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Tag: ANPP

  • What next after ACN, ANPP, CPC conventions?

    What next after ACN, ANPP, CPC conventions?

    Assistant Editor Augustine Avwode highlights the registration process that the proposed All Progressives Congress (APC) will pass through to secure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)’s nod.

     

    Those behind the proposed All Progressives Congress (APC) are inching closer to their dream. Last weekend, the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP) and the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) held their national conventions. The two parties, primarily, considered and adopted the APC constitution, manifesto, flag, logo and slogan. The third party in the merger arrangement, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), had held its national convention last month and adopted the name, APC. On February 6, the parties involved in the merger announced the formation of the APC. With the completion of the national convention of the three parties, the question on the lips of many Nigerians is: what next?

    An obviously elated National Publicity Secretary of the ANPP, Emma Eneukwu declared that the merger is now fully on course as the most challenging aspect of the reqiurements is behind. He said what the next thing would be for the merging parties to file their papers before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). The merger is fully on course now. What is next is for the members of the merging parties to go into paper filing with INEC and, by the time we put in the necessary papers, from there, the electoral body will do its own duty. All I want to say is that the most important aspect of the whole thing is behind us. We are marching forward; there is no stopping us.”, he said.

    Asked about his hope for the party, Eneukwu said he has very high hope because the necessary things have been done by the parties that want to merge.

    “I have very high hope. All the three parties have done the necessary things they ought to do. We have no single problems at all. Soon, the announcement would be made by the INEC and after that, we go into the process of mobilising the people at the grassroots and we will then prepare for the general elections,” he said.

    From all indications, the coming weeks and months would be devoted to meeting the remaining requirements of the Electoral Act 2010 as amended.

    From now till when the party would be formally registered by the INEC, the three parties have to work together.

    National Publicity Secretary of the ACN Alhaji Lai Mohammed, after the ACN convention in Lagos, declared that the primary concern of the parties was to meet the requirements in the ElectoralAct. “We shall ensure that we meet all the requirement as contained in the Electoral Act. After the conventions of the parties, we shall take the appropriate steps to ensure that we are registered,” Mohammed added.

     

    Time factor

     

    All that is reqiured for the merger to see the light of day is contained in Section 84 of the ElectoralAct. According to the section, any two or more parties may merge on the approval by the commission, following a formal request presented by the political parties for that purpose. Political parties intending to merge shall give the electioral umpire a 90-day notice of their intention to do so before the next general elections. From all indications, time factor won’t be a problem because the required time is three months to a general election. The next general election in the country will be sometime in April 2015. That leaves the promoters of the APC with ample room of up to 20 months to comply with all the necessary requirements of the law. It would be recalled that time was a major constraint in the run up to the 2011 generalelection when the first attempt was made by the ACN and the CPC to merge.

     

    Formal request

     

    The Electoral Act also requires that a written formal request for merger and signed jointly by the national chairmen, secretaries and treasurers of the different political parties proposing the merger and shall be accompanied by a special resolution passed by the national convention of each of the parties proposing to

  • 2015: CPC, ANPP urge Nigerians to ignore Asari-Dokubo

    2015: CPC, ANPP urge Nigerians to ignore Asari-Dokubo

    The Congress of Progressive Change (CPC)and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) yesterday urged Nigerians to ignore the threat by the leader of the Niger Delta Volunteer Force (NDVF), Mujahhid Asari-Dokubo that there will be war if President Goodkluck Jonathan is not re-elected for second term in 2015.

    The opposition parties said by the time reality dawns on the former militant, he will readjust his position.

    According to the CPC’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Rotimi

    Fashakin, Asari-Dokubo’s statement “has clearly marked our President Jonathan as a regional leader at a time when the country craves for a national leader”.

    He said: “He will adjust the statement when that time comes. It is

    very easy for anyone to say anything when his stomach is full.

    “This bloke said that to protect the immense benefits flowing his way

    by reason of the proximate positioning with the ‘powers that be’ (at the expense of the people). When a truly people-oriented regime comes into power, he will adjust to the reality!

    “Let no man’s heart fail on account of this. Nigeria belongs to all of us and its well-being is our collective responsibility. President Jonathan is more of a regional leader than a national leader.”

    The ANPP, in its reaction through the National Publicity Secretary, Emma Eneukwu, said: “If Asari Dokubo really said this then he must be talking from two sides of his month. A couple of months ago, the same man asserted that President Goodluck Jonathan would not win 2015 elections because he has touch with the grassroots.

    “Now he wakes up with a war drum to dole Nigerians another propaganda of fear aimed at herding the populace into a pro-Jonathan appeasement mentality. It is now palpable that there is more behind Dokubo’s seasonal tantrums than meets the eyes.”

     

     

  • APC: Northern leaders hold secret talks with Shekarau, others

    APC: Northern leaders hold secret talks with Shekarau, others

    Northern leaders are in talks with the newly formed All Progressive Congress (APC) on plan by the party to pick its presidential flag bearer for the 2015 election from the region.

    Several meetings have been held between northern stakeholders and key promoters of the APC to explore possible areas of co-operation ahead of the election.

    The Northern leaders are drawn mainly from the Arewa Consultative Forum (ACF), the Northern Union (NU) and others, according to sources familiar with the development.

    One of such discussions, a source said, took place recently at the Kano home of the immediate past former governor of Kano State and 2011 presidential candidate of the All Nigerian Peoples Party (ANPP), Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau.

    Shekarau is one of the promoters of the APC. He currently chairs the ANPP merger committee.

    The Nation learnt that some northern governors and prominent traditional rulers in the region are also involved in the talks aimed at securing an alternative platform to the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for northern presidential aspirants ahead of 2015.

    It was gathered that the region’s power brokers are convinced that it will be difficult, if not impossible, for anyone to defeat President Goodluck Jonathan in the PDP national convention where the party’s presidential candidate will be picked. This informs the search for a virile alternative.

    The source said:”The North is still very determined in its quest to produce the President in 2015 not minding the ongoing attempt by some politicians to hoodwink the region. Efforts are ongoing and in fact lots of moves are being made to further position the region in good stead for the contest.

    “While we all know that the current level of insecurity is one of the political ploys to destabilise the region ahead of 2015, we are undeterred. Series of meetings are being held within and outside the region as part of efforts to prepare us for the next presidential election.

    “One thing is clear: we will not subsume our aspiration for anybody or group this time around. Nothing will stop the return of power to the North in 2015. Not even the ongoing criminal activities within the PDP denying us the party’s ticket in 2015.

    “We are aware of the plot to ‘dash’ Jonathan the presidential ticket once again. This time, we are looking beyond the PDP. Lots of talks are ongoing with other political groups. Our leaders across various organisations within the North are meeting with other stakeholders to find an alternative platform should Jonathan succeed in pushing us out of PDP.

    “Just recently, our leaders met with Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau of the ANPP. The meeting discussed the possibility of a working arrangement between the region and his political group.

    “Far-reaching decisions are to be taken soon and at the end of it all, the bottom line will be that the North is better positioned to stake a serious claim for the Presidency in 2015.”

    The Nation also learnt that some prominent traditional rulers recently made their position on the 2015 presidential election known to stakeholders during a parley to discuss the state of the region.

    The source added:”Some prominent traditional rulers largely made up of first class emirs and Chiefs in the region, recently told stakeholders that they are solidly behind the move for a northern President come 2015.

    “When the issue of 2015 propped up, the body of emirs said they are in support of the stakeholders’ call for a northern president in 2015.”

  • ANPP to Okupe: you’re Jonathan’s toothless bulldog

    ANPP to Okupe: you’re Jonathan’s toothless bulldog

    •Party says PDP can’t stop APC

    The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) yesterday described the Senior Special Assistant to President Goodluck Jonathan on Public Affairs, Dr Doyin Okupe, as a servant who is just barking over nothing.

    No matter what Okupe does, the opposition party said, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) cannot stop the All Progressives Congress (APC), a merger of Nigeria’s progressive parties, in 2015.

    Dr Okupe, when he addressed reporters in Lagos on Sunday, had described the ANPP as “moribund and lackluster”.

    He also berated the emerging APC.

    A statement in Abuja by ANPP’s National Publicity Secretary, Emma Eneukwu, said it is unfortunate that Okupe, who was hurriedly hired by the Presidency as a “decoy to whitewash this lacklustre government, does not have any constructive job to do but to pollute the remaining breathable air in the nation’s space at any given opportunity.”

    The statement reads: “The facts are sacrosanct: PDP has failed Nigerians. Although the curriculum vitae of Dr Okupe is apt for the job he applied for to reinvent his moribund career as a public space banter artist, we must point out that no matter the amount of noise made to obfuscate the citizens, and in fact the world, the truth cannot be hidden. First of all, the United States of America released the findings of a diligent investigation concerning the abysmal level of corruption in Nigeria; the APC did not carry out the investigation. It will also be recalled that when this same PDP government tried juggling figures with the name of Transparency International (TI) in a bid to confuse Nigerians over its non-existent anti-corruption war, the TI dutifully denied them, to the shame of The Presidency and its spin doctors.

    “Concerning the policies of the present government, Nigerians are everyday pummelled with policy somersaults and blatant evidence of a clueless regime. Take for instance, the recent decision of President Jonathan to approve the concessioning of the nation’s two mega-stadia – the Abuja Stadium and the National Stadium, Lagos – with the lame reason that “it has become evident that the Federal Government could no longer maintain the six stadia across the six geo-political zones”.

    “It beats the imagination why the same government that saw the concession policy it initiated crumble before it because of its entrenched government by cronyism, embark on another wasteful jamboree in a fake attempt to salvage the nation’s sports infrastructure. First it was the failed concession of Nigerian airports; then the scandalous Ibadan-Lagos Expressway concession. Why would a government be going round and round the same spot, if not because of incompetence and lack of ideas?

    What is more, the propagandised Power Road Map, which promised to give Nigerians 13,000 megawatts at the end of this, year is still a contrived mirage.

    “When the citizens cried out, the PDP government hastily engineered a sleight of hand – it shifted the goal post to 2016, a convenient date to come up with another subterfuge campaign slogan during the 2015 elections. But surely, Nigerians are watching, and they are smarter than the ruling party may wish or imagine.

    “The ANPP is a great party, founded on a solid foundation; a platform from where many of today’s notable statesmen have sprung up to serve this great nation. If the truth must be told, the PDP today is peopled by many of ANPP renegades, who could not sustain the timeless values for which we resolutely stand and are known for. In fact, the PDP, a well-known gang of unprincipled ‘share-and-destroy’ pseudo-politicians, is irked at the realisation that despite its orchestrated onslaught on the fabrics of our great party, we are still standing, girded by the singular thread of democratic best practices.

    “More so, Dr Okupe’s apprehension that we have found kindred spirits in fellow progressives in the nation’s political space, with whom we are set to lead the country away from PDP’s cloak-and-dagger politics of personality to ideas-based and issues-driven politics. To be candid, the legend, which says that dogs start to bark a few minutes before earthquakes, is certainly manifesting in Nigeria.

    “As a party, we believe that Dr Okupe, PDP’s faithful attack dog, has an inkling of the coming electoral natural disaster about to swallow his pay masters. Nevertheless, the universal truth is that though the dog can bark so loud, it can never stop the disaster coming their way.”

  • Edo LG polls: ACN wins in 7 areas

    Edo LG polls: ACN wins in 7 areas

    Edo State Independent Electoral Commission (EDSIEC) on Sunday announced results of Saturday’s council polls in seven of the 14 local government areas, where the exercise took place.

    The commission had earlier cancelled the exercise in four local government areas of Oredo, Ikpoba-Okha, Esan West and Esan North-East due to logistic problems.

    It, however, said the exercise would hold in Esan West and Esan North-East on Wednesday, and on Thursday in Oredo and Ikpoba Okha local government areas.

    Announcing the results, The chairman of the commission, Chief Solomon Ogoh, said the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) won in all the seven local government areas.

    The areas are Orhionmwon, Egor, Akoko-Edo, Estako East, Estako-Central, Esan-South-East and Igueben

    In Orhionmwon, ACN won with 29,059 votes as against PDP’s 5,843 votes, while in Egor, ACN pulled 10,151 votes as against the PDP’s 1,951 votes.

    In Igueben local government area, ACN got 16,298 votes, while PDP scored 1,592 and in Estako East, ACN had 23,262 votes as against PDP’s 4,281 votes.

    Similarly, in Estako Central, ACN won with 9,293 votes and PDP got only 4,359 votes, while in Esan South-East, ACN scored 14,145 votes to defeat PDP, which got 2,776.

    In Akoko-Edo, ACN scored 41,496 votes to beat the rival PDP, which got 5,171 votes.

    The commission had earlier cleared six political parties, ACN, PDP, ANPP, CPC, LP and and AP to participate in the polls.

    However, The PDP and ANPP, on Sunday described the election as a “sham” and called for its cancellation.

    The ANPP Deputy National Chairman, Chief Solomon Edebiri, called for the immediate resignation of the chairman of the commission for incompetence.

    He also called on Gov. Adams Oshiomhole to redeem his name as the defender of democracy by sacking the chairman for “gross incompetence’’.

    The chairman of PDP, Dan Orbih, also called for the cancellation of the exercise, saying the ruling ACN manipulated the commission in its favour.

  • APC: ANPP NEC endorses merger

    The National Chairman of the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, yesterday urged members of the party to support the merger with other progressive parties for the formation of theAll Progressives Congress (APC).

    The ANPP chairman spoke in Abuja against the backdrop of the party’s National Executive Committee (NWC), which accepted the merger report.

    The report was presented by former Kano State governor Ibrahim Shekarau

    Onu told the NWC meeting that only APC can cure Nigeria of the ailments inflicted by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He advised all to put aside their differences and struggle for a better future.

    He said: “The merger we seek with other opposition parties is for the sake of our country.  The point is simple: the more, the merrier; the bigger the number, the better for us.  I believe the ANPP should be part of efforts made by committed democrats and resolute patriots to provide Nigerians with a broad, strong and a united alternative political party that can return power to our people and redefine the role of politics in our development process.  Our party will benefit in such an arrangement because it will expand our horizon.

    “This will make Nigerians to love us even more, because they will see us as a body of honourable men and women who sacrificed self-gains in the pursuit of the happiness of their fellow citizens, the greatness of our beloved country.

    “What achievement can be greater for us as leaders, when history will record us as soldiers of honour and champions of justice, who fought for freedom and liberty and placed others above self so that good governance will thrive in a more prosperous, more peaceful, more secure and a more united Nigeria?

    “Distinguished leaders of our great Party, we must ask ourselves this simple question:  why are we involved?  Before we give an answer, we must think deeply.  We must remember the saying that the strength of a chain is determined by the strength of its weakest link.  We must reflect on the reason why we are in politics.  We must remember that Nigerians are anxious that the merger of the ANPP, Congress for Progression Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and others should work so that there can be competition in the political arena.  We must remember that our country men and women are tired of misrule, poverty, joblessness, hunger, misery and insecurity.

    “We must remember that they desire change and a new political order where no one political party can take them for granted, act with impunity, disregard the laws of the nation and boast to remain in power for ever.  Above all, we must remember that as things stand in our dear nation, only the APC has the ability to cure our dear nation of its headache and secure the happiness of our fellow country men and women, guarantee a better future for our beloved country as well as strengthen our great party as an equal partner in the marriage of like minds that will chart a better future for our beloved country.

    “It is with the utmost humility that I urge you all to rise to the challenge, which recent events in our political development demand of us.  We should resolve to be on the side of honour and integrity for the good of our country..”

  • ANPP to strengthen merger at NEC

    The All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) is serious with the merger of all opposition parties, former Borno State Governor Ali Modu Sheriff, said yesterday.

    He said the party (ANPP) will tomorrow in Abuja take a final stand on the new baby–All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Sheriff, who is ANPP’s Board of Trustees (BoT) chair, spoke to reporters at the end of hte BoT meeting last night.

    He said its National Executive Committee (NEC) would meet tomorrow and decide the merger.

    “We deliberated on the reports of the committee on rebuilding our party and that of the merger committee. We are satisfied with what they have been doing. We are also satisfied with what our executives and leaders across the country are doing,” Sheriff said.

    On the transition arrangement of APC which favours the ANPP, Sheriff said: “Our NEC will be meeting on Thursday in Abuja and the stand of the party on the merger will be made available to members of the party and Nigerians.”

    At the BOT meeting was the National Chairman, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu.

  • ANPP urges Nigerians to be patriotic, shun terrorism

    ANPP urges Nigerians to be patriotic, shun terrorism

    The All Nigeria Peoples Party has advised Nigerians not to allow themselves to be used by any foreign interest to entrench terror and insecurity in the country.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the ANPP National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, on Friday in Abuja.

    ANPP, however, called on the good people of Nigeria not to allow poverty to befuddle their nationalistic vision and resort to terrorism.

    “Truly there is hardship in the land, but we should place the country above any other interest, if we are to live peacefully in the country.

    “ANPP received the string of kidnapping and terrorism news making the rounds in the media with sadness.

    “Last week gunmen kidnapped six workers, including two foreigners at a Lebanese owned construction site in Bauchi,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the party as saying in the statement.

    According to the statement, some suspects were arrested recently for spying on some foreign targets in Nigeria for the purpose of future attacks.

    “Our great party is worried over these cases of kidnapping and terrorism for their potentials to throw a spanner in the works of our burgeoning democracy.

    “ Therefore, we condemn these acts of kidnapping and espionage, for they are unpatriotic and detrimental to our growth and development as a people,” it said.

    It commended men of the State Security Service for their professional and patriotic jobs, they gave Nigerians the hope that intelligence gathering was the key to fighting insecurity in the country.

    “ We also encourage the nation’s security agencies to do more in order to stem the spate of kidnappings in the nation.

    “They should apply more inter-agency intelligence sharing, and also network effectively in order to respond quickly to threats and to intervene at potential flash points,” it said.

    Emeka

  • ANPP urges FG to avert further flooding

    The All Nigeria Peoples Party has called on the Federal Government to do all within its power to avert a repetition of the flooding that befell parts of the country last year.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Emma Eneukwu, on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Eneukwu said the call was based on the recent prediction by the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET), about the expected volume of rainfall in 2013.

    “The attention of ANPP has been drawn to media reports about the Nigerian Meteorological Agency (NIMET)’s 2013 rainfall prediction, which it presented to the public over the weekend in Abuja.

    “According to the agency’s Director-General, Dr. Anthony Anuforom, this year’s rainfall pattern will not be different from what the country witnessed last year.

    “He specifically mentioned that the annual rainfall amount was expected to be above normal in comparison to 2012 in the Northern states of Sokoto, Kebbi, Niger, Kwara, Zamfara and their environs.

    “We in ANPP commend NIMET for introducing zonal seasonal rainfall prediction in order to reach the grassroots; we maintain that this warning should not be taken lightly by the states and Federal Governments,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the party as saying in the statement.

    He described last year’s “havoc-wrecking floods in several parts of the nation” as fresh in the minds of Nigerians, especially the victims.

    Eneukwu recalled that the nation watched in shock as homesteads and farmlands were swept away.

    He, however, expressed concern over the slow response of the nation to the menace that followed the natural disaster.

    “ Worst still also, is the sudden release of excess water from the Lagdo Dam by the Cameroonian authorities, which displaced many communities in the country with colossal loss of property and some lives,” he said.

    The party’s image maker said the party was also concerned because floods posed threat to the nation’s food security and to the farmers.

     

  • PDP greets opposition parties on merger

    PDP greets opposition parties on merger

    The Peoples Democratic Party has congratulated the opposition political parties for their successful merger and the formation of All Progressives Congress.

    In a statement in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh, said that PDP as a ruling party and the biggest in West Africa welcomed the development.

    Metuh said the action was an indication that the nation’s democracy had come of age and was deepening.

    He said that with the formation of the APC, the PDP and Nigerians expected to see robust debates on the economy and other issues of governance in the general interest of the country.

    The publicity secretary advised the opposition parties to use the vehicle of their new party to challenge its elected and appointed officers to debate on government projects and achievements.

    He said that such debates would benefit Nigerians and enhance the political development of the nation on the long run.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that four major opposition parties – the Congress for Progressive Change, Action Congress of Nigeria, All Progressive Grand Alliance and All Nigeria Peoples Party on Tuesday merged to form the APC.

    The PDP spokesman said the party was ready at anytime to debate on the nation’s economy and other issues that would move the nation forward.

    He said, “We charge the opposition to use the new party to challenge our elected and appointed officers on debates on issues of governance.

    “We are ready, willing and able at any time to debate on any issue pertaining to the economy and any other issue of governance.

    “We want useful and constructive debates so that at the end of the day, Nigerians will be the utmost beneficiaries.”

    He said that PDP, as a ruling party was committed to the stability and development of the country, and would not dwell on the shortcomings of the merger arrangement.