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Tag: All Progressives Congress (APC)

  • Police confirm attack on Kwara APC senatorial candidate, others

    The Kwara State Police Command yesterday confirmed the attack on the campaign train of Kwara South senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Lola Ashiru, by suspected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs loyal to its Kwara South senatorial candidate, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim in Ojoku, Oyun Local Government Area.

    Police spokesperson Ajayi Okasanmi, a Deputy Superintendent of Police (DSP), said: “We received with astonishment the reported attack unleashed on Lola Ashiru, the APC senatorial candidate for Kwara South and his campaign train in Ojoku, Oyun Local Government Area, on Tuesday evening.

    “Immediately the report was received, Police Commissioner Kayode Egbetokun dispatched to the scene of the attack at Ojoku a team of policemen, led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) Ilemona and the Squadron Commander, 68 PMF, Offa.

    “The teams successfully brought the situation under control, rescued the candidate unhurt and arrested suspects, who were actively involved in the attack and restored peace.

    “A manhunt for the remaining fleeing suspects has since begun while discreet investigation of the incident is ongoing.

    “For the umpteenth time, the command is restating its commitment to the safety of lives and property of the people of Kwara State. It warns that hooliganism, thuggery, unlawful possession of firearms and other weapons will be met with superior forces and suspects arrested will be made to face the full wrath of the law.

    “Political party leaders are reminded of the peace accord they signed with respect to political campaigns in the state.

    “The command is appealing to the victims of this attack and their sympathisers not to resort to self-help but to have confidence in the command that justice will not only be done but will be seen to have been done in this case.”

  • PDP’ll be defeated on Sat, says Tinubu

    All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council Co-chairman Asiwaju Bola Tinubu yesterday urged party members in Lagos to intensify  the mobilisation for Saturday’s rescheduled presidential and National Assembly elections.

    Noting that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was jittery, he said the ruling party will defeat the opposition party at the poll and put it to shame.

    The former Lagos State governor also explained why Igbo in Lagos should vote for the APC, saying that the government in the Centre of Excellence has never discriminated against them and other non-indigenes in the distribution of the dividends of democracy.

    Tinubu, who urged women leaders to mobilise traders for the crucial poll, also advised youths to heed President Muhammadu Buhari’s advice by shunning thuggery, ballot snatching and other forms of violence.

    He advised party faithful to accommodate defectors from the rival PDP, saying that they had become legitimate members of the fold whose cooperation are required for mobiliasation for victory.

    Tinubu, who urged them to use their index fingers to thumb print on the ballot paper, advised the party agents and canvassers to be vigilant.

    He said: “You agents must report early. Be vigilant. Shine your eyes. If an agent goes to ease himself, the canvasser will take his position. A canvasser is also an agent.”

    The party said there will be a meeting of party leaders with council chairmen at his Ikoyi residence today to discuss the preparations for the Saturday election.

    Exuding confidence, he said: “We will win on Saturday and we will hold a celebration rally next week.”

    Tinubu addressed party members, shortly after the stakeholders’ meeting at the party secretariat on Acme Road, Ogba, Ikeja.

    The meeting was attended by Governor Akinwunmi Ambode; his deputy, Dr. Idiat Adebule; Secretary to Government Tunji Bello; governorship candidate Babajide Sanwo-Olu, his running mate Obafemi Hamzat; and APC Governorship Advisory Council (GAC) members – Prince Tajudeen Olusi; party chairman  Tunde Balogun; one-time Finance Commissioner Olawale Edun; Prince Abiodun Ogunleye; Chief Busura Alebiosu; Chief M.A. Taiwo; Chief Murphy Adetoro; Chief Mutiu Aare; Alhaji Akanni Seriki; Olorunfunmi Basorun; Dr. Yomi Finnih; Chief Muyiwa Sosanya and Cardinal James Odunmbaku.

    Other chieftains included: Former Minister of State for Defence Demola Seriki; former Deputy Governor Olufemi Pedro; Oyinlomo Dammole; Ademorin Kuye; APC Vice Chairman (Lagos West) Funso Ologunde; party secretary Wale Ahmed; publicity secretary Joe Igbokwe; his deputy Abiola Salami; Senators Musiliu Obanikoro; Ganiyu Solomon; and Adeola Olamilekan; Southwest APC Women Leader Mrs. Kemi Nelson; Lagos APC Women Leader Jumoke Okoya-Thomas; Mrs. Fausat Gbadebo; Cornelius Ojelabi; Ayodele Adewale; Mrs. Olayinka Oladunjoye; Mrs. Yetunde Arobieke; Sanwo-Olu’s campaign manager Tayo Ayinde; Mrs. Kafilat Ogbara; Arewa leader Kabiru Ahmed; Chris Ekwilo and House of Assembly members-Wasiu Eshilokun; Rotimi Abiru and Tunde Braimoh.

    Welcoming the chieftains and party followers, Balogun urged them to pass Tinubu’s message to other members who are busy in their local governments with door-to-door campaigns at the wards.

    Tinubu, who told the party congregation that he has not slept for three days, owing to his involvement in preparations for the polls, urged members to gird their loins.

    He said: “Are you ready for the polls? Go out on Saturday. Don’t’ be discouraged. Take your PVCs. Go and vote and we will win. Who are we fighting? It is the PDP.”

    Reflecting on the postponement of the poll, he said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ship ran into turbulence, praying that the ship should land safely and happily on Saturday.

    Tinubu, who spoke in English and Yoruba, said: “INEC will land safely and happily on this election and APC will win. They destroyed INEC office and materials in Abia. They are finished on poll day. We will bury PDP. They don’t want you to vote. They don’t want you to be around. Their plot has failed.”

    He added: “We are not fighting INEC. There is no nation without obstacles. No leadership without challenges. Leadership must address the challenges. We are in a growing democracy. I was governor during the bomb explosion at Ikeja in 2002. It was very daunting. But, we responded and cared about our people. That is the concern of all of us and President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “WE are not fighting INEC. INEC is not our opponent. We are going to compete and we will defeat them. They do not have our strength in the Southwest, Northwest, Northeast, Middle Belt. How will they win?”

    Warning against hypocrisy and divisive tendencies in the political family, the party leader said leaders were aware of the allegations against a chieftain from Badagry, Mr. Bamgbose, who has refused to work for the party after benefiting from the party’s slot.

    Tinubu, who advised members to mobilise vigorously to demonstrate the strength of the APC in Lagos, said defectors to the party should be carried along.

    He said: “You should emulate me. I have accommodated Obanikoro, Demola Seriki and Da Silver. This is a good example of leadership. We are a big party. We cannot but offend ourselves. As you beg God for forgiveness, you should learn to forgive your fellow human beings.”

    Turning to the women, Tinubu said: “Don’t rest in your local governments. Go to the markets and stalls. Mobilise them to vote.”

    He also said members who have problems and complaints should not hesitate to inform their leaders at the ward and local government levels.

    Stressing the importance of grassroots mobilisation, Tinubu said: “Get the attendance register at the ward. Call meetings. You know the number of polling units in your areas. Work hard. You must win. Tomorrow, I will hold meeting with the 57 council chairmen at Bourdillon.”

    The former governor admonished youths to shun unruly behaviours on poll day to avoid unpleasant consequences.

    He said: “Let me warn our boys. You heard President Buhari’s warning on thuggery, ballot snatching. You heard him. I don’t command an Army. The Permanent Voter Card (PVC) is my Army. We must go out to vote for president Buhari and our National Assembly candidates on February 23 and our governorship and House of Assembly candidates on March 9. The warning is: don’t fight.”

    Tinubu also warned some restless youths against the harassment of of esteemed party elders during meetings, saying that anyone who is culpable is an agent of the PDP. He said APC is interested in celebrating democracy and not violence.

    Urging Igbo in Lagos to vote for the APC, he said: “We appeal to our Igbo brothers from the East. This is the state where you conduct your business. Your children are in our schools. There is no discrimination against them in WAEC, NECO  and tertiary fees. This time, we are asking you to help us. We will look at the votes from Ojo, Alaba, Surulere, Amuwo Odofin, Ajeromi Ifelodun.”

  • Two APC members shot dead by suspected PDP thugs in Kwara

    The Kwara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said two of its members were shot dead by suspected Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thugs during a senatorial campaign tour at Ojoku in Oyun Local Government Area.

    Oyun is the home town of Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, who is also the PDP senatorial candidate for Kwara South in this Saturday’s National Assembly election.

    The attackers were also said to have injured eight APC members and vandalised 20 vehicles belonging to APC Kwara South senatorial candidate, Lola Ashiru, during his campaign tour of Ojoku on Tuesday evening.

    But the PDP claimed that the APC thugs first attacked its members where six persons sustained bullet wounds.

    Addressing reporters in Ilorin, the state capital, APC Chairman Lola Ashiru said: “On Tuesday, February 19, the APC senatorial candidate for Kwara South, Lola Ashiru, took his electioneering campaign to Ojoku Ward. In line with tradition, he and his team paid a courtesy visit to the Olojoku of Ojoku in his palace.

    “After the courtesy visit to the kabiyesi, the team came out of the palace to proceed to the venue of the rally. They had barely come out of the palace when they were ambushed by PDP thugs who, apparently, had been lurking around the palace. The attackers, who were armed with various weapons, started shooting at the APC members and supporters who accompanied our candidate to the palace.

    “The policemen, who accompanied our candidate’s campaign train, tried to repel the attackers but they were massively overwhelmed. Ashiru was quickly taken away from the place and he remained in hiding for over two hours before police reinforcement came to rescue him.

    “From all indications, this is a pre-meditated attack, and it is clear that the attackers came not just to disrupt the campaign but to assassinate our candidate. While we mourn our members who died and pray for the quick recovery for the injured, we thank God for saving the life of our candidate who, as I said, was the obvious target of the thugs.

    “We were reliably informed that the attack was allegedly coordinated by the PDP candidate for the Kwara South Senatorial District, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim, who hails from the same place (Ojoku) where our members and supporters were attacked.

    “We are using this occasion to call on security agencies to immediately arrest all the perpetrators of the violence at Ojoku and bring them to justice. In particular, we demand the immediate arrest and prosecution of the alleged coordinator of the violence, Senator Rafiu Ibrahim.

    “We are also reiterating our earlier call on the security agencies to immediately arrest all known thugs and other criminals across our state so that they will not disrupt Saturday’s elections and the subsequent ones. We need to rid Kwara of all thugs and hoodlums in order to encourage the good people of the state to come our in large numbers to exercise their franchise on Saturday, and also to provide a level playing field for all the parties.

    “In the meantime, we appeal to all our members and supporters across the state to remain calm, in spite of the provocation from the desperate PDP. The best revenge against the PDP is for all our teeming members and supporters to punish the party at the polls on Saturday.”

    The Lola Ashiru Campaign Organisation said the attack “on our campaign entourage ranks among the worst form of political terrorism in this part of the senatorial district”.

    Its Director General, Femi Whyte, addressed reporters in Offa town, Offa Local Government Area.

    Whyte identified one of the dead as Samson Adeosun, who he said died at the General Hospital in Offa.

    He said: “Three persons reported to be missing have been found but not in stable condition, probably due to the psychological effect of the attack.

    “The Olojoku of Ojoku expressed great shock and felt so bad that such a crazy action happened in his territory and that his subjects could lay siege to a prominent personality without regard to his stool and authority.

    PDP State Chairman Kola Shittu condemned the attack on the party’s members.

    He said suspected APC thugs on the campaign train of Ashiru shot eight PDP members during the attack.

    The party chairman said the victims were receiving treatment at the Offa General Hospital and other private hospitals.

    In a statement, Shittu condemned the violent attack on its members and asked security agencies to arrest and prosecute the perpetrators and their sponsors.

    Shittu described the attack as unfortunate, ill-conceived and barbaric, adding that it again revealed the violent disposition of the opposition.

    He said: “This latest brazen attack on our members and supporters in Ojoku has yet again further showcased the violent disposition of the APC, which we have always alerted Kwarans and security agencies to…”

    Also, the APC has petitioned security agencies over the gruesome attack on the party’s senatorial candidate for Kwara South, Lola Ashiru, by the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Rafiu Ibrahim.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja, the nation’s capital, by its National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu, APC said the deadly attacks occurred in Ojoku town in Kwara South Senatorial District.

    It said eight people were badly injured while two others were shot dead.

    The statement added: “The palace of the Olojoku of Ojoku, HRH Oba Abdulganiy Adegboyega Afolabi, was not spared in the attacks: the royal father was also stoned, according to credible and verifiable independent accounts.

    “We have reproduced below a transcript of a victim’s account of the attacks: ‘Ojoku has been turned into a killing field with many residents fleeing to neighbouring communities for their safety. Eight people were shot; two others died. The Army rescued us and we are at Offa General Hospital.

    “‘Olojoku palace was terribly attacked, our kabiyesi was stoned. I can tell you that Ashiru and I escaped death by a whisker. It was a terrible experience. May Allah forgive the souls of the two who fell by their gunshots.

    “‘Senator Rafiu Ibrahim was sighted running away from a hotel in the community moments after the attacks.

    “‘I can confirm to you that he (Senator Ibrahim) masterminded this attack because I was there when Olojoku called him. His first statement was that it was APC fighting against APC. Olojoku cursed him in our presence and said he would never get to that position again.’

    “The APC hereby calls on security agencies to fish out and arrest Senator Rafiu Ibrahim Adebayo, who we learnt has since gone into hiding. Such murderous crimes cannot be swept under the carpet in the name of politics. The senator and his accomplices must face the law for their heinous crimes…”

  • PDP: Buhari, APC arm-twisting security, INEC to rig polls

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accused President Muhammadu Buhari and the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) of arm-twisting key stakeholders in the electoral process.

    It specifically listed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies as being arm-twisted to rig the rescheduled Saturday’s Presidenatial and National Assembly election for President Buhari and the ruling APC.

    At a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, PDP spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, accused the Presidency of launching ferocious plots with INEC and security agencies to ambush the rescheduled elections and foist Buhari on the nation.

    The PDP vowed to ensure that the “evil plots” of the “fear-stricken” Buhari and the APC come to naught.

    Commenting on the alleged plots, Ologbondiyan said, “Since the postponement, the Buhari Presidency and APC have been breathing down the neck of the Chairman of INEC, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, in a desperate and feverish bid to consolidate their control of the operations of the commission and execute their rigging plot.”

    The PDP alleged that the ruling party rose from a late night meeting at the State House on Tuesday with a directive to Resident Electoral Commissioner (RECs) to give result sheets to APC agents to manipulate election results.

    “Intelligence at our disposal reveals that the INEC Chairman has succumbed to back channel bullying by the Buhari Presidency and APC to accede to their demand to replace Electoral Officers (EOs) in various critical states with APC agents who will vehemently execute President Buhari’s rigging plans in the February 23, presidential election.”

    The PDP claimed to have in custody the full details of Department of State Services (DSS) interference with operations of critical departments in INEC, including the ICT department.

    The party also claimed to have details of President Buhari’s Tuesday night meeting with some APC northern governors and Service Chiefs, where pressure was allegedly mounted on the Service Chiefs in connection with the APC rigging plans.

    Continuing, the PDP spokesman said: “We alert Nigerians that the INEC chairman has been intimidated with threat of ‘Onnoghen’s treatment’ to accept a list of APC members and agents and post them to serve as EOs in various states, including Kano, Kaduna, Rivers, Bauchi, Akwa-Ibom, Zamfara, Benue, Sokoto, Lagos, Plateau, Taraba, Borno, Adamawa, Kogi, Delta, Ebonyi among others.

    ”These APC EOs have been briefed to ensure the diversion of sensitive electoral materials from designated polling centres, delay the accreditation process, so as to frustrate voters’ enthusiasm, compromise the collation process to allocate and announce fictitious results for President Buhari and muddle up the process to pave way for result cancellation where it becomes impossible to rig.

    “The PDP stands with Nigerians in directly rejecting this latest arm-twisting of security agencies as well as the nefarious plots to use APC members as INEC Election Officers.

    “However, the PDP, in clear terms, assures INEC, compromised security agents and President Buhari that their evil plans will definitely come to naught.

    “The PDP, therefore, cautions INEC to immediately end its back channel links and disentangle itself from the Buhari Presidency or risk being on collision course with the Nigerian people.”

  • Okigwe APC: Imo SSG plotting mayhem against members

    THE leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Okigwe Senatorial district of Imo State has said the Secretary to Imo State Government (SSG), Mr. Mark Uchendu, was planning to use thugs and fake policemen to unleash mayhem on voters.

    Chief Christian Okoroafo, leader of APC in Okigwe zone, said the SSG boasted, after a meeting with Governor Rochas Okorocha and his cabinet, that he would use the police and thugs to unleash mayhem on APC members not supporting Action Alliance (AA) candidates.

    “He made this boast after the governor mandated him to ensure that Senator Ben Uwajumogu, our APC candidate for the Senate seat loses the election in Ihitte Uboma and Okigwe zone.

    “Mr. Uchendu, who promised to deliver Okigwe zone to AA, said he would be ruthless with the opposition in his Ihitte Uboma area. He insulted some APC leaders in his council and his ward.

    “We want to raise this alarm before Nigerians and security agents, because we are aware this same man had vowed that he will spill his blood if Uche Nwosu does not become governor.

    “We want to state that nobody has the monopoly of violence. Uchendu and his paymaster know they cannot win election under a free and fair exercise, and has resorted to threats and thuggery.

    ‘’He boasted that as the secretary of Imo State Security Council, he controls the military and police.

    “In line with the warning of President Muhammadu Buhari, we call on security agents to call Mr. Uchendu and his cohorts to order, because our people cannot be intimidated, and he should be held responsible for any bloodshed, both in Ihitte Uboma and Okigwe zone,” he said.

  • TEAM 30 supports Sanwo-Olu

    Team 30, a group of Lagos-based businessmen, artisans and contractors, have endorsed and committed themselves to supporting Lagos State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his running mate, ObaFemi Hamzat.

    The group is lending its voice to the Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat ambition because it believes they have the required character and qualities, above all others, to further elevate Lagos to a standard that rivals other notable cities like J’burb, Dubai, New York, and Paris.

    Read also: Motorists, OPS lament return of trucks to Lagos roads

    They team believes that as a former Director of the Lagos State Development and Property Corporation, Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat have the experience to propel an economy that pays over N20 million to the zenith using the blueprint already laid down by APC National Leader and former governor Bola Tinubu.

    The group urged Lagosians to shun sentiments and grievances to embrace the APC candidate and ensure the state votes them in to continue to enjoy the peace and prosperity that the state is known for.

  • Peterside: APC not planning mayhem in Rivers

    Deputy leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State Dr. Dakuku Peterside has said members of the party were not planning to unleash mayhem in the state.

    He was reacting to allegations by Director-General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council, Desmond Akwawor, that APC was planning to cause mayhem and bloodbath during the elections.

    According to him, Akwawor had elevated lies to an act.

    Peterside, who spoke yesterday at the Port Harcourt International Airport, insisted that all allegations were what the PDP leaders planned to do. They were only crying to attract cheap sympathy, he added.

    He accused Governor Nyesom Wike of being the agent provocateur and harbinger of violenc.

    Peterside, who is the Director-General of Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), blasted the PDP campaign council for involving his home local government area, Opobo/Nkoro, in the allegation of using money to induce electoral officials.

    He said: “I am proud to come from Opobo/Nkoro, and as a party stalwart, there was no time such scenario happened. We are a peace-loving people, and we will never be part of such plot.”

    Peterside also denied accusations that the APC was working with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Army and other security agencies, to subvert the people’s will.

    He said: “Anytime you see Wike and his party shouting, just know they have tried unsuccessfully to bribe security agents. This is the same old trick of Wike, but his threats will fail this time.

    “Before, during and after the 2015 elections, Rivers people knew what Wike did with Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu. APC leaders were arrested with reckless abandon and locked up till after the elections. So far, no such thing has hapened.

    “Like an uninvited gatecrasher, Wike has been working with his agents to frustrate APC’s genuine quest to be on the ballot in Rivers State.”

    The NIMASA DG called on security agents to remain alert and thwart every PDP effort to instigate violence and blame the APC.

    He dismissed PDP’s allegation that the Minister for Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, held a meeting with some people to rig the election. “Rivers people know the persons who are violent; the people know those who sponsored the thugs arrested in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni council last Friday. Rivers people know those who are desperate for power and will do anything to get it. Rivers people know their history.”

  • Buhari will get 80 percent votes, Enang boasts

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, on Wednesday expressed confidence that President Muhammadu Buhari will win Saturday’s presidential election with about 80 percent of the votes.

    He spoke with State House correspondents in Abuja as he based his verdict on the achievements of President Buhari’s administration; the vigorous campaigns of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC); and the president’s fair treatment of all parts of the country.

    He said “From the campaigns on the field, all the fillers we had, the support we had from the East, the West, the South, the North and all parts of Nigeria and the words of the president, the capacity of the campaign team and campaign machinery, the intellectual and intelligent words, words that hold and convince Nigerians that President Buhari is the best person to go for a second term as president.

    “This makes us confident and I am sure that in every state of the federation, President Buhari was able to show what he has done for that state.

    “In every state of the federation the president showed that he was not partial, that he is not in any manner tilted against one state of the country or favoring another part of the country.  He has shown that he is president for all and exclusively for none.”  he said

    The presidential aide said that President Buhari has identified with all, including the poor, the rich, the disabled and even those who could be called the low of the society.

    “With this, we are sure that we will win the election and the APC will come up with the majority of the members of the House of Representatives, great majority in the Senate and President Buhari of the APC will be declared as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

    Senator Enang said that President Buhari has exhibited the character of a true democrat by not interfering in the work of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

    Read Also: Buhari swears-in eight permanent secretaries

    He said that the president and the electoral body were not “working in tandem to postpone the election.”

    On whether there should be sanctions for the INEC for postponing the elections despite the long period it had to prepare and the support given to it by the President, Enang said the best that could be done was to move forward and let the elections be conducted.

    “The best we can do is to make sure that we consciously give maximum support to the INEC.

    “The best we can do is speak less of hard words against them and give them comfort so that all Nigerians, the international community and the product of the election will be taken as the best decision. So, we will not talk of sanctions now.“

    Enang also said that all international protocols concerning diplomatic relations must be respected by all.

    “There is what we call diplomatic protocol and when you are in a country, you are subject to the laws of that country.

    “There are limitations and red lines, which you must not cross.  When you cross the red lines in diplomacy, you are capable of being declared persona non-grata.

    “But Nigeria has not gotten to that stage and that is why it is issuing simple reminders as to what is the best international practice in diplomacy.”

    Dismissing allegations that the Resident Electoral Commission in Akwa Ibom State could be working in the interest of the government of the state, Enang said it did not matter and would not affect the outcome of the election.

    “Knowing that we will the election, I had occasion to say that even if it were Secondus, chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that conducts election in Akwa Ibom State as REC, APC will win the election.

    “As we are confident that we will win the election, we will speak less of the electoral body.

    “If we want to concentrate on that we will lose focus because what the opposition intends to do is to make us go after some issues while they prepare to attack with all kinds of things,” Senator Enang said.

  • Buhari’s directive against ballot snatchers patriotic, says ex- Speaker

    A former Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Hon Femi Bamisile, has applauded President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive to security operatives to deal ruthlessly with ballot snatchers.

    The directive, he said, is not defective but patriotic.

    The chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC) said the comment has proven the Buhari-led administration had no plan to rig the February 23 rescheduled Presidential and National Assembly polls.

    He argued the President is committed to credible electoral process, saying Buhari remains allergic to any acts capable of undermining the country nascent democracy.

    The House of Representatives candidate in Ekiti South Federal constituency II predicted Buhari and other candidates of the party would win in Ekiti by 80 percent on Saturday.

    Bamisile, who spoke in Ado Ekiti on Wednesday while interacting with journalists, said: “The President didn’t give a shooting order the way former President Olusegun Obasanjo gave a shoot at sight order against OPC when he was President.

    “President Buhari only said those who snatched ballots will have themselves to blame. So, I stand hundred percent behind him on this order.

    Read Also: Buhari warns ballot box snatchers

    “We are not in the 19th century when things were absurd. It is a barbaric act for anyone to snatch ballot boxes.

    “If anyone loses his life while attempting to snatch ballot boxes, he should have himself to blame.

    “Nigerians should see elections as a process that will come and go and the nation will remain.”

    He added: “Why is the PDP afraid? If you are not a thief and they say if you steal you go to jail, why are you bothered if you are not a thief?”

    He promised if elected, he would join the vanguard of those federal legislators that will make laws for the good governance of the nation, which on the long run will have positive impacts on the citizens.

    Bamisile said his utmost priority for the masses in his constituents would be bursary and scholarship awards to students and provision of solar- driven ICT library to aid learning and research.

    He added that provision of employment for youths and empowerment for women groups to alleviate poverty in the state would be given premium.

    Speaking on the allegation some Resident Electoral Commissioners had been bribed and ready to compromise for PDP, Bamisile said the leadership of the commission may not be the problem but those around him.

    “There are so many bad eggs in INEC but the way I see Prof Yakubu, isn’t a bad person.

    “But as a leader, he must watch those around him who could undermine credible electoral process by their conducts.

    “But to make the job easier for INEC, politicians need to be more civil, patriotic and realize that the game is temporary, it doesn’t last forever.”

  • Court sacks Enugu APC senatorial candidate

    THE Federal High Court in Enugu has disqualified the Enugu East Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Prince Lawrence Eze.

    Justice Ibrahim Buba held that Eze was not the party’s nominated candidate.

    The suit, filed by Mrs. Adaku Ogbu-Aguocha, contended that having won the party’s primaries, she was the right candidate but her name was wrongfully substituted.

    Ogbu-Aguocha said the lot fell on her as the first runner-up when Mrs. Uche Ezemba stepped down after winning the primaries.

    She adduced evidences before the court that Eze was not even a member of the party when the primaries were conducted.

    Justice Buba agreed with the plaintiff and held that it was a case of ‘monkey dey work, baboon dey chop’.

    The court lambasted Eze, for laying claim to what never belonged to him.

    Justice Buba averred that there was overwhelming evidence that Eze was still a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), where he also contested the senatorial primaries.

    He, therefore, ordered that APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recognise Mrs. Adaku Ogbu-Aguocha as the rightful candidate for Saturday’s election.

    Mrs. Ogbu-Aguocha said the judgment showed that there was justice in Nigeria. “I can’t thank the judiciary enough for righting the wrong done to me and so many people in this country.

    “The judgment has affirmed what I always believed, which is that I’m the rightful candidate. Justice has been served today and I am very happy, I’m grateful to God.

    “I enjoin everybody in Enugu East APC to work together for our victory in Saturday’s election. I have been campaigning because I know I’m the rightful candidate, if not for the impunity in the system.

    “His candidacy is null and void, it never existed and that’s what the court held today.”

    But Eze’s lawyer, Ferdinand Ukwueze, said his client would appeal the judgment.