The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

  • Appoint our constituent commissioner, youths urge Sanwo-Olu

    Concerned youths of Surulere Constituency 2 have urged the leadership of the Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) to consider the constituency in the appointment of commissioners and special advisers.

    The youth Leader, Mr. Adeyemi Akanni, said the emergence of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker of the House of Representatives was a testimony that Surulere Constituency impacted a lot in the polity.

    He thanked the National Leader of the party Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu for providing direction for the party, noting that Surulere turned out en masse to vote in the last election.

    He said Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu should complement the efforts of Surulere Constituency by appointing commissioners from the area.

    He said: “The emergence of Hon Femi Gbajabiamila as Speaker of House of Representatives is a plus to Surulere Constituency, Lagos State, Southwest and Nigeria in general.

    “Surulere Constituency 2 deserves commissioners that will bring the impact of our amiable governor to us. Instead of running to Speaker, we will have recourse to contact the commissioner from the constituency.

    “We deserve better place in the cabinet so as to feel the impact of governance of our great party. We are not asking for too much and we know we are speaking the mind of the entire youth of our party in Surulere.”

    Akanni said the constituency parades loyal party men among who is Hon. Akeem Bamgbala whose dedication to the betterment of the party is tremendous.

    He stressed that Surulere youths would continue to support the party and Sanwo-Olu in his determination to ensure Lagos remains the barometer for the measurement of good governance in the county.

    “We want the party and governor to look toward men of reputable character for appointment. We want people that have served the party with determination both at the local government and state levels. We see Hon Akeem Bamgbala in this light and our choice for appointment in Surulere Constituency 2”, he said.

  • Valediction for Island Club chair

    It was an evening loaded with activities at the Island Club in Onikan, Lagos, when its Chairman, Olabanji Oladapo, bowed out in style.

    The party, which had guests clad in beautiful traditional attire was entitled “2019 Easter/New Members/Chairman’s Dance”.

    It featured awards to some distinguished members, induction of new members, dancing, eating, drinking and inauguration of gym, sauna and sickbay by a Trustee and Past Chairman of the Club, Chief Olumuyiwa Falomo.

    National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who was represented by the former Minister of State for Defence, Musiliu Obanikoro, said the award would encourage people to do more.

    “To whom much is given, much is expected. The awards were given to those who have contributed in one way or the other to the development of the club. I commend the management of the club for this evening and for giving awards to those who deserve it. The club chairman has done well for the club and he has left a landmark achievement to his name; given the history of the club and the fact that it is the foremost social club in Lagos,” he said.

    According to Oladapo, the ‘Easter Dance’ was meant to welcome the Christian brothers after 40 days of fasting period.

    “This has given us the opportunity to experience what our Lord Jesus Christ went through while on earth over 2,000 years ago. It further increases our faith and gets us more committed to the plights of the poor and needy in our society as we are now better able to appreciate what it means to go on for days without food. It is also the period of abstinence from worldly pleasure,” he said.

    Oladapo further said new members inducted are eminent gentlemen who have distinguished themselves in their chosen careers and have been considered as fit and proper for the membership of the club. “We congratulate them as they join the comity of honoured men of substance.”

    He said: “Having completed my two-year term, I have no doubt I have enjoyed your support and co-operation and useful advice during my tenure as your chairman. It has been challenging and quite interesting in spite of some hiccups which were not unexpected considering the magnitude of the challenges at hand. I must also not fail to show my appreciation to you all for your overwhelming confidence in my leadership. I have worked with most vibrant, articulate, enterprising and committed members of the management committee.”

    He added that those accorded the club honours is because of their contributions to the success of his administration and to thank them for their outstanding services to the club.

  • Tricycle owners hail Tinubu, Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat

    The Tricycle Owners Association of Nigeria (TOAN) has congratulated the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, on his 67th birthday.

    The group, in a statement in Lagos yesterday by its acting Lagos State Chairman, Chief Tunji Oyeniyi, described Tinubu as the “father of our modern democracy.”

    He said: “Asiwaju Tinubu is a patriot, a visionary leader of no comparison, a pace-setter, dynamic, well focused, courageous, a mentor with a Lion’s heart and an apostle of one Nigeria.”

    Oyeniyi said the history of the nation’s democracy can never be told anywhere in the world without Tinubu’s name being mentioned.

    “Asiwaju remains the father of our modern democracy. On behalf of my members, I join millions of Nigerians to celebrate you and wish you more fruitful years ahead in good health,” he added.

    The association also hailed Lagos State Governor-elect Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu and his deputy, Dr. Obafemi Hamzat, for their victory at the polls.

    According to Oyeniyi , the  victory of Sanwo-Olu, Hamzat and all APC lawmakers-elect will further develop Lagos State.

    He rejoiced with other APC federal lawmakers-elect and appealed to those that lost to accept defeat and support the ruling party to move the country  forward.

     

  • Tinubu’s historic march

    The national leader of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, is in a celebratory mood. He has been on the march since February, when as a sagacious political general, he led APC to another historic victory at the federal elections. Thanks to his indefatigable leadership, the president won a resounding victory. While Tinubu was deservedly being toasted for the historic victory, he clocked 67 years of age on March 29.

    Before the 2019 general election, there was worry whether President Buhari would be re-elected. That worry was attenuated by the emergence of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party. Atiku who is reputed for his financial muscle also had the support of the politically exposed generals who have providentially decided who ruled Nigeria since after the Nigerian civil war. Buhari perhaps knew that with the array of political opponents primed against him, he was back to the pre-2015 default setting.

    Historically, prior to 2015, Buhari has always amassed about 12 million votes mainly from the northwest and northeast. That huge number was however never able to gift him the presidency in his previous attempts. So, to gain the national spread and additional votes, Buhari needed a strategic inroad in the southern part of Nigeria. Of note, his dalliance with southern vice-presidential candidates in previous efforts, didn’t yield much. With time running out because of age, Buhari needed a strong partner to achieve his dream.

    Tinubu having successfully established his political war machine as a veritable fighting force in the southwest political arena, also needed a thrust into the centre. The PDP which has built a formidable amalgam of economic predators as political activists was a no-go area for the progressively minded Tinubu. So, with a capacity to envision even in a near-hopeless situation, Tinubu set forth to cobble a political alliance that will project the Gen. Buhari as the presidential candidate. He successfully achieved that with his army of lieutenants, as Buhari and his party won the presidential election in 2015.

    But that success was almost mismanaged, as forces around President Buhari decided to hijack power and use it for ends not contemplated from a party that prides itself as progressive. Slow to action, the APC-led federal government was portraying a provincial style that could have truncated the alliance, if not for the foresightedness of Tinubu. Those who joined the alliance from the PDP and could not wait for the fog to clear as the reality of failure set in, plotted from inside, as they strategized towards 2019. The National Assembly became the test ground for supremacy.

    In wisdom, instead of bringing down the house he laboured to build, Tinubu was patient, even as the president was hedged in by the provincial forces. Seeing that unless something was done, the second coming of the president was going to be a monumental tragedy, those who genuinely loved the president, like his wife, began to shout for oxygen if the president is not to be politically strangulated. Even as his followers were mounting pressure for a tactical withdrawal, Tinubu maintained his equanimity. No doubt along the line the president may have realized the futility of going the mile alone with the political stragglers, who can only offer sycophancy in place of hard work to make Nigeria progress.

    As the general election drew near, the intra-party crisis deftly led by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the man who eventually contested against him in 2019 worsened. By the time he had done half term, Buhari would have seen that Tinubu was genuinely offering his sagacious political capacity to stave the impending failure that lurked around his presidency. Also the untainted loyalty exhibited by vice president, Professor Yemi Osibanjo SAN, an ally of Asiwaju Tinubu, especially while the president was hospitalized in a London hospital would have convinced Buhari that Asiwaju is a dependable ally and not a foe.

    So when in 2019 the cloud gathered against the re-election of President Buhari, it was to Asiwaju Tinubu that he turned to, for political leadership. Luckily since the umbilical cord had not been severed, Tinubu accepted the challenge to wage political war against tested military cum political warriors like Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida, Gen. T. Y. Danjuma, and a host of others. But for that strand of alliance that survived the greed of those who tried to build a wall around Buhari, his presidency would have suffered the pre-2015 trauma.

    Marshalling his political arsenal to action, Asiwaju delivered President Buhari’s second term ambition, despite the heavy odds.  It goes without saying that Buhari saw wisdom in entering into alliance with the sagacious Tinubu, and his dream of becoming the president of Nigeria perhaps would have perished if not for that alliance. Now that Buhari has a second chance, he should make the alliance work for the people of Nigeria. The alliance can work to deliver a pan Nigerian government without the veneer of sectional appointments and decisions that puts Nigeria on the tailspin.

    The best birthday gift for Tinubu would be to establish a government that would give all Nigerians a sense of belonging. The type that will project progressive policies, so that Tinubu can joyously look his followers in the face and say: I told you that the choice we have made is the right choice. Considering the experience the president garnered in his first term, there would be no excuses to buoy if he sets up a sectional government whose only interest would be to enjoy the lucre of office. What the stragglers have eaten in the first term should be enough for their life time.

    As Tinubu celebrates his 67th birthday I believe he knows the work ahead to turn Nigeria around at the centre is definitely more than what has been done in the past four years. The precocious intellect that gave Lagos the master plan that has propelled her to one of the top five economies in Africa must be assembled to gift Nigeria the much needed push. Where it is necessary, he should nudge the federal government openly as he did over the proposal to increase VAT.

    There is no time to waste. If he must, he should be willing to turn to devil’s advocate, if that is what is needed to redirect the government, whenever they go in a wrong direction. Perhaps President Buhari if he has not been doing so, should borrow Tinubu’s style of allowing the fest of intellect before any major policy is shaped. He should not carry into second term those who hedge him in, in the name of protection, while making his government so insular and sectional.

    Here is wishing Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu many more years of service to his fatherland, in good health of mind and body.

     

  • Academics urged to study Tinubu’s philosophy

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ayobo Ipaja Local Council Development Area, Otunba Ladi Oluwaloni Olo, has advised the academics to consider studying more about the political philosophy of the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    The financial expert said the political sagacity of the APC leader should not be subjected to discussion only during his birthday, but rather, students of political science and history must learn more from him.

    Read also: Obi hails Tinubu’s advice on VAT

    He said Tinubu’s financial expertise should also be subjected to learning by leaders and managers of men and resources, especially how he developed and brought many professionals into politics.

    “We must also learn about how he increased the Internally Generated Revenue (IGR) of Lagos State to an enviable status. Today in Lagos, we can talk of our capacity to raise the finance to cater for the state financially. It’s the financial ingenuity of one man and his team members.”

  • Tinubu: No room for serpent in National Assembly this time

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has declared that  the party is in no mood to  allow serpent infiltrate its ranks  and hijack the leadership of the 9th National Assembly.

    He vowed that party discipline would be upheld in deciding those who will lead the Senate and the House of Representatives in the coming dispensation.

    Tinubu spoke to reporters in Lagos after a Prayer Programme organised by Islamic and Christian clerics to mark his 67th birthday.

    “Party discipline is key, we must be disciplined in the party,” he said.

    “We were a little careless in 2015. We created the opportunity for serpent to get into our party and that did not allow Nigeria to make the desired progress.

    “You have seen the result of it and we are not going to allow that to happen again. We are going to respect our party and we are going to apply the rules and regulations.

    “It is either you stay with us or you follow us or you leave. You have the freedom to choose but the freedom does not give you as a minority to go and collaborate and protrude our mandate given to you to another party who was our opposition and who is still our opposition.

    “We would not take that this time, no matter who you think you are. That is how it is built. Why do you want to deviate from what has been structured?

    “We look at our reward system equally, zone by zone,” he said.

    Tinubu said that his life as a politician at 67 had been a fulfilling journey.

    “When I joined politics, there were a lot of uncertainties because it was during the military regime. There were lots of struggles but my concern is about people and the future of my country.

    “My mother stood by me when I told her then that I was joining politics. She told me to be ready to take all sorts of insults whenever they cross my way. May her soul rest in peace.

    “The struggle was tough. It created a justice on June 12 election of MKO and some people deserted the camp, the struggle, the spirit.

    “We have stayed with this struggle. We know democracy is not easy but it is the only system of government that we chose.

    “Ever since, it has been a very fulfilling journey. There is always the twist and turns in politics.

    “Today, we endure, we persevere, we think, adjust, collaborate, merged and became single party just like yesterday,” he said.

    Tinubu said that the APC was in government for the common man.

    “You will think that APC has been on for 20 years but it is not up to six years. We went through compromises because we know that if we form a good alliance of progressive thinkers and believers in the ideology of common man, we will be able to serve the people.

    “It is not by criticism alone. You have to have the opportunity to even change the life of the people and quality of their standard of living.

    “So, we stood by it, we persevered persistently, uttered our voice, offered our recommendations, and then we are here. And today I am extremely happy that we are in government for the common man.

    “The only way to change Nigeria from penury is to fashion out our own organic economic strategy and plan that will continue to cater for all,” he said.

  • How Tinubu led ACN to reclaim lost states in 2007, by Osinbajo

    VICE President Yemi Osinbanjo went down the memory lane yesterday to relive the role played by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in reclaiming states lost by the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) after the 2007 elections.

    Osinbajo, who represented President Muhammadu Buhari as Chairman of the 11th Bola Tinubu Colloquium, told the gathering how the APC stalwart hired 63 fingerprint experts from the United Kingdom (UK) police to help prove cases of over voting in the 2007 elections.

    He said with the help of the experts who worked hard for six months, it was discovered that while it takes an average voter about five minutes to conclude his voting process, it took the PDP agents less than five seconds to thump print the ballot that were counted in their favour in 2007.

    The vice president said it was the political dexterity of the former Lagos state governor that ensured that the ACN reclaimed Edo, Ekiti, Osun and Ondo states, adding that the last to be won through that process was Osun.

    He praised the role played by the APC leader in the success of APC in this year’s elections, adding that the choice of the phrase “Next Level” as a campaign slogan was simply to tell Nigerians that the country was moving to the next phase of development.

    He said: “We celebrate a man who has spent the last 30 years of his life in creative and catalytic public service. He is not a lawyer as many of us know, but there are few Nigerians who have provoked so many legal controversies and constitutional challenges resulting in several landmark judicial pronouncements, especially in the area of federalism and what today is loosely described as restructuring.

    “Many of us know that he is not an engineer, but a lot of his vision is what is responsible for what we see today in Lagos – the BRT, the Lekki Free Trade Zone, even the Eko Atlantic Project and, of course, the reform in the tax system of Lagos State. Today, Lagos, as we know, earns more revenue, more IGR, than 31 states of Nigeria put together. That began in 2001.”

    Speaking on the Next Level campaign slogan, Osinbajo said: “As you know, the expression Next Level, itself, is our political campaign slogan in this last election.  And what we were saying was simply that there was a next phase to what our country has seen.

    “There are many who will say that there are many things that were promised in 2015 which have not yet been realized.  I think the best way of putting it is to say that our country, for the first time, is witnessing the type of leadership that is bound to lead us to where it is that we are proposed ourselves as a government.

    “In my view, the honest leadership, leadership with integrity of our president, President Muhammadu Buhari, is a very important component of getting anywhere at all in all of our development plans.  I said before at the last colloquium that Nigeria’s main problem is not the lack of ideas, it is not the lack of projects and programmes.

    “It was most of the time, especially the leadership in the past, and corruption in particular, was the reason why we were finding it difficult to make progress.

    “I explained that that’s why we earned $383 billion in four years, the highest ever in the history of our country, and yet Lagos-Ibadan Expressway was not done.  The Lagos-Kano railway – and all that is being done today – was not done then.  We cannot point to a single major infrastructure project that was completed in the 10-year period, despite the high earnings, including power.

    “So, a government coming after so many years of waste must be a government, first that emphasises fiscal prudence, a government that emphasises integrity in public finance so that it would manage the little resources to achieve the maximum that can be achieved.  And that is what President Muhammadu Buhari set out to do.  As I keep saying, the President has never claimed to be an orator.  He just gets things done.

    “It was under President Muhammadu Buhari that three of the four refineries that we have today were built, when he was Minister of Petroleum.   About 3500km of pipelines were built by him as Minister of Petroleum in a three-year period.

    ”So, there is a track record not of talking, but of just getting things done.  And this is what we have seen in the past four years. That is why we were able to set aside money for the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.  And that is going on at present.  That is why we opened up the first phase of the Lagos-Kano Railway that was commissioned a couple of weeks ago, the Lagos-Abeokuta-Ibadan phase of that project.

    “The Itakpe-Warri Railway, now completed after 35 years of being on the books.  The Light Rail project here in Abuja started in 2005, budget after budget, never completed was completed also at the end of 2017.  We now have that light rail from the airport to Idu.  Same as several other infrastructural projects. Mambila Hydro has been on the cards for 40 years.  We have just put together resources to begin that project and we will complete that project.

    “For us, infrastructure is critical at the Next Level.  You cannot have the situation where you have the kind of power situation we have today and expect transformative progress.  That is why we are focused on power and other infrastructure.

    “We are focused on fixing the infrastructure in the country and we believe that if we fix the infrastructure, the roads and the rail, and especially power, we will be able to make significant progress.

    “Today, our rail project starts from the Apapa Port so that we are able to clear the congestion in that port because the Lagos to Kano railway starts from the Apapa port.  And we can start taking out cargo from the Apapa port using rail as an alternative means.

    “The same is true of agriculture; and we just heard our partners from Brazil talking about the next phase of our agricultural development and we are committed to that project because we believe that is what will transform the agro-industrial phase of our planning and that is what will transform agriculture in this country and create additional jobs.

    “It is enough to have farmers everywhere; we need the refining capacity; we need the processing capacity and that is what our partnership with the Brazilians will provide for us.

    “On the reforms we are making in education and healthcare, today the emphasis is on digital literacy; the emphasis on training our teachers to be able to train the next generation of children in school.

    “And we are focused on doing so using some of the methods we have described very comprehensively not just in the ERGP but in our next level document.

    “So, we are focusing on STEAM, not STEM; we are focusing on training young people on digital skills, critical thinking and some other skills that are necessary for the kind of jobs that the 21st century will provide. Our focus on healthcare is on National Health Insurance because we cannot finance healthcare by the budget alone.

    “Again, at the Next Level, we will expand our social investment programme; at the moment, the programme is the biggest of its kind anywhere in the African continent.”

    The Managing Director, Transmission Company of Nigeria (TCN), U.G. Mohammed, who spoke on using the power sector to propel industrial growth, said that the power sector privatisation in the country was an ambitious venture embarked upon by Nigeria, saying the mistakes made through the exercise must be acknowledged and corrected.

    Mohammed also said the country still does not have the capacity to distribute all the power currently being generated, adding that his agency has stopped connecting generating companies to the national grid to avoid damaging the system.

    He also disclosed that the country has not been able to complete many projects in the sector because such contracts were not awarded to be executed

    The TCN managing director said that since his assumption of office as the head of TCN, he has stopped such award, and ensured that projects awarded were completed.

    Read also: Buhari not an orator but action man, says Osinbajo

    According to him, when he came on board, the TCN had over 800 containers at the port, many of which had been there for over 15 years. The company has so far recovered over 730 of such containers.

    Mohammed advocated the recapitalisation of the Distribution Companies (DisCos) with government providing 40 percent of the equity. Such capitalization, he said, will ensure a good tariff regime, which will not be expensive.

    In his welcome address, Lagos State Governor and the chief host of the event, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode praised Tinubu for spear-heading the party’s victory in the general election.

    Ambode described Tinubu as “a man of high political dexterity, a dogged leader and a man of undaunted courage and expressed confidence that the APC was spreading its progressive tentacles further into the country while Nigerians are looking forward to moving to the next level.”

    He said the theme of the colloquium:  ”Next Level: Work for the People”, was chosen to coincide with the times when the country was on the threshold of greatness.

    Those who attended the colloquium include: Prof  Osinbajo and his wife Dolapo; APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole; Governors Abdullahi Umar Ganduje (Kano); Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi); Simon Lalong (Plateau); Ambode’s wife Abimbola; Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo); Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti); Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo); Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara); Gboyega Oyetola (Osun); Edo State Deputy Governor Phillip Shuaibu, former Osun State Governor Rauf Aregbesola and former APC Interim National Chairman Chief Bisi Akande.

    Also there were: ministers Musa Mohammed (FCT); Senator Chris Ngige (Labour & Employment); Okechukwu Enelama (Trade & Investment) and Lai Mohammed (Information & Culture).

    Others include: Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan; former Sokoto State Governor Aliyu Wammako; Lagos State Governor-elect Babatunde Sanwo-Olu and his deputy Obafemi Hamzat; Senator Shehu Sani; former APC Deputy National Chairman, (South) Segun Oni; Voice of Nigeria Director-General Osita Okechukwu and Senator Smart Adeyemi, former Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio, former President of the Newspaper Proprietors’ Association of Nigeria (NPAN) Samaila Isa Funtua; Vanguard Publisher Sam Amuka-Pemu; Senator Khariat Gwadabe, Senator Gbenga Ashafa; former Lagos State Information and Strategy Commissioner Dele Alade and Comptroller-General of Customs, Col. Hamid Ali.

    The roll call also includes the Ooni of Ife Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, who led other royal fathers to grace the occasion; National Assembly members and members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) as well as members of the diplomatic corps.

     

  • Tinubu, leading light of progressive politics-Fayemi

    Ekiti State Governor, Dr Kayode Fayemi, has described National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as a leading light of progressive politics, a fact which his critics usually acknowledge.

    Fayemi, in a personal tribute on the 67th birthday of the former Lagos governor, stated his legacies in the realm of politics and human development remain a reference point.

    He said Tinubu stands tall among the progeny of progressive politics.

    The governor, who recalled his working relationship with the former NADECO chieftain, said Tinubu remains a dependable, reliable and passionate leader, whose record of grooming successful disciples is unmatchable.

    A statement by Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Yinka Oyebode to the governor said Asiwaju Tinubu remains one of the country’s most resourceful politicians.

    He added that his exemplary leadership style have brought unparralled development and growth to the nation.

    “I celebrate you today as always because you have been a reliable, dependable and passionate leader.

    ‘’The hallmark of a great leader is not measured in castles and materials, but in his ability to groom and lead successful disciples.

    “Like a colossus in the jungle of life, your ability to identify, nurture and engage talents is unequalled.

    “Your life has been a testimony of human capital development in an unrelenting struggle for a better life.

    ‘’Even your political detractors secretly admire your courage, vibrancy, intelligence, ebullience, kind-heartedness, warmth and sagacity.

    READ ALSO: Afenifere hails Fayemi over role in general elections

    “I will forever cherish the memory of our struggles for the enthronement and sustenance of democracy and good governance in Nigeria.

    ‘’Your infectious smile, as we have witnessed together on a number of occasions, is disarming.

    ‘’You have, over the years, succeeded in constantly reinventing yourself as a leading light of progressive politics.

    “You mean different things to different people. To some, you are a patriotic politician, while to others you are a political strategist who loves challenging the powers-that-be as a result of your passion and desire to see that your people are not deprived of their rights at any time.”

    He added: “You might not be the darling of all, but you have carved a niche for yourself in the political history of Nigeria.

    “May providence reward your labour of love with long life in good health, unspeakable joy and everlasting bliss.

    “On behalf of the government and good people of Ekiti State, I wish you the best of what your new year can offer. Above all, I wish you many more useful and productive years.”

  • Tinubu is pillar of democracy, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has described All Progressives Congress (APC) stalwart Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a pillars of democracy.

    The accolade was contained in felicitations the President sent to the former Lagos State governor on the occasion of his 67th birthday.

    A Colloquium tagged: “The 11th Bola Tinubu Colloquium”, is billed for today at the International Conference Centre (ICC) in Abuja.

    It is to commemorate Tinubu’s birthday.

    President Buhari will chair the colloquium that has its theme as “Next Level Work for People.”

    In a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, the President described Tinubu as one of the strong pillars of Nigeria’s democracy.

    He joined the APC family in celebrating the Asiwaju of Lagos, who is also the Jagaban of Borgu Kingdom in Niger State, for his selflessness in serving the country, and making life better for many.

    The President recalled some of the sacrifices of the party chieftain to include, standing up against injustice in 1993 when the June 12 elections were annulled, which led to his going on political exile for many years, and a protracted legal battle with the Federal Government when funds for Lagos councils were withheld.

    The statement reads: “President Buhari affirmed that Asiwaju’s uncompromising posture in the face of injustice and refusal to follow the path of least resistance for personal gains stand him out today as a rare breed and one of the cornerstones of Nigeria’s democracy, especially with his track record of persistence, consistency and effective leadership.

    Read also: Tinubu as reactionaries’ nightmare

    “As the father of modern Lagos State, the President commended the visionary and inclusive leadership style that the Asiwaju provided for the commercial nerve centre of Nigeria for eight years, laying the foundation for a modern and technologically driven city, and ensuring that every successive leader in the state sticks with the masterplan of a greater Lagos.

    President Buhari rejoiced with family members, friends, political and business associates of the Jagaban on this auspicious milestone, which is further brightened with the many successes recorded at the recently concluded polls by his strong leadership.

    “The President believed the best years of the APC National Leader are still ahead, praying that the almighty God will grant him longer life, good health and more wisdom to keep serving the country he loves so much.”

  • Tinubu debunks alleged meeting with INEC chair on Sokoto governorship rerun

    National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, yesterday refuted his alleged meeting with the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, together with other chieftains of the party.

    In an advertorial published in the Daily Trust on March 21, an organisation that called itself the Sokoto State Coalition of PDP supporters, had claimed that Tinubu and other APC chieftains like the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomole; Senator Adamu Aliero and Zamfara State Governor Abdul’Aziz Yari, met with Yakubu in order to influence the Sokoto State governorship rerun election in favour of APC.

    A statement issued by the Tinubu Media Office yesterday, however, described the allegation as “desperate untruth without a basis in fact.”

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to a partisan advertorial in the 21st March edition of Daily Trust. This advertorial, placed by a shadowy organisation calling itself the Sokoto State Coalition of PDP Supporters, bears the logo of PDP National Youth League and is signed by one Engr. Haruna Usman Shagari.

    “Titled “Inconclusive Gubernatorial Election: Sokoto People Warn Tinubu, Oshiomole, Yari, Bagudu and others,” the advert makes baseless allegations against Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the National Leader of All Progressives Congress (APC); Comrade Adams Oshiomole, Chairman of APC; Senator Adamu Aliero and Zamfara Governor Abdul’Aziz Yari.

    “It falsely alleges that Asiwaju, along with the others, met the INEC Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu in order to influence the Sokoto State gubernatorial rerun election in favour of APC.

    “These allegations by a contrived PDP organ are desperate untruths without a basis in fact.

    “But they are entirely in line with the delusional reactions of PDP to their devastating loss in the presidential elections.

    “The entire PDP hierarchy have been scared and jumping at their own shadows since the election. They have been seeing phantom conspiracies and imaginary gatherings that make us wonder whether they remain connected to reality.

    “Most recently, they alleged that Asiwaju was physically in Kano to manipulate elections there. They backed up this fraudulent allegation with photographs of Asiwaju and the Kano Governor taken last year in Lagos.

    “For so long and so often, they cannot even get right the whereabouts of one man. That they can’t even tell the truth about the location of a single person shows that they are incompetent to manage the complex affairs of an entire state.

    “It is a matter of public record that Asiwaju has always been at the forefront of the struggle for electoral reform; a struggle that culminated in the establishment of the Uwais Commission by late President Umaru Yar’adua.

    “A prominent member of that panel, Prof Attahiru Jega later became the INEC Chairman and was able to implement the far-reaching reforms that have enabled us to have the free and fair elections that we witnessed in 2015 and now in 2019.

    “If Asiwaju was such a prominent supporter of electoral reforms, why would he now be among those trying to subvert democracy?

    “Asiwaju’s only tools for influencing elections are his moral authority, his skills as a veteran politician, and his dedication to campaigning and mobilizing his own party members.

    Read also: Rerun polls: Tambuwal, Aliyu, Ganduje,Yusuf, others locked in fierce battle

    “With respect to Sokoto, former Governor Wamakko is a popular figure and leader who has the respect of the people of the state. It is also clear that the APC candidate is more qualified and more committed to the welfare of the people than his PDP opponent.

    “By his panicked responses, Governor Tambuwal has shown his sheer desperation. He is a drowning man clinging to the limp of a tree.

    “Having been tricked into joining the PDP only to be outsmarted by Atiku for the PDP presidential nomination, Tambuwal fears that his political career is crumbling.

    “If he loses this election, he has lost everything. Thus there is no untruth he will not tell and no tactic too extreme in order to hold on to his seat.

    “However, he should not use Asiwaju’s name to defraud the people or as a way to gain sympathy. Instead, Tambuwal should face the consequences of his own actions.

    “It is Tambuwal, not Asiwaju, who has caused his own predicament.

    “Try how he may to blame Asiwaju, the people know that Tambuwal has sacrificed their interests to advance his own.

    “He can try whatever propaganda and untruths he wants, but in the end, the people will render the verdict that his selfish and unproductive record deserves.”