Tag: APC

The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday  condemned the alleged  plan by the advocates of the postponement of the February general elections to sponsor protests across the country against the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as a way of forcing the commission to shift the elections.

In a statement issued in Lagos ,the APC National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said those pushing for the elections to be shifted are also seeking to instigate the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members who will serve as part of the ad-hoc staff for the INEC during the polls to say they do not feel safe to be part of the elections in certain parts of the country.

It said even if the NYSC members refuse to participate in the elections in certain parts of the country, which will be within their right, there will be no shortage of those willing to serve as ad-hoc staff

”It has also come to our notice that these election-shift proponents are holding clandestine meetings with various groups, including a section of the media, to recruit them for their dubious campaigns to force a postponement of the election,” the APC said, adding, however, that all the plots  of the election-shift advocates will fail, as Nigerians have seen through them and have stepped up their collection of PVCs in readiness for the elections,” the APC said.

”The assurances by the INEC, that 65 million PVCs are now ready and that the remaining 3.8 million will be ready in due course have heightened the belief among Nigerians that the electoral umpire is indeed willing and able to conduct the elections as scheduled.

”That is why we are surprised that instead of encouraging Nigerians who have not done so to go and collect their PVCs, instead of heeding the advice for the declaration of a three-day public holidays to enable working-class people to collect their PVCs, all they are interested in is how to sponsor various dubious individuals and groups to stage protests against the INEC.

”The PDP has variously said it is ready for the elections as scheduled, but not once has it urged Nigerians to go and collect their PVCs, knowing full well that the problem now is more of collection than anything else. The Presidency has also not made any effort to encourage Nigerians to collect their PVCs. Instead, it has been openly pushing for the elections to be shifted on the basis of inadequate PVC distribution, as shown by the call in London recently by the National Security Adviser.

”Undoubtedly, public funds have been deployed to sponsor ‘talking heads’ to make the TV rounds to parrot the lies that over 30 million voters are yet to collect their PVCs, when the INEC has said 42.7 million out of 68.8 million PVCs have been collected, and that it will distribute PVCs until the eve of the polls. These anti-election antics are too glaring for Nigerians not to notice. The dirty tricks point to one and one thing only: The PDP and the Presidency are mortally terrified of the elections being held as scheduled because they know they will surely lose,” the APC said.

The party asked the INEC to urgently decentralize the distribution of the PVCs to the polling units to enhance collection efforts, while appealing to Nigerians to make extra efforts to collect their PVCs so that the PDP and the Presidency will run out of excuses for trying to dodge the elections.

”On our part, we will continue with our campaign for Nigerians to collect their PVCs, and we hereby re-state our stand that under no circumstances shall we accept the postponement of the elections. We are ready for the February 14 and 28 general elections,” it said.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday alerted Nigerians of alleged plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stop its presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, from contesting the election athrough kangaroo court injunction.

Its Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the plot has confirmed that the ruling party is jittery and afraid of imminent failure.

He spoke to reporters in Lagos that a rash of court cases have been instituted in an unrelenting effort to frustrate APC and Buhari by elements he described as compromised fronts.

Mohammed warned against the consequence of compromising the courts, saying that it is dangerous for democracy.

He added:  “At the last count, at least four cases have been filed by those who are undoubtedly fronting for the PDP and the Presidency, and all are working towards the same goal: stop Buhari, scuttle next month’s elections. We expect more cases to be filed in pursuit of this ignominious objective.”

Mohammed recalled that Buhari emerged as the APC candidate at a transparent primary election in Lagos, adding that he has met all the requirements to run for the Presidency.

He said although the PDP expected the APC to be enmeshed in controversy over the choice of a vice presidential candidate, the emergence of Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) as Buhari’s running mate has been hailed by Nigerians.

The Publicity Secretary also said that Buhari also triumphed over his foes who had fuelled the speculation that he has no secondary school certificate.

He lamented that the PDP and the Presidency, which manipulated court workers to embark on strike to stop the courts from hearing cases that could be detrimental to Dr, Jonathan, have also manipulated the same elements to end the strike so that the cases against Buhari could commence.

Mohammed said: “This stop-Buhari-at-all-cost campaign is being pursued simultaneously with the push to postpone next months elections, ostensibly because of the low level of PVC distribution, but in the real sense, an implementation of the mindset of the Presidency never to hand over to Gen. Buhari, and then, of course, set up an interim government .”

He added: “It is in view of the multiplicity of court cases at this late hour that we have decided to alert Nigerians to the execrable plan of the PDP and the Presidency. We have also decided to appeal directly to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to stoutly defend the independence and integrity of the judiciary at this critical moment, to avoid a repeat of what transpired in 1993 when unscrupulous elements constituted themselves into the infamous Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) that was used to annul the 1993 general elections, thus aborting the Third Republic and throwing the country into a deep and prolonged crisis.

“The rumour mill is spinning fast. Stories abound of a huge war chest of 100 million dollars being earmarked to grease the palm of any pliable Judge who can disqualify Gen. Buhari and halt the electoral process. We do not know whether or not this allegation is true, but we do know that Nigerians do not want to return to ‘Egypt’. We have been down this road before with disastrous consequences, and we do not want to tread that path again. Never before has so much been deployed just to stop the candidacy of just one man!

“While we are at this, may we also alert Nigerians and the global community to the systematic denial of visas to foreign journalists wishing to cover next month’s election. A regime that has nothing to hide or fear will not hesitate to allow international coverage of what is undoubtedly one of the most important elections in the world this year! Information reaching us indicates that most of the foreign journalists who applied for visas to travel to Nigeria, from different parts of the world, for the elections have been kept in abeyance under the guise of security clearance. This is totally unacceptable, and it is another indication that this Administration has a lot of skeletons in its cupboard as far as the forthcoming election is concerned. We ask local and international observers to take note of this, and to immediately take the Administration to task with a view to ameliorating the situation.

“We will like to ask the PDP and the Presidency: Why are you so frightened by Gen. Buhari’s candidacy for the office of the President? Why are you so terrified of facing Gen. Buhari at the polls? Why have you been engaging in a clandestine campaign to postpone the elections, when on the other hand you claim to be ready? If Gen. Buhari ran in 2003, 2007 and 2011, and there was never an issue with his meeting the pre-requisite qualification, why have you made it an issue now? Is it because you have realized that he is poised to shellack President Jonathan at the polls? Why is an interim government an option when Nigerians are willing and eager to vote next month?

“While we will continue to appeal to our members and supporters to remain calm, we call on them, and indeed all Nigerians, to be vigilant, knowing that eternal vigilance is the price of liberty. We urged the CJN to be a bulwark against the abuse of the courts just to achieve a pre-determined end.

“We call on the international community to take note of the multi-faceted campaign to stop Gen. Buhari at all cost and scuttle next month’s elections to pave the way for an interim government that will benefit no one but the PDP, the Jonathan Administration and its cronies.”

The Presidential Campaign Organisation of the APC  also  alerted of an organised plan to use the court to scuttle the forth coming elections to pave way for the declaration of a six month state of emergency in the country.

The organisation, in a statement in Abuja said the Jonathan-led government has prepared Judge to rule that the APC Presidential Candidate lied on oath that his certificates are with the military and therefore disqualify him  from participating in the election.

The statement signed by Director of Media and Publicity of the campaign, Mallam Garba Shehu, said the counter arguments by the APC candidate’s counsel on the issue would not matter because the particular Federal High Judge has been prepared to do a dirty job.

He added that the calculation of those planning the evil was the pronouncement of disqualification of the APC candidate is expected to precipitate spontaneous violent protests across the country. Which will then enable President Goodluck Jonathan who is the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate to declare a six-month state of emergency.

Shehu said further that the three-week long strike action by the Judiciary Staff Union of Nigeria (JUSUN) was embarked upon on the prodding of the PDP-led Federal government as a way to stymie any higher Court upturning of the lower Court pronouncement which ruled on President Jonathan’s eligibility to contest the February 14 election.

He alleged that the same trade union has been procured to open the Court to allow for this Court Pronouncement in disqualifying General Buhari from contesting the elections.

“We are aware of the intense desperation of the PDP-led Federal government of Dr. Goodluck Jonathan in desiring to retain political power at all costs despite his and his party’s overwhelming rejection by the Nigerian people, ahead of the 2015 general election.

The APC Campaign organisation called on the International community to prevail on this obviously agitated presidency not to plunge the Nigerian State into avoidable intractable crisis.

THE All Progressives Congress (APC) said yesterday that its presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, will not attend the public debates organised by the Nigeria Election Debate Group (NEDG).

It alleged bias and a campaign of calumny against its presidential candidate, the interest of the party and its other candidates by some of the key organisers of the debates.

But the party’s candidate, however, promised to attend others without the toga of government’s control.

Spokesman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Mallam Garba Shehu, said in a statement made available to The Nation in Abuja that the debate was fraught with fundamental errors from the outset.

The APC claimed that the organisers were mainly agencies and allies of the incumbent Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) administration.

The statement said: “A salutary inspection of the composition of NEGD brings into focus the Broadcasting Organisation of Nigeria (BON), National Television Authority (NTA), Federal Radio Corporation of Nigeria (FRCN) and the Africa Independent Television (AIT), owned by a PDP chieftain.”

The party added that “the avalanche of inflammatory statements, misinformation and blatant lies being propagated by some of these media against our party and candidates, contrary to the Koffi Annan brokered Abuja Peace Accord, and the failure of these aggressors to desist and apologise,” left the APC campaign with no option than to steer clear of any premeditated smear campaign that could be inimical to its “prospective electoral success”.

Shehu explained that the decision to boycott the debate should not be seen as disrespect to Nigerian voters or an alibi for the party to dodge public scrutiny.

But, he said it must be viewed as an honourable way of not being party to any activity that could distract, demean, denigrate or derail the fast-moving train of the party.

He described the APC as a party of progressive intellectuals, genuine technocrats, successful businessmen and women as well as eminent and courteous people of honour, who would never condescend to the level of “sadistic gutter propaganda” in the “name of political exigency and crass opportunism”.

He lamented that many government-controlled media have clipped the wings of APC’s promotional advertisements on one excuse or the other, adding that, until a court upturned their decision recently, the Nigerian Communications Commission (NCC) shutdown some telecoms portals for soliciting legitimate campaign funds from members of the public for APC.

“Aside, elements close to sitting President Goodluck Jonathan have commissioned series of derogatory and death threat advertorials against the person, family and associates of the opposition leader, General Muhammadu Buhari, to which the APC had sent letters of complaint to the Inspector General of Police, the Director General of State Security, Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the erring media that published or aired such offensive adverts or documentaries.

 ”None of our letters of protest has been attended to by the authorities. So, whatever the incumbent president wants to do with the instrument of state to harass members of the opposition into humiliating submission would not work. The APC/Buhari campaign is now a people’s movement. The more they try to undermine it, the more popular we are with the populace.

“We are not shadow-chasers or moonwalkers. The APC is concerned mainly with the lack of unity and security in Nigeria; plus the growing decimation of lives, property and territory of our great country due to preventable insurgency; the slumbering economy; decaying educational system; absence of jobs; poor public health; and the cancerous institutionalisation of corruption in our national life. You can’t fool the people all the time. Nigerians will vote out their oppressors on February 14,” the APC said.

The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State has accused Governor Ayo Fayose of buying Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs).

The party claimed that the governor was wooing students and artisans with money, warning them not to surrender their cards to the governor and his agents.

The APC, in a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said: “News reaching us now is that Governor Ayodele Fayose has started visiting artisans and students, demanding their PVCs in exchange for cash.

“Recently, the governor visited the School of Health Technology, Ijero; College of Education, Ikere; State University, Ado-Ekiti and some other institutions where he deceived students to surrender their PVCs for cash.”

Olatunbosun reminded the students that the challenge before them goes beyond immediate pecuniary advantage.

“What is Fayose doing with all these PVCs? The governor has asked teachers to submit copies of their PVCs front and back. He wants to repeat the electoral fraud he perpetrated in the June 21 governorship elections, which is still being contested in court.

“We urge our teachers not to patronise this evil plan. Ekiti teachers should extract a written commitment from Fayose to restore teachers 27.5 per cent peculiar allowance, 20 per cent core subject allowance and 20 per cent rural posting allowance introduced by Fayemi to show that he is serious and not that he is using them for electoral gains.

“Your PVC is the only power you have to decide your future. Once you submit the photocopy of your PVC, it will be cloned and will become useless to you on Election Day. Be warned! Don’t give the photocopy of your PVC to anybody for any amount.”

The APC spokesman warned artisans to be wary of Fayose’s directive asking them to bring their PVCs in exchange for the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) loan for Small and Medium Scale Enterprises, stressing that the programme had been processed by the Fayemi administration.

He said it was fraudulent for Fayose to now use the loan to deceive the artisans into collecting their PVCs.

“The public should know that the loan will be paid back and it is not for political patronage so they should not be deceived by this. On no account should they submit their PVCs or the photocopies,” Olatunbosun warned.

But the Special Assistant to the Governor on Information, Youth and Sports, Lanre Ogunsuyi, who denied the allegation, said Fayose does not need to buy voter cards before winning election for President Goodluck Jonathan.

The aide said the governor enjoyed enormous goodwill and support from the people.

Ogunsuyi said: My principal does not need to buy people’s love. You will recall that even before he was governor, his souvenirs were being bought by supporters.

“He has no reason to buy voter cards from the same people, who have demonstrated their love for him in the governorship election.

“Since assuming office, he has been showing his love for the people through ‘stomach infrastructure’ , construction, payment of salaries and searching for jobs for the unemployed youths in federal agencies and the N2 billion SMEs loans for youths, market women and artisans. They are going to support President Goodluck Jonathan come February 14.”

The camp of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State was depleted yesterday with four prominent leaders from Akure South Local Government leading thousands of their followers to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The leaders are former Special Assistant to the Governor on Special Interest, Ifedayo Ologunmeta, former Chief of Staff to the Akure South Chairman, Tayo Dada, PDP Ward Auditor, Abayomi Akinbode and Femi Balogun.

Speaking on behalf of the defectors at the APC State Secretariat in Akure, Ologunmeta said they decided to join the APC because two of their indigenes emerged as National Assembly candidates.

Ologunmeta said in the history of the town, no Akure son or daughter has been elected senator.

The former Mimiko’s aide lauded APC for allowing an Akure indigene, Chief Tayo Alasoadura, to emerge as its senatorial candidate, urging indigenes to vote for APC candidates.