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  • APC will defeat PDP in 2015, says Buhari

    APC will defeat PDP in 2015, says Buhari

    Former Head of State Gen. Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said the All Progressive Peoples Congress (APC) will sack the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government in 2015.

    Gen. Buhari said Nigerians are tired of bad governance and corruption, which have been the hallmark of the PDP Federal Government since 1999 – according to him.

    He said those factors led the opposition parties to join forces to oust the PDP from power.

    He spoke yesterday at a meeting of elected representatives of his party – the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

    The CPC has announced the merger with the Action Congress of Nigerian (AC N), the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and the All Progressive Grand Alliance to form the APC.

    The new party is processing its registration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    But the PDP also said yesterday that it was strategising to stop the APC from taking power.

    Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio stated this yesterday when he presided over the maiden meeting of the PDP Governors Forum in Abuja.

    Gen. Buhari said the country was in the grip of a bad government whose only intention is to hang on to power by all means.

    “The country is in the grip of a bad government whose only purpose is to retain power by hook or crook; preferably by crook. PDP does not need merger or alliance; they are already merged and are in alliance with police, INEC and Judiciary, with NNPC and pension funds. The country is tired of PDP, we are tired of oppression, corruption and impunity,” he said.

    Gen. Buhari expressed satisfaction with the progress of the merger talks and urged party members not to allow personal and petty interests to becloud them from the broader national interests.

    Gen. Buhari said the CPC Board of Trustees (BoT) met last Saturday and formed eight committees to fast-track the merger. He singled out the registration committee as one of the most important because it is through its efforts that the party will gain more members.

    “Our party is at the doorsteps of a historic opportunity to alter the political landscape of Nigeria . Our move to link and merge with the ACN and subsequently with other parties who have broadly similar philosophies, namely good governance, is on the verge of success.

    “When we sit in negotiating sessions, our strength will be in our numbers. We should negotiate hard, but always have the ultimate goal in mind. Personal and ethnic interest should always take second place to broader national interests,” he said.

    Gen. Buhari urged the elected members to be proud of being the genuinely elected representatives of their people.

    “You did not use police to intimidate voters; you did not use INEC staff to inflate your votes. You won, in spite of all attempts by government to rig you out. How many in the PDP can say that? They are very few. You can, therefore, hold your heads high as genuine representatives of your constituents. You are true sons of democracy. Your position is even more important than party officials and party leaders because you are the face of the CPC,” he said.

    Gen. Buhari urged the CPC leadership and its representatives at the various assemblies to see the merger as a call to duty, stressing that they should regard themselves as arrowheads of the movement.

    “I believe merger is the only way to prevent the continuation of this bad governance. The political class is at one page that the only way to stabilise the nation is for the opposition to merge and face the ruling party because the country is tired of the PDP and its oppression, corruption, insecurity etc,” Gen. Buhari noted.

    The National Chairman of CPC, Prince Tony Momoh, told the party faithful to be ready to embrace change in the affairs of the party as a result of the merger initiative.

    Speaking about the post-election protests within the party, Momoh said the party has given enough room for dialogue and reconciliation with aggrieved members and that now is time for the party to move ahead.

    “Change does not come from the bottom of the mountain, but from the top of it. Change comes not just like change of weather but human being can effect change,” he said.

    Nassarawa State Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura, the only CPC elected governor, who briefed the gathering regarding the formation of the APC Governors Forum and its activities, said the forum has since imparted positively towards the achievement of the goals of the merger.

    He said the APC has so far exhibited uncommon patriotism, unity and zeal in supporting the opposition’s coalition movement.

    Al-Makura said the governors resolved to work relentlessly not only to ensure the success of the merger, but also to work towards an APC victory at the polls in 2015.

    He said the governors, who have met twice, would reconvene again at venue to be disclosed later to make further inputs in the constitution and manifesto f the new party.

    Among the CPC leaders at the one-day retreat are former House of Representatives Speaker Aminu Masari, Alhaji Sule Hamman, Alhaji Ishaku Ibrahim, Senator Solomon Ewuga, CPC senators and members of the House.

    Akpabio said a committee led by Katsina State Governor Ibrahim Shema has been set up to look into the crises rocking the party in the Southwest.

    On the Adamawa State crisis, he said the PDP governors resolved to allow the Kugama Mijinjwa-led executive to continue pending the outcome of Governor Sule Lamido Committee.

    He said: “We are of the opinion that we should take steps to set up structures to meet the emerging challenge of APC. And part of the resolution is that we should have continued interaction of the party, the NWC, leadership of the Board of Trustees and build a synergy with the Nigeria Governors’ Forum.”

    According to him, the Shema committee on the southwest has two weeks to submit its report.

    Some of the governors at the meeting included Delta, Abia, Bayelsa, Benue, Kano, Jigawa, Rivers and Kogi.

     

  • APC will sack PDP in 2015 – Buhari

    APC will sack PDP in 2015 – Buhari

    Former Head of State and Leader of the Congress For Progressives Change, General Muhammadu Buhari, on Monday insisted that only the merger of opposition parties can sack the ruling Peoples Democratic Party at the 2015 general elections.

    Speaking at a stakeholder’s interactive meeting with elected representatives of the party in Abuja, Buhari said Nigerians are tired of bad governance and corruption and that the only way to put an end to the ugly situation is for the opposition parties to join forces to oust PDP from power.

    Hesaid the country is presently in the grip of bad government whose only intention was to hang on to power by all means.

    He further accused PDP of desperation to hold on to power by hook or crook, adding that the ruling party may have every reason to ignore any political alliance or merger because it already has the Independent National Electoral Commission, Police and the Judiciary on the its side.

    “The country is the grip of a bad government whose only purpose is to retain power by hook or crook; preferably by crook. PDP does not need merger or alliance; they are already merged and are in alliance with Police, INEC, and Judiciary with the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation and Pension Funds. The country is tired of PDP, we are tired of oppression, corruption and impunity, “he said.

    Buhari , who expressed satisfaction with the progress on the merger talks, urged party members not to allow personal and petty interests to becloud them from the broader national interests.

    He said the leadership of CPC had resolved and are determined this time around to consummate the partnership.

     

  • APC, hope of the nation

    APC, hope of the nation

    SIR: Until recently, I almost lost hope as to whether there was anything the progressives could do to revive this country from total economic and political collapse.

    It was on this premise I wrote a piece titled, “Open challenge to the progressives” published by this newspaper on April 7, 2012. It was a thing of joy when the progressives took the bull by the horns as they decided to work together and came up with “All Progressives Congress” (APC) to challenge the PDP. In my own opinion, what will differentiate APC from the PDP are its manifesto which all future governors and leaders of the party should adopt. As a Nigerian adult, I cannot mention PDP programme because the party has no clear-cut programme for Nigeria.

    I will like to suggest the following reforms to the committee in charge of manifesto for APC. Employment generation through agriculture should be given a place of pride. Since PDP took over the mantle of leadership in Nigeria in 1999, agriculture has gone into extinction. Agriculture, they say, is the bed rock of country’s economy.

    Education reform that will encourage qualitative output should be in focus. As a corollary, Advanced Level education should be re-introduced as a means of entry into our universities. More colleges of education should be established while the existing ones be properly financed. More Technical Colleges should be established to run courses such as carpentry, electrical installation, fisheries, refrigerator and air-conditioning etc: These of courses will encourage the graduates of these colleges to be self-reliant. Instead of the current three years spent in the technical colleges, the reform can make it four years. The Polytechnic education should be strengthened while relevant technological programmes should be mounted.

    Discipline should be entrenched into the country’s curriculum. If there is discipline in the land, individuals will not embezzle the pension and gratuity of those who had served their fatherland meritoriously. If there is discipline, a governor of state will not divert the resources meant to develop the state for his personal purse.

    Health is wealth, says the popular adage. More than 14 years PDP administration in Nigeria, top government officials and the wife of the President past and present still seek medical services outside the country. I personally feel ashamed of this. The manifesto of APC should accommodate functional health services at all levels.

    Electricity should be privatized to make it functional like that of Ghana and Togo. The party should introduce new things to Nigerians and let them have taste of what our leaders enjoy when they travel outside the country such as metro line, good security services etc.

    Once again, I salute the courage of the leaders of those political parties who have agreed to work together to liberate the country from the current economic and political bondage. It takes courage to do this, and God will see them through. They should not allow sharing of positions and personal interest to work against the smooth take off of the party. God will naturally arrest the enemies of this country, especially those who are determined to work against the merger.

    • Gabriel Enialola Ayimoro

    Adekunle Ajasin University, Akungba-Akoko

  • ‘APC will unite Nigeria’

    A member, Merger Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Osita Okechukwu, said the objective of the party was to unite Nigerians currently divided between the extreme rich and the poor.

    In a statement in Abuja on Monday, Okechukwu said, “the APC is out to restore the middle-class and hence heal the wounds stimulated by corruption in the country.”

    “For us, government has business in revamping our collapsed infrastructure, while the private sector is welcome to contribute its quota,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Okechukwu as saying in the statement.

    He stated that the APC would invest public revenue on the provision of critical infrastructure such as electricity, modern railways, refineries, roads and mining of coal among others.

    He said that the sub-committees that would harmonise members, draft constitution and manifesto had been set-up.

    Okechukwu, who is also the National Publicity Secretary, Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), said the various sub-committees set by APC would be inaugurated before the end of the week.

    He explained that the APC would be fully registered in no distant time.

     

  • ‘Merger is giving PDP sleepless nights’

    ‘Merger is giving PDP sleepless nights’

    IF the claims of Senator Abdulkadir Alkali Jajare are anything to go by, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will soon lose 70 of its senators to the newly formed All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Alkali, an All Nigeria Peoples Party (PDP) senator representing Yobe South, said the coalition of opposition parties was giving the ruling PDP sleepless nights.

    According to him, scores of the PDP members in the upper legislative chamber and many from other parties are set to join the APC ahead of the general elections in 2015.

    Jajare spoke in Damaturu at the weekend after ANPP stakeholders and supporters met in the state capital, where they endorsed the merger of parties that produced the APC.

    The senator told reporters: “PDP Hhas been having sleepless nights since the emergence of the APC. They are desperate to destroy the party from its formation. But I want to tell you that the APC is a moving train and no one can stand on its way.

    “As I am talking to you, we have received a lot of commendation and full backing from over 70 PDP serving senators among others. And very soon, they will join our new part – the APC.”

    Jajare expresssed optimism that the APC will unseat the ruling PDP at the 2015 polls going by the popular acceptance it has received from Nigerians.

    Noting with sadness the rate at which average Nigerians have been subjected to poverty, corruption and injustice under the PDP-led government for more than 13 years, the senator said: “Many people from across the country are ready to offer their unflinching support to the new party for a change, knowing that the problems which have drawn backward our socio- economic development and indeed the realisation of the country’s dream.”

    Allaying fears that personal interests of coalition leaders might jeopardise the APC mission, Jajare said: “This is an imagination from the opposition and of course that of the media which are purely PDP scripts.

    “Everybody and the political parties that have endorsed the initiative will be carried along without any political sentiment or ethnic consideration.”

     

  • 2015: PDP, APC have equal chances

    2015: PDP, APC have equal chances

    Those who had dreamt of making Nigeria a one-party state must now come to terms with the reality of its impossibility. Not anymore with the emergence of the All Progressives Congress (APC). About four years ago, former National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chief Vincent Ogbulafor had predicted that the party would rule the country for 60 years. He predicted that Nigeria will become a one-party state. Ogbulafor also said that Nigeria needed a one-party system of government to ensure stability and progress, stressing that it was only the PDP that could make it possible.

    But speaking with The Nation, the national chairman of the National Conscience Party (NCP), Dr Yunusa Tanko, said the dream of a one-party state has been aborted. He said the opposition and the ruling party have an equal chance of forming the government at the centre in 2015.

    “We now know that the tendency to foist a one-party state on Nigeria has been broken. Those who think that they can rule Nigeria for ever must have a re-think. The truth is that the PDP is sure to be depleted; all progressives whose parties were deregistered and others who have been sitting on the fence will now team up with the APC and I can tell you, Nigerians are wiser now.

    “They will not allow any party to continue to rule them with impunity again. The level of impunity has been too much and Nigerians are sure to, with the coming of APC, halt the plan by the PDP to rule this country for the next 60 years. If the truth must be told, for now, the PDP and the ACP both has an equal chance of forming the next government at the centre”, he said.

    Also, the National Publicity Secretary of the Conference of Nigeria Political Parties (CNPP), Osita Okechukwu, said the political equation has changed, adding that it is a straight contest between the APC and the PDP.

    “The birth of APC has redefined the political landscape in Nigeria. I can tell you that the electoral battle of 2015 is now between PDP and APC. It is illusory now for anybody in the PDP to still think that the party can rule Nigeria for 60 years. The inability of the opposition parties to come together in the past probably accounted for that way of thinking. But things have change and nobody will be able to make Nigeria a one-party state.

    “Right now, we are calling on all Nigerians to join the new mega party because it is a mass movement . There is an urgent need for all progressives to join hand in the process that could prevent the dangerous slide of Nigeria into a failed state. We want them to do this so as to ensure the safety of our fledgling democracy”.

    Following the landslide victory of the PDP in the 2003 general elections, especially the unexpected in-road it made into the Southwest and a repeat performance in 2007, Ogbulafor concluded that Nigeria was heading for a one party state where the opposition have no say.

    The PDP chieftain said: “Some time ago, I used to read in the newspapers that the umbrella of the PDP is torn. Each time I read that, I would laugh and then say to myself that the umbrella is still strong and very intact and ready to accommodate more people. The PDP is a party for all and it is set to rule Nigeria for the next 60 years. I don’t care if Nigeria becomes a one-party state. We can do it and the PDP can contain all,” were his words.

    Ogbulafor’s perception of the political situation in the country then, was a place where the opposition has not the slightest opportunity of challenging it. As a result, the ruling party was at liberty to continue in governance for as long as it wanted.

    What started then as a mere desire to expand its coast and establish a comfortable majority over other parties by the PDP led to the emasculation of the opposition parties.

    However, Yunusa said: “One-party state is no longer feasible in Nigeria, not with the emergence of the APC. The equation has changed”.

  • North ‘ll embrace APC

    North ‘ll embrace APC

    The Nasarawa State chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mr. Bashir Jabiru, has said that the North will prefer the All Progressives Congress (APC) to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the next general elections. He said the new party will dislodge the PDP, urging members to gird their loins.

    Jabiru said the excitement that greeted the birth of the ACP showed that Nigerians were tired of the PDP administration.

    He said the PDP government has become the greatest corrupter of society, stressing that theft and graft have continued unabated.

    Jabiru praised the efforts of the leadership of the four major political parties, which formed APC, for their courage, selfless service and foresight, assuring that the party will liberate Nigeria.

    The politician, who spoke on phone with our correspondent, said APC would provide credible leadership worthy of pride.

    Jamiru said that the manifesto of the party would soon be unveiled by the alliance leaders. He said the manifesto would reflect the progressive programmes for a rescue mission.

    Jabiru said APC would resolve unemployment, fight the infrastructure battle, improve education, defend the health sector and fight corruption.

    His words: “I want to commend the effort of the national leaders of the ACN, CPC, APGA and ANPP for seeing the need to set this nation free from the bondage of the PDP. It is now that we can now move forward and chase the PDP out of the Aso Villa in 2015.

    “PDP is using propaganda and they have nothing to offer this great nation and our coming together shows that people are no more comfortable with the present administration, which is full of corruption.

    “But, with the emergence of APC, our people should be assured that the party will take the nation to the destination by the time we assume office in 2015.

    “The good work our governor, Alhaji Al-makura, is doing here in Nasarawa State andwhat the governors of our party are doing in the Southwest and what Oshiomhole is doing in Edo, I am sure people have seen the progressiveness in the APC and they will be happy to give PDP a red card”.

     

  • ‘PDP not afraid of APC’

    ‘PDP not afraid of APC’

    The chairman of the Lagos State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Capt. Tunji Shelle (rtd) has said that the party is not afraid of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He described the merger of the four political parties as a gang-up, adding that it may fizzle out before 2015.

    Shelle told our correspondent that the choice of the presidential candidate and running mate will divide the party and make the partners in the alliance to opt out of the merger.

    He also said that the proposed party may not be able to resolve the differences that may arive over the adoption of a logo, symbol, party constitution and ideology. Shelle said: “The merger is welcome, if the purpose is to develop Nigeria. But, if the purpose is to hijack power, it will fail. Nigeria is a big country. It is not when a party wins election that will make Nigeria great.

    “ACN, CPC, ANPP, and APGA are out for mischieve. PDP is a strong party that cannot be dislodged It is a national party with grassroots appeal. These are regional parties coming together. It is a gang-up that will collapse. It will be very tough for them. They cannot defeat PDP. We are not afraid of the merger”.

    The party leader also predicted leadership tussles in the new party, which he said, would result from personality differences.

    He said PDP would win more states in 2015, urging the APC leaders to set goals that can be achieved.

    Shelle added: “PDP has 23 states now. Others will join the fold. There are moles in the APC. Now, APGA is saying that it is not part of the new party. Many people will desert the party, ahead of 2015. Instead, PDP will continue to wax stronger and swallow the APC”.

  • Why APC will succeed – Shekarau

    Why APC will succeed – Shekarau

    Former presidential aspirant of the All Nigeria Peoples Party, Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau, on Friday said the failure of the Peoples Democratic Party in the last 15 years has helped to strengthen peoples’ faith in the new party – the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    Shekarau, who spoke in a chat with journalists in Benin City, said they are waiting for whatever moles the PDP would plant in the merger.

    The former Kano State governor said leaders of the various political parties that formed the APC have decided to sacrifice their personal wish for the interest of the nation.

    He said the merger was not about any individual or personality but about the Nigeria people and giving the people an alternative.

    Shekarau said, “I think to the best of my knowledge and understanding all the people you may think have ambition in all the political parties involved are all ready to sacrifice and play the game of give and take.

    “We are waiting for the unexpected and we are planning for it. There is no way you can stop peoples’ ambition in any political party.”

  • PDP greets opposition parties on merger

    PDP greets opposition parties on merger

    The Peoples Democratic Party has congratulated the opposition political parties for their successful merger and the formation of All Progressives Congress.

    In a statement in Abuja, the National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Olisa Metuh, said that PDP as a ruling party and the biggest in West Africa welcomed the development.

    Metuh said the action was an indication that the nation’s democracy had come of age and was deepening.

    He said that with the formation of the APC, the PDP and Nigerians expected to see robust debates on the economy and other issues of governance in the general interest of the country.

    The publicity secretary advised the opposition parties to use the vehicle of their new party to challenge its elected and appointed officers to debate on government projects and achievements.

    He said that such debates would benefit Nigerians and enhance the political development of the nation on the long run.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that four major opposition parties – the Congress for Progressive Change, Action Congress of Nigeria, All Progressive Grand Alliance and All Nigeria Peoples Party on Tuesday merged to form the APC.

    The PDP spokesman said the party was ready at anytime to debate on the nation’s economy and other issues that would move the nation forward.

    He said, “We charge the opposition to use the new party to challenge our elected and appointed officers on debates on issues of governance.

    “We are ready, willing and able at any time to debate on any issue pertaining to the economy and any other issue of governance.

    “We want useful and constructive debates so that at the end of the day, Nigerians will be the utmost beneficiaries.”

    He said that PDP, as a ruling party was committed to the stability and development of the country, and would not dwell on the shortcomings of the merger arrangement.