The Nation Newspaper

Tag: 2019

  • Buhari and 2019

    Some ardent supporters of President Muhammadu Buhari must have been shaken up by the outburst of Alhaji Buba Galadima, a fortnight ago.

    Galadima, who was one of the close allies of President Buhari and who worked with him in the 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015 general elections, had claimed that Buhari could be standing alone at the end of his first tenure in 2019.

    According to him, Buhari may not have a platform to run for re-election if he decides to recontest in 2019 going by the crisis rocking the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that brought him to power.

    But the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, wasted no time to reply Galadima last week Monday.

    He declared that the masses will still queue solidly behind his principal in 2019.

    In a statement titled ‘Buhari won’t be alone in 2019′, he described Galadima’s suggestions that the masses will desert President Buhari in 2019 as unfounded and utterly ridiculous.

    He said, “President Muhammadu Buhari is far from isolation. He enjoys a very strategic relationship with ordinary Nigerians. This relationship is as solid as the proverbial rock.

    “If Buba Galadima thinks that because he has no role and no job in this government that means president is isolated he is putting himself up to ridicule.”

    But it’s important to note that the masses on the street will eventually have to decide where their support will go as the election year 2019 approaches.

    In doing this, they will carry out independent appraisal of the administration.

    They will want to review how the administration has improved their lives in the first tenure.

    By the end of the first four years, they will also want to see a strong Nigerian economy fully diversified into agriculture, solid minerals and other key sectors in line with the promises of the administration.

    The adverse effects of the high inflation rate in the country, pushed up by the increase of fuel price from N86 per litre to N145 and high exchange rate of the naira to a dollar, must be reversed through sound policies in the coming months.

    But the good thing is that the administration still has over two years to fulfill its promises of change to Nigerians.

    Even as the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) third quarter figures last week Monday showed poor performance against second quarter figures, the government was confident that things are looking up and that the fourth quarter will be better than the third.

    Speaking to State House correspondents last Wednesday, the Minister of Budget and National Planning, Udoma Udo Udoma, said that the non-oil sector improved in most encouraging direction to the government.

    “Agriculture continues to growth at 12.5 percent, solid minerals continue to grow at seven percent. We are encouraged by the direction that the non-oil sector is moving.

    “Even for the oil sector, because oil production has started moving up as a result of a lot of initiatives that this government has been taking.” He said

    It is the hope of most Nigerians, who have been at the receiving end, that the improvements will soon start to materialize and have bearing on their lives and well-being.

    When the nation is on the path of growth on all indices and Nigerians are better off than the beginning of the administration, the masses on the street will not only root for Buhari, but massively mobilize for him in 2019.

     

    Reducing unemployment

    After weeks of delay the Federal Government last week announced that first batch of 200,000 unemployed graduates will start work on Thursday 1st of December, 2016.

    They are the first set of the plan by President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to hire 500,000 unemployed Nigerian graduates.

    The programme, under the N-Power Volunteer Corps, is said to be an expression of President Buhari’s commitment to invest in the human capital development of Nigerian citizens, particularly the young people.

    The N-Power programmme is also an innovation meant to enhance ailing public services in the area of basic education and primary healthcare.

    It also aims to achieve self-sufficiency in the agriculture sector by ensuring farmers get relevant advisory services to boost their yields.

    The first batch of 200,000 graduates comprise of 150,000 that would be deployed to teaching, 30,000 will work in the agriculture sector while 20,000 will serve in healthcare delivery.

    They would be sent to the 36 state governments of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), which will in-turn deploy them to their specific programme assignments.

    Each of the graduate is to earn N30,000 monthly throughout the duration of the assignment presently fixed for two years.

    Beside rendering the services at the grassroot level where they would be posted, the graduates are also expected to learn the skills that will brighten their future.

    While this first 200,000 might be seen as a drop in an ocean considering the high rate of unemployed graduates in the country, it is definitely a good start.

    Time should not be wasted now to complete necessary processes and fill the balance of 300,000 spaces for unemployed graduates under the programme.

    It should also hasten steps to generate more employment in other sectors, while ensuring  open and transparency in all the processes.

  • Buhari won’t be alone in 2019, says Presidency

    Buhari won’t be alone in 2019, says Presidency

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mal. Garba Shehu on Monday dismissed suggestions that the masses will desert President Buhari in 2019.

    A former CPC member, Alhaji Buba Galadima had claimed that President Buhari would be abandoned by the people in 2019.

    In a statement issued in Abuja, Garba Shehu described the suggestion as unfounded and utterly ridiculous.

    According to him, the ordinary Nigerians are the backbone of his mandate and the only reason he ran for the office is to protect them against the rapacious merchants of corruption, who have held Nigeria back for decades.

    He said that Galadima’s calculation and prediction is utterly confused and misleading.

    The masses, he said, are solidly behind Buhari because he is not stealing their money and their future.

    He stressed that the President’s enormous goodwill remains ever strong because the people are convinced the President is acting in their best interest, despite the temporary unintended consequences of reforms.

    He said: “President Muhammadu Buhari is far from isolation. He enjoys a very strategic relationship with ordinary Nigerians. This relationship is as solid as the proverbial rock. If Buba Galadima thinks that because he has no role and no job in this government that means president is isolated he is putting himself up to ridicule.”

    He said that Galadima cannot speak for the masses as far as their steadfast loyalty to Buhari is concerned.

    Acknowledging that Galadima was entitled to advance his own political agenda, Malam Garba said Galadima didn’t have the right to decide for ordinary voters.

    He recalled that Buba Galadima’s disagreement with President Buhari was based on principle.

    He explained that President Buhari is committed to level playing field and would not want anyone to link his name to injustice.

    The Presidential media aide said Galadima’s disagreement with Buhari started in 2011 when a group within the party, orchestrated an organizational mess by which the CPC embarked on the imposition and substitution of candidates for cash payments at the expense of those duly and democratically elected.

    He said Muhammadu Buhari was embarrassed by the incidents and complaints about the imposition and substitution of candidates, adding that he, as a democrat, would not suppress the will of the people to please selfish interests.

    “Consequently he dispensed with the service, such as they are, of Buba Galadima; ran and won the 2015 Elections without them. Let Buba Galadima go to his constituency, stand for election and see what will happen to him,” he stated.

  • Buhari, APC and road to 2019

    All things considered, I think Nigeria has been punched intocoma and only God can bring her back to life!

    From the man who opted for a bag of rice in exchange for his son; to the pregnant woman who stole N300 to answer the call of a normal symptom of pregnancy, there is a rise in Nigeria’s socio-political temperature and no one really knows where Nigeria is headed. Warningly, inflation rate is on the high side and our Gross Domestic Product (GDP) growth rate is unsmiling either. From the cosmetic to the substantive, politicians have chopped our country into pieces with each of the parts selfishly kept to themselveseven as the gladiators continue to fight in another person’s corner. Dollar gets worse with each passing day, which in turn deeply traumatizes the fortunes of our country.

    Even as a Buharist whose fierce support for ‘Change’ has been unflinching, I believe it’s time government clipped the wings of this trajectory of sham and uncertaintythat is capable of corrupting our national cohesion and national peace. The threatening trend of poverty-inspired suicide cases among Nigerians calls for concern and the Muhammadu Buhari-led administration must find resourceful means of destroying thisdeadly templeofwant and turpitude before it springs into something else. In strict terms, Nigerians are tired of the ritual of wringing hands in lamentation. So, relevant authorities must devise creative means of putting value on intentions before a line damages an entire song.

    2019 is around the corner and ahead of this politically-charged and highly volatile socio-economic environment lies a fiercely-loyal-but-highly-critical support base.  As we are aware, one of the biggest challenges in running Nigeria’s socio-economic landscape is that of ensuring that best practices are employed in creating ventures for the economy to pick up. However, the irony of our policy somersault in this part of the world is that it sympathies with the criminals but penalizes the victims. Basically therefore, the fear of failure should encourage the Buhari to travel back to the past, look at the risks, weigh benefit options, then make decisions which show greater consistency, courage and determinationin preventing ‘Change’ from being a threat to our survival.

    I am not an expert on economy-related issues. But, beyond economic jargons, being in a state of recession, in my own view, is not the end of life. Instead, what matters is what is done  tonavigate through the temporary setback. United States of America, United Kingdom and Canada, have at one time or the other in their chequered history hit this bottom but they all came out of it, possibly bruised but unbowed. South Korea, incidentally, Asia’s fourth largest economy, is currently having her technical dose of it while South Africa, Africa’s touted largest economy, narrowly escaped it in the second quarter of this year. So, what Nigeria needs at a time like this is a bit of creative wake-up by introducing higher dimensions of consciousness into the complexities of governance.

    With the benefit of hindsight, Buhari comes across a very different, special leader with a magnetic and personable charisma, divinely positioned to rescue Nigeria from the damaging and dangerous remnants of the past. But, in his efforts at righting past wrongs, he should always remember that rumblings of dissent or wrangling of misery among members of his party can gravitate into a catalyst for implosion. So, he will be doing internal democracy a great deal of good if, within the dictates of the law, he dines with situations that are incapable of promoting unity within its rank with a long spoon.

    Nigerians are also never in doubt of  the president’s ability to move the country up out of  the fantasy of ancestral authority and the excitement of collective captivity that have become predatory threats to her survival into a hub of business and cultural opportunities. Along this line is the saga of unpaid salaries which is currently rocking no fewer than 27 states. Government needs to proactively solve this problem before the next General Elections if the ruling party must retain the confidence of this integral part of the electorate. Also in need of renewed vigourin its prosecution than it is witnessing at the moment is the anti-corruption war, lestpolitical principalities, terrorists and businessmen short-sightedly exploit its manifest weakness as a bargaining tool for access to power in 2019.

    Contrary to claims in some quarters, Nigeria’s large and diverse voting public is not always the classroom professoror the parasitic analystbut the poor folk out there who is even ready to die for a cause he believes in. So far, this class of Nigerians has been the president’s strongest pillar of support and most-treasured asset. The toxic truth is that things are currently not looking good for them and this is as a result of government’s rather biting policies. It is therefore in the president’s interest to roll out practical solutions that can help lighten their yokes and give them some sense of direction before things get out of hand. If he succeeds in doing this, then, Buhari will be chasing a place in the record books as the best president Nigeria ever had!

    The way the rulingAll Progressives Congress (APC)ispreparing for the battle of 2019 has not been all that encouraging and the party has to address this particular temptation, especially, now that ovation is still ascending.  Elections in some parts of the country have shown that infrastructure development without an accompaniment of its human complement often carries along with ittremendous negative consequences and this may not be the best for a party that is seeking relevance in the consciousness of the people. In my considered view, a situation in which committed members are treated as permanent beggars precariously scrambling for crumbsunder the table of some clique is not a strong point in the defence of progressive party politics. It is interesting to note that quite a large chunk of its patriots who committed financial and material resourcestowardsits success in the last general election are still out in the open, with their innocence shattered and their expectations plummeted. Unfortunately, there has been no strong statement coming from the president or the national chairman of the ruling party who by law is its operational head.

    By the way, will Buhari seek a second term in office? For now, the sky is cloudy and response can be confusing! Constitutionally, it is his right! Yet, it is his call! Well, while opinions may differ as to the propriety or otherwise of adventures in power,  Abraham Lincoln, Franklin Roosevelt, Lee Kuan Yew,Robert Mugabe, Nelson Mandela, Jerry Rawlings, Thabo Mbeki, Jacob Zuma, even, Goodluck Jonathan have provided varying shades of opinions on this topical issue

    Reckless temperaments! Hateful instincts! Appearance of impropriety! Why are the people hungry and angry? Why are they poor and unfed? How come we have suddenly become a decadent and polluted society swimming, irresistibly, in a dysfunctional economy, culture of recklessness and pattern of hypocrisy? For God’s sake, why do people delight in profiting from others’ misery and why are the led preferably kept in perpetual poverty for them to continue slaving and serving the purpose as dictated by the master? On the other hand, how come the abolition of Navigation Act, which ship-owners had once predicted would be the ruin of British Shipping, eventually turned out to be one of the greatest periods of expansion in the history of shipping in Britain?

     

    • Komolafe writes in from Ijebu-Jesa, Osun State.

  • INEC, inconclusive polls and 2019

    Democracy would perhaps lose its defining egalitarianism if it foreclosed the free expression of viewpoints by its adherents – including often illogical perspectives by forces that seek to misinform, diminish and divide. Against this backdrop, we should appreciate public communicators who have achieved that delicate, firm balance between researched opinion that informs and leverages society and humdrum commentary that diminishes and stunts.

    The unfolding debate over assessment of the performance of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, especially with regards to the so-called ‘inconclusive polls’ represents an arena where a lot of positions that lack rigorous, objective thinking have taken centre stage. Given that perception is reality, this situation is hugely worrying and needs to be dealt with immediately to clear the often contrived fog foisted on public perception.

    Curiously, many commentators on elections either do not know, or choose to ignore the key fact that conduct of election is a closely structured exercise. The often contrived failure to conform to due process and rules of engagement will result in a verdict of inconclusiveness by the electoral umpire or in nullification of the poll by the election petitions tribunals down the line.

    Currently, two major pieces of legislation guide the conduct of elections in Nigeria. They are the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as amended as well as the Electoral Act 2010, as amended. In addition, Section 153 of the Electoral Act empowers INEC to also issue regulations, guidelines and manuals for the purpose of giving effect to the provisions of the Act. Thus, the commission periodically publishes Election Guidelines, Codes of Conduct for Political Parties, Accredited Observers, Journalists, etc. It also developed Political Party Finance Manual and Handbook.

    The necessity for declaration of inconclusive polls stems from the need to account for results from every polling unit during an election exercise. INEC itself brought more clarity to this issue recently when its chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, visited a Lagos-based newspaper. “The constitution of this country provides condition for making return in an election”, he said. “If that threshold is not met, can INEC make a declaration? We can’t, under the law, and if you do so the court will nullify the election.”  When I first saw the headline of this article, however, I didn’t exactly have the clarity.

    The headline, “INEC can’t guarantee conclusive elections in 2019 –Chairman”, got my iris dilated. But when I read Yakubu’s direct quotes inside the story, I was relieved. This, in my humble opinion, brought to the fore the excrescency of interpretative journalism, where interpretation provides the theme and the facts illustrate it; where the theme is primary and the facts are secondary.

    I couldn’t agree any less with INEC boss when he said, “The most difficult election for the commission to conduct are off-season elections, because the attention of everybody focuses on a particular constituency and the political actors and gladiators and their antics have time to mobilise nationwide to descend on a particular constituency, which made the conclusion of such elections very difficult.”

    That was manifested in Bayelsa. That was what we also saw in Rivers. That was why seven people were killed in Rivers elections last year, including a corps member and two solders. That accounted for the reported deaths of 14 people in Bayelsa election last year, including three soldiers and four policemen. All political eyes were fixated on the states in their respective election dates. The political parties and their stalwarts had their attention and resources directed to a those areas. It was a do or die affair!

    Will it be fair, therefore, to compare the outcome of the elections in these states with that of a general election? Just imagine if the death ratio is taken to the general election. Assuming the spate of deaths is mirrored across the states in a general poll. In arithmetic progression, that would be almost 400 victims, including 108 soldiers. Would you call that an election or a war?

    The Rivers and Bayelsa experience would likely reincarnate in Edo State. The politicians are already raising the political temperature to feverish proportions. I will be surprised if the winner is decided at first ballot count. I will not bore you with section 26. The spirit and letter of that act suggest that safety and security should not be sacrificed on the altar of conclusive elections.

    All said, why does it appear elections are increasingly becoming inconclusive at first count? I want to suspect that there are more off-season polls now than ever before. Annulment of election naturally steers them away from general election. In addition, our polls are now credible and thus more competitive. “What I want Nigerians to understand is that our democracy is maturing,” Yakubu had explained. “If it matures, it cannot be the way we used to do things before. The mind-set would have to change. Days were long gone when politicians do everything they can to be declared winners, knowing that the case would end up in court.”

    However, INEC would need to speed up some of its proposed reforms, such as amendments to its guidelines. This includes removal of the eight million uncollected Permanent Voter Cards. It also includes vigorous prosecution of electoral offenders and initiating further enactments to stem electoral violence.

    While I respect the rights of others to hold opinions that do not resonate with mine as expressed here, it would appear some are on a mischief trip. Since the emergence of Yakubu, it seems some have made throwing flaks at him as their mission in life. It’s not the aim of this piece to obliterate any happiness they cling to by so doing – except to give illumination, as I see it, to the straight-minded.

     

    • Gaya is Vice President (North), Nigerian Guild of Editors.
  • I’ll not run for President in 2019, says Okorocha

    I’ll not run for President in 2019, says Okorocha

    •Governor backs Buhari for second term

    Imo State Governor and the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors’ Forum, Rochas Okorocha, yesterday said he has jettisoned his 2019 presidential ambition to support President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term.

    The governor addressed media executives, who were on tour of projects across the state.

    He noted that President Buhari had shown good leadership virtues and should be encouraged.

    Okorocha said his long-time desire to be the President of the country was to provide good leadership, adding that since President Buhari had shown that kind of courageous, visionary and people-oriented leadership, his best bet was to support him to continue beyond 2019.

    He said: “Yes, I have been running for the presidency of this great nation until God said I should settle for the Imo governorship. That passion to become the President of the country is not just borne out of the thirst for the position but arose out of the eagerness to offer the nation and its people a strong leadership. The essence would be to build a nation of our collective dreams and aspirations.

    “President Buhari came in almost one year now and within the one year, Nigeria has once again got the doors of the rest of the world opened for her. He has shown courage, confidence, maturity and strong leadership. There are now high feelings of leadership in the country.

    “What the President, therefore, needs in the circumstance is to be supported and encouraged to continue the good work, even after 2019. For that reason, I have decided to keep my presidential ambition aside. It is also believed that others with such ambition would also want President Buhari to be given the required support to continue the good job, to a very large extent.”

    Okorocha urged the media executives to also support President Buhari’s policies and programmes in the interest of the nation.

    The governor noted that the President had shown quality leadership.

    He added: “God loves this country and has also shown such love by making it possible for Buhari to emerge the President. This is because if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had been allowed to continue in power beyond 2015, the nation and its people would have been in for it by now.”

    The governor urged Nigerians to continue to pray for the President.

  • 2019 and PDP’s festering troubles

    2019 and PDP’s festering troubles

    As the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) prepares for its national convention, scheduled to hold on May 21, 2016 in Port-Harcourt, there are fears that the event may not end the party’s festering troubles, reports Assistant Editor, Dare Odufowokan

    FRESH crisis is brewing within the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) even as the embattled party seeks to resolve its lingering leadership problem. Since PDP lost the general election, the party has been embroiled in series of internal squabbles.

    With its national convention expected to hold on May 21, the party is hoping to put an end to the confusion that rocked its national leadership following the controversial resignation of former Governor Adamu Muazu as national chairman, after its defeat by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2015.

    But sources within the party say peace may still elude PDP for a longer period as the alleged ambitions of some chieftains of the troubled party is at the root of a fresh crisis threatening to work against the several efforts being made to reposition the party.

    The Nation learnt that ahead of the convention, the party is fast breaking into several splinter groups lining up behind the ambitions of some prominent chieftains.

    “It is too early to conclude that peace will return to our party at the convention. With the way things are today, the convention may just be the beginning of another round of troubles.

    “The PDP of today is broken into too many factions. Some of our leaders are allowing their personal ambitions to override the larger interest of the party. Rather than put all hands on deck for the repositioning of the party as being championed by some committed few, others are busy dividing the party for selfish reasons.

    “The fear now is should these groups approach the planned convention that is meant to give our party a new leadership with their current sectional interests, our quest for an acceptable leadership that is crisis free may not come to pass,” our source, a Senator from the South-West, explained.

    Zoning

    Already, the party is divided over recent decision by its National Executive Committee (NEC) to zone the 2019 presidential ticket to the northern geo-political zones.

    While a section of the party, especially members of the Board of Trustees (BoT), are believed to be in support of the decision, supporters of former President Goodluck Jonathan are said to be opposed to it.

    It is also believed that political office holders from the southern geo-political zones, where the party made some appreciable showing at the last election, may also be against the zoning formula. Rumours emerged recently that the party may be forced by the South-East and South-South caucuses to jettison the zoning plan.

    The BoT acting chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, recently warned against any move to jettison the zoning of the party’s 2019 presidential ‎ticket to the North. His warning came amidst fear that the zoning arrangement may be threatened.

    “Anyone who tried to reverse the position, which had already been approved by the National Executive Committee (NEC), would ever remain an enemy to the north and a killer of the PDP,” he had said.

    But a chieftain of the PDP from Anambra State in the South-East, Dr. Ramas Okoye Asuzu, voiced the opinion of the zone when he said the zoning arrangement could be counter-productive in the long run.

    “With Buhari, a northerner as the current president, why would our party want to zone the presidency to the north in 2019? Again, why are we in a hurry to zone the presidency? Shouldn’t the opposition party spread its tentacles to the South-East which is yet to produce the president?

    “By 2019, APC would set its eyes on second term and the North cannot fold its hands to watch other zones snatch the APC ticket, so it would have been better for the PDP to look beyond the North for a flag bearer and believe you me, an Igbo man is just the ideal for the party,” he argued.

     

    Presidential ambitions

    Aside the zoning battle, inside sources claim a battle of wits over the control of the party’s hierarchy may be underway following allegations in some quarters that some prominent chieftains are aiming to take charge of the party in preparation for their 2019 ambitions.

    Among others, the current chairman of the PDP, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, and the Governor of Ekiti State, Peter Ayodele Fayose, have been alleged to be planning a joint ticket towards the 2019 presidential election.

    A chieftain of the party in Lagos State, who was a senator on the platform of the PDP, while explaining that neither of the two politicians have come out to publicly  signify interest in the presidency, told The Nation that the idea is being mooted by some concerned party leaders in the interest of the party.

    “You cannot tell me that Sheriff or Fayose told you they are interested in the presidency. But I can tell you the idea is on the table. Some of us who are concerned about returning the party to winning ways are the ones considering the duo.

    “2019 is not far away. And if PDP is to make the desired impact expected of us, we must start early. The first step in that direction is to identify and encourage strong candidates irrespective of what and where they currently are,” he said.

    Insiders within the PDP said that in preparation for the planned candidacy of the duo, Sheriff may be persuaded to seek the chairmanship of the party at the next convention.

    “It is important that the party machinery is not allowed to slip into the hands of those who may not share our idea about 2019. It is important that the leadership of the party that will emerge at the convention is one that will buy into our plans to move the party forward,” our source added.

    But it appears another interest group has read between the lines and is ready to stop the possible emergence of Sheriff and Fayose’s allies as party executives. A move to have the chairmanship of the party zoned to the South-West is part of the plot of this other group.

    The Nation learnt that a serving governor in the North-East, said to be interested in the 2019 presidential ticket of the party, is one of those pushing for a chieftain of the party from the South-West, to be made National Chairman of the PDP. Some of the chieftains being touted for the top job are the former National Deputy Chairman of the party, Chief Bode George and Chief Ebenezer Babatope, a member of the BoT.

    As chieftains and members of the party look forward to the much anticipated convention, pundits are insisting its outcome will, to a very large extent, determine what will become of PDP, Nigeria’s embattled opposition party.

  • PDP will reclaim power in Jigawa by 2019 – Sheriff

    PDP will reclaim power in Jigawa by 2019 – Sheriff

    National Chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, has expressed optimism that the party will reclaim Jigawa in the 2019 general elections.

    Sheriff said this while addressing a delegation of PDP members led by Alhaji Tukur Ganza, who paid him a solidarity visit in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Sheriff said the party would do everything democratically possible to reclaim the state, which he said was PDP stronghold.

    ”We lost the election not because PDP was not strong in Jigawa, but it was the movement at that time ‎that caused it.

    “Now, we have learnt from our mistakes. So, it is a matter of time. All the people who left our party in Jigawa will come back.

    “The leadership of the PDP today will ensure that no one is lagging behind,” Sheriff said.

    Earlier, Ganza said the group’s visit was to support the emergence of Sheriff as PDP national chairman.

    He said that the group believed in the capability of Sheriff to revive the party.

  • 2019: PDP can’t bounce back if impunities continue – BOT Scribe

    2019: PDP can’t bounce back if impunities continue – BOT Scribe

    Secretary, Board of Trustees (BOT) of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Walid Jibrin has reacted to the ongoing chairmanship crisis rocking the party at the national level, saying PDP can’t bounce back in 2019, if its identified impunities are not stopped.

    This was as he vowed that, members of his board will not allow personal ambition to destroy the good name of the party.

    Addressing the newsmen in Kaduna Wednesday, Walid, a Second Republic Senator stated categorically that, “the impunities and self centredness as pointed out by Senator Ekweremadu led Committee must stop if the party is to take over the mantle of leadership in 2019.”

    According to him, based on this crisis, the BOT is calling for a meeting to review the situation.

    He said, “It is very disappointing and embarrassing that the North -East zone cannot present any person for the national chairmanship of the party to replace Alhaji Adamu Mu’ azu who has since resigned even, if it is for one day.

    “We shall not allow anybody or group of people with personal ambition to destroy the party.

    “We must realise that we are now in opposition having ruled the country for 16 years. We must therefore exhibit effective and objective opposition.

    “The constitution of the party must always be followed strictly with any culprit to be disciplined no matter how highly placed,” he said.

     

  • PDP will regain power in 2019, Metuh boasts

    PDP will regain power in 2019, Metuh boasts

    National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Olisa Metuh, said yesterday that the party is on course to regain power in 2019.

    Metuh, who was let out of detention on bail on Thursday by the Economic and Financial Crime Commission (EFCC), said in Abuja that the PDP has now overcome the initial trauma sparked by its defeat in last year’s elections.

    Metuh, in a veiled reference to the struggle for the leadership of the party by different vested interests, said the “variance of voices” was a reflection of the PDP’s foundation of liberal democracy.

    He spoke at a meeting of the party’s Publicity Directorate with some visiting parliamentarians from the United Kingdom, led by Mark Field, Member of Parliament and Chairman of International Office of the Conservative Party, and Colin Bloom, Director of Outreach-BCP.

    The PDP, according to him, was confronted by serious challenges soon after it lost in the elections, culminating in the resignation of its National Chairman.

    He said that every issue would be resolved by the party leadership by next week.

    In his remark, Mr. Field advised the party to ensure that it does not trash its brand in the face of challenges.

    He noted that while it is common for some party members to demand the removal of leaders after electoral defeat, care must be taken not to jeopardize institutional memory in the party.

    “Never trash your brand no matter what the government of the day is saying about you,” he said.

  • AUN President to Class of 2019: make excellence your watchword

    President of American University of Nigeria, Dr. Margee Ensign has charged the institution’s new intakes to rise above the inevitable hardships they must encounter and contribute to building a world-class university.

    Dr. Ensign was delivering her message to the Class of 2019 during the University’s Convocation (Matriculation) at the Main Campus.

    No fewer than 26 states in Nigeria are represented in the class, as well as students from the United States, the United Kingdom, Rwanda, and Cameroon.

    “There is no magic wand we can use to build a great university.   Having a wonderful digital e-library-probably the finest in Africa-won’t do it.   Having an astonishingly generous founder and benefactor won’t do it.  Being selective in our student admissions won’t do it.  Providing more scholarships won’t do it.  Faculty members doing even better research won’t do it.  Really, it all comes down to the faculty and to the students.   Only you can build a great university”, she told them.

    President Ensign’s speech harped on ‘excellence’ and ‘integrity’. She warned students against the cheap temptations of ‘short-cut’ to success.

    “‘Excellence’ and ‘integrity’ are not at all abstract.  They have everything to do with the future of this institution, with the value of your degree, with your future as graduates of this institution.

    “If AUN continues to be known throughout Nigeria as a place of high and uncompromising standards, of academic integrity and excellence, of genuine world-class education, then we have a great future,” she said.