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Tag: Aliyu Wamakko

  • Quit notice: Ag. President meets Northern leaders

    Quit notice: Ag. President meets Northern leaders

    • Okorocha slams Biafra agitators

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday read the riot act to purveyors of hate speeches, saying they won’t be allowed to destabilise the country.

    The Federal Government, he said, would ensure the country’s unity, adding that nobody would be allowed to get away with seditious speeches.

    “As a government, we are determined to ensure the unity of the country along the lines of our constitution and I want to say that hate and divisive speeches or divisive behaviour where it is illegal will be met with the full force of the law,” the Acting President said at a meeting with some elders from the North at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Some members of the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF) and the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), among other groups, were at the meeting.

    It was the first in the series of meetings with leaders from the six geo-political zones over the brewing discontent between the North and the Southeast.

    Last week, the Coalition of Northern Youths (CNY) gave easterners in the North 90 days to quit.

    The ultimatum followed the May 30 sit-at-home observed by the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) in the east to mark the 50th anniversary of Biafra.

    Similarly, Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha described as nonsensical agitations for Biafra.

    Osinbajo said those pushing for disintegration by ordering other Nigerians in their domains to quit would face the law.

    The government, he said, would not fold its arms and allow peace and order to be disrupted in any part of the country.

    The Acting President said: “Every form of violence, every form of hate speech, any stone that is thrown in the marketplace will hit targets that are going to be deadly. So I need us to be fully conscious of that and the Nigerian people must be made to be fully conscious of that so that we do not create a crisis that is not intended.

    As part of living together I know that misunderstandings and frustrations will always arise and people will always want to get the best part of the deal but we must be careful to recognise that we can only begin to talk about any part of anything if we are together in peace – Osinbajo.

    “These days, wars do not end and I am sure that those who have seen or experienced war in any shape or form will not wish it on their worst enemies.

    “This is not a time to retreat behind ethnic lines, moments like this are not for isolating ourselves, I want to urge all of us here and the entire Nigerian populace to come together and work together.”

    He added: “And I want to ensure that there is no doubt at all that it is the resolve of the government that none will be allowed to get away with making speeches that can cause sedition or that can cause violence especially because when we make these kinds of pronouncement and do things that can cause violence or destruction of lives and property we are no longer in control. Those who make those speeches are no longer in control.

    So, I want to emphasise that government will take very seriously any attempts to cause violence or disrupt the peace of this country. And that is very important because you cannot control violence once it begins.”

    At the meeting were ACF leader Ibrahim Coomassie, NEF leader Prof Ango Abdullahi, who gave his backing to the Arewa youths’ threat, former Sokoto State Governor,  Aliyu Wamakko, former Plateau State Deputy Governor Pauline Tallen,  Second Republic Minister and Benue State elder  Dr. Paul Unongo, Leadership publisher Sam Ndah-Isaiah, Liberty Radio/Television Chairman Tijani Ramalan and Editor-in-Chief of Daily Trust Dan Ali, among others.

    The acting President was supported by the Senate President Bukola Saraki, House of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara and Chief of Defence Staff, Gen. Gabriel Olanishakin.

    Today, Osinbajo will meet with leaders from the southeast; the region’s traditional rulers will take their turn on Friday. On Sunday, the acting president will meet with traditional rulers from the North.

  • Wamakko: Jonathan resign

    Wamakko: Jonathan resign

    SOKOTO State Governor Aliyu Wamakko has advised President Goodluck Jonathan to resign and apologise to Nigerians for his failure, rather than seeking re-election.

    Wamakko, who spoke in Sokoto at the weekend, said: “This is my candid opinion as a patriotic citizen, who believes in the advancement of the country.”

    The governor added: “Nigerians need a change that will ensure total departure from the current situation. This is the yearning and expectation of majority of our people.”

    He stressed that if Jonathan took to his advice, it would promote the nation’s “democracy, freedom and sense of belonging, which APC stands to justify.”

    The governor hailed the conduct and outcome of the party’s primaries, especially the presidential exercise, which, he noted, had further built hope and strength in the average Nigerian.

    “It was quite free, fair and transparent with purposeful vision for the country. Our future is our right and we owe ourselves the duty to protect and serve the country to prosperity by ensuring a new Nigeria with hope for all of us,” Wamakko said.

    He noted that the country’s democracy was fast changing with two strong political parties.

    “The two-party approach is primarily symbolising the path of world political standard in a democratic setting”, he added.

    Wamakko noted that his intention was not to join the senatorial race for Sokoto Central, but added that his supporters and elders from the eight local governments constituting the district bought the party’s nomination form for him.

    He, however, explained that his intention after leaving office was to be an active farmer.

    “I intend to go into productive farm business that will yield farm produce for export.

    “My plan was to have a large farm for cassava production because it is ripe for Nigeria to be an exporting than importing nation, especially in those aspects which we have comparative advantage,” Wamakko said.

     

  • Wamakko: North soon for wipe out

    Wamakko: North soon for wipe out

    Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko has said that the North is close to being wiped out by the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Wamakko spoke yesterday at the Emir’s palace in Kano where he joined sympathisers in the ancient city to condole  with the government and people over last Friday’s  explosion that killed over 100 people.

    The governor noted that the Federal Government is saddled with the constitutional responsibility of protecting the citizens, adding that” it is supposed to be open in fighting the insurgency menace with one mind.”

    According to Wamakko, “it is a thing of shame that the Federal Government is yet to know who it is fighting with”.

    He urged the Federal Government to sincerely seek solution to the insurgency and also promised to continue assisting the security agencies with logistics.

    Emir Sanusi II urged the governor to continue working towards achieving the  best possible avenue to bring an end to the insurgency.

    “The blood of the innocent people shed will never go unpunished by Allah SWA,” the governor said.

    Wamakko was at the Kano Government House in company with Senator Adamu Aliero and Senator Saminu Turaki. They were received by Kano State Deputy Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.

  • Youths back Wamakko

    Youths back Wamakko

    A Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko yesterday got a nod from the Sokoto Youths Enlightenment Forum to vie for the Sokoto Central senatorial seat on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The forum comprises over 2,500 youths from across the state.

    Speaking with reporters in Sokoto after its general meeting, the forum’s Chairman, Alhaji Bashiru Abubakar, said Wamakko’s endorsement was informed by his performance.

    Abubakar said: “We want Wamakko to contest the senatorial position due to his landmark achievements as a governor for nearly eight years. We are desirous of an exemplary representative of his caliber, whose record of transparency, accountability and even spread developmental projects stand for him.”

    He listed some of the governor’s achievements as: the successful take -off of the state university; construction of an orthopaedic hospital, the College of Agriculture, Wurno, and the School of Midwifery in Tambuwal; women and youth empowerment.

  • Sokoto sponsors 1,500, trains 20,000

    Sokoto sponsors 1,500, trains 20,000

    No fewer than 1,500 Sokoto State indigenes are on sponsorship for various programmes in different universities abroad.

    Another 20,000 youths have been trained in various vocational programmes by the state government since 2007 to date.

    Governor Aliyu Wamakko stated these in Sokoto yesterday while closing the annual national leadership training course of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria (MSSN).

    The theme of the course was: “Towards actualising functional leadership in Nigeria: The Role of the MSSN.”

    Wamakko said the students were pursuing various degree programmes in Africa, Asia and Europe among others.

    The governor, who was represented by his Special Adviser on Security Matters, Alhaji Harande Mahe, said: “the youths are the future leaders of Nigeria and the state in particular. As such, they should be fully equipped to play this role diligently.”

     

    He noted that youth and women empowerment as well as education were the cardinal and principal focus of his administration.

     

    “These aspects will continue to attract special attention to lift the state’s educational level and encourage productivity by employing qualified manpower as well eliminate restiveness among youths,” he stated.

     

  • Dangerous signal from Northwest?

    Dangerous signal from Northwest?

    The Northwest Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders have caught the bug of second term endorsement for second term. Although Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stakeholders have endorsed President Goodluck Jonathan in the South, the lack of consensus in the most populous zone is a setback for the campaigns for his re-election by the Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN) and other pro-Jonathan groups.

    Since last year, Northwest PDP has not fully cooperated with its national leadership over the President’s agenda. To whip the zonal leaders into line, the national leadership applied the big stick. But, it appeared the party shot its arrow in a wrong direction. Not only was the zone balkanised, following the defection of two governors —Alhaji Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State and Alhaji Musa Kwakwanso of Kano State — to the All progressives Congress (APC), those who have stayed on in the party still have an axe to grind with the PDP National Leader.

    One of them is Jigawa State Governor Sule Lamido, who is eyeing the Presidency. At a news conference in Dutse on the  PDP zonal meeting. Jigawa State Deputy Governor, Ahmad Mahamud, who obviously spoke Lamido’s mind, said the region had not agreed on Dr. Jonathan’s ambition.

    The dissension has reflected the lack of total reconciliation and ineffective resolution of the PDP crisis. It has implications for the unity of the party and its chances in next year’s election.  Analysts have raised some posers: Can the PDP joke with the Northwest? Can it damn the most populous region?

    The Northwest is the cradle of the formidable power brokers in the polity. If the zone takes an exception to this presidential agenda, conventional wisdom dictates the retracing of steps or the application of tact, if an electoral tragedy of monumental proportion is to be averted by the PDP.

    From Sokoto, the seat of the Caliphate, through Kano to Kaduna, the acclaimed political capital of the North, the Northwest is a vibrant zone. It is a pre-eminent geo-political zone occupying a strategic place in the country’s political history. In the hey day of the famed Kaduna Mafia, the cult of leaders and pride of the one-time monolithic North, the impetus came from the Northwest axis, which coordinated the real or imaginary battle for national dominance. Four zones-Northcentral, Northeast, Southwest and Southsouth-have six states each. The Southeast has five. But the Northwest has seven. Politically, this is an added advantage because, in the National Assembly, the zone has the largest number of lawmakers, and ultimately, the highest number of appointees in other critical areas.

    The Northwest has produced three military Heads of State – Gen. Muritala Mohammed (Kano) –  Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (Katsina) and Gen. Sani Abacha (Kano). The fourth, Gen. Yakubu Gowon from Plateau State, is more of a Kaduna man. The first civilian President, Alhaji Shehu Shagari, hails from Sokoto State.

    Politicians from the Northwest zone are no-pushovers. The voting population is sophisticated. It is huge. Therefore, it can sway the outcome of any election. It is natural that, at every periodic election, PDP presidential aspirants often target the zone because they perceive it as a critical factor.

    The analysis of the voters’ list from the zone also underscores its vibrancy, electoral asset and indispensability. The zone will always be in the national reckoning.  In the last voter registration, next to Lagos (6.2 million) were Kano (5.10), Kaduna (3.50) and Katsina (2.9). The figures speak volumes about the potency and electoral strength of the leading zone. This may continue to make it an electorally sought-after zone in any national contest.

    The onus is on the PDP to manage the “Lamido challenge”. Should the Jigawa governor be compelled to seek an allegiance with his colleagues in the APC, the chance of the PDP at the poll will further reduce. If the Northwest’s objection is not properly managed, the President will sweat at the general election, even if he escapes the hammer in the primaries.

  • Defecting governors won’t return to PDP, says Wamakko

    Defecting governors won’t return to PDP, says Wamakko

    Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko has said there is no going back to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by he and four of his colleagues, who defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He said the defection of himself and Governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (Rivers), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) to the APC is a forgone conclusion.

    President Goodluck Jonathan last Thursday said the PDP would not miss the governors because they cannot even win ward elections.

    Wamakko described the President’s comment as a joke, adding: “The President knows the value of the governors in their respective states; when a man says he doesn’t need an eye, it is because he cannot afford it.

    “I think you know it sounds funny because many Nigerians know that he is just joking. Many Nigerians know who we are in our respective states. I think it is just a joke he is making.

    “He labours hard to bring any of us back but he cannot. When a blind man says he doesn’t need an eye, you know he cannot get one. I don’t want to talk about Jonathan, I better talk about other issues.”

  • APC Convention committee to present zoning proposal

    APC Convention committee to present zoning proposal

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Committee on National Convention is examining a proposal on zoning arrangement it will present to the Interim National Executive Committee of the party, it was learnt Monday night.

    Rising from a late meeting, which lasted four hours in Abuja, the Chairman of the National Convention Committee and Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wamakko told reporters that the committee was set to finalise its plans for the convention during yesterday’s meeting.

    On the Monday night, a committee member, Senator Joseph Waku, explained that the committee had set up sub-committee chairmen and secretaries.

    According to him, an ad-hoc committee was also raised on zoning. It was expected to sit last night to fine-tune the recommendations to be presented to the Interim National Executive Committee of the party.

    “Ad-hoc committees have also been set up, such as the Election Committee and the Zoning Committee; the latter is also going to sit tomorrow to fine-tune the recommendations and proposals we have made as a committee to forward them to the Interim National Executive Committee for ratification,” Waku said.

    The party chieftain said committee members were allowed sufficient time to make their contributions at the meeting.

    The exhaustive deliberations, said Waku, prolonged the Monday night meeting.

    He said: “So, for today, in the zoning, it usually takes a long time for people to be allowed to contribute and chat when necessary and so on and so forth. That is why it took such a long time.”

    He added that the committee would also meet at 8pm yesterday to inaugurate another committee that would set the ball rolling.

    The committee member was, however, silent on who gets what from the proposed zoning arrangement.

    Waku said: “It cannot be announced today; neither can we brief you on that unless tomorrow when we come back to fine-tune it, to recommend to the Interim National Working Committee. We are working to put in place our proposition.”

    APC has scheduled its inaugural National Convention for June 13 and 14 at Eagle Square in Abuja.

  • 2015: More governors on their way to APC, says Wamakko

    2015: More governors on their way to APC, says Wamakko

    More governors elected on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are on the verge of joining the All Progressives Congress (APC), Governor Aliyu Wamakko of Sokoto State said yesterday.

    Wamakko who, along with Governors Rotimi Amaechi of Rivers, Rabiu Kwankwaso of Kano, Murtala Nyako of Adamawa and Abdulfatah Ahmed of Kwara, recently dumped the PDP for the APC said: “ More governors will soon join APC.”

    He spoke at his Gidan Kara Ward in Wamakko yesterday shortly after the conduct of the party’s ward congress.

    He did not mention who those likely defectors are.

    The governor said yesterday’s ward congress was to ratify consensus decisions taken across the 23 local government areas of the state.

    He said:” The decision to use the consensus system is not forced on any of the members of the party in the state.

    “It is in the best interest of the party and to foster unity as a formidable platform.”

    He described the smooth and successful conduct of the congress as a good omen for the APC which, according to him, is out to protect the interest of all Nigerians.

    He was optimistic about the chances of the party in next year’s polls.

  • Police arrest 40 suspected political thugs in Sokoto

    Police arrest 40 suspected political thugs in Sokoto

    The police in Sokoto State said yesterday that they arrested 40 suspected political thugs.

    Commissioner of Police Shaiubu Gambo said at a briefing in Sokoto that the suspects belonged to various political parties.

    “Twenty three of them have been charged to court while the remaining are being investigated.’’

    He said 10 of the suspects were arrested for allegedly attacking Governor Aliyu Wamakko’s convoy on March 29.

    Gambo said the command will charge the suspects to court after the conclusion of investigation on their individual roles and motives.

    The commissioner said the command had taken proactive security measures to ensure the arrest and prosecution of criminals.

    “We will not tolerate any act of political violence. As a special unit, charged with the responsibility of apprehending thugs, we are always on the alert,” he said.

    Gambo urged parties to sensitise their supporters on the need to adhere to the rules of the game.

    “Any act of violence that will tamper with the peaceful nature of the state will not be condoned.

    “Dedicated officers have been stationed in strategic parts to arrest and prosecute offenders,” he said.

    The commissioner called on parents not to allow their children to be used as political thugs.

    “They will use and dump them after achieving their set objectives,” he said.

    The command impounded a vehicle loaded with dried leaves suspected to be Indian hemp.

    The commissioner said the driver abandoned the vehicle and fled.