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Tag: APC

  • APC: Jonathan using Ecological Fund to favour cronies

    APC: Jonathan using Ecological Fund to favour cronies

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused President Goodluck Jonathan of using the Ecological Fund, set up to address the country’s serious ecological problems, as a tool to further divide the ranks of the governors and solidify his reputation as a partisan and sectional leader.

    In a statement yesterday in Oyo by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said President Jonathan’s decision to grant N2 billion each to 17 states, none of which belongs to the main opposition APC and all of which are controlled by governors deemed to be Jonathan’s supporters, negates what he should be: the leader of the whole nation!

    It wondered what kind of coincidence would exclude all the APC-controlled states from being considered for receiving assistance from the Ecological Fund, “when we have it on good authority that our governors even sought such assistance”.

    The statement said: “The N2 billion assistance was given to Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Bayelsa, Benue, Cross River, Gombe, Kaduna, Katsina, Kebbi, Kogi, Ondo, Plateau, Ebonyi, Delta, Enugu and Taraba states.

    “Before then, N5 billion had been given to Akwa Ibom State, ostensibly for ‘urgent matters’ while N8 billion was given to Anambra for the ‘maintenance of the Niger Bridge’; in reality, perhaps a slush fund for the stolen (November 16) governorship election in the state.

    “To the best of our knowledge, even if N8 billion is not enough to construct a second Niger Bridge, it will go a long way. We are yet to see any maintenance to justify such a huge fund that was given for that purpose, further confirming our fears on what the real purpose of that money might have been.

    “It is sad that a President, whose divisive politics helped to break the ranks of the nation’s governors, has now graduated to using funds from the Federation Account to dispense favours to governors he perceive to be his cronies.

    “This is the tragedy of a President who was elected on a Pan-Nigerian mandate but has now turned himself to a sectional, partisan and most divisive leader in the country’s history.”

  • ‘Police disrupting APC rallies in Rivers’

    ‘Police disrupting APC rallies in Rivers’

    Barely 24 hours after men of the Rivers State Police Command fired live bullets and tear gas canisters into a crowd of Governor Rotimi Amaechi’s supporters in Port Harcourt, the security personnel, on the orders of Police Commissioner Mbu Joseph Mbu, have been disrupting the rallies of the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the state.

    The latest victims are traditional rulers and Amaechi’s supporters in Ikwerre Local Government Area.

    Canisters of tear gas were fired at the governor’s supporters but no one was reported injured.

    The policemen allegedly invaded Isiokpo, the headquarters of the Ikwerre Local Government Area, shooting live bullets and tear gas canisters at APC supporters.

    On Monday at the Civic Centre in Rumuigbo, in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, where scores of politicians defected to the APC, the Chief of Staff to the Government House, Chief Tony Okocha; some commissioners and top politicians from the area were nearly killed when the police fired tear gas at them.

    The policemen at Rumuigbo were led by the Divisional Police Officer (DPO) of the Special Area, Rumuokoro, Port Harcourt, Akwuonu Allwell, a Chief Superintendent of Police (CSP). But members of the party resisted the assault.

    Contacted, police spokesman Ahmad Muhammad, declined to comment.

    During the Tuesday show of force by the police at Isiokpo, canopies, chairs, tables and the public address system for the rally were destroyed, while valuables of APC supporters were also confiscated.

    An APC chieftain in the area, Chidi Wihioka, told reporters that the party’s elders earlier informed the police in writing that they would hold rallies.

  • 2014: Okorocha, Ogbeh, el-Rufai, Osoba, Fani-Kayode warn PDP against rigging

    2014: Okorocha, Ogbeh, el-Rufai, Osoba, Fani-Kayode warn PDP against rigging

    •APC mobilisation committee storms Osun

    The National Mobilisation Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday stormed Osogbo, the Osun State capital, to rally support for the party.

    Many chieftains of the party, including Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha; former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman Chief Audu Ogbeh; former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Mallam Nasir el-Rufai; former Ogun State Governor Olusegun Osoba and former Minister of Aviation Chief Femi Fani-Kayode spoke at the rally.

    The Osogbo City Stadium, venue of the rally, was filled with APC members and supporters.

    Some of the Speakers, who spoke in turns, addressed the issue of future elections.

    The party chieftains warned PDP against manipulating next year’s governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states, saying what was done in the last Anambra State governorship poll should not be repeated.

    Ogbeh said the progressives had never been allowed to rule “this nation”, adding that the APC was set to take over power at the centre to better the lot of Nigerians.

    Okorocha said Nigerians should not only vote, but ensure that their votes count in installing the right government.

    He urged Osun people to support Governor Rauf Aregbesola and enable him consolidate on the numerous achievements of his administration.

    Fani-Kayode warned the PDP led-Federal Government against rigging the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun states.

    He said: “The rigging style used during the last Anambra State governorship election would not be allowed in Osun and Ekiti states next year. When the Federal Government did it in Yorubaland in 1964 and 1966, the government at the centre fell. The same scenario was repeated in Ondo in 1983 during the time of the late Chiefs Adekunle Ajasin and Akin Omoboriowo and the Federal Government fell as well.

    “In 1993, the election of the late Chief M.K.O. Abiola was annulled with the connivance of the military and the government at the centre fell. So this time around, the progressives’ decision to come together to form a formidable party is not just a tea party. We warn that rigging should not be repeated in Yorubaland to foist unpopular governments on the people.”

    Osoba said he was impressed with the development in the state and hailed Aregbesola’s commitment to rapid growth.

    Aregbesola thanked the people for their support to his administration and pledged to always protect their interests.

    He said: “For seven-and-a-half years, you (the people of Osun State) were subjected to humiliation, but in the three years of our administration, we have tried to restore the people’s dignity in many ways with our programmes and policies.

    “So no amount of threat by the opposition party in the state can intimidate us. With God on our side, no rigging in 2014 in the Osun governorship election will succeed. Our party, APC, will take over power in 2015 in Nigeria. So whoever is yet to register should do so when the voter registration begins.”

  • APC hails Tambuwal’s stand against corruption

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday hailed House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Tambuwal for his “patriotism and dedication to the nation” and picking holes in the Goodluck Jonathan administration fight against corruption.

    The party described the Federal Government’s anti-corruption battle as “tepid”.

    In a statement in Lagos by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, APC said Tambuwal exhibited a leadership trait “that is rare in these parts by shunning partisanship to say that the President’s body language does not indicate that he has the political will to fight corruption in the country.”

    The party added: “Tambuwal and President Jonathan belong to the same political party, but this did not deter the Speaker from rising above crass partisanship when the issue involved borders on national interest. This is the stuff of good leadership.

    “Tambuwal has shown that he is indeed the Speaker of the House of Representatives and that the country is his constituency, unlike President Jonathan, who has transformed himself to a Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and a sectional leader by viewing serious issues of national importance from the prism of partisanship and sectionalism.”

    The party hoped that other Nigerians would emulate the Speaker.

    APC said it was delighted to be in the same company with the Speaker over the criticism of President Jonathan’s nonchalant stand on corruption, which has eaten deeper into the national fabric under the present administration.

    It said: “We have raised the same issues raised by the Speaker several times in our regular intervention, but the administration has dismissed our concerns on the altar of partisanship.

    “However, now that no less a personality than the country’s No.4 citizen and a top member of the PDP is the one raising the issue, and coming against the background of Nigeria’s slide in the 2013 rankings by the global anti-corruption body, Transparency International, we hope the administration will realise that it has only been paying a lip-service to the anti-graft battle, and perhaps make amends.”

    APC noted that Tambuwal was right in talking about the President’s body language, which is a reflection of the deceptive actions he (President Jonathan) has taken time and again over serious issues of corruption, including the monumental fuel subsidy scam, the pension scam, the fraud involving the excess crude account, the Subsidy Reinvestment Programme (SURE-P) scandal and Oduahgate, the controversy on the N255 million bulletproof cars.

    It said: “These are slam dunk corruption cases that should have been handed over to the anti-corruption agencies for summary disposal. Instead, the President – thinking Nigerians will merely scream and forget after some time – engages in his usual distracting method of setting up committees, the report of which he will then put away to gather dust …until another corruption case rears its ugly head.

    “Nigerians are not stupid and they understand clearly that the President is shielding corrupt people, as long as they are willing and able to contribute, from their ill-gotten funds, to his (President’s) campaign slush funds. Now that a person of the calibre of the Speaker of the House of Representatives has added his voice to this burning issue, the die is cast for Mr. President: he can either move to redeem the image of his administration or continue to swim in the ocean of corruption.”

  • Ahmed: our defection was against PDP’s impunity

    Ahmed: our defection was against PDP’s impunity

    KWARA State Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed yesterday said the defection of five new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) governors to the All Progressives Congress (APC) was not a fight against President Jonathan, but against the PDP.

    He said PDP had lost “all traits of democaratic ethos; a party that pursues personal rather than collective aspirations.”

    Governor Ahmed spoke in Ilorin on a radio programme, Focal Point.

    The governor said the PDP “refused to be reinvigorated, reformed and rehabilitated, as the culture of impunity had taken toll on the party and likeminds became disenchanted with developments in the party.”

    According to him, he and the governors of Adamawa, Kano, Rivers and Sokoto states have found the APC as an enabling platform to advance the cause of their people and other Nigerians.

    Ahmed, however, gave an assurance that they remained open to collaborating with the Presidency on matters that could advance the development of the country.

    The governor congratulated The Nation on its winning the Newspaper of the Year award at the Nigeria Media Merit Awards (NMMA) in Ekiti State.

    Ahmed, in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Abdulwahab Oba, described the award as an endorsement of The Nation’s robust editorial policy and professional excellence.

    The governor said The Nation, since its establishment, had not only remained steadfast in its commitment to the ideal of balance reportage but parades a crop of columnists, whose opinions and analysis have continued to define the nation’s political and economic landscape.

    He urged the paper not to rest on its oars.

  • ‘Merger’ll boost development’

    ‘Merger’ll boost development’

    A group, Kwara Coalition for Positive Change (KCPC), yesterday said the merger of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) in Kwara State will enhance the state’s development.

    A statement by KCPC leaders, Idera Jimoh, Mohammed Sha’aba Patigi and Lamidi Okiki Sanni, welcomed “all members of the nPDP under the leadership of Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed and Senator Bukola Saraki and their supporters to APC.

    “We pray that the togetherness will not only consolidate the APC in Kwara State but will further enhance the development of the state.

    “We also appreciate the APC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, for coming home to appraise the political situation of the merging parties.

    “His explanation had diffused all dissenting speculations that were intended to cause disaffection among willing and committed members of the APC.”

    An aide of former Gombe State Governor Danjuma Goje has said the merger would create a deviation from “the current situation where only one party has continued to dominate the polity through monopoly.”

    Dauda Simon said the defection will make the country a two-party state and help create a comfortable free environment synonymous with healthy democratic system.”

  • Tinubu, wife, others get awards

    Tinubu, wife, others get awards

    National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; his wife, Senator Oluremi and wife of the Lagos State governor, Mrs. Abimbola Fashola, were among persons honoured yesterday for their roles in developing the nation.

    The Excellence Award, courtesy of Itire-Ikate Local Council Development Area (LCDA), was part of activities marking the council’s 10th anniversary.

    Tinubu was honoured for creating the council, among 37 others, in 2003.

    Presenting the award to him, the council boss, Hakeem Bamgbola, said the various developmental projects witnessed in the last decade would not have been possible, if not for Tinubu’s foresight and doggedness.

    Bamgbola said: “Despite stiff opposition by former President Olusegun Obasanjo, our leader stood firm on the decision that we are all enjoying the benefits of today. We cannot appreciate you more. You are a visionary leader per excellence, whose action has continued to bring about unprecedented development to the teeming Lagos populace.” Lagos State House of Assembly Chief Whip Dr. Rasak Balogun, who received the award on behalf of Tinubu, thanked the council for the honour.

    Balogun said Tinubu did not disappoint Lagosians when the crisis over the creation of new councils was hot, but stood by the people’s decision and never wavered.

    Senator Tinubu and Mrs. Fashola were honoured for their support to the council.

    Balogun, who presented the awards to them, said both women contributed to his success in office.

    The event featured the distribution of empowerment materials to the people and cutting of the anniversary cake.

  • Retrace your steps, Fasanmi urges Bamidele

    Retrace your steps, Fasanmi urges Bamidele

    Second Republic Senator Ayo Fasanmi yesterday lamented the crack in the Ekiti State All Progressives Congress (APC), warning the House of Representatives member, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, to retrace his steps to the party.

    Bamidele, who represents Irepodun/Ifelodun Constituency in the House, recently defected to the Labour Party (LP), where he hopes to contest for the governorship next year. He was one of the leaders of the party in the state before his defection.

    Fasanmi, who reflected on history, advised the federal legislator to ponder on the fate of prominent politicians, who left their political families for other camps, based on temporary political challenges.

    He also advised him to learn from the political career of the famous Ekiti son, the late Chief Akinwole Omoboriowo, who deserted his leader, the late Chief Obafemi Awolowo, in a bid to dislodge former Ondo State Governor Adekunle Ajasin from power. Fasanmi recalled that Omoboriowo, despite his popularity, never bounced back into reckoning after he left the proscribed Unity Party of Nigeria (UPN).

    The elder statesman said that past experience should instruct ambitious young men and women to think deeply and peep into the future before taking far-reaching decisions that have implications for their political future, their political groups, and the welfare of the state they hope to govern.

    Fasanmi, who spoke with our correspondent on phone, said: “The defection of Bamidele from the APC is most unfortunate. It is an unfortunate incident. He is a boy I know very well. Well, he is a man now. I first saw him in 1994, when I was a member of the Constitutional Conference Commission set up by the late military Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha. I have followed his career since then.

    “I am disappointed. This is an unfortunate situation. As an elder statesman, I will advice Fayemi (Governor Kayode) not to be diverted. The APC is on a sound footing. Fayemi is doing well as the governor of Ekiti State. The APC is on course in Ekiti”.

    Fasanmi recalled that the parting of ways between Awolowo and Omoboriowo was painful to many Ekiti patriots, who equally loved the former deputy governor. He said that history is merely repeating itself as Bamidele will be seen to be parting ways with his leader, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    He added: “There were Awolowo and Akintola. There were Ajasin and Omoboriowo. Now, there are Fayemi and Bamidele. But this should not be so in Yorubaland. We should learn from the past”.

    The veteran politician noted that Bamidele’s career in the progressive fold under the Tinubu’s tutelage has been impressive, adding that he had climbed the ladders of leadership and fame as a key functionary of government in Lagos State.

    He said that it is risky for a promising politician like Bamidele to desert the party he had jointly nurtured with compatriots and seek refuge in another, where some people may perceive him as a stranger. Recalling Awo’s advice to his disciples, he said: “It is better to discuss and disagree in your party and fight for your interest there, but if it appears that you can’t have your way, you should jettison your personal interest and subscribe to the collective interest, where accommodation would be found for your interest. In the progressive camp, where service to the people is the watchword, you cannot be a loser”.

    Fasanmi, who described the LP chieftain as a competent and vibrant person, warned that a progressive politician may lose relevance outside his original political family.

    He added: “The question people are asking is: what does Bamidele want? I understand that he has served as a party officer, special adviser, commissioner for two terms. Now, he is in the House of Representatives. He who the god will destroy will first make mad. This should not happen to Bamidele. That is why I want him to retrace his steps. His grievances can still be addressed within the progressives family. I like him so much. So, I want him to learn from history”.

  • ‘Amaechi on rescue mission in APC’

    ‘Amaechi on rescue mission in APC’

    House of Representatives member Hon. Dakuku Peterside spoke with Victor Oluwasegun and Dele Anofi on the defection of Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other issues.

    Recently Governor Rotimi Amaechi defected to All Progressive Congress (APC). What in your reaction?

    You need to understand the issues to understand, if the move is justified or not. There are two strands of the issue. The first has to do with the direction the country is going and the second is the interest and aspiration of Rivers people within the context of Nigeria. In recent times, there is anxiety in the country about the insecurity, rising wave of corruption, impunity and retarded growth, generally, and many patriots are concerned. All these concerns are linked to the quality of leadership of the country and the political party that plays the role of a facilitator, like in other democracies. Unfortunately, it appears the leadership of the country is not sensitive enough to the need to urgently tackle these issues and the party that is in power at the centre, by its conduct and lack of internal democracy in all facets, is aggravating the matter. The party, in this case, the PDP, does not respect its rules, does not accommodate divergent opinions and it has made no effort to harness the collective ideas and energies of its members. The result is what we are seeing today. The second strand of the crisis is the corporate interest of Rivers State, which is under serious threat.

    How is the interest of Rivers State under threat and how does that justify the defection of Governor Amaechi to another party?

    Politics, as you know, is a means of allocating resources. Parties are vehicles through which politics is played to optimise the benefit for the people. Parties to a reasonable extent determine outcomes in a political process. The scenario is this; PDP as a political party superintends over the expropriation of Rivers common wealth, I mean our resources, deny us even the least benefit for our modest contributions and does nothing to advance our development in anyway. Only a man who is pursuing his own selfish interest will remain in such a platform, to the detriment of the people you are on oath to serve. Can anybody point to one federal project of worth going on in Rivers State under the present administration? Even, the blind can see that there is a calculated attempt to undermine the interest of Rivers State. No principled leader who has the interest of the people at heart will stomach that at the alter of regional sentiments.

    Is the denial of Rivers State development benefits the reason why the governor moved to another party?

    Yes, among many other reasons. You see, people have different reasons and different incentives for being in politics. Some are in politics to make as much personal wealth as possible through the instrumentality of power. Others want to serve the people and transform their socio-economic status and yet, others to cause confusion and derive joy from the confusion. These different reasons determine the choices we make. By now, it is obvious to the least discerning that the likes of Governor Amaechi are in power and politics for the higher interest of the people. This compelling interest will not allow him fold his hands and allow the wealth of Rivers people be expropriated under his watch, their rights and entitlements trampled upon and the people treated as if they do not matter. If Governor Amaechi has kept quiet, history would have been most unkind to him. For standing up for Rivers people and their collective aspiration, history will celebrate him.

    Is there no better way of going about it than this present approach?

    There are always many ways to pursue a course, but that does not change the fact that there is an injury or that there is an attempt to compromise the interest of Rivers State or that the PDP has been most unfair to Rivers State. Nobody is addressing the root or causative factors of the crisis. Rather, we are concerned with the ceremonials. Nobody has said that the PDP has served the interest of Rivers State or that the government at the centre has been fair to Rivers State. Even, those who appear superficially to be supporting the Government at the centre all the time say to me – this Government has been most unfair to Rivers State. I have heard this consistently and it is nauseating how unprincipled our politicians can be.

    The picture we have is that heavy weight politicians in Rivers State are not with him because of the perception that he is pursuing his own ambition?

    This is a deliberate attempt to disinform the populace. I am sure that propaganda is being spread by some selfish politicians that have lost touch with the reality in Rivers State I can beat my chest and say that the majority of principled politicians in Rivers State, who means well for the state, are with Governor Amaechi because they know he is fighting for the interest of Rivers state. It is unfortunate that in this clime, politics is an enterprise that is not governed by principles but by opportunistic selfish tendency. In many cases, opportunistic men thrive at the expense of the general good, but the people are now wiser. They know the difference between “stomach infrastructure politicians” and those who genuinely want to change society for good. Very often, the intelligence, determination and courage of our people are underrated. Rivers people are solidly behind Governor Amaechi. One way of measuring the support base is the number of elected officials with the governor and his capacity for resilience. Another will be the result of the forthcoming elections after the whole noise.

  • APC to‘re-strategise’ for 2015 general elections

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Mr. Babalola Fabunmi, on Tuesday expressed the determination of the party to put its house in order ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    Fabunmi, who said this in a chat with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Lokoja, said the measure was necessary to arrest the crisis rocking the leadership of the state chapter of the party.

    Fabunmi said the national secretariat of the party had rescheduled its congress for December 12.

    He called for unity among party members in the state, saying that unity was all they needed to succeed.

    Fabunmi expressed optimism that if the congress was successful, the next election would be a huge success.

    The chieftain commended the leadership of the party for its prompt response in resolving the crisis that rocked the party recently.