The Nation Newspaper

Tag: delegates

  • Delegates besiege Bureau de Change

    Bureau de Change operators, especially those located opposite Hotel Presidential Port Harcourt, had a hectic time attending to hundreds of customers suspected to be PDP delegates who crowded around them to exchange money.

    One of the foreign exchange operators opposite Hotel Presidential, Musa Danladi said he attended to more than 50 persons as of 4.00pm on Friday.

    He said people suspected to be party delegates are approaching them in droves to exchange money.

    “Since morning we have been attending to persons suspected to PDP delegates. They were coming in large number to negotiate and exchange money from us. It has been a good business and I pray it will remain like this,” he said.

     

  • Soyinka to speak at Nigerian Cultural & Film Festival, Bordeaux

    AS part of its mission of upholding the image of Nigeria, Content Warehouse Limited, an audio-visual and cultural promotion organization, is set for the maiden edition of Nigerian Cultural & Film Festival; an event projected to be one of the biggest showcases of Nigeria’s creative works in Bordeaux, a notable tourist city in France.

    Taking place from September 16 to 19, 2018, Nobel Literature Laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka will be speaking at the event, which will have a delegation of Nigerian film industry stakeholders .

    According to Founder of the project, Mr. Ralph Nwadike, other delegates whose agencies are supporting the event include Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed; Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, CEO of Africa Independent Television; Dr. Samantha Iwowo; Alhaji Adedayo Thomas, Executive Director of National Film and Video Censors Board; Otunba Segun Runsewe, D.G of The National Council for Arts and Culture; Dr. Chidia Maduekwe, M.D of Nigerian Film Corporation, and London-based Nigerian filmmaker Biyi Bamidele Thomas.

    “The festival will be showcasing our arts and crafts, including our dance and drama. We will showcase our historical pictography and documentary,” says Nwadike.

    Disclosing that one of the highlights of the event will be an agreement signing between Nigeria and France on film related issues, Nwadike is optimistic that the event will put paid to some of the wrong impressions outsiders may have about Nigeria.

    “Let it be known that we are not a terrorist country, that we are not a country of kidnappers, assassins and murderers; hence we have put together some of the best known names and personalities to lead this delegation of culture, of music, of fashion, of food, of television and film to showcase to the world. This is who we are; a country blessed with abundance in everything and much more,” he says.

    The Nigerian Cultural & Film Festival is being coordinated by cultural promoters like Barrister Tunji Bamishigbin, Mr. Francis Onwochie, Mrs. Nkechi Nwadike, Mr. Forster Ojehonmon, Mr. Pascal Ojukwu and Mr. Austin Okagbue and Henry Okoro, who are based in France.

    On the choice of Bordeaux for the cultural event, Nwadike who is President of Association of Movie Producers (AMP) says the Consul General of France, Mr. Laurent Polonceaux and the late Pierre Cherruau who was the then audio-video attaché suggested the location, adding that “Paris is already saturated with different festivals and Bordeaux is not just a beautiful city, it is the wine capital of the world. And Bordeaux deserves something big, something unique with its own class and its own identity.”

    Planned as an annual event, former audio-visual attaché of France to Nigeria, Pierre Barrow will join Soyinka and others to speak on culture, films and government policies.

    The four-day event is expected to close with an awards night, including a posthumous award to Pierre Cherruau.

  • 6,800 delegates for APC convention

    About 6800 delegates are expected at the National Convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Secretary of the Convention Committee Senator Victor Ndoma Egba, said yesterday.

    Ndoma Egba dispelled speculations that the convention would be shifted because of lack of funds, saying the convention would go ahead as planned.

    The former Senate leader said efforts were being made to resolve all pending issues from the states, especially those with court cases.

    Dismissing reports of the likely postponement of the convention, he said “It is not correct. The convention is going on as planned. Nothing has happened to suggest the contrary. So, I can say categorically that the convention is going ahead.

    “We are expecting about 6800 plus delegates. Of course you know that we will have observers, vendors, the media, entertainers. In all you should expect about 8000 people.”

    On disputes from the states as a result of ward, local and state congresses, he said: “We are hoping to resolve those issues before the convention, especially in states where we have court processes. We are working to resolve them in one way or the other. This is politics and at the end of the day, you must leave a window open for harmonization and reconciliation.”

    On the outcome of the screening of the 179 aspirants for the various offices, he said “the screening committee finished its assignment yesterday. As we speak, the screening appeals committee is sitting. After the screening, there is an appeals panel to review the cases of those who feel aggrieved with the outcome of the screening committee’s assignment.

    He also dismissed alleged pressure on the committee from the Presidency, saying “I am not aware of any pressure from the Villa. I have never received any call or invitation from the Villa. I have been allowed to do my work as best as I can. So, I am not aware of any pressure.”

    On the convention, he said: “We have a security committee and they have been interfacing with the security agencies, reviewing the strategies of not just securing the venue, but also securing the perimeters and the entire Abuja because all these people will be coming into Abuja.

    “So Abuja has to be safe and so, we are not leaving anything to chance. We have been interfacing at the highest level. I want to assure you that security will be topmost. We look forward to a very grand and successful national convention.”

     

  • 11,639 delegates to participate in APC congress in Katsina

    The All Progressives Congress in Katsina State says it expects no fewer than 11, 639 delegates to participate in its local government congress in the state.

    Mr Zakari Muhammad The chairman, Katsina State Local Governments Congress Committee, said this in a news conference in Katsina on Saturday, observing the delegates would come from the 361 wards across the 34 local government areas of the state.

    He further explained that the three senators from the state, 15 members of the House of Representatives, 34 members of the State House of Assembly and 34 party chairmen, were also part of the delegates.

    He said that the congress would be conducted in secret ballot system on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2p.m.

    The chairman said that election would take place even where there is consensus among contestants, assuring the public of adequate security personnel at congress venues.

    He said that only the delegates would be allowed to enter the venues to ensure smooth exercise and the results would be announced at the venue immediately after counting votes, while the winner would be declared there.

    He, however, noted that aggrieved persons had the freedom to forward their complaints to the committee to ensure fairness and justice to all party members.
He observed that the party had received only one petition during the last ward congress in the state.

    “We have learnt from the past ward congresses, so, we are determined to improve on this, though, we have not recorded hiccups, but this one will also be a hitch-free exercise,’’ he said.

  • Ojudu: Delegates should vote wisely

    Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Senator Babafemi Ojudu is a governorship aspirants in Ekiti State. The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain spoke with ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, on the primary holding on Saturday and the party’s preparations for the July 14 poll.

    You recently concluded a tour of the 177 wards and 16 council areas to meet the delegate. How was it like?

    It was quite interesting; that was the second one that I did since I embarked on this project. I went round and we were well received, the evidence of that can be seen in the videos we have posted in the social media. People were ecstatic, I delivered a message of hope to them, I let them know who I am, who I was and where I want to be. I also preached the message of unity, that we can only win this coming election if our party is united. I told them the story of what happened in 2007 when we had thirteen aspirants and one of them won and eleven others quit the party and joined up with the PDP and since then, we have not been able to win election clearly in Ekiti State. I told them that if we fail to unite this time around, it will be very bad for us; I asked them to eschew bitterness, rancor, not to damage anybody’s image. That we all still have to come back united at the end of this primary to win election in Ekiti State. The people warmed up to it and I also let them know that they need a man of courage, somebody who has a history of struggle, somebody who can give a bloody nose to Fayose and his baby. They were happy, they received us warmly and quite a good number of them has been calling ever since, that ‘I may not have campaigned for you in the past but hearing you talk, I am rest assured that you are the right person to fly the flag of our party.

    What message do you have for delegates as the primary election beckons?

    They should elect someone who can win, they should elect someone with good record, they should elect someone who majority of voters in Ekiti State will vote for. Less than five per cent of the population of this state, are members of our party, Therefore, for them to know who they should vote for, they should go round the state, talk to civil servants, talk to teachers, talk to pensioners, talk to local government workers, talk to market women, talk to farmers, talk to the youths. Ask them, they are all tired of Fayose but who will you put forward for us to win this election? They know, people know that if you ride okada here and strike a discussion with okada riders, they will tell you, if you go to the market, they will tell you, if you call on a pensioner or a teacher, they will tell you that we don’t want this person, we don’t want that person. I have asked them and they said they love our party if we pick the right candidate. Our delegates should ask these questions even if somebody gives them millions of Naira, they should take the money but they should ensure that they vote somebody who can win. In the primary in 2014, at the national level, people collected money from some aspirants and Buhari didn’t give anybody a dime and people still voted for him because they knew Buhari could win election for them. These are the kinds of things I want to tell them, that there are some of us who have been struggling and fighting for Ekiti State and taking a lot of risks on behalf of the people of Ekiti State. They know that I am that one, they should vote for me and I won’t disappoint them, I won’t steal their money, no enquiry set up to probe me in my entire life in public office, I have not stolen any money and I have not been indicted in any way. So, they can trust me.

    What makes the Ojudu candidacy different from those of other aspirants, what makes you different from other aspirants?

    Again, it has to do with my record in public service, my engagement with the military even when I was not yet an active politician, when I was a journalist. What makes me different is my person, my character; people know that I am a courageous person, I don’t run away from battles. I take up struggles on behalf of the people and secondly, my public record is very clean, sparkling. Nobody can say Ojudu has stolen his money, nobody can say Ojudu has done any deal with anybody in the past and in the present. Another factor is where I come from; Ado-Ekiti has registered voters of 180,000 plus, the next local government to it is Ikere with 65,000. In our party primary, we have thirty three persons contesting across the state. From that population of 180,000, I am the only one contesting from that local government, there is a reason for that. Ado people want their son to be governor this time around and they are backing him with their votes. Oye local government area where Dr. Kayode Fayemi comes from, there are five aspirants there and they are not just pushovers. A former senator is there, a former member of House of Reps is there, former chieftain of PDP who actually won the primary of PDP in 2007 and it was taken from him and given to Segun Oni, is also from there. In Segun Oni’s local government, there is (Muyiwa) Coker, in Emure with less than 40,000 voters, there are two aspirants from there. In Gbonyin, with not to large population of voters, there are two aspirants from there. Same goes for Efon, there are two aspirants from there. I am the only one where we have over 180,000 voters; if Ado supports you in any election, you have won, if Ado is against you in any election, you have lost. I don’t want us to lose this forthcoming election.

    Therefore, there is a strong reason for our party members to look at the candidate from Ado, particularly a candidate who is very strong, who is not a pushover, who is brilliant, who is bold and balanced. If they do that, if I am elected and presented as their candidate from the 6th of May, it’s a walkover, it’s a forgone conclusion. Ikere, where Fayose went to pick the candidate for PDP, has 65,000 votes, Ado has 180,000 votes. From that Ikere, there are five aspirants from our party, so all of these are going to come into play. I am having a head start already from these factors I have just told you.  I, also can be trusted; I am not arrogant, I am not haughty, I relate freely with people, I move around with them, I eat with them and I am very sincere. Those are the qualities.

    What is your message to voters as the July 14 governorship election draws nearer?

    My message is that, let us vote to win; don’t let us vote because of money. Yes, people will bring money, take that money, in some cases, it is their money. So, take that money, it is the money they supposed to have used in the past to take care of them; take that money and vote according to your conscience. If you love our party, don’t vote for anybody because he is boasting that he will give delegates N1 million or N2 million because we will later ask them where they got that money from. That is for a later day but take the money first and then do what is going to give glory to our party, APC, what is going to make us win. Do what is going to give you hope; we don’t want to stay outside government again for another four years, we don’t want any remnant of Fayose again in this state after this election. Then, let them know that I have stood by this state over a long period of time, I have taken risks, I have used my resources, I have had some kind of engagement with everyone who is on the field in this state. This man (Fayose) is ruining Ado-Ekiti, he has demolished several homes and rendered thousands of people homeless. He has abused our traditional ruler, so, they are angry and they are poised to punish him by voting for their own son to become governor who will then redesign this state and make this state a good place to live in.

     

  • ‘Delegates should choose the best’

    Kayode Akinyemi was Director-General of Ekiti State Bureau of Strategic Communications during the administration of Dr. Kayode Fayemi. In this interview with ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA, he speaks on his expectation about the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary holding on Saturday.

    Ekiti APC lost woefully in 2014. Over 30 aspirants are struggling for the ticket. Don’t you think this may be the beginning of another failure?

    I understand your feelings and it gives me concern too.  To me, I expect the leadership of the party to come to the round table and access the reason behind the 2014 election failure. This, I believe, will enable us to come up with a blueprint to strategise for the current election.

    For the party or for Fayemi?

    For the party, of course. This is not about an individual, but in the overall interest of the party. Let me tell you, whoever wins the primary will fly the ticket of the party and all of us will have to work together to win the general election. I expect the party apparatus to come together, but unfortunately I notice some gaps and it is not too good for us. Shortly after Fayemi lost the election in 2014, the party members were disillusioned and in disarray. The likes of Senator Babafemi Ojudu took some bold step to bring people together; encouraged and reassured them with message of hope and assurance that there is light at the end of the tunnel. My advice to all the leaders and members of the party is to join hands immediately after the primary election to work for the common goal of winning the general election in July. I am however worried about the number of aspirants racing to occupy the office of the governor under the platform of the APC. I expect the party leadership to have coordinated it better to streamline the number of people that have genuine intention. Having said this, I hope all the contestants will be able to close ranks and work together after the primary. I have always said it that a situation where everybody is scheming to become governor will not augur well for the party. Meanwhile, we can all see from afar those who have what it takes to be governor and those who are aspiring for recognition and negotiation sake.

    What are you suggesting?

    Fundamentally, I think the leaders of the party and the delegates should scrutinise all the aspirants to identify the one that is credible, bold, brilliant and fearless. The one with audacity to rebuild and which can deliver the dividends of the democracy to the people of Ekiti State. Above all, we need a candidate with pedigree, a track record and which can face the incumbent administration and win landslide.

    In all fairness, I am not against any aspirant, but in my opinion, I do not expect the APC to field any of the former governors, because I don’t see anything new they are bringing to the table again. With due respect to their persons, if you have been there for four years and you have not been able to satisfy the people and you have been voted out, how can you assure the people that your second coming will be better than the first one? So, we should be able to exploit other people that have done well in other areas of human endeavours.

    Don’t you think experience could count and help somebody who had been governor before to perform better during his second coming?

    I agree with you. But, you should also know that those who voted at the first time had thought the experience garnered over the years could be an advantage, but perhaps things didn’t work as planned. At that stage, I expect such persons to act as advisers to new aspirants and guide them based on their experience while in office, rather than seeking re-election.  What I’m saying in essence is that we should avoid going back to the people we have tried ones and failed. You and I are living witnesses to how we lost in all the 16 local governments in 2014. Though after the election, some were saying that the election was rigged. I can’t say much about that, but there were things that happened that prepared ground for our loss. To authenticate the loss, as at  4pm to 5pm on the election day, when results were being announced unit by unit, people were jubilating in favour of the party that won. If the election was rigged, people would have protested instead. And don’t forget that Fayemi openly accepted defeat and went on air to congratulate the  governor-elect.

    What are your expectations about the primary?

    It is very difficult to state categorically the outcome of the election, but like I said earlier, we know the serious ones and the top contenders. However, the only thing I want to add is to advise the party delegates to be upright and shun cash-and-carry politics. They should not sell their future and the future of their children. As noble Ekiti men and women, they should allow integrity to be their watchword. They should not trade their votes for money. I say this because we have heard that some contestants are boasting that they have money to buy the delegates. It may be a mere speculation, but it is not wise to dismiss such speculation.

     

     

     

     

  • Ojudu: Delegates should vote wisely

    Presidential Adviser on Political Affairs Senator Babafemi Ojudu is a governorship aspirants in Ekiti State. The All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain spoke with ODUNAYO OGUNMOLA in Ado-Ekiti, the state capital, on the primary holding on Saturday and the party’s preparations for the July 14 poll.

    You recently concluded a tour of the 177 wards and 16 council areas to meet the delegate. How was it like?

    It was quite interesting; that was the second one that I did since I embarked on this project. I went round and we were well received, the evidence of that can be seen in the videos we have posted in the social media. People were ecstatic, I delivered a message of hope to them, I let them know who I am, who I was and where I want to be. I also preached the message of unity, that we can only win this coming election if our party is united. I told them the story of what happened in 2007 when we had thirteen aspirants and one of them won and eleven others quit the party and joined up with the PDP and since then, we have not been able to win election clearly in Ekiti State. I told them that if we fail to unite this time around, it will be very bad for us; I asked them to eschew bitterness, rancor, not to damage anybody’s image. That we all still have to come back united at the end of this primary to win election in Ekiti State. The people warmed up to it and I also let them know that they need a man of courage, somebody who has a history of struggle, somebody who can give a bloody nose to Fayose and his baby. They were happy, they received us warmly and quite a good number of them has been calling ever since, that ‘I may not have campaigned for you in the past but hearing you talk, I am rest assured that you are the right person to fly the flag of our party.

    What message do you have for delegates as the primary election beckons?

    They should elect someone who can win, they should elect someone with good record, they should elect someone who majority of voters in Ekiti State will vote for. Less than five per cent of the population of this state, are members of our party, Therefore, for them to know who they should vote for, they should go round the state, talk to civil servants, talk to teachers, talk to pensioners, talk to local government workers, talk to market women, talk to farmers, talk to the youths. Ask them, they are all tired of Fayose but who will you put forward for us to win this election? They know, people know that if you ride okada here and strike a discussion with okada riders, they will tell you, if you go to the market, they will tell you, if you call on a pensioner or a teacher, they will tell you that we don’t want this person, we don’t want that person. I have asked them and they said they love our party if we pick the right candidate. Our delegates should ask these questions even if somebody gives them millions of Naira, they should take the money but they should ensure that they vote somebody who can win. In the primary in 2014, at the national level, people collected money from some aspirants and Buhari didn’t give anybody a dime and people still voted for him because they knew Buhari could win election for them. These are the kinds of things I want to tell them, that there are some of us who have been struggling and fighting for Ekiti State and taking a lot of risks on behalf of the people of Ekiti State. They know that I am that one, they should vote for me and I won’t disappoint them, I won’t steal their money, no enquiry set up to probe me in my entire life in public office, I have not stolen any money and I have not been indicted in any way. So, they can trust me.

    What makes the Ojudu candidacy different from those of other aspirants, what makes you different from other aspirants?

    Again, it has to do with my record in public service, my engagement with the military even when I was not yet an active politician, when I was a journalist. What makes me different is my person, my character; people know that I am a courageous person, I don’t run away from battles. I take up struggles on behalf of the people and secondly, my public record is very clean, sparkling. Nobody can say Ojudu has stolen his money, nobody can say Ojudu has done any deal with anybody in the past and in the present. Another factor is where I come from; Ado-Ekiti has registered voters of 180,000 plus, the next local government to it is Ikere with 65,000. In our party primary, we have thirty three persons contesting across the state. From that population of 180,000, I am the only one contesting from that local government, there is a reason for that. Ado people want their son to be governor this time around and they are backing him with their votes. Oye local government area where Dr. Kayode Fayemi comes from, there are five aspirants there and they are not just pushovers. A former senator is there, a former member of House of Reps is there, former chieftain of PDP who actually won the primary of PDP in 2007 and it was taken from him and given to Segun Oni, is also from there. In Segun Oni’s local government, there is (Muyiwa) Coker, in Emure with less than 40,000 voters, there are two aspirants from there. In Gbonyin, with not to large population of voters, there are two aspirants from there. Same goes for Efon, there are two aspirants from there. I am the only one where we have over 180,000 voters; if Ado supports you in any election, you have won, if Ado is against you in any election, you have lost. I don’t want us to lose this forthcoming election.

    Therefore, there is a strong reason for our party members to look at the candidate from Ado, particularly a candidate who is very strong, who is not a pushover, who is brilliant, who is bold and balanced. If they do that, if I am elected and presented as their candidate from the 6th of May, it’s a walkover, it’s a forgone conclusion. Ikere, where Fayose went to pick the candidate for PDP, has 65,000 votes, Ado has 180,000 votes. From that Ikere, there are five aspirants from our party, so all of these are going to come into play. I am having a head start already from these factors I have just told you.  I, also can be trusted; I am not arrogant, I am not haughty, I relate freely with people, I move around with them, I eat with them and I am very sincere. Those are the qualities.

    What is your message to voters as the July 14 governorship election draws nearer?

    My message is that, let us vote to win; don’t let us vote because of money. Yes, people will bring money, take that money, in some cases, it is their money. So, take that money, it is the money they supposed to have used in the past to take care of them; take that money and vote according to your conscience. If you love our party, don’t vote for anybody because he is boasting that he will give delegates N1 million or N2 million because we will later ask them where they got that money from. That is for a later day but take the money first and then do what is going to give glory to our party, APC, what is going to make us win. Do what is going to give you hope; we don’t want to stay outside government again for another four years, we don’t want any remnant of Fayose again in this state after this election. Then, let them know that I have stood by this state over a long period of time, I have taken risks, I have used my resources, I have had some kind of engagement with everyone who is on the field in this state. This man (Fayose) is ruining Ado-Ekiti, he has demolished several homes and rendered thousands of people homeless. He has abused our traditional ruler, so, they are angry and they are poised to punish him by voting for their own son to become governor who will then redesign this state and make this state a good place to live in.

  • ‘Delegates should not be influenced by money’

    Former House of Representatives member and All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Bimbo Daramola is a governorship aspirant in Ekiti State. He spoke with Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU in Lagos on the conditions that will guarantee a credible primary on Saturday.

    How are you preparing for the governorship primary holding on Saturday?

    Everything I have done in the last 14 years have prepared me. I believe very strongly, and I have said it at various fora, that this election will be a referendum on the reputation of everybody aspiring to lead our dear state. In the past 18 months, I have been working; touring the local governments and wards, visiting the delegates, holding consultations with my leaders- Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Otunba Niyi Adebayo, and Chief Segun Oni. Also, I have met virtually all the delegates, all the youth leaders of the party, the women leaders of the party, all chairmen of local governments. I am not a new entity. That must be brought to bear. I don’t need any introduction or re-introduction to any of the delegates. There is nobody who is has spent a minimum of two years in the party who does not know Bimbo Daramola, the man they call, ‘Mr. Shoot me,’ the Collation Agent during the rerun between Dr. Kayode Fayemi and Engineer Segun Oni, the Director-General of Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation; the man they wanted to kill, judging by the confession of Captain Koli. They know me as the man who gave opportunities to 250 young sons and daughters of Ekiti through the JAMB forms. It is a vision that enables young men and women to have access to tertiary institution. These are sons and daughters of the delegates. They know me as a man they can run to, a man who has laid down his life for the party at a time. If this election is a about fidelity to the party, about service to the party, service to the state, I am prepared. But, if it is about how much money you can give to delegates…I am not in contest with anybody just joining the party, people whose ink they used in writing their names has not dried and they are throwing money about. It is not about title. We are not contesting against former this, former that; ex-this, ex-that. It is about your reputation; what you have done when people gave their mandate to you.

    Do you have confidence in the Primary Screening Panel headed by Chief Timpreye Sylva?

    I believe that the forms are explicit. The guidelines are clear. There must be a reason for screening any way. If there is no need to check the profile, there will be no need for screening. Screening means that the party is conscious of the fact that the person who will emerge as the flag bearer is somebody that the party is sure of. We aw3ait the report of the panel. Some people on the street have also conducted their imaginary screening and released their reports.

    What is the level of confidence in the panel headed by Governor Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa that will conduct the primary?

    That is fantastic. I think he is a honourable man. I have met him before, just casually. I believe he will also realise that this is an election like no other. There has not been any election where we had 30 aspirants. So, it is going to be a very busy one for him. He and members of his team will have their hands full. Not six people are contesting. Thirty people who are eminently qualified are contesting. The governor of Jigawa is putting his reputation on the line as well. After May 5, there will be May 6. Everbody has been harping on the credibility of the process, transparency. If we have all these, it will go well. I will expect the governor and his team to live up to expectation. I have not heard any bad thing about the governor before. He will like to go back to Jigawa State with his reputation intact.

    How clean, how fool-proof is the delegates’ list?

    I have received my own copy after the screening. We have an agreement that delegates aho are dead must not be replaced. I have been going round for 18 months. I have interacted with 75 per cent of the delegates. I went for a rally. I shouted APC and they responded: change. As I wanted to speak, a woman leader from Gboyin Council said there was no need for me to talk again, that they know me very well, and that they said the first time they met me during the campaign, I gave them N1million. I have my reputation on the line. It precedes me. I know these delegates. I have an idea of who they are. We have agreed on the irreducible minimum. That the primary must be properly conducted. No remote ground for accreditation. We have agreed on something like a charter. No special advantage should be conferred on anyone and the process must be free and fair.

    The leaders of the Southwest APC invited you and other aspirants to Lagos. What transpired at the meeting?

    The meeting was also in the direction of making the primary to be very fair, to address concerns and the fears of contestants. Election is an emotional affair. I have been going around with my supporters round the state for 18 months. It will be nice to assure them that there will be fairness, that no special advantage will be conferred on any person. The leaders have done the needful by calling all of us and asking some questions. They were speaking to the issues. They made us to realise that, at the end of the day, our party must win the election. We can lean on the strength of everybody to be able to win the election.

    Generally, what are the fears and concerns of the aspirants as they warm up for the primary?

    There are people whose positions may confer some privileges on them and those privileges may be untoward. There are people who have head start advantage by reason of their positions. Don’t forget, there are two former governors in the race. The deputy national chairman is running for the election. A sitting minister is in the race. Some are of the opinion that their positions may confer some specific advantages on them. They wanted that clarified. Learning from the experience of Ondo, where there was discontent, they wanted that addressed. They don’t want people to mess up the process. They don’t want the deployment of illicit funds to sway the conscience of delegates.

    Is there any pressure on you from some quarters to step down from the race?

    Everybody knows that I have any identity. If anybody is going to approach me to step down, you will have to convince me on why I have to step down. I have been on this stage for 19 months. Some people are talking to me, that we should work together and have agreement. But, stepping down? But, I am not sure that anybody will ask mw to step down. I am not rude. I am not in this race for fantasy or because I have an ego issue. I don’t have other reason that the fact that we must restore the lost identity of Ekiti people. I am convinced that I can do that by reputation as a former member of the House of Representatives, a servant of the party who have results to show for it. There is no town in my constituency without any of my projects. An example id the 250 beneficiaries of the JAMB forms. I built, by the grace of God, a 32-bed hospital from my pocket. I even borrowed to do it. I know the delegates will want an assurance about their future. Their history is my history. They should be able to trust me.

    Will the outcome of the primary not impact positively or negatively on the proposed congresses?

    Possibly, I think so. But, we are certain that the delegates that were there before will be the ones that will vote at the primary. The congress for our state is going to come up much later. The way it will affect congresses thereafter is that the congress will reflect the identity of the person that wins the primary. For instance, people have alleged that some people have their pedigrees and antecedents in some different parties and these delegates have expressed fears. If you have ben in the PDP for eight years and you are now in the APC for three and half years, two years, or one year, your political DNA will most likely reflect the one of eight years. My DNA today will be screaming APC, ACN, AC, AD. Some delegates have expressed the fear. They also believe that if people who barely know them get there, they may not be able to reward those who have worked and toiled for the party for eight years. What happens at the primary will tell us the direction our congresses will go.

    Why the insinuation that you are being sponsored by a top chieftain of the PDP?

    Kindly covey my sympathy to the myopia and short-sightedness of those who have come up with such insinuation. I have a broad spectrum of people I have had relationship with. I was a member of the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation (BATCO). Since 1998, I have been an active participant in the political process in this country. I have had the opportunity of meeting many people who had impacted on my life in many ways. But, the truth of the matter is that, if I am influenced, how come that I am still in the party? At a time, I was offered a million dollars and a return ticket to the House of Representatives, I rejected it.as tempted. But, the morality of an Ekiti man made me to reject it. They wanted to smear the party, they wanted to say that the Director-general of Kayode Fayemi Campaign Organisation has defected to the PDP. I am a man of high trenchant strength. I have friends. But, how can I be sponsored with anybody? I have friends in the APGA, PDP and other parties. Okechukwu was my colleague in the House of Representatives. Governor Ugwuanyi of Enugu State was my colleague in the House. For a brief period of time, Governor Dickson of Bayelsa State was my colleague in the House.  I have my own mind. I have pitched my tent with the progressive party since 2002. I have not shaken my feet. I can’t jump ship from the APC.

    What is your advice to delegates who will be voting on Saturday?

    I want to specially appeal to our fathers, mothers, brothers and sisters who are delegates to put into consideration the position, the situation of our party; where we are now and where we should be. They should bear in mind that there will be a day after the primary. The election should reflect the kind of future they want for themselves. I will expect that money should be the least consideration. People who throw money at them today, why did they not thrown money at them three years ago? I am not going to woo delegates with money. I want them to deepen the narrative of this election. I want them to understand the suffering of our people, and that in those days of struggle, I never abandon the party, and I have put my life on the line for the party at different times. That should count for money. If you get money, you will finish spending the money. +It is about the future of the youths, including the 250 students who benefitted from our JAMB forms.

    If I become the governor, they will enjoy automatic scholarship and they will become the next medical doctors, engineers, lawyers. No amount of money will equate that.

  • Bamidele to delegates: vote according to your conscience

    All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant in Ekiti State, Opeyemi Bamidele, has urged delegates at the primaries not to be influenced by money in their choice of the party’s candidate for the July 14 poll.

    Bamidele, in a statement by his media aide Ahmed Salami, urged the delegates to think of how the party would win the governorship election and remedy the years of the locust foisted by the People Democratic Party (PDP).

    According to him, any money offered to them by aspirant should be seen as a product of generosity, and not an attempt to buy their conscience.

    Bamidele, who described himself as the best man for the job, owing to his past political experiences, urged the delegates to consider the pedigree of all aspirants and what they have achieved in their past offices in arriving at the best candidate for the party.

    He disagreed with those calling on former governors not to participate in the primaries, saying it is their constitutional right to do so if they believe they are best suited to govern the state.

    The aspirant also enjoined party leaders to help ensure cohesion as a critical decision is being made to elect the party’s candidate for the July 14 election.

  • 2019: Party delegates will decide

    In readiness for the 2019 general election, political and electioneering activities have increased in momentum. Aspirants for various positions have upped their game, garnering endorsements and adoptions from varied organizations and groups with a view to having the upper hand over their opponents and subsequently, pick the tickets of their various political parties. Some aspirants with deep pockets have gone the extra length of procuring endorsements and adoptions from many groups. These aspirants who engage in this buying of endorsements have the erroneous impression that with the endorsements from these groups, their candidacy for the general election is guaranteed.

    Some of these aspirants who have access to the commonwealth of the people dish it out recklessly for endorsements without caring a hoot or batting an eyelid because the fund dished out brazenly is not their hard-earned money which they can never do if they were not accessible to public till.

    However, endorsement is good if it is not procured.  But, endorsements from groups who are not party faithful are meaningless and useless to an aspirant. In a primary election of a political party, the elected and statutory delegates hold the key; they decide and determine who would be the party’s candidate in a particular position for the main election. Before the primaries, political parties conduct what is known as, delegate election of their party faithful which is usually supervised by the State Working Committee (SWC) and the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party. The NWC usually intervenes to ensure a level playing ground for all aspirants in the election of delegates, because SWCs are usually manipulated by incumbent governors.

    For instance, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has adopted and introduced a new model to the conduct of party primaries which seems a departure from the past. The NWC of APC through the National Organizing Secretary of the party, Senator Osita Izunaso, is saddled with the responsibility of scrutinizing, vetting and approving the list of delegates before any primary election is conducted. What it means, is that, the office of Senator Osita Izunaso, goes through the lists of delegates submitted by the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, and ensures that statutory and accredited delegates are on the lists before they are returned to the states for the primaries. It implies that all the aspirants would have access to the list of delegates for the primaries in which they are participating and concur with it or raise an objection if necessary.

    During the Anambra State gubernatorial election conducted last November 18, the office of the National Organizing Secretary of APC, vetted the list of delegates to the APC primaries which copies were given to each of the aspirants to know those who were delegates that would decide their fate. By so doing, all the aspirants had the list and names of the delegates prior to the primaries and this resulted to rancor free primaries in Anambra State when Tony Nwoye emerged as the candidate of APC. Other defeated aspirants had no serious objections about the emergence of Nwoye because it was transparently done, and they all had prior knowledge of the delegates who chose their preferred candidate. In a nutshell, the new model adopted by APC as a political party means that all the delegates must be approved by the National Organizing Secretary of the party before the primaries as far as APC primaries in Nigeria is concerned. The era of conscripting a passerby, giving him or her tag of party delegate and using him or her to manipulate the primaries is gone for good.

    Before now, an orange seller in a party primary election venue could be conscripted as a delegate and made to vote. The new method means the aspirants would know the delegates, woo them, campaign before them, and convince them to accept their candidacy. This makes the delegates the real godfathers and kingmakers. The onus is on them to choose wisely and not to mortgage their conscience or mandate. It is incumbent on delegates to realize that making wrong choices will mortgage their states and the country for the next four years when their help would be needed again. We have learned of delegates being subjected to oath taking in previous elections to secure their trust. Delegate must realize that even elected and appointed political office holders have equally broken their oath of office administered to them during swearing or inauguration. Delegates should not be intimidated by the so-called ‘crossing over the casket’ before collecting inducement from aspirants; it is a psychological intimidation by some of these aspirants to instill fear in them. There is no power in that act.

    Meanwhile, some outgoing governors have openly vowed to ensure that certain individuals must never take over from them. That is playing God. The destiny of every man or aspirant is in the hands of God. Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, as an outgoing president in 2007 mounted the podium in Akure, Ondo State and vowed that then candidate of Labour party, Dr Olusegun Mimiko, who was contesting for the governorship of Ondo State, would never be elected as governor. Mimiko was a minister in Obasanjo’s cabinet. He showed interest to contest against then incumbent Governor Olusegun Agagu on the same platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Of course, the combined forces of incumbent President Obasanjo and late Governor Agagu muzzled and rigged him out. He went to election petition tribunal and reclaimed his mandate in 2009, two years after. Mimiko became Governor of Ondo State, served for two terms of eight years and left office in 2017. But, Obasanjo said he would never be governor of Ondo State. Obasanjo chased Governor Ayo Fayose away in 2006 after Fayose’s three years in office. Obasanjo vowed that Fayose would never return as governor of Ekiti State. Governor Fayose returned as governor of Ekiti State in 2014.

     

    • Maduako, writes from Owerri, Imo State.