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Tag: 2019 election

  • 2019: ‘No alternative to Buhari yet’

    The Imo State governorship candidate of the Action Alliance (AA), Uche Nwosu, Monday said there is no credible alternative to President Muhammadu Buhari as to who wins the 2019 Presidential election.

    Nwosu said that Nigerians are desirous to reelect President Buhari for fighting corruption and insecurity that plagued the country.

    According to him, “we will vote for President Buhari on February 16, his victory is already sealed and delivered. AA promised to give him one million votes and we are going to keep our promise”.

    Nwosu, who commenced his campaign tour of Local Government Areas with a rally at Onuimo Council Area, also said that that he remains the candidate to beat in the March 2 governorship election.

    He noted that his track record of achievements and youthfulness put him at advantage over other candidates “who have nothing to show for the years that been in politics”.

    He noted that while his policies are tailored towards consolidating and improving on the achievements of the present administration, others have no clear cut agenda or programme for the state.

    Addressing the mammoth crowd, Nwosu said, “some of the candidates say they want to restore Imo, but the truth is that they want to restore the old ways of corruption and selfish leadership but I have come to work. My vision for Imo State is clear; I will continue with the free education programme, there will be massive women and youth empowerment through investment in agriculture”.

    He continued that, “apart from completing the school projects, I will digitalise Imo school system. I have a comparative advantage because I am a youth. I understand what youth and women empowerment is all about.

    Read Also: Buhari to focus on three critical areas if re-elected – Osinbajo

    “My administration will provide free healthcare for children under five and those above 70 years of age. My contractual agreement with Ndimo is to work, I have done it when I was Commissioner for Lands and Chief of Staff. I empowerment hundreds of youths and women and I will do more as a governor.

    “I have come to work and do things like a young man. As a governor, I will encourage agriculture and support Onuimo people in rice production. The youths will be encouraged to return to agriculture and become employers of labour. The women will be given incentives to boost their businesses”.

    The AA candidate also drummed support for the reelection of President Muhammadu Buhari, who he said the party adopted because of his integrity and what he did with the mandate given to him in 2015.

    According to him, “President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory is assured on February 16, vote for President Muhammadu Buhari in APC. We promised to give President Buhari one million votes and we will keep our promise. President Buhari has done well; he has revived the nation’s economy and put a halt to the blind looting of our economy, which was Nigeria’s greatest challenge then”.

  • 2019 Election: Ganduje urges Nigerians to vote for Buhari‎

    Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State has urged the people of the state to re-elect President Muhammadu and other APC candidates in forthcoming elections.

    Ganduje made the appeal on Wednesday in Kano when members of Buhari Support Group paid him a solidarity visit at the Government House.‎

    He charged Nigerians to reflect on the gains made by President Muhammadu Buhari to make informed choice, so as to move the country to the new levels of development.‎

    ‎The governor also tasked Kano residents on peaceful, orderly campaigns and elections, adding that he is seeking for re-election to consolidate on his achievement.‎

    Ganduje expressed optimism that President Buhari would win with landslide considering the support he is receiving across the country.

    Read also: 43 migrants dead after 2 boats capsize near Djibouti

    The leader of the delegation, Lawal Jafaru-Isa, also canvassed support for the reelection of  President Buhari and all APC  candidates.

    He said that the party was proud of Gov. Ganduje and President Buhari leadership styles and promised to work for their victory.‎

    ‎The state chairman of APC, Alhaji Abdullahi Abbas, said that people of the state and the country at large would enjoy more dividends of democracy, if Buhari and Ganduje win for the second time.‎

    He urged the people of the state and Nigerians across the country to shun violence and live in peace during and after the elections.‎(NAN)

  • Breaking: Protesters besiege Lagos Assembly over alleged Ambode’s impeachment plot

    A group of protesters on Wednesday stormed the Lagos State House of Assembly to protest against the planned impeachment of  Governor Akinwunmi Ambode.

    The protesters are seen carrying banners with inscriptions of their agitations, saying ‘No to impeachment’.

    The assembly had accused Ambode of gross misconduct, not signing into law the 2019 budget among other infractions.

    Details shortly…

     

  • 2019: NYSC DG solicits army, police protection for corps members

    Maj.-Gen. Suleiman Kazaure, Director-General (D-G), NYSC, has solicited the protection of corps members by the Police Command and the 6 Division of the Nigerian Army in Rivers during the general forthcoming elections.

    Kazaure made the request during his separate courtesy visits to the heads of the two security agencies in Port Harcourt on Thursday.

    He commended the army and the Police Command in Rivers for the support they had been giving to the NYSC in the state.

    According to Kazaure, the corps members are national assets on national assignment and needed to be protected.

    ”As you know, the corps members will participate in the forthcoming election as ad-hoc staff of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    ”You know that we lost a corps member during the 2015 election in Rivers, so, I need your support for them to be well protected in carrying out that critical assignment,” he said.

    In his response, The Commissioner of Police in the state, Mr Usman Belel, assured the NYSC DG that it was mandatory for the police to protect lives and property.

    ”It is mandatory for the police to protect INEC materials and staff members, especially NYSC members. We will do everything possible to protect them in partnership with sister security agencies.

    ”So, I assure you that we will do everything within our reach to protect the young Nigerians as they embark on the 2019 electoral assignment,” he said.

    Belel sympathised with the NYSC for the death of its member while on national service in Rivers in 2015 and thanked the director general for the visit.

    Similarly, Maj.-Gen. Jamil Sarham, General Officer Commanding (GOC), 6 Division, Nigerian Army, Port Harcourt, told the NYSC boss that the army was ready to protect the corps members before, during and after the elections.

    Sarham stated that the division has launched Operation Egwu Eke III to flush out criminals, vendors of fake news and other people doing things inimical to national security.

    He assured the NYSC director general that the visit was a challenge for the army to take the protection of the corps members more seriously.

    ”We are going to live up to the expectations of every Nigerian in this regard,” he said.

    The GOC commended him for visiting the division and promised to do more for the NYSC in their areas of partnership. (NAN)

  • Adebutu remains Ogun gov candidate, PDP insists

    The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) on Thursday maintained Hon. Ladi Adebutu is its authentic and legitimate governorship in Ogun State for the March 2 gubernatorial polls.

    The party urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to save itself from unnecessary controversies and immediately reflects Adebutu as PDP candidate in the Gateway state in compliance with the judgment of the Court of Appeal of December 18, 2018.

    It also advised party members, supporters, voters and the public to ignore anything to the contrary.

    This was contained in a statement by National Publicity Secretary and Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan.

    The party said: “The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) hereby informs the general public, security agencies, all electoral organs, observers and particularly, its teeming supporters in Ogun state that its candidate in the March 2, 2019 election in Ogun state remains Ladi Adebutu.

    “The PDP cautions the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to insulate the commission from unnecessary controversies by immediately obeying the judgment of the Court of Appeal of December 18, 2018, and without further delay reflect Hon. Ladi Adebutu’s name on the ballot, in the interest of a hitch free and peaceful election in Ogun state.

    “The PDP states that Hon. Ladi Adebutu’s name was duly and statutorily submitted to INEC after he won the governorship primary conducted by the National Working Committee (NWC), the only body empowered by law to conduct such primaries.

    “The PDP has not substituted his nomination with anybody and such is not in our contemplation.

    “The PDP charges the INEC Chairman to note that since the ruling of the Court of Appeal validating Hon. Ladi Adebutu as the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun state, no other court, not even the Supreme Court has over turned that extant ruling.

    “INEC is therefore compelled to obey the law. It cannot choose for itself which judgment to obey and cannot operate in waiting, anticipation or contemplation of a non-existent consideration in the conduct of the Ogun governorship election.”

    The party described Senator Buruji Kashamu as an imposter, saying he cannot fly its flag at the polls.

    Read Also: Ogun 2019: You’re on your own, INEC tells Adebutu

    The PDP insisted: “Moreover, the PDP holds that Senator Buruji cannot under any imagination be the governorship candidate of the PDP in Ogun state.

    “He is not a member of our party; he did not participate in our Ogun state governorship primary and has no connection whatsoever in our governorship nomination process at any level for that matter.

    “INEC cannot go to the streets to pick a candidate for our party. It must, therefore, in compliance with the extant judgment of the Court of Appeal, immediately reflect Ladi Adebutu’s name in the ballot, otherwise Nigerians will have no other option than to conclude that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has become compromised to cause confusion and anarchy in Ogun state.”

  • BMO to Ezekwesili: You lack capacity to understand Nigerian politics

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has said that the sudden decision of former Minister of Education to pull out of the Presidential race barely 23 days to the election is a clear indication that she lacks the capacity to understand the dynamics of Nigerian politics.

    The group said the former Minister owe Nigerians serious explanation about her real intention of joining the presidential race when she knew she had to capacity and intention to see the election through.

    In a statement signed by Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, the group commended the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) on whose platform she was running for the Presidency for endorsing President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term in office.

    The group said: “We are not surprised that she has opted out of the race because it was clearly out of her depth as a pseudo-activist and opportunist without real political clout and pedigree.

    Read Also: Galadima’s allegations baseless, says Ezekwesili

    “Just like her former party acknowledged, the short-lived stint she had as a presidential candidate showed that she had nothing substantial to offer or contribute to political discourse beyond on-line rants and thoughtless invectives

    “And because some of these invectives are often retweeted or liked by some of her 836,000 twitter followers, she began to delude herself as an alternative to a President that has a track record of integrity, consistency in patriotism, honesty and performance to prove his status as a true statesman and leader.

    “Her forays into the real world of politics on the streets even saw Nigerians chanting Sai Buhari during one of her rare campaign outings.

    “So it would be ideal for Ezekwesili to take a second look at the situation and throw her weight behind the President’s re-election bid rather than embarking on another hopeless exercise of building a coalition against President Buhari that so far failed woefully”.

    On ACPN’s decision to support President Buhari as its Presidential candidate, the group described it as a realisation of the values represented by the President and his efforts at putting the country firmly on the path to greatness.
    It added that the party leaders including Ezekwesili’s erstwhile running mate Ganiyu Galadima have, through their action, shown that there is still honour among members of the political class in our great country.

    BMO said it was particularly elated that Galadima who is also the party’s National Chairman said he and his colleagues are joining the President to take the country to the next level and assured them that they would not be disappointed.

    The pro-Buhari group also urged undecided Nigerians to take a cue from ACPN and reject plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stage a return to power at the centre and get another chance to create economic mess and social chaos among the people.

  • Galadima’s allegations baseless, says Ezekwesili

    Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili, the Presidential Candidate of Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN). has described allegation by the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Abdul-Ganiyu Galadima that she was never really serious about her presidential ambition as baseless.

    In an interview with News Agency of Nigeria, her media aide, Mr Uzoma Ubabukoh, in Lagos, on Thursday, said Galadima’s claim that she was contesting to negotiate to be Minister of Finance was a figment of his imagination.

    Galadima was Ezekwesili’s running-mate until she announced her withdrawal from the race early on Thursday.

    She claimed she withdrew from the race after due consultations with Nigerians at home and in the Diaspora.

    Ezekwesili added that her decision to quit the race was informed by the need to help and build a coalition to stop the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from winning.

    She said neither APC nor PDP could provide the kind of governance needed to reposition the country.

    Few hours after Ezekwesili’s withdrawal from the race, Galadima called a news conference, saying Ezekwesili had not shown the commitment to be President from the beginning.

    He alleged that the former minister was just in the race to negotiate to be Minister of Finance and that she had kept the party in the dark about her real intention.

    Galadima added that the candidate had used the platform of the party to get funds from donors, which she had not spent to show commitment to her ambition.

    The ACPN chairman said having realised that Ezekwesili did not represent the interest of the party, the party was endorsing President Muhammadu Buhari for re-election.

    Reacting to the allegations, Ubabukoh said Galadima’s claims were baseless.

    Read Also:  INEC rejects Ezekwesili’s withdrawal

    He said the candidate’s decision to withdraw from the race was taken to sacrifice her personal interests for the country’s interest.

    “All these allegations are figment of his imagination. They are baseless. The decision to withdraw from the race is in the interest of the nation. It should be the nation first before anything,” Ubabukoh said.

    He said it was curious that Galadima, less than three hours after Ezekwesili’s withdrawal, endorsed Buhari and added that the action showed the ACPN Chairman had long had a personal agenda and never believed in the idea to disrupt the status quo in country.

    Ubabukoh said Ezekwesili would soon address a news conference where she would provide details about her withdrawal from the presidential race.

  • 2019: INEC bars sale of food items at polling centres

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kwara state on Thursday barred sales and buying of food items at the polling centres during the forthcoming elections in the state.

    This is part of measures to check issue of vote buying and selling in the coming general elections in Kwara state,

    Speaking at an all-inclusive stakeholders forum ahead of coming elections in Ilorin on Thursday, the Kwara state Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Garba Madami said that the electoral body now collaborates with antigraft agencies like EFCC and ICPC to monitor vote buying and selling with determination to put it down to the barest minimum.

    Madami, who said that vehicles would not be allowed near polling centres during the election, added that “You can’t bring in your phone to polling booth to snap picture of your ballot paper to show who you’ve voted for”.

    He said that politicians had in the past brought in money in vehicles to polling centres to buy votes.

    “Now, anti-graft agencies like the EFCC and the ICPC are now monitoring vote buyers and sellers because of our collaboration with them. That’s why money is not circulating in this campaign unlike before. More so, our card readers and PVC are working well now. And that’s why politicians are desperate to go for vote buying. If we succeed in this, we would have credible election”, he said.

    The REC, who said that February 8, 2019, is the last day for PVC collection, added that there are over 300,000 outstanding PVCs yet to be collected in the state.

    He said that voting would take place in a total of 2,886 polling points across the state, adding that no one would be disenfranchised in the election as long as they possess PVC for voting.

    Read Also: 2019: INEC urges journalists on professionalism

    Madami also said that pregnant women, old people and physically challenged ones would be given preference to vote without queueing up, adding that political parties and voters would not be allowed to carry arms during the election except their PVCs.

    He said that number of political parties that had signed peace accord with the electoral body had risen to 29 and cautioned political parties to be mindful of their actions, speeches in order not to cause violence before, during and after the elections.

  • Buhari’s campaign train moves to South East

    President Muhammadu Buhari and members of the Presidential Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Thursday departed Abuja for Anambra and Enugu states in continuation of the nationwide re-election campaign.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the president would pay a courtesy visit to the Obi of Onitsha, in Anambra, inaugurate the Zik Mausoleum at the commercial city and later address APC rally in the state.

    The Buhari administration completed the Zik Mausoleum in October 2018 after successive governments abandoned the project for over 20 years.

    Read Also: Buhari renews pledge to boost economy, fight graft

    NAN reports that the president and members of the campaign team would later move to Enugu to launch the re-election bid and also deliver the `Next Level’ messages to the people of Enugu state.

    While in Enugu, Buhari is expected to inaugurate the Post-Graduate Centre of Excellence built by the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) and donated to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka.

    The APC campaign train had on Wednesday visited Sokoto and Kebbi states where Buhari pledged to consolidate on the achievements of his administration in the areas of security, economy and fighting corruption.

  • Breaking: Ezekwesili withdraws from presidential race

    The candidate of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) and a former Minister of Education, Oby Ezekwesili has withdrawn from the Presidential race.

    Ezekwesili said she would now be focusing on helping to build a Coalition for a viable alternative to the All Progressive Congress (APC) and People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 general elections.

    She announced her withdrawal in a series of tweets on her official and verified twitter handles on Thursday morning.

    She said, “Following the reactions of Nigerian citizens at home and abroad to the 2019 Presidential Debate held on Saturday 19 January 2019, and after extensive consultations with leaders from various walks of life across the country over the past few days, I have decided to step down from the presidential race and focus on helping to build a Coalition for a viable alternative to the #APCPDP in the 2019 general elections. This coalition for a viable alternative has now more than ever before become an urgent mission for and on behalf of the citizenry”.

    Read also: APC enraged over PDP’s N388m U.S. lobbying deal

    “Over the past three months, I have been in private extended talks with other candidates to make a coalition possible that would allow Nigerians to exercise choice without feeling helplessly saddled with the #APCPDP. In doing so, I have not hesitated to offer my willingness to step down my candidacy in order to facilitate the emergence of a strong and viable alternative behind which Nigerians can line up in our collective search for a new beginning. My commitment in this regard has been consistent and in consonance with my agreement, at the request of candidates under Presidential Aspirants Coming Together (PACT) in 2018, to supervise their internal selection process as an outside observer passionate about building this alternative force”.

    “Despite disagreements within the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria on these and other issues, I have decided that it is now necessary to show by action and example my determination on this issue by stepping down my candidacy and focusing on building the coalition once and for all”.

    “We have no right to allow citizens give in to despair. We will #Fight4Naija together, and prove to all that the mess that has now become the political class will not be allowed to destroy our spirits and the nation. We are also determined to ensure that the message keeps resonating that our beloved country deserves better and that we will get the best that we deserve”.

    “From last year, I have made it clear to the nation that Nigeria has always had a 20-year cycle of change – 1959, 1979, and 1999. 2019 begins another 20-year cycle, and together with all Nigerians of good will, I stand ready to play my part to ensure that we do not miss this opportunity to sing a new song. We have no more time to waste. Let’s get to work!”.