The Nation Newspaper

Tag: All Progressives Congress

  • Ekiti 2018: Olusola will defeat Fayemi, says Campaign DG

    The Director General of Kolapo Olusola Campaign Organisation, Chief Bisi Kolawole, has predicted victory for the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the forthcoming governorship election.

    Kolawole expressed confidence that the Deputy Governor, who is also the PDP candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, will defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) flag bearer, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, on the strength of the performance of the ruling party for over three years in power.

    Speaking with reporters in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, Kolawole described Fayemi’s declaration that the APC will use every power at its disposal to regain power at the July 14 election as an “empty boast.”

    Kolawole, who is also the Commissioner for Environment said Fayemi’s emergence as flag bearer of the APC, would make the PDP victory “more resounding.”

    According to the former Ekiti State House of Assembly member, he boasted that the APC will suffer another humiliating defeat with Fayemi as the candidate.

    Kolawole said: “This is somebody who held the dog with his two hands and he allowed the dog to escape. And he is now making noise. The truth of the matter is that Fayemi is a loser and ingrate. He was packaged for the people of Ekiti and the people have rejected him.”

    “Fayemi came in as an inexperienced fellow and he betrayed all those who assisted him to be governor. He is just blabbing and seeking attention.

    Read Also: Fayemi slams Fayose for owing Ekiti monarchs, workers

    “But let me say if the APC is so unfortunate to have Fayemi as it flag bearer, I can bet you the party would go into extinction in Ekiti.

    “With his declaration, Fayemi had embarked on his last political journey to perdition for that matter .When you listen to him carefully, he tried to imitate governor and he did that wrongly.

    “If you want to imitate you do it correctly. You will recall that it was Fayose who first issued a red card to APC.”

    “We in PDP don’t take him serious, because we have our people on ground, if anybody thinks there is a Federal might somewhere. The person must be deluding himself.

    “Fayemi has much baggage and he remains barred from holding public offices. He can’t spring any surprise any longer. Even, when he declared, how commissioners or other members of his cabinet followed him?

    On the gale of defections rocking PDP in Ekiti, Kolawole said it was a product of an alleged inordinate ambition of some former members.

    “Those leaving PDP are Abuja politicians who don’t want to agree that there is a new leadership in PDP. But as they are leaving, other people are coming in. We are even happy that they left because they have been making concrete resolution difficult in PDP”.

    Responding to a question on whether the non-payment of salaries could affect the chances of the party, Kolawole said the workers are enlightened and reasonable.

    He said: “They know that governor meant well for them. He would not do anything to denigrate or intimidate them. The governor has promised to clear all the backlogs before expiration of his tenure.”

  • I’m going to senate to help re-write Nigeria’s story -Onyeizu

    Chinedu Onyeizu is a senatorial aspirant in Abia State on the platform of All Progressives Congress (APC). In this interview with Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, the 38 year-old petroleum engineer, who graduated from Federal University of Technology (FUTO) Owerri, Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), USA, and the Harvard Kennedy School of Government, explains how his passion to find solution to Nigeria’s problems led him to take leave from his plum seat at Chevron to conduct advanced research in his bid to re-write the story of Nigeria. He also spoke on the chances of APC in Abia State. Excerpts

    AS a petroleum engineer, gainfully employed in Chevron, what are you doing in politics and why did you pick APC?

    My educational pursuit after my first degree has always been focused primarily on how to contribute to making Nigeria a better place because I realised the need for skills acquisition and exposure in order to move us from where we are now as a country to where we should be. After my programme at MIT, I started a policy research firm called AFRIPERA. It is focused on collaboration with governments at state, national and regional levels to discuss issues and come up with innovative solutions on how best to solve the challenging problems that we have in Africa and particularly in Nigeria. I am here because I want to represent the new generation of Nigerian youths that are still struggling to come out of their shells to lead Nigeria. I am interested in re-writing Nigerian story for the good of all. Obviously, I recognise that the task ahead will be quite daunting and that is why I am using this opportunity to appeal to you, members of the fourth estate of the realm, to support this worthwhile course by sending out the message that I am giving you today by ensuring that young Nigerians would be sensitised for the course of nation building.

    After consulting my creator, family and friends on my desire to go to the senate, the next thing I did was to look at the manifestoes of different registered political parties in order to find out which of them has programmes that tally with my expectations. Amongst all, the All Progressive Congress (APC) manifesto caught my fancy because it’s loaded with issues that touch on the lot of the ordinary people. If Nigerians would look deeply into the manifesto of APC, they will find out that the party designed its policies for the good of the greatest majority of Nigerians.

    But Abia has been a PDP state for a long time now. Why do you think your party, APC, will win either the senatorial or governorship election in the state?

    As you rightly observed, APC may not have been the dominant party in Abia State. But that impression has been consigned to the dustbin of history. The correct position of things now is that our party is going to sweep the three senatorial seats in 2019 and crown it all with taking over the Government House in Umuahia. If you have been following developments in the party, you will notice that a good number of political heavy weights have since joined APC and almost on a daily basis, there are invasion of new members who defected from other parties. Also, I think we should not bother so much about how long a party has ruled or dominated the political space of a state. It is more important to focus on individuals who are aspiring for positions. Like I said earlier, APC has a well-articulated manifesto that has the potential to transform the socio-political and economic landscape of this country.

    Are you aware that Abia South Senatorial Zone has experienced political heavyweights who are still in the other parties and the senatorial seat you are interested in is currently occupied by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, an experienced politician who was once a Deputy Governor in Abia? As a new-comer in Abia politics and a young man, how do you intend to win this battle?

    I believe that I have what it takes to win the 2019 senatorial elections in Abia South Senatorial zone. I am better positioned to emerge victorious in that election because I have fresh ideas and unique perspectives on how to improve  the living standard of our people for good. I also have innovative ideas to achieve sustainable development not just in my senatorial zone and Abia state but for the whole country. Let me inform you that I have the requisite track record of achievement and exposure to link up with world leaders and global decision makers.  I am passionate about seeing the youth in my zone and Abia as a whole inspired. I am familiar with issues that bother them and the demographics are to my advantage. More than 60 percent of voters are youths and I am going to leverage on that strength to defeat  the so-called experienced politicians.

    So you think that the issue of the youth versus the old brigade will play a major role in the coming elections in Abia?

    Yes, it will play a role. Let me tell you, ever since I decided to join partisan politics, I have been spending a lot of time with the youths and I will continue to mobilise them.

    Your interest and work in petroleum refining is well known. Now that you want to represent Abia South Senatorial Zone in the Red Chamber, what policy or law do you think should be made so that oil producing communities would benefit more?

    I have already planned to focus on policies that will strengthen the oil and gas institutions when I get into the Senate. If they are strengthened, we’re going to make recommendations that will help resolve the plight of oil producing communities. If you look at the other parts of the world where oil and other minerals are extracted, the communities are developed partly by the companies that operate in those communities. If you look at Cote D’Ivoire and Botswana in particular, you have an effective partnership between the indigenous communities and the companies that extract oil from these communities. For instance, it is sad to learn that residents of Ukwa East and Ukwa West, where most of oil in Abia State is deposited, lack access to affordable and reliable electricity. One of the policies that I will like to espouse is that the oil companies operating in these communities should come up with a road map that will guarantee 24 hours constant electricity instead of flaring the associated gas that they produce. They need to work out a realisable roadmap that will help bring about electricity for these communities.

    Do you think this kind of agreement has not existed before?

    I believe that efforts have been made in this direction before, but one thing is the approach that stakeholders adopted. There are effective models which I hope to advocate for when I get to the senate that will make sure that penalty associated with flaring gas within those communities will mandate the companies operating there to ensure that their roadmaps are implemented..

    Is Modular Refinery model the solution to PMS importation and regular fuel scarcity?

    I will use an experience I have to answer that question. If you recall, there was a fuel related crisis that occurred in 2012 under former President Goodluck Jonathan’s administration. In fact, government was almost shutdown because of fuel scarcity across the country then.  Airplanes couldn’t fly and cars couldn’t run because of scarcity of fuel. So, as a concerned Nigerian, I said to myself, I could actually research to find out a solution. So, I took a year’s leave from my work and went to MIT to seek solution to the problem as a research work. One of my findings was that Modular Refinery could be an option but I realised that it could only offer a temporary solution to the fuel scarcity problem we are having in Nigeria. And the good thing about my research is that I was able to find a permanent solution to the issue of fuel scarcity in the country.  I documented a recommendation and handed it over to the present government for implementation. Modular Refinery is not economical for investors in the long term. It is for short term measures. Then going forward, the permanent solution that I proposed in my work is that we need refineries like the one Alhaji Dangote is building. They should be built at the terminals of oil producing companies. For example, there should be a mega refinery at Eket where Mobil gathers all the crude they produce in Nigeria. There should be refineries at Focados, where Shell gathers all the crude oil it produces. With close proximity to the source, you are able to have access to the feed stock, which is oil. And these companies have experience in refining crude oil in other parts of the world. It is shameful that we have over 38 billion cubic metres of crude in our reserve. We produce two million barrels of this crude oil every day, even on a Sunday and ship them to either Europe or Asia where it gets refined and fuel is returned back for us to consume. We pay subsidy.  We pay 10 dollars for a metric ton of this product. That’s the height of the corruption we have in Nigeria.

    According to some people, the development of Aba will, to a large extent, determine the health of the state’s economy. Currently, Aba is regarded as a sore sight. If you get elected as a senator representing Abia South, what do you intend to do for the area if you are elected?

    There are enormous opportunities in Aba that are not yet tapped. I was born and raised in Aba.

    I know the waste bin can be transformed to wealth by people that generate the waste. If you bring in private investors that can convert that waste into wealth and pay the individuals that generate the waste, you would have solved the problem of waste in Aba. The other point is the entrepreneurial spirit of Aba man. What will help us harness that opportunity is setting up industrial parks or industrial clusters. Building a gigantic industrial park that will cover over 9000 hectares of land, as is being currently contemplated by the incumbent administration, is a good idea, but it may take some years before such a project will be commissioned.

    My approach to solving entrepreneurial capacity in Aba is to set up small scale industrial clusters where equipment will be installed in order to commercialise the products of an Ariaria shoe maker  or other subsectors.

    How united and powerful is APC in Abia State to withstand the challenge of the rulling party in the state?

    APC stands a great chance of taking power in Abia State. The party is more united now than ever before. Yes, you don’t rule out disagreements in a party but what matters is that after the disagreements, the feuding parties reconcile. I think APC in Abia State is one big family poised to win elective positions in the state in 2019.

    Some people have expressed concern that the big political leaders that recently joined APC in Abia may have created some problems in the party.

    I don’t think so. It is more correct to say that the new comers into the APC fold have strengthened the party to emerge victorious in all elective positions in the state during the forthcoming elections. I said earlier that we have recorded influx of new members who defected from other parties. This has been the case almost on a daily basis. That is not a sign that problems exist in the party.

    Your opponents said APC is not popular in Igbo land. Don’t you see this as a challenge?

    What I tell people is that we should focus more on the individuals running on the APC platform. Parties are vehicles and decisions are taken by individuals that contest on the party platform. I think that is the way it should be. Also, a lot of Igbo leaders have joined APC. We have leaders like Jim Nwobodo, Orji Uzor Kalu, Ken Nnamani, Uche Ogar and other notable people. So, I don’t think it is still correct to say that Ndigbo are against APC.

    Above all, I am bringing a different approach to politics in Nigeria. I think our country will be better for it if we look beyond regional politics and focus more on our country as it were; Nigeria first.

    The current image of the National Assembly and that of the lawmakers is not very motivating. As a fresh entrant into politics, why did you choose to begin with the Senate? Don’t you think it may be difficult to work with the old and retired former governors, ministers and political godfathers hiding and resting at the Red Chamber?

    I will be a thorn in the flesh of elected senators that refuse to do the right thing for the common man. I am going there to serve and demonstrate that you don’t have to be a retired general in the army to aspire to any elective position in the country. You don’t have to be former governor, minister or an occupant of a high and influential position in the country to be effective. Going to the senate for me is to see how laws that would impact positively on the life of the common man would be enacted.

  • Imo APC crisis: Any end in sight?

    Associate Editor, Sam Egburonu, examines the latest developments in Imo State All Progressives Congress after the recent swearing-in of Dr. Hilary Eke as the authentic chairman of the party and asks if the end of the crisis in the state chapter of the party is at hand

    ALTHOUGH the National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, on Monday, concluded the swearing-in of Dr. Hilary Eke as the authentic Imo State Chairman of the party in Abuja, recent developments in Imo show that the official ceremony may only be the beginning of the final showdown in the intricate disagreement amongst the top leaders of the state chapter of the party.

    It would be recalled that within the period the National Working Committee of the party had to take the final decision on who should be sworn-in as the state chairman, the state secretariat of the party was set ablaze in very controversial circumstances. Although the concerned parties are still blaming each other over the mysterious fire, we learnt that the tension within the party in the state has become even hotter after the swearing in of Eke and his other executives.

    Taking cognizance of the  temper of all the leading stakeholders, some insiders told The Nation they were not surprised when the factional chairman, Chris Oguoma, refused to vacate the party’s state secretariat, after Eke’s swearing-in, as he insisted that the matter was not yet resolved.

    Oguoma also accused Odigie-Oyegun and Eke of contempt of court, alleging that they disobeyed an interim order of a Federal High Court, which said the status quo should remain.

    Oguoma, who introduced himself to newsmen as the ‘Acting Chairman’ of the party, said his group would drag Eke to court afresh over his action, which he described as “contemptuous.”

    “On May 18, an interim injunction restraining APC from conducting congress in Imo State was issued by an Owerri Federal High Court. It ruled that the status quo should remain and that is the reason I am still the acting party chairman.

    “What happened in Abuja on Monday, where Hilary Eke was sworn in was a clear violation of an order of the court. Eke should be responsible for whatever happens to him.

    “The next adjourned date is June 22. But, we will not be waiting till that date. We will be going to court for contempt. The swearing in was illegal. I will remain on seat as the Acting Chairman until the order is vacated,” he said, adding that neither Oyegun nor the APC National Working Committee (NWC) had the power to determine who should be the party’s chairman in the state.

    Uneasy calm

    A top APC member in the state, who probably has sympathy for Governor Rochas Okorocha, told The Nation that the situation in Owerri today “is explosive” notwithstanding what he described as “outward easy calm.” As he puts it, “Everywhere is calm, but we all know that no one is compromising anything. You must know that the governor is in firm control of the state party machinery. His influence within the party is as high as it has always been. Right now, the state Acting Chairman, Chris Oguoma, who the governor recognizes is in charge at the secretariat where they are busy selling forms to numerous aspirants for the July 14 council election. But from the coalition, I can tell you that we cannot see them operating in the state. After the swearing of Eke in Abuja, they all came back here but have since dispersed. No one can be sure of where they are operating from but we all know that the coalition is made up of people with similar ambition either to be the governor or other important positions like the senate seat or House of Representatives. They seem to be lying low now because of the general feeling of insecurity. They are afraid that the governor’s supporters may be violent. There is calm here, but that does not reflect the hidden fear in the minds of all. We all hope this matter will be resolved amicably.”

    The controversies

    But given the raging controversies caused by rumours and claims of impeachment, most of the people who spoke to us during the week said there is tension. One of the allegations that may have caused the tension is the claim that the fire at the secretariat may have been a signal of the likely violence that may trail elections in the state if there is any attempt to wrest power from Okorocha. Responding in defence of his faction, Oguoma denied the speculation that thugs loyal to him set the party secretariat ablaze for him to gain access into the building.

    “As of the time the secretariat was set ablaze, Hilary Eke was still the chairman of the party. A day before the date this secretariat was set ablaze, Eke was in this office and since after the secretariat was set ablaze nobody has seen Hilary Ekeh.

    “I am the authentic chairman of the party in Imo state. You don’t have to say that I am using state government influence to gain access into this secretariat. APC is the ruling party in Imo state, there is nothing wrong if am using the state power.”

    Another source of the tension today is allegation of attempt to impeach the Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere.

    Recent unconfirmed reports within Imo State said Madumere was accused of absconding from duty for 90 days. The allegation is that this move may have originated from the Government House in an alleged grand plot to impeach Madumere. Although this latest allegation and the general rumour that there have been moves to initiate an impeachment procedure for the Deputy Governor are yet to be officially implemented at the Imo State House of Assembly, insiders said it is part of the causes of the current tension in the state party.

    The tension has degenerated so much that some supporters of the coalition during the week alleged that some aides of the governor’s choice for the party’s gubernatorial ticket, Chief Uche Nwosu, had, after a crucial meeting in a hotel (Name withheld) around Works Layout in Owerri, threatened that any attempt to support the other group will lead to violence. Following such rumours, there is clear tension in Imo that even the process of selecting candidates for the July council election may witness violence.

    Last Sunday, The Nation had reported that the leadership of APC and other stakeholders were worried by the disagreement currently threatening the Imo State chapter of the party over the recently held congresses and the choice of the party’s governorship candidate in 2019. Such stakeholders in Imo and Abuja had made moves to reconcile the warring factions.

    But investigation conducted by The Nation confirmed that all efforts so far made towards reconciling Okorocha and the group called APC Restoration Coalition, are deadlocked.

    A source in Owerri, who pleaded not to be named, had told The Nation that one of the concerned stakeholders that have made desperate efforts to reconcile the governor and the coalition group was Okorocha’s younger brother, named Jude Okorocha, a lawyer.

    “Though he is the governor’s younger sibling, Jude has tried desperately to help resolve the matter. But his efforts have so far amounted to nothing, as none of the contending forces is ready to listen to any advice that would require making the needed sacrifice,” he said.

    We also gathered that some traditional rulers in Imo State have advised both the governor and the members of the coalition to reconcile their differences. But a source said the coalition members insisted that there was nothing to discuss until the governor drops the idea of imposing his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, as the party’s governorship candidate in the forthcoming election. “But the governor would not hear of this, leading to the current stalemate,” said an aide to one of the traditional rulers in Imo.

    Just like in Imo, efforts made to resolve the matter in Abuja also to have yielded little even after Okorocha took the matter to President Muhammadu Buhari, first in his country home Daura, and later in Abuja, with former Edo State Governor, Adams Oshiomhole.

    Buhari’s position, our source had said, was for the matter to be resolved amicably as a family affair, even as the president was said to have insisted he would not want to intervene ‘unnecessarily’ to developments in the affairs of the political party in states.

    Earlier, according to our findings, the National Chairman of APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, had also led the initiative to reconcile the Imo APC impasse amicably. But a stakeholder confided that his efforts also suffered rejection because some of the aggrieved members, who are part of the coalition said issues like lack of compensation for demolished properties and allegation of land grabbing have combined to put APC on the defensive. According to a source, “we felt that Oyegun’s reconciliation moves will achieve very little except he has concrete answers to these worrisome questions.

    Reacting, Imo State Deputy Governor, Prince Eze Madumere, however dissociated himself from reports on the ongoing reconciliation moves.

    In a press statement signed by his media aide, Uche Onwuchekwa, Madumere said he was surprised to hear “the rumour of ongoing reconciliation, adding that he only got to know about the “purported reconciliation through barrage of calls and text messages by concerned Imo citizens.” According to him, there was nothing on the table to call for such reconciliation.

    Mr. Sam Onwuemeodo, Governor Okorocha’s Chief Press Secretary, reacting to the matter said “Imo APC is intact with Governor Okorocha in charge. The coalition folks are ten in number. They are based in Abuja. They have no claim to make in Imo APC. They don’t vote. Those who vote are with us.”

    Their responses confirm that the major stakeholders in Imo APC seem determined to fight to the very end. There is confusion because of the swearing in of Eke and his executives in Abuja, while the faction loyal to Okorocha is still in possession of the party’s state secretariat, where there are busy selling forms for the forthcoming local government elections, notwithstanding Eke’s warning that anybody dealing with the group now at the secretariat is doing so at his own risk. The confusion is even more because some aspects of the matter is still hanging in the court.

    As a result of the confusion, observers are asking whether the crisis in the state chapter of the party will end before 2019 and what will be the fate of the party and the stakeholders if they fail to reconcile their differences and fight the general elections as a family?

  • Obaseki advocates Bottom–up approach to governance

    …As Edo APC retreat begins

    Edo State Governor, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has recommended a Bottom–up approach to governance which he said will ensure the speedy development of the country.

    Obaseki made the submission while declaring open the Edo State All Progressives Congress (APC) Executive Retreat in Benin City, on Friday, June 8, 2018.

    “We cannot continue to operate the top-down approach to governance which over the years has not delivered the dividends of democracy to the base. This accounts for why we have continued to record crises in most communities today,” he told his fellow party men and women at the event.

    Read Also: Obaseki plans special intervention fund for Uhunmwode LGA

    The governor advised: “Let us use the logic of democracy to govern, which is government of the people, by the people and for the people. We need to provide for the people at the base. We need to go to them, empower them because they elected us to serve them.”

    He further urged: “Let us go back to the basis and start ward development, let us get people who live in those wards to organise themselves and tell us what their needs are, and what the government needs to do.”

    Obaseki challenged the state APC executives to use the opportunity of the 2-day retreat to brainstorm and come up with sustainable models that would drive governance at the grassroots, and which will serve as models for other states of the country.

    “I charge you to interrogate, discuss the nature, structure, financing models and management, as well as the role of the APC party and politics in general, in an emerging democracy. You must now give the people a reason to vote for our great party,” he said.

  • Ekiti APC hails Buhari for honouring Abiola

    Fayose wants Abiola declared as President

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has praised President Muhammadu Buhari for honouring the late businessman and politician, Chief Moshood Kashimawo Abiola, with a posthumous award of the Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (GCFR).

    The party also applauded Buhari for awarding Abiola’s running mate, Alhaji Baba Gana Kingibe and the late human rights lawyer, Chief Gani Fawehinmi, the Grand Commander of the Order of the Niger (GCON) and declaring June 12 as the Democracy Day.

    But Governor Ayo Fayose urged Buhari to go a step further by officially declaring Abiola winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election and also declare the late business mogul as the President-elect.

    The Ekiti governor at a press briefing in Government House in Ado-Ekiti on Thursday argued that it is after this has been done that the GCFR honour conferred on Buhari will have constitutional backing.

    The APC in a statement in Ado-Ekiti by the Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, the party praised Buhari for displaying a rare courage to address the nagging question on the relevance of June 12 election in Nigeria’s democratic credentials, saying the President had put to rest the pretensions and injustice inherent in the most peaceful and transparent election in the nation’s electoral process.

    “Abiola is adjudged the winner and hero of our democracy for standing against the jackboots of the military dictators and paying the supreme price for being a resolute democrat.

    “Abiola won the freest and fairest election without religious and tribal sentiments in the history of electoral process and democratization in Nigeria, but most unfortunately the conspiracy of the same capitalism agents that truncated Nigerians’ dream to have the late MKO Abiola as the President are now in PDP who benefited and assumed the control of our national government on the strength of June 12 symbolic history, struggle, and sacrifice.

    Read Also: Buhari honours Abiola

    “After profiting bountifully from the blood of MKO, they decided to selfishly and wickedly ignore that iconic national symbol and hero of democracy to give him a deserved place in history.

    “Today, we are happy that another hero of democracy without tribal sentiment, who is also a progressive leader, President Buhari, has demonstrated integrity by not only honouring this fact of history, but has also done honour to the hero of democracy, who sacrificed his life to ensure that democracy establishes root in Nigeria,” he said.

    Noting that PDP-led administration had failed Nigerians in many ways, including not recognising June 12 as the Democracy Day, he said it was disheartening that those who benefited from the late Abiola’s sacrifices chose to impose “an inconsequential and administrative day, May 29, as the nation’s Democracy Day instead of June 12.

    “June 12 is our own Democracy Day and we will surely celebrate our hero and many others who struggled and sacrificed their lives so that we can have the people’s government, which Nigerians are enjoying today.”

    Fayose said: “The honour done to Late Moshood Olawale Abiola (MKO) by President Muhammadu Buhari is a welcome development. We thank the President, even though we know it is for political reasons, we see it as a step in the right direction.

    “We urge President Muhammadu Buhari to go to the next level and declare MKO the President of Nigeria because MKO won the election, but the then dictator, Ibrahim Babangida denied Nigerians that victory and the opportunity to have Abiola as our President.

    “Having realized that they goofed, they have come out to right the wrong. Besides, you can’t keep such title of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (GCFR) without being the President of Nigeria, therefore the president should be courageous enough by declaring the results of the election and declare Abiola the winner of the June 12 poll. This is a lesson that what you do today will be reference point for others tomorrow.

    “We condemn the annulment of the June12 Presidential poll results, brutality of Nigerians who protested against it, election rigging, brute force and manipulations during elections.”

  • I will harmonize Ondo APC ahead of 2019 poll – Adetimehin

    The new Chairman, Ondo State All Progressives Congress (APC), Ade Adetimehin has said that his utmost priority would be the resolution differences within the party.

    He vowed to consolidate the ruling party ahead of 2019 general elections.

    Adetimehin made the pledge at a reception held in his honour at the party’s secretariat on Thursday in Akure, the state capital after being inaugurated as the chairman of the party by the National chairman Chief John Oyegun last Monday in Abuja.

    According to him, the party cannot afford to go into the 2019 general elections with a divided house.

    The state was one of the states in the country that witnessed crisis following two parallel congresses.

    But Adetimehin, while addressing the party members,assured that aggrieved members who were not pleased with the outcome of the congress would be pacified.

    Adetimehin who said he harbour no grudge with those who worked against him during the congress, thanked governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and his deputy, Agboola Ajayi for their support.

    He said: “My first task is to unite the party. We need unity because we don’t believe in division. We will bring the aggrieved members on board so as to win the forthcoming election.

    Read Also: Lawmaker seeks resolution of Ondo APC crisis

    “I promise the people of the state to serve them very well. I thanked the governor, Oluwarotimi Akeredolu and the deputy, Agboola Ajayi for their support.

    He assured the people of the state of working harmoniously with the present administration in other to attract more developmental projects to the people.

    On the issue of June 12, Adetimehin lauded President Muhammadu Buhari for doing the needful.

    According to him,” I thanked President Buhari for declaring June 12 as Democracy Day in Nigeria. He has done the needful, the previous governments have failed in recognizing the actual day for democracy. June 12 is the best day to celebrate democracy in Nigeria.”

  • LG polls: APC lawmakers escape lynching for stealing election materials

    Two All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers in Kaduna state and an electoral officer accused of stealing election materials, narrowly escaped being lynched during the rescheduled local government elections on Wednesday in Kujama, headquarters of Chikun Local Government Area of Kaduna state.

    Chikun is one of the councils where elections were inconclusive during the May 12 council polls and a re-run was scheduled for June 6, alongside Kaura and Jaba councils.

    However, a member of the House of Representatives, Abubakar Mohamammed Mamadi, representing Igabi federal constituency and Markus Yari, a member of the Kaduna state House of Assembly representing Chikun, were allegedly caught stealing election materials at the council secretariat in Kujama.

    The two APC lawmakers were alleged to have arrived the council secretariat along side a top government official, thugs and some policemen.

    They were beaten by angry mob who stormed the secretariat while their thugs were alleged to have escaped to Kaduna with the voting machines.

    The Nation gathered that, three Peugeot saloon cars, including the one allegedly carrying the election materials were deflated.

    Hundreds of armed security personnel deployed to the area had a hectic time trying to prevent protect the lawmakers and the Electoral Officer from the mob who forced their way to the premises of the secretariat by breaking the gates.

    The lawmakers were held hostage at the secretariat for hours before a combination of heavily armed soldiers and the Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS) was deployed to rescue them.

    The SARS had to fire several tear gas canisters to clear the way as they moved the lawmakers and the electoral officer out in a patrol van neck breaking speed.

    Read Also: Sequence of elections

    The mob responded by throwing stones at the police.

    An official of the Kaduna State Electoral Commission (KAD-SIECOM) who was posted to the area for the election said the theft of the election materials occurred at about 6:00 am on Wednesday.

    The official who pleaded anonymity the lawmakers came with a top government and a larger number of thugs who were armed.

    “They went and carried a former the electoral officer of the local government at gun point and ordered her to opened the place. She opened it and they took the electronic voting machines and the thugs and the government official left.

    “Unfortunately for them, she didn’t give them the result sheet. It was the members lawmakers  that collected the forms.

    “The youths were immediately alerted and they stormed the secretariat and descended on them. They would have killed them were it not for the police.” He said.

    However, in his reaction, Yari denied the allegations, saying he had no hand in the stealing of election materials.

    According to Yari, “I was told that some election materials were missing, as a member of the state assembly representing this area, I decided to drive straight to this place to ascertain and ensure the final distribution of materials.

    “As I was trying to find out, low and behold these thugs came in. It was confirmed that the materials were not there but I don’t know whether the materials were taken to other places, it is unimaginable.

    “They voted me so whenever they see me they asked questions that I cannot answer. They now said I was the one that stole the materials and I asked them, is it possible for me to steal materials and still come back here?

    “I was attacked, I was molested. They stole my money and my phones. But I am their own.” He explained.

  • Oyegun never told us not to inaugurate excos-Lagos APC chairman

    The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC)in Lagos, Alhaji Tunde Balogun on Tuesday night denied any directive from the National Chairman of the party,Chief John Odigie-Oyegun stopping state party chairmen from inaugurating their executive members.

    Balogun told newsmen in Ikeja that news reports that Oyegun gave the directive at the inauguration of 33 state party chairmen in Abuja on Monday were misleading.

    He said Oyegun never questioned his position as the Chairman of the party in the state and that of chairmen of Rivers and Oyo, adding the report was a distortion of fact.

    “It is not true that Chief Oyegun asked us in Lagos not to swear in our executives .There was nothing like that.

    “And it was not true that he also directed the chairmen of Oyo and Rivers not to do so. He never said that at the inauguration.

    “The misleading reports in some newspapers and social media did not just reflect what happened at our inauguration yesterday.

    “My inauguration confirmed that I have no problem with Oyegun or any other person. We had a congress and I was validly elected. So there is no doubt about my position as the chairman”.

    “In fact, we have since inaugurated our excos in Lagos and work is already in progress. So Oyegun could not have directed us not to swear in our exco, we have already done that, “he said.

    On the internal wrangling in the party’s chapter, Balogun said disagreement was normal in politics.

    He said his priority as the new Chairman will be to bring everybody back together so that the party could be stronger in the state.

    “My priority as the Chairman of the party is to bring everybody together.Yes ,some people organised another congress which we think it is illegal,we are going to reach them.

    “We will try as much as possible to reconcile all members and bring back those who are not with us”‘he said.

    (NAN)

  • Ekiti 2018: Work for Fayemi’s victory, Oni tells Supporters

    The runner-up in the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary, Chief Segun Oni, has urged his supporters to work for the victory of the governorship flag bearer, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, at the July 14 poll.

    Oni, a former governor and a contender for the party’s ticket, appealed to his supporters to put the primary election defeat behind them and support Fayemi to the governorship seat for APC.

    He spoke on Tuesday at his Ifaki Ekiti country home while addressing his campaign council chairmen and other members of the team drawn from the 16 local government areas.

    Oni asked everyone who believes in the APC project to forget whatever that happened during and after the party primary and work for the success of the party.

    He said: “If we are really loyal to Chief Segun Oni and believe in my principle, we must keep this party alive and work together as one by remaining committed and dedicated to its success in the July 14 election.

    Read Also: Ex-lawmakers rally support for Fayemi

    “We remain in APC. We are to work for the party and it has a candidate, in person of Dr. Kayode Fayemi. We have a duty to help the Nigerian political process to further evolve.

    “The idea of aspirants jumping ship after primaries must be discouraged. If we won, we would have expected others to remain and work with us,” he added.

    Oni assured his supporters that their interests would be adequately protected.

    The party candidate, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, who came visiting shortly before the meeting, addressed the gathering, which was at the instance of Oni.

    Fayemi promised to carry everybody along in the administration of the state if elected as the governor saying he holds everybody in the party in high esteem.

    He said: “The party had 33 aspirants during the primary, that simply means that we have 33 leaders in the state and I want to assure everyone that no one would be left behind in the running of the governance in the state.

    “I hold everybody in high regard and I want to appeal to you to join hands with me as the candidate of the party to ensure that we take over the governance of the state. Anything done for me is for the party and I am saying that we shall all reap the fruit together.”

  • Buhari breaks Ramadan fast with governors at Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Monday evening broke the Ramadan fast with state governors under the umbrella of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in his official residence at Aso Rock, Abuja.

    The “Iftar” with the governors, unlike the previous ones, held with leadership of the National Assembly, judiciary and others, was not open to full media coverage.

    Read Also: Ambode, deputy to Muslims: continue good deeds after Ramadan

    However, the official photographer to the President and cameraman from Nigerian Television Authority (NTA) were allowed to the venue of the event.

    Traditional rulers across the country will also be hosted by the President this week.

    NAN