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Tag: APC

  • APC: Fayose seizing official cars for personal gains

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has accused Governor Ayodele Fayose of alleged sharp practices in the seizure of official vehicles belonging to government officials under former Governor Kayode Fayemi.

    The party accused the governor of plans to use cronies from Ibadan to buy the seized cars and later deposit them at his newly refurbished car showroom for sale to the public.

    APC’s Publicity Secretary Taiwo Olatubosun said in a statement that it was confirmed that the governor wanted to buy  the seized cars in a contrived auctioning arrangement with his cronies.

    “To give the impression that the auctioning is transparent, some Ekiti people will be given auction forms to fill and actually participate in the auctioning session. Another set of people from Ibadan will also participate in the auction, but they will be the prime beneficiaries of the auction in the ratio of 90 to 10 per cent in favour of Ibadan cronies, who are buying up the cars on behalf of the governor.

    “The governor has allegedly secured the services of Customs agents to help him prepare fresh papers for the cars before they are ready for sale in the open market.”

    The APC spokesman said former Governor Fayemi had a vehicle ownership agreement with his officials in which the officials would pay 60 per cent of the cost in a monetised policy that the cost would be deducted from their salaries, allowances and in some cases severance allowance, adding that the agreement included that the vehicles would be used for all official duties.

    “As at the time they were leaving office, several of the officials had fully paid for their vehicles while others had between 10 and 20 per cent to defray the cost.

    “For this category of officials, Fayose is yet to pay their severance allowances which would make up for the money owed on the cars.”

    Olatubosun said despite this, Fayose was still insisting on taking these cars not for official duties but for his personal gains.

    He said an ambush was set for the Deputy Speaker, Adetunji Orisalade, yesterday to seize his official vehicle but the plan failed.

    “They arrived at his house as planned but they missed their target as the Deputy Speaker had changed location before their arrival,” he said.

    He added that the governor’s agents earlier arrested Biodun Akin-Fasae, Wole Ariyo, Dr Bayo Orire, Ayodele Jinadu and several others.

    “On Tuesday, former Special Adviser to Fayemi Biodun Omoleye had his car impounded by a team of armed men in about 30 vehicles after threatening to kill him.”

  • Rainstorm wreaks havoc in Oyo

    Rainstorm wreaks havoc in Oyo

    A rainstorm on Monday evening destroyed property worth millions of naira in Oyo town, Oyo State.

    Affected areas include Boroboro, Isokun, Sabo, Akesan, Obananko, Owode, Agunpopo, Alliance, Oke-ebo, Sakutu Ogbegbe, Ilora, Fiditi, Iware, Awe and Akinmorin.

    The storm, which started around 5 pm, lasted about 30 minutes and was followed by a two-hour downpour.

    Some of the victims urged the government to come to their aid.

    The Alaafin of Oyo, Oba Lamidi Adeyemi and the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the Oyo Federal Constituency election, Prince Adeniyi Adeyemi, inspected the affected areas yesterday.

     

  • APC defends choice of Ortom, Gemade as candidates

    APC defends choice of Ortom, Gemade as candidates

    Senate Minority Leader George Akume has defended the choice of Dr. Samuel Ortom as the Benue State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate.

    He described him as a patriot and community man, who is concerned about the plight of the people.

    Akume also justified the choice of Senator Barnabas Gemade as the flag bearer of the  party in Benue District.

    Senator Akume made the disclosure at the flag off of the APC campaigns at the RCM Primary School, Zaki-Biam, Ukum local government area.

    The former governor said, having worked closely with the former Minister of State, Industry, Trade, and Investment, he and other leaders had noticed his passions for development.

    He said, although it was the consensus of the people that the next governor should come from the Minda geopolitical axis,  he subscribed to the position of the late Senator J S Tarka that both the Tor Tiv and Governor should not come from the same lineage at the same time.

    Senator Akume denied claims that he hated a particular group among the Tiv, saying he loved the entire people and cannot discriminate against them.

  • Akpan: APC has come to stay in Akwa Ibom

    Akpan: APC has come to stay in Akwa Ibom

    Imo Akpan is the All Progressives Congress (APC) House of Representatives candidate for Ikono/Ini Constituency. In this interview with Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI, the lawyer agues that the ruling party created a fertile ground for the APC to thrive in Akwa Ibom State.

    Why did you abandon your law practice for politics?

    Like every contest, the primary impetus is personal. The second reason is that I want to serve my people. There are obvious lapses that have been created in my constituency, in terms of providing the basic necessities to improve the lot of the people and the dearth of infrastructure generally. For me, the main reason why attention has not been focused on those areas is because sufficient ‘noise’ has not been made to highlight the plight of the people. Where such attention has been drawn, there is no sufficient political will on the part of those in positions of authority to address these issues. Given my background and training, I believe I have sufficient passion to drive through the process of attracting the necessary infrastructure, to uplift the standard of our people. In fact, fundamentally, the two local government areas that make Ikoni/Ini federal constituency are regarded historically as the cradle of the Ibibio nation. In the ethnic make-up of Nigeria, the Ibibio race is number four; after the three major ethnic groups. But, ironically, all you hear from the Ibibio nation is the cries of marginalization, lack of development and backwardness. I don’t believe that we have taken our place in the comity of ethnic nationalities in Nigeria.

    How do you intend to attract development, since you would not have executive powers?

    I am aware of the duties of a legislator and I know that in attracting development to a particular constituency, a lot of lobbying would be required. Lobbying is the essential tool a legislator has to employ. Given my background, not just as a lawyer, but also as someone who has lived in almost all parts of the country, I would not have problems interacting with legislators from other areas, to get them to see the need to bring development to our area. Inter-personal relationship also comes into play. Healthcare is one of the critical issues. The basic infrastructure for healthcare is non-existent in the two local government areas that make-up the constituency. Though the two local government areas can boast of two general hospitals, but they are nothing to write home about. The one in Ini Local Government Area is a beautiful edifice put in place by the last administration of Obong Victor Attah, but it is not equipped at all. The one in Ikono Local Government Area has been there for at least 30 years, but it is also not equipped.  In fact, it has no source of power, no water and its roof has caved in. So, we must make sure that we impress it on the executive to attend to the yearnings of our people in the healthcare sector. The other area is education. The infrastructure to guarantee qualitative education in my federal constituency is non-existent. Fundamentally you need the manpower; the right quality of teachers who can impact knowledge. The stories you hear about free education in Akwa Ibom State is about renovating buildings and having red roofs put over them.

    The PDP has been in power in Akwa Ibom since 1999. W hat are your chances?

    Our chances are very bright. The state has been badly run by the PDP administration. Right now we have stronger presence of the opposition in Akwa Ibom State because a fertile ground has been laid by the government in power. The ranks of the opposition are swelling by the day because of the discontent among the people. If you look at the calibre of people we have as candidates in the APC, from the governorship down to the House of Representatives, then you will realize that our chances are indeed very bright. A lot of things we hear about the PDP and the uncommonness of its transformation are a media creation, especially your colleagues in the electronic media.

  • Kebbi APC receives defectors

    Kebbi APC receives defectors

    No fewer than 50,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kebbi  State have defected to the All Progressives Congress as the party’s governorship candidate, Senator  Atiku  Bagudu, rounded off his campaign tour.

    APC  Publicity Secretary Alhaji Sani Dododo  made this known in a statement in the Zuru.

    He said the party was overwhelmed by the huge number of defectors from the PDP from various wards in the area.

    He said the people of the area had complained bitterly to the APC standard bearer over the years of neglect by the PDP administrations in the state, adding that “the people said they were tired of 16 years of deceit.”

    He hinged the popularity of the APC in the area and the state on “the broom revolution,” claiming that the PDP was now a shadow of itself.

    Dododo explained that while the APC had carried its campaigns to the nooks and crannies of the state, the PDP had stopped its campaigns at local governments because the people are angry at the bulk of failed promises over the years.

    The spokesman said over 9,594 defectors from the PDP in  Shanga, Yauri,  and another 25,000 ex-service men in Zuru Emirate have joined the APC.

    “When we took stock of the PDP members coming to join us in each area  we realized that we got over 20,000 zamfarawas in Zuru, and 6,54 Maitti Allah Association of cattle rearers in Shanga Zuru and Yauri  have now joined us,” he said.

    He however distanced the APC from attacks on the PDP campaign train in parts of the state, explaining that those who attacked the PDP were its aggrieved members.

    “We preach peace wherever we go.”

    Bagudu  expressed joy as he received the decamped members. He assured them of justice and  better developments  ahead if elected  into office. He urged them not to sell their Permanent Voters’ Cards for a token and make sure that they come out and vote massively for the APC. He urged them to vote on the election day and wait for their vote to be counted.”

  • Only Buhari has capacity to defeat Boko Haram – APC

    Only Buhari has capacity to defeat Boko Haram – APC

    The National Vice Chairman (North East) of the All Progressives Congress, Engr. Babachir David Lawal, said Wednesday in Abuja that the party’s presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari , remains the only candidate in the forthcoming elections that has the capacity to defeat Boko Haram and restore the battered image of the Nigerian military.

    Addressing a news conference in his office in Abuja, Lawal said the military high command should have known that the Buhari was the only one with the capacity and inclination to restore the dismally low morale and self-esteem of the present day armed forces.

    He also dismissed claims that the Independent National Electoral Commission was bias in the distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), with troubled states in the northeast having collected more PVCs than others.

    Lawal stressed that people in the region have every reason to vote out the current government which has failed to protect them in the last six years.

    He said: “If the military high command comprised of patriots and/or men of honor of if they are men that have pride in their profession, they would have realized that the only one of the presidential candidates that has the capacity and inclination to restore the battered pride, and dismally low morale and self-esteem of the present day Nigerian military is Gen. Mohammadu Buhari.

    “The only one that has the capacity and inclination to defeat Boko Haram in the shortest possible time is GMB. But no, they are none of these. They are more comfortable hiring out their men to work under corrupt civilians, taking orders from them to rig elections.

    “They find it easier to deploy armored personnel carriers and battalions of troops to Imo State Government House and the residence of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to harass and intimidate them, their wives and children for standing up for democracy. This is their comfort zone, not on the battle field tackling insurgents. To them, it is easier to intimidate Prof. Attahiru Jega of INEC than Ibrahim Shekau of Boko Haram.

    “But all these are futile efforts to delay the doomsday for the corrupt, the clueless, and the religious bigots in this government and their sit-don-look presidential candidate who gets stoned by his own party men at several campaign rallies. Nigerians are wiser now.”

  • Soldiers lay siege to Tinubu’s home, Imo Govt House

    Soldiers lay siege to Tinubu’s home, Imo Govt House

    It’s routine, says GOC

    Fashola, Junaid, Saraki  deplore action

    Soldiers relaxed yesterday a three-day siege to the Ikoyi, Lagos home of All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, his Media Office said.

    Also yesterday, a military team stormed the Imo State Government House in Owerri, deploying an armoured tank.

    The two incidents raised the fear of a crackdown on some opposition figures.

    There has been a major disagreement between the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led Federal Government and the APC over the shift of the February 14 and 28 general elections to March 28 and April 11.

    The APC has raised the alarm of a likely compromise of the military by the PDP to rig the elections. The PDP and the military have, however, denied the allegation.

    In a statement yesterday, the Tinubu Media Office said: “For three straight days, the private residence of the national leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, has been under surveillance by battle-ready and helmet wearing soldiers. Numbering close to 30 and riding in three patrol vans and an army truck stationed close to the entrance of the gate to Tinubu’s house on Bourdillon Road in Ikoyi, they have become a permanent feature. Their obvious target, Tinubu himself and perhaps the hordes of politicians and visitors that visit his Bourdillon residence.

    “The soldiers were first noticed on Sunday, a few minutes to 11pm in an army truck. They were stationed about 500 meters away from Tinubu’s gate. Later, they moved close to his gate as if making efforts to enter. The stern looking soldiers were around for hours on Sunday and returned on Monday to continue their surveillance. Monday night about 10.45pm, they returned to the residence in two army vans and were there throughout the night. Some of the soldiers discharged from the van and walked back and forth in front of the house and around the house in what is clearly some casing effort.

    “This morning (Tuesday), two vans from the army were stationed on both sides of the house along Bourdillon Road, their missions shrouded in secrecy.”

    But Tinubu said he will not be intimidated by the show of strength, intimidation and possible harassment. “I remain resolute in my advocacy and support for the rule of law. Jonathan’s government has through the service chiefs staged a coup against Nigerians and the Constitution and now wants to silence his critics. I will not be muzzled through the barrel of the gun. The guns and bullets they should use to defeat Boko Haram are now being turned against the opposition and innocent Nigerians,” he said.

    Tinubu has been an unrelenting critic of the Jonathan-led PDP government. He played a pivotal role in the re-building of the Nigerian opposition and the formation of the APC.

    The statement added: “The exact mission of the soldiers is not known but it fits clearly into a new pattern of intimidation of leaders of the APC and the opposition.

    “It might be part of a broader plan by the Jonathan presidency to intimidate Tinubu and his political associates and scare him from making statements or building a broad coalition against the government as he did during the NADECO days.

    “As the scaremongering by the army continues, Nigerians must come to the realisation that the military has abandoned its statutory role and have now been dragged into partisan politics. Nigerians and the South West should hold the Jonathan-led military responsible if any harm or danger comes to Tinubu and his family. The case of the ‘Unknown Soldier’ is too recent in our memory.”

    At about 3pm yesterday, the soldiers were not on the long stretch of Bourdillon Road and its adjourning streets.

    There were three Police Rapid Response Squad (RRS) vans on the road.

    A security guard at Tinubu’s home said he saw the army soldiers in a truck for two consecutive nights opposite the APC leader’s private residence.

    He said: “They were about 50 and came in a truck.  I saw them between 11pm and 12am Saturday night and Sunday night.

    “They parked at the other side of the road and spent about 30 minutes on each day.

    “I don’t know what they were up to. On the second day, they left after Governor Babatunde Fashola saw them and made a call. I have not seen them again since then,” he said.

    The General Officer Commanding (GOC) 81 Division,  Major – General Tanmi Dibi, said his men were on regular patrol across the state.

    He said the Army at the weekend began its routine “show of force”, which is an exercise embarked on whenever there is election.

    He debunked the allegation that soldiers laid siege to Tinubu’s residence, arguing that Governor Fashola was aware of the ongoing patrol across the state.

    He said: “How can anyone accuse the army of laying a siege to Bourdillon or Asiwaju Tinubu’s place? That is most untrue. Soldiers attached to the security outfit Operation MESA and other task forces have been on general patrol across the state.

    “The entire Ikoyi, Victoria Island and Lekki are being patrolled. Even on the Mainland, my men have been patrolling. They have been keeping awake while the masses are asleep to ensure that we continue to enjoy the peace and security we have in Lagos.

    “Even the governor is aware of these patrols or is he now saying he does not like the efforts being made by security agencies in the state? Is he saying they don’t like the peace and security we have been working hard to sustain?

    “Politicians must endeavour to leave the army out of politics. It is not good when soldiers are doing their best and different meanings are read into their action.

    “I am not saying it is not possible my men stopped at Bourdillon. There is the possibility they must have stopped there in the course of their patrol but that does not mean they have been deployed there or have invaded the place.”

  • Jonathan scheming for two-year extension, says senator

    Jonathan scheming for two-year extension, says senator

    •APC faults polls postponement

    The March 28 and April 11 elections may not hold because President Goodluck Jonathan is planning a two-year tenure extension, Senator Babafemi Ojudu (Ekiti Central) said yesterday.

    Ojudu spoke at a social discourse organised by the Afenifere Renewal Group (ARG) at the University of Ibadan (UI).

    The programme was in honour of former Ekiti State Governor Kayode Fayemi, who turned 50 on Monday.

    The senator said Nigeria was on her way to “a very long night.”

    “We are entering into a very long night in Nigeria. If anybody thinks there will be election on March 28 and April 11, he is deceiving himself. They are just deceiving us. The body language of some top leaders is that the Federal Government is not willing to organise any election now.

    “We are resuming next week. I will not be surprised if they bring a motion seeking postponement of the election for six months because of the Boko Haram war. Interestingly, about 80 per cent of senators are not returning. And senators are broke. All they need to get the motion adopted is a simple majority. Then, they may ask for two more years. That is what they are working towards.”

    Ojudu said All Progressives Congress (APC) members and other progressives had not been speaking against it in public because they believed it was absurd.

    When asked how APC lawmakers and others planned to tackle the challenge, the senator said they would regroup next week in preparation for resumption in the National Assembly to coordinate efforts to respond appropriately to the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) alleged hidden agenda.

    He said the Yoruba must clamour for the change that is appropriate for their aspirations and values.

    The ARG faulted postponement of the election, alleging moves to Balkanise the country.

    In his closing remark, the ARG Chairman, Hon. Olawale Oshun,  said  the position of the ARG was that the election shift was not about elections but about preparing the ground for military take-over or Balkanisation of the country. He rejected both agenda, saying the ARG and the Yoruba would not support such.

    Oshun said: “It is in this light that we in Afenifere Renewal Group, and by extension, the Yoruba, contend that this election shift is certainly not just about elections. We believe that the postponement is about something more sinister.

    “This postponement had long been foreseen by Nigerians, and we had awaited its doomed arrival in awe. The Federal Government and  its security agencies have been fighting Boko Haram in the last five years, and had not, at any time, dealt that enemy of state any sucker punch.

    “The first sinister motive we suspect is that this postponement might be the ground to prepare a soft surface for a sympathetic group within the Armed Forces to take over the reins of power, since in character and content there is little to distinguish the present rudderless government from the one that ruled us till 1983.

    “It is necessary to warn that the Yoruba would not be part of any country that is forcibly taken over by any military insurrection, no matter the direction or purpose of any such self-styled messiahs. We as a people know what we want, and this is clearly not part of it. This is definitely not the change we as a people would clamour for.

    “If for any reason, Nigeria ceases to be ruled democratically, or would be Balkanised into smaller groupings, then we Yoruba people would rather go our  way and choose to become an independent nation. This is a change we would agitate for.”

    The guest lecturer, Rotimi Akeredolu, who traced the history of the country and how it came to this condition, also called for true federalism.

    Akeredolu said: “Our people appear fully mobilised for change. It has become the theme song in the land and even the cynical are waking up to the realisation of the possibility of having a change in government soon.

    “It is not going to be sufficient to have a new government, which will be prepared to continue with the old ways of doing things. We must depart from the path of over dependence on the government for everything. Now is the time for all true Yoruba sons and daughters to insist on being different.

    “We must never compromise our firm belief that it is through true federalism that our region can rise again. Development is about the people. We must be able to set our priorities right.

    “We must no longer subscribe to inexplicable tardiness in realising our dreams for development. We must join others to discourage those who have turned politics into a full time job. Only our best should be encouraged to come forward to represent our people. Our over dependence on oil is the bane of our society.”

    At the event were Mrs. Bisi Fayemi; soccer legend Segun Odegbami; Asiwaju Bisi Adegbuyi; Prince Oye Oyewumi; Mr Ayo Afolabi; Dr Femi Orebe and the Director General, Development Agenda for Western Nigeria (DAWN) Commission, Dipo Famakinwa and the Orangun of Oke-Ila, Oba Adedokun Abolarin.

     

  • Soldiers deploy APC in Okorocha’s office

    Soldiers deploy APC in Okorocha’s office

    There was tension in Imo State yesterday when hundreds of women mobilised by Minister of State for Education Prof. Viola Onwuliri attempted to breach the Government House security during a protest against Governor Rochas Okorocha’s administration.

    Soldiers allegedly invited by the Minister also heightened the apprehension when they brought and positioned their Armoured Personnel Carrier (APC) at the entrance of the Government House and allegedly assaulted Okorocha’s supporters, who opposed the women protesters.

    The governor and the junior minister have been at logger heads.

    The women, who were said to be widows, gathered  as early as 6.30 am on Okigwe Road, chanting anti-Okorocha slogans. They marched on the Government House, bearing a mock coffin. They were dispersed by security men attached to the Government House.

    Thereafter, a detachment of soldiers from the 34 Artillery Brigade stormed the Government House and descended on officials identified by the protesting women.

    The governor who arrived at the scene in the peak of the commotion, accused leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state led by the minister, of hiring thugs dressed in women attires from neighboring Abia State to “burn down” the Government House.

    Okorocha, who was escorted to the venue by thousands of women and youths, noted that the soldiers invited by Mrs. Onwuliri beat up innocent people and created tension among the staff of the Government House.

    He said: “Onwuliri claimed to have the support of President Goodluck Jonathan to seal off the Government House, so she invited soldiers to beat up innocent people and this will not be accepted. Her mission was to set the Government House ablaze, using soldiers to perpetrate the crime.”

    The governor, who pleaded with his supporters to remain calm, insisted that the protesters were not indigenes of the state but were mobilised from Abia State to cause chaos in Imo State.

    He urged the President to call the minister and PDP leaders to order to avoid the wrath of the people on them.

    “The Army should not allow itself to be used to truncate the nation’s democracy. If they try this again, they will see the wrath of Imo people,” Okorocha said.

    The Commander of the 34 Brigade, Brig.-Gen. L.M. Bello, who said he was present at the scene, said soldiers were invited to disperse the crowd and restore peace. They did not assault anyone as claimed, he said.

    Gen. Bello said the soldiers helped to disperse the crowd that posed a security threat around the Government House.

     

  • APC to Jonathan: Elections’ shift, one of your jokers

    The postponement of the February 14 presidential election to March 28 by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), has been described as one of President Goodluck Jonathan’s jokers to suppress the influence of the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    But the move by the Presidency will not deter the opposition party from gaining victory in the March and April elections.

    Speaking with The Nation on Tuesday in Awka, Anambra State, the Secretary of the party in the state, Chukwuma Agufugo, said what the government of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) did was a kind of calling the referee to change the goal post at the middle of a football match.

    He said that PDP government hoodwinked INEC into taking such decision in order to make Nigerians to lose hope in the electoral process.

    He said,“This is the time for change the masses of Nigerians have been yearning for, this is the time people have been waiting for God’s intervention in Nigeria and nobody can change that, postponement or not.

    “What Jonathan and INEC have done is shifting the date of a funeral, but they cannot raise the dead, everybody is yearning for change and that is what APC is bringing to them.”