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  • 2027: APC group opposes alleged plan to impose candidates for A’Ibom Assembly seats

    2027: APC group opposes alleged plan to impose candidates for A’Ibom Assembly seats

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Media Network(APCMN) has opposed the alleged plan by some political leaders in the APC to impose candidates for the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly seats in the forthcoming election.

    The group was responding to a viral video in which the Speaker. Udeme Utong allegedly claimed that he would decide who gets the APC tickets for the 26 seats in the Assembly in 2027.

    The Director-General of the APCMN, Otuekong Iniobong John in a statement on Tuesday condemned the Speaker for allegedly making such claims, insisting that only a democratic process will produce the party’s candidates for the Assembly election.

    John in the statement said that if such undemocratic action is allowed to take place it would have foreclosed the chances of the foundation members and stakeholders of the party who have sacrificed so much for the APC in the state.

    The statement reads in parts: “The APC Media Network condemns the anti-democratic and provocative statement made in a video clip by the Speaker of the Akwa Ibom State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong, in which he claimed that the 26 APC House of Assembly tickets for the 2027 general election are “custodied” by him and that no aspirant can secure the party’s ticket without his endorsement.

    “The statement is deeply offensive to APC members across the state who have invested time, resources, and political capital in growing the party. It undermines the authority of the APC’s constitutional organs and creates the false impression that the party has been appropriated by personal ambition.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong has no constitutional or moral authority to determine APC candidacies or to “custody” party tickets. 

    “Such powers reside exclusively with the party, exercised through its duly constituted organs in accordance with its rules and the collective will of members. Any attempt to assume this role is a direct affront to internal democracy.

    “The Speaker must be reminded that the APC in Akwa Ibom State predates his defection. For years, committed party members laboured under difficult conditions to build, sustain, and defend the party. 

    “These loyal stakeholders deserve respect and recognition, not political marginalisation. Fairness and equity demand that those who kept the party alive are accorded a meaningful role and a fair opportunity to contest elective positions on the platform of the party”. 

    The APC group called on the Speaker to retract the statement in the video clip and offer an unreserved apology to the teeming APC members in the State who were rightly offended. 

    “A public recantation is necessary to ease tension and reaffirm respect for the party’s democratic values.

    “He should also take a cue from the exemplary conduct of Governor Umo Eno and the Senate President, Distinguished Senator Godswill Akpabio, GCON, who have consistently demonstrated topnotch maturity, humility, and an accommodating spirit in their leadership.

    “Their approach has fostered unity, inspired loyalty, and strengthened the APC across Akwa Ibom State. Rt. Hon. Udeme Otong would do well to emulate these qualities, placing the party and its collective interests above personal ambition, rather than projecting arrogance or attempting to intimidate party members.

    “This claim reflects a troubling disregard for internal party democracy and a fundamental misrepresentation of how political parties function in a constitutional system. APC tickets are neither personal assets nor instruments of patronage”

  • Lagos LG poll: APC group roots for indigene as Ikeja chairman

    Lagos LG poll: APC group roots for indigene as Ikeja chairman

    Ikeja aborigines under the aegis of Ikeja Indigenous Advocates (IIA) of Lagos State have renewed their call on the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to field an indigene of Ikeja for chairman, in the coming local government election.

    The IIA is also a pressure group within the ruling APC in the council area.

    The group, in a statement issued on Tuesday by its Chairman, Alhaji Muftau Arogunjo, and Secretary, Mr. Luyide Ewedola, lamented the time lag in ensuring equity and justice in the occupation of the office of Chairman, Ikeja Local Government, to the detriment of aborigines, “who had made meaningful sacrifices for the stability of the council area.”

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    The group expressed the concern after a marathon meeting held in Ikeja, to appraise the progress, unity, security, and development of the community.

    Specifically,  the body lamented that of 20 Executive Heads that had emerged in Ikeja since 1968, 18 of them had been non-indigenes, while only two were indigenes.

    It said that while the outgoing local government chairman is the second indigene to occupy the topmost office since 1968, morality demands of the APC, being the ruling party, to correct the historic injustice by fielding another indigene.

    “The advantages of having an Ikeja as the next chairman are numerous, but chief of which is the fact that Ikeja, as the capital of Lagos, deserves a leadership that the traditional institution can relate with, and thus help in advancing community growth,” the IIA averred.

  • Be proactive or lose Ondo, APC group tells Buhari, party leaders

    •Akeredolu accused of working for opposition •Commissioner: allegation against governor mischievous

    A group of All Progressives Congress (APC) supporters in Ondo State, under the aegis of Ondo APC Mandate Group, has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the national leadership of the party to take steps that will ensure it does not lose the forthcoming general elections.

    The group accused Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of working against the interest of the party in the state.

    Addressing reporters yesterday at the APC national secretariat in Abuja, the nation’s capital, its spokesman Olugbenga Bojuwomi said it was unfortunate that the government had not considered it necessary to investigate its previous allegations against the state government.

    Then group insisted that the state government was working for candidates of the Action Alliance (AA) for National Assembly elections and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate.

    Bojuwomi said the Ondo State governor was not happy that his candidates did not win APC’s primaries and was sponsoring opposition parties for that reason.

    The spokesman said the governor had concluded plans to bring in fake policemen and fake ballot papers to be used against the APC during the elections.

    He said: “As the spate of insubordination and ego increase unabated on the part of Governor Akeredolu, his evil plan against the wish of the good people of Ondo State and the upcoming victory of our dear President Muhammadu Buhari are in tandem with that of a desperate and devilish undertaker.

    “Apart from the fact that series of these aborted plans have been revealed by this group – Ondo APC Mandate Group – and other sister groups in the state before now, which has yielded no fruits in the ears of the Presidency and APC national headquarters, but as lovers of President Buhari and APC, the group will continue to expose evil plans by Akeredolu which can as well lead to loss of lives and property on the Election Day.

    “However, to buttress this, a secret meeting was held in Akeredolu’s hometown, Owo, on Thursday, February 14, with all the divisional police officers (DPOs) where he informed them of the arrival of the fake policemen, soldiers and ballot papers already printed at the Governor’s Office.

    “The attack on APC loyalists, who are working for Buhari’s success, was also discussed with the DPOs that night. On Friday, February 15, less than 24 hours after the meeting, several concerted attacks were carried out against some APC stalwarts in the same Owo under the supervision of these so-called DPOs and their men. Some people were macheted and shot; the case was reported to the new Commissioner of Police in OndoState. But up till now, no arrest has been made.

    “The fake ballot papers have been printed in the Governor’s Office in other to use it to assist his AA National Assembly candidates and PDP presidential candidate in Ondo State. Also, all these fake policemen and soldiers with uniforms are being camped in the three senatorial district of the state.

    “There have been several threats and warnings from Governor Akeredolu against house-to-house campaign for Mr. President in Ondo State. He is only promoting AA and PDP presidential candidate. That is why up till now there is no campaign for President Buhari in Ondo State by party members.

    “Logistics that was released to Mr. Governor from Abuja was not given to APC stalwarts. In fact, the only condition for the money to be released to local governments was that you must work for AA or the PDP presidential candidate.

    “Governor Akeredolu’s message to all obas and party faithful in Ondo State was that they should vote for AA in National Assembly and PDP candidate for the President during the elections.

    “Furthermore, on Thursday, February 14 night, an undisclosed huge amount of money was given to Akeredolu from one of the PDP financers, a business mogul in telecommunication industry from the Southwest, for the ballot paper printing and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) officials as well as mobilisation for vote-buying for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar during the elections.

    “We hereby call on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), the Department of State Services (DSS), the Inspector General of Police (IGP) and INEC to, as a matter of urgency, investigate their men in Ondo State before Governor Akeredolu uses them to cause popular unrest. This is because if all these evil plans, as exposed, are not stopped, Ondo State will boil during the elections.

    “We call on the National Chairman of APC to investigate the activities of Governor Akeredolu and the party’s state executive with a view to unveiling their nocturnal activities on behalf of AA in Ondo State.

    “Under normal circumstances, we expected APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole not to extend any invitation of caucus meeting held yesterday (Monday) to Governor Akeredolu since it is established from all indications that the Ondo State governor is Atiku Abubakar’s campaign director general in disguise.

    “Prevention is better than cure. We say once again: if all these evil plans by Governor Akeredolu against the victory of our dear President Buhari and the peace of Ondo State are not aborted by concern authorities, Ondo State will catch fire on February 23.”

    Also, the Ondo State Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Yemi Olowolabi, yesterday described as mischievous those behind the protest against Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu for his alleged disloyalty to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He said: “Governor Akeredolu has no divided loyalty to the ruling party. There was nowhere he campaigned for the Action Alliance or any other opposition party.

    “To show his absolute commitment to the party, he flooded the streets with APC billboards, purchased campaign vehicles for the party in the 18 local government areas and funded intermittent radio jingles and television slots to market APC and its candidates.”

    Olowolabi recalled that last week, there were mega political rallies in the three senatorial districts in Owo, Akure and Ore.

    The commissioner said it got to a stage where the governor mandated his aides and State Executive Council (Exco) members to deliver their communities to the APC in the forthcoming general elections.

    He condemned the group, saying the intention of those behind the allegation was to heat up the polity for their selfish interests.

  • Guber poll: APC group seeks 3 million votes for Sanwo-Olu

    A group, Babajide Olusola Sanwoolu Ambassadors (BOSA), has launched a campaign to garner three million votes for the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the Lagos state gubernatorial race, Babajide Sanwo-Olu. Speaking during the launch, convener of the group, Wale Arogundade, said the decision to work for the victory of the APC candidate was taken after a thorough appraisal of his plans for the state and the manifesto of the party.

    Explaining that the group is a coalition of 3,000 community-based and youth-driven organisations spread across the state, Arogundade said BOSA has appointed coordinators across the state to ensure that three million votes are secured for Sanwo-Olu ahead of the election. He said each ward in the state has a coordinator that has been trained to move from house-to-house and street-to-street in the campaign to ensure the victory of Sanwo-Olu.

    At the event attended by APC chieftains and members, the group distributed souvenirs and mandated their coordinators to be up and doing in the task of delivering the much needed votes to the APC candidate. “We have gone through the manifesto of Mr Sanwo-Olu. We are impressed. We are inspired that he will continue all capital projects. We are impressed that he will create more jobs, tackle electricity decline through new incentives and innovations and battle insecurity with greater zeal.

    “From Monday, we shall be visiting every street, market places, churches, mosques, the creeks and watersides to speak to the people of Lagos to support Sanwo-Olu. With a voters’ figure of 6.2million in Lagos, securing three million votes for Sanwo-Olu will definitely not be a difficult task. We call on all voters in Lagos to join us in this tall order. This is a task that must be fulfilled. This is a task we shall fulfil. We use this opportunity to call for a free and fair election in Lagos,” Arogundade said.

     

  • Ogun: APC group berates Amosun’s utterances over Abiodun

    A pressure group within the All Progressives Congress (APC), at the weekend warned the Ogun State governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, against unguarded utterances in the aftermath of the party’s governorship primaries in the state. The group, Internal Democracy Advocates (IDA), in a statement by its National Coordinator, Comrade Oluseyi Olukoju, also described the failure of Amosun to produce a successor through the APC governorship primaries as self-inflicted and a play of Karma.

    The group, in the statement at the weekend, described a statement credited to Amosun that his preferred candidate, Abdulkabir Akinlade, will read next year’s budget in the capacity of governor, as “most irresponsible and pitiable tell-tale signs of inner confusion.” Noting that a free and fair governorship primaries had produced Mr. Dapo Abiodun as the Ogun APC candidate, the IDA said Amosun should go borrow a leaf from the Lagos State governor, Mr. Akinwumi Ambode, “who himself lost a primary election and conceded defeat; not that his candidate lost.

    “We cannot but laugh aloud and at the same time express great pity at the recent conducts of Governor Ibikunle Amosun, simply because his preferred candidate, Abdulkabir Akinlade, failed to win the governorship primaries. Without doubt, Amosun’s plight is self-inflicted and an inexorable justice of the law of Karma. The group warned the Ogun governor to desist from passing “reckless statements against the APC National Leader, Chief Bola Tinubu, and party elder and former governor of Ogun State, Chief Segun Osoba.”

    It, however, called on Ogun people to vote en masse for Abiodun, noting that the party members had put forward its best hand, “who is tested and trusted.”

    The IDA also stated that it had set out to mobilise campaigns for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari, “whose performance in terms of infrastructure, prudence and diligence, is unprecedented.”

     

  • APC group sues Ondo Exco, others over council poll

    A group in the Ondo State chapter of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the Unity Group (UG), has sued against the party’s executive committee at the Federal High Court in Abuja.

    UG is seeking the rejection of the list of candidates for the December 1 council election.

    Joined as defendants are: State Independent Electoral Commission (ODIEC), attorney-general/commissioner for Justice, APC State Chairman Ade Adetimehin and National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole.

    The development is said to be the fall-out of the controversial congress from ward to national levels in May and June.

    It was learnt some members were allegedly denied access to participate in the congresses.

    Addressing reporters yesterday in Akure, the capital, Chairman of the group, Idowu Otetubi, accompanied by its Secretary, Gani Muhammed, recalled that UG held parallel congresses from ward to state levels in the 203 wards and 18 councils in the state.

    Otetubi said the group produced its executives, despite alleged persecution, intimidation and attacks of members and some reporters at the BTO Hall in Akure, where the state congress was held.

    He said: “After the congress, we submitted the result to the national body of the party and copied the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Unfortunately, the former National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, did not allow our list to see the light of the day.

    “We have continued to carry on as a party executive, which was elected through the party’s congresses conducted in substantial compliance with the APC Constitution and guidelines.”

    Otetubi said UG had continued to defend policies of the APC administration at the national level and mobilised for the party daily.

    The spokesman hailed the leadership under Oshiomhole for doing a good job.

    He added: “We are elated that the National Executive Committee (NEC) had adopted direct primary at all levels to nominate candidates for the 2019 general elections. We are not unaware of the unpatriotic stand of some of our governors, who have been in the forefront of kicking against the most democratic system of nominating candidates.

    “We are not surprised by the stand of those handpicked executives in the states. We know they are afraid of any direct contest. All they want is to be handpicked as candidates of the party, which shall be counter-productive.”

    According to him, UG has 75 per cent of APC members in Ondo, and will resist imposition of “unpopular candidates”.

    Otutebi said: “We are aware of an attempt to conduct local government election in Ondo State. It is very unfortunate that only Aketi’s (governor’s) group had access to the nomination forms, as members of our Unity Group have also been illegally excluded.

    “We wish to state that the Adetimehin-led executive in Ondo State is not competent to submit the list of candidates to ODIEC because it did not emerge through a congress in accordance with the party’s guidelines.

    But Adetimehin insisted that Unity Group members are not APC members.

    He described them as spoilers of the ruling party who he said will not succeed in their “mischief”.

  • Death threat on Tinubu not mere propaganda, says APC group

    A call has gone to all well-meaning Nigerians not to wave off the alleged death threat on the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as mere political propaganda.

    A statement by Action Group in the Ekiti State chapter of the party, which was signed by its spokesperson, Segun Dipe, urged all Nigerians, irrespective of ethnic, religious and political leanings, to hold President Goodluck Jonathan responsible should anything untoward happen to Tinubu.

    The statement added, “Nothing should be put beyond the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the president’s goons in their bid to ensure that they continue in the reign of seething corruption and other numerous impunities. We must all rally together in the condemnation and fight against their evil plan and ensure that it is nipped in the bud to avoid an attendant colossal negative reprisal.”

    Dipe further recalled how the APC presidential candidate, General Mohammed Buhari, escaped a well-orchestrated assassination attempt even long before he emerged as the party’s candidate.

    While pleading with Nigerians not to treat the alarm with kid gloves, the group added, “Let every well-meaning Nigerian put Jonathan on actual notice, and let him read ours as an express notice, that Tinubu must not die. No, he must not. Nigeria is too fragile to be able to withstand the magnitude of attendant calamity that will befall it should such is ever attempted.”

    Describing Tinubu as a political iconoclast, the group said, “Tinubu’s passion to see true democracy enthroned in the country did not just start with the present PDP-led government and he remains the foremost consistent progressive alive in Nigeria currently.