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Tag: BUHARI

  • Buhari did not ask CJN to resign, says Ojudu

    The Special Adviser to the President on Politics, Senator  Babafemi Ojudu, said last night that President Muhammadu Buhari did not ask  the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen, to resign.

    Ojudu made the clarification in a comment posted on CACOL WhatsApp group.

    It was the first reaction by a government official to the controversy generated by the filing of charges against Justice Onnoghen.

    He said: “Buhari never at any time demanded CJ’s resignation. I challenge anyone who says so to cite the pronouncement, the press statement or quote any public official who made such announcement.”

    The Nation also learnt last night that the Presidency was not in support of the planned trial of Justice Onnoghen  for alleged failure to declare his assets.

    Buhari, according to well-placed Presidency sources, was shocked about the development.

    Sources said the planned trial may have been hatched by 5th columnists in the corridors of power to embarrass the Presidency and create misunderstanding between the judiciary and the FG.

    Speaking on conditions of anonymity last night official government sources explained that the only impact such an action would generate at this time is distasteful.

    “Let me tell you point blank Mr. President is not aware and was shocked at the development. It is not going to fly,” a top government official said.

    Another official said: “whatever may be the merits of the case being put against the CJN, it is not advisable at this time. So it is not about the rightness of the planned action.”

    Asked whether the trial would go ahead, the source said: “what is certain right now is that this came as a shock to the Presidency and does not enjoy approval of any kind. You can figure out the rest.”

    When contacted last night over the matter, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said that he had not been briefed on the matter.

    “I have not been briefed on it,” was all he said.

  • Buhari receives ex-PDP chairman Muazu, Yuguda, others at Bauchi APC rally

    BAUCHI-PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari is happy at the success story from the agricultural sector under his administration.

    Buhari,speaking yesterday at an All Progressives Congress (APC)  rally in Bauchi said the agricultural policies of the government had produced the desired result.

    “The last two rainy seasons recorded in the last two years in the country as a result of which farmers recorded bumper harvest, were gifts from God,” he told a massive crowd of supporters

    “Nigerians who heeded to my call for them to go back to farm, had no cause to regret,” he said.

    Buhari promised that if re-elected for a second term, he would ensure that all existing agricultural  programmes initiated by his administration, were sustained to ensure food security.

    He expressed delight that the agricultural programme had reduced mass importation of food items.

    He also expressed satisfaction with the outcome of the anti graft war embarked upon by his adminstration, saying it had yielded dividends.

    The president reiterated the commitment of his administration to protect public treasury and ensure that looters were prosecuted according to the law of the land.

    In his remarks, National Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, cautioned the people against giving their mandate to someone else.

    He urged Nigerians to thoroughly scrutinize presidential aspirants, adding that some of them that had boasted of being rich, owed it a duty to explain their sources of wealth.

    Oshiomhole formally received into the APC high ranking politicians who switched  allegiance mainly  from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling party.

    They included two former governors of the state,Alhaji  Adamu Muazu and Mallam  Isa Yuguda, a former deputy governor Abdulmalik Mahmood, as well as Senators  Abubakar Maikafi and Babayo Gamawa.

    The defectors were handed over to Oshiomhole by the APC chairman in the state, Alhaji Uba Nana who commended commended the defectors for taking the right decision at the appropriate time.

  • 2019: Southeast leaders pledge house to house campaign for Buhari

    Leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the South East have pledged to embark on a house to house campaign that will showcase the many achievements of President Muhammadu in the zone and ensure total victory for him in the February 16 presidential elections. This was part of the resolution taken at the inaugural meeting of the South East Presidential Campaign Council in Enugu.

    In a statement signed by the Director, South East APC Presidential Campaign Council Sharon Ikeazor, and made available to The Nation in Abuja, the council members pledge to work together as a formidable team to deliver the votes for the President and change the negative narrative and perception in the South East about the him. They also pledge to reconcile, restore and reintegrate into the APC, disenchanted members of the party who are aggrieved as a result of the last primary election of the party.

    The meeting had in attendance, Minister of Science and Technology Dr Ogbonnaya Onu who represented all serving Ministers from the South East and immediate past governor of Enugu State, Sullivan Chime who represented former governors. Others in attendance at the meeting include APC Zonal Vice Chairman South East, Emma Eneukwu, APC National Auditor, Chief George Moghalu, APC gubernatorial candidate in the upcoming election in Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma.

     

  • Extend IGP’s tenure, activists urge Buhari

    A coalition of Civil Society Organisations in Kano State have urged President Muhammadu Buhari to extend the tenure of Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris till after 2019 general elections. The appeal came few days after President Buhari said he will in due course act on the retirement of the IGP. Kano State chairman of Eminent Persons Forum, Mallam Mukhtar Gashash,who led the group, appealed to the Nigeria Police Service Commission and the National Assembly to approve the elongation of the service term of the Inspector General in view of his track record.

    He said the Inspector General has succeeded in instilling discipline, zero tolerance to corruption and promoting rule of law among police officers. “He has to his credit establishment of this forum at national, state and local government levels with a view to consolidate members of the communities into policing matters. He has also contributed in conducting successful governorship and re-run elections in Edo, Ondo, Anambra, Rivers and Kogi States, Gashan said.

    Similarly, Kano State chairman of Police Community Relations Committee, Sale Jili said the IG has demonstrated good leadership skills in managing the security of the country through the creation of police rapid response unit which enable citizens to report crimes through phones and social media platforms. He added that the IG has established anti-kidnapping unit to handle kidnapping cases and X-squad to check corrupt practices and excesses of police officers across the country.

    He recalled that former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Umaru ‘Yaradua have extended the tenure of former Inspector Generals Mike Okiro and Sunday Ehindero. He therefore appealed for the extension of Inspector General’s tenure till after 2019 elections. The Regional Coordinator of West African Institute for Legal Aid,  Ma’aruf Yakasai ,said there is no law that prevents the president from extending the tenure of the IGP.

  • Trial of CJN: Atiku faults CCB, warns Buhari

    The Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), AlhajiAtikuAbubakar yesterday faulted the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) for filing charges against the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Walter Samuel Nkanu Onnoghen at the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

    He said even if the allegations against Onnoghenwere  true, the Code of Conduct Bureau (CCB) was wrong to have referred the petition to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).

    He said since judicial officers are disciplined by the National Judicial Council (NJC), it was out of place for the CCB to have referred the matter to the CCT.

    He warned President Muhammadu Buhari and the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) against throwing Nigeria into an avoidable crisis in what he called  their desperation to sack the CJN.

    Atiku, who made his position known in a statement through his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr. PhrankShaibu, described plans to arraign Onnoghen in court as a brazen day light assault on the judiciary.

    He said the principle of separation of powers remains sacrosanct in a democracy and should be respected by the Federal Government.

    Atiku said the plot to sack Justice Onnoghen is a “preemptive move against the bench in the face of imminent defeat and knowing the role that the judiciary plays in the final outcome of elections.”

    He said: “We have just been made aware of the plot by President Muhammadu Buhari the All Progressives Congress (APC) to sack Justice Walter Samuel NkanuOnnoghen using flimsy assets declaration issues as a pretext.

    “We are aware that there are plans to arraign Justice Onnoghen before the Justice DanladiYakubu Umar led- Code of Conduct Tribunal on Monday, January, 14, 2019. The  charges against Onnoghen, we understand have already been filed and served on him last Friday at his official residence in Abuja preparatory to his appearance at the Tribunal.

    “The Code of Conduct Bureau, according to Section 3 (e) of the third schedule (part 1) of the 1999 constitution, “shall receive complaints about the non-compliance with or breach of the provisions of the Code of Conduct or any law in relation thereto, investigate the complaint and, where appropriate, refer such matter to the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT).”

    “Since judicial officers are disciplined by the National Judicial Council (NJC), the CCB was wrong to have referred the matter to the CCT even if the allegations have been found to have any substance.

    “The proper procedure would have been for the petition to be referred to the JSC of which Onnoghen is the Chairman, but he would have to excuse himself from the process.

    “If found guilty, he could be asked to vacate his office as CJN, in addition to other punishments.”

    Continuing, Atiku said:”Buhari and his APC led government should not emasculate the judiciary as they tried to do the National Assembly and was resisted by the President of the Senate, AbubakarBukolaSaraki.

    “This is a brazen day light assault on the judiciary because he (Buhari wants) a pliable acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) to sit on his election petition because he has seen the signal that he will lose the February 16 presidential election.

    Atiku  alleged that Mr. Dennis Aghanya, the Executive Secretary of the Anti-Corruption and Research Based Data Initiative (ARDI), the author of the purported petition seeking Onnoghen’s removal was the National Publicity Secretary of President Buhari’s defunct political party, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC).

    The PDP candidate warned however that if Buhari and the APC succeeded in the current plot, it then should be ready for an epic battle, the end of which no one can predict, and the consequences of which can only be imagined.

    He added: ”We have the strength of character, the courage and the conviction to mount a sustained campaign in defence of justice, and in defence of separation of powers as enshrined in the constitution, which is the ground norm of our democracy.

    ”But we warn that despite the clandestine meetings in the highest echelon of the APC and also involving some top officials of the federal government which include the Code of Conduct Tribunal, neither Buhari nor the APC can re-write the Nigerian Constitution just because of its impending defeat at the February 16, presidential election. Heavens did not fall when PDP lost to the APC in 2015.

    “And heavens will not fall now that the APC is sure to lose to the PDP, seeing that the APC’s plan to rig in the forthcoming elections will not pull through.”

     

  • APC youths to Buhari: continue your good works

    Residents of Agboyi-Ketu held a peaceful rally in support of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates during the weekend to support President Muhammadu Buhari and  Babajide Sanwo-Olu,  Hon Bayo Osinowo, Hon Rotimi Agunsoye and Hon Tunde Braimoh .

    The rally, which was organised by Buhari Youth Organisation (BYO), Lagos State Chapter, and supported by the Executive Chairman of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA, Mayor Dele Oshinowo, started from the main gate of Agboyi-Ketu LCDA. Here the youths were seen wearing customised T-shirts, marching round Agboyi-Ketu and its environs mobilising people and sharing posters of the candidates to motorists and members of the community.

    Speaking at the rally, Oshinowo said the Buhari-led government had shown tenacity in its drive to set Nigeria on the path of economic growth and sustainability. “We are gathered here because of our firm belief in the imperative of ensuring the continuity of the All Progressives Congress at federal and state levels for another four years in office.”

    On his part, Mr Femi Ajaikaiye said his decision to support APC candidates is based on the results he has seen so far. “My decision to support APC candidates is based on the results I have seen in all the geo-political zones of the country. When we look across, what we see is the progress that has been made in the short span of four years, albeit in the midst of distractions.”

    The residents who trooped out in their numbers commended the Oshinowo administration for a wonderful job.

     

  • PDP, Secondus knock Buhari

    The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its National Chairman, Prince UcheSecondus, yesterday condemned moves to prosecute the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen for alleged  failure to declare his assets .

    The PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan accused the Buhari Presidency of plotting to destabilise and annex the judiciary ahead of the coming elections.

    He also alleged that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and a cabal at the Presidency were hounding Justice Onnoghen.

    The plot, according to the PDP, was to get the CJN removed with a view to causing a constitutional crisis, instilling fear in judicial officers ,and paving  the way for foisting a pliable CJN that will do their bidding on electoral matters.

    “This development is a clear recipe for anarchy and a huge crisis that is capable of fracturing our justice system and derail our democracy as it portends a prelude to a total clamp down on institutions of democracy and rule of law in our country,” Ologbondiyan said.

    It urged all Nigerians, the United Nations and other international bodies to unite in the defence of our democracy, especially at this very critical time in our political development.

    The opposition party asked President Buhari to allow Police Inspector General Ibahim Idris to go on retirement if the President was committed to cleaning up the system.

    In a separate reaction, national chairman of the party, Secondus accused the APC of attempting to  destroy the  judiciary, barely 30 days to the general election, adding it’s a desperate move to manipulate and thwart the will of Nigerians.

    Addressing party supporters at a rally in Jos, Plateau State, Secondus said the APC is afraid of an independent judiciary because of its agenda to rig the elections.

    The party chair stated that Nigerians are ready and determined to stop the APC, adding that no amount of threats and harassment will deter the people from effecting what he called inevitable change.

    Opposition parties plan one million-man march

    The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) said yesterday it was planning a one-million-man march to protest the planned trial of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen.

    Spokesperson for the CUPP , Imo Ugochinyere, said in a statement in Abuja that the  protest was aimed at  saving  the  judiciary and Nigeria’s democracy.

    He said: “The Presidency had during the appointment of Justice Onnoghen shown its card that it was not comfortable with his appointment hence it was delayed until President Buhari was hurried out of the country due to perennial illness.

    “Justice Onnoghen has since shown that he is fair, firm, and able to do justice and will not succumb to the pressures of a Presidency that is planning to rig an election as the only hope of winning reelection following their rejection by the Nigerian people.

    “This dastardly move by the Presidency is the last desperate acts of an outgoing government to blackmail the CJN out of office and bring in a rogue judge to allow APC’s rigging.”

    He enjoined Onnoghen not to resign for the sake of the nation’s democracy.

    He said, “The trumped-up charges will fall like a pack of cards like those filed against the Senate President, Dr. BukolaSaraki and all the judges whose homes were invaded on October 7, 2016.

    “These acts of desperation are an unequivocal declaration of war on the Nigerian democracy by the Buhari Presidency and the ruling APC.”

     

  • N-Power beneficiaries endorse Buhari

    Beneficiaries of N-Power, a social investment programme of the Federal Government for job creation and empowerment, yesterday endorsed President Mohammadu Buhari for a second term in office.

    The endorsement took place during a sanitization programme organized for the beneficiaries of the project by the Lagos State Ministry of Wealth Creation and Employment held at Teslim Balogun Stadium in Surulere.

    A cross section of the beneficiaries thanked President Buhari for his support for youths, job creation and empowerment for young persons.

    In his remarks, Senior Special Assistant to the Vice President on Job Creation, Mr Afolabi Imoukhuede, said his presence at the event was to formerly accept the endorsement of President Buhari beneficiaries of N-Power programme.

    One of the beneficiaries, Ayinde Bolaji, said the programme had made tremendous impact on his life and given him immeasurable social exposure.

    He commended the federal government for taking cognizance of the need to promote youth development through job creation and empowerment.

    Said he: ”  N-Power has taken me to many parts of the country and added value to my life. I joined the programme as a fresh graduate and it afforded me the opportunity of traveling by air.

    ”I am a beneficiary of N-Health arm of the project and I have also attended various courses on health development in some states of the country and the trainings have so far brightened my intellect or knowledge on health-related issues.

  • Buhari vows to end illegal tax collections

    President Muhammadu Buhari yesterday in Abuja pledged that the Federal Government would look into the issue of illegal tax collections with a view to encouraging more private sector businesses thrive in the country.

    Receiving the leadership of the Amalgamated Union of Foodstuff and Cattle Dealers Association of Nigeria (AUFCDN), led by Alhaji Ali Tahir, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Buhari said government had genuine  intentions to eliminate illegal taxes in the country, despite the fact that ”old habits die hard.”

    “I am appalled to learn that these illegal tax collections still persist. Bad habits are not easily dropped,” Buhari’s Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina quoted him as saying.

    The President who was responding to a request by the association on the need for the Federal Government to rein in on the unhealthy practice of illegal tax collections added: ”let me assure you that relevant security agencies will be reminded of their duties in preventing these bad practices and safeguarding people like you who go about their legitimate businesses.

    ”I will take up all your appeals and complaints in due course and together with state governments, we will attend to your proposals.”

    Describing the association as very important and strategic to the nation’s economy, the President said:  ”The merchandise and products you trade in are basic to any economy. The real wealth of this country lies in agriculture and livestock rearing.”

    He, therefore, pledged that his administration would continue to do its best to assist the sector, noting that some of the more advanced countries like Argentina, Australia, New Zealand and Denmark built their economies primarily on agriculture and livestock trade.

    On the 2019 elections, President Buhari welcomed the associations’ support for his administration, recalling that they also demonstrated their solidarity for his candidacy in the build-up to the 2015 elections.

  • Buhari to traditional rulers: use your influence to ensure peaceful elections

    President Muhammadu Buhari has called on traditional rulers in the country to use their positions as the closest to the grassroots to secure the country and ensure that the forthcoming elections are peaceful.

    Buhari made the call yesterday  during an audience with a delegation of traditional rulers from the Southwest of the country.

    Buhari, in a statement by his  Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, said:  ”Those who fear that their persons or their policies cannot win elections might resort to incitements to violence.

    “Our young people must not be left to those who will instigate violence and cause others to lose their property or lives. We are determined to keep order and I hope Your Highnesses are on the same page with us.”

    President Buhari also reiterated the commitment of his administration to infrastructural development across the nation.

    “In every state in Nigeria, we are doing at least one major road project. In the Southwest, we are completing the Lagos to Ibadan Expressway.

    “The reconstruction of this road, which is the busiest in Nigeria, had not been given the attention it deserved till now.

    “We will complete the first phase of railway, Lagos to Ibadan, by the end of this month. We are also working on several power projects in the Southwest. Of importance is the imminent completion of power supply to Ondo South where many of the local government areas have not had power for years.” he added

    The President said the nation could only develop if resources were spent on the people and facilities that would promote commerce and create jobs.

    He commended the traditional rulers and especially the people of Southwest, for setting the example of religious tolerance and unity, saying: “It is to your credit as traditional rulers that such harmony between religions has been achieved.”

    He also thanked the custodians of culture for the solidarity visit.

    ”I am very much encouraged and your support makes me even more determined to work with the best of my ability for this country and its people,” he said.

    The delegation, led by the Ooni of Ife, and Co-chair of Traditional Rulers of Nigeria, Oba Adeyeye Ogunwusi, had commended President Buhari for placing the completion of the Lagos –Ibadan Expressway on the front burner of the projects of the administration as well as the Lagos to Ibadan rail line.

    The traditional rulers expressed appreciation to the President for the posthumous recognition given to  M.K.O. Abiola, urging him to continue the good work and assuring that history will be kind to him.

    They also asked for more developmental projects in the region.

    Also on the delegation were the  Alake of Egbaland, the Ayangburen of Ikorodu, the Oloye of Oye Ekiti, the Olukare of Ikare Akoko, the Aseyin of Iseyin,  Deji of Akure and the Alayemore of Ido Osun.