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Tag: atiku

  • Atiku’s penchant for playing to gallery legendary, becoming an embarrassment – TMSG

    Atiku’s penchant for playing to gallery legendary, becoming an embarrassment – TMSG

    The Tinubu Media Support Group (TMSG) has accused former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of impulsively making statements without considering their accuracy.

    TMSG expressed concern over Atiku’s tendency to hastily make serious accusations against President Bola Tinubu in the press, urging him to carefully consider his remarks before speaking out.

    This statement, signed by TMSG Chairman Emeka Nwankpa and Secretary Dapo Okubanjo, was issued in response to Atiku’s claims that the government is spending N5.4 billion on fuel subsidies this year.

    This was contained in a statement signed by the Chairman and Secretary of TMSG, Messers Emeka Nwankpa and Dapo Okubanjo, respectively, while reacting to Atiku’s ‘claims that the government is spending N5.4b on fuel subsidy this year.

    “We are amused at the self-imposed opposition leadership Atiku has placed on himself. We would have had no qualms about it if he had been giving rational thinking to his claims. He has many times said those things that came to his mind only on impulse without fully processing those thoughts. These are unbecoming of someone who had occupied the exalted position of a vice president. 

    “The former vice president has a penchant for playing to the gallery, always jumping to conclusions on issues without the decency of determining the veracity of such claims. 

    “We are bored with the manner former Vice President Atiku Abubakar latched on to a media report of a N5.4tn expenditure on fuel subsidy for 2024 without considering the consequences of such weighty allegation. 

    “The perennial Presidential candidate must have seen the reports as yet another opportunity to demarket President Tinubu for denying him is life-long ambition but for us, it is yet another page from the Atiku playbook of political misadventure stretching back to when his former boss,former President Olusegun Obasanjo declared him unfit for public office.

    “We would have expected someone who was Vice President for eight years to ponder on how the Tinubu administration could commit a figure that amounts to nearly 20% of the N28.7trn 2024 budget to subsidizing fuel without a provision for it in the same budget. 

    “We wonder what manner of statesman would regularly rush to the public with what he thinks is a silver bullet against a sitting president who has no time for distractions as he continues his nation-building efforts.

    “And after his N5.4tn subsidy expenditure claim was shut down by Presidential spokesman Bayo Onanuga, we were not surprised that he doubled down to accusing President Tinubu of diverting public funds without proof. 

    “This to us is a classic example of the idiom ‘misery loves company’. A man who has had several allegations of financial malfeasance trailing his time in government would always think that everyone is like him.

    “It won’t be out of place for us to remind Nigerians how Atiku’s former Principal Olusegun Obasanjo in his book – ‘My Watch’ detailed some ‘corrupt involvement’ of the former vice president with a certain Mr William Jefferson, a former US lawmaker, who was later jailed for 13 years.

    “Is it not a statement of fact that former President Obasanjo, in chapter 36 of the book, linked Atiku Abubakar to the embezzlement of $20m which his administration was supposed to deploy for Petroleum Technology Development Fund (PTDF), and another $125 million to fund PTDF during 2003 fiscal year?

    “Let Atiku Abubakar contest these claims if they are not correct rather than beating about the bush raising spurious claims against President Tinubu. 

    Read Also: Atiku:  disunity among opposition worst threat  to our democracy

    “So it should be expected that a politician with such baggage would assume that anyone within the corridor of powers in Aso Rock would be involved in diversion of public funds.

    “And lest we forget, former Obasanjo described his former deputy,Atiku Abubakar, as a ‘shameless liar during the launch of that book in 2014 in Lagos. He is yet to contest these allegations. 

    “On the economy, Alhaji Atiku claimed that President Tinubu is running it by trial and error and we recollect how he recommended the Argentina model as a better option that will bail out Nigeria economy, but the fact, today, is that Nigeria is in a better placed situation than Argentina which has an inflation rate of 287%.”

    TMSG urged Nigerians to see the former Vice President’s tirades against President Tinubu as what it is-politics with bitterness. 

  • No substitute for democracy, says Atiku

    No substitute for democracy, says Atiku

    Former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has said that there is no substitute for democracy as a form of government in Nigeria.

    Atiku said this in a statement via his verified X page on Wednesday, as he celebrated Democracy Day.

    He said: “The secondary purpose of declaring every June 12 as Democracy Day in our country is to commemorate the history of our long journey of becoming a stable democratic country. Truth be told, there’s no substitute to democracy as a form of government.

    “Whereas our current democratic dispensation is a quarter of a century old, it will not be out of place to pay tributes to the sacrifices made by many patriots, chiefly among them Basorun MKO Abiola and his beloved wife, Alhaja (Mrs) Kudirat Abiola, Tafida Shehu Yar’Adua and Alfred Rewane, among many others.

    “The historical timeline of the struggle that birthed this democracy is abundant with a series of coalitions and alliances amongst the political leaderships of that era to flush away the vestiges of military and dictatorial governance in order to return power to the people.

    “It is commendable that for 25 years, we have witnessed an uninterrupted season of electoral politics. It is an unprecedented epoch in our history.

    Read Also: Atiku:  disunity among opposition worst threat  to our democracy

    “It is worthy of celebration and commendation must go to the people of our great country. I must also congratulate the political class for having embraced the rectitude of nurturing a democracy, as well as the civil society.

    “It is important that all stakeholders continue to do their bit to ensure the sustainability of our democracy.

    “However, the past nine years has thrown up a regime of extreme hardship manifested in excruciating poverty and unprecedented levels of violence and insecurity upon our people. Sadly, the ruling All Progressives Congress is to blame for bringing forth this dawn of gloom.

    “But the opposition political parties are even more guilty than the ruling party for the seeming lack of capacity to come together and galvanize a coalition that will retire the ruling party and articulate a plan of good governance that will earn the conviction of Nigerians.

    “Today, the failings of the opposition parties to uphold the functionality of their existence is the major threat to our democracy. The earlier they realise that the fortunes of Nigeria lies in their forging a coalition, the better it will be for our country and the people. -AA.”

  • Atiku:  disunity among opposition worst threat  to our democracy

    Atiku:  disunity among opposition worst threat  to our democracy

    • APC desecrating democratic principles,  PDP alleges

    Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) presidential candidate for the 2023 general election Atiku Abubakar said yesterday that disunity among opposition parties constituted the worst threat to Nigeria’s democracy.

    Atiku, in a statement titled  “My Democracy Day 2024 Message to Nigerians”  recalled that effective political coalitions before the 1993 presidential poll paved the way for Chief  MKO Abiola’s unprecedented success.

    He pointed out that the opposition parties’ failure to ‘’galvanise and root out the All Progressives Congress (APC) was worse than the ‘’dawn of gloom’’ visited on the country in the past nine years by the ruling party.

    In a separate statement, the PDP which said Nigerians had become nostalgic about its 16 years in power, accused the APC of desecrating the democratic principles Chief Abiola laboured and died for.

    Atiku and the PDP, however, said despite the challenges in the country, June 12 was worth celebrating because of its historical significance.

    The statement by Atiku reads partly: “ The past nine years has thrown up a regime of extreme hardship manifested in excruciating poverty and unprecedented levels of violence and insecurity upon our people. Sadly, the ruling All Progressives Congress is to blame for bringing forth this dawn of gloom.

    “But the opposition political parties are even more guilty than the ruling party for the seeming lack of capacity to come together and galvanise a coalition that will retire the ruling party and articulate a plan of good governance that will earn the conviction of Nigerians.

    “Today, the failings of the opposition parties to uphold the functionality of their existence is the major threat to our democracy. The earlier they realise that the fortunes of Nigeria lie in their forging a coalition, the better it will be for our country and the people.

    ‘’In  spite of various challenges,  the June 12 Democracy Day is still worth celebrating as it holds a special historical significance for Nigeria.

    “The secondary purpose of declaring every June 12 as Democracy Day in our country is to commemorate the history of our long journey of becoming a stable democratic country. Truth be told, there’s no substitute for democracy as a form of government.

    “Whereas our current democratic dispensation is a quarter of a century old, it will not be out of place to pay tributes to the sacrifices made by many patriots, chiefly among them Basorun MKO Abiola and his beloved wife, Alhaja (Mrs) Kudirat Abiola, Tafida Shehu Yar’Adua and Alfred Rewane, among many others.

    “The historical timeline of the struggle that birthed this democracy is abundant with a series of coalitions and alliances amongst the political leaderships of that era to flush away the vestiges of military and dictatorial governance to return power to the people.

    “It is commendable that for 25 years, we have witnessed an uninterrupted season of electoral politics. It is an unprecedented epoch in our history.

    “It is worthy of celebration and commendation must go to the people of our great country. I must also congratulate the political class for having embraced the rectitude of nurturing a democracy, as well as civil society.

    ‘’It is important that all stakeholders continue to do their bit to ensure the sustainability of our democracy.” 

    Read Also: FG approves N13b for National Research Fund, multipurpose labs for varsities

    APC desecrating democratic principles,  PDP alleges

    The PDP, in a statement by its spokesman, Mr. Debo Ologunagba, said it was  ‘’distressing’’ that Democracy Day was being celebrated under a party desperate to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

    It therefore urged Nigerians to mobilise and speak against anti-democratic tendencies and insensitivity of successive APC administrations.

    The party said: ‘’This year’s  Democracy Day must be utilised to speak against the anti-democratic tendencies of the insensitive APC which is asphyxiating, inflicting hardship, trampling on the will and rights of the citizens, and seeking to foist a totalitarian system on our nation.

    “It is distressing that our nation is observing Democracy Day under a system that relishes in brazen violation of the 1999 Constitution, election rigging, stifling and manipulation of opposition, muzzling of dissenting voices; undermining the judicial system and other democracy institutions in desperation to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

    “More disquieting is that all the progress and gains made by successive PDP administrations in entrenching democratic practice in Nigeria have been reversed by the APC administrations.

    “Nigerians can recall with nostalgia the glorious days of the PDP at the return of democracy in 1999 to 2015, which period witnessed the expansion of democracy practice and dividend; notably the conduct of free and fair elections; adherence to the Rule of Law and Principle of Separation of Powers, economic transformation resulting in Nigeria becoming a preferred foreign investment destination in the world.

    “It is saddening that instead of celebrating freedom and good governance; the very of essence of democracy which Chief MKO Abiola stood for; Nigerians are in anguish over the exploitive, ill-implemented anti-people policies and programmes of the APC which has weaponised poverty in the country.

    “Is it not provocative that while APC leaders are relishing in opulence, other Nigerians cannot afford their daily meals and other basic necessities of life?’’

    The PDP called on  President Bola Ahmed  Tinubu to use the occasion of Democracy Day to have a deep reflection on the state- of- the nation under his watch, especially given the growing public agitation over hunger and the high cost of living in the country.

    MKO Abiola’s home  gets facelift 

    The Abeokuta, Ogun State  home of  Chief MKO  Abiola,  winner of the June 12, 1993 presidential election,  was given  a facelift by the Dapo Abiodun    government ahead of yesterday’s  Democracy Day celebration.

    Lekan Adeniran, chief press secretary to the   Governor Abiodun,  explained that the renovation  was   to make the house presentable for the event..

    Today is public holiday 

    The Federal Government yesterday declared today as a public holiday to commemorate this year’s Democracy Day.

    It enjoined Nigerians to use the day  to ‘’reflect on the efforts of our founding fathers’’  and  to remain steadfast in  the tenets of democratic governance.’’

    The government, in a statement by  Interior Minister Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo, also reiterated President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s commitment to revive the nation’s economy and enhance security.

     “As we mark another Democracy day in the history of our dear country, let us all reflect on the efforts of our founding fathers and ensure that Nigeria remains a united, secured, peaceful, and indivisible entity,” said Tunji-Ojo said in the statement by the ministry’s  Permanent Secretary  Aishetu Ndayako.

      The minister enjoined Nigerians to look forward to a better future for the country’s democracy.

  • Atiku tackles Shettima over ‘Tinubu’s Bourdillon home became a sanctuary for ex-VP’ comment

    Atiku tackles Shettima over ‘Tinubu’s Bourdillon home became a sanctuary for ex-VP’ comment

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakaryesterday tackled President Kashim Shettima for saying he (Atiku) benefited from President Bola Tinubu’s goodwill while facing persecution from the then ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Last Thursday, during the inauguration of the Third Expanded National Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises (MSMEs) Business Clinics in Ado-Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital, Shettima had said President Tinubu’s Bourdillon home became a sanctuary for Atiku when the former Vice President was allegedly being harassed, intimidated, dehumanised and almost chased out of the PDP.

    Shettima, who explained that the road to the Tinubu presidency did not happen by chance, said: “He (President Tinubu) has been a veritable sanctuary for victims of political witch-hunts. When Atiku Abubakar was harassed in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it was Bourdillon he ran to for support and it was in Bourdillon that he got the needed support and later contested for the presidency of this country.”

    But in a statement yesterday in Abuja, Atiku’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, faulted the assertion, saying it was President Tinubu who benefitted from Atiku’s goodwill.

    Read Also: Atiku caused PDP’s embarrassing failure in 2023 – PDP Youth group

    The statement reads: “Vice President Kashim Shettima goofed when he claimed that former Vice President of Nigeria, Atiku Abubakar, benefited from President Bola Tinubu’s goodwill when he was being ‘persecuted’ in the PDP; truth be told, it was Tinubu that actually benefited immensely from Atiku’s goodwill.”

    “But for Atiku’s support, hinged on his pro-democracy instincts and rule of law, Tinubu’s tenure as governor of Lagos would have been rough with a wide possibility of termination of his political career.”

    The statement claimed that it was President Tinubu who owed Atiku politically.

    “For some time, and especially leading up to the 2023 election, there has been a deliberate attempt to distort the history of the politics of the early Fourth Republic by ascribing the (defunct Action Congress) AC, the political platform that Atiku ran on in 2007 as Tinubu’s party; nothing can be further from the truth.

    “Vice President Shettima, obviously carried away with the euphoria of the unveiling of his official residence as Vice President, repeated the same lie.

    “Shettima needs to be reminded that Atiku did not run under the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) but under Action Congress (AC). AC came out of a coalition of ACD (Advanced Congress of Democrats) formed by mainly the PDM (People’s Democratic Movement) members and other associates and Tinubu’s faction of AD (action for Democracy).

    “Moreover, Tinubu was not in a position to lend the platform to Atiku, as erroneously being suggested, as he (Atiku) was nominated by all the delegates from all the states. “

  • Atiku caused PDP’s embarrassing failure in 2023 – PDP Youth group

    Atiku caused PDP’s embarrassing failure in 2023 – PDP Youth group

    A youth group within the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), known as the Arewa PDP Youth Transparency Group, has criticised former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, claiming he has damaged his reputation within the party.

    In a statement released on Sunday, June 2, by its national chairman, Haruna Bature, the group accused Atiku of making a “dishonest conclusion” that the North must produce the next PDP presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections, which they believe contributed to the party’s embarrassing failure.

    The statement was issued in response to comments from a purported aide of Atiku, Abdulaziz Na’ibi Abubakar, who claimed that FCT Minister Nyensom Wike would soon be retired from politics.

    The PDP youth group dismissed the remarks, describing Abubakar as an “internally displaced political aide” who is futilely attempting to undermine the effective FCT minister.

    Bature said: “His (Abubakar) reckless statement that Wike’s political influence will soon come to an end can only be described as laughable because in deconstructing such ranting from the figment of his lazy imagination, you can just be happy rather than being sad.

    “Atiku’s political aide is only trying to obstruct Wike’s progress, by misleading people, but, we all know that when a mind is diseased, there is hardly much you can do to point such to decency.

    “Atiku and his cohorts have succeeded in parading themselves as defeatists, beaten roundly by the group led by political octopus, H. E. Nyesom Wike, the Political wizard cum General.

    “You are all aware how in 2014 Atiku worked against PDP ahead of the 2015 election which was when his end in politics was prescribed. Since then till now, he contested twice and he failed completely. He (Atiku) has injured his reputation’s capital in the party.

    Read Also: Renewed Hope: NDDC subjects employees to mandatory anti-graft training

    “His dishonest conclusion that the North must produce the next presidential candidate in PDP in 2023 later brought an embarrassing failure to us and the party because of selfish interest and perfidious desire. His foul language against River State people was evidence of poor political breeding.

    “Atiku and his camp were flourishing industry of political lies, as a frustrated politician promoting fake news against the person of Wike. Forensic reports show that Atiku’s camp is practicing agbero politics, by our calculation Atiku remains an expired politician since the day he worked against PDP in 2015 and so shall it be.

    “As it is now, Wike is picking up the pieces of the party for reconstruction, bridging the gaps and reuniting it for generational change where everyone can see as a mirror to picture himself and have a say.

    “Wike as a minister under the APC government has disarmed everyone with his performance in just one year, without a sense of history society is sentenced to start worshipping false characters like Atiku.

    “The evidence that PDP need redemption is everywhere, so the upcoming ward congress is an acid test between Wike and Atiku camp, we are moved to respond to the infantile, ignorant, pedestrian, low quality, confused and rambling publication of Atiku aide called Abdul Aziz Na’ibi advice has cost Atiku the failure he never bargains for,” Buture said.

  • Atiku jealous of Tinubu’s achievements, says APC

    Atiku jealous of Tinubu’s achievements, says APC

    •PDP: past year most challenging for Nigerians

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar of being blinded by political envy over the achievements of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

    The accusation is contained in a statement posted yesterday by APC National Publicity Secretary Felix Morka on his X (formerly Twitter).

     The statement is a reaction to Atiku’s labeling of Tinubu’s policies as “trial and error.” 

    Muoka argued that the former vice-president’s comments were self-serving and an attempt to undermine the Tinubu administration’s bold and transformative initiatives.

    The post partly reads: “The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 general election, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has not let up on his vilipending of the outstanding first-year record of achievements of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration.

    Read Also: You have restored life to FCT, Tinubu hails Wike for infrastructural deployment

    “In his latest statement, Atiku claimed that Mr. President was not ready for reforms, dismissing his policies as ‘trial and error.’

    “Atiku’s self-serving efforts to minimise the bold, genuine, and metamorphic policies and interventions of the present administration only smacks of primordial political envy and crass desperation for the power that Nigerians have so wisely denied him.

    “The former Vice President lives in an alternate reality of prejudice and unpatriotic desire for Nigeria’s failure so he may scavenge his way to an even more elusive Presidency.

    “Opposition’s efforts to burden the administration with ceaseless, contrived, unjustified, and diversionary reproval are grossly miscalculated and misled. The sheer length of Atiku’s prevaricating epistle of a statement is a testament to the expanse of the administration’s policy and programme uptake in 365 short days.

    “President Bola Tinubu remains unshakable in his commitment to building concrete blocks of progress and greatness for Nigeria. While Atiku and his band of mudslingers idle away, the President will continue, unstoppably, to deliver high-grade infrastructure not only in our nation’s capital, Abuja, but all around the country.”

    Also in Abuja, the PDP said the ‘’last year under the current APC administration is the most challenging in Nigeria’s history since the Civil War.’’

    It, therefore, enjoined the Tinubu administration to emphasise good governance instead of ‘’inflicting pain and misery on Nigerians’’ through ‘’not well thought-out ’’ policies.

  • The Age of Reversion: Kano emirate, Atiku

    The Age of Reversion: Kano emirate, Atiku

    Former vice president Atiku Abubakar is full of recantations. It took him barely one week before he recanted his decision to support Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate in the last election should his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), or a putative coalition of angry political parties, decide to zone the presidency to the Southeast and pick the former Anambra State governor as candidate. He would have no problem supporting the coalition’s candidate, he had said gamely, insisting, “This is to anybody that thinks there is going to be a misunderstanding between me and Obi; let me assure you that not even a small issue is going to happen between us.” Well, the coalition has not yet been cobbled, and neither aspirant had yet been called to altruism, but Alhaji Atiku is already recanting, and doing it pluckily and with considerable indifference.

    But of course, Hausa language is highly nuanced, and literal translations can be a quicksand for first speakers of the language, let alone second speakers. Alhaji Atiku gave both interviews where he spoke about his aspiration or non-aspiration in Hausa. In the first interview, on BBC Hausa Service, he suggested that he was still interested in the presidency but would back Mr Obi if the coalition he and others were envisaging declined to give him the nod. Was anything lost during the translations? It seems unlikely. The translations, assuming media establishments engaged the task simultaneously and independently, were probably excellently done. What seemed lost, but was actually hidden between the lines, was his determination to contest the presidency a seventh time, not to talk of his cynicism about a putative Obi candidacy. He knew without a shred of doubt that Mr Obi’s candidacy, as far as the North was concerned and despite the former Anambra governor’s new-found syncretism, would be anathema. For someone who had shamelessly exploited religion and deployed the church as a political tool and also pledged to serve as its battering ram against other faiths, standing for election and hoping to secure the northern vote was idealism taking to its farcical limit.

    Alarmed that his real political intentions were entangled in the BBC Hausa Service translations, particularly their emphasis on a possible support for Mr Obi, Alhaji Atiku took to the VOA Hausa Service to bury the idiomatic nonsense read into the other interview. For as long as his health held up, he swore, he would continue to contest the presidency. Now, dear reader, cut to the chase, and don’t take refuge in any idiom or nuance: what the former vice president is saying is that as long as he is on his feet, good health be damned, he would vie for the golden stool. What is not clear is at what point he experienced the epiphany of seeing number seven as a magical number, and tying it to former United States president Abraham Lincoln whom he said contested for the American presidency a seventh time before winning. Alhaji Atiku is allegedly famous for reposing trust in the arcane services of marabouts; now he is speaking mystically about the metaphysics of numbers, insisting that he would keep contesting until he wins. At 81 years old? Nothing and no subject is inviolate when the former vice president engages his recantations; but on his ambition to run for the presidency a seventh time, and notwithstanding the misinterpretations of his earlier BBC Hausa Service interview, he can be trusted to want to run for office except God preempts him or someone else more astute and less controversial steals his thunder.

    Still on the subject of reversions, Kano State has demonstrated once again that it is no laggard. Perish philosophy, perish common sense. During the last governorship elections campaign, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, leader of the Kwankwasiyya movement politicking on the hijacked platform of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), took his personal fight against former Kano State governor and now chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to a new and unsavoury height. He answered every barb shot at him by the APC chairman with unfathomable biliousness and a determination to erase anything connected with his sparring partner. One of the victims of the fight is the Emirate Council of Kano, previously divided into five emirates about four years ago, but three days ago again unified by a piece of legislation from the State House of Assembly repealing the former law. After accenting the legislation unifying the balkanised emirate, Governor Abba Yusuf angrily deposed the four emirs of Gaya, Rano, Bichi, Karaye, and then added the deposition of Emir Ado Bayero as icing on the cake. Many analysts suggested such mass depositions would be fraught with a lot of uncertainties, but neither Mallam Kwankwaso nor the governor could be bothered. They had made the repeal of the Gov Ganduje Emirate Council law a campaign promise, they asserted grimly, and they would stop at nothing to fulfill that promise.

    Read Also: First Lady raises the alarm over waning values among youths

    It is the courts that will, however, determine whether the five emirs were duly appointed by law, and whether that law was legitimate or otherwise. The reinstatement of Emir Muhammadu Sanusi II as Emir of Kano a second time, thus becoming the 14th and 16th emir, can also only be viewed from the perspective of the law. But the Kwankwasiyya group has claimed the repeal of the law and depositions accord with the law. They have mocked the court order staying action on the deposition, suggesting that it was procured outside Nigeria and out of time, despite the regnancy of e-proceedings. They are in short presenting Kano with a fait accompli. But the courts will eventually determine whether Emir Bayero was queried or given fair hearing. Indeed, unlike the deposition of Emir Sanusi, there was no allegation of wrongdoing against the deposed emir, let alone a query or an inquiry. And, worse, there was no involvement of the kingmakers other than a nebulous ‘consultation’ with them. If the Kwankwasiyya group was so adamant about reversing the balkanised Kano emirate, could they not adhere to the rule of law? And why the haste?

    The mass deposition controversy is now in the courts. It is hard to see how the Kano State government would justify the abridgement of due process. They could get away with demolishing the multi-million naira Golden Jubilee monument erected at a roundabout in Kano last year into which they had insinuated a Christian symbol only visible by a drone, but they will need far more ingenuity, if not legal sleight of hand, to justify the deposition of five emirs in one fell swoop anchored on a curious interpretation of the Kano Emirate Council law. No anger justifies a government acting as rashly as Kano State government has done, or as Rivers, which sees itself as an independent entity unconstrained by the law or constitution, is doing. If the courts in Kano have any regard for the constitution, the country might yet be spared from a replay of the unbridled nihilism overtaking Rivers State.

  • I’ll keep contesting for presidency, says Atiku

    I’ll keep contesting for presidency, says Atiku

    The 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has vowed to keep contesting as long as he’s healthy.

    Atiku spoke during an interview on the Hausa service of the Voice of America in Abuja.

    Atiku said he is consoled by the fact that former United States President Abraham Lincoln did not win the presidential vote on the first time of asking.

    He also spoke about crisis in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), saying the party needs to be united and forge alliances with other political groups to win the presidential election in 2027.

    Asked if he will contest again, Atiku said: “Of course, I will keep contesting again and again as long as I am alive and healthy.

    Read Also: Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso can’t win 2027 presidency – VeryDarkMan

    “Even the former US President Abraham Lincoln contested seven times before finally winning.

    “However, given the current state of the PDP, it is clear that a single-handed effort will not suffice to win the election. Strong support and collaboration with other parties are required.”

    The former Vice President will be 81 in 2027 when the next presidential election holds

    Atiku has been in the presidencial race six times but on the ballot as a candidate on three occasions — 2007, 2019 and 2023.

    This is coming amid speculation of him forming a coalition with other political parties.

    Last week, Atiku met with his counterpart from the Labour Party (LP)presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

  • Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso can’t win 2027 presidency – VeryDarkMan

    Atiku, Obi, Kwankwaso can’t win 2027 presidency – VeryDarkMan

    Controversial social media activist, VeryDarkMan, has made a bold statement regarding Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, and Rabiu Kwankwaso and their strategies for the 2027 presidential election.

    He claimed that opposition supporters are underestimating President Bola Tinubu, asserting that none of the three will become president in 2027.

    According to VeryDarkMan, the chances of the opposition parties winning are very slim and unlikely.

    He emphasized that none of Peter Obi of the Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso of the NNPP stand a chance at the presidency.

    He argued that opposition supporters do not fully comprehend the power and influence of President Bola Tinubu.

    Commenting on the potential merger between opposition parties led by Obi and Atiku, VeryDarkMan stressed that even with such an alliance, defeating the incumbent president in the upcoming election would be a significant challenge.

    He said: “I’m sick of seeing the news of Peter Obi and Atiku planning a merger ahead of 2027 in a bid to take over the presidency.

    Read Also: Bishop berates Atiku, Obi over stance on Lagos-Calabar coastal highway project

    “But the truth is, Peter Obi, Atiku or Kwankwaso cannot smell the presidential seat in 2027.

    “The problem with the opposition is that they underestimate the incumbent president, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    “With time, you will realise that Tinubu is actually the greatest politician of all time. I hate to say it but it’s fact.

    “The man is smart, intelligent, and desperate. He knows how to get what he wants. Don’t joke with him. He will remain in office till 2032.

    “The opposition should give up on the merger plans. Peter Obi 2027 is not possible.”

  • Atiku ignorant about pension fund investment options, says group

    Atiku ignorant about pension fund investment options, says group

    The Independent Media and Policy Initiative (IMPI) has criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar‘s recent statement on the federal government’s plan to utilize pension funds’ assets to address Nigeria’s significant infrastructure deficit.

    IMPI described Atiku’s remarks as yet another example of his tendency to raise baseless alarms filled with manipulative logic and falsehoods.

    In a statement signed by its chairman, Niyi Akinsiju, the group asserted that by endorsing a document with such capricious content, Atiku has demonstrated his intent to position himself merely as a government critic and opposition leader.

    IMPI said: “The extent to which former Vice President Atiku Abubakar will go to confuse and create unnecessary alarm in the public place is disconcerting. This particular statement, like the others he had issued, was another concoction of innuendoes, manipulation of facts and the rendition of law with mischief in mind.

    “It is so perplexing because, with the years the former Vice President had spent in public service and his claim to being business-minded, he simply exhibited a crass ignorance of the Pension Reform Act, 2014 and its associated Regulation on Investment of Pension Fund Assets.

    “For us, it is either the Vice President is innocently ignorant of the ethos of the Act or he preferred to resort to falsehood in canvassing a halt to the proposition by the Federal Government to unleash new possibilities in infrastructural development in the country with long term funding from pension funds’ assets.

    “In the first instance, federal government securities are the most reliable instruments in the capital market because they are issued on the authority and credibility of the Federal Government. The Pension Reform Act acknowledged this in section 86 which itemized possible assets that pension can be invested in starting at 86 (a) to include: ‘Bonds, bills and other securities issued or guaranteed by the federal government and the Central Bank of Nigeria.

    “This provision is reinforced in Section 5.1 of the Regulation of Investment of Pension Funds which directed that: ‘Pension Fund Assets can be invested in bonds and other securities issued by the Federal Government of Nigeria without any limitation.

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    “This compares to the provision contained in Section 5.2 of the Regulation of Investment of Pension Funds which admonished that: ‘No more than 2.0% of Pension Fund Assets can be invested in bond and debt instruments issued by any one State Government.’

    “Section 5.15 which highlighted the Investments Limits and Performance Benchmarks of the pension fund, defined the maximum investment as percentage of pension fund assets apportioned 100 percent of a pension fund’s assets in federal government’s issued securities.

    “This translates to indicate that a pension fund administrator can invest its total assets in FG’s issued security. This is because FGN-issued securities are considered the safest of all investments in the domestic debt market because it is backed by the ‘full faith and credit’ of the Federal Government, and as such are classified as risk-free debt instruments.

    “They have no default risk, meaning that it is absolutely certain interest and principal will be paid as and when due. The interest income earned from the securities is also tax-exempt.

    So in light of the above, we wonder at the manner of narrative Atiku intended to sell to the public when, it is apparent that the Tinubu administration is intent on utilizing available long-term funds to provide needed critical infrastructure in the country, which will in turn drive economic growth and social well-being across the country.

    “Atiku and his handlers clearly need to be educated on the fact that when eventually the Federal Government decided to tap into the pension funds’ assets for infrastructure development, it would be in the form of FGN-issued securities.

    “And for those who may not understand the fraudulent intent in the Atiku position, we invite you to note that the former Vice President actually indicated in his 2023 campaign manifesto that he would leverage on the N8tn pension fund assets to build Nigeria infrastructure fund if elected President.

    “We do not want to believe that the former VP never knew that using pension fund assets to boost infrastructure development was reflected in his manifesto.”

    IMPI also urged Nigerians to continue to ignore Atiku Abubakar’s politically motivated penchant for downplaying President Tinubu’s plan to set Nigeria on the path of real infrastructural development.