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Category: Lead

  • 100 Rivers’ clerics declare support for Tinubu

    100 Rivers’ clerics declare support for Tinubu

    Over 100 pastors and prophets in Rivers State have declared support for the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the next Saturday’s election, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate Senator Kashim Shettima.

    Rising from their meeting in Port Harcourt, on Monday, the clerics under the auspices of Rivers Pastors Unite for Tinubu (RPUT), said the APC candidate remained the only person with the capacity to solve the country’s problems.

    Reading the position of the clerics after the meeting, the Coordinator, RPUT, Pastor Sunday Edimeh, who is also Founder, One Life Bible Church, said none of the candidates had supported the Christian community as much as Tinubu.

    Edimeh however clarified that their position applied only to the presidential election and had nothing to do with the governorship and other elections in the state.

    Other clerics, who attended the meeting were Pastor Julius Dan of the Apostolic Church Nigeria; Apostle Stephen Ngajaekwu, Christ King of Glory; Pastor John Monday, QWA Iboe Church among others.

    Quoting from the scriptures, Edimeh urged the Christians to stand for the truth and reciprocate Tinubu’s good deeds to the Christian community by mobilising votes for him across the country.

    He also urged Christian leaders and their followers to shun any presidential candidate playing a Christian or religious card ahead of the poll.

    He said: “None of the leading Presidential candidate has supported the Christian community as much as Bola Tinubu. He has sown only good seeds on the soil of the Christian community and such should never be dismissed. 

    “We call on fellow clergymen and women to stand with the truth at this time. We are aware that a Presidential candidate is playing up Christian agenda but the pertinent question is before now , how has he uplifted the Christian community?

    “The choice of a running mate does not in any way, pose a threat to the Christian community. Hence, let us dissociate from the cold-hearted proclivities of political transition, which seek to orchestrate needless divisions based on religious grounds. Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has not presented any conduct to suggest his non-tolerance for the religious sentiments of all Nigerians. 

    “As a matter of fact, he has through his personal life, demonstrated an utmost liberal nature and tolerance in giving support to his wife, Senator(Pastor) Remi Tinubu’s spiritual convictions to practice Christianity and serve as a minister of the gospel of Christ. 

    Read Also: Why Tinubu should be next president, by Ayinde

    “The nation’s democratic political antecedent, with all past Presidents and Vice-presidents from Southern Nigeria being Christian, proves a fair disposition towards Christian stakeholders and these religious debates are not founded on critical analysis. We urge the Christian community not to withdraw support based on religious grounds. We must remain loyal to the gospel of love into which we have been called”.

    Edimeh dismissed insinuations of ill-health against Tinubu saying the rigorous campaigns the APC candidate had run ahead of the poll had given him a clean bill of health 

    He said: “Having observed the rigorous campaigns of Tinubu, it goes without saying that the claims of him ailing are unfounded and should not be considered in the scheme of things. 

    “We, however, demand that he remains committed to delivering on all the campaign promises as failure to do so would amount to reputational damage and loss of trust which the electorate and respected bodies such as ours have bestowed upon him.

    “This statement is not in any way, a compromise of our faith or religious convictions, it is rather, an acknowledgement of Bola Ahmed Asiwaju’s candidacy and alignment with his plans and policies given a careful scrutiny of his presented manifesto. Nigeria belongs to us all and we will not allow divisions get in the way of quality leadership and prosperity”.

    Edimeh said the clerics were not in doubt of Tinubu’s capacity to deliver good governance to facilitate growth and development citing his proven track records in transformational leadership in Lagos State. 

    He insisted that Tinubu had routinely demonstrated competence, grit and tenacity, which had earned him a reputation as leader of leaders, whose influence and competence had been tested and trusted through the times.

    He said: “Bola Tinubu is indeed a kingmaker, who has nurtured numerous political proteges regardless of their religious and ethnic inclinations, as a matter of fact”.

    He identified some of the pastors, that served in Tinubu’s past administration but had continued to enjoy the support of the APC candidate to rise to positions of prominence in the country.

    Among others he named Pastor Yemi Osinbajo, the Vice-President; Pastor Ben Akabueze, a former commissioner for Budget and Economic Planning, who is in charge of Nigeria’s Budget as well as Pastor Babatunde Fowler, the immediate past Chairman of Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS).

    Describing Tinubu as pro-masses, Ndah said: “In 2019, during the government’s attempt to increase VAT rates, knowing the implication of such a policy on the poor, Asiwaju was quick to call on relevant stakeholders to reconsider the policy while offering a recommendation which had the capacity to achieve increased internally generated revenue which was the policy’s initial aim.  

    “He has also been a leading voice in speaking for the masses against the duo of ill-timed Central Bank of Nigeria’s currency redesign and cashless policy which has left the poor bearing the brunt of it. 

    “To allay the fears of sceptics who propagate cynicism and bigotry, the All Progressives Congress Presidential flag bearer has displayed an unquestionable commitment to nationhood and development devoid of ethnic colorations.

    “As governor, his focus was actualizing the blueprint for the state’s development the appointment of cabinet members outside his ethnic affiliations is a testament”.

  • Amaechi working for Atiku, Rivers PDP alleges

    Amaechi working for Atiku, Rivers PDP alleges

    The Rivers chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party Campaign Council (PDPCC) has alleged a former Transport Minister, Rotimi Chibuike Amaechi is a member of the ‘wicked’ cabal punishing the people with fuel and naira-swap crises.

    The Director of Publicity and Communications, PDPCC, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, challenged Amaechi to deny that he was not part of persons making life a nightmare for Nigerians.

    Nwuke said Amaechi was also working secretly for the PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, alleging the former Rivers Governor recently reconciled with members of the PDP’s Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers 

    He said Amaechi had been working secretly and holding meetings with Atiku and others in the cabal to starve the country of the much-needed funds in the name of politics.

    Nwuke said: “Nigerians have been forced to go through the eye of the needle in search of money with which to meet their daily needs and feed their families. 

    “Unknown to most Nigerians, the vicious cabal that has made it a duty to inflict pain and suffering on the rest of us has done so deliberately in order to influence the outcome of the forthcoming elections. 

    “As a political party, we have gathered credible intelligence which supports the view that the leader of the APC, Rt Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, is a member of the cabal that has caused the naira crisis as well as the fuel scarcity and brought untold hardships on ordinary Rivers people and other Nigerians. 

    Read Also: Buhari ignorant of what NASS stands for – Atiku

    “Only recently, he reconciled with members of the Presidential Campaign Council in Rivers State as part of the carefully woven plot. We equally know for certain that he has been holding secret meetings with the PDP presidential candidate.

    “We challenge the former Minister of Transportation to deny this fact. Let him deny that he is not one of those that are working with Alhaji Atiku Abubakar at this time to undermine the genuine aspiration of the people of Southern Nigeria.”

    Nwuke  refuted claims by the APC gubernatorial candidate, Pastor Tonye Cole that Governor Nyesom Wike was trying to enter his party through the back door.

    He said that the comment attributed to the governorship candidate had shown his inexperience in politics adding that if Wike had wanted, he would have deserted the PDP a long time ago.

    But Nwuke said: “The Governor has maintained a principled position that he will not leave a party that he helped to build.

    “The stance of Governor Nyesom Wike since the crisis erupted in the party at the national level is well known. He has publicly maintained a principled position that he will not leave a party that he helped to build. That position has not changed.

    “Wike has insisted that he and members of the G5 would remain in the PDP in order to ensure that the tenets which made the party a destination of choice are not destroyed by power mongers and selfish politicians who have little faith in the unity and stability of Nigeria. 

    “Pastor Tonye Cole has no reason to waste his saliva. Governor Nyesom Wike is going nowhere. He has no plan today, tomorrow or in the near future to join the APC through the front or back door.

    “Given his rabid comments, Cole has demonstrated a poor understanding of how politics works. This explains why many in the State, including politicians, think that he is an outsider. 

    “We believe that the APC candidate is a poor judge of circumstances, permanent interests and intervening variables in the polity which shape the present as well as the future of states and nation-states. 

    “Cole who betrayed Chief Dumo Lulu Briggs in 2018 to snatch the ticket of the APC should be properly guided by those who have a firm knowledge of the master art that politics is. 

    “In trying to curry cheap popuIarity and catch a few mentions in the press, Cole is exposing his underbelly and making a great mockery of himself.

    Reiterating that Wike had no secret agenda, Nwuke insisted that the party would continue to fulfill its historic mission.

  • BREAKING: Three gunmen killed in another police station attack

    BREAKING: Three gunmen killed in another police station attack

    Three gunmen were on Monday morning killed by police in Awada Police station near Obosi, Anambra State. 

    The Nation gathered the deceased attempted to set the station ablaze when they were repealed by the police after fire exchange.

    Read Also: Five gunmen, one cop killed in Anambra police station

    Confirming the incident, Press Secretary to Governor Chukwuma Soludo, Christian Aburime, in a statement titled: “End of the road for another gang of murderers and arsonists” said two AK 47 and vehicles used for the failed operation were recovered.

    He said, “Again, in the early hours of today 20/02/23 these evil people, arsonist and murderers (UGM), made another deadly attempt to burn down Awada Police Station, near Obosi, Anambra State. 

    “They were repelled by gallant security personnel with 3 members of the gang taken down after exchange of gun battle 

    “Two AK 47 were recovered with the vehicles used for the failed operation by the gang.”

    Details Shortly….

  • Fed Govt borrows N2.13tr in two months

    Fed Govt borrows N2.13tr in two months

    The Federal Government has borrowed about N2.13 trillion from the domestic capital market so far this year.

    Data obtained by The Nation’s Economic Intelligence yesterday showed that the government has stepped up its borrowings across all instruments as risk-averse investors crowded around sovereign debt issuances.

    The data indicated that the government overshot its borrowing calendar in most instances to mop up oversubscriptions to its offers.

    The data indicated that the government raised N2.129 trillion between January and February 2023 through regular bond issuance, the retails savings bonds and treasury bills. 

    At this rate, the government may exceed its estimated domestic borrowings of N7.04 trillion for 2023.

    Faced with sovereign downgrades by global rating agencies, with attendant higher risk profile and cost for international debt issuances, there were indications that the government might have narrowed down to the domestic capital market to raise N8.8 trillion regular debt component of the 2023’s N10.78 trillion deficit.

    A breakdown showed that the government has raised N1.189 trillion this month, 26.4 per cent above the N940.62 billion raised in January 2023.

    The total debt issuance in the past two months represents more than 50 per cent increase on the total debt issuance in the fourth quarter of 2022, according to data tracked by The Nation.

    In January 2023, the government raised N662.617 billion through its regular bond auction, N277.468 billion through the Nigerian Treasury Bills (NTBs) and N533.03 million through the Federal Government of Nigeria Savings Bonds (FGNSBs), a retail monthly debt issuance introduced in 2017.

    This month, the government raised N770.56 billion through bond auctions, N417.064 billion through NTBs and N1.271 billion through the FGNSBs.   

    Nigeria’s total public debt stood at N44.06 trillion in the third quarter of 2022, stirring a long-running national debate on the growing size of indebtedness and the burden of sustainability amidst declining national revenue.   

    The federal government laid out a budget size of N20.51 trillion on a total revenue of N9.73 trillion in 2023, with plans to borrow N10.78 trillion in 2023.     

    Minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning, Mrs. Zainab Ahmed, at the public presentation of the breakdown and highlights of the 2023 budget proposal, said the overall budget deficit of N10.78 trillion for 2023 would largely be financed through domestic loans.

    She outlined that the budget deficit would be financed mainly by borrowings including domestic sources, N7.04 trillion; foreign sources, N1.76 trillion; multilateral and bi-lateral loan drawdowns, N1.77 billion and expected N206.18 billion proceeds from the privatisation of national assets.

    While experts agreed that rising demand for sovereign debts provides the government with a comfortable fallback option, many analysts said the government’s domestic mop-up may crowd out other issuers and raise the cost of funds.            

    The February 2023 issuances illustrated the crowded demand for sovereign debts. 

    The transactional report for the February 2023 bond auction indicated that the bond auction received a total bid of N992.11 billion, about 176 per cent above the government’s offer size of N360 billion.

    The government had offered to raise N90 billion each across four tenors of bonds but three of the four bonds were overwhelmingly oversubscribed, providing the government headroom to mop up more funds.

    The bid-to-cover ratios for the 10-year FGN FEB 2028, 10-year FGN APR 2032, 20-year FGN APR 2037, and 30-year FGN APR 2049 bonds were 3.29 times, 0.87 times, 3.30 times, and 3.57 times respectively.

    The Debt Management Office (DMO), which oversees the issuance and management of Nigeria’s sovereign debts, increased allotments across the three oversubscribed bonds while reducing allotment for the undersubscribed bond.

    The government allotted N257.41 billion to investors in the 10-year FGN February 2028 bond as against a total subscription of N296.214 billion, N51.12 billion to the undersubscribed 10-year FGN Apr 2032 bond, which recorded a total subscription of N77.998 billion; N220.56 billion for the 20-year FGN Apr 2037 bond as against total subscription of N296.619 billion and N241.47 billion was allotted to the 30-year FGN Apr 2049 bond, which had the highest subscription of N321.274 billion. 

    The marginal rates for the bonds were 13.99 per cent, 14.90 per cent, 15.90 per cent and 16.00 per cent respectively.

    Analysts at Arthur Steven Asset Management noted that the total subscription of N992.11 billion in February was higher than the N805.17 billion total subscription recorded in January 2023, an increase of 23.22 per cent.

    Analysts attributed the increase in the subscription to an increase in liquidity and strategic portfolio positioning for the year.

    According to analysts, the subscription for the long-tenured 2049 bond showed that more investors still prefer longer maturities despite the downgrade of the country’s credit rating.

    Ahmed had raised the possibility of the higher budget deficit and financing in 2023, noting that “there is a continuing need to exceed this threshold considering the existential security challenges facing the country”.

    She however said Nigeria has no plan to restructure its debt as the government remains committed to meeting its domestic and external debt obligations.

    According to her, the government will continue to utilize appropriate debt management tools to streamline the cost and risk profile in the debt portfolio, including through concessional loans, spreading out of debt maturities to avoid bunching, and re-profiling of the debt maturities by refinancing short-term debt using long-term debt instruments.

    Nigeria has increasingly relied on borrowings to bridge its dwindling national revenue

    Data provided by the Budget Office of the Federation showed that Nigeria has consistently over the past eight years significantly underperformed its revenue target. For instance, while the country had budgeted a revenue target of N7.2 trillion in 2018, it generated only N3.9 trillion, about 54 per cent of the revenue target. In 2019, it achieved about 59 per cent with a revenue budget of N7 trillion and an actual of N4.12 trillion. 

    Revenue target and actual stood at N5.4 trillion and N3.96 trillion and N6.64 trillion and N4.64 trillion in 2020 and 2021 respectively. 

    In the current budget, while the country had set a revenue target of N5.82 billion, it only achieved 63 per cent or N3.66 trillion by July 2022.

    Nigeria has been using more than three-quarters of its revenues to service debts. Debt-service to total revenue ratio stood at 61.3 per cent in 2020, rose to 90.9 per cent in 2021 and currently stands at 84.5 per cent. Debt-service-to-total revenue was about 32.7 per cent in 2015.

    DMO has expressed concerns that the country now faces the risk of being unable to sustain its rising national public debts unless urgent actions are taken to curtail expenditure and increase the country’s revenues.

    DMO warned that while Nigeria’s loans may still be within an acceptable range of the country’s economic size, the country’s ability to sustainably meet the obligations on such loans is now under threat.

    Director General of the Debt Management Office, Ms Patience Oniha, said beyond keeping within the debt-to-GDP ratio, it is important that the public debt is sustainable and the government can service its debt without the risk of distress.

    Reviewing revenue budgets and actuals against actual debt service over the past eight years, Oniha said the debt service-to-revenue ratio is “high”.  

    She said dependence on borrowing and a low revenue base was now threatening debt sustainability.

    “Nigeria’s public debt stock has grown consistently over the past decades and even faster in recent years. Consequently, debt service has continued to grow,” Oniha said.

    She pointed out that Nigeria’s low revenue base compounded by its dependence on crude oil resulted in budget deficits over the past decades, putting pressure on the country’s debt sustainability.

    “The outlook shows that both the local and international markets are becoming tighter and interest rates are rising, thus priority should be less on borrowing and more on revenues from oil and non-oil sources,” Oniha said.

    She said while efforts at increasing non-oil revenue are yielding positive results, urgent actions are required to moderate the level of new borrowings and ensure that the public debt is sustainable.

    She outlined that government should, as a matter of urgency, rationalise expenditure and accelerate the growth in revenues, including implementation of strategic actions to boost tax administration and efficiency.

    She said it was unacceptable that Nigeria has the lowest revenue-to-GDP ratio among a list of countries sampled by the World Bank noting that an efficient tax administration would ensure greater compliance to remittances devoid of all forms of evasions in the system.

    According to her, most countries around the world have placed more emphasis on taxation as a principal source of funding for the government while the reverse is the case in Nigeria.

    Oniha also advised that “borrowing should be tied to projects and some of the projects should generate commensurate revenues to service loans used to finance them”.

    She called for the sale of government assets to unlock funding, adding that physical assets such as idle or underutilised properties could be redeveloped for commercialisation to generate revenue.

  • Buhari urges voters to elect Tinubu

    Buhari urges voters to elect Tinubu

    There is light at the end of tunnel, President Muhammadu Buhari said yesterday as he called for calm amid hardship.

    He urged Nigerians to exercise more patience with his administration over the naira crisis.

    The President also restated his backing for All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    A statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said President Buhari spoke through a prerecorded video from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where he is attending the African Union (AU) Summit.

    He described Tinubu as a reliable choice to take the nation forward.

    President urged “our traditional rulers, religious leaders and parents, to warn their followers and wards alike, to not allow themselves to be used by a few to foment trouble”.

    He added: “I want to assure you that the government has taken adequate security measures to allow everyone to come out and cast their votes. 

    “I am, therefore, appealing to everyone to give them the necessary support.

    “Fellow Nigerians, I want to use this opportunity to once again thank you for electing me to be your President on two occasions.

    “I am not a contestant in this election, but my party, the APC, has a candidate in the person of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. 

    “As I mentioned before, Tinubu is a true believer in Nigeria, who loves the people and the development of our country.

    “I am calling on all of you to vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. He is reliable and I trust he will build on our achievements.

    “Finally, I want to once again assure you that I am fully aware of the current hardship you are facing as a result of some policies of the government which are meant to bring overall improvement to the country.

    “I am appealing to you to exercise further patience as we take appropriate measures to ease these hardships. 

    “God willing, there will be light at the end of the tunnel.”

    The President emphasised that the APC presidential flagbearer has demonstrated his commitment to the country’s development the people’s well-being.

  • APC NWC, governors to AGF, CBN: obey Supreme Court ruling

    APC NWC, governors to AGF, CBN: obey Supreme Court ruling

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday advised the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to respect the Supreme Court ruling on the implementation of the currency redesign and swap policy.

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party, at a meeting with the governors elected on its platform and presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, at the APC headquarters in Abuja, maintained that the order of the apex court “is still subsisting”.

    The meeting also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene and halt the current sufferings, occasioned by the faulty implementation of the monetary policy.

    Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and their Zamafara State counterpart, Bello Mattawale, had taken the Federal Government and the CBN to court over the policy in the face of hardship being faced by Nigerians.

    Despite the order of the apex court, the Federal Government and the CBN went ahead to implement the policy. 

    Addressing reporters on the resolution of the meeting, which lasted for about three hours, APC Chairman Senator Abdullahi Adamu said the party, governors and the presidential candidate are on the same page.

    He said: “I am sure you are quite aware of the fact that a meeting comprising of APC governors was held today and the leadership of the NWC of our great party was summoned and we had discussions and at the end of the discussions, we have resolved as follows and this resolution is without prejudice whatsoever to the case that is lying at the Supreme Court at this point. This has to do with the issue of currency redesign.

    “We note very seriously that the programme and its implementation are causing tremendous difficulties to the people of Nigeria and the national economy.

    “That, we urge the Attorney General of the Federation and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to respect the Supreme Court order of interim injunction, which is still subsisting.

    “That the meeting is urging His Excellency, Mr President, to intervene in resolving issues that are causing this great difficulty to the economy”.

    Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and the governor of Kebbi state, Atiku Bagudu also said all the parties at the meeting endorsed the resolution.

    He said: “We are on the same page. The APC Governors Forum, the NWC is one party. We are all together. 

    “The chairman (Abdullahi Adamu) said the governors and the party are the same and I am very proud about the conduct of our campaigns by our presidential candidate under the able leadership of our party, led by Abdullahi Adamu, and the DG of the Campaign Council and the governors alongside all our APC candidates across the country who have been doing a tremendous job of mobilizing Nigerians”.

    The meeting which began at 2:35 pm was convened at the instance of the chairman to discuss the party’s preparedness for Saturday’s presidential and National Assembly Elections amid the worsening scarcity of the Naira and lingering fuel scarcity, which have fuelled mass discontent across the country.

    Those who attended the meeting were Governors Simon Lalong (Plateau), Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa), Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) and Yahaya Bello (Kogi).

    Others are Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe), Mai Mala Buni (Yobe), Bello Matawalle (Zamfara), Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti), Babajide Sanwo-olu (Lagos), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Mohammed Badaru (Jigawa).

    Govs. Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina) and Hope Uzodinma (Imo) sent their deputies.

    Tinubu arrived at the meeting at about 5:15 pm.

    A source at the meeting said the APC chairman had expressed concern over the perceived confrontation of some governors with President Buhari over the controversial policy.

    Adamu told the governors that their outbursts were putting the party in a bad light and advised against resorting to the media.

    “However, one of the governors also reacted that if the party had taken a position on the matter before now, perhaps they (governors) would not have gone public. He complained that the meeting was coming too late,” the source said.

    While declaring open the meeting, Adamu commended the governors for attending the meeting at a short notice.

    He said: “I am happy with the response so far and it is my understanding that more of our members are still on their way coming. You will recall the recent developments that have necessitated the need for this invitation.

    “We do not want to sit in judgment on anybody with regards to where we are today in the country as it affects our great party. 

    “I thought the best thing to do is to get all those who are holding forth in their respective positions and who were elected on the platform of the party to get together and have some interaction so that we can have a better understanding of what situation we are in.

    “That is the essence of this invitation. And it is my pleasure to welcome you most sincerely to this interaction.”

  • Comply with S’Court order on cash swap, APC tells FG, CBN

    Comply with S’Court order on cash swap, APC tells FG, CBN

    The ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has advised the Federal Government and the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to respect the Supreme Court order of Interim injunction on the implementation of the cash swap.

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the party after a meeting with Governors elected on the platform of the party and its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in Abuja on Sunday maintained the order of the apex court “is still subsisting”.

    The meeting also urged President Muhammadu Buhari to urgently intervene and halt the current suffering occasioned by the faulty implementation of the monetary policy.

    Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara had taken the Federal Government and the CBN to the Supreme Court to suspend the naira swap over hardship faced by Nigerians.

    Despite the order of the apex court, the Federal Government and the CBN proceeded to implement the policy, which has continued to unleash untold hardship on Nigerians.

    Addressing the newsmen on the resolution of the meeting which lasted for about three hours, APC Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, said the party, Governors and party’s presidential candidate are on the same page.

    According to him: “I am sure you are quite aware of the fact that a meeting comprising of APC Governors was held today and the leadership of the NWC of our great party was summoned for this afternoon and we had discussions and at the end of the discussions, we have resolved as follows and this resolution is without prejudice whatsoever to the case that is lying at the Supreme Court at this point. This has to do with the issue of currency redesign.

    “We note very seriously that the programme and its implementation are causing tremendous difficulties to the people of Nigeria and the national economy.

    “That, we urge the Attorney General of the Federation and the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria to respect the Supreme Court order of interim injunction which is still subsisting.

    “That the meeting is urging His Excellency, Mr President to intervene in resolving issues that are causing this great difficulty to the economy”.

    Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) Governor Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi also said all the parties at the meeting endorsed the resolution.

    He said: “We are on the same page. The APC Governors Forum, the NWC is one party. We are all together.

    “The chairman (Abdullahi Adamu) said the Governors and the party are the same and I am very proud about the conduct of our campaigns by our presidential candidate under the able leadership of our party led by Abdullahi Adamu and the DG of the Campaign Council and the governors alongside all our APC candidates across the country who have been doing a tremendous job of mobilizing Nigerians”.

    Governors at the meeting were Simon Bako Lalong (Plateau); Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa); Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger); Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna) and Yahaya Bello (Kogi).

    Others were Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya (Gombe); Mai Mala Buni (Yobe); Bello Matawalle (Zamfara); Biodun Oyebanji (Ekiti); Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos); Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi) and Mohammed Badaru (Jigawa).

    Governors Aminu Bello Masari (Katsina) and Hope Uzodinma (Imo) sent their deputies.

  • ACF backs rotational presidency, says President doesn’t have to come from our region

    ACF backs rotational presidency, says President doesn’t have to come from our region

    Mouthpiece of Northern Nigeria, Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), has advised voters to shun tribal sentiments and choose leaders who will cater for national interests from next Saturday when the Presidential and National Assembly elections hold. 

    The apex Northern socio-cultural group said categorically  “a leader does not have to come from our tribe, zone, region or religious persuasion,” adding “in our search for good leaders, we must cast our nets far beyond our ethnic, religious or geographical interests.”

    ACF, in a statement on Sunday by its Secretary-General, Murtala Aliyu, also backed rotational presidency. 

    It said: “Though the principle of power rotation is still largely and somewhat controversial, nonetheless, under our democratic dispensation we must reconcile ourselves to accepting that Nigeria is a country for all its citizens, and each citizen has right to choose whatever he or she believes to be in the best interests of themselves and their followers. At the same time, however, they also have to accept the principle of power rotation between north and south.”

    In the statement titled: ‘Achieving success with the 2023 general elections’, ACF said: “At times such as this when the nation is in election mode, the ACF has always taken the liberty to draw the attention of voters to the right qualities they should look for when deciding whom to cast their votes for. 

    “At each occasion such as this the key selection criteria we recommend to voters to consider are very clear and objective party manifestos and the character and track records of the candidates.

    Read Also: Presidency: Northern govs deserve commendation for standing by power shift – Benson

    “Voters will do great disservice to themselves if they were to vote into offices persons they know, or should know, have no capacity to perform well, or are persons with questionable character. 

    “Voters are also always advised to shun those unhealthy schemes whereby a president or state governor handpicks a successor. Nothing promotes entrenched corruption, cronyism and poor leadership more that such schemes as such dubious arrangements. 

    “The nation will never be able of identify and select good leaders among its people so long as some dubious people are allowed to manipulate the selection of candidates and the ultimate election processes.

    “A cardinal and national goal of our great and dear country Nigeria includes the creation of a nation in which: “though tribe and tongue may differ, in brotherhood we stand” We, as a nation, believed so much in such slogan that at one time, it was a part of our national anthem! And in simple terms, it means that in our search for good leaders, we must cast our nets far beyond our ethnic, religious or geographical interests.” 

    It added: “A leader does not have to come from our tribe, zone, region or religious persuasion. We should seek for leaders that best cater for our national interests, and who are elected within the tenets of democratic processes. The tenents that allow people to choose leaders who will best cater for interests of the generality of the people, NOT their individual personal or the interests of their ethnic or religious groups.

    “When 17 State Governors from Southern part of  Nigeria and from different political parties met last year and demanded that a southerner must be elected as the President of Nigeria, the heavens did not fall. It was accepted that as we are in a democracy, they were entitled to their views and opinions. 

    “Quite recently also, some 14 northern Governors belonging to the ruling All progressives Congress Party, (APC) met and came out with the announcement that they had committed themselves to ensuring that a candidate of their party from the southern part of the country is elected president of the country. Their reason was that the emergence and subsequent election of a person from the southern part of the country will serve to entrench the principle of North/South power rotation in the politics Nigeria.”

  • JUST IN: Tinubu joins APC Chairman, Govs’ meeting

    JUST IN: Tinubu joins APC Chairman, Govs’ meeting

    The presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has joined the ongoing crucial meeting of the party and members of the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF)

    The meeting, which was at the instance of the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, started around 3:00 pm with 10 Governors and two Deputy Governors initially in attendance. Tinubu The meeting, which was at the instance of the National Chairman of the party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, started around 3:00 pm with 10 Governors and two Deputy Governors initially in attendance. 

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    At around 5:15 pm, Tinubu arrived tbe party Secretariat and went straight into tbe meeting.

    Governors Bagudu Atiku(Kebbi) and Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos) later joined the meeting. 

    Details Shortly…

  • JUST IN: APC chairman, 10 Govs, others in crucial meeting

    JUST IN: APC chairman, 10 Govs, others in crucial meeting

    Ahead of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly elections, the National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu is in a crucial meeting with Governors elected on the platform of the party.

    Tbe meeting, which started around 2:35 pm at the National Working Committee (NWC) Hall of the party National Secretariat, attracted Plateau, Nasarawa, Niger, Kaduna and Kogi Governors.

    Others are Gombe, Yobe, Zamafara, Ekiti and Jigawa Governors with Deputy Governors of Imo and Katsina.

    Adamu led the deputy National Chairman (North) Senator Aba Kiyari; Deputy National Chairman (South) Chief Emma Enekwu and the National Secretary, Otunba Iyiola Omisore to the meeting.

    He said the chairman of the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) and Kebbi Governor Atiku Bagudu had some flight delay.

    Read Also: APC’s mega rally proves Atiku has no place in northeast-Ajaka

    He appreciated tbe Governors for roles played so far in the ongoing presidential campaign.

    “I am happy with the response so far and it is my understanding that more of our members are still on their way coming.

    “You will recall the recent developments that have necessitated the need for this invitation.

    “We do not want to sit in judgment or anybody regarding where we are today in the country as it affects our great party.

    “I thought the best thing to do is to get all those who are holding forte in their respective positions and who were elected on the platform of the party to get together and have some interaction so that we can have a better or a better understanding of what situation we are in.

    “That is the essence of this invitation. And it is my pleasure to welcome you most sincerely to this interaction,” he said.