The Nation Newspaper

Tag: APC

  • Niger APC condemns clampdown on journalists

    Niger APC condemns clampdown on journalists

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State condemned yesterday the clampdown on journalists in Niger State.

    The Publicity Secretary, Jonathan Vasta, in a statement in Abuja said the government has blacklisted five journalists. The Nation correspondent, Jide Orintunsin, has been barred from the Government House.

    Vasta said: “The correspondents of Thisday, Aisha Wakaso, Leadership, Abu Nmodu, Blueprint, Aideloje Ojo, Daily Trust, Aliyu Hamaham have all been blacklisted by the Niger State government.

    “The government told the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) that it has suspended its relationship with journalists.

    “While Niger people are managing to cope with the seven years of mal-administration, seven years of misery, seven years of pains and waste of state resources, the government wants to use its remaining nine months to harass and cage journalists from expressing their freedom.

    “APC therefore urged the members of the press not to relent in the pursuit of their professional duties, no matter the amount of intimidation and blackmail.

    “Journalism is not a crime; freedom of the press is freedom of the people.”

    The statement said it is only a leader with poor records of performance and human management that will resort to harassing innocent citizens and journalists.

  • 2015: APC to challenge PDP in Gombe

    2015: APC to challenge PDP in Gombe

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has declared that there is no vacancy in the Gombe Government House next year. But, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is seriously pushing for power shift. Correspondent VINCENT OHONBAMU writes on the struggle for power in the Northwest state.

    The stage is set for an epic electoral battle in Gombe State. Ahead of  next year’s governorship poll, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) are flexing muscles. To the PDP governor, Alhaji Ibrahim HassanDank-wambo, there is no vacancy in the Government House next year. But, in the view of the APC leaders, the state is ripe for power shift.

    In the ruling party, there are few governorship aspirants warming up for the primaries. But, a source said that the governor will be endorsed by stakeholders for a second term. “We are prepared for the challenges of primaries and we will ensure that there is no crisis after the primaries,” said the source, who is a PDP chieftain.

    Next year, the governor will complete his first term. There is no face-off between him and the party. Monarchs, community leaders and interest groups have applauded him for his achievements. Dankwambo, they believe, has stimulated economic growth in the Northeast state and restored public confidence in government.

    But, the opposition does not share this view. The APC has criticised the administration for implementing policies that do not have any bearing on the life of the people. Senator Danjuma Goje, who is the leader of the opposition, has vowed to displace Dankwambo and install an APC governor. But, the main task now is the choice of the flag bearer.

    APC governorship aspirants include Alhaji Umar Kwiranga, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya, Alhaji Murtala Aliyu and Hon. Usman Bayero Nafada. A party source said party leaders are leaving no stone unturned to ensure that the best man is chosen for the job. “All the aspirants are good and sellable, but we at the party level are seriously weighing our options to ensure that the best of them  emerge because we don’t want to leave anything to chance,” he said. Another source said that Nafada appears to be the towering figure, adding that the odds may favour him. “He is most likely to be considered because the majority believes he would make a good governorship candidate. Above all, he has the wherewithal to boost the chances of the party at the general elections.” he stressed.

    The former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives is very popular at home. He is the former Speaker of the Gombe State House of Assembly. He is unassuming and down-to-earth. The former teacher has strong connections with the grassroots because of his large-heartedness and concern for the wellbeing of the ordinary people. A party chieftain described him as the answer in 2015. According to him, the former Deputy Speaker has experience and good records.

    Also, Nafada believes that the APC has to fulfill its promise to give a sense of belonging to defectors. While in the PDP, his senatorial ambition in the North District was shut down. Also, at the governorship primaries, he was edged out.  A chieftain said: “Nafada can be trusted to consolidate on the popularity and achievement of the party leader, Senator Goje,  considering that he is a grassroots politician. Most importantly, he could be a better manager of people, judging by his wealth of experience in human management and his concern for others.”

    However, other aspirants are not relenting in their efforts to get the ticket. The chairman of AshakaCem Plc, Alhaji Umar Kwairanga, is making serious efforts. According to sources, this green horn is loved by many people because of his open-heartedness and willingness to assist the poor. He is honest and always carries people along in all his undertakings. His employees at  AshakaCem  testify to his managerial ability and sense of purpose.

    But, his undoing is that he is new in politics. His naivety may cost the party its ambition and the chapter does not want to take chances. others have said that he is close to many PDP leaders. Thus, they perceive him as a PDP agent with a mandate to get into the mainstream of the party and use his influence to destabilise its agenda.

    The President of the Nigeria Institute of Quantity Surveyors, Alhaji Murtala Aliyu, is a serious contender. He is showing interest in the job 11 years after he failed at the governorship primaries. Many have described him as a true democrat. But, like Kwairanga, he is a green, horn. The former Minister of State for Power, who lost the PDP ticket for the 2003 governorship election to Goje, went into oblivion, shortly after his defeat. Many people said that he was frustrated and scared by Goje. That he is back in the same boat with Goje only goes to confirm the saying that  there is no permanent foe in politics, but permanent interest.

    Besides, Murtala’s ‘indigeneship’ of Gombe State and the sincerity of his intention have been doubted by some inddigenes. Their grouse is that, despite his affluence and influence, he does not have any landed property or  investment in Gombe State.

    Moreover, since he declared his interest he has not been visible. Thus, party followers do not take him seriously.

    But, Alhaji Inuwa Yahaya is seen as a serious contender. Born with a silver spoon in his mouth, he is a shrewd businessman and an investor.  In 2011, he contested the PDP primaries. But, he was defeated by Dankwambo.

    It is believed that his closeness to  Goje, under whose administration he served as the Commissioner of Finance for eight years, is an added advantage.

    Apart from that, his late father  contributed to  Goje’s campaigns, especially in 2003. Sources said that there was an agreement between the old man and Goje that Inuwa would succeed him in 2011. But, that agreement, if it ever existed, was breached when the ticket for the 2011 race was given to  Dank-wambo.

    When he could not make it in the PDP, he decamped to the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC). Later, Goje pleaded with him to return to the fold.

    Yayaya is confident that he will get the ticket. But, his associates fear that history may repeat itself.

    Those jostling for APC ticket are from Gombe North Senatorial District. Hence, the issue of zoning does not arise.

    However, some of the aspirants have “Plan B.” Bayero and Inuwa  are prepared to accept senatorial ticket, if they fail at the primaries, a source said.

    If the PDP does not put its house in order, if may become the opposition party next year.

     

  • After Nyako, what next for Adamawa?

    After Nyako, what next for Adamawa?

    Adamawa State is gearing for a governorship by-election in  October to elect the impeached Governor Murtala Nyako’s successor. The two major parties, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC),  have gone back to the drawing board. Deputy Political Editor RAYMOND MORDI highlights the factors that will shape the poll.

    The exit of Murtala Nyako as governor of Adamawa State has thrust the state on a journey towards political uncertainty. Keen observers  of Adamawa politics say it is difficult to predict what the political future of the state is likely to be. The recent impeachment has altered the political equation. As a result, politicians have gone back to the drawing board to restrategise for the proposed governorship by-election in about 90  days, to elect a successor to Nyako.

    Adamawa is home to some founding fathers of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). The party has ruled the state since the return to civilian rule in 1999. Nyako, former Chief of Naval Staff, former Chief of Naval Staff and former military governor of Niger State, was elected on the platform of the PDP in 2007. He dumped the party for the APC in November, last year at the height of its leadership crisis. This perhaps, explains why the ruling party at the centre is anxious to regain  control of the state.

    Nyako has has indicated his intention to seek redress in court. The lacunae pointed out by Nyako include the method used to serve the notice of impeachment on him. The notice was published in newspapers after the Acting Chief Judge, Justice Ambrose Mamadi had rejected the Assembly’s request for substituted service, which he declared unconstitutional, insisting they (Nyako and Ngillari) must be served personally.

    The impeached governor’s camp believes the process of impeachment was marred by illegalities. These include the contravention of court order restraining the Assembly from continuing with the impeachment. But the PDP maintains that the impeachment was carried out in strict compliance with constitutional provisions and that no illegality was committed.

    In the view of keen observers, the exit of Admiral Nyako as governor  is a boost for the PDP’s aspiration to regain control and a loss for the opposition. But, analysts believe this may not the final word about which party would hold sway in the state following the unceremonious exit of Nyako. A fresh rift brewing within Adamawa PDP over aspirations for the forthcoming governorship elections, they say, may be the party’s biggest undoing. The former Deputy Governor, Bala James Ngilari, has already fallen victim of this fierce battle.

    The manner in which Ngilari was shoved aside has been identified as a possible threat to the PDP . The former deputy governor is fast becoming the enemy within for the ruling party. He reportedly sent a letter of resignation to the Speaker, which was read on the floor of the House, minutes before Nyako was impeached. Unless the PDP succeeds in papering the cracks, a possible litigation over how Ngilari was sidelined could be politically damaging for the party, as it prepares for the governorship poll and the 2015 general elections.

    The controversy over Ngillari’s resignation started when Nyako issued a  statement, through his spokesman, Ahmad Sajo, describing it as illegal because he (Ngilari) did not notify him. Nyako argues that the law requires that the deputy governor submit his letter of resignation to the governor, who will in turn transmit same to the House. Ngilari has since confirmed, through statements attributed to him in the media, that the purported resignation letter read on the floor of the  House of Assembly was obtained under duress. Less than 24 hours after the impeachment, Ngilari said: “The truth is that I have not sent any letter of resignation to the governor up till now because representatives of the House only came to my house yesterday asking me to tender my resignation and address the letter to the Speaker of the House, which I did.”

    Before that, the deputy governor had gone to court to clarify whether the investigative committee constituted by the chief judge to probe him and Nyako had power to summon him. The case is still pending in court and its outcome may determine whether the whole process followed an acceptable norm or not.

    Apart from the threat of litigation, another development, which may turn the hands of the clock against the PDP, if not properly managed, is the politics surrounding the deputy governor’s exit. What transpired, it is said, was the triumph of the interests of some powerful governorship aspirants who do not want the former deputy governor to become the governor, after Nyako’s exit. That the deputy governor is a loyal party man was not in doubt. He was the only key party figure standing, when the entire political structure defected to the APC along with Nyako. He refused to follow his boss to the new party. Naturally, he should have been the main beneficiary of the intrigues and power play that consumed Nyako.

    According to close observers, as the plot against Nyako gathered momentum, the Presidency, which is a key stakeholder in the Adamawa impeachment drama, had penciled Ngilari down as the heir to the throne. But, powerful stakeholders  including some governorship aspirants, rejected the choice, fearing that the deputy could consolidate his hold and have an edge in the governorship election. So, the Presidency had no choice but to jettison the idea.

    Observers say a man who took such a principled stand to remain loyal to the party is not likely to accept the betrayal without a challenge. “This miscalculation could cost the party immense loss in the coming elections, particularly since the deputy governor is believed to be popular in the zone, which also produced former governor, Senator Boni Haruna,” a source told The Nation.

    Besides, the rift over the  governorship race, it is said, may tear Adamawa PDP into shreds, if selfish interests of individual stakeholders are allowed to prevail. Indications are that powerful godfathers have already started fixing things for their candidates at Wadata Plaza and in the Presidency. Many aspirants have  indicated interest in the job and some of these contenders have powerful backers. Campaign posters, according to reports, now litter the streets of the capital and other major cities. The aspirants are also competing for attention at the grassroots, engaging in consultations with relevant stakeholders.

    Some of the aspirants include Dr. Umar Ardo, an academician; Aliyu Idi Hong, a former Minister of State for Foreign Affairs and a protégé of Professor Jibril Aminu; Awwal Tukur, son of former national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, and a former member of the House of Representatives; General Buba Marwa (retired), former military administrator of Lagos State; Marcus Gundiri, a popular politician in the state and Senator Abubakar Gurei.

    These aspirants have been eyeing the governorship for a long time. So, it is likely to be a fierce battle. For instance, Senator Girei has been in the contest since 2003 when he insisted in participating in the primaries against the wish of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar after other aspirants stepped down for Boni Haruna. He also aspired in 2007 alongside Nyako.

    Dr. Ardo contested in the last primaries with Nyako and challenged the result at the Supreme Court. He has been an active member of the PDP Stakeholders and Elders Forum and he was a key player in the fight to remove Nyako. Marwa and Gundiri are not new to the Adamawa governorship race, having aspired to govern the state under different political platforms.

    Observers however, believe that the battle for the party’s ticket is likely to be a straight fight between Tukur and Marwa. Marwa was a former member of the PDP; he had pitched tent with the defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) because he was denied the governorship ticket in 2007. He contested the 2011 governorship election in the state under the CPC platform and returned to the PDP in April 2014 when he realized that he might not get a fair deal in the contest for the party’s ticket under Nyako’s leadership of the APC in the state.

    The ambition of Tukur, on the other hand, has been controversial because of the role of his father. This was a factor when he was removed as the PDP chairman. This factor was also instrumental to the recent impeachment of Nyako. While the older Tukur was rooting for his son, Nyako was rooting for his own heir, Abdul-Aziz,  Tukur, using his power as the national chairman, dissolved the  party executive led by Nyako’s ally, Minjiyawa Kugama. This crisis generated in the wake of the dissolution compelled Nyako to defect to the APC with other anti-Tukur forces.

    Nyako’s exit has plunged the APC into uncertain political future. Some insiders believe that the fortunes of the APC  declined as a result of Nyako’s larger-than-life influence. The decision to handover the leadership of the APC to the former governor, following his defection from the PDP, did not go down well with original members of the party like Marwa, Gundiri and others. Indeed, most of the APC leaders who received Nyako when he was declaring for the APC at the height of the PDP crisis have jumped boat for the sake of their political survival.

    It was the former governor’s bid to actualise the governorship ambition of his son that put him on a collision course with major stakeholders. This led to the exodus of such members to the PDP; even members of the state House of Assembly, who had earlier indicated interest to follow him to the new party, had to jettison the idea at the last minute when it was obvious that their interest was at stake.

    With his unceremonious exit, the leadership of the APC has naturally transferred to Atiku, whose influence is not in doubt. A divided PDP will surely enhance the APC’s fortune. Already, the Atiku Support Group, a political group formed to actualise the aspiration of the former vice president, has begun grassroots mobilisation across all the local government areas. The APC under the leadership of Atiku has already started talking to some PDP members who had defected from the APC as a result of alleged marginalisation by Nyako and his henchmen, to prepare ground for their return to the fold, should they find their ambition unrealizable in the PDP. How far Atiku would go in his effort to rebuild the party remains to be seen.

    Aside from Atiku’s effort to rally members of the party for the by-election, the influence of former Head of State and National Leader of the APC, General Mohammadu Buhari, would also count in shoring up the fortunes of the party, ahead of the decisive governorship election. Nyako took his supporters to join the APC secure in the knowledge that the  opposition party is going to be the party to beat in 2015 general elections because of the influence of General Buhari, who has a big following in the state. Nevertheless, his influence on Adamawa politics in the next couple of months would depend on who gets the party’s presidential ticket. This is in spite of the fact that Buhari has pledged to abide by the party’s choice, if he fails to get it.

     

     

  • APC: new thinking will end insurgency not $1b loan

    APC: new thinking will end insurgency not $1b loan

    •Party seeks enquiry into defence budgets

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the application of new and imaginative thinking will enable the Federal Government to win the war against Boko Haram insurgency.

    The party noted that innovative ideas should be applied to fight Boko Haram, instead of the Federal Government “sticking to the same old way of doing things”, which its US$1 billion (about N165 billion) loan request represents.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC noted that no reasonable person would argue against buying modern weapons and other needs for the military.

    But it added that “it is important to complement the military campaign against Boko Haram with political, social and economic measures, especially because a sustained military campaign, dating back to 2009, has failed to end the crisis”.

    The statement also said: “Between 2010 and 2014, US$14 billion has been allocated for defence, security and the police. This year alone, the total is US$4 billion. Now, if US$14 billion has not clipped the wings of Boko Haram in five years, what difference can US$1 billion make, if thrown into the crisis in the same old way?

    “If the Federal Government has not accounted for how it spent US$14 billion allocated to the security, defence and police in the past five years, why should it be given the green light to borrow another US$1 billion? If the US$14 billion has not done much in upgrading military and security facilities in five years, what impact can US$1 billion suddenly make? These are some of the questions we want the National Assembly to ask before giving the Federal Government the go-ahead to plunge Nigeria into another round of external debts.

    “Talking of new and imaginative thinking, it is generally agreed that the causes of the Boko Haram crisis are deep in the years of bad governance that have created an army of unemployed youths in the Northeast, the epicentre of the crisis; the years of bad governance that have meant many that millions of youths are uneducated and unemployable; and the years of bad governance that have resulted in dilapidated infrastructure, lack of social amenities, inadequate schools and a total disconnect between the government and the governed.

    “Yet, the Federal Government, which has only allocated a paltry, insulting N2 billion (US$12.2 million) for its misguided ‘Marshall Plan’ for the Northeast, is asking for US$1 billion to buy new weapons to fight Boko Haram! Imagine what a substantial fraction of US$14 billion can do to the efforts to uplift the Northeast, put children back to school, give the youth life-enhancing training and put the army of unemployed beyond the reach of the extremists who recruit and indoctrinate them to kill, maim and destroy?

    “Imagine what even US$1 billion can do in making the ‘Marshall Plan’ for the Northeast a real Marshall Plan, rather than what it is now: a disappointing lip service to tackling the root causes of the Boko Haram insurgency. Imagine how far US$1 billion – not to talk of US$14 billion – will go in helping to win the hearts and minds of the people in the battle against Boko Haram? This is what we mean by new thinking, instead of just throwing money at an endless and increasingly ineffective military campaign.”

    APC warned that by continuing to put undue emphasis on military campaign and military campaign alone, the Federal Government is signalling a hardening of position, indicating that the crisis can only be resolved by a military campaign and foreclosing negotiation.

    The party noted that unfortunately for the Federal Government, nowhere in the world has insurgency been defeated purely by military campaign, not even by the world’s most powerful militaries.

    It said: “We challenge the PDP-led Federal Government to name places in the world where terrorism was successfully defeated by military means alone. Events in Northern Ireland, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Somalia, Kenya, among others, have shown that there is always a limit to the ability of the military to crush insurgency. Even with some of the world’s best militaries (U.S.A, UK, France, among others), terrorism is never successfully defeated militarily. The way to go is effective counter-terrorism, which is about winning hearts and minds, not winning battles.

    “This is why the National Assembly must show the highest degree of patriotism and commitment to national security by demanding how the billions of dollars thrown at the Boko Haram crisis so far have been spent; what, in specific terms, the Federal Government wants to do with a new loan of US$1 billion and demanding a comprehensive counter-insurgency plan that includes measures to tackle the socio-economic undercurrents of the Boko Haram crisis in the Northeast in particular.

    “As we have warned in our earlier statement, putting more money in the hands of an incompetent and massively corrupt administration can only encourage more incompetence and corruption. Giving a blank cheque to this administration, without asking it to account for the past budgetary allocations for the security and defence, will not help the nation’s fight against terror.”

     

     

  • 2015: Rivers APC raises 11 strategy committees

    2015: Rivers APC raises 11 strategy committees

    •We’ll win, say Amaechi, Abe

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has set up 11 strategic committees and two ad hoc committees to ensure its victory in next year’s elections.

    Governor Rotimi Amaechi said this yesterday at the inauguration of the committees at the state secretariat in Port Harcourt.

    The senator representing Rivers Southeast, Magnus Abe, who spoke on behalf of members of the committees, said APC would deliver in next year’s elections.

    The State Chairman, Davies Ikanya, said the APC had been advocating the politics of inclusiveness, which he said is lacking in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    He said the inauguration marks the beginning of change in the state.

    The committees and chairmen are Research/Planning (Senator Magnus Abe); Contact (Dr. Dakuku Peterside); Electoral Matters (Ezemonye Ezekiel-Amadi) and Monitoring (Dr. Dawari George).

    Others are Finance (Dame Aleruchi Cookey-Gam), Political/Voters’ Education (Vikki Nyeche), Legal Matters (Worgu Boms), Publicity/Media (Ibim Semenitari), Mobilisation (Chidiebere Okwuworlu), Disciplinary (Senator Wilson Ake) and Security (Ade Adeogun).

    An ad hoc committee with Allwell Onyesoh as chairman will move round the state and see what the APC is doing and report to the SWC.

    The other, headed by Igo Aguma, will monitor the performance of the 21 local government caretaker chairmen.

    The governor, who was represented by his deputy, Tele Ikuru, said: “You must adequately mobilise Rivers people, because we cannot continue to be slaves.

    “Rivers State must be liberated and the only way we can liberate the state is to bring about positive change here.

    “Being a member of any of these committees is not an accident. It is deliberate. It is calculated. It is planned.

    “The party is in your hands, individually and collectively. The success of this party, from this moment, is in your hands.

    “The works you would do will determine if we are going to succeed or fail. Do the works as if they are the last you would do on earth.”

    Abe admonished members of the committees to do their utmost. He urged the people to ignore the “ranting” of the PDP leaders of “capturing” the state next year.

    The senator said: “We will work day and night. At the end of the day, APC will be delivered in all the elections that will be held in Rivers.

    “We will deliver APC in the presidential election in this state, in the governorship election, Senate and the House of Representatives, all the 32 members of the House of Assembly and chairmen of the 23 councils.

    “Leaders of the APC across Rivers State are gathered here. Those of us who have been selected for these assignments, we want to thank the party, for counting us worthy to be able to contribute to the growth of the APC in Rivers State.

    “We want to assure you that we will do our best to ensure that we do not disappoint you.

    “We willbring in persons who have not been named, as we need them and we recognise their potentials. We want to ask that you give us the power to incorporate extra hands, where needed.”

     

  • Nobody can defeat Ajimobi, APC in 2015

    Nobody can defeat Ajimobi, APC in 2015

    The run up to the gubernatorial election in Oyo State in 2015 promises to be interesting as the major political parties gear up for the polls. The man to beat is the incumbent governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi. But a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Caretaker Chairman of Ibadan North East Local Government, Mr Ladi Oluokun, says no matter the efforts of the opposition, the governor will get a second term. He spoke with TAYO JOHNSON in Ibadan.

    When did you come to political limelight in the state? 

    I joined active partisan politics in 1998 and I was a strong party member of the defunct Alliance for Democracy (AD).Mark you, I have never cross-carpeted into any other party since I opted for partisan politics. I am a consistent individual who detest political prostitution.  I joined partisan politics because I have been exposed to how it is being played in the western world. Politics is to serve the people and this is my aspiration which is to bring smiles to the faces of people who are suffering in the society. This prompted me to team up with the progressive elements who are passionate about changing the society for the better..

    What is your focus in relation to development as Ibadan North East Local Government boss?

    Let me first appreciate God the author and finisher of our faith. I also sincerely appreciate Governor Abiola Ajimobi and the people of Ibadan North East Local Government for giving me this wonderful opportunity to serve them. I hereby reiterate my pledge that I will not let the governor and my people down  Looking back after over a month now in  office, I would say that my people have been exceptionally wonderful in terms of support from them.  They have cooperated with us in achieving all we have done.  The journey has been so tough, rough and challenging. I give glory to God because of the cooperation and motivation as well as encouragement of the people of the council.

    There is a proverb that says uneasy lies the head that wears a crown. What are the challenges of occupying this position?

    In governance, the major challenge is fund.  What we are getting from the federal government is far below what should be coming to us.  We only rely on internally generated revenue and Governor Ajimobi has been great in that aspect because he doesn’t touch our money but he is always concerned about the development of the council. He has given us an example of prudent management of our resources and we prioritize all our activities We must, however, serve despite the little resources coming to us.  We need to alleviate the sufferings of the people. We are following the good example of our governor.

    How would you describe your working relationship with Governor Ajimobi?

    It has been very cordial, exciting and challenging. When you are serving under a hard working Governor who knows his onions, you have to be on the alert. This is a governor who is passionate about changing the face of the state which he met as one of the dirtiest states in the country. You can now imagine how Ibadan the state capital has become one of the neatest cities in Africa. First, working with Senator Abiola Ajimobi for the development of Oyo State has been wonderful. I see the governor as somebody who puts God first in whatever he does.  He also has the love of the people at heart.

    Many developmental projects are going on in most parts of Oyo State. Ibadan North East Local Government is not an exception.ý He has put in place the establishment of Ajumose football viewing centres to reduce youth restiveness. In this local government council, the distribution of eight transformers to eight communities has become a reality; namely, Oranyan, Oje, Odejayi, Idi-Ape, Aderibigbe, Sunmade, Eru-Omu and Surulere, while three police stations that got generating sets are, Agodi, Agugu and Testing ground in Iwo-road.ý Also we have ongoing bridge construction at Ile-kunkun, Onipasan area among others, all within my two months in office.

    The crisis in Oyo APC has taken a new turn with the defection of some of its key members to opposition parties, is this not going to affect APC in 2015?

    Your question is indeed a funny one to those of us in the party. Some of the defectors have no electoral value. I am not saying all of them. They cannot win anything even in their wards .Some of those defectors have been made to see reasons that they would be regarded as prostitutes if they insisted on leaving the progressive party but we are still trying to persuade them on why they should remain with a winning team despite their weaknesses. But let me tell you, APC is not at all rattled with the movement of some of those members to the Accord Party or PDP, though it is clear that the few members who decamped from APC are the aggrieved. The process of bringing them back to the APC is on course and I can assure you that they will return to the party. History offers us a great lesson. When you look at the history of Oyo politics, there has never been a time that a new party won election. Even Governor Olusegun Mimiko of Ondo State, who won election on the platform of LP utilised a lot of human resources from the Peoples Democratic Party. Even in families we do quarrel among our small members but later we will solve it amicably. Let me assure you that they will come back to where they truly belong.APC remains a party that would strengthen their weaknesses. What is important is tolerance of one another. The sacrifice which we are paying now will be highly rewarded later. So, my strong appeal to them is to come back home in the interest of their people in the state.

    Former Governor Alao-Akala has recently joined the governorship race on the platform of PDP with other aspirants in the opposition party who have all boasted that they will win the governorship election in 2015. Is this not a threat to Governor Ajimobi’s re-election bid?

    There is nobody that can defeat Governor Ajimobi in the next governorship election in the state. His achievements are unprecedented and unmatched by previous governments in the state. The first noticeable achievement of the incumbent government was restoration of peace to the state. He has brought an end to the era of brigandage and violence .Peace has been restored not only to the hitherto crisis-ridden transport union (NURTW) in the state but he has been sustaining the peace. The entire state is now peaceful bringing an end to the culture of violence. You can see the anti crime outfit called ‘’Operation Burst’’ which is being used to check mate the activities of criminals in the state .You would recall how many lives were lost because of avoidable scramble for power between factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW). The governor ensured that government did not get itself involved in the affairs of the motor union.

    Apart from this, roads have been widened and infrastructure generally given facelift. This was in the area of environmental beautification. The state has never had it so good. Ibadan the state capital has been completely changed and this is a credit to the foresight of this government.

    As to the legislative arm of the government, you can see the harmonious relationship among the members. The executive and legislative arms have since his assumption of office, been collaborating with each other thus paving the way for all round development in the state. There is no unnecessary interference bythe executive with the legislature and the leadership of the House under the Speaker, Alhaja Monsurat Sunmonu, has been doing wonderfully well and deserves to be commended for achieving what men could not achieve. The achievements of Governor Ajimobi, honestly speaking qualified him for a second term with less campaigns .Frankly speaking,ý and without being sentimental, Neither Ladoja nor Alao-Akala should be allowed to return as governor of Oyo State because they would bastardise all the good things that this selfless and patriotic governor has put in place to sustain the Pace setting status of the state. Do you know how many speakers Oyo State had during Ladoja and Alao-Akala’s administrations? It was bickering and confusion all through with nothing concrete achieved in terms of law making and oversight functions of the House. Now, the difference is clear

    Are you not aware of the popularity of Accord party in the state?

    Ladoja’s Accord party is only popular in a tiny part of Ibadan and little is heard about it in other parts of the state. So, he is no threat to Ajimobi neither is Alao Akala who has not even been picked by PDP as its gubernatorial candidate.

    What is the future of APC in Oyo and Nigeria as a whole, bearing in mind that you just lost Ekiti State to PDP?

    Our future is bright and we are not going to give up but will keep progressing. What happened in Ekiti State was the militarization of the masses and a day light robbery of people’s mandate. Such will not repeat itself in Osun State. In Oyo State, APC is standing aright and no opposition party can shake our stand. The citizens of the state are very wise and they can see the wind of transformation blowing in all sectors in the state and they will not allow any party to come and destroy it. APC has come to rescue Nigeria from the abyss she had been flung into by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Believe you me, rescuing Nigeria was a mission that must be accomplished and the surest way of achieving this was through a merger of the opposition parties to beat PDP at the 2015 polls. We shall not be intimidated by PDP’s plan in 2015 but we shall continue to achieve our mission and vision by delivering the dividends of democracy to the people, not just on the pages of newspaper but by seeing it happening in concrete terms.

  • ‘We ’ll double youth employment under Aregbesola’s second term’

    ‘We ’ll double youth employment under Aregbesola’s second term’

    OSUN State All Progressives Congress (APC) will not relent in providing more jobs for youths as well as take transformational programme across the state, if Governor Rauf Aregbesola wins August 9 election.

    The Deputy Director, the State Bureau of Communication, Mr. Sola Fasure, who spoke to The Nation in Lagos, explained that the APC-led administration plans to create more jobs through self-empowerment programme.

    Fasure said the government engaged about 20,000 youths in the last three and half years, adding that a new mandate for the governor would take no fewer than 20,000 more youths off the streets.

    The deputy director expressed satisfaction that Aregbesola would remain “popular because he is a grassroots’ governor.”

    His word: “If it is about stomach infrastructure, Governor Aregbesola has put in place stomach infrastructure in the state. You will recall that for almost three years now, he puts in place an O’meal programme, whereby primary school pupils are being fed, the aged are being catered for and the youths being engaged.

    “The programme is so successful that the British parliament sent a delegation to know about it, with the intension of recommending it to other states in Nigeria.”

    Fasure added that government would complete the construction of ongoing roads and undertake new ones to make the state accessible from all parts.

    He added that the construction of the airport would open the state to local and international businesses, making Osun the new business hub of the Southwest.

    He said the state’s growing agricultural skill would be harness to conveniently feed the people and export to other states that are in short supply of agricultural produce.

    Fasure also noted that the effort would make impact in other sectors.

    “If you develop agriculture, the processing industries will develop around such environment. So, if you set up one industry, this may lead to the emergence of other 10 industries.

    “Already, the construction of the airports is nearing completion; the super highways are advancing simultaneously. We are going to take our education to a higher level,” he said.

     

  • Rights group to Fed Govt: deploy military troops for poll

    Rights group to Fed Govt: deploy military troops for poll

    AN Osun State-based human rights group, the Centre for Human Rights and Social Justice (CHRSJ) has urged President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan and the National Assembly to deploy military troops to provide security for the people’s lives and property” before, during and after the August 9 governorship  election.”

    CHRSJ Executive Chairman, Comrade Adeniyi Alimi Sulaiman, spoke in a statement in reaction to the suit filed before the Federal High Court, Lagos Division by the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) to restrain the Federal Government from deploying military personnel during the poll.

    Sulaiman maintained that the failure of the appropriate authority to provide adequate security during the governorship poll may spell doom for Osun.

    He described the action as misuse of judicial process that lacks moral justification, insisting that Nigerians were not ripe for non-deployment of military personnel during the elections because of the violence-related attitude of politicians during any poll.

    The group also made its position known against the alleged gun-stockpiling by the political players ahead of the poll slated for August 9, saying that the security agents must not take the allegation with levity.

    Sulaiman called on the Inspector-General of Police and Department of State Security Service (SSS) to probe the circumstances surrounding the alleged arrest of some thugs recently in Ilesha.

    It urged the security agents not to take the issue of security with lightness.

     

  • PDP plans to lure voters with expired rice, APC alleges

    PDP plans to lure voters with expired rice, APC alleges

    OSUN State All Progressives Congress (APC) has warned on alleged plan by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to lure the state’s residents and voters with expired bags of rice.

    The party said  PDP chieftains in collaboration with the Nigerian Customs warehouse in Ikeja, Lagos have loaded trailers filled with thousands of bags of expired rice confiscated several months ago from smugglers.

    The trailer loads of rice, according to APC Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy, Kunle Oyatomi, are meant for distribution to Osun voters.

    The party said competent sources from the Customs revealed that the bags of rice were unsuitable for human consumption.

    “Osun citizens should therefore be warned that their lives are at risk from PDP poisoned rice,” the party said.

    The party added that it had warned citizens earlier of PDP’s boast that they would win the election with a bag of rice and at least N10,000 to each voter.

    The APC noted that it was not clear what the PDP intended to do by bringing expired rice to repackage and distribute to Osun people.

    “Osun people are not hungry and they will not sell their birthrights for stolen public money which the PDP want to distribute in towns and villages of Osun.

    “Those who love their lives should be careful because the PDP will stop at nothing, including the distribution of poisoned rice to win election,” the statement added.

  • REC collected N44.3m from PDP, Niger APC alleges

    REC collected N44.3m from PDP, Niger APC alleges

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Niger State has accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Emmanuel Onucheyo, of collecting N44.37million from the government.

    It said Onucheyo has reduced the commission to a state parastatal.

    The Publicity Secretary, Jonathan Vatsa, in a statement in Minna yesterday said the REC lacks the credibility to conduct free and fair elections  due to his romance with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)-led government.

    Vatsa said: “Apart from the frequent private visits to political office holders, the REC has continued to make financial request from the government for organising workshop, seminar and embarking on enlightenment campaigns.

    “The unfortunate aspect of some of these workshops, seminars or enlightenment campaigns is that INEC has never included any opposition party.”

    APC alleged that the governor approved N44,375,850 for INEC to organise what it called “National Inter-Agency Advisory Committee on Voter-Education and Publicity (NICVEP)”.

    According to the statement, the REC in his proposal for the Advisory Committee on Voter Education and Publicity said “The Niger State government under the able leadership of the chief servant is hereby invited to consider and approve as follows; intensive voter education as prelude to INEC’s conduct of continuous voter registration and issuance of permanent voter cards.

    “Approve the above strategies and their implementation in Niger State and the sum of N44,375,850, being the amount required for the implementation of these programmes and activities.

    “Please direct the release of N44,375,850 to the committee for timely execution of the programme and activities enumerated above”.

    The opposition alleged that the committee, which was inaugurated on June 5, following the release of funds, has begun work.

    But Onucheyo denied making any request for funds  from either the commission headquarters or the government.

    He, however, admitted writing a letter to the government for the formation of the committee as directed by the Chairman, Prof Attahiru Jega.

    “I have never requested or collected any fund from the Commission or Niger State government for the advisory committee.

    “ I only sent a letter to the government dated May 7 as directed by my chairman for the formation of the committee.

    “The letter highlighted the membership of the inter-agency advisory committee, I am not responsible for who represent these agencies,” Onucheyo said.

    When asked for the source of funding the committee, the REC said: “The committee as at now is functional.

    “No money has been released from either INEC or state government.”

    But the Secretary to the State Government, Sheidu Idris Ndako, said the government released N28.7million to the committee and not N44.37 million as alleged by the opposition.

    The SSG said a committee was formed based on the directive from the INEC National Headquarters as conveyed to the government by the REC.