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Tag: 2019 Presidential Election

  • Fashola: why Southwest will re-elect Buhari

    The Minister for Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola (SAN) says the South West has more to gain by re-electing President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

    Fashola, who was in Lagos yesterday for the inauguration of 5000 foot soldiers for the campaign of Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, said the Southwest already had high stakes/appointments in the current administration.

    He said the promise of the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF) slot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is not enough for the South West to lose the positions it is currently occupying.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that Chief Gbenga Daniel, the Director General of the Atiku Abubakar Campaign Organisation, said the position of the SGF would be given to the Southwest, if Atiku emerged as president in 2019.

    “As a Southwest indigene, I will vote for the Buhari/Osinbajo ticket Westerner, because my people stand to gain more from it,” Fashola said.

    He said that the re-election of Buhari would guarantee that power would come to the South West in 2023.

    “ The Southwest is presently occupying the position of the vice president. We have three sitting ministers and many different federal appointments from the present administration which we cannot afford to lose.,” he said.

    The Minister explained that although the APC promised change In 2014, the party did not promise to do it in four years.

    “The APC has done more in three years than 16 years of PDP administration, yet they say president Buhari is too slow.

    “President Buhari is taking Nigeria to the next level. We are going to the Next Level.

    “The 2019 presidential election is a choice between going back and moving forward to the next level and also a choice of whom Nigerians can trust with their money,” he said.

    He noted that the APC-Buhari led administration has done more in three years with less money than the PDP with all the monies that accrued to the nation in 16 years.

    “Buhari has inaugurated a structural infrastructure fund for road construction. N15 billion has been released for the continued construction of Lagos-Ibadan expressway.

    “There is need for the progress to continue. Dubai was built with oil-money, Nigeria can be built with it too. The past administration squandered oil revenue.

    “Federal Government is constructing at least one road in every state in Nigeria. We are also constructing houses in 34 States in Nigeria.

    “We have collected 690 containers for the construction of 90 transmission stations and through our policy of mini grids, our markets now have uninterrupted power supply.

    “In the last 3 years we have constructed 40 kilometres of roads per year. In 2015, the total number of roads completed nationwide was 80 kilometres. In 2016 after we took over, we completed , 274 kilometres of road, 478 kilometres in 2017 and 474 kilometers in 2018.

    “Electric generation has moved from 4000 Megawatts that we met to 7000MW. That’s an increase of 3000MW, an average of 1000MW a year. We have started an IPP in 9 universities in Nigeria. We have accelerated the distribution of meters by outsourcing it to distributors,” he added.

    At the event are Sen. Gbenga Ashafa, (Lagos East), former Deputy Governor of Lagos State Mrs Adejoke Adefulire and Mr Obafemi Hamzat, running mate to Lagos APC governorship candidate, Babajide Sanwo-Olu among others.

  • 2019: I’ll support candidate who’ll lead Nigeria to Promise Land -Obasanjo

    Former president Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday declared that those destroying the country are not necessarily the bad ones perpetrating evil, but people who being in position to speak out, elected to remain silent.

    Obasanjo described such people as “Nigeria’s worse enemies,” vowing that he would not stay mute while bad things were being done, but also ready to support anybody that will take Nigeria to the promised land.

    Read Also:Why I declared early for 2019 elections – Buhari

    The elder statesman made the declaration when former Minister of Special Duties and Inter -government Affairs,  Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, visited him at his Abeokuta home, the Ogun state capital.

    Turaki was in Abeokuta to intimate Obasanjo of his ambition to join the 2019 Presidential election race in the country.

    The ex – President noted that God has endowed Nigeria with men and women who can stand their onions anywhere in the world, saying he would not relent in demanding good governance until Nigeria reaches where God destined her to be.

    “Let me say that what is happening here today or what you’re making to happen with your delegation particularly gladdens my heart. You are firming up and stabilising our democracy. Democracy is not a destination but a journey and there is no nation that can claim to have reached the final destination.

    “It is good for us as a nation and our democracy. We have said a lot of things that we have identified about what we need to put right as a country.

    “What do we lack? Why are we not where we should be? We are so divided today the way we have not been before. People are deprived socially and economically. But you know I have never lost hope.

    “The reasons are many but one of them is why we are having here today. This country has been blessed by God with men and women of calibre, who can stand their onions anywhere in the world. Why are we under-performing? Simple, leadership.

    “What you are saying in simple language is that we are not short of leadership that can perform and that leadership should be given an opportunity.

    “A nation can be destroyed not necessarily by people who are doing bad things but people who keep quiet when bad things are being done. They are worse enemy of the nation as much as those who are doing bad things.

    “For me, I’ll continue not to rest until we get this country to where God wants this country to be. There is no permanent arrangement for the indivisibility of Nigeria. I share your concern but I believe that no one can do it alone.

    “And for me, anybody who will lead Nigeria to the promised land will have my support.

    “We are in a position to do better than we are doing but in a situation of the world today, where whatever is happening can be seen instantly, we have to create a good image to the world. But some of the things we do inadvertently or inadvertently are not creating that good image,” Obasanjo said.

    According to him, Turaki’s Presidential aspiration is a pointer to the fact that Nigeria is not short of leadership that can perform if given an opportunity.

    And speaking reporters after the meeting, the former minister described it as “fruitful and encouraging.”

    “We have discussed openly, honestly and frankly about the current situation in this country and like always, Baba was of tremendous guidance to us”.

    “Baba has spoken in his vintage way of speaking passionately about the situation in Nigeria. We believe that our indivisibility as a one and united nation is given and it is non-negotiable. We feel that our unity is also non-negotiable”.

    “But within the parameters of living together and staying together as a plural and multi-ethnic complex country that God has brought together, we must learn to understand and respect each other’s feelings.

    “We must work towards ensuring that the government does perform the minimum obligation that citizens of every country expect, which is the protection of the lives and properties of Nigerians and that is why we feel that not being able to do so; the APC-led federal government has now placed Nigerians in a very sorry situation.

    “There is insecurity everywhere; there is lack of unity; there is despondency; there is hunger, there is poverty and we feel that we will be of assistance.

    “We will rise up to the situation and seek the support and mandate of our party to effect positive change that will affect the lives of Nigerians positively.

    “We have been placed in a better situation now to address fully these problems that are bedeviling the Nigerian state and when we get the ticket of our party and win the election in February 16 next year, we would be able to bring back Nigeria on the path of prosperity again,” Turaki said.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • 2019: INEC fixes presidential, National Assembly polls for Feb 16

    2019: INEC fixes presidential, National Assembly polls for Feb 16

    The 2019 presidential election is only 423 days away,the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced yesterday.

    Nigerians,according to the time table released by the commission,are expected to elect the president on February 16,2019.

    Also scheduled for the same day is the election into the Senate and the House of Representatives.

    News of the election dates was broken by INEC chairman,Professor Mahmood Yakubu, at an induction  retreat for Resident Electoral Commissioners in Uyo,Akwa Ibom State.

    The governorship, state assembly and area council elections in the Federal Capital Territory will follow on  March 2, 2019, Yakubu said.

    The implementation of the 2019 Election Project Plan is to begin on   January 1, 2018.

    He said an additional 3,630,529 voters were registered in the recent continuous registration.

    ”This is an important development in our efforts to ensure that electoral services offered to Nigerians are better, more frequent and easier to access than ever before,” he said.

    This exercise will continue until 60 days to the 2019 general elections, as a provided by the Electoral Act.

  • 2019: INEC fixes Presidential, NASS elections for Feb.16

    2019: INEC fixes Presidential, NASS elections for Feb.16

    The 2019 Presidential election is only 423 days away, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) announced Friday.

    According to the time table released by the commission, Nigerians are expected to elect the president on February 16, 2019.

    Also scheduled for the same day is the election into the Senate and the House of Representatives.

    News of the election dates was broken by INEC chairman, Professor Mahmood Yakubu, at an induction retreat for Resident Electoral Commissioners in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.

    The Governorship, State Assembly and Area Council elections in the Federal Capital Territory will follow on 2nd March 2019,” Yakubu said.

    The implementation of the 2019 Election Project Plan is to begin on   January 1, 2018.

    He said an additional 3,630,529 voters were registered in the recent continuous registration.

    “This is an important development in our efforts to ensure that electoral services offered to Nigerians are better, more frequent and easier to access than ever before,” he said.

    This exercise will continue until 60 days to the 2019 General Elections, as a provided by the Electoral act.

    The INEC Chairman said the commission was “working assiduously to ensure 100% performance of the Card Readers. That is why there is an ongoing pilot to upgrade it by enhancing its features including new superior processors.”

    He added: “At the same time, the Commission is exploring ways of improving the integrity of the collation and results transmission processes and has begun to deploy the electronic result collation and transmission platform on a pilot basis.

    “Our ultimate aim, learning from the pilot and consequential improvement of the supporting infrastructure, is to deploy the system for all forthcoming off-season elections and, ultimately, the 2019 General Elections. The Commission is working to ensure that this goal is achieved.”

    The commission said it has conducted 175 elections across the country in the last two years.

    These include 79 Court-ordered re-run elections, 73 end of tenure elections and 23 bye-elections.

    Yakubu said that even where electoral tribunals overturned two of the elections conducted, the commission was never asked to do a fresh election.

    He also noted that to the credit of the commission, outcomes of most recent elections were not challenged in court.

  • Buhari remains only credible candidate for 2019 Presidential election

    Buhari remains only credible candidate for 2019 Presidential election

    Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue says President Muhammadu Buhari deserves to stand for re-election in 2019 because he remains the only credible person with capacity to deliver up to 2023.

    The governor stated this when he fielded questions from State House correspondents after a closed door meeting with Buhari in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Tuesday.

    According to him, as of now, there is no credible person capable of taking Nigeria out of its current challenges apart from President Buhari.

    “I believe that what God brought him to achieve in this country he will definitely achieve it.

    “Now we see him bouncing every day to the glory of God, we appreciate this and we look forward that God will help him to take us through 2015 to 2019 and then 2019 to 2023 – that is our prayer because for now there is no credible candidate as far as I know that has the capacity to take Nigeria out of where we are today.

    “I believe that Mr President has the capacity,’’ he said.

    The governor, who expressed delight over the current state of the President’s health, said he briefed him about the ecological problem in Benue and his major challenge of payment of workers’ salaries.

    He noted that the inability of the state government to pay outstanding salaries to workers in the state was not deliberate.

    Ortom also dismissed the insinuation that his administration diverted the bail out fund received by the state.

    He said: “It is not deliberate and we have not diverted money whether bail out or Paris club anywhere, the records are there for anyone to scrutinize and see.

    “The situation is that I inherited N69 billion arrears on pensions, gratuities and salaries.

    “Then, over N70 billion contractual obligations and so it has been a huge burden on our finances and so Mr President too has promised to find ways that the state can also get support.’’

    The governor noted that the state wage bill of N7.8 billion monthly was one of the highest in the country.

    “We have said it specially when the leadership of the labour congress came and we dialogue and we have set up technical committees comprising technical team from labour congress and technical team from my government, they will look at it and review wage bill and ensure that leakages are eliminated, salary padding and ghost workers and all that.

    “I want to assure you that we are going to prosecute anyone who is found culpable in the salary inflation.

    “Honestly, N7.8 billion wage bill for Benue is out of place and there is no way we will continue in this manner.

    “We have looked at the wage bill and compare with what people are collecting elsewhere in the country and we have done to an average of N4.5 billion that we just have to review it to that,’’ he added.

    He disclosed that the average income for Benue both from federation account and Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) stood at slightly above N6 billion.

    “So, if you are paying salaries alone, you have a deficit of N1.8 billion a month. It is impossible and we have security issues to tackle and several other things that government must run and so it becomes a big problem.’’(NAN)

  • APC slams Fayose over declaration of presidential ambition

    APC slams Fayose over declaration of presidential ambition

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has criticised Governor Ayo Fayose for declaring his intention to contest the 2019 presidential election while he is owing workers in the state salaries and allowances ranging from six to eight months.

    The party described the governor’s action as the height of insensitivity to the people’s plight and an “irresponsible conduct to behave as if Ekiti State treasury is a personal estate for private comfort.”

    In a statement issued in Ado-Ekiti by the Publicity Secretary of APC, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party flayed the governor for “being blind to the sufferings of workers while pursuing self-promoting presidential ambition.”

    He said it was unconscionable for the governor to keep deceiving workers on the state’s poor finances to endure suffering while he enjoyed full life with his family and pursue mundane fancies without sparing a thought for the sufferings of the people.

    Olatunbosun said: “It is the height of wickedness for Fayose to always call teachers to meetings like he did this week to brainwash them on the state’s poor finances and later give them N1,500 pittance for transport until the next brainwashing session with these teachers on empty stomachs while he enjoys full life misapplying state’s money for his fancies.

    “This is more condemnable against the backdrop of facts available to Ekiti people that Fayose has been awarding contracts at over-bloated costs to his friends outside Ekiti State, contrary to his promise to patronise indigenous contractors during his campaigns.

    He contended that the money the state had collected since the governor assumed office was enough to make the people happy if he had applied the money honestly and transparently, adding that Thursday’s declaration of his presidential ambition was meant to distract the people from alleged funds mismanagement in pursuit of a selfish ambition.

    “The presidential declaration is a distraction to keep Ekiti busy from keeping attention to his illegality in the application of Ekiti money for selfish purposes and a ploy to embark on whipping up sentiments to escape justice in his misapplication of Ekiti money.

    “We urge the EFCC to be meticulous in their investigation into how the governor misapplied bailout of N20b, CBN’s N2b loan for small-scale enterprises, N10b loan for projects, N2.8b UBEC/Subeb counterpart fund (which was not matched by the state government), monthly allocation from the Federation Account to Local government councils and Paris Club cash that he has diverted to his ill-motivated projects for selfish motives while Ekiti people go to bed on empty stomachs.”

  • “240, 000 uncollected PVCs in Kwara”- INEC Admin Secretary

    “240, 000 uncollected PVCs in Kwara”- INEC Admin Secretary

    The INEC Administrative Secretary in Kwara, Mr Paul Atser, has disclosed that a total of 240, 000 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) had yet to be collected by voters in the state.

    Atser made this known on Tuesday in Ilorin in his opening remarks at the INEC Stakeholders’ meeting on the commencement of the Distribution of Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs) and Continuous Voters’ Registration (CVR) in the state.

    He said INEC will release the PVCs to their rightful owners upon presentation of their Temporary Voters Card (TVCs) and fill the attestation forms to be supplied by INEC Distribution Officers.

    The Admin Secretary said the exercise will commence nationwide on Thursday, while that of Kwara will also kick off on that day at the INEC office in Ilorin West Local Government.

    He said the exercise will take place in all the 16 local government councils starting from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. daily, except public holidays.

    According to Atser, the distribution of PVCs, and the registration of voters who have just turned 18 years and the transfer of PVCs from one location to the other will last till a month to the Permanent Voter Cards

    He, therefore, advised those who have registered during the last registration exercise and have not collected their PVCs to find time and collect same between now and one month to the 2019 Presidential election.

    Atser added that there was no need for people to rush to the collection or registration centers, as there was enough time to do so at their leisure.

    The Admin Secretary also said that those who were given Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) but their names were not captured in the PVCs would be registered for fresh PVCs.

    He advised those that have already collected their PVCs not to bother to come for registration as double registration was not allowed.

    “No double registration, it is an offence to register more than once as this constitutes an electoral offence and it is punishable,’’ Atser added.

    He said print outs of the registered list will be on display during the last week of every quarter, for people to raise objections and claims.

    Atser said lost PVCs will be replaced upon presentation of an Affidavit from a High Court and a Police report at the registration center, where the person will fill a form containing the biometric data.

    The Stakeholders meeting was attended by representatives of the Commissioner of Police in Kwara, the Directorate of State Security, the NSCDC and the National Orientation Agency (NOA).

    It was also attended by chairmen and /secretaries of registered political parties in the state, representatives of civil society and women groups.

     

  • ‘I can become Nigeria’s Donald Trump come 2019’

    ‘I can become Nigeria’s Donald Trump come 2019’

    One of Nigeria’s renowned comedians, “Seyi Law’’, has declared that he will run for the post of the president in the upcoming 2019 Presidential Election.

    The comedian made the declaration on his Instagram page on Wednesday.

    “I am Aletile Oluwaseyitan Lawrence aka “Seyi Law’’ and I am running for the highest office in the land in 2019, “he wrote on Instagram.

    “It is time to take the bull by the horns; youthful and working towards a new Nigeria.

    “I believe I can also pull a Donald Trump on Nigerians in 2019 and the campaign has started.

    “Why aim low when you can aim high?

    He said he believed that status quo change was what Nigeria needed to regain its place as a force to reckon with, adding that the energy and knowledge of the Nigerian Youth must be put to positive use.

    “It is high time we acknowledged the ingenuity of our vibrant men and women to ensure proper representation at the different levels of governance and not mere reduction to PAs and SAs.

    “We must ensure we retain our best brains in the country and adequately make provision to reform our educational institutions, healthcare system and industries.

    “Our ways of learning must change to meet required standard,” he said.

    By this declaration, Seyi Law has joined fellow comedian, Basketmouth, who had earlier declared his intention to contest for the post of president in 2019.