The Nation Newspaper

Tag: APC

  • Omens of Ekiti politics

    Omens of Ekiti politics

    IR: That governance in Ekiti State today is like the proverbial bird which perches on an unsteady rope is a fact indisputable. Prominent among the problems of the new government in Ekiti State is the irreconcilable differences between the executive and the legislature, if the judiciary has maintained its calm and, hopefully, its independence.

    While the seven PDP minority members of the State House of Assembly have irregularly impeached the speaker and his deputy, the 19 APC majority members have stuck together in absentia, and they are now reported to be back in Ekiti, sitting and performing legislative functions that, understandably, overturn the legislations of the minority ‘House’.

    Whereas this drama sets the true lovers of Ekiti State worrying, the politicians in Ekiti State seem to derive some sadistic joy from it all, as in a murderous game of wrestling or a tug-of-war.

    One question that the spectators in the Ekiti drama must have been asking rhetorically is:  why can’t the executive and the legislature forge ahead in governance if, basically, they are all Ekitis who are perhaps the most homogenous group of people in Nigeria?

    The answer to this question is easily traceable to the nature of man. Man can be recalcitrant if fooled and cheated, just as he would do everything possible to cover his tracks if he has successfully, willingly wronged a fellowman. Invariably, what follows an unresolved foolery, the type that was suspected in the Ekiti governorship election of June 21, is a quagmire, if anarchy is cleverly avoided like the Ekitis are patiently doing.

    The amount of ominous emotion that both the PDP and the APC have displayed about winning the presidency in 2015 should caution us that election rigging may devastate our nation in 2015; and that we must find a way of preventing election rigging.

    The omens can obviously be worse than just having an executive versus legislature kind of drama in Abuja and, besides, the time has come for Nigeria to embrace true democracy as a way of life; for democracy is, by itself, an arbiter or peacemaker, if allowed to prevail. Side-tracking it can always be catastrophic. Let’s be warned.

     

    • Jide Oguntoye,

     Oye Ekiti, Ekiti State    

  • COMMENTS

    COMMENTS

    For Segun Gbadegesin

     

    I agree with you that we need some fundamental and structural changes to reduce the powers of the central government for the better. But, beyond that, Nigerians need attitudinal change more than anything else, especially among our leaders. For any kind of structural change or adjustment in our political system to be of effect, there must be attitudinal change in the managers of our common patrimony, failure of which things would ever remain business as usual. The PDP is not as terrible as it is today because of the name, but because of the horrible attitude of those in the party. That is why, inspite of the seemingly patriotic tendencies of the APC, many Nigerians still want to maintain a wait-and-see attitude to what will eventually come out from the party’s lofty policies and blueprints. Hence,  its members were also drawn from the  same Nigerian leaders, after all. From Emmanuel Egwu.

    Sir, your write up on “APC: Championing the change we need”, is fantastic! Let’s all pray that our thoughts on achieving greatness for this our Great Nation (Nigeria) come to realities. From Adebayo Oladosu.

    The people’s general, please send Nasir el-Rufai to fct for your campaign for just one day because fct indigenes trust him. From Yeriman Talakawa, Abuja.

    What a write up ! Godbless you, Segun. Anonymous

    Most Nigerians can’t wait to laugh at  you Yoruba, after 2015 elections. Keep wasting your time. Anonymous

    May Almighty God, in His infinite mercies, lead you to great happiness and blessings without measure in Jesus’ mighty name. Amen. Very best wishes and high regards. Jesus is Lord, sincerely. From Efuntade Alani Olusegun.

    Thank you, sir, for your article.  From O Samuel

    Re: “APC: Championing the change we need.” Naturally, when we don’t like something, it is assumed that we have a feeling of hatred and that particular thing we hate and dislike becomes a burden in our life. The only solution is to look for a change that will shape our lives and make us comfortable and this is what has been happening since 1999 that the PDP had been in power and a lot of bad things have occurred. Reluctantly, the people keep enduring in the hope that, one day, the necessary change that we need will come.

    Thank God, since the advent of the APC in the political arena, there is going to be light at the end of the tunnel, come 2015, when hunger, poverty, economic degradation and insecurity in the land will be totally eliminated from our society. What we need is an independent electoral commission that will not connive with the incumbent to subvert the will of the people by using government machinery to rig and manipulate the election. We should learn a lesson from Ghana about what happened during their last general election when the opposition party came to power for the first time in Africa through an election devoid of rigging. From Prince Adewumi Oyeromade Agunloye

    Thanks for your article. All Nigerians and not only the APC owes Asiwaju a deep sense of gratitude. In fact, the Jagaba has turned out to be the hero of our democratic experience in the past 15 years. From Aliyu Abubakar Gwandu – Abuja

    Please, we need more of this article in the daily news to give major support to Buhari to win 2015 election. We  don’t need a puppet leader controlled by a woman. I’m not a politician, but ever since Buhari won the primaries, I have gone out to speak to people to come out and vote for him. We don’t need goodluck, but God’s luck . Kudos to Tinubu. From  Pastor (Engr) Wole Ogundare

    Indeed, Nigerians have suffered in the hands of this  democratic gangsters, who cannot proffer solutions to the problems Nigeria is faced with politically, economically and security wise. The emergence of Gen.Buhari and his running mate, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, obviously, is a clear sign for the PDP and the occupants of the State House to pack their bags and baggages out and surrender before the election, to write his name in Gold. From Barr.Stanley Orlu, Port Harcourt.

    Sir,   please help  educate   the  younger  Nigerians  about  Gen. Buhari .   That,   those  who  do not  want  Buhari ‘s   presidency  are  the  most  corrupt  citizens  in  our  midst.    From   Ayeke  Ayeke,  Port Harcourt. 

    Your article: “APC: Championing the change we need”,  deserves some comendations. First, it points to the fact that Nigerians need a change and the change can only come from the APC. Secondly, Nigerians need a true democracy and the rule of law. APC deserves our votes come February 2015 Presidential election.  From Andy Oghene Alele.

    For Olatunji Dare

    Buhari is the best candidate Nigerians should not miss to fight corruption, insecurity and social vices ravaging the nation. We should try to  get it right by electing credible people to elective positions, irrespective of party affiliations, to move the nation forward. From Gordon Chika Nnorom, Umukabia, Abia

    Your article captioned:“Dear General Muhammadu Buhari” is timely and eloquent in delivery. It is more like a lesson that all true Nigerians must learn. It is a good advice to the addressee. God bless.  From  Udobong.

    Truth will ever remain and maintain itself. Coming generations in the next 200years that read your words of wisdom will use them as reference points. Article written in 2007 has remained constant as the Northern Star at the tail end of 2014. Congratulations. From Y K Ojo

    I read your article  at the back of NNP 16/12/2014  on Gen. Buhari and all you raised in the article. You can organise a media chat to tell the whole world  how he will deal with the issue because it is still relevant. From Prophet. Ajayi Akure

    I love your write-up; it is still relevant just to remind our  General when he moves to Aso-Rock. More grease to your elbow. From Jolaoso Afolabi

  • Compel PDP to publish list of campaign fund donors, APC tells INEC

    Compel PDP to publish list of campaign fund donors, APC tells INEC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prevail on the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to make public the list of those who donated N21 billion to its campaign funds and the source of such money – in accordance with the Electoral Act.

    Deputy National Chairman Senator Lawal Shuaibu told reporters at his Abuja home that the law does not allow anybody to take government money on political campaign, pointing out that if a governor takes money from a state’s account and donates same to campaign funds, INEC has the responsibility to sanction the PDP for that and even prosecute such a person.

    He said the Electoral Act makes it mandatory for persons donating money to campaign funds to make public the source of such funds, adding that such funds will not come in sacks or bags, but will come in form of funds transfer, cheques or bank draft.

    He said: “If the Independent National Electoral  Commission is serious about enforcing the provisions of the Electoral Act, the first thing they will do is to ensure that every member of the PDP who pledged a donation at the find raising, the receipt is produced by the party and the individual or organisation must show INEC the source of the money.

    “This is the law and the Electoral Act is very clear about this. When a governor says he has donated N1 billion, it must not be from government coffers. INEC knows that the governor has no right to take the people’s money and donate.

    “The National Chairman of the party Muazu said part of that money will be used to complete the national secretariat and the rest will be used for campaign at all levels. There is provision in the laws that says you can use government money meant for developmental projects for political campaign.

    “So, the party should show us the receipt issued to each donor by the party and let us see the accounts of the PDP because such money cannot come in bags and sacks, but through some instruments.

    “We must know the source of that money. If comes from government account, government has responsibility to sanction the PDP or prosecute the person who stole government money for political campaigns. In our own case, we intend to do fund raising, which is going to be very transparent. Whoever donates money, we will publish it so that the whole world will see.”

    Shuaibu said many Nigerians were donating to the campaign funds of Gen. Muhammadu Bihari. “People are making donations through that website and through the account number provided. Like I said,we are going to publish everything because we want to make our source of funding as transparent as Nigerians may not even have expected because we are talking about change. We want to change systems and the practices and what has been the norm,” Shuaibu said.

     

  • Senator Zagi returns to APC

    Senator Zagi returns to APC

    The Kaduna State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said Senator Caleb Zagi, who represented Southern Kaduna Senatorial District from 2007 to 2011, has defected to the party, from the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Zagi dumped the PDP in 2011 for the opposition but returned to the PDP few months ago before dumping the party for the second time this week.

    Kaduna State Publicity Secretary Dr Bege Katuka told reporters in Kaduna that the party’s leadership had accepted the senator defection.

    He said: “We have formally received Senator Caleb Zagi back to our party. It is a good development. We are pleased with his return to where things are working.

    “Zagi explained deeply that it was a second chance he gave the PDP. But on going back to the PDP, the internal democracy mechanism he thought would be addressed was a mirage. The imposition of candidates and outright bending of the party’s rules is still the order of the day.

    “There is nothing empirical that shows that the development and welfare of Nigerians is their focus. Instead, it is just power for selfish interests and causing havoc for Nigerians. It was for these reasons we are in the same direction and on the same page (with Zagi).”

  • Oyo APC to Folarin: you’re bad news

    Oyo APC to Folarin: you’re bad news

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has described the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate, Teslim Folarin, as bad news in the politics of the state.

    In its reaction to an interview which Folarin granted yesterday, Oyo APC’s Director of Publicity and Strategy Olawale Sadare said the former Senate leader had further compounded his credibility problem in the polity by exposing himself as an unrepentant desperado and master of double speak.

    Sadare said: “In the said interview, the PDP candidate revealed how Governor Abiola Ajimobi’s sense of justice and fairness saved him from imprisonment in a murder case. On the other hand, the same Folarin claimed that the governor was a non-performer.

    “By implication, the APC administration has been able to clean the Augean Stables brought into the state by PDP gladiators. As a matter of fact, a sincere mind would celebrate this feat alone even if nothing has been added to it,” the APC said.

    The APC said it was time for Folarin to reap his barren eight years in the Senate, which it said was unproductive and non-beneficial to the state.

    “This was the same Senate leadership position which Senator Olusola Saraki held in Kwara which catapulted him to the zenith of acclaim. Folarin occupied same and cannot point to any significant contribution he made in the lives of the people,” the APC said.

    “In view of the foregoing, we are taken aback by Folarin’s outbursts. We urge him to concentrate on repairing the damage that his emergence as a governorship candidate of the PDP has caused his party and face the court process in that regard as it is still a subject of controversy.

    “We urge him to refrain from his usual refrain of misleading the public by making false claims in the media. The good thing about this current outburst is that, each attempt by Folarin and his ilk to denigrate the person of the governor falls flat on its face as the people remain resolute in their determination to settle for continuity and consolidation in 2015.”

  • APC reaffirms Umana as Akwa Ibom governorship candidate

    APC reaffirms Umana as Akwa Ibom governorship candidate

    The Akwa Ibom State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it is satisfied with the outcome of the governorship primary that produced the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), Umana Okon Umana, as its candidate.

    APC’s State Publicity Secretary Samuel Udobong spoke with our correspondent on phone in Uyo, the state capital.

    Udobong, who was reacting to some reports that the Akwa Ibom APC did not hold a primary, said the reports were attempts by detractors to destroy the party’s progress and good image.

    The APC chieftain urged the people and the party’s national leadership to ignore such reports.

    According to him, the reports did not come from the state leadership of the party and the other governorship aspirants have accepted the outcome of the primary with a resolve to ensure its victory in next year’s elections.

    Udobong said: “The party wishes to point out that those spreading the falsehood are not actually leaders of the APC, as they claimed in the reports. We have Godwin Akwawo Warri as the APC chapter’s Chairman in Eket and not Mkpombuk Tommy.

    “The party has, therefore, warned those involved in the misconduct to stop forthwith as it will not take it kindly with any of its members working against its success and unity.

    “Akwa Ibom APC is seen as a big, united family working towards a common interest. This is not the time for infighting. It is not the time to start working against each other. Rather, it is a time for us to stay together and ensure the change we have been clamouring for.

    “Our collective effort to Akwa Ibom people from untold hardship and poverty must remain our major concern now that the election dates is just around the corner.

    “As members of the APC, we must always remain focused and positive so that we do not fall prey to the plots by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which claims to be the predominant party in Akwa Ibom, to destabilise and sow the seed of discord in the APC to stop us from realising our goal to take over the Hilltop Mansion in 2015.”

  • Buhari’s Twitter handle draws 14, 000 followers

    Buhari’s Twitter handle draws 14, 000 followers

    THE All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), has, in less than few hours after opening his official twitter handle @ThisIsBuhari, attracted over 14, 000 followers.

    Indications also emerged yesterday that he has promised to respond to tweets personally with GMB as a sign that the replies emanated from him.

    Buhari, in a tweet, said: “I and my office will speak to you from here. Personal tweets will be signed GMB. This is a start of a conversation to change our country.”

    Many Nigerians were attracted yesterday after they discovered the tweets.

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar urged his followers to follow the APC candidate on the social media.

  • ‘Power shift imminent’

    ‘Power shift imminent’

    A member of the Board of Trustees of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Sam Nkire, has said that power shift is imminent, urging Nigerians to vote for the party in next year’s general elections.

    Reflecting on the APC presidential primaries, he sdaid there was no victor and no vanquished.    Nkire said the party would remain a united family pursuing a common goal.

    According to him, the primaries gave the presidential aspirants the opportunity to campaign for the APC and expose the incompetence of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Nkire said General Buhari  will defeat President Goodluck Jonathan at the poll. He said  the flag bearer will prove enemies of the party wrong by running an all-inclusive campaign.

    Urging Buhari to effectively manage his success at the shadow poll, he said Nigerians look forward to the election with eagerness and hope for a better Nigeria.

  • As APC seeks to outflank PDP

    As APC seeks to outflank PDP

    The emerging political behemoth, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has every cause to celebrate the successful poaching of five governors, and their electoral worth, from the troubled behemoth, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Many have argued that the country is approaching a state of balance of political terror, with two strong political parties as contenders. That may even prove more correct as far as our country’s political fortunes are concerned, unless the new APC is able to engage in Pauline conversion of the strange bed fellows that it has welcomed to its fold. Of course, the wish of this column that the APC will engage in bottom up expansion of membership based on defined ideology has suffered another major set back, with last week’s development.

    But building ideology based political parties is not completely a lost cause. After all who could have contemplated the possibility that through deft political maneuver, the leadership of three completely diverse political parties, at least as far as public perception is concerned, namely the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Congress of Progressive Change and the Action Congress of Nigeria, with a stump of All Progress Grand Alliance, could agree to collapse their structures to form a single political party, the APC. While commentators were still relishing that unprecedented political feat in our country, the APC leadership has again boldly struck a severe blow on the over confident PDP by appropriating a sizeable chunk of its sagging bulk, to add to its own already bulging weight.

    So I join other Nigerians to invest hope that the leadership of the two major political parties, particularly the new APC would sit down, to draw programs that is in accordance with the provisions of chapter II of the 1999 constitution – fundamental objectives and directive principles of state policy. With the tantalizing possibility of gaining power by the APC and the sobering possibility of losing power facing the PDP, there is a huge chance, that the two major political parties, the APC and PDP may begin to context for power based on ideas instead of manipulation as in the present. The new APC or even the PDP can boldly tantalize the electorate by promising to make chapter II of our constitution justiciable, that is, enforceable against the Nigerian state in the same manner as the provisions of chapter IV of the constitution, dealing with the fundamental rights of any person living in Nigeria.

    As Nigerians celebrate the reduction in the potency of the PDP to abuse its privileges, with the emergence of an expanded APC, let me yet again, rehash my prayers, in my piece on this page on August 6, titled: congratulations to APC, “as we relish the possibilities with the new party, it is of paramount importance, in my humble view, for APC               to immediately define its position on those national issues that has held our country down. For instance what is the position of the party on access to quality education, employment and housing? What will the party do with our lopsided federation, with regards to the ownership of natural resources, national infrastructure, federation account and cost of governance, police and the so called indigenship?”

    The new APC will need courage and plenty sagacity to deal with the challenges of helping to remake Nigeria, particularly with the nature of its present make-up. My prayer is that it will not be bogged down by internal challenges and contradictions, which have been the bane of the PDP. As things are, our politicians have scant regard for the welfare of the ordinary Nigerians, and as I have severally argued on this page, the cankerworm of corruption cuts across the political parties, and not much national progress can be made without first dealing with that. Unfortunately with the near abolition of political divides, corrupt political practices are as much a problem in PDP as it will be in APC. The challenge is even more worrisome as it is presently near impossible to determine with certainty, who sincerely belongs to which party, in spirit and in body.

    As things are, there is a substantial obfuscation of the dividing line between the two political parties in Nigeria, the APC and the PDP, and what they stand for. Former Osun state Governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, capture this comic tragedy. On Tuesday last week, the Osun Prince, was joyously embracing his former political foe, Chief Bisi Akande, the chairman of APC, as he joined other defectors to celebrate their new membership of APC. In the photo shot, with the leadership of the APC, he was standing shoulder to shoulder with Governors Rotimi Amaechi, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Murtalo Nyako, and several other former PDP top shots, while the spirit of Wammako Aliyu, and Abdulfatah Ahmed hovered around.

    Surprisingly while partisans where yet to recover from the reverie of downed champagnes, to celebrate the new births and the attendant hangover (that word again; apologies to Dr. Reuben Abati, the presidential spokesperson, who has quarreled over such allusion to his principal, who recently allegedly celebrated his birthday in far away London, and became indisposed the next day); Prince Oyinlola was on air, claiming that he was still a member of the PDP and its National Secretary to boot. That means that while he has joined APC, he still retains his position in PDP. With what a senior friend appropriately called a poker face, he made those claims.

    In the days ahead, it is going to be a handful to determine those who are moles and those who are members of either party, whether the APC or the PDP. In the meantime, may I congratulate the leadership of APC, particularly Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for the unparalleled successes; while praying that their tectonic maneuvers should profit Nigeria.

    This piece published last December is republished to underscore Ribadu’s adventure in PDP.

     

    •This article was previously published on this page

     

     

     

  • APC to Fayose: Stop treating Ekiti people like beggars

    APC to Fayose: Stop treating Ekiti people like beggars

    … APC full of hypocrites – PDP

    The “stomach infrastructure” mantra of the Governor Ayodele Fayose’s administration sparked a verbal exchange between the opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) and the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday.

    As the two major political parties bicker, the distribution of rice, chickens and vegetable oil continues on Monday in some locations in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital where interested residents turned out in droves to receive “Christmas largesse.”

    The Nation gathered that some of the locations include Governor’s Office, Government House, open field near a popular eatery along Okesa and the state poultry project site along Agric Olope, all in Ado-Ekiti.

    Party leaders and members, civil servants, teachers and commercial motorcycle riders were seen trooping to the designated collection points to receive the items.

    But the APC described Fayose’s stomach infrastructure slogan as “a deceit to treat the electorates like beggars and a deliberate action intended to encourage poverty so that Ekiti people can be subservient to the governor.”

    The APC in a statement by the State Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatunbosun, said, “Fayose has turned Ekiti people to beggars by giving them handouts in form of kwashiorkor-infested chickens not bigger in size than ailing pigeons.”

    He said Ekiti people have now seen “the deceit of a man who said he is a friend of the common man with his callous attitude to the people he claimed to love during the period the people are supposed to be happy.

    His words: “Governor Fayose gave two “congos” of rice and miserable palm oil not up to 1 litre, all totaling N700 to each worker that the governor had earlier deducted N2,000 from their salaries for Christmas gift.”

    The PDP fired back, saying while the opposition in Ekiti is criticizing Fayose for distributing Christmas largesse to the masses, the APC leaders elsewhere are also doing same.

    The party accused the opposition of copying Fayose’s stomach infrastructure policy.

    The ruling party said despite the APC criticisms, “Fayose will continue to run a welfarist government and will continue to identify with the masses by putting food on their tables.”