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Tag: All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman

  • Oshiomhole to Atiku: we’ll meet you in court

    APC chair can’t tell Nigerians who is electable, says PDP

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole said yesterday that former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was destined never to be President.

    He told the PDP candidate in last Saturday’s election that the governing party was prepared to meet him in court.

    Addressing a news conference in Abuja on the outcome of the Presidential and National Assembly elections and the decision of the PDP candidate to reject the outcome of the election, Oshiomhole said Atiku was desperate to be President and has been jumping from one party to the other to actualise his ambition.

    He said it smacked of arrogance for the former Vice President to believe that the destiny of Nigerians is tied to his being President, stressing that Atiku and his party were never committed to the peace accord as they believe that the election was free and fair only if they won.

    Oshiomhole said: “I think it is arrogance for Atiku to think that our future is tied to his presidency. Atiku is destined never to be President of Nigeria and I ask you to review his character. Leadership is about character.

    “Atiku’s desperation is so obvious. He is so desperate that in 2003, he challenged his own boss, Obasanjo. He decamped to join ACN and we offered him the ticket and he lost the election and returned to PDP. He contested again and lost the nomination and because he has only his interest at heart, he decamped again from PDP. He joined us in Lagos and rolled out the dollars, but we voted for Buhari as our candidate. He knew that he cannot defeat Buhari in the primary and went back to the PDP.

    “Do you think that such a political rolling stone, does he think that Nigerians are so insincere as to think that a man who is not stable and whose interest is about himself will be a possible candidate to be elected?

    “What makes him have that sense of entitlement that he must be President of Nigeria? You cannot deny anyone the right to dispute the outcome of an election, however, free, fair. So, we hope and we are looking forward to meeting Atiku Abubakar in court. We might also choose to also cross petition because there were many areas we can dispute. In Adamawa State, he had already lost the election before he did some magic that gave him that narrow victory in Adamawa State.”

    Oshiomhole said the turnout of voters in the Northeast, especially in Borno State, was a reflection of the substantial peace that has returned to the area, adding that if the former Vice President does not know about that, it could be because he does not go home regularly.

    Accusing Atiku of not being committed to the peace accord, Oshiomhole said: “When the National Peace Committee invited political parties to commit themselves to peace and to pledge to accepting the outcome of the results, you will recall that the PDP and their candidate were absent at the first meeting.

    “Following public outcry and pressure from their friends, he reluctantly went  to sign the peace accord. So, from day one, Atiku made up his mind that unless he wins, the election is not free and fair and that it will only be free and fair if he is returned as the winner. Then, we ask the question, what is the value of the peace accord?

    Oshiomhole congratulated Nigerians for defending democracy and for celebrating democracy. He said: “We are proud as a people that all those who thought that last Saturday was going to be a war have realised that election is not another word for war. It is a day to celebrate democracy and the only day in democracy in which everybody is equal.

    “I am happy that Nigerians have spoken and they did every thing to maintain the peace, inspite of the fact that some elements conducted themselves in such a way that  led to the loss of lives of some of our countrymen.

    “I believe that government must do everything possible to identify those behind those killings and bring them to justice. Each time hoodlums and ballot box snatchers maim and kill and try to destablise the will of the Nigerian people and they go away without being prosecuted, the culture of impunity is strengthened and the fear for the rule of law is weakened.

    “I believe that now that the President has been declared winner, he has a duty to call on the Inspector-General of Police and indeed all the security agencies to identify all those behind these killings. No Nigerian deserves to die because he wanted to go and vote.

    “Yesterday, the PDP candidate who lost and who was a signatory to the peace accord and who went into this race knowing fully well that Nigerians can not possibly elect two Presidents because only one President will emerge, having suffered defeat which I believe he deserved, rejected the results, adducing very laughable arguments as basis for his decisions.

    “I have found out that in this country, when you recycle lies, people begin to think there is truth in it. The conventional wisdom is that there is no smoke without fire. But in Nigerian politics, there can be huge smoke and yet, there is no fire. It is not about whether this election was perfect, but whether it was substantially free and fair and whether it represents the will of the Nigerian people. I am convinced that this election reflects the will of the Nigerian people.

    “Atiku spoke about what he called statistical impossibility and also about the two zones where he is strongest and that votes in those areas were smaller and the margin of victory also small. In 2019, President Muhammadu Buhari got fewer votes than he got in 2015 and from INEC figures, we secured 15.2 million votes. So, when Alhaji Atiku Abubakar talks about statistical impossibilities, I don’t want to call him a poor student of history, but invite you to look at the figures of registered new voters.

    “If Atiku had taken time to review the performance of his political party over the years and compare them to that of President Buhari over the same period, he wold have understood and be clearer. To suggest that votes were suppressed in the Southsouth and the Southeast is not to be able to appreciate what the resort to card readers have done to election riggers.

    “When we conducted an isolated election in Anambra State, no governor secured 400,000 votes and any one who is familiar with the realities of Rivers State know that if you conduct a free and fair election and you deny periwinkles the opportunity to come out and vote, it is impossible for them to get up to 500,000 votes. Yet, you had situations where you had 99 percent of voters turning out to vote in Rivers State before the advent of the card reader.

    “Rather than Atiku thinking that rigging has come to stay and could not understand why the numbers can’t add up in the absence of massive rigging, he should be reminded that the essence of the collective effort that has been made and the intervention of genuine friends of Nigeria has been to try to improve the electoral process, such that rigging can be eliminated or reduced to tolerable level.”

    Oshiomhole said the APC had petitioned INEC on how it allegedly rigged out in Akwa Ibom State. “It is interesting that it is the PDP that is complaining about rigging in Akwa Ibom State. How do you explain that INEC cancelled so many units in several states in order to be able to declare PDP candidates winners. That was how Senator Akpabio was rigged out in Akwa Ibom State,” the party chief said.

    “Atiku also alleged that the economy lost N85 billion on hearing that President Buhari won the election. That is twisting the facts. When Atiku start talking about his irrevocable commitment to privatise and sell NNPC, many people wondered aloud whether he has not already collected deposit, especially when he says even if he was going to die.

    “Was he going to rule Nigeria against our will because democracy does not end at voting. Citizens must hold their leaders accountable for their policy choices. So, if those depositors see that it will not be business as usual and decided to take their flight, we don’t even want them to come back. Nigeria needs genuine investors who have faith in our country with long term interest,” Oshiomhole said.

     

  • Oshiomhole accuses INEC of colluding with anti-democratic forces

    •Says party’ll resume  campaigns

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole is not done with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) over the stoppage of the Presidential and National Assembly elections last Saturday.

    Oshiomhole believes that some elements within INEC are colluding with “anti-democratic forces” to push the general elections to a point where it becomes impossible to hold as guaranteed under the law.

    The chairman, who spoke at the emergency National Caucus meeting of the ruling party, also said that the INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, has no legal power to stop parties from continuing with their campaigns.

    He said that the APC, as a law abiding party, will go ahead with its campaigns until Thursday –  in line with the 48-hour before election, as provided for by law.

    The APC chairman insisted that some of the staff deployed by the commission have been identified as working with the opposition in their states. He cited Akwa Ibom.

    Oshiomhole said that allowing the “anti-democratic forces” to have their way would give victory to those calling for an interim government. He urged the President to act.

    “The President should invoke the powers of state to ensure that any institution of state that has misbehaved, anybody that is involved in that act, particularly actions that weaken the fabrics of our democracy, you have a duty to trigger the process that will compel everyone involved in this to account,” he said.

    The APC chair said he was sure INEC knew it was going to postpone the elections and shared the information with the PDP, while pretending that all was well.

    He said: “As a governing party with huge a support base, we were determined not to disappoint our members and those who believe in our party. We mobilised our members to ensure that on Saturday, the 16th of February, all our polling points were manned by people who are competent and passionate about our party to function as agents of our party.

    “We did what is expected of a responsible political party. Unfortunately, we saw INEC magic. Gradually, as if it is a joke, we woke up to the worst; INEC postponed the elections by one week without adducing conducive reasons.

    “In moments like this, those who are weak hearted will give up while those determined will fight on. Whoever is involved in this action designed to frustrate our party and members as well as the electorate, it is our collective duty to put them to shame by using the period we have effectively to assure Nigerians that one setback cannot be the end.

    “Our commitment to democracy is not negotiable. Our people’s determination to re-elect Mr. President is not at the mercy of anybody, including INEC. Many have resolved that the more INEC tries to frustrate our people, the more determined we are. We want to assure Nigerians that we are committed to a free and fair election and we are not going to compromise on that.

    “It will be out of place to ignore all the hidden speculations surrounding the unjustified postponement of the election by INEC. This date was fixed by INEC about two and half years ago. It was not imposed on them and it was difficult to accept that in all of the period at their disposal, INEC did not know what ought to be where and at one time or the other to guarantee free and fair election.

    Read also: PDP alleges plots by Buhari, APC to truncate democracy

    “INEC chairman talked about the huge challenges of managing an election like this. In 1999, we conducted election and there were lessons to learn from that and we have had elections thereafter.

    “One had expected that 19 years down the road, INEC would have studied the process of its predecessor and it turned out not to be so. As we speak, we have questions we want INEC to provide answers to. For election to be free, fair and credible, the man with the key responsibility is INEC.

    “We have conveyed to INEC, the need to move some officers who have stayed too long in particular locations and have become part of the establishment in those locations and therefore may not be able to co duct free and fair election.

    “We have pointed out some Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) who have become so comfortable in their current states who are embedded in the state authority in their respective states.

    “In the past, when issues like this are raised, particularly when they can be proven, INEC leadership is known to have used administrative mechanism to change and redeploy. This INEC insists and the more you complain about a compromised officer, the more they are determined to keep the compromised officer.

    “For example, an officer in the Southsouth, a REC, chose to use the governor’s special assistant to superintendent over the training. How can our brother and sisters in Akwa Ibom State have confidence when the recruitment, process and deployment of the ad hoc staff is done between INEC and the government of Akwa Ibom State.

    “What we are expected to do is to point out what will be unhelpful and draw the attention of the authority. As we speak, that problem persists.

    “From what we now know, INEC leadership knew they were going to postpone the election and they shared the information with the PDP and advised them not to waste their resources while pretending to us that they are on top of the situation. I think that INEC deserves to make explanation to us, not because we are the governing party, but because we are a major player.

    “What INEC is doing in collusion with PDP is to get the opposition party to be shouting that they want INEC chairman removed under fake attack. If you ask me, I would say that as APC chairman, I second Secondus.

    “I have no difficulty seconding Secondus in having a new INEC chairman, if that is what it means to have a credible election. But this is fake; it will be a tragedy if, as a governing party, we cannot complain of being rigged out and yet, the early warning signals are there.

    “There are reports of elements in INEC working with anti- democratic forces to gradually move us to a situation where elections will become impossible, having regards to the provisions of the law. Those anti-democratic forces calling for interim government will, therefore appear to be winning.

    “It is time to assert the authority of state and direct INEC to begin to do what they need to do and if they don’t do it, they must be made to understand that that there are huge consequences. Whoever will preside over Nigeria must do so on the basis of one man, one vote. Those who want short cut to power must be identified and flushed out.

    “We must now go back and renew the campaign with the additional cost it entails. INEC again took a wrong decision to attempt to amend the law through mere administrative pronouncements that campaigns are frozen. INEC is not in a position to make law and the laws made by our parliaments are superior to the opinion of the INEC chairman.

    “The law is clear that when you postpone election, you are entitled to renew campaign up to 24 hours to the day of election. Therefore, as a law abiding party, we will proceed to re-energise our members to continue with the campaign and come out in huge numbers.

    “When you have a low voter turnout; that is when election rigging is most easy. Voter turnout and voter apathy can result from the confusion. We need to remind them across the country that elections have been rescheduled and they should have faith and be determined to vote.

    “We will resume the campaigns between now and Thursday because Friday is not a campaign day. Not going out to campaign can be good for parties without a support base. So, we want to inform INEC that we are proceeding with campaign and we are ready to meet them in court because they cannot, by administrative fiat, amend or distort the provisions of the Electoral Act and those laws are not secret to INEC.

    “INEC, having violated our confidence, must now earn it and sustain it every inch of the way. We have been told they will reconfigure card readers and we are told that they are about 180,000. Has it started and when will it be concluded?

    “Since we have about 176,000 polling points, it would mean that we have 4000 extra. Is INEC assuring us that the failure rate of the card reader will be about two  per cent? What is the basis for making allowances for only 4000?

    “Should there be failures above 4000, what is INEC contingency plan? We do not want staggered election, but nationwide election on the same day. So, they need to speak to us on the basis of this small addition. I would have thought that every card reader should have a spare. What they have done create room for suspicion.

    “From what we now know, in some states, INEC materials have been distributed, some people have cited some of the result sheets and some ballot papers. What is INEC doing differently to ensure that those who have seen those samples will not go and print them.

    “Are they telling us that they have taken care of some of the things that happened last Friday? For example, the materials meant for Edo state were delivered to another state, the ones meant for Delta state were delivered to Edo state.

    “Mr. President, I believe that because you are the President, you have dual responsibilities. One is to ensure that any institution of state that has misbehaved, anybody that is involved in that act, particularly actions that weaken the fabrics of our democracy, you have a duty to trigger the process that will compel everyone involved in this to account. We cannot be helpless because at the end of the day, all fingers will point at you.

    “We should insist that the election must be conducted properly and those RECs that have been compromised, we will impress on the INEC leadership that they don’t have the right to impose a corrupt or compromised REC on us.

    “When sufficient doubts have been raised on the character of a referee, no responsible match official will impose that referee on the players. We don’t care where people are posted to but INEC has the responsibility to move people around.”

    The governors at the meeting include: Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), Simon Lalong (Plateau), Godwin Obaseki (Edo), Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo), Umar Jibrilla Bindow (Adamawa), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos), Tanko Al Makura (Nasarawa), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Abubakar Sani Bello (Niger), Kashim Shettima (Borno), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti) and Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara).

    Also at the meeting were: Vice President Yemi Osinbajo; former Lagos Governor Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha; former Senate President Ken Nnamani; Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan; Power, Workers & Housing Ministers Babatunde Fashola; Transportation Minister Rotimi Amaechi and Information, Culture & Tourism Minister Lai Mohammed were also at the meeting.

    Also at the meeting were: former Zamafara State Governor Ahmed Sani Yerima; former Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio as well as governorship candidates of the party.

  • APM candidates launch smear campaign against Oshiomhole

    The Allied People’s Movement (APM) and its candidates in Ogun State have, allegedly, launched a blistering billboard – based smear campaign against the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, to boost their electoral fortunes in the forthcoming general elections.

    The APM candidates accused Oshiomhole of perpetrating “monumental electoral fraud” during APC primaries in Ogun state.

    Read Also:Oshiomhole should learn how to talk -Okorocha

    The Nation sighted the  billboard on Monday morning and observed that it bears the image of the APM governorship candidate in Ogun State, Hon. Abdulkabir Adekunle Akinlade, on the left hand side and that of Hon. Tunde Wasiu Sanusi, State House of Assembly candidate for Obafemi -Owode state Constituency, on the right hand side.

    It stands erected at a vantage strategic location by the ever busy Siun junction corridor of the Abeokuta – Kobape – Sagamu road, where no eyes could miss noticing it.

    The party and the candidates, therefore, pleaded with the electorate to “please vote massively for APM to claim our (their) mandate.”

  • Obasanjo, Oshiomhole, Akpabio storm Jonathan’s book launch

    Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole and former governor of Akwa Ibom state, Obong Godswill Akpabio caused a disruption of the public presentation of a book on ex-President  Goodluck Jonathan’s book launch at Transcorp-Hilton, Abuja on Tuesday.

    A very jubilant crowd hailed and clapped as the three eminent Nigerians came in, wading through a thick crowd that includes many eminent citizens, including former leaders, Yakubu Gowon, Abdsalam Abubakar, diplomats and leaders from several African countries.

    The coincidence of their entry completely ‘marred’ the book review being presented by retired Justice Alfa Belgore as the audience’ jubilant exultations drowned out his voice and the giant loudspeakers.

    Oshiomhole stole the show when he walked up to former President Jonathan who rose from his front seat position, shook hands and warmly embraced him.

    The overcapacity audience at the Congress Hall of Transcorp-Hilton hotel, Abuja soaked in adulations of ex-President Jonathan whose 180-page book; “My Transition Hours” was being presented.

    Chief Host of the occasion, Governor Seriake Dickson who stated that his Bayelsa state gave Nigeria two great presents – crude oil and ex-President Jonathan- launched the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation with announcement of a N100m grant, six hectares of land and N5 million monthly support for administrative costs.

    Former President of Ghana, Mr. John Dramani Mahama, former Head of State, Gen Abdulsalam Abubakar, former Aviation minister, Osita Chidoka and others had, in turns, presented highly commendable remarks about Goodluck Jonathan and peaceful disposition that ensured smooth handing over to the current President in spite of other African leaders’ tendency to do otherwise.

     

  • Buhari, Osibanjo, Oyegun, others to participate in Abia mega rally

    Buhari, Osibanjo, Oyegun, others to participate in Abia mega rally

    President Muhammadu Buhari, Vice President Yemi Osibanjo, All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, John Odigie Oyegun and other ranking members of the party are expected to participate in the party’s mega rally in Abia State.

    The State Publicity Secretary of the party, Comrade Benedict Godson while speaking with newsmen on Monday in Umuahia, the state capital after the inauguration of the party’s Contact, Mobilization/Rally Committee said that the event would hold in the state capital in October.

    Godson said that the essence of the planned mega rally was to present new members of the party including former Governor of the state, Dr. Orji Kalu, Chidi Onyeukwu Ajaegbu, immediate past President Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria (ICAN), Dr. Sampson Uche Ogah, CEO Masters Energy and former Abia PDP governorship aspirant in 2015 election, Chief David Ogba Onuoha, MD of defunct Bourdex telecommunication and Abia North Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, MD of defunct Hallmark Bank and brother to former senate president (Adolphus Wabara), Mark Wabara among other Abia political big weights who will be presented to the public at the event scheduled to hold at the state capital.

    According to Godson, the rally was preparatory to the party’s efforts to woo more supporters ahead of the 2019 general election.

    Earlier in his speech, state chairman of the party, Hon. Donatus Nwankpa who stressed that the party’s doors were wide enough to accommodate others who may join the party even after the rally charged the committee to work hard in order to make sure that the event was a success.

    Nwankpa who recalled how the immediate past government in the state barred the incumbent President Buhari from making use of public facilities during the campaigns and the use of state’s machinery to frustrate efforts of the founding fathers of the party in the state to reach out to intending in 2015.

    The state chairman of APC maintained that he was sure that the people in the party and the popularity of the party in the state, that they were going to produce the next Abia governor.

    He restated that the party would not zone the governorship position in the state to any zone, stressing that the party through an open and credible primaries would present candidates who are willing to serve Abians and deliver dividend of democracy to all parts of the state.

    “A governor is like a father with many children. He loves the children equally and shares his wealth to them without favouring anyone. APC will produce a governor and leaders that have the interest of their subjects at heart. We are not going to promote godfatherism, but to present candidates based on their acceptability by the people who will elect them through a credible primary.”

    Chairman of the committee and deputy chairman of the party, Chief Ogumka Adiele promised that they were going to do the work entrusted in their care with their best.

    Adiele assured that the committee would make sure that more people would join the party before the event holds, stating that they would make sure it became a success.

    Other members of the committee including Hon Acho Obioma, former House of Rep member and chairman Akoka Federal College of Education Governing Board Council, Chief Oxford Wabara and others pledged their commitment in ensuring that they work cooperatively with the committee’s chairman to produce a positive result.

  • Contempt of Court: Oyegun, Buni make U-turn

    Contempt of Court: Oyegun, Buni make U-turn

    …Withdraws appointment letter to APC Deputy Chairman

    Following the threat of imprisonment for alleged contempt of court, the All Progressives Congress (APC)  National Chairman, John Odigie Oyegun and the National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni have made a U-Turn in the leadership tussle that have engulfed the Ebonyi state chapter of the party.

    The duo in a letter date 25th of April 2017 to the State Deputy Chairman, Eze Nwachukwu withdrew an earlier Interim Approval they granted to him as Acting State Chairman.

    The State High Court Abakaliki presided over  by Justice A. A. Nwigwee had last week summoned the duo to appear before it next week to answer questions as to why they should not be committed to prison for disobeying an order of interlocutory injunction granted in November, 2014.

    The order retrained  them, their agents and privies from appointing caretaker committee in place of the executives elected during the ward, Local government and state congresses conducted in the state on November 11, 16 and 19 2014 respectively pending the determination of the substantive suit.

    But the national chairman and Secretary in total disregard for the orders of the court transmitted a letter to the state deputy chairman, Eze Nwachukwu as the state Acting chairman of the party.

    The court irked by their action, summoned them to appear before it on 4th of May 2017 to explain why they should not be committed to prison for disobeying it’s orders.

    While Nwachukwu claimed that Nwobasi was suspended, the state chairman of the party on his part insisted that he still remained the authentic chairman of the party, describing his deputy as an “impostor”.

    Perhaps, in a bid to avoid the punishment of the court, the duo now transmitted a letter Titled, “RE:INTERIM APPROVAL AS ACTING STATE CHAIRMAN FOR EBONYI STATE LETTER OF WITHDRAWAL”.

    In the letter, which he signed, Mr Buni, claimed he was withdrawing the earlier appointment letter because of the restraining injunction granted by the court.

    “I write in respect of my letter dated the 23rd of February, 2017 conveying the approval of the National Working Committee (NWC) of your nomination as acting state chairman of our party in Ebonyi state”

    “My attention has been drawn to a subsisting order of court (please find attached) granted by Hon Justice A.A. Nwaigwe J of the state High Court Abakaliki, Ebonyi state on the 6th day of November 2014, restrainingthe party from taking any step in relation to the existing state executives”.

    ” This therefore precludes us from continuing with your appointment as Acting Chairman of A.P.C. in Ebonyi State as such appointment will run foul of the court and will be an affront to the rule of law which the Party has sworn to uphold and abide by”.

    “In the light of the above, I write to withdraw the said letter appointing you as the Acting Chairman of the Party in Ebonyi State. We regret any inconvenience this error may have cause you”, read the letter.