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Tag: BMO

  • BMO to Ezekwesili: You lack capacity to understand Nigerian politics

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has said that the sudden decision of former Minister of Education to pull out of the Presidential race barely 23 days to the election is a clear indication that she lacks the capacity to understand the dynamics of Nigerian politics.

    The group said the former Minister owe Nigerians serious explanation about her real intention of joining the presidential race when she knew she had to capacity and intention to see the election through.

    In a statement signed by Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, the group commended the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) on whose platform she was running for the Presidency for endorsing President Muhammadu Buhari for a second term in office.

    The group said: “We are not surprised that she has opted out of the race because it was clearly out of her depth as a pseudo-activist and opportunist without real political clout and pedigree.

    Read Also: Galadima’s allegations baseless, says Ezekwesili

    “Just like her former party acknowledged, the short-lived stint she had as a presidential candidate showed that she had nothing substantial to offer or contribute to political discourse beyond on-line rants and thoughtless invectives

    “And because some of these invectives are often retweeted or liked by some of her 836,000 twitter followers, she began to delude herself as an alternative to a President that has a track record of integrity, consistency in patriotism, honesty and performance to prove his status as a true statesman and leader.

    “Her forays into the real world of politics on the streets even saw Nigerians chanting Sai Buhari during one of her rare campaign outings.

    “So it would be ideal for Ezekwesili to take a second look at the situation and throw her weight behind the President’s re-election bid rather than embarking on another hopeless exercise of building a coalition against President Buhari that so far failed woefully”.

    On ACPN’s decision to support President Buhari as its Presidential candidate, the group described it as a realisation of the values represented by the President and his efforts at putting the country firmly on the path to greatness.
    It added that the party leaders including Ezekwesili’s erstwhile running mate Ganiyu Galadima have, through their action, shown that there is still honour among members of the political class in our great country.

    BMO said it was particularly elated that Galadima who is also the party’s National Chairman said he and his colleagues are joining the President to take the country to the next level and assured them that they would not be disappointed.

    The pro-Buhari group also urged undecided Nigerians to take a cue from ACPN and reject plans by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to stage a return to power at the centre and get another chance to create economic mess and social chaos among the people.

  • How Atiku secured American visa, by BMO

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) on Friday told of how specially recruited and heavily paid American lobbyists facilitated the US trip of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

    But it said the trip would not remove the fact that Atiku was indicted by a congressional report that named him in a money laundering case.

    “The former Vice President’s eventual entry into the country after a 12-year travel ban cannot negate the US Congressional report that named him in one of four notorious cases of money laundering in the world,” the BMO said in a statement signed by its Chairman, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Madueke.

    It added: “The2010 report titled ‘Keeping foreign corruption out of the US’ clearly linked the convicted American Congressman Williams Jefferson to Atiku Abubakar who was described as ‘a high-ranking official in Nigeria’s executive branch who had a spouse in Potomac, Maryland’ in a bribery scheme meant to influence business contracts with African countries

    “It also noted that Atiku’s fourth wife Jennifer Douglas Abubakar helped her husband bring over $40m in suspect funds into the US including at least $1.7m in bribe payments from Siemens AG, a German corporation, and over $38m from little known offshore corporations.

    Read Also: Why Atiku travelled to USA – Obi

    “Jefferson and Siemens who were technically the former Vice President’s co-conspirators in the deal were convicted and Jefferson went to jail while his sealed indictment had been intact since 2010.

    “It is a fact that the US President Donald Trump with his ‘America First’ mantra has not been too comfortable with Africa’s booming relations with China with Nigeria as arrowhead and may be willing to do business with anyone that will boost his country’s interest even to the detriment of their own country.

    “The world has seen how Trump had been reluctant to take a hard-line stance against Saudi Arabia over ‘Kashoggi murder’ because of his close business link with Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman”, it said

    The group said it was not surprised by the visit as it had revealed in November last year that the PDP and its Presidential candidate had secured the services of Brian Ballard, a US lobbyist with close links to President Donald Trump, to facilitate the entry visa for millions of dollars.

    “We said back then that even if Trump’s friend convinced the US authorities to clear the path for Atiku to finally enter the US, it won’t clear the former Vice President of the corruption scandals that have over the years stuck to him.”

  • Quit Presidential race to avoid embarrassment, BMO tells Atiku

    The Buhari Media Organisation ( BMO ) on Friday alleged that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar was losing ground in the forthcoming and should therefore humbly quit the race t9 avoid an embarrassing defeat.

    Reacting to the recent defection of the deputy National Chairman of the PDP and member of the Presidential Campaign Council, Babayo Garba Gamawa to the APC, the group said the exit was “shocking and a big slap to the PDP ahead of the 2019 polls.”

    They also said the defection of former National Chairman of the PDP, Adamu Muazu whom they described as an in-law to the former Vice President was also another big blow to the PDP and the Atiku campaign.

    In a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, the group said the way and manner Atiku Abubakar, as well as his party PDP, is daily losing support from prominent members of the party to the opposition is absolutely unbecoming.

    They said further that even the party cannot deny that the loss of its Deputy Chairman amongst others, to the All Progressives Congress (APC) is quite massive.

    They said “We have nothing but sympathy for Atiku at this time that he has lost some of his trusted supporters who have abandoned him to team up with President Buhari.

    “Nothing could be more demoralising than losing the number two man of your party with few days to what is almost certain to be his last attempt to clinch a seat that he had coveted since the 1990s.

    “Babayo Gamawa is not only PDP’s deputy National Chairman but also a member of the party’s Presidential Campaign Council from the same North-East geo-political zone as the former Vice President.

    “So we at BMO believe that it may be ideal for the PDP candidate to pull out of the Presidential race to save himself from what is almost certain to be a crushing defeat that would end up demystifying him as a political force”, it said.

    The group also noted the defection of the former PDP National Chairman Adamu Muazu who is known in the opposition ranks as the ‘game changer’.

    “If there is any defection that is bound to hit Atiku hard it is that of the former Bauchi governor whose election as the PDP chairman just before the 2015 election was a popular choice.

    Read Also: Buhari condoles with CAN over death of Archbishop Atilade

    “Here is a man whose daughter is married to the former Vice President’s son but opted to ignore family ties to support President Buhari’s re-election bid because he clearly knows the difference between the two.

    “If there are people who know Atiku well, Muazu certainly would be numbered among them and now that he has joined the governing party, there is no clearer message to undecided voters across the country that President Buhari is the better choice.

    “With Muazu’s decision to dump PDP, it is safe to say that the little chance the PDP has to improve on the 86,085 votes it had in 2015 when APC polled 931,598 votes in one of the President’s traditional strongholds has virtually disappeared.”

    BMO added that contrary to the impression created by PDP elements to water down their loss, none of the politicians who may have joined the ruling party to escape the glare of anti graft agencies would be spared if found to have pending corruption cases.

  • 2019: Trump’s remarks can’t stop Buhari – BMO

    The Buhari Media Organisation ( BMO ) has said that President Muhammadu Buhari will not be distracted by the derogatory remarks credited to President Donald Trump of the United States of America, but will remain focused on his mandate to deliver on his promises to the Nigerian people.

    The group was reacting to a report by the Financial Times that the American President told his aides after a meeting with the Nigerian Leader in April that he never wanted to hold such a life less meeting again.

    While describing the comment as disrespectful, Chairman of the group, Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary, Cassidy Maduekwe  said in a statement whether it was indeed said or in fact unsaid, Buhari would in his character continue to remain focused on his mandate to deliver on his promises to the Nigerian people.

    The group said that “President Muhammadu Buhari is fit and capable to run for the 2019 elections and oversee the affairs of the country for four more years President Donald Trump’s hate speech notwithstanding.”

    They stressed that this was not the first time the US President was heard to make such derogatory remarks about World leaders, and thus President Buhari would not be distracted by such.

    They said: “We are aware that President Trump’s disrespect for World Leaders is not new; his comments on Canada’s Prime Minister, Justin Trudeau, calling him ‘meek and mild’; his reference to Germany’s Leader, Angela Merkel’s actions as ‘insane’, or his outlandish Tweet at the UK’s Theresa May, and more recently, the alleged remarks he made after meeting President Buhari.

    “It is indeed not the first time President Trump would be heard to lower the standards of respect for his colleagues on the world stage. We are not surprised, we know that this age-long character of the US President would not change anytime soon. But it is important that we put it on record that President Buhari remains fit and sprightly, even for the next decade.

    Read Also: BMO replies r-APC, counts Buhari’s achievements

    “We recall that during President Buhari’s visit to Trump in the White House, the US President commended the successes that the Buhari administration had recorded especially in the fight against insurgency and the war on corruption.

    “The US President was full of admiration for Nigeria’s President during the visit, thus such outlandish remarks as reported by the Financial Times are not just to be taken with a pinch of salt but are untrue in themselves.

    “President Buhari has continued to show fitness and capacity to run the country post-2019; it went further to highlight that though the President’s 800 metre walk, where he acknowledged the cheers of members of his constituency, was not intended at showboating, it was an unscripted reference point that further proves a fit and lively President.”

  • Be mindful of your comments on Buhari – BMO cautions Secondus

    The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) has called on the national chairman of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Uche Secondus, to refrain from making inflammatory comments capable of inciting Nigerians against President Muhammadu Buhari and his administration.

    The organization’s Chairman, Mr Austin Braimoh, and its Secretary, Mr Cassidy Madueke, made the call in a jointly signed statement in Abuja on Wednesday.

    The group described Secondus’ allegation at the PDP rally in Ekiti, that Pesident Buhari was responsible for the killings across the country, as careless and inciting.

    According to the organisation, such inflammatory comments are capable of exacerbating the current security situation in the country.

    Read Also: We are taking measures against killings, says Buhari 

    “For the information of Mr Secondus and his co-travellers, we need to remind them that under their past administrations, Nigeria was under siege and nearly collapsed, but for the intervention of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration that has already brought the situation under control.

    “As we approach the 2019 elections, he should always weigh the implication of his public comments to avoid the possibility of plunging the country into unnecessary crisis.

    “As the chairman of the leading opposition party, he must realize that he owes it a duty to the country to exhibit the highest sense of decorum in his conduct and public utterances,” it said.

    The organization called on security agencies to caution Secondus to desist forthwith from making such comments.