The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 2019 Presidential Election

  • Silent war in Atiku’s camp

    A QUIET war is going on in the camp of former Vice President and presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the just concluded elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

    The camp of the former Vice President is said to be very angry with the governor of Sokoto State, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal, and former Kano State governor, Alhaji Musa Kwankwaso, over the votes he got from Sokoto and Kano states during the presidential election.

    Associates of the former Vice President believe that the two PDP chieftains did not wholeheartedly work for Atiku’s success in the presidential election because they were scheming for their own presidential ambition in 2023. The belief in Atiku’s camp is that Kwankwaso and Tambuwal preferred that President Muhammadu Buhari, the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the election in the belief that he would quit the political scene after his second term while his domineering influence would vanish.

    Read also: Fintiri’s election signifies new dawn in Adamawa, says Atiku

    Atiku’s presidency, on the other hand, they were believed to have reasoned, would eclipse their influence and their say in the PDP during the eight years he would spend in office, while their popularity would wane considerably.

    Atiku’s camp is said to be particularly peeved by the high number of votes the PDP garnered in the two states during the governorship election as opposed to the party’s poor performance in the two states during the presidential race. It would be recalled that the PDP could only muster 391,593 votes in Kano and 361,604 votes in Sokoto State during the presidential election, while the party polled a whopping 1,024,713 votes in Kano and 512,002 votes in Sokoto during the governorship race.

    From the rumblings in the party, the PDP seems to be hell bent on zoning the presidential ticket to the north again in the 2023 elections.

  • Presidential election: PDP, Atiku file petition a day to deadline

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate in the February 23, 2019 presidential election, Atiku Abubakar on Monday said they have filed their petition at the tribunal, challenging the validity of the election in which President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was returned for a second term.

    PDP’s National Legal Adviser, Emmanuel Enoidem and Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), Mike Ozekhome said the party and Atiku filed a joint petition on Monday evening at the secretarial of the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal in Abuja.

    Enoidem and Ozekhome spoke while exiting the tribunal’s secretariat situated at the Abuja division of the Court of Appeal on Monday evening.

    Both lawyers gave hints about the content of the petition and their expectations at the tribunal.

    Enoidem said: “We are here to present our joint petition for our party, the PDP and candidate our candidate. The last day for the petition is actually tomorrow, but we decided to file today.

    “We asked that our candidate, who won the election massively across the country, be declared the winner of that election.

    “In the alternative, we also asked that the election be set aside on the grounds of irregularities, which were very apparent across the country.

    “We have a pool of 20 Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs), who are tested in election petition matters and other senior lawyers, who are also working with them.

    “So we are very ready for the petition. The petition is well packaged. The depositions are well put together.

    “More than 400 witnesses are going to testify in this petition. Nigerians are at home with what happened on February 23 in this country in relation to the sham they called election.

    “Of course, we are going to re-present the facts to Nigerians, as the facts are already in the domain of Nigerians. We are not going to manufacture facts.

    Ozekhome, who came out of the tribunal’s secretariat later, said he is a member of the petitioners’ legal team and that the petit on is “strong, solid and unassailable.”

    He noted that, with only one day to the deadline for filing of the petition, the late filing was because the Independent National Electoral Commission failed to cooperate in terms of providing easy access to the electoral materials.

    Ozekhome added: “We have up to tomorrow (Tuesday), to file but we have been having some challenges from the INEC itself in terms of assessing materials used during the elections. But I believe we will get there.

    “Our petition is quite solid, strong unassailable and we believe that by the grace of God, the true keeper and owner of the mandate will have his mandate given to him.”

  • The Touchstone: Atiku is a sore, bad loser – Sam Omatseye

    Political analyst and Chairman, Editorial Board of The Nation Newspapers, Sam Omatseye, joined by Member, Editorial board, Femi Macaulay to discuss the 2019 Presidential election, President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory, credibility of the 2019 election, INEC, leadership of the of the National Assembly, and the governorship and Assembly elections.

     

  • US, China congratulate Buhari

    The United States of America and China have sent congratulatory messages to President Muhammadu Buhari for winning the 2019 Presidential election.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said that Chinese President Xi Jinping on Friday extended congratulations to President Muhammadu Buhari on his decisive win in the February 23 presidential election in Nigeria.

    In his congratulatory message, President Xi said: ‘‘On the occasion, of your re-election as the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, I would like to, on behalf of the government and people of China and in my own name, extend to Your Excellency warmest congratulations and best wishes. I wish you continued success in fulfilling the lofty mission.’’

    President Xi said, through joints efforts with President Buhari, Nigeria and China in recent years have significantly enhanced political mutual trust and secured fruitful outcomes in practical cooperation, which have delivered tangible benefits to both countries.

    ‘‘I highly value China’s relations with Nigeria and stand ready to join hands with you to follow through on the outcome of the Beijing Summit of the Forum on China-Africa Cooperation and take the China-Nigeria strategic partnership to a new height, to the greater benefits of the two countries and two peoples,’’ President Xi said.

    In another statement, the U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo congratulated the people of Nigeria on a successful presidential election, and President Buhari on his re-election.

    Secretary Pompeo commended all Nigerians who participated peacefully in the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections and condemned those whose acts of violence harmed Nigerians and the electoral process.

    ‘‘We note the assessments of international and domestic observer missions affirming the overall credibility of the election, despite localized violence and irregularities.

    ‘‘We also congratulate all the other candidates for their peaceful participation in the electoral process.

    “We call on all Nigerians to ensure successful state elections next week. Going forward, the United States remains committed to working together with Nigeria to achieve greater peace and prosperity for both our nations,’’ Secretary Pompeo said.

  • Reflections on the 2019 presidential election

    The 2019 presidential election is over. President Muhammadu Buhari has been offered a second term of four years. The reelected president deserves our congratulations. Of course, he must be the first to admit that there are numerous challenges ahead. But before we go into this, there are some takeaways from the concluded elections.

    First, it is pleasing that the nation is tending toward a two-party system as indicated by the performance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the elections. This means that each of these two parties has a good chance of becoming the ruling party every four years, ensuring a keen competition for the endorsement of the electorates, thus raising our hope for good governance.

    I am not suggesting that a multi-party system is bad for the country. But in this matter, “the more, the merrier” is not in the best interest of the country’s nascent democracy. This election featured more than seventy political parties contesting for the presidency. That is simply ridiculous. There must be more stringent criteria for registering political parties.

    Second, from intra-party competition for nomination to inter-party electoral contests, our elections are still bedeviled by the influence of money and wealth. This prevents talented individuals without deep pockets or godfathers from having a good chance to serve. Worse, it gives an undue advantage to proven thieves and corrupt individuals, who have illegally and immorally appropriated the wealth of the nation, to exploit the system. To combat this unwholesome trend, there must be a collective endeavor to curb the influence of money with necessary legislation. More importantly, such legislation must be back by strong enforcement measures.

    Third, while it cannot be denied that regionalism or ethnic nationalism is alive and well across the land, its role in this last election is debatable. For one thing, both presidential candidates are from the same ethnic nationality and their tickets show that they have inroads into other zones. And though their running mates are of different ethnicities, it didn’t appear to have made much of a difference.

    For rising above bigotry and chauvinism, we could pat ourselves on the back. The heavy presence of PDP in the Southeast and South-south predated the choice of Obi as Atiku’s running mate. It even predated the presidency of Goodluck Jonathan. And while Osinbajo is from the Southwest, PDP showed a footprint in Oyo and Ondo. On the electoral map, you could see a red island on a sea of green from Northeast to Southwest. That island is Oyo. Hopefully, the era of ethnic politics and the politicization of ethnicity is passing.

    Fourth, to the credit of the contestants, this election has been fought most effectively on issues, including the state of the economy, candidate integrity, political restructuring, and party reputation. These are legitimate issues that will always be relevant in our politics going forward. And while the victorious party may rightly claim vindication of its positions by its victory, there is good reason for it to take a good look at the people’s complaints, which the opposition had tried to tap into.

    Fifth, intra-party crisis, fueled by indiscipline, especially within the rank of leaders, played a decisive role in the conduct and outcome of the elections in some states, including Oyo, Ondo, Imo, Rivers, and Ogun, where the governor was implicated in an attack on the presidential election campaign rally in the state. The loss of APC in Oyo, Ondo, and Imo, where the party is in power, and the failure of APC to present National Assembly candidates in Rivers state, are direct outcomes of intra-party crises.

    Sixth, every citizen who has faith in popular democracy and in the ability of our people to choose wisely based on their interests must be happy that the cabal of retired generals who seek to impose their will on the nation are now truly disgraced and retired for good. You do not have to be a sympathiser of Buhari or the ruling party to appreciate the fact of his victory despite the vindictive campaign orchestrated by former President Obasanjo who has constituted himself as the kingmaker.

    How is it ever fair or decent that General Obasanjo would choose voluntarily to support a candidate for election and within a year later, he turns against him with public letter-writing. What good does that practice accomplish? Even the Almighty gives his creatures a longer time period for them to change and repent. Yet every aspiring candidate runs to this “all-knowing” human for endorsement. Now that for the first time, the candidate he ridiculed publicly has won reelection and the one whose sins he forgave on our behalf has lost, it is time for Obasanjo to honorably retire from active politics, if he has any honor left to preserve.

    APC and Buhari must be pleased and be thankful to God that despite their rejection by the military cabal and the generality of the elite whose fortunes have been damaged by their policies, they are beneficiaries of the undiluted devotion of the masses, the poor and working class, whose support made the President’s victory possible.

    For the reason of the support from the poor and downtrodden that puts the president on top, it’s only fair to expect, and indeed, urge that the second term will come up with policies and programs that put the masses in the driver’s seat. This is especially urgent if the party and the president still adhere to their progressive ideology. Fortunately, the party would still have a majority in the National Assembly, one that one hopes is more aligned with its progressive mandate.

    Read also: PDP calls for cancellation election in Kwara

    To this end, it is fitting to bring to memory the advice of this column to President-elect Buhari in 2015: “General Buhari has a mandate that comes with great expectations. It is not an easy spot to be on. But….there is a lot of goodwill, considering the ecstatic jubilation across the land…. The people’s general cannot afford to disappoint!!!! He must build trust. And he must satisfy the yearnings of the youth and the elderly for the dividends of democracy.”

    Continuing, I noted that “the APC manifesto is the political Holy Book of President-elect Buhari. He referred to it incessantly and campaigned on the three priorities that the manifesto highlighted. He promised that he will provide adequate security of life and property for citizens; that he will attack corruption at its root; and that he will reboot the engine of the economy and will diversify it to tackle youth unemployment.”

    That was four years ago. There is no doubt, however, that the same advice is apt today. While APC has moved from “Change” slogan to “Next Level”, the party has not changed its priorities which remain focused on anti-corruption war, economic recovery, and security.

    The Next Level slogan, which also should be the administration’s mantra going forward, is a nod to its modest achievements on the three fronts in the first term, and a dedication to up its act in the new term. The election has been cast as a referendum on the president’s performance in the last four years. That he won is evidence that the electorate gave him a passing grade.

    However, while the victory is not undeserved given the progress in the key areas, especially infrastructure, there is always good reason for introspection and retrospection. On top of the agenda of the party leadership and the presidency must be party discipline, without which it would again start on a wrong foot. Recall, how Saraki and Dogara defied the party and got away with it in 2015. Every challenge that the administration had to struggle with emanated from the way that gross indiscipline was handled. A hands-off approach by the President will most certainly lead to the same unfortunate outcome this time.

    President Buhari “must not be tempted to surround himself with sycophants who only tell him what pleases him. He must tap into the wise counsel of those who will boldly disagree with him with good and unselfish reasons. The bulk stops with him now.” These last words from me in 2015 are still valid in 2019.

  • CODER deploys 380 election field observers

    The Coalition of Democrats for Electoral Reform (CODER) has said it has been granted accreditation by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to monitor the 2019 Presidential, National Assembly, Governorship and State Assembly elections.

    It said to fulfill this mandate, it has trained 380 field observers and deployed them to their assigned states since February 14.

    CODER, which was founded in 2009 by a coalition of individuals and organisations committed to supporting the electoral reform process in Nigeria, stated this in a statement to The Nation yesterday.

    The statement explained that the organisation is currently undergoing a restructuring process led by its Executive Director and Chairman of the Transitional Committee Dr. Wunmi Bewaji.

    According to the non-governmental group’s convener, Chief Ayo Opadokun, CODER’s objective is very simple: “to ensure that every vote counts”.

    The letter added: “Since the first phase of the struggle for electoral reform concluded with the enactment of far-reaching reforms initiated by the late President Umaru Yar’Adua, following the recommendations of the Uwais Committee, CODER has continued to be in the forefront of safeguarding the electoral process by participating in election observation activities, as well as educating and engaging voters.

    “Each election cycle, many Nigerians have relied on POLLWATCH, the CODER election reporting platform, for up-to-date, verified election reports. #NigeriaDecides2019 will not be different.”

  • 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”.

  • Again, Obasanjo knocks Buhari over leadership style 

    … Nigeria should Borrow Rwanda Elite Consensus Model, Bugaje

     

    President Muhammadu Buhari Thursday came under attack few days to the 2019 presidential election.

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo urged Nigerians not to despair, but be optimistic and vigilant despite the fact that Buhari is under performing.

    Obasanjo said that time has come when every Nigerian must have a Nigerian dream where there must be some commonalities adding that in assessing the mid-term government of President Buhari, security, fighting corruption and job creation remain where they were when the government started as it was not yet a success story.

    He said if Nigeria as a country must get it right, especially entrenching good democracy, there must be good governance, free and credible elections.

    Read Also:Oshiomhole lashes out at Obasanjo for ceding Bakassi

    Speaking at the Public Presentation of a book titled, “Politics as dashed hopes in Nigeria by Dr. Auwalu Anwar, former President Obasanjo however urged Nigerians to rise and defend the country’s fledgling democracy.

    Obasanjo vowed to do everything humanly possible to safeguard democracy for good governance in Nigeria and for all Nigerians.

    He said in the next couple of months, four West Africa Countries including Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire will be having their elections, adding that one common feature is that the four incumbent presidents were in the opposition and people voted for them.

    The former president said that the world is watching to see how they would strengthen Democracy in their respective countries.

    Obasanjo who was the Chairman of the book presentation at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, said that democracy without a strong opposition is akin to a marriage without a bridegroom to consummate the marriage.

    The book which is published by Safari Books is made up of twenty- two chapters, with 614 pages.

    The former President said: “I am not in despair and I would ask the rest of us not to be in despair; our hope lies in democracy with good governance as one of the hallmarks which is free, fair, transparent and credible elections.

    “What should be our take home; yes things may be gloomy, things may not be what they should be, yes leadership may be underperforming, we must not lose hope, that is the first thing.

    “The second is that I believe we must have some commonalities that we will all hang on to. One our common nationality, Nigeria; this is the time when we must have a Nigerian dream, what is Nigerian dream, what can I hang on to? Yes I am a Nigerian and because I am a Nigerian I expect this.

    “And I believe if we all see ourselves first as Nigerians and then we enunciate for ourselves the Nigerian dream, a land flowing with milk and honey, a land of opportunity, a land that gives you a stake in all that it is, I think, we will have a country that we can all be proud of.”

    “I believe that every record we can keep of the history of Nigeria in totality, it doesn’t matter from what point of view you are writing, it is good for the future of this country because if we do not know our past, we may not be able to channel the right course to our future. It is important that we keep the memory of the past so that so that we can enlighten our present.

    “I must also congratulate him for the courage and the research work he has deplored in writing such a lucid and comprehensive book. I could see from the content from the book what may appear as the author’s frustration which led to the somewhat melancholy title.

    “Since the book is about The Buhari Organisation (TBO), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), All Progressive Congress (APC) and Buhari’s political life and activities up to the second year of Buhari’s administration. I will touch on two or three points that may be of interest to all of us.

    “President Buhari served the purpose of galvanizing efforts to get Jonathan and PDP out of office. Buhari and the APC must get the credit that because democracy without a strong opposition is like a marriage without the bridegroom consummating the marriage.

    “But on the midterm score card Dr Anwar pointed out three significant and tangible areas of failure; security, fighting corruption and job creation. As at today these three areas are still what they were at midterm not yet a success story.

    “Dr Anwar touched on another significant but intangible areas of failure; exemplary leadership which induce character and power for the sake of what may be called power for self aggrandisement. I can say that I understand where Dr Anwar is coming from to get the title of the book, but we must face despair with optimism.”

    Obasanjo went further that: “I am not in despair and I would ask the rest of us not to be in despair; our hope lies in democracy with good governance as one of the hallmarks which is free, fair, transparent and credible elections.

    “Between now and the next few months, there are four significant countries where elections are taking place in West Africa; Nigeria, Senegal, Ghana and Cote d’ivoire. The incumbent in the four cases were in the opposition and people voted for them, it was good for democracy.

    “The world is looking at these four countries in the incoming elections to see what will be their contribution to cumulatively strengthen, improve and stabilize democracy in each of these four countries. If we all cherish democracy, we will all guard and protect our fledgling democracy and that I believe is the main purpose of Dr Anwar’s book.

    “As for me I will do everything within me possible to safeguard democracy to good governance in Nigeria and for all Nigerians.

    “I am particularly happy in this respect that most Nigerians themselves are rising to their duties, obligations and responsibilities as guardians of our democracy. I commend all those that are standing for democracy. Remember that if you stand aloof when evil is being perpetrated you will become an accomplice in the perpetration of evil.

    “Nigerians must be the architect of their own fortunes and future progress but equally gratifying is that the international community have accepted the responsibility and committed themselves to take necessary actions to ensure the health and sustenance of our democracy therefore making politics a great hope for Nigeria, for West Africa and indeed for Africa rather than great despair or dashed hopes.

    “We salute and appreciate those who support us for the general good of Nigeria with a population of 200million and rising, our misfortune has implications for the rest of Africa and the rest of the world in general. Nigeria’s potentials shall be realised by the grace of God.”

    In his Keynote address, a former member of the House of Representatives, Usman Bugaje, who noted that there was the absence of elite consensus in Nigeria, where each zone is doing its own, without a common sense of purpose; however urged Nigeria to have a replication of Rwandan model of national integration in addressing socio-political crisis in Nigeria.

    According to Bugaje, the elite consensus introduced by the Rwandan President, Paul Kagame which reconciled Hutus and Tutsis was required to salvage Nigeria, just as he explained that Rwanda went through the worst genocide in the world but rose to become the safest country with the fastest growing economy in Africa within twenty years, adding, “I am confident Nigeria and other countries can escape crisis. And what gives me this confidence is Rwanda. I am not a fan of Paul Kagame because he has his shortcomings. He is human.

    “What Paul Kagame does is elite consensus. Today if you go to Rwanda you cannot know who is a Tutsi, who is a Hutu. If you ask them, you will never get an answer. They will just smile. Because they agreed that, they will not go back to that thing that divides them. And they succeed. This is what we require to salvage our country.”

    According to Bugaje, Poor quality of governance and poor delivery was deepening poverty, with large number of out of school children, just as he said that Parties have lost content, conscience and courage and plays out now is politics of big men which took over from the politics of big ideas, thereby leading to emptiness, money and violence.

    Bugaje who also took a swipe at the aspect of the constitution which harps on eligibility and nit suitability, said that in the 21st century, it was out of place and not suitable to say that secondary education should be the requirement needed to be the president of the country, adding that there was confusion, clear absence of transparency in the country as well as poor politics of governance.

    Bugaje who noted that the leadership was not interested in thinking about where Nigeria would be in the next twenty years, the world of Information Technology, wealth moving away from oil to creativity, said that the only consensus now is to loot treasury and continue thuggery, but was quick to add that inspite of all these, there was still hope as we need courage and resilience.

    Also present at the event were former Vice President and Presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar who was represented by former Kano State governor, Senator Rabiu Kwankwanso; former Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Muhammed Uwais; governor of Kaduna State, Mallam Nasir El- Rufai who was represented by his deputy; Col. Lawal Gwadabe, Professor Terhemba Shija who was the book reviewer, Spokesperson of Afenifere, Yinka Odunmakin, former Minister of State, Defence, Johnson Agiuyi Ironsi, Jnr, Akilu Ndabawa, Senator Ibrahim Ida, Dr. Umar Ardo, among others.

     

  • Afenifere endorses Buhari for 2019 presidential election

    MEMBERS of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere, rose from their summit in Ibadan, Oyo State yesterday with an endorsement of the candidature of President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the group’s choice for the February 16 election.

    The group, led by Second Republic Senator Ayo Fasanmi, had after its meeting at the House of Chiefs, Agodi State Secretariat in Ibadan on December 20, last year, said it would announce on January 29  its preferred candidate for the presidency.

    It endorsed Buhari for the February 16 election.

    At the endorsement, which took place at the International Conference Centre, University of Ibadan, the group argued that it endorsed Buhari because of his outstanding performance.

    At the event were Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, Chief Fasanmi, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s representative and former Minister of State for Defence Demola Seriki, Lagos Deputy Governor Mrs. Idiat Adebule and her Ogun State counterpart Mrs. Yetunde Onanuga.

    The royal fathers were represented by the Ewi of Ado-Ekiti, Oba Rufus Adedejuyigbe; Akirun of Ikirun, Oba Abioye Oyebode, Oniye of Iye-Ekiti, Oba Adeleye Oni among others.

    House of Representatives member (Atiba/AFIJIO/Oyo East/Oyo West) Akeem Adeyemi; Asimiyu Alarape; Chief Akin Fasae and gubernatorial candidate of the ruling APC in Lagos State, Babajide Sanwo-Olu, also attended the event.

    Prof Osinbajo, who was the special guest of honour, arrived at the venue at 3.50pm. He was handed a copy of the lecture, titled: “Restructuring for harmonious and optimal socio-economic development: Prospects and challenges”.

    The lecture was delivered by Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi.

    In their goodwill messages, the governors of the six Southwest states  – Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo); Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun); Oluwarotimi Akeredolu (Ondo); Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun) and Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos) – urged the people of the zone to ensure the re-election President Buhari and Osinbajo next month. They were all represented.

    Mrs. Onanuga, who spoke for Amosun, said: “ Ogun State  is very important in the history of  the Southwest because it has produced personalities like the late sage, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Pa Abraham Adesanya and Prof Osinbajo and as a result, the state has contributed to the socio-economic development of the country.”

    She called on all to vote for President Buhari and Osinbajo.

    Mrs Onanuga urged the people to collect their PVCs to enable them exercise their franchise.

    Prof. Bayo Ademodi, who stood in for Akeredolu, congratulated Afenifere for the summit and hailed the group’s leader for his steadfastness.

    He said: “Afenifere truly stands for progressivism. It is imperative we focused on restructuring. And the only party that stands for progressivism is APC. And come February 16, that is the direction we are going.”

    Oyo State Deputy Governor Otunba Alake Adeyemo, who spoke for Ajimobi, expressed delight on the lecture’s title, adding that the Federal Government cannot close its ears to restructuring as a mere noise in the market place.

    He said: “There is no denying the fact that Nigeria has gone through series of restructuring since independence.”

    Oyetola’s representative Dr. Charles Akinola, paid tributes to the Afenifere leadership for its regular intervention in the affairs of the nation and described the topic as “timely”.

    The motion for President Buhari and Prof Osinbajo’s endorsement was moved by an octogenarian, Senator Olabiyi Durojaye. It was supported by other five leaders of the group – Prince Tajudeen Olusi (Lagos), Prof Bayonile Ademodi (Ondo), Elder Yemi Alade (Ekiti), Chief S. M. Akindele (Oyo) and Sooko Adewoyin (Osun).

    Fasanmi said Buhari deserved another term because he has performed credibly.

    He said: “I want all of you to work and vote for Buhari who has performed very credibly and I think he deserved second term in the office.

    “He is the only candidate that is campaigning about a corruption free society. I am pleased that all the Southwest under the APC fold is going this direction.”

     

  • 2019: ‘Voting against Buhari means going back to bondage’

    Chief Olusola Oke, Southwest Director of the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation for the 2019 presidential election, says not voting for President Muhammadu Buhari denotes backwardness.

    Oke said this while receiving members of Buhari/Osinbajo Strategic Solidarity Movement (BOSSEM) on Wednesday in Akure.

    “Voting for candidate apart from President Buhari come 2019, is like the Israelites going back to Egypt but in APC we are focused on Canaan by supporting Buhari.

    “Mr President is the real project and APC has a way of finding solutions to its problems, so, that is not a problem. We will all work together,” he said.

    Aside the internal crises within the party, Chief Oke who is a two time governorship candidate in the state, said the major challenge of next general election was for Nigerians to make the right choice.

    He assured the movement that the opposing camps within the party would work for the re-election of Mr President.

    The campaign director dispelled political insinuations that the internal crises within the the party would affect the second term bid of the president in the South West.

    “My primary work is to bring everybody together: the aggrieved and non-aggrieved to have a good showing.

    “We need everybody, so whosoever is aggrieved; we will make appeal to them. I am happy about one thing: Whosoever is aggrieved will still work for our President.

    “The Yoruba people are very sophisticated politically. Their place in the last election is crucial and critical and it’s going to be same in this election.

    “We have our own options and we have weighed the options and at this level, the option of Buhari has no alternative and that is why we are going for him. No doubt, there are challenges,” he said.

    According to him, the challenges of what the present administration has been facing for the past three and half years are to lay a new foundation for the growth of the country.

    “The super-structure is yet to come. It is now our responsibility as Nigerians to make sure the solid foundation is not destroyed so that the superstructure can be put on it.

    “To achieve this is not going to be an easy job, but we are fortified in our belief by the existence of the various groups, that also care about the future.

    “Therefore, whatever challenges that we have are not insurmountable and I can assure you, we have put our hands on deck and we are not going to look back,” he assured.

    Oke, alongside the BOSSEM Coordinator, Femi Bamisile, who is a former Speaker of Ekiti House of Assembly, pledged to deliver the six states in the South West region for the ruling APC next month.

    “We will do everything that is humanly and legally possible to ensure that South West takes its place of pride in the return of Mr President to power on May 29, 2019,” he said.(NAN)