The Nation Newspaper

Tag: George Akume

  • 2019: Akume urges Tiv people to vote President Buhari

    The Vice Chairman North, All Progressive Congress (APC) Presidential Council, Sen. George Akume has advised Tiv people to vote President Mohammadu Buhari in the forthcoming presidential elections.

    Akume, a former Senate Minority Leader and two time governor of Benue, gave the advised on Sunday at Wannune, Tarka Local Government during the celebration of his 65th birthday anniversary.

    He said that the APC had presented the best candidates in all the elective positions in Benue and at the federal level.

    Sen. Akume was born on Dec. 27, 1953.

    He said at 65 he had no reason to lie to his people and urged the Tiv people to vote President Buhari as he represents the direction of the Nigerian polity.

    “At 65, I am too old to deceive my people, we have seen the direction of the Nigerian politics, and President Buhari represent that direction, I advise you all to vote him in the forthcoming presidential election.”

    He further warned all electorate in the country not to sell their votes to anybody, adding that they should keep same and vote their preferred candidates in the coming elections.

    Akume further accused the Gov, Samuel Ortom led administration of borrowing billions of money with nothing to show for it and urged the people to vote him out in the coming governorship elections.

    Akume, who was recently named vice chairman, North, President Mohammadu Buhari Presidential Council is also the Senatorial Candidate of the APC of Benue North West (Zone B).

    In his remarks, Benue APC Governorship Candidate, Mr Emmanuel Jime, said Sen. Akume was the indisputable leader of the Tiv Nation.

    Jime said that Akume has shown over the years that “he is someone, who saw tomorrow’’adding that he has demonstrated true leadership of qualities to his people. (NAN)

  • APC Senatorial Primary: Shehu Sani, Akpabio, Yari, Uduaghan cleared unopposed

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has cleared unopposed former Akwa Ibom and Delta State Governors, Senator Godswill Akpabio and Dr, Emmanuel Uduaghan and the Senator representing Kaduna Central, Senator Shehu Sani as Senatorial candidates for the forthcoming general elections.

    Also cleared unopposed are Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari, Senate Minority Whip, Senator Francis Alimikhena, former Nasarawa State Governor, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, former Sokoto state Governor, Aliyu Magatakarda Wammako, former Benue state Governor, George Akume and former National, Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Adebayo Adeyeye.

    Also, the three senators representing Lagos state, Senators Oluremi Tinubu, Solomon Adeola and Gbenga Ashafa as well as Senator Ajayi Boroface, Yele Onogunwa and Omotoyao Alasoadura from Ondo are flying the party flag unopposed as they emerged the only cleared aspirants from their states.

    Senator Ahmed Abubakar, Senator Binta Masi Garba (Adamawa) Senator Yusuf Abubakar (Taraba), Governor Ibrahim Geidam (Yobe), Senator Tijanni Kaura, Ikra Bilbis (Zamfara), Senator Buhari Abdulfatai (Oyo), Senator Andy Uba (Anambra) and Suleiman Abdu Kwari (Kaduna) are also running unopposed.

    In the list of cleared aspirants released by the National Working Committee and signed by the National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, former Kano state Governor is to battle for the Kano Central Senatorial ticket with Hajia Laila Buhari, while Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun is to struggle for the Ogun Central Senatorial ticket with Senator Adeyemi Tejuosho and Ganiyat Oladunjoye.

    Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi is to contest for the Oyo Central Senatorial district ticket with Senator Taslim Folarin and five others, Nasarawa State Governor, Tanko Al-Makura is to slug it out for the Nasarawa south ticket with Senator Salihu Hussein Egye, while Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima is contesting the Borno Central ticket with Ali Bukar Wurge.
    Also, Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan is contesting the Yobe North Senatorial ticket with Mohammed Lawan Yahuza, while Imo state Governor; Rochas Okorocha is listed as contesting the Imo West ticket with Senator Hope Uzodinma who is also contesting the governorship of the state.

    However, two former governors who have been in the senate for a long time, Senator Ahmed Sani Yerima of Zamfara State and Bukar Abba Ibrahim (Yobe) were conspicuously missing on the list and it was not clear whether they were screened out of the contest or decided not to return to the Senate.
    The National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has said at different fora that it will be ungodly for the party not to reward loyal senators who stood by the party in its trying period, resisting all attempt to lure them away from the APC.

  • APC distributes electoral materials for presidential primaries to LGs

    The Benue chapter of the All Progressive Congress ( APC ) said it has completed the distribution of electoral materials to 23 local government areas for its presidential primaries.

    The state Acting Publicity secretary of the party, Mr James Ornguga, told newsmen on Friday in Makurdi that the direct primaries would commence across the 276 council wards at exactly 10 a.m.

    Ornguga disclosed that the APC leader in the state, Sen. George Akume, was the returning officer for the presidential primaries.

    Read Also: Osun Guber election: Buhari congratulates APC, Oyetola

    He explained that the primaries would be conducted at the headquarters of each of the 276 council wards in the state.

    He added that the exercise would be done using the 2014 APC party register.

    He further explained that the party would commence registration of new members after the presidential primaries.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that electorates were beginning to gather at the headquarters of some of the council wards in Makurdi Local Government.

  • Ortom to Akume: showcase your achievements, leave me alone

    Gov Samuel Ortom of Benue has advised Sen. George Akume to showcase his achievements in his 11 years sojourn as senator, “instead of castigating me at every opportunity”.

    “Akume should showcase his score card. He has been in the senate for more than 11 years and the constituents want to hear what he has done.

    “He appears obsessed with abusing me every minute; that is not what the people want to hear,” Ortom told newsmen on Monday in Makurdi.

    The governor spoke through his Special Adviser on Media and ICT, Mr Tahav Agerzua, at a special interaction with newsmen.

    “The man (Akume) keeps insulting me at every turn. But, while he is raising questions about me, more questions are being raised about whether he has been an asset or liability to the people,” he said.

    He also criticised a situation where politicians arrogate divine powers to themselves, stressing that only God had the power to decide the fate of man.

    “Nobody should boast that he can make someone governor. Only God can do that. Mr Aper Aku became the first civilian governor of Benue without anyone’s support. Rev. Fr Moses Adasu moved from the Church to the Government House without a political godfather.

    Read Also: My life under threat, says Ortom

    “So, it is wrong for anyone to claim that he made me governor and could unseat me,” he said.

    The governor dismissed claims that he recently gave N2 billion to PDP’s eight governorship candidates, and wondered where such money could have come from.

    He also rejected claims that he was afraid to contest the PDP governorship tickets with other aspirants, pointing out that he ran the entire PDP governorship primary before moving to the APC to pick its ticket in 2014.

    Ortom alleged that Akume was struggling to pit him against PDP governorship aspirants because he rejected the automatic ticket offered by the APC.

    “PDP will not force Ortom on its members. Let all aspirants canvass for votes from the delegates and refrain from media wars,” he said.

  • APC crisis: Akume urges APC Supporters to be calm

    Leader of the All Progressives Congress in Benue state Senator  George Akume has charged APC supporters in Benue not to panic but stand still to see the marvelous things that God Almighty will do in a short time.

    Akume gave this charge today at the funeral ceremony of his domestic staff, the late Imo Shom also known as Orshoja.

    The Zone B Senator said he was aware of all the political shakings in the state but described them as a sign of better things to come and urged those who believe in the APC never to swerve positions noting that he was not in a hurry  to curry public sympathies with words but when men decide not to tell the truth, God who sees in the secret judges their actions.

    While describing the deceased as a focused and diligent person that was appreciated by all who knew him, Senator Akume said men like the late Imo Shom were very rare to come by.

    He pledged to take up the sponsorship of the deceased’s children in their various schools of learning.

    The former Senate Minority Leader insisted that despite so many betrayals that he has faced in life, he was more poised to help as many as the Lord would bring his way using the little resources at his disposal, rather than amass primitive wealth for selfish gains; assuring his supporters that he would always be there for them.

    Read Also: No going back on my APC exit – Ortom

    He prayed God to protect the family of Mr. Shom as they prepare to face life without a father. The Senator Akume also prayed for President Muhammadu Buhari to find a permanent solution to the lingering security challenges facing Nigeria and also prayed for Governor Samuel Ortom to provide good governance to the Benue people.

    Earlier in their separate funeral orations, the Executive Chairman, Tarka Local Government Council,, Hon. Anthony Sende who described death as an end to life but not an end to human existence urged the deceased family to be strong, while the Ter Mbakor, HRH Chief Gandeorun said Mr. Shom said the deceased will be missed greatly for his numerous community development efforts while alive.

    Born on the 15th of August, 1948, the late Imo Shom joined the Nigerian Army in 1969 and fought the Nigerian civil war. He retired from service on the 31st of December, 2002 as Assistant Brigade Chief Clerk and has been into active politics until his sudden death on the 23rd of June, 2018 at the age of 69 years.

  • Boko Haram bomb soft targets to get relevance – Senate

    The Senate Committee on Army has said that the Boko Haram terrorists are seeking relevance by bombing soft targets because they have been decimated by troops.

    The Chairman of the Committee, Sen. George Akume, made the remark on Thursday when he led other members of the committee on an oversight visit to the Army Headquarters in Abuja.

    Akume described the military as a strategic sector of the country and commended it for decimating the insurgents and restoring normalcy to the North-East.

    He commiserated with the army and families of officers and soldiers who had made the supreme sacrifice in the course of the fight against the terrorists and assured the army of continued support.

    In his remark, he Chief of Army Sfaff, Lt.-Gen. Tukur Buratai, said the army would not have been able to degrade the insurgents but for the support of the National Assembly.

    Buratai assured that he and other senior officers would continue to remain in the North-East, especially Borno, until the insurgents were wiped out.

  • Senate: APC adopts Lawan, Akume

    Senate: APC adopts Lawan, Akume

    Senator Ahmed Lawan has emerged as the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) for Senate Presidency.
    He emerged along with Senator George Akume as Deputy Senate President at the mock election of the party to choose its candidates, held in Abuja on Sunday following boycott of the exercise by the Senator Bukola Saraki.
    The Saraki’s group had on Sunday afternoon signed an agreement with the Lawan’s group to abide by the outcome of the election.
    The Saraki group reportedly failed to secure a request to postpone the election.

  • Akume preaches love

    Akume preaches love

    Senate Minority leader George Akume yesterday called for love and peace in the spirit of Easter.

    In a message, Akume said: “My heart is filled with immense happiness and I give gratitude to God as I congratulate all Christians, the people of Benue North-West Senatorial District, supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the people of this nation on this year’s commemoration of the death and resurrection of our Lord.

    “I am thankful to God for his enduring mercy over us as individuals and as a nation and I also want to appreciate Nigerians for their steadfastness and patriotism in the face of unpredictable political atmosphere. As our Lord Jesus is our spiritual hero by his death and resurrection, so also Nigerians have distinguished themselves not just in the choices they made in the presidential and parliamentary elections, but also in the way and manner they conducted themselves.

    “As we celebrate the death and resurrection of our Saviour, we should not be carried away by the festivities, but take out time to reflect deeply on the most important principles of all religious faith, which include love, tolerance and selflessness, and continue to imbibe and practise same in all our interactions among ourselves and with God.

    “That we are devoted to the celebration of Easter is an indication that we are conscious of our obligations to the Almighty.  I urge all Nigerians to show the same level of religious zeal and take the sacred responsibility of participating constructively in nation-building.

    “The death and resurrection of our Lord should act as a reminder and as a stimulant that will make all of us join hands with the emerging agents of positive change as we strive to ensure that Nigeria becomes great in the shortest possible time.

    “I wish all of us a very memorably Easter and I advise that we celebrate it with love, restraint and respect for our differences, where such exist.”

  • Akume backs Gemade for second term

    Akume backs Gemade for second term

    Senate Minority Leader George Akume has backed calls for Senator Barnabas Gemade’s re-election, describing him as an asset to Nigeria.

    Akume spoke yesterday at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Gemade’s country home, Korinja, Konshsisha Local Government Area of Benue State, at the lawmaker’s 66th birthday thanksgiving service.

    Akume said despite their different party affiliations, he has always held Gemade in high esteem and maintained a cordial relationship with him.

    Stressing the need for Benue people to be united, he decried the state’s “neglect” by the President Goodluck Jonathan administration.

    Gemade said: “We recall that under Alhaji Shehu Shagari, Benue had two ministers and a Senate president; under the late Gen. Sani Abacha, Benue had three ministers – myself, Dr. Iorwuese Hagher and Prof. Iyorchia Ayu. During the late Musa Yar’Adua’s administration, we produced the Attorney–General and Minster for Justice, Mike Aondoakaa (SAN); the NAFDAC director-general as well as the managing director NEXIM bank. Under Jonathan, we only have one full-fledged minister and one assistant minister.”

    He urged the people to support Gemade to return to the Senate.

     

  • Akume condemns explosions

    Akume condemns explosions

    Senate Minority Leader George Akume also lamented the Jos blast.

    In a statement, he said:  “The recent spate of bombings in which many innocent Nigerians have lost their lives is clear evidence that the insurgents have unleashed terrorism on Nigeria with the sole aim of destroying our country.

    “Most disheartening is the kidnapping of young teenage school girls and the announcement by the leader of Boko Haram that the girls are to sold into slavery.

    “It is clear from the utterances of those committing these acts of terror that their grievances are not religious, ethnic nor political. They simply want to destroy the democracy which Nigerians have fought for and which we are now trying to build.

    “I call on the insurgents to drop their arms and embrace the government’s offer of dialogue so that whatever grievances they have against the system will be addressed. I also wish to remind them that Nigeria has come to stay and any attempt by them to destroy the country will fail. Nigeria has fought a civil war before and survived it. The new attempts to plunge our beloved country into yet another civil war will fail.

    “I call Nigerians of all religious beliefs and ethnic origins to stand firm against the premeditated attempts to destroy this country. The insurgents do not represent any religion or ethnicity but themselves and their dark motives. We must not allow them to succeed.

    “I pray that the almighty God grants eternal rest to the souls of the victims of the blast. I also pray that he gives the families of the victims of these dastardly acts the fortitude to bear the loss.”