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Tag: former Minister of Information

  • 2019: Defections won’t stop Buhari’s victory – Tony Momoh

    A former Minister of Information, Chief Tony Momoh, on Friday said the exit of some bigwigs from the All Progressives Congress (APC) would not stop President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election in 2019.

    Momoh, also an APC chieftain, expressed the view in a telephone interview our reporter in Lagos.

    Senate President, Bukola Saraki, Sen. Dino Melaye , Sen. Bernabas Gemade were some members of National Assembly that dumped the APC for the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) in recent days.

    Read Also:Buhari ‘not bothered’ about defections in APC

    Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto, Gov. Samuel Ortom of Benue and Gov. Abdul Fatah Ahmed of Kwara had also left with many of their state houses of assembly members to the PDP.

    The Publicity Secretary of APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, who is political godson of Saraki had also left the party for PDP.

    Momoh said while the defectors might get substantial votes for their new party in their respective areas, Buhari would still win in their domains.

    The former minister said Buhari got more votes than most of the defectors in their respective zones and states, and the same thing would happen in the next election.

    He said that the president had done well as a leader, and Nigerians would show appreciation and re-elect him.

    “I do not think the defection would stop the President from winning in the next election.

    “I will not say that it will not affect the votes of the president; votes are about people, and now that some people have left, it will have some impact.

    “But I do not think that the impact will be such that it would stop the president from winning.

    “Come to think, the president got more votes more than the defectors in their senatorial zones and states mostly in the North in 2015.

    “Overall he got 15million votes in the election. Now that he is president who has performed well, he will get more votes mostly in the South-South and South-East.

    “He has delivered great projects in these two regions which did not really vote for him in 2018.

    “The votes the president will get in these regions will make up much more for the very few votes he might lose to defections in the North,” he said.

    Momoh said APC should not lose sleep over the defection, as Buhari would record his biggest win ever in 2019.

    The former minister said the president had not disappointed Nigerians on the three-pronged promises of security, corruption and economy on which he campaigned.

    He said the second term of the president would enable him to consolidate on his present achievements.

  • 2019 Presidency: Jerry Gana declares under SDP

    ...Laments Nigeria facing serious existential threat

     

     

    An aspirant for the 2019 Presidential poll under the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Prof Jerry Gana, has warned that Nigeria is facing an existential threat in the proportion comparable to the end of Biafra war.

    Speaking while officially declaring interest to contest for the exalted position, the former Minister of Information expressed sadness on the level of crippling uncertainty everywhere in the country.

    He further cautioned that the present government has shown incompetence and lack of capability to turn around the drifting country, warning that Nigeria will implode if President Muhammadu Buhari returns for second term.

    Read Also:2019: Fresh crisis hits PDP as Jerry Gana, Adeniran, Orubebe, Turaki, others dump party for SDP

    The former chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) pointed out that apart from insecurity which has rendered human life brutish, short and nasty in the country, the asymmetrical war on corruption by the present government is fueling ethnic decadence.

    “Being a patriotic and committed democrat, who has carried a burden for the rapid development of our far nation for decades, I am deeply concerned at the very real prospect of Nigeria imploding unless our great party comes to the rescue with a God fearing, dynamic, untainted and credible leadership.

    “Nigeria is facing an existential threat, the seriousness and proportion of which have never been witnessed since the end of the war.

    “There is crippling uncertainty everywhere. People are suffering unprecedented and untold hardships as a result of arrested development. Insecurity that has rendered human life brutish, short and nasty is rampart across the zones, states, communities and villages.

    “Asymmetrical war on corruption is fueling further ethnic decadence, while anxiety, unpatriotism and poverty have coalesced into a creepy epidemic of self-doubt. In all of this, the current leadership of the nation, at the highest level of government seems unconcerned, incompetent or incapable of turning around the drift.

    “Since I joined politics in 1978 at the younger age in my early 30s, about 40 years ago, under the mentorship of the Greta Owelle Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, the inspiration of Chief Obafemi Awolowo, the tutelage of the emancipator chief Solomon Lar, the charismatic Alhaji Abubakar Rimi among many others right from my days in the Nigerian Senate, I have maintained a track record of performances.

    “I have maintained integrity, competence, character, capacity and respect to public office. These opportunities and exposure added to the fact that I have widely traveled across the length and breadth of the nation, many times by toad, I have a front row understanding of our country, as well as the wealth of experience have definitely placed me in a most very vantage position, for above several others, to remark Nigeria and deeply renew the hope of the people in the federal Republic of Nigeria.

    “Having consulted and affirmed by my family, local community, friends and a cross-section of eminent citizens and stakeholders across the core national divides of ethnicity, religion and regions, I am convinced that this is the fit time for me to offer for this national assignment on the platform of our great party.

    “By my track record, my desire to seek to contest the election into the highest political office is not motivated by a quest for self-glorification nor aggrandizement, rather it is borne out of my patriotic zeal and conviction that with my pedigree, experience, skills and academic endowment, I can provide the requisite leadership to transform the fortunes of our people and change the trajectory of our country towards the attainment of our fullest potentials.

    “It is my hope and prayer that the party will positively note my interest as under your able leadership, it offers opportunities for service to our dear country, Nigeria,” he said.

    Responding, Dr Ishaq Abdul Ahmed, the Deputy National Chairman of SPD, who represented the National Chairman, Olu Falae, described Prof Gana as an asset to the party and the country.

  • Maku calls for preservation of culture, tradition

    Maku calls for preservation of culture, tradition

    Mr Labaran Maku, a former Minister of Information, has called on all ethnic groups in Nasarawa State to preserve their culture and tradition from extinction to promote peace and unity,

    Maku, a 2015 gubernatorial candidate of All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) in Nasarawa State made the call on Wednesday while addressing different ethnic groups that paid him Christmas homage in his home town, Wakama, Akun Development Area of the state.

    “Our culture is dying; culture is one of the ways of promoting tourism, unity. Culture is one of the best ways of making money as well as promoting unity and there is no longer cultural festival in Nasarawa State.

    “Why are we not having cultural festival again in Nasarawa State,’’ he said.

    Maku said that the call became necessary as a result of the danger posed by lack of proper documentation of cultural history of some ethnic groups in the country.

    “The rate at which some aspects of many ethic cultures are disappearing in Nigeria if not checked and urgent steps not taken, Nigerians will wake up one day and discover that all cultures are gone.

    “It is important to always document the cultural history in order to save Nigerian indigenous cultures from going to extinction.

    “Cultural history and history in general is very important because it enable us to know the past, the present and to plan ahead for the future, hence the need for every tribe to preserve and promote its culture,” he said.

    The former minister urged Christians to use the Christmas period to pray for the peace and unity of the nation.

    “I use this period to charge us to learn from the love our Lord Jesus Christ showed to us by laying down his life for us.

    “This is the type of love God wants us to share among ourselves by living in peace, unity and be our brother’s keeper at all times in the interest of development,” he added.

     

    The ethnic groups that paid him a Christmas homage include Alago, Rindre,  Migili, Afo, Mada, Fulani, Eggon among others

  • Defunct CPC group wants Tony Momoh, Buba Galadima as next SGF

    Defunct CPC group wants Tony Momoh, Buba Galadima as next SGF

    Members of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), one of the legacy parties the makes up the All Progressives Congress (APC) Monday asked the Nasarawa state governor Tanko Al-Makura and the National Assembly to prevail on President Muhammadu Buhari to consider either former Minister of Information, Prince Tony Momoh or Engr. Buba Galadima as the next Secretary to the Government of the Federation.

    While Prince Momoh was the National Chairman of the defunct CPC, Galadima was Director General of the Buhari Campaign Organization.

    The defunct CPC members operating under Southern Mandate of Nigeria (SMN) said their advocacy was about the empowerment of core members of the defunct CPC and “our collective political and economic survival of the members who stake their lives and properties to deliver 2.5million votes for the now President Mohammadu Buhari in 2011.”

    In a statement in Abuja signed by the National Coordinator, Comrade Ikonomwan Francis, the group called on its members nationwide to form a united front “to resist these strangers who now form cabals to hijack Buhari administration.”

    The statement read in part: “There is  no doubt that Nigerians are in dear need of capable hand to man the office of SGF that will join the President to bring smiles to their faces in the second half of this Administration.

    “Prince Tony Momoh and Engr. Buba Galadima are personalities who will never compromise in an issue that is for good of Nigeria people and so, will ensure that such laudable program is fully implemented.”

    He said Nigerians were suffering because some people in President Buhari’s government are aliens to the programmes he promised Nigerians, adding that “for instance where was the current Chairman and Managing Director of NDDC, Managing Director of Nexim Bank, Chairman of NPA and Host of others when we were labouring to build for Mr. President?

    “We must unite to resist these handful political monsters who are hell bent in making every one of us to play a second fiddle role in a government we laboured to build for years.

    “We make bold to say that there is serous hunger and starvation in the land, the exchange rate of dollars has sky rocketed, prices of goods and services are on the increase on daily basis, all because the cabals are alien to the 14 years developmental plan of the defunct CPC.

    “Imagine what is happening to the much publicized Anchor Borrowers Programme in various State today? How about the Social Investment and Empowerment Program, has it been able to achieve it’s set goals?”