartbeat away from the presidency for a little-known party? Or did he just want to avoid embarrassment at the convention?

If he couldn’t convince less than a thousand delegates to vote for him, how does he expect to win the votes of tens of millions? The argument that the delegates were bought fails as vote buying will also play a part in the general elections. Our electoral system is offensively merchandized from exorbitant price of nomination forms to dollarisation of delegates.

By the way, his emergence as the Labour Party candidate was democratically suspect with his opponents stepping down. Our misgivings against APC and PDP aside, they had competitive primaries to pick those running for their respective platforms after sales of forms were made public to aspirants. These were absent in practically all other parties. What we have mostly are ambitious people who are either offered the tickets of parties that needed recognition or the hopefuls floating their own parties. This makes one wonder how Obi, that joined a fractionalised party on Friday and became candidate on Monday, wants to benefit from the fruits of elective democracy at the polls he never sowed at the primaries.

My pedestrian political knowledge tells me that a party that gathered only 0.02% of the votes in the last general elections won’t be enough for Obi to clinch the prize. Elections are a residual memory recall decision process and are won by political parties that have traditional structures well-oiled over time.

Secondly, the voter is not only choosing a president, but he is also more importantly choosing a government. The 2023 elections are not a referendum for or against the PDP-APC duopoly, but on the soul of Nigeria and her future. So, the voter looks for a team whose captain is embodied in the president and sadly, the parties outside the big two can’t form a team. This only exposes their deficiencies of forming a government. Only APC and PDP have candidates for every elective position except the courts bar them. From my observations, Obi’s anti-elitist campaign has been mainly about him. Where are his aides and members of his cabinet when he was Anambra governor to corroborate his testimonies? How many of them are members of his campaign today? Already there are speculations on who Atiku might pick as running mate. Is Labour Party working for Obi or are they using him to gain attention?

Be that as it may, Obi’s presence in the political space is good for the system. In fact, we need more cerebrums like him to join politics to make the negotiations, compromises and strategies required to obtain power and make the changes. Because at the end of the day, they are political parties and not pressure groups. And every leader must necessarily be a politician.

And to the Obi-dient followers, we have seen this kind of cult following before for people described as unorthodox. There was one that told us he had no shoes and the other incorruptible guy told us he had an Ibo driver; we should not be carried away. Nigeria can’t be fixed by only one man’s populist agenda without addressing the deep-seated and structural defects of our system.

I also appeal that apathy is not an option because we vote to make a statement not necessarily to vote a winner and abstention is a plebiscite for the status quo. We also vote for who and what we believe in. Those that voted for Awolowo despite never winning neither regretted nor threw away their votes. And we vote to renew our faith in democracy.

Let me admonish by saying that they should pick up their PVCs, take their movement from social media and urban centres to the grassroots and trenches nationwide, and use the Obi candidacy to change the existing political order.

  • Okunfolami writes from Festac, Lagos.

Politics, World News

Reno Omokri tackles Tinubu’s supporters kicking against President Buhari’s appeal to APC members to allow him choose his successor.

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Reno Omokri has taken to his Instagram page to tackle supporters of former Lagos state governor and APC Presidential hopeful, Bola Tinubu, who according to him are complaining about President Buhari asking APC members to allow him choose his successor.
 
Recall that during President Buhari’s meeting with APC governors on Tuesday, May 31, he asked the governors to allow him to choose his successor. (Read here).  This reportedly did not go down well with some members of the party, particularly the presidential aspirants who are hoping they clinch the party’s ticket during their convention slated for June 6th to 9th.

Posting the photo above on Instagram, Reno opined that APC members should stop complaining as their principal, Tinubu, has also been the one choosing who becomes governor of Lagos state for many years now.
 
He wrote;

”I don’t understand why Bola Tinubu’s people are complaining that Buhari can’t choose who the APC candidate will be. Who chooses who becomes candidate of the APC in Lagos? Is it not solely Tinubu? Who stopped Ambode from being re-elected? Was it not solely Tinubu?
Did Ambode not pay for a form in 2019? Did the APC not collect his money and refuse to refund him after Tinubu rejected him? Did he not go and gather his brother Governors to beg Tinubu on his behalf?
Did Governor Bagudu of Kebbi not prostrate to Tinubu on Ambode’s behalf? Not that I support the imposition of candidates. However, what is good for Lagos APC is also good for national APC!
I am a student of history. I recall clearly that Samuel Doe use to cut people while they were still alive. However, when Prince Yormie Johnson arrested him on his way to seek safety with ECOMOG, Johnson gave Doe the special Doe treatment.

So, if Buhari decides to give Tinubu the special Ambode treatment, history justifies it! Tinubu cannot expect Buhari to treat him better than he, Tinubu, treated Ambode.

If Ambode was the Governor of Lagos on October 20, 2020, instead of Sanwoolu, maybe the #LekkiMassacre of peaceful, unarmed #EndSARS protesters would not have happened. But Tinubu denied him the ticket. So, Buhari can deny Tinubu just as Tinubu denied Ambode. No one will cry foul!”

Politics, World News

Oyo Commences New C Of O Scheme, Prescribes New Fees For Residential, Commercial, Agric Landowners.

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A new Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) scheme tagged, “C of O Redefined”, commences in Oyo State on Wednesday, bringing an end to the previous scheme launched in 2020 named “C of O redefined”.

The new scheme, launched by State Commissioner for Lands, Housing and Urban Development, Mr Olayiwola Olusegun, at State Secretariat, Ibadan, prescribes various fees for residential, industrial land-owners, residential, commercial, and agricultural landowners.

He, however, maintained that upon payment of prescribed fees, applicants will get their C of O within 60 days.

As reeled out by Olayiwola, getting C of O for a residential range between N150,000 and N220,000; residential/commercial cost N400,000; commercial landowners will have to pay between N250,000 and N550,000; while agricultural landowners between N200,000 and N750,000.

He added that the new scheme was aimed at improving land administration and improve revenue generation in the state.

Asked about the complaints that bedeviled the last scheme, Olayiwola said the state government identified that the major challenge was the involvement of middlemen.

He added that the state did not issue some C of O due to coordinate errors on surveys submitted by some applicants.

Notwithstanding the challenge, Olayiwola said out of a total of 6,779 C of O applications received since 2020, the state government issued C of O to 4,804 applicants.

He added that prospective applicants are expected to produce the following documents: Application Form at N10,000.00, Passport Photograph (1), original Land Agreement, registered Survey Plan verified by Surveyor General office(N5,000.00,) Certificate of Incorporation of the company (if Commercial), Photograph of the subject property (if developed).

Olayiwola said: “Today, the Ministry of Lands, Housing & Urban Development (MLH&UD) on behalf of Oyo State Government (OYSG) launch a new Certificate of Occupancy Scheme called C of O Redefined and this is borne out of His Excellency’s passion to make Certificate of Occupancy accessible and affordable to all land users.

“In 2020, the State Government through the Ministry of Lands, Housing & Urban Development launched the Oyo Home Owner’s Charter (OYHOC) scheme which served as an opportunity for Prospective Home Owners to obtain their Certificate of Occupancy at an affordable price.

“While the OYHOC scheme was ongoing, the Ministry got feedback from members of the public that other land users should also be considered. That is why the Executive Governor of Oyo State, His Excellency, Engr. Oluseyi Makinde approved and directed that all land users should be considered, hence, the birth of C-of-O Redefined, which the Ministry is launching today.

“The C of O Redefined will give opportunity for industrial landowners, residential, commercial, and agricultural landowners to apply and have their Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) within 60 days and at an affordable price.

“His Excellency has approved the following fees under this new scheme and it is our sincere hope that members of the public will make use of this opportunity.

“Between 2020 and now, a total number of 6,779 Certificate of Occupancy (C of O) applications was received under the HOC scheme apart from Conventional C of O and 4,804 of these applications have been processed and issued with certificates, this is an appreciable increase to Certificate of Occupancy issued during the last administration. With C of O Redefined, we hope to achieve more than we have done with OYHOC.

“The Ministry is aware that some property owners who applied for C of O are yet to be issued the same, this is due to several reasons but majorly it borders on coordinate errors and survey issues which the ministry is looking at resolving.

“In order to apply for C of O Redefined, property owners should produce the following documents: Application Form at N10,000.00; Passport Photograph (1), original Land Agreement, registered Survey Plan verified by Surveyor General office N5,000.00, Certificate of Incorporation of the company (if Commercial), Photograph of the subject property (if developed).

“It is important to state that some properties that fall within Government Acquisition, stream set back, Circular Road, High Tension Cable, Rail Line Corridors, etc are not entitled to Certificate of Occupancy and as such are not going to be issued with any.

“However, applications will commence tomorrow, June 1, 2022. We are calling on all property owners to seize this opportunity and enjoy all the benefits of C of Redefined.”

Politics

PDP presidential primary: Fayose breaks silence after scoring zero vote

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Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose has finally spoken for the first time since Saturday night when he scored zero in the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential primaries.

Fayose was one of the fourteen presidential aspirants who battled for the main opposition party’s sole presidential ticket but failed to score a single vote.

However, he has finally broken his silence, congratulating the winner, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and commending Governor Nyesom Wike, who came second.

Atiku emerged the Presidential candidate of the PDP for the 2023 general election, having secured a total of 371 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Wike, who garnered 237 votes.

From the details of the results from the exercise: Atiku Abubakar – 371; Nyesom Wike- 237; Bukola Saraki – 70; Udom Emmanuel – 38; Balla Mohammed – 20;
Pius Anyim – 14; Sam Ohabunwa – 1; and Olivia Tariela scored 1. There were 12 void votes.

“To this end, I congratulate Alhaji Atiku Abubakar our flag-bearer and wish him and our party success in the general election

“I congratulate former VP Atiku Abubakar over his emergence as the PDP presidential candidate. I also commend Governor Nyesom Wike for remaining consistent in action and character,” Fayose tweeted.

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