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  • Gbajabiamila, others get APC House of Reps’ tickets in Lagos

    Gbajabiamila, others get APC House of Reps’ tickets in Lagos

    THE Minority Leader of House of Representatives and All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) Caucus Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, was among the party’s candidates, who were victorious at the primaries yesterday.

    He emerged the party’s House of Representatives candidate for Surulere 1 Federal Constituency, Lagos, scoring 247 votes of 252 total votes cast. Five votes were declared invalid.

    He had no opposition.

    Gbajabiamila, after his declaration, said: “I thank our party members for their trust in my representation. I promise to give you even better representation in 2015.”

    Former Chairman of Yaba Local Council Development Area (LCDA) Jide Jimoh picked the APC ticket for Yaba Federal Constituency.

    Jimoh, popularly called JJ, won by scoring 494 votes of the 501 votes cast at the exercise held at the Rowe Park Sports Centre, Alagomeji, Yaba LCDA. Seven votes were voided.

    A former member of the Lagos State House of Assembly, Adekunle Ademoye, who was supposed to contest the position with Jimoh, stepped down minutes after he was booed by the delegates.

    In Ifako/Ijaiye, Dr. Elijah Adewale, popularly referred to as Jah, who won the primary, scored 218 votes. His opponents – Moroof Adefolabi polled 76, Michael Ogunnusi scored 89, former Chairman of Ifako Ijaiye Local Government, Demola Doherty, scored only one vote.

    Also, former Chairman of Apapa Local Government Ayodeji Joseph beat the incumbent member of the House of Representatives, Babatunde Adewale. The former Chairman of Orile-Agege Local Council Development Area, Taofeeq Adaranijo, defeated the incumbent member, Babatunde Adejare, to clinch the Agege ticket.

    House of Representatives’ member Abike Dabiri-Erewa  decided not to contest next year’s election to give new aspirants a chance.

    Mrs. Dabiri-Erewa, who spoke after voting at the APC primary at Ikorodu to elect the party’s standard-bearer for the House of Representatives, said her decision was to encourage others.

    She said: “I believe that serving Ikorodu for 12 years is a privilege and honour. Though, the law allows me to go back, it was a personal decision not to run again to allow others to contest. If I decide to contest, how will others prove they too can serve the country?

    “It is about serving my party, my nation, my state and constituency first. My party, the APC, is strong and virile. By the special grace of God, we are taking over the rein of power by 2015. I will work for the progress of my party.”

    She added that the peaceful conduct of the party primary to elect its governorship candidates was an indication that APC would give Nigeria the desired change.

    She said: “The whole process was transparent. There was nobody that was coerced to do anything. People voted freely and the results were openly counted.

    “We are glad that we had rancor-free primary in Lagos State. I am sure all the APC family is going to work together for the success of APC in the next year’s election.”

  • There are options to loan, says Gbajabiamila

    There are options to loan, says Gbajabiamila

    House of Representatives Minority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila has said there is no need for the Federal Government to take the proposed $1 billion (about N165 billion) loan to equip the army.

    He urged the government to explore a trade-by-barter option to equip and train the army in its fight against insurgency.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja by his Research and Media aide, Wasiu Olanrewaju-Smart, the lawmaker faulted President  Goodluck Jonathan’s penchant for loans, despite the other options, such as the Sovereign Wealth Fund, reserve and excess oil revenue.

    Gbajabiamila said: “The Federal Government, by setting an illegal benchmark, has been creaming off about $30 per barrel of our crude oil sales, which it puts in an illegal Excess Crude Account. If it insists on cash, it should reach into that illegal account.

    “Again, it also set up the Sovereign Wealth Fund, a component of which it described as a future generation account. Well, Madam (Finance) Minister, the Chibok girls represent the future generation, go into that account, if you must. (That’s) Assuming the National Assembly will allow that. But to incur a further $1 billion loan at whatever interest rate, that is one loan too many for our future generation to pay off, and the answer is a capital No!

    “The request for $1 billion loan by the President, after N3 trillion allocated to Defence in three years with nothing to show for it, is evidence that the President and his advisers regard Nigerians as imbeciles (which they are not). For the sake of clarity, an imbecile is defined as a blockhead or a dunce.”

    The lawmaker described the loan as a “perfidious request”.

    He urged his colleagues in the National Assembly to turn down the request and asked the Federal Government to exchange oil for military hardware, as other needy countries have done in the past, if indeed Nigeria has weak military equipment, after comparing the previous budgets for Defence.

    Gbajabiamila said: “I do not think any more cash should pass through government at this time. If indeed more money is needed for the training of our men and women in uniform, which I doubt, then we should resort to the time-tested trade-by-barter. This means of commodity exchange continues between countries all over. We can exchange oil for arms if need be.

    “The AL YAMAMAH arms deal between the Saudis and the United Kingdom (UK), wherein a large amount of British military hardware was sold to the Saudi Arabian government for 600,000 barrels of crude oil a day, comes to mind. So does the ‘oil for arms’ deal between China and Venezuela and the deal struck by the United States (U.S) in 2011, when over 80 F15 fighter jets were sold to the Royal Saudi Air Force. The deal included training, logistics and maintenance.”

    The lawmaker, who is also the All Progressives Congress (APC) Leader in the House, listed some posers on which National Assembly members should ruminate before acting on President Jonathan’s request.

    He said: “Firstly, a comprehensive audit of what has happened to all the money allocated by the National Assembly to Defence in the last three years must be done immediately. This must be a condition precedent before a kobo is ever approved again.

    “Secondly, we have the MTEF, which laid out government expenditure framework for the next three years. We must stack this alongside this recent request and see if there is any place for such…”

  • APC’s manifesto plan different from PDP’s, says Gbajabiamila

    APC’s manifesto plan different from PDP’s, says Gbajabiamila

    There is a big difference between the roadmap for achieving the manifesto of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and that of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), House of Representatives Minority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila has said.

    The lawmaker spoke yesterday in Abuja when he addressed the European Political Counsellors Working Group on APC’s manifesto and the party’s quest for change.

    The international session was attended by political counsellors from Germany, France, Italy, Sweden, Ireland, Hungary, the Netherlands and Belgium.

    Gbajabiamila stressed that “similarities, if there is any in the two manifestos, is just on paper”.

    The lawmaker was reacting to the comment in some quarters that Nigerians could not see any difference between APC and PDP manifestos.

    He said: “We (APC) differ in our roadmap to achieving the manifestos. PDP may talk about free education, but this same party once had a sitting President who set up a private university and did not show interest for quality public education. Same party produced a sitting President who was once a lecturer but now attaches little importance to education.”

    According to him, APC’s approach to its manifesto on power is different because the party believes that power generation should be removed from the Exclusive list of the Federal Government.

    Gbajabiamila explained that with APC at the federal level, states would be allowed to generate and distribute power according to their economic needs.

    The lawmaker urged the international community to request that the Federal Government and its leadership defend its earlier assertion that Boko Haram sponsors were within the government and had infiltrated its rank.

    “I don’t know how far it is true that the government now has its own Boko Haram for its own political advantage. Unfortunately, this is same government, which said Boko Haram members were part of its government – and with all the resources at the government’s disposal – could not tame the sect. Everyone here must question the government,” Gbajabiamila said.

    The lawmaker also said the institutionalisation of political debates in the Nigerian political system should be made compulsory.

    He said: “We must insist on political debates. Sometime ago, no one knew (Lagos State Governor) Babatunde Fashola. He was just a Chief of Staff. But his articulation during the governorship debate endeared him to Lagosians.

    “APC, in its manifesto, believes that you do not need to be popular by name to be in government. Your knowledge of issues of governance counts.”

    Henry Prankerd, Head of Political and Communication of the European Union (EU) Delegation to Nigeria, promised to support transparency during the 2015 elections.

  • APC’ll win 2015 presidency, say Gbajabiamila, Senator Tinubu

    APC’ll win 2015 presidency, say Gbajabiamila, Senator Tinubu

    House of Representatives Minority Leader Femi Gbajabiamila has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to prepare to vacate Aso Rock in 2015 because the All Progressives Congress (APC) will take over the Presidency next year.

    Gbajabiamila spoke in Lagos yesterday at the distribution of empowerment materials worth N15 million and handing over of over 60 solar-powered boreholes he built in his constituency.

    The event was organised by the Femi Gbajabiamila Foundation at the Abati Barracks, Ojuelegba, Lagos.

    Nigerians, Gbajabiamila said, were ready for a change and APC was poised for that.

    He said: “The Peoples Democratic Party should be ready for the role of opposition because the handwriting is clear: Nigerians are yearning for a change and we’ll give them a change.”

    The lawmaker said APC would win the 2015 presidential election, irrespective of the antics the ruling party might try.

    Gbajabiamila, who represents Surulere 1, hoped that APC members would soon emerge the majority in the National Assembly.

    He said: “The situation in the House of Representatives is fluid; defections continue. By the end of next month, we will know where we stand as people are defecting left, right and centre.

    “We’ll give it another few weeks. When the water settles, we will know where people belong.”

    The lawmaker described the APC’s membership registration as an anal in the history of Nigerian politics.

    According to him, never before has any other party undertaken such a successful registration of members.

    Gbajabiamila said: “Our leaders realised that it would be difficult to rig elections where people know their number. It will be difficult to announce one million votes for me when I have three million registered members who voted during an election.”

    Senator Oluremi Tinubu, who represents Lagos Central, corroborated Gbajabiamila’s statement that by 2015, APC would be in control of the Federal Government.

    She said: “We are going to produce the President, the Senate president, the Speaker of the House of Representatives and majority leaders in the National Assembly, by God’s grace, in 2015.

    Mrs Tinubu, who was represented by the wife of the Chairman of Lagos Mainland Local Government, Mrs Anike Adekanye, said the party would win the Presidency.

    “We have done well by ensuring mass registration of people into the party. This is another landmark achievement by our party. As you can see, PDP leaders and members are now jittery because they know their days are numbered at Aso Rock,” Mrs Tinubu said.