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Tag: APC

  • APC alleges plan by PDP to cause havoc in Southwest

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of planning to disrupt its (APC’s) road show in Ekiti today.

    It alleged plan to use PDP thugs adorning APC T-Shirts to infiltrate the rally and instigate violence.

    A statement in Lagos yesterday by APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, accused the PDP, “working through Governors Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti and Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo, to cause mayhem in the Southwest before, during and after the forthcoming elections to make free, fair and peaceful polls impossible.”

    The statement alleged that the PDP resorted to the plan “having realised that the PDP’s stock in the geo-political zone has been totally depleted, despite their massive bribery of some leaders in the region”.

    The APC, therefore, called on security agents to be on the alert during the road show in Ekiti and through the Southwest as the elections approach.

    The statement reads: “Scared stiff about the success of the one-million-march in Lagos last Saturday and worried about the successful rally being repeated in Ekiti and elsewhere in the South-west, the PDP has perfected a devilish plan to cause mayhem during the Ekiti road show. The APC T-shirts being sewn by Governor Mimiko will be given to their thugs, who will then be mandated to infiltrate the road show and start a fight.

    “Beyond that, the two ‘generals’ of the PDP in the South-west, Fayose and Mimiko, have perfected a scheme to take the military and police uniforms being sewn in Ado-Ekiti to Akure, where they will be worn by thugs for the purpose of intimidating APC supporters before and during the elections.

    “Already, a special task force under one Soji Bello has been set up in Ondo State with the express mandate of attacking and beating up all known supporters of APC in the state while another team has been mandated to cause mayhem in the Hausa-dominated Sabo and Shasha areas of the Ondo State capital, Akure.

    “Finally, the PDP ‘generals’ plan to cause their own ‘Boko Haram’ to strike in the Southwest, after which some Southwest based militias will retaliate against those purportedly behind the attack, thus triggering a region-wide mayhem. These plans are the outcome of all nocturnal meetings involving these PDP ‘generals’ and some other anarchists,’’ APC said.

    The party said it has decided to expose these plans to put the nation’s security agencies on the alert, as well as to alert Nigerians and the international community to the evil machinations of those who were bent on triggering massive chaos and violence ahead of the polls.

    “APC is a very peaceful party. Not a single violent incident has been recorded at any of our rallies since the beginning of the current electioneering campaign. Also, despite the massive turnout of Nigerians for the one-million-man march in Lagos on Saturday, the march was violence-free.

    “We, therefore, urge those who are doing everything possible to make a peaceful change impossible to realise that they are being watched closely by Nigerians and the international community, and for them to realise that there will be no hiding place for them either within or outside Nigeria if they carry out their dastardly plans. “Today, the world has zero-tolerance for perpetrators of mindless killings, chaos and violence,” it warned.

     

  • ‘Nigeria has bright future’

    ‘Nigeria has bright future’

    Chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) emphasised the rationale behind the ‘Common Sense Revolution’ during the party’s campaign stop at Amuwo Odofin, Lagos. Musa Odoshimokhe reports.

    RESIDENTS of Amuwo Odofin Local Government Area received the All Progressives Congress (APC) message of hope, when its campaign train stopped in the area, as part of its preparations towards the forthcoming general elections.

    The venue of the campaign was First Gate, FESTAC town, a community designated by the Federal Government for the memory of the World Festival of Arts and Culture (FESTAC ‘77). The words of the APC chieftains who spoke at the event fell on a good soil, given the dwindling infrastructure and other social nuisance that has become the lots of the residents of the community.

    They trooped out en-masse to listen to the APC’s call for a new order and social rebirth. Amuwo Odofin is the home of a large number of non indigenes from the Southeast. Imo State Governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha, a notable APC chieftain from the Southeast, was a guest of honour at the event.

    Apart from the APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and host Governor Babatunde Fashola,  the occassion was also graced by the presence of Nollywood artistes, who helped to electrify the campaign. An appeal to reject poverty, power failure, insecurity and economic failure entrenched by ruling the People Democratic Party (PDP) led-Federal Government was the central theme of the campaign.

    Asiwaju Tinubu told the enthusiastic supporters that the imminent change of March 28 will usher in a ‘common sense revolution’. He noted that any government that fails to meet the people’s expectation has lost the justification to continue in office.

    Tinubu said the future of Nigeria is bright. Nevertheless, he said the people must see themselves as stakeholders in the struggle to free the country, for things to change positively.

    “No patriotic Nigerian can afford to sit on the fence, when the majority of the people wallow in poverty as a result of misrule,” he added.

    He reminded the people that the choice of their birthplace and the language they speak was not determined by them. The APC leader noted that it is the wisdom of God rules the world and that it is the manifestation of His will that shapes the fate or tapestry of people’s journey in their earth lives.

    Tinubu said “man by nature is a usurper, who tries to subvert peoples’ destiny, but God will always triumph”, adding that those who have made life difficult for other Nigerians will be defeated at the polls.

    He said: “It is only God who will determine the destination of human beings, where you are born is not your choice. The language you speak is not your choice; it is the choice of God.

    Tinubu, who was governor of Lagos State between 1999 and 2007, said people relocate in search of greener pastures. “You relocate for goodness; you relocate for happiness; for prosperity; for good life; not for you alone, but for your children as well,” he said.

    He added that the good programme executed by the APC government in Lagos and other states is as a result of the wise decision of the electorate that voted for the party in past elections.

    He called on the electorate not to fall for the campaign of calumny of the PDP which, he added, uses religion and ethnicity to polarise the country.

    He said: “The roads we travel on are not labelled Christian or Muslim road, neither is it labelled Obatala road. Similarly, hunger does not discriminate, poverty has no tribal mark and you should not allow them to be deceiving you.”

    “The over 15 years of PDP rule in the country merely point to failure. Jonathan tells you pathetic stories that when he was in school he had no shoe. I am from a poor family; I know what poverty is. But, he (Jonathan) has forgotten.

    “Now he has plenty shoes, plenty clothes and plenty hats, but does that put garri on your table. If you spend five hours at the gas station without light for your business, is that what we want? They even ask you to pay for the electricity that you did not use. So, that is double jeopardy, by paying for diesel that you did not consume and electricity that was never utilized by you. In that situation, do you want them to continue? The crowd chorused “no” in response.

    Tinubu said the Federal Government refused to insure the soldiers who have been battling insurgency in the Northeast. “They have not paid insurance for the lives of the soldiers and police who are working in danger.

    “Their insurance has elapsed, but they are using state money in bribing people. For those of you who sell spare-parts, the exchange rate is almost crippling your business. He has put double duty on imported vehicles used or unused. When they have not been able to produce made-in-Nigeria vehicles.

    “Is that not a sign of failure?” In our schools in Lagos, did we register you on the basis of your tribe? Do we discriminate in our school fees? I am sure you are all aware of how we do things in Lagos. We believe we are the same, so we treat everybody equally. They have no intelligence, after six years, they have not been able to do anything meaningful for the people.

    “It is time for them to leave, to allow those with ideas and capability to lead the country. They do not have the skill to run an effective government, so they need to go back and take the position of apprenticeship,” he said.

    Tinubu added that the people call him the oracle of Lagos because his predictions always work. He said: “When I gave you governor Fashola did the man not work? The man has performed beyond expectation and that is why they call me the oracle of Lagos.

    “Now, I am giving you Ambode; he is tested in all aspect of financial and human management. I know that he will excel and Lagos will be better for it. So, on April 11, we should all come out to vote for this youth who will consolidate our efforts,” he stressed.

    Governor Okorocha who had earlier addressed the people, was welcomed with the shout of ‘my people, my people’, which was acknowledged with ‘our governor, our governor’. Okorocha added a little drama to it when he said he had a piece of news that will jolt the people.

    The crowd listened with rapt attention to hear the kind of news the Imo State governor brought to them. But, when he said he regrets to announce the death of the PDP, the crowd roared in thunderous applause.

    He said: “I have a message for you; it is very brief; I am here just for one reason. Let me inform you that I want to regretfully announce the death of the PDP. the PDP died when the APC was formed. The day Fashola, Rochas, other governors and our leaders came together to form the APC, that day the PDP died in Nigeria. We had fixed the date for the burial of the PDP on the February 14, but they changed the date of the burial to March 28.

    “We are waiting patiently to bury the PDP forever. But, let me tell you that you can change the date of burial but you cannot change the burial; the burial must take place. May the soul of the PDP rest in peace; the worst thing that can happen to any nation is to have a bad government.

    “The worst that can happen to any family is to have a bad father. Today, it is obvious that the PDP is a bad government. And we stood up and came together for a change. The change we came together for has started.

    “Let me announce to all of you that I am here because of one young man, Ambode. This gentleman is good; he will not deceive you. He will not cheat you or mislead you. He has a caring heart; he loves people, and he knows everybody. This is one man that can continue with the good work of Governor Fashola. Fashola’s name is known all over the world as one of the best governors Nigeria has produced. Look at Lagos today, everything is in order and he will hand over the baton to another good man that shall continue in a geometrical progression,” he said.

    Okorocha added that some governors who are not members of the APC would be meeting to fine-tune on the coming elections, noting that the governors were fully convinced of the sterling and leadership qualities of the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    He said Buhari has all it takes to redefine the country, noting that it was during his tenure as Head of State that Nigerians gave up the bad attitude of urinating, as well as defecating on roadsides and that the queue culture was also entrenched during his regime.

    Fashola also urged Lagosians not to yield to the plans of the PDP, which has been bribing people to vote for them.

    He said the Federal Government wants to follow a shortcut to success, without working for it. “All the promises they made to you, have they fulfilled them?

    “The man has been promising to do more, when he has not fulfilled the promise he made when he was seeking your votes.”

    Fashola maintained that his administration did not only put the police men on insurance scheme, but buys weapons to enable them function.

    “Go to your Ipad or the Youtube and listen to Senator Chris Anyanwu, who was chairman house committee on defence, begging for money for Navy to fuel their boats. Yet, Nigeria budgeted over N1 trillion for defence. They said Buhari did not buy guns in 1985.

    “Are you going to use 1985 weapons to fight 2015 war? They are a bundle of lairs and do not know what to do. Please don’t sell your PVC because it is your future and your power to vote out the PDP. The coming election is about how you secure your freedom. The money he should have used in providing infrastructure is being used to bribe people in order to get votes.

    “You gave me 1.5 million votes during the last election, and you can see the result of the vote. What I want you to do for me is to vote for Ambode. We need three million votes from you for Ambode.

    “When you voted for me in 2007, you gave me 800,000 votes as a mark of respect for Asiwaju. That votes surpassed other contestant votes with very huge margin. In 2011, one of the constants pulled 300,000 votes when he tried to contest it at the court; he made a retreat knowing that no lawyer will accept to defend him in view of the wide margin. That is what I want Lagosians to do in this case for Ambode,” he said.

    Fashola maintained that the PDP lacks the managerial capability, adding that if the President had the capacity to manage crisis some PDP governors would not have defected to the APC. He said Jonathan should have made peace with the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, but since the party is lacking in the skills of human management, things were bound to fall apart.

    The APC governorship candidate Ambode drew the attention of resident of FESTAC town to the Federal Government’s negligence of the city, which serves to keep the memory of the first World Festival of Black Arts hosted in Lagos in 1977.

    He said the over 15 years of the PDP rule has left the trail of tears in the lives of the youth, who are roaming the streets in search of non-existent jobs.

    He said: “Our coming here today for this campaign is to bring our message of hope and blessing to Amuwo Odofin. What I want to tell our youth is that they should observe for themselves what the APC is doing for them.

    “This is the place we are constructing the light train, it will take us from Okokomaiko to CMS in 30 minutes; we are constructing a 10-lane road from Orile Iganmu to Badagry.

    “The government of Fashola has provided what will be beneficial to the people of this community in the next 30 years. I want to assure you that I will complete the road being constructed from Orile to Badagry. The train from Okokomaiko to CMS will be completed by me,” he added.

    APC chieftain Rabiu Olowu who also addressed the rally said the postponement of the election was deliberate, adding that the PDP wanted to use it to buy time and perfect its strategy.

    “But, my message is that we should collect our PVC to defeat the ‘poverty development party’. We all can see the bad effect of Federal Government within the FESTAC town.”

    Former chairman of the Amuwo Odofin Comrade Ayodele Adewale said FESTAC is blessed with land mass and water body, but has been neglected by the Federal Government.

    “If APC wins at the centre our problem is solved. We must note that the election of the President is very important because of the bandwagon effect. When the APC wins the presidency, the natural thing is that the states will fall in line with the pattern.

    “So we must come out en-masse to vote Buhari, in order to liberate our country, correct all the deficit in governance and make Nigeria proud again,” he said.

  • APC Assembly candidate kidnapped in Bauchi

    An All Progressives Congress (APC) Bauchi State House of Assembly candidate for Ganjuwa West Constituency, Yusuf Inuwa Dadiye, has been kidnapped.

    Dadiye, an engineer, was kidnapped last night by suspected gunmen on his way to Miya from Bauchi, the state capital.

    Police Area Commander Mr. Bassey confirmed the incident.

    He said investigation had begun, but could not give details on the kidnap.

    The driver of the kidnapped politician, Danliti Amadu Rungo, said: “The abductors drove in a black 406 Peugeot saloon car and forced us to stop at gunpoint.

    “The kidnappers dragged the candidate out of the car and took him away.”

    The Nation learnt that the abductors have not established a contact with the victim’s family.

    The politician’s family and supporters have called for prayers.

    They urged security agents to embark on a search to rescue the victim.

    APC spokesman Auwal Jallam confirmed the kidnap, saying “we have lodged a complaint with the police. We are awaiting their response.

    “We are ready to support security operatives in their efforts to rescue our party’s candidate. We are also carrying out our investigation.

    “We are not ruling out mischief in this kidnap. This is because our candidate is a promising politician, who is loved by the people.”

    Efforts to speak with police spokesman Haruna Mohammed were unsuccessful. He did not respond to calls and text messages.

    Danliti is the second APC candidate to be kidnapped. The first was Samaila Darazo, who was abducted last year from his home at Darazo in Darazo Local Government.

     

  • Monarch: we’ll ensure victory for APC

    THE Enogie of Oghobase in Edo South Local Government Area of Edo State, Idu Akenzua, has pledged his support for Governor Adams Oshiomhole and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the elections following ‘numerous developmental projects’ in the state.

    Idu Akenzua spoke yesterday when Oshiomhole visited his palace.

    He said: “We are following your work religiously. We can say you have not only demystified governance, you have brought a human face to bear on governance. Governance used to be inaccessible, but since you came on board, things have taken a good turn.

    “I am assuring you of my support and the support of my kingdom. We are solidly behind you. Don’t relent in what you are doing. We will put in our best and ensure you get victory.”

    Governor Oshiomhole thanked the Enogie and hailed him for the peace in his dukedom.

    Oshiomhole said: “I appreciate your support and prayers. I am happy you acknowledged things we have done and drew my attention to the issues in your domain. Schools are important because people in rural areas will not produce engineers and doctors, or achieve upward mobility for their children if there are no schools.’’

    “That is why Edo State devotes resources to building schools. We have also abolished fees so parents won’t have excuse not to send their children to school.

    “Our schools are free and in areas where pupils are able to board the Comrade bus, they do so free, whether going or returning from school once they are in uniform.”

     

     

  • Rivers APC, PDP bicker over plot to cause crisis

    There are fears of fresh violence in Rivers State. The All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are quarrelling over the plot to cause mayhem.

    APC’s governorship candidate Dr. Dakuku Peterside and his PDP rival, Chief Nyesom Wike, are accusing each other of sponsoring violence.

    In a statement by his aide yesterday, Dakuku said no matter the provocation, reprisal attacks would not be carried out by his supporters.

    But Wike said “we will be compelled to defend ourselves”.

    Peterside, through his campaign organisation’s Director of Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari, said the PDP was planning violence.

    Mrs. Semenitari said: “PDP in Rivers State, aware that it has no chances against the APC at the March 28 and April 11 elections, has resolved to unleash mayhem, rounds of violent attacks and possible elimination of APC members and supporters in Rivers State.

    ‘’Part of this sinister plot by PDP is to attack Dr. Peterside and credit the attack to internal disputes between the candidate and his running mate, Asita Okorie Asita.

    ‘’PDP did so recently at Okrika. Even though PDP knows that the Dr. Peterside campaign family is united and cohesive, it will insist that its attack was master-minded by Asita.

    ‘’This ploy would be to divert the attention of security agencies and the public and present Dr. Peterside as a weakling not in total control of matters in his campaign organisation. But since to be forewarned is to be forearmed, APC will hold PDP responsible for any attack on Dr. Peterside and his supporters, especially as it becomes obvious that Rivers people have rejected them.”

    The statement warned the electorate not to “mortgage their today and the tomorrow of their children for ephemeral lucre”.

    Wike, in a statement by his aide, Simeon Nwakaudu, appealed to the inspector general of Police to disband the See for Eye (C4I), which it described as Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s hit squad.

    He alleged that over 45 PDP members had been murdered by the C41 by agents of the APC since January.

    Wike, according to the statement, made the allegations at a meeting with officials of the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) in Port Harcourt on Monday night.

    Wike accused Amaechi of using the media to suppress reports of violence against the PDP and exaggerate issues involving the APC.

    “Amaechi and APC brewed the crisis in Rivers State through their illegal actions and acts of violence against the PDP. Since this year, we have lost over 40 PDP members murdered by agents of the APC and members of the See for Eye (C4I) police team answerable to Governor Amaechi.

    “We call on inspector general of Police to, as a matter of urgency, disband Amaechi’s hit squad, called C4I, used to kill our members. Otherwise, we will be compelled to defend ourselves against the killings.”

    Wike wondered why the NHRC “has remained quiet in the face of the wilful destruction of two arms of government, the judiciary and the legislature, by the APC”.

    Chairman of NHRC Prof Chidi Odinkalu said the commission was worried by the spate of violence in the state, hence the decision to interface with key political stakeholders.

     

  • Jonathan not sincere with conference report, says Southwest APC

    Jonathan not sincere with conference report, says Southwest APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has faulted President Goodluck Jonathan’s claim that the implementation of 2014 National Conference Report is dependent only on his re-election.

    The party, dismissed the impression, describing Jonathan’s statement as illogical and unreasonable. It said the posture was aimed earning cheap popularity from the marginalised Southwest.

    The APC National Vice-Chairman (Southwest), Chief Pius Akinyelure, said, if the Jonathan Administration was interested in restructuring, it would not have waited for three years in office before convoking the 2014 National Conference.

    He said with the lopsided nature of federation his administration inherited about six years, Jonathan should have swung into action immediately and put necessary mechanisms in place “to equitably and fairly restructure Nigeria for the benefit of all.”

    Akinyelure said the President was using the report of the 2014 National Conference as a political weapon to sneak into the hearts of the Southwest people, whose his administration “has not been fair to despite their overwhelming support for the president in 2011.”

    The party, therefore, asked the president “to desist from making promise he cannot fulfil. President Jonathan should stop appealing ethnic sentiment in order to score cheap political marks. A president, under whose watch the Ekiti election was rigged, cannot restructure Nigeria. A president that grant hardened amnesty to ex-convicts cannot evolve equitable Nigeria.”

    The party urged the people of SouthWest not to take the president serious again, noting that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had no idea on how “to move Nigeria forward. Stop deceiving innocent people. “Stop destroying Nigerian unity on the altar of ethnic politics. Stop fuelling division among groups that make up Nigeria”, he added.

    Akinyelure said the APC presidential candidate, Maj.-Gen. Muhammadu Buhari and his running mate, Prof. Oluyemi Osinbajo had made a covenant with the people of Nigeria contained in the 2015 Buhari/Osinbajo Manifesto.

    The party said once elected, the Buhari/Osinbajo government would initiate action “to amend the Nigerian Constitution with a view to devolving powers, duties, and responsibilities to states in order to entrench true federalism and the federal spirit.”

    It added that the Buhari/Osinbajo government “will restructure governance for a leaner, more efficient, and adequately compensated public service sector, while promoting effective participation of the private sector for more robust job creation programmes to employ the teaming youth.”

    It said the Buhari/Osinbajo government would bring to an end an arbitrary deduction of statutory allocations due to states governed by the opposition party and the backdoor allocation to the states that are not critical of an anemic national government under the PDP.

     

  • 1,000 join Ondo APC

    One thousand Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members from Irele Local Government Area of Ondo State have joined the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    They were led by a former board member, State Development Property Corporation (OSDPC), Joshua Adebusoye (Baba Rere), who resigned his appointment on Monday.

    He said: “It is better to be a slave in a foreign land than at home. I am comfortable being a slave in the APC than in PDP and I am pledging my commitment to join APC to ensure the victory of Gen Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates of the party.

    “I want to join other progressives to work for change in the country and with the calibre of politicians in APC and its manifestos, the genuine transformation is in the offing in Nigeria.”

    APC chairman in the local government T.O. Igbasan described the coming of Adebusoye as a plus for the party.

    The State Deputy Chairman, Ade Adetimehin, said they have left darkness for light,stressing that there is no founder,no joiner.

     

  • Fani-kayode’s flurry of fictions

    SIR: President Goodluck Jonathan left no one in doubt about the type of campaign he wanted to run when he picked well known loose cannon with no modicum of decency, Femi Fani-Kayode, as his campaign spokesperson. Fani-Kayode had earlier styled himself as a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), when he was actually never one, not having at no time been recognised as such by APC leadership when he was in the party.

    Known for throwing decency to the gutters with toxic Facebook posts, and error-ridden newspaper articles, the Osun State-born lawyer, had conducted himself in the last few years in a manner that makes one wonder if the globally respected Cambridge University will ever be proud of such product. Or how else do you think of someone that goes around writing on the number of women he had slept with as contribution to debates on the legality and morality of “deportation” of destitute of certain origin from Lagos?

    It is only in Nigeria that someone of Fani-Kayode’s standing, someone having an alleged money laundering case before the courts, will be appointed by a President as campaign spokesperson. In countries where choices of candidates by citizens are scientific, not based on religious and ethnic sentiments as exploited here, such faux pas is enough to lose elections.

    Fani-Kayode has since discharged his duty to type – daily regaling us with tissues of lies to demonize the candidacy of General Muhammadu Buhari and his party, the APC. First, he sold to the media the non-issue of Buhari’s certificate, and even when the Katsina school where General Buhari had his secondary education, released the statement of result of the general and the masterlist issued by Cambridge University which conducted the exam in 1961, he declared it fake. It did not occur to him that Cambridge would have come out to disclaim the result if it never originated from it. How anyone would attribute a fake document to Cambridge – of all places – in this age, and some gullible Nigerians bought it, is beyond me.

    Fani-Kayode and his Social Media hirelings have thrown everything – including the kitchen sink – in the direction of the General. They have forged medical reports in the name of a non-existent “Ahmadu Bello Teaching Hospital” to declare Buhari as having prostate cancer; they have circulated “minutes” of imaginary meetings to say Jega met with Northern elders in Kaduna  (in other reports, Dubai) on rigging elections; they have hired commercial protesters to embarrass General Buhari in London. They have paid millions of naira to put up adverts in national dailies in the name of a fictitious “Muslim” group in the South West endorsing Buhari because “they wanted Islamization of the South West”. It does not occur to these vendors of fictions that Jonathan was the first Nigerian president to attend OIC meeting since the country’s return to civil rule.

    Their fiction factory keeps churning out lies every other day. The country has never gone so low. Fani-Kayode was yet again at his lying best when he addressed the press few days ago accusing APC of having made its vice presidential candidate, Yemi Osinbajo, to sign an oath to resign after six months in office. It is more unfortunate that the press that should have by now been familiar with the wicked fabrications of Fani-Kayode, gave this hogwash an undeserved prominence. This allegation started from some vendors of misinformation on the social media, when some of us that are equally social media-savvy proved beyond reasonable doubt that this was not true; it is therefore very unfortunate that President Jonathan’s official campaign latched on to this beer parlour gist.

    In any case, even if Tinubu comes on board along the way (which is only a figment of their imagination), Tinubu is by far a better administrator than Jonathan.  I’m not a fan of Tinubu, but I will pick him over Jonathan as President. Between 1999-2007 when Nigeria was afflicted with probably the worst set of non-performing governors in its history, Tinubu stood tall as a decent performer in Lagos – even when the man at the helms in the center withheld the state’s allocations. His political recruitment strategy is also top-notch as those he backed for power, from Aregbesola to Amosun and Ajimobi, are testament to this.  The whole thing is just another figment of Fani-Kayode warped imagination.

    The election is less than four weeks, and I know Fani-Kayode’s fiction machine is still being oiled to produce more between now and the election date, if they ever allow the election to hold. The task of extricating Nigeria from these fiction vendors and setting it on the path of progress is the business of every patriotic Nigerian.

     

    • Suraj Oyewale,

    Ajah, Lagos

  • I’m committed to APC success in 2015 Elections – Atiku

    Former Vice President and chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Atiku Abubakar has dismissed rumors that he was under pressure to return to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying he was irrevocably committed t the success of the APC in the forthcoming elections.

    The former Vice President said in a statement from his media office in Abuja that his commitment to the APC and the success of its presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates of the party in the 2015 general elections is unwavering and has never been up for bargaining.

    There has been reports in a session of the media of the purported plan of the APC chieftain return to the fold of the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) for alleged misgivings within the APC.

    Atiku said “I remain irrevocably committed to the APC, as I promised in my concession speech at the conclusion of our party’s presidential primaries, and has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to ensure the victory of General Muhammadu Buhari and other candidates of our great party at the general elections”

    The statement stressed that reports of the Turaki Adamawa’s purported return to the PDP or any other party is the handiwork of mischief makers focused on pitching the former Vice President against other leaders of the opposition party.

    Atiku said that for the avoidance of doubt he is unequivocally committed to the unity of APC and that it will take more than the antics of mischief makers to break that bond, adding that his return from Adamawa, where he convened a stakeholders’ meeting and reconciled disagreeing camps within the party, towards ensuring victory for the APC bears eloquent testimony of this commitment.

    The statement also said that the former Vice President currently supports the financial operations of the APC in many states, in most cases as a sole financier, saying “I have backed my words and commitment with my resources to ensure that I bring my influence and support to bear on our party’s march to victory at all levels in the general election. That should be enough to shut up mischief makers bent on derailing the APC’s success at the March 28 and April elections.”

    The statement said further that as one of Nigeria’s astute politicians and businessmen, there may be overtures from across political divides to the former Vice President, but restated that Atiku Abubakar has publicly stated his commitment to the APC and has privately rebuffed the approaches from all quarters.

  • Seven PDP governors to join APC, says Okorocha

    Seven PDP governors to join APC, says Okorocha

    No fewer than seven Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors will join the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum Owelle Rochas Okorocha said in Lagos yesterday.

    He spoke at a rally in Amuwo Odofin area of Lagos State for the APC governorship candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi  Ambode.

    The governor said the governors’ resolve will nail the coffin of the PDP.

    His words: “Now let me tell you that the victory of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari has been signed, sealed and delivered. But let me tell you something but don’t tell anybody.

    “It is a secret, about seven PDP governors are coming to hold meetings with us privately, planning to join us.

    “There is fear in the country. The fear is that they know Buhari is a good man, they know Buhari will win. The fear is that once they announce Buhari on March 28 as winner all the bad people stealing the nation’s money will take midnight flight and leave the country.  The fear of Buhari is the end of corruption in Nigeria. ”

    He said it took the intervention of Buhari to stop open defecation before it became entrenched again.

    The governor said Buhari had stopped all forms of indiscipline before the country became a laughing stock among comity of nations for lack of discipline.

    Okorocha added that the PDP died when the opposition parties merged to form the APC.

    “The day Babatunde Fashola, Rochas Okorocha and other governors came together, the PDP died in Nigeria.

    “On  February 14, we were supposed to bury the PDP but they changed the date of the funeral to March 28.

    “Now we are waiting patiently to bury the PDP forever. Let me tell you. You can change the day of the funeral but you can’t change the funeral, it must take place. May the soul of PDP rest in peace.

    “The worst thing that can happen to any nation is to have a bad government and the worst thing that can happen to any family is to have a bad father.

    “Today, it is obvious that PDP is a bad government. Thank God we came together for  change and the change has started.”

    He urged the Igbo community to vote  for Ambode, saying he has the capacity to ensure mutual co-existence of all tribes in Lagos.

    Okorocha, who was flanked by Fashola and other APC leaders, decried the economic policies of the Federal Government.

    “PDP has cheated you. If you have N100, 000 before, what you now have is N60, 000.

    “The Federal Government has removed N40, 000 by devaluing the Naira.”

    Fashola urged Lagosians not to yield to the plans of the PDP, which has been bribing people to vote for it.

    He said the Federal Government wants to take a shortcut to success, without working for it.

    “All the promises they made to you, have they fulfilled them?

    “The man has been promising to do more, when he has not fulfilled the promise he made when he was seeking your votes.”

    He said his administration did not only put policemen on insurance scheme but bought weapons to enable them function.

    “Go to  Youtube and listen to Senator Chris Anyanwu, who chairs the Senate Committee on Navy, begging for money for the Navy to fuel its boats.

    “Yet, Nigeria budgeted over N1 trillion for defence. They said Buhari did not buy guns in 1985.

    “Are you going to use 1985 weapon to fight 2015 war? They are bundle of liars and do not know what to do.

    “Please don’t sell your PVC because it is your future and your power to vote out the PDP.

    “The election is about how you secure your freedom. The money he should have used in providing infrastructure is being used to bribe people  to get votes.

    “You gave me 1.5 million votes during the last election, and you can see the result of the votes. What I want you to do for me is three million votes from you for Ambode.”