The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 2015 election

  • Jega seeks EU support for voters’ education

    Jega seeks EU support for voters’ education

    The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has solicited the assistance of the European Union in the education of voters and other stakeholders in the country.

    Jega sees voters’ education as necessary for the success of the 2015 general elections.

    The INEC boss, who spoke on Friday in Abuja during a meeting with EU Ambassador to Nigeria, Mr. Michel Arrion and his team said as much as the commission would love to ensure proper voters’ education, it has insufficient budgets.

    He also asked for more training for the workforce, especially in the area of logistics.

    The training, he argued will go along in assisting the commission’s work.

    Besides, Jega also used the opportunity to clarify the report on the meeting with political parties in Ekiti.

    He said it was not true that 25 political parties walked out of the meeting as reported.

    According to him only three political parties staged a walk out.

    Jega, who also pleaded with EU to include the media in the training, urged journalists to avoid sensitization, stressing that “it is not everything a politician says that can be reported.”

    “Our media needs to know that it is not everything that can be reported,” he stated.

     

  • PDP will win 2015 presidential election – Gov. Aliyu

    PDP will win 2015 presidential election – Gov. Aliyu

    Niger State governor, Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, has boastfully predicted that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will win the 2015 Presidential elections and the governorship seat in the state despite the challenges facing the party.

    He also predicted that the party will surprise its detractors as it would get stronger and become a formidable platform in 2015.

    Aliyu made the prediction on Thursday during the disbursement of grants for SURE-P Youth Development Programme and the passing out ceremony of Community based Traffic Vanguard in Minna.

    He said, “PDP will form the next federal government, PDP will win the governorship election in Niger state in 2015. We will do it with clean hands and we will not slaughter cows or donkeys to offer sacrifices to achieve these.”

    He, however, admonished members of the PDP not to be intimidated or scared of what is currently going on, adding that the party will prevail at the end of the day.

    The governor also appealed to Nigerians to always pray for the country to have good leaders.

    “May God give us good officials to continue with developmental programmes and who will not go into the politics of sharing money amongst themselves.

    “We need to pray for good leaders because when you have bad leaders, the people themselves would become bad, the environment would be saturated with badness and even the good people will begin to fear about their policies. We have to pray for good leaders to be elected in 2015,” Aliyu stated.

     

  • No deal with Jonathan on 2015 – Baraje’s faction

    The Abubakar Baraje-led Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that there was no deal between the faction and President Goodluck Jonathan over the President’s 2015 re-election bid.

    In a statement issued on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Chukwuemeka Eze, the faction accused the Bamanga Tukur-led PDP of spreading tissues of lies on the outcome of Sunday’s meeting between Jonathan and the G-7 governors.

    Baraje said claims by Akwa Ibom State Governor, Godswill Akpabio, that the governors had okayed Jonathan for 2015 were mere propaganda meant to deceive members of the public.

    “We wish to specifically urge Nigerians and our supporters to ignore the concocted tales of Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom and Chairman of PDP Governors Forum.

    “Akpabio lied by claiming that we have accepted that President Jonathan should contest the 2015 presidential election and that most of our demands are being met.

    “The fact of the case is that no agreement has been reached on any of the issues we tabled before the President and until we see results, Nigerians should ignore the present efforts by the Tukur camp to deceive them.

    “We advise Nigerians to ignore the tissue of lies and propaganda from the Alhaji Bamanga Tukur faction of the party on the outcome of our meeting with President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan at the Presidential Villa last Sunday, 15th September, 2013,” Baraje emphasised.

    The faction added that there is a mechanism in place to decide whether or not Jonathan would be given the green light to contest the 2015 presidential election.

    Until the time to choose the party’s presidential flag-bearer comes, any speculation on this is just a mere academic exercise, Baraje stated.

     

  • 2015: Anglican Primate warns on crises

    The Anglican Primate of Nigeria, Most Rev. Nicholas Okoh, has warned politicians against giving out wrong information to the media, to avoid crises in the nation.

    He said the mismanagement of information could lead to serious conflict.

    Okoh gave the advice at the Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion) communicators’ conference held in Abuja on Friday.

    The theme of the conference is: “Optimum use of electronic media in the proclamation of the gospel and the furtherance of the Anglican Communion.”

    Okoh explained that with regard to the 2015 general election, information will float about in the nation’s political terrain, adding that issues that affect government are very sensitive and if handled properly will assist those in authority to govern the country and also help general public to relate with government.

    “My worry is that when conventions, rallies or elections are held, the way politicians will report back, especially those that did not make it or even those that won, will be different. People need to be careful because their interest is only to get you to support them. They are not actually interested in the real issues that concern the ordinary people,” he said.

     

     

  • Oyo: Ex- Attorney General targets APC guber ticket

    A former Attorney-General in Oyo State, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, said he will contest the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship ticket with Governor Abiola Ajimobi in 2015.

    Shittu told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Ibadan on Thursday that he was the most qualified of all aspirants warming up for the seat.

    “I am the most qualified among the aspirants on ground now in terms of political experience. I have been actively involved in politics since 1979,” he said.

    The former governorship candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) during the last election in the state described APC as the party to beat in 2015.

    Shittu commended Ajimobi for his tremendous achievements in infrastructure, environmental sanitation and beautification, but advised him to improve on capacity building, job creation and empowerment.

    He urged the governor to also make education accessible to the people, adding that he should declare education free at primary and secondary level.

    “In a supposedly progressive state like Oyo, one would expect education to be free.

    “It is good to build bridges and roads, but the priority should be on building human beings and their capabilities,” he said.

    He also urged the state government to improve on its youth empowerment scheme, adding that the involvement of public/private partnership would go a long way to achieve good result.

    Shittu acknowledged that the Mokola flyover built by government was a laudable project considering the benefits it would offer, but maintained that the N2.9 billion expended on it was high.

    He also called on university lecturers to suspend their strike in the interest of the students, saying the future of the nation depended solely on them.

     

  • INEC to ‘improve’ on election conduct

    INEC to ‘improve’ on election conduct

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said that it has introduced a more efficient and effective operational mechanism to ensure a free, fair and credible elections in 2015.

    A National Commissioner of the Commission, Dr. Nura Yakubu, disclosed this in Sokoto on Saturday.

    He said the essence was to meet an acceptable target with a view to improving on all electoral processes towards achieving credible general elections come 2015.

    According to him “the commission will continue to be impartial by providing a level play ground for all candidates.

    “The commission will continue to be neutral without compromising its status as an independent body,” he said.

    Yakubu, who was in the state to oversee the Gada West by- election into the state assembly also expressed concern for the need to strengthen the country’s internal democracy, adding that” we are concerned about it. Where there is no internal democracy within the political parties, there is no democracy in a nation.”

    According to the INEC commissioner, political parties have to mobilise their members and supporters by creating civic awareness among them.

     

  • 2015: ACF ‘won’t back’ Jonathan for second term

    2015: ACF ‘won’t back’ Jonathan for second term

    The Arewa Consultative Forum has given indications that it will not back President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2015 presidential poll if he decides to seek re-election.

    The Chairman of the National Working Committee of the ACF, Alhaji Aliko Mohammed, gave the indications when he addressed the Annual General Meeting of the Forum at its secretariat in Kaduna on Thursday.

    He lamented that some of its members have gone ahead to encourage the president to seek re-election in 2015.

    Mohammed said that it was unfortunate that one of its members, Gen. Lawrence Onoja (rtd) and a member of the Northern Elders Forum, Senator John Washpam went to President Jonathan to ask him to contest the elections.

    He said the action of the two northern leaders has given an indication that the north were not united, adding that they met with the President in company of Chief Edwin Clark who has been campaigning for his (President Jonathan’s) re-election.

     

  • Why I canvassed Jonathan’s re-election in U.S – Kuku

    The Special Adviser to the President on Niger Delta and Chairman of the Presidential Amnesty Programme, Kingsley Kuku, on Tuesday explained his call for the re-election of President Goodluck Jonathan during a recent visit to the United States of America.

    He said it was informed by his belief that the Jonathan’s administration has stabilised the nation’s economy and can do more if given the time to implement certain pacts signed with ex-agitators in the region which will help in stabilising the fragile peace currently in place.

    He noted that over 85 per cent of agreement reached with the former Niger Delta agitators has not been implemented due to some factors, stating that further delay in fulfilling these obligations could affect the relative peace in the region.

    Kuku, while debunking media report that he threatened a resurgence of violence in the South-South should Jonathan be schemed out of the 2015 presidential race, said he merely appealed to the conscience of Nigerians and the rest of the world to give Jonathan a chance especially when the Constitution stipulates a two-term of four years for him if he so wishes.

    Claiming that the President has not given any of his aides the mandate to speak on his behalf regarding the 2015 presidential contest, Kuku said he was speaking the minds of stakeholders in the Niger Delta region.

    He said: “What I said in the U.S has been completely misrepresented. I spoke of the possibility of a degenerate Niger Delta if we do not value the fragile peace we have in the area today. I did not say that the Niger Delta will resort to violence if the President was not re-elected in 2015. I never said that and I couldn’t have said that.

     

     

  • 2015 election race getting tougher, says Aliyu

    2015 election race getting tougher, says Aliyu

    The Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF), Dr. Mu’azu Babangida Aliyu, yesterday said the race for elective offices in 2015 is getting tougher, as people are overheating the polity by creating unnecessary problems.

    Apparently referring to the attacks on some public officers by those seeking political offices in the next dispensation, Governor Aliyu said: “The race for 2015 is becoming tougher. People are creating problems where there are none. They are looking for one problem or the other to nail their perceived opponents.”

    He spoke at the inauguration of the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) data capturing project and presentation of new vehicles to the Board of Internal Revenue.

    Aliyu, who did not elaborate on the statement, said: “It is lamentable that people are just looking for unfounded and most times unsubstantiated excuses to nail others because of the 2015 elections.”

    He urged public office holders to be more concerned about the delivery of the dividends of democracy to the people, while the public should reciprocate by paying their taxes and rates promptly.

    Earlier, the Chairman of the board, Alhaji Sulaiman Abdullahi Badeggi, said to improve the performance of the board, a bill has been sent to the House of Assembly for the review of some existing taxes and levies, which he said are no longer in tune with the present reality.