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Tag: All Progressives Congress

  • Alimikhena gets Edo North ticket

    Senate Deputy Whip Francis Alimikhena has emerged as the All Progressives Congress (APC) senatorial candidate in Edo North during the primary. He said  his victory has created the enabling environment for him to dwarf the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in next year’s election.

    He appealed to the aggrieved to hands with him to win the poll. “The victory is not a victory for Senator Francis Alimikhena but a victory for the development of Edo North. “I called on all those that were in the race withe to come in one brotherhood let us collectively achieve the dream of our party.

    “The coast is clear, the All Progressive Congress (APC) is coasting to victory in the 2019 general election. The defeat that awaits PDP in the 2019 Edo North election will be more shocking than the 2015  election. “The efforts to achieve the tasked ahead is a collective efforts and we must put our differences behind us to achieve our overall objectives.

    While appealing to politicians shun politics of bitterness, Alimikhena said: “The inevitable disagreements and issues that arouse during election period are all part of the Democratic dispensation and must not be mistaken for chaos. Debate and argument is part of democracy therefore whatever war of words or misunderstanding that occurred during the process should be regarded as part of the political process and not conflict.

    He expressed gratitude to the leadership of the APC in Edo State. Alimikhena said his victory at the APC Primary is a stepping stone to the victory that is ahead in the main election. “The trust of the Edo North leadership  has not been misplaced and I will justify the confidence that has just be reposed in me through effective representation.”

    The senator said he has laid the developmental a foundation for prosperity through the development of infrastructure, appropriate macro-economic, revolving loans and human welfare packages that will eliminate abject poverty and despondence among suffering masses.

    He admitted that the tasked of developing all communities in one tenure was not possible but assured that every other community will benefit in the next phase of development.  He is seeking re-election to enable him consolidate on his achievement as well as established a developmental benchmark for future legislators.

    He appealed to the stakeholders to deployed necessary machinery and ensure the victory of the APC at every level.

  • Right step

    THE road to the Osun State September 22 governorship election was predictably rough, and the outcome has not been any less controversial. It would take a trained observer and analyst to dissect the events and come to an informed, impartial conclusion as both the All Progressives Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have continued to hold different ends of the debate, thus befuddling issues.

    One issue that has been combatively canvassed by some is the advisability or necessity of the September 27 rerun. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), after collating the returns from the polls, declared the election inconclusive as a mere 353 votes separated the two leading candidates, while there were 2,637 votes in seven units in Orolu, Osogbo, Ife North and Ife South that could yet show clearly the electorate’s preference.

    While the PDP held that, having polled the highest number of votes cast, and satisfied the spread criterion, its candidate, Senator Ademola Adeleke, ought to have been declared winner, the APC has continually held that INEC correctly interpreted the law and impartially applied its Manual for Electoral Officers issued for the 2015 general elections and applied variously since then.

    Going by precedence and decisions of the Supreme Court, INEC could not have held otherwise. The number of votes declared invalid was clearly more than the difference between the votes received by Senator Adeleke of PDP, and Mr. Gboyega Oyetola of the APC. As the Supreme Court held in the 2015 Kogi State governorship election, sections 179 and 181 of the 1999 Constitution are not self executing and, thus, INEC owes itself a duty to come up with subsidiary legislation to guide polling.

    In other decisions including, but not limited to, the Imo State governorship disputes in 2011 and 2015, Anambra State’s senatorial election that pitched the late Professor Dora Akunyili of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) against Dr. Chris Ngige of Action Congress of Nigeria (2011); governorship tussles also in Anambra State  (2013), Taraba 2015 and Bayelsa (2015), it is obvious that a combined interpretation of the Constitution, 2010 Electoral Act and INEC’s rules and regulations not conflicting with the principal legislations are needed to arrive at a clear application of the law. The commission was therefore correct in publishing the guidelines before the elections. Besides, the Rules and Guidelines not being new could have been contested by any of the parties before Election Day; but that was not the case.

    We associate with experienced and unbiased observers who had people deployed in various parts of the state and have since come up with reports that hailed the Nigerian election managers. After the September 22 election, the United States, European Union and the United Kingdom envoys were unequivocal in declaring that INEC discharged its duties creditably. It was deemed an improvement on the previous elections. The Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) and Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD), too, hailed INEC for ensuring that polling opened as scheduled, there was no shortage of materials, the officials were well trained and the card readers functioned optimally. This deserves commendation by all and if we take this to 2019, it would be a marked improvement on previous efforts.

    The quest for free, fair and credible polls has been on since the Esua election commission conducted the 1964 federal elections in the First Republic, and continued in the Second Republic when a tested federal permanent secretary, Chief Michael Ani, presided over the Federal Electoral Commission (FEDECO). Even in the inchoate Third Republic when Professor Humphrey Nwosu was the chief umpire, the June 12, 1993 presidential election, described as the freest and fairest was annulled by the Babangida government. Professor Mahmoud Yakubu and his team have acquitted themselves well and deserve the full support of all Nigerians, realising that a credible election is the platform on which the people’s will rests.

    Nothing said here precludes any dissatisfied candidate or political party from seeking judicial redress. Fortunately, Senator Adeleke has appealed to the Election Petition Tribunal to declare him winner of the election. The law must be allowed to run its course without any resort to self help. As we move towards 2019, maturity, patriotism and scrupulous adherence to the Rule of Law should be the watchword. Our politicians should look inward and do what is right at the polls rather than blaming the electoral  commission and others for electoral infractions.

  • ‘Yahaya will defeat PDP in Gombe’

    Former Gombe State  All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant Abubakar Haidar yesterday said the candidate, Alhaji  Mohammed Inuwa Yahaya will defeat the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in next year’s election.

    Haidar congratulated Yahaya, saying that his victory was the beginning of the defeat of the ruling PDP.

    He said it was based on the transparency of the primary that the contenders embraced themselves after the exercise without grievances.

    Haidar said: “There was level playing ground and as such all the contenders accepted the result in good faith.

    “We commend the decorum, maturity and discipline demonstrated by all stakeholders especially by we the candidates. With the outcome of the primary, we have no doubt in the capacity of the APC to sustain its internal democracy at all levels.”

    Haider  called on supporters of other aspirants to respect the results of the election, disclosing that they have resolved and are ready to work with the candidate to form a government in the state  in 2019.

    He added: “As I used this opportunity to congrat our party flagbearer I want to call on all our supporters to respect our collective decision by supporting our brand new candidate.”

    “We are ready to work and cooperate in forming the strongest government in Gombe, which will be all inclusive,” Haidar said.

    “We would work as a team to ensure victory for the party, I am optimistic that we are winning the general election in 2019 because we are committed towards actualising that.”

     

  • Gbadamosi emerges Lagos ADP guber candidate

    Real estate developer, Mr Babatunde Gbadamosi, has emerged as the Lagos State gubernatorial candidate of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) for the 2019 election.

    Gbadamosi’s election was ratified by ADP members during the party’s primaries at its Lagos State Secretariat on Saturday.

    The Chairman, ADP, Lagos State, Mr Bolaji Adewale, said Gbadamosi, who was unopposed, scored a total of 119,919 votes during the primaries conducted across the 20 Local Government Areas of the state.

    Adewale thanked the party chieftains and supporters for the peaceful conduct of all primaries.

    He noted that ADP was the first party to adopt direct primaries in Nigeria as enshrined in its constitution.

    The chairman said the party would continue to come up with innovative ideas that would deepen democracy and governance in Nigeria.

    In his acceptance speech, Gbadamosi , who is the Managing Director of Redbricks Homes International Limited, thanked ADP members for giving him the privilege of contesting for the governorship position under the party’s platform.

    Gbadamosi said he was joining the race to rescue Lagos State from the “captivity” of godfatherism, mediocre governance and mismanagement of tax payers money.

    “The moment of truth is here. Today, we are formally entering the race to lead our dear state on the platform of our great party, the ADP.

    “After today, I will be presenting the Gbadamosi Plan for Lagos. It is a comprehensive document that touches on all aspects of our lives as Lagosians.

    “It touches on our individual and collective destiny as people of Lagos and the legacies we hope to bequeath to our children and our generation yet unborn, “he said.

    Read Also: 2019: ADP aspirant pulls out of guber race in Niger

    According to him, the plan aims to address crucial areas such as public education, health care, transportation, affordable housing, among others which have deteriorated in the state.

    Gbadamosi said apart from having the prerequisite experience and qualifications to govern the state, he would assemble a team of professionals to administer over key areas to fast track its development.

    He expressed optimism that he would be victorious in the election because the people of Lagos were disappointed with the performance of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at both the federal and state levels.

    “My appeal to you is that you should join me today. Let us rewrite our future to one of our own dreams and reject the greed of godfathers.

    “I solemnly promise all Lagosians today that I will take Lagos Beyond Ordinary Governance, ” he said.

    Gbadamosi will be contesting against several candidates including Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu of the APC and Mr Jimi Agbaje of the PDP in the 2019 governoship poll.

    NAN

  • Lagos APC primaries: Tinubu, Adeola win, Ashafa loses

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Electoral Committee of the National Assembly and State House of Assembly primaries in Lagos on Saturday officially released the results of the elections.

    The primaries, including a repeat of the senatorial primary election, were held on Friday.

    The senatorial primaries initially held on Thursday, but were cancelled and rescheduled owing to logistic issues.

    Announcing the results in Ikeja, Chairman of the committee, Mr Lucky Imasuen, said the primaries were contested for the three senatorial seats, 24 House of Representatives and 40 state House of Assembly seats .

    For the results of the senatorial primaries, Imasuen said Sen. Oluremi Tinubu, who was unopposed, polled 89,494 votes to emerge as candidate for Lagos Central.

    For Lagos West, the committee chairman said the incumbent, Sen. Olamilekan Solomon emerged winner with 378,906 votes, as against the 1,179 votes scored by Mr Kayode Opeifa and Mrs. Areago Olopade’s 1,275 votes.

    Read Also : Boroffice emerges APC candidate for Ondo North Senatorial District

    Imasuen, a former Deputy Governor of Edo State, added that a member of the state House of Assembly, Mr . Bayo Osinowo defeated the incumbent Sen. Gbenga Ashafa with 247,743 votes to emerge candidate for the Lagos East Senatorial district.

    He disclosed that Ashafa, the incumbent, polled 20,385 in the primary.

    Imasuen said the details of the House of Representatives and state House of Assembly primaries results were ready and that they would be released later.

    He described the exercise as peaceful and successful.

    “The primaries were peaceful and successful.

    “We thank the state chapter led by Tunde Balogun for the support for the committee.

    “We also thank all other stakeholders including all members of our party in the state for making the conduct a success,” he said.

    NAN

  • Boroffice emerges APC candidate for Ondo North Senatorial District

    Sen. Ajayi Boroffice, representing Ondo North Senatorial District on Thursday won the ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the candidate of the party for the 2019 general election.

    Officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission, (INEC), monitored the primary election in Ondo North Senatorial District.

    Boroffice, who was the sole aspirant for the primary, got 64,300 votes out of the 66,200 votes accredited for the exercise from the 72 wards in the senatorial district.

    Mr Abuh Andrew, the Chairman of APC Primary Election Committee in Ondo State, declared, “this is to certify that Robert Ajayi Boroffice, having scored the highest number of votes cast is hereby declared winner.”

    Read Also: Ribadu, Modi reject Adamawa APC governorship primary

    Boroffice called for peace within APC’s family in the state.

    Speaking with newsmen in his home town, Oka-Akoko, Boroffice appealed to political stakeholders in the area to unite to build APC for the betterment of all and sundry.

    According to him, the disruption of peace within the ruling party in the state will be counter-productive.

    Boroffice, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on Science and Technology, expressed his continued loyalty to President Muhammadu Buhari and other national leaders of the party.

    NAN

  • Presidential race: 7,000 delegates to affirm Buhari’s candidacy at today’s APC’s convention

    About 7,000 delegates from across the country are expected to endorse the candidacy of President Muhammadu Buhari on Saturday at the special national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) holding in Abuja today.

    The convention is a culmination of series of events which began with the special congresses to select delegates for the the convention which will be presided over by the National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and members of the National Working Committee of the party.

    Initially, the convention was expected to also deliberate on the way forward for the party, but the convention committee headed by Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi said it will be a one-agenda event.

    Addressing a news conference at the APC national secretariat in Abuja yesterday, Deputy Chairman of the convention committee and Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, said the confirmation and rectification of the candidacy of the President is a commitment to steady progressive and positive change.

    Shettima, who stood in for Chairman of the Convention Committee, said: “Let me assure you that the nomination and ratification of the candidacy of President Muhammadu Buhari is a commitment to service, progressive and quality change.

    “Despite some of the problems we have encountered during the primaries in our various states, the National Working Committee of the party is working assiduously to resolve all the issues. It is a family quarrel and we are going to sort things out amicably.

    “The party is doing and will continue to do all it can to resolve all the issues amicably so that everyone can be carried along and we can all unite as one in order to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari is returned to the poll come February 2019.

    “The current APC administration, led by our dear President, is making sure and steady progress and we cannot afford to drop the ball and return our great country to those dark days, especially the 16 wasted years preceding this administration.

    “About 7,000 delegates from across the length and breadth of our great country, and all necessary arrangements had been put in place to ensure security.

    “The convention will commence by 2 pm tomorrow at the Eagles Square. The transport committee is making arrangements to reduce to the barest minimum the inconvenience it might cause Abuja residents.

    “We moved the convention time from 9 am to 2 pm deliberately to accommodate delegates that are coming from far and near. Incidentally, people from Kogi, for instance, can be in Abuja within three hours.

    “But believe me, all our delegates will be on ground by 2 pm.”

    Shettima said the votes scored by the President during the Presidential primaries across the country was a highly guarded secret which will only be revealed during the national convention.

    Read also: Buhari has stabilized Nigerian economy – Presidential support committee

    Asked whether the convention will consider and fill vacancies created by the exit of some members of the National Working Committee, especially the National Secretary and the National Publicity Secretary, Shettima said: “This convention is a special convention for the emergence of our Presidential flag bearer, no any other issue with be tabled beyond issues pertaining to the emergence of our presidential flag bearer.

    “In subsequent conventions and NWC and NEC meeting, others issues can be discussed and sorted out.

    “The convention is to elect our Presidential candidate. It is not an elective convention. Three candidates per local government, apart from the statutory delegates, are expected at the convention.”

    It was, however, observed that some states may not be part of the convention as they were yet to conclude their primaries, which must be concluded by Sunday at the latest, which is the last day for the submission of list of candidates to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Acting National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, is however confident that the party will beat the deadline, saying states that have not concluded their primaries are expected to do so not later than Sunday.

  • APC NWC sacks Zamfara party exco

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), yesterday dissolved the party executives at all levels in Zamfara State .

    Mr Yekini Nabena, the APC acting National Publicity said in a statement that  by the decision, all supposed party factions in the state stand dissolved.

    He added that the APC NWC-inaugurated committee for Zamfara are to conduct the governorship and legislative primaries in the state.

    He stressed that Governor  Abdul’aziz Yari and the dissolved state exco should not interfere in the primary elections.

    Nabena added that the Zamfara governorship and legislative primaries would take place  today and tomorrow.

  • Belgore withdraws from Kwara governorship race

    One of the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirants in Kwara State, Mohammed Dele Belgore, has stepped down.

    Belgore, who was the governorship candidate of the rested Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in Kwara State said he  took the decision in the collective interest.

    In his statement, Belgore said: “I hereby announce that I am stepping down for my brother Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrazak and urge all my supporters to back his aspiration.

    “I take this decision in the larger interest of our people, the unity of our party and to enable us move forward towards the change we all desire.

    “I thank all members of my family, our supporters and the people of Kwara State for their overwhelming support since we entered the race. I can’t thank them enough!”

  • …party risks not fielding governorship candidate, Marafa warns

    A gubernatorial aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator Kabiru Marafa of Zamfara State on Friday warned that the party risks not fielding a candidate in the 2019 election if it fails to conduct credible party primary in the state.

    The APC National Working Committee (NWC) had on Thursday cancelled the Zamfara governorship primary election in the state.

    The APC had said that the cancellation followed election malpractices, including snatching of electoral materials.

    But speaking with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Marafa warned that the primary elections must be conducted before Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) deadline on Sunday or risked disqualification.

    He said “Well, it is not about me now I think it is about APC generally, whether APC has a chance or not because once it is blocked by 12.00 AM (on Sunday) APC will have nowhere to go to.’’

    Stressing that he was in the Villa to update President Buhari on the failed APC governorship primary election in Zamfara State, he alleged that the state governor, Abdulaziz Yari, had lost the support of people of the state.

    Dismissing the allegation of political thuggery being leveled against him by some state government officials, Marafa alleged that Yari and his supporters were trying to sabotage APC’s interest in Zamfara State.

    Meanwhile, the former Zamfara State governor and a stalwart of the party in the state, Senator Ahmed Yerima also met behind closed doors with President Buhari on Friday.