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  • Wammako, Bindow, Aliero, Goje, 184 Reps shun R-APC

    52 Senators, Reps, others to stand firm

    APC: no faction

    LEADERS WHO MAY GO

    • Bukola Saraki
    • Yakubu Dogara
    • Rabiu Kwankwaso
    • Monsurat Sunmonu
    • Isa Misau
    • Dino Melaye
    • Soji Akanbi
    • Muhammed Shittu
    • Shehu Sani
    • Suleiman Hunkuyi
    • Sha’aba Lafiagi
    • Rafiu Ibrahim
    • Kabiru Marafa
    • Aliyu Abdullahi

    REPS WHO WILL STAY

    • Kebbi 8
    • Sokoto 6
    • Zamfara 6
    • Katsina 13
    • Kano 14
    • Jigawa 10
    • Kaduna 8
    • Niger 10
    • Kwara —
    • Kogi 3
    • Nasarawa 4
    • Plateau 5
    • Bauchi 10
    • Yobe 6
    • Borno 10
    • Adamawa 4
    • Gombe 6
    • Taraba 4
    • Benue 4
    • Lagos 18
    • Osun 8
    • Oyo 13
    • Ondo 5
    • Ogun 7

    The plot to cause a split in the All Progressives Congress(APC) has suffered a major setback, with some  leaders of the party  refusing to join the Reformed All Progressives Congress(R-APC).

    Some bigwigs, who have opted to remain in APC, include former Governor Abdullahi Adamu; former Governor Aliyu Wammako; former Governor Danjuma Goje; former Governor Adamu Aliero; former Governor Kabiru Gaya; Governor Abdullahi Ganduje; Governor Yahaya Bello and Governor Jibrilla Bindow. There are  several others.

    Joining some of the APC chieftains, including those who were in new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), are over 184 Representatives and no fewer than 52 senators in the Parliamentary Support Group (PSG).

    The APC leaders prefer to remain in the party to chart their own political path instead of teaming up with Senate President  Bukola Saraki, House Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, some senators and members of the House to nurture the R-APC.

    It was also learnt that the PSG leaders in the National Assembly met Wednesday evening to rally against the R-APC’s anti-President Muhammadu Buhari plot.

    “Many APC members do not buy the idea of forming R-APC to “settle scores and promote self-aggrandisement,” a source said yesterday.

    The source, who spoke in confidence, said the political outlook and permutations do not favour R-APC

    The source said: “Unlike the case in 2014, there is a crack in the nPDP (now transformed into R-APC) and it does not have the number to cause any upset in the ruling APC. The factionalisation plot is dead on arrival because of sheer ambition.

    “There was wholesale merger/ defection in 2014 by nPDP to APC but some of these leaders prefer to remain in APC. Ex-Governors Wammako, Goje, Aliero and Abdullahi Adamu, among others have distanced themselves from R-APC which is being promoted only by three leaders.

    “Some APC leaders are also aware of the ultimate goal of R-APC leaders to defect to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) if the terms of their current negotiation are acceptable. They cannot understand why they will be in R-APC (a transit camp) today and hop to PDP the next day.

    “A few R-APC leaders are confused. They seek refuge in PDP and African Democratic Congress (ADC) at the same time. For instance, while Kwankwaso has been having talks with PDP, there are indications that he is more at home with ADC, already adopted by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo’s group just for the sake of a presidential ticket.”

    In Sokoto State, Wammako has made it clear that he will not join forces with Governor Tambuwal in R-APC to destabilise APC

    “All the three senators and six out of 11 members of the House of Representatives have shunned the bait from Governor Tambuwal to join R-APC. They have pitched tent with their leader, ex-Governor Aliyu Wammako,” the source said.

    In Kano, two out of the three senators and 14 of the 24 House of Representatives members “have left Kwankwaso to his fate”. They are in alliance with Governor Abdullahi Ganduje.”

    A former governor said yesterday: “I do not have an uncertain political future; I remain in APC and not any other group.”

    APC is said not to be threatened by the R-APC. This, said the sources, is because “as some of these leaders are leaving, the APC is also gaining more members, including Sen. Hope Uzodinma and Sen. John Enoh. “Sen. Sunday Ogbuoji from Ebonyi have also defected from PDP to our party,” he said, adding:

    “In fact, there is a prospect of an alliance pact between APC and All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) as part of looking into the future.”

    The source confirmed that some party leaders, senators and Representatives may leave APC due to political aspirations and other interests.

    Some of those who may go include, Dr. Saraki; Speaker Yakubu Dogara; ex-Governor Murtala Nyako; Sen.  Rabiu Kwankwaso; Sen. Monsurat Sunmonu; Sen. Isa Misau; Sen. Dino Melaye; Sen. Soji Akanbi; Sen. Muhammed Shitu; Sen. Shehu Sani: Sen. Suleiman Hunkuyi; Sen. Mohammed Sha’aba Lafiagi; Sen.  Rafiu Ibrahim; Sen. Kabiru Marafa; and Sen. Aliyu Sabi Abdullahi.

    Some of these leaders from Bauchi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Oyo and Jigawa have “irreconcilable differences” with their governors. A few others are no longer wanted by their constituents. Some are ambitious; others have been committed to nPDP instead of the APC right from 2015 and others have local peculiarities, The Nation learnt.

    “Ordinarily, Nyako does not have business with R-APC but because of local politics in Adamawa State, he has chosen to leave APC. For example, Sen. Soji Akanbi from Oyo State wants to be a governor and he may adopt another party to realise his ambition.”

    “Speaker Dogara has the same local challenge and also his political fate is tied to his mentor, Governor Tambuwal. Tambuwal is said to have made up his mind to leave APC because of his presidential ambition.

    “There are issues in Kaduna, Jigawa and Kogi states which have forced R-APC leaders to hibernate elsewhere,” the source said.

    Members of the PSG on Wednesday met in Abuja on how to stop R-APC members’ plot against President Buhari in the National Assembly.

    The breakdown of the senators in the Upper Chamber is as follows: APC 65; PDP 39; APGA two; dead senators (two) and senator in prison (one).

    A ranking senator said: “The PSG can mobilize at least 52 senators and over 184 members of the House of Representatives to curtail the political rampage of the R-APC leaders.

    “We have done our homework to put the President in good stead and be able to concentrate on his job. We will not take things for granted.

    “This was why we met on Wednesday to take stock and put counter-measures in place against R-APC members.”

    In an interview yesterday, a respected member of the APC in the Northeast said R-APC leader Buba Galadima fell out with Buhari when the President decided to expand his political base out of the old CPC conclave in 2015.

    Now Kwankwaso’s acolyte, Galadima was among those whose sectional antics ensured Buhari lost three times before 2015. People like him lost relevance the moment Buhari opted to reach out outside the old Northwest base.

    *In Benin yesterday, the report of the involvement of Kassim Afegbua, erstwhile media aide to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, was dismissed as “comic relief”.

    An APC leader from Edo North said: “I am not surprised at all that Afegbua would seek relevance by joining them (R-APC).

    “He was rehabilitated by Oshiomhole with an appointment in Edo State between 2012 and 2016.

    “In the APC primary in 2016, whereas his boss was backing Godwin Obaseki, he betrayed him by working for another aspirant who lost woefully.

    “Rather than sack him, Oshiomhole was magnanimous enough to retain him as Information Commissioner. Well, you could explain his working for a different candidate as his democratic right. But guess what, when Obaseki became a candidate in 2016, he decided to work for opposition PDP.

    “Just imagine the lack of honour and principle. How do you place such a person? So, for us in Edo, we are just laughing. Edo APC is 100 per cent for and behind Oshiomhole. “

     

  • Wammako, Bindow, Aliero, Goje, others fate uncertain

    There were strong indications yesterday that some leaders of the New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) might not leave the All Progressives Congress (APC), contrary to expectations.

    It was also learnt that the formation of the Reformed All Progressives Congress(R-APC) was the first stage of plans by the nPDP leaders to leave APC.

    It was gathered that the R-APC might be the new template for an alliance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Sources said the Presidency might persuade the APC leadership to foreclose talks with nPDP leaders.

    According to some sources, who spoke yesterday with our correspondent, not all nPDP leaders are committed to leaving the APC.

    A source said: “Following certain indices in their states, some nPDP leaders like Governor Jibrilla Bindow, Senators Aliyu Wammako, senator Adamu Aliero, Danjuma Goje, Yahaya Abdullahi, Jibrin Barau, Senate Deputy Majority Leader Bala Ibn Na’Allah and many members of the House of Representatives may not join the fray. Their fate is uncertain.

    “Do not forget that there are members of the Parliamentary Support Group, who defected mostly from PDP to APC, but still with the ruling party.

    “While some of our leaders are free to leave the APC, the scenario is different from the situation in 2014, especially for nPDP leaders and members from the North.”

    The source, who pleaded not to be named, said the plot to destabilise APC by some nPDP leaders was already picked up  through intelligence network by the Presidency and APC leaders.

    The peak of the plot was allegedly hatched at meetings in the Middle East.

    The  intelligence gathering was said to have informed the election of an all-inclusive National Working Committee (NWC) at the APC convention

    The source added: “In the last three months, we were aware of subtle manoeuvres by some nPDP leaders to leave our party. Some of them even met recently in some countries in the Middle East. We have all the intelligence reports.

    “In fact, one of the nPDP leaders, who bankrolled the R-APC briefing, was with a PDP governor in the Southsouth 24 hours before the conference in Abuja.

    To the source, it has been “an open secret” that Senate President Bukola Saraki, House  Speaker Yakubu Dogara; Governor Aminu Tambuwal; Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, some senators and members of the House of Representatives might quit APC.

    “They have just hatched the first phase of their plans to present to the whole world that there is crisis in APC”, he said.

    “The objective of forming R-APC, which is unknown to law, is to set the stage for the destabilisation of APC.

    “This was why, we were careful in managing the National Convention of the party. We decided not to create gaps which can cause a split in the party.”

    Another source in government thinks the nPDP leaders have crossed the red line, adding that the Presidency may prevail on the party’s leadership to foreclose talks with them.

    According to him, pro-Buhari elements and some leaders of APC prefer state-by-state negotiation with some aggrieved leaders of the party instead of group talks because of political peculiarities in some states.

    “Some nPDP leaders are actually paper weight in their states and APC can do without them. Of what use is holding talks with a senator or a member of the House of Representatives whose constituents had been stoning him in the past two years?” the source said, adding:

    “I think we are left with no alternative than to allow those who want to defect like Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso and others to go.”

    There were indications yesterday that some nPDP leaders in Kebbi State have opted to stay in APC, following a promise to address their grievances.

    “We are excited that nPDP leaders in Kebbi State have offered to remain in the party based on agreeable terms.

    “This negotiation model is what has encouraged strategists of Buhari to insist on state-by-state talks with aggrieved leaders,” the source said.

  • Aliero distributes empowerment tools to 89 wards in Kebbi

    Aliero distributes empowerment tools to 89 wards in Kebbi

    Senator Adamu Aliero, representing Kebbi Central on Sunday in Birnin Kebbi, distributed eight cars, 250 motorcycles and 560 grinding machines in 89 wards of his constituency.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that other items distributed were; 500 tailoring machines, 300 water pumps and N10, 000 cash each to 2,000 women in the constituency.

    Aliero, while distributing the tools said it was part of his empowerment drive aimed at making the youths and women become self reliant in the constituency.

    “This is the second time I have empowered my people; the first one, I distributed 600 water pumps, I dug five boreholes in each of the 89 wards.

    “I also built three blocks in primary schools in the eight local government areas and five primary health care centres within the area, among other things, “ he said.

    According to him, twenty five blocks of primary schools will be built under the Universal Basic Education (UBE) in his constituency.

    Also speaking, the state Chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Alhaji Attahiru Maccido, commended the lawmaker for his efforts toward empowering the youth and women in the constituency.

    “We have not regretted voting you and we would always support you.

  • Kebbi records 16 deaths from 140 destroyed houses

    Kebbi records 16 deaths from 140 destroyed houses

    The Kebbi State Emergency Management Agency ( SEMA ) says it recorded 16 deaths from 140 destroyed residential houses in 2017.

    The Executive Director of the agency, Alhaji Abbas Kamba, made this known in an interview in Birnin Kebbi on Thursday.

    Kamba said the data on the loss of houses was obtained from the state Fire Service Department, stressing that fire incidents also resulted in the loss of property worth billions of Naira during the period under review.

    He said the agency also recorded incidents of destructive windstorm at Maiyama, Gwandu, Aliero and Birnin Kebbi Local Government Areas where 90 per cent of the residential houses were destroyed while many people were injured.

    Kamba revealed that many lives and properties were lost on daily basis due to road crashes in the state.

    “In 2017, record shows that 46 crashes involving 41 commercial and 25 private vehicles led to the death of 55 people and 216 people injured during the period,” he said.

    Read also: Six filling stations shut in Sokoto, Kebbi

    According to him, flood also destroyed many residential properties in Birnin Kebbi, Jega, Aliero, Bagudo and Dandi Local Government Areas of the state.

    “Canoe and boat accidents along Dole Kaina and Yauri waterways also led to loss of lives and property in 2017,” Kamba said.

    He said the agency collaborated with the National Orientation Agency ( NOA ) to sensitise residents on how to handle inflammable materials during harmatan period across the state in order to reduce fire incidents.

    “We organised sensitisation workshop involving road managers and road users to reduce road crashes; we developed strategies on migrants and migration issues in the state; trained grass root emergency volunteer groups and traditional rulers on emergency issues, among other measures,” he said.

    The executive director said the agency would map out proactive strategies in 2018 to reduce loss of property and lives through disasters.

    NAN

  • Aliero seeks declaration of election results

    Former Governor of Kebbi State, Senator Adamu Aliero, on Sunday urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to declare election results as expressed by the people.

    Aliero, who spoke to our correspondent at his country home in Birnin-Kebbi, insisted that the will of the people must be allowed to prevail for the sustenance of democracy in the country.

    The Kebbi Central Senatorial candidate on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) however expressed satisfaction in the election conducted so far.

    He added that the voter turnout was unprecedented in the state.

    Aliero said: “My message to INEC is that they should declare the election results as expressed by the people.

    “The will of the people must be allowed to prevail and that is the only way democracy can be sustained in Nigeria.

    “They have introduced card reader which is a very good innovation. It has minimized or completely eliminated rigging.

    “In future, I urge them to address all the minor problems we encountered so that elections can be conducted without any hitch whatsoever.”

    On the voting in Kebbi State, he said the process has been very orderly.

    He added: “The people are law abiding and the process is very good in the sense that it has followed the laid down procedure as outlined in the Electoral Act and the INEC guidelines.

    “There is no problem whatsoever. Generally speaking, the conduct of the election was peaceful in Kebbi.

    “There were only two or three places where elections could not commence in time because of the problem of the card reader.

    “The machines had to be configured and that is why elections could not commence in good time and because of that it was extended till today (yesterday).

    “Hopefully, they will finish today (yesterday) and the results will be sent to the collation centres for collation and announcement.”

  • 2015: Yar’Adua group not involved in secret plot, say Aliero, others

    2015: Yar’Adua group not involved in secret plot, say Aliero, others

    The associates of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua yesterday said they are not involved in any secret plot against President Goodluck Jonathan ahead of the 2015 elections.

    They also claim they are not being pressurised by North’s leaders for any political cause in 2015.

    They denied holding any secret meeting with the former presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change(CPC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    The group made the clarifications in a statement in Abuja by a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory , Senator Adamu Aliero.

    Aliero claimed to have issued the statement on behalf of a former National Security Adviser, Gen. Sarki Mukhtar; ex-Minister of Water Resources, Alhaji Sayyed Abba Ruma; and a former Chief Economic Adviser, Alhaji Yakubu Tanimu.

    The statement reads: “In the last three years, those of us referred to in the story have not held any meeting over any national issue, let alone talk of 2015. Instead, we have been going about our activities with utmost decorum.

    “We did not meet in Abuja, Katsina or Kaduna as insinuated in the report. We have no reason to conspire or plot against President Goodluck Jonathan who was Vice-President to the late President Yar’Adua.

    “Since Yar’Adua’s death, we have done our best to support the administration of President Jonathan and our party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which went ahead to win a re-run in Kebbi State.

    “None of us has lived in trenches; we have no basis to go back to political trenches. We are not guerilla or subterranean politicians.

    “We are not involved in political conspiracy or insurgency. To confer this derogatory status on us is to assume that we are at war with the state or President Jonathan. We have no cause to engage in any political conspiracy.

    “As for 2015, we remain committed to PDP and we will support whoever emerges as the presidential candidate of the party. If the PDP gives President Jonathan or any party member its mandate in 2015, we will work for the success of the party.”

    On the allegation that they are being encouraged by eminent North’s leaders to regain power for the geopolitical zone in 2015, they said it is not true.

    They added: “The allusion to driving Northern agenda in 2015 by the Yar’Adua Group was merely designed to whip up sentiments and create a crisis of confidence between some of us and the President.

    “We are not being pressurised, as alleged, by eminent North’s leaders, to group together for any political cause.

    The statement said: “We do not have any agenda outside that of the PDP. We have not held any secret meeting with the former presidential candidate of the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC), ex-Head of State, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari on 2015.”