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Tag: Action Democratic Party (ADP)

  • ADP denies merger rumours

    Edo State chapter of the Action Democratic Party  (ADP) has denied rumours that it was in merger talks with other political parties.

    It said many aspirants have indicated interest to contest in the party primaries ahead of next year’s general elections.

    National Youth Leader of the party, Prince Edobor Oghosa, who spoke at an event to mark  the party’s one year anniversary said the party would soon receive defectors from other political parties.

    “We can assure you that ADP is a party that has come to stay. So many groups  and few political parties have been in talks with us.

    “We are engaging at different levels of discussion and we can assure you that ADP has come to stay,” he said.

    Also read : 2019 polls: political parties to sign code of conduct

    State Chairman of the party, Mr. George Oloruntobi, informed the party members that three credible persons have indicated interest to contest the presidency under the ADP platform.

    George stated that the implosion expected within the APC would help the party to victory in 2019.

    He said the party would  consolidate its spread in line with its continuous campaign and propagating its manifesto to the people.

    “As we speak, we have not less than three presidential aspirants and any of them will shock Nigerians by winning the election by 2019″he said.

  • APC, ADP, LP disagree on gains of democracy

    The Action Democratic Party (ADP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday disagreed the successes so recorded since the return to democracy in 1999.

    While the ADP said that the three years of APC government in the country has been a tragedy, the APC insisted that despite its imperfection, the nation’s democracy has soldiered on, successfully putting military rule behind.

    In a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the APC said the nation has built on the gains of the years of fractured military incursion, while the nation’s democracy and polity had become stronger.

    The statement reads: “The All Progressives Congress (APC) congratulates all Nigerians on the momentous occasion of the 2018 Democracy Day Celebrations.

    “Indeed, our journey as a nation since 1999 when we returned to democratic rule has not been an easy one but our country has soldiered on. We have built on the gains of those early years fractured by military incursion and now 19 years after, our democracy and polity are stronger.

    Read Also:Democracy Day: Council wants FG to develop single data base

    We have conducted successive elections and have continually improved on the transparency and credibility of our electoral systems.

    “Remarkably, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has continued in the country’s proud tradition of being a bastion of democracy in the sub-region and across the world, as seen in the current administration’s lead intervention in ensuring representative governance and peaceful transition of power in the Gambia.

    “On this momentous occasion, we should congratulate ourselves on the strides we have made in our political journey as a country since independence. For one, military rule is now distant memory in Nigeria. We must now work collectively to improve our democracy because regardless of its imperfections, democracy remains the best form of government that can best serve the interest of our people.

    “As a Party in government, our commitment to address our current challenges, which find expression in the economy and security, remain unshaken. We urge all Nigerians to continue to pray and support the current administration’s effort to build a peaceful and greater nation.”

    On his part, the National Chairman of the ADP, Engr. Sani Yabagi told The Nation that it is unfortunate that three years after coming into power; the Nigerian government is still making appointment into strategic and key positions of governance.

    He said “I think what has happened to Nigeria is a tragedy. Three years of APC is a tragedy it is tragedy in the sense that those things government should do to hit the ground running were not done.

    “Three years after, they are still making appointments. Appointments not to culture the offices – key political, economic positions. Statutory bodies that are supposed to really guide, manage, advice on how the economy should be run. Still, some of them are not yet on board.

    “For example, we have an institution as important as CBN which just appointed the MPC (Monetary Policy Committee). There are still some organs of that body that are still not appointed. People are still there not appointed. You can see it is a tragedy.

    “This kind of thing shouldn’t happen in a country like Nigeria. There is no way it should happen to us. Is it that we don’t have people? We have people, we have skills, we have intelligent, very young population with superfluous opportunities you can ever dream of in any other continent, particularly in Nigeria.

    “Europe has an aging population and their resources are dwindling. Ours is still yet to be tapped. That is why this economy can grow at a faster rate than American economy, even European economy. We have the capacity, we have the population, it is a young population.

    Resources are there, the market is there, the share size of resources is enough for us to be big, not to talk of the fact that we can take advantage of our comparative advantage today in oil and gas. So, why can’t we do all those things? That is why I said, it is a tragedy of gangantua proportion.”
    On his part, National Chairman of Labour Party, Abdulsalam Abdulkadir said what the country is witnessing today is merely a civilian rule with military mentality without respect for the rule of law.

    Abdulsalam said “There is nothing to celebrate on this democracy day, what we are witnessing is mere civilian rule but with military mentality.  What we have now there is no respect to law and order.

    “You can see the report of the international human rights organization on the rate of abuses in the country.

    “In terms of development, Nigeria is still backwards, we are still a consumer nation with not much local products to export. There is poverty everywhere and people are suffering terribly in this country. In terms of the wellbeing of the people, most of the governments are owing workers salary and pension. As a result many pensioners are dying out of hardship and frustration.

    “The way forward is for Nigerians to prepare to install a new government that will remedy the shortcomings of the APC-led administration in 2019”.

  • History will be kind to IBB, Says ADP

    History will be kind to IBB, Says ADP

    The Action Democratic Party (ADP) has asked President Muhammadu Buhari to listen to the wise counsel of former President, Ibrahim Badamosi Babangida not to seek reelection in 2019, but prepare to hand over to much younger person who can move the nation forward.

    However, in a statement signed by its National secretary, Dr.James Okoroma, the ADP said history will be kind to the former President for speaking out against what he described as leadership failure of President Buhari.

    Okoroma said the former President was “clinical in his presentation by touching on the economy, pervasive insecurity, bloodletting across the country, devolution of powers, community Policing and restructuring.

    “Babangida’s declaration that restructuring can no longer be wished away shows that there is hope for Nigeria. Those who thought that Buhari’s actions and segregation had the blessings of the entire North can now heave a sigh of relief with a serious opposition coming from another Northern leader of Babangida’s status.”

    While aligning with the former President in appealing to President Buhari not to seek re-election in 2019, the ADP scribe said: “Babangida was one of those who fought to keep Nigeria one, he cannot keep quiet while Buhari destroys the Country through divisive and nepotistic leadership. Today, we are losing our Country on a account of Buhari’s misrule which has set the Country backward.

    “Babangida’s advice that the war against Boko Haram be taken to the inner recesses of Sambisa Forest should be hidden.

    “Babangida spoke as a Patriot. He offered solution to every problem he identified in his statement. He has spoken as one of the Fathers of modern Nigeria. The issues he has raised should engage the attention of all Patriots.

    “History will be kind to IBB for speaking up against the leadership failure under President Muhammad Buhari. From all indications, the Buhari Government is a monumental failure and a disappointment to all Nigerians”.

    Also, the Nigeria Intervention Movement (NIM) said the position expressed by the former President is a tacit endorsement of its agenda to recruit, groom and position credible fresh breed successor Leaders for the 2019 elections

    NIM’s Deputy Director General, Mallam Naseer Kura commended what he described as IBB’s strategic Intervention on the crisis of leadership and politics rocking Nigeria. He said NIM is also compelled by the dearth of real political parties in the country to facilitate a major Rainbow political platform, modeled after the ANC of South Africa, to undertake the grooming of its adopted candidates for the 2019 elections.

    Kura further asserted that “with this crucial endorsement of the third force initiative of NIM by IBB and other Eminent Leaders of the country, it means the time has come for fresh breed third force ideologues to rise up and take over the mantle of leadership to lead the country out of the present woods of political inertia and impunity, while also not shying away from NIM’s core agenda for profound democratic reordering of the Nigerian State come 2019”

  • NNPC’s Subsidy Fraud, A Must Probe -ADP

    NNPC’s Subsidy Fraud, A Must Probe -ADP

    The Action Democratic Party (ADP) has mandated the National Assembly both the upper and lower chambers to wade into the subsidy controversy and probe it.
    In a statement issued in Lagos on Saturday, by the ADP Lagos Spokesman, Prince Adelaja Adeoye, he said that the discrepancies in the subsidy claim has further created tensions, controversies and doubts in the minds of Nigerians. While he explain in details, he called on the Senate President Bukola Saraki to urgently set up a committee to look into the subsidy controversy.
    According to ADP, the current fuel scarcity that has left Nigerians in a sorry state, in this festive season, has revealed monumental fraud in the NNPC, through its involvement in secret payment of subsidy. This is of huge significance because, the Buhari’s government had told Nigerians that subsidy was removed in early 2016, the party said. 
    The party said further that, it could be recalled that in the wake of the present fuel scarcity, the APC government led by President Muhammadu Buhari, had blamed the problem on major oil marketers, whom it alleged were asking for an increase in the pump price of fuel. However, the oil marketers later countered the allegation, maintaining that their problem with the government, was far from the alleged demand for pump price increase; and went on to reveal that they were being owed huge sum by the FG in subsidy payment.
    The revelation, immediately prompted an outcry from Nigerians who demanded to known what subsidy, the marketers were talking about, taken into account that the Buhari’s government had told the nation, in early 2016 that fuel subsidy has been removed, a development, which lead to the increase in pump price from N87 to N145.
    In their explanation in May 2016, through VP Osinbajo, the FG explained that the fuel subsidy removal as follows;
    “First, the real issue is not a removal of subsidy. At $40 a barrel there isn’t much of a subsidy to remove.” Explaining further, VP Osinbajo said;
    “We realised that we were left with only one option. This was to allow independent marketers and any Nigerian entity to source their own foreign exchange and import fuel. We expect that foreign exchange will be sourced at an average of about N285 to the dollar, (current interbank rate). They would then be restricted to selling at a price between N135 and N145 per litre.
    What this meant was that Marketers were importing fuel and selling as dictated by the market forces, with little government regulation to avoid excessive pricing of the sales of fuel to the Nigerian masses.
    Also, Speaking with Nigerians in October 2016, in an interactive session in Berlin, Buhari said, “There are things that are happening, and if such had happened before there would have been major riot, like the removal of subsidy on fuel,” further confirming Osinbajo’s earlier claims.
    These are the reasons ADP said its in total disbelief to hear that there was still anything called subsidy, associated with fuel. Hence, in a swift reaction, and to cover this fraud or probably to silence Nigerians who kept demanding for an explanation of this sudden subsidy claim, the party noted that the VP Osinbajo told the nation that NNPC and not the federal government is responsible for the subsidy payment. In his words, “NNPC and not the Federal Government pays for the fuel subsidy that has emerged with the N171 landing cost as against the official retail price of N145.”
    ADP said it is calling on the Nigerian Senate to do the needful by investigating the NNPC’s fraud, to save Nigeria from the monumental fraud supervised by GMD Maikanti Baru and his team at NNPC happening in the open and to the knowledge of Buhari, the party concluded.