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  • Makarfi urges unity, action on insecurity, economic hardship in New Year message

    Makarfi urges unity, action on insecurity, economic hardship in New Year message

    Former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has called on Nigerians to remain united and resilient as the country enters the year 2026, urging governments at all levels to intensify efforts to tackle insecurity and economic hardship.

    In a New Year message, Makarfi said the outgoing year tested the patience and endurance of Nigerians amid rising economic challenges, insecurity, and widespread uncertainty across the country.

    He said the New Year offers an opportunity for Nigerians to strengthen their collective resolve to confront the nation’s challenges together, stressing that unity and shared purpose remain critical to national progress.

    The former governor described Nigeria’s diversity in human and material resources as its greatest endowment, noting that when properly harnessed, it can rekindle hope and reinforce national cohesion.

    According to him, diversity should serve as a tool for mutual respect and sustained dialogue, enabling citizens to deploy their varied skills and expertise toward building a nation worthy of pride for present and future generations.

    Makarfi appealed to governments at all levels to scale up efforts aimed at decisively addressing all forms of insecurity, while also introducing policies to ease the economic burdens facing citizens.

    He prayed for a 2026 marked by renewed unity and peace, improved security, economic recovery, and greater opportunities, urging Nigerians to remain steadfast in faith and optimism for the country’s future.

  • Makarfi urges governments to tackle insecurity, ease economic hardships in 2026

    Makarfi urges governments to tackle insecurity, ease economic hardships in 2026

    Former Kaduna State Governor, Senator Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, has called on governments at all levels to intensify efforts aimed at decisively addressing all forms of insecurity that troubled the country in 2025.

    In his New Year message to Nigerians, Makarfi also urged authorities to introduce policies and measures that would ease the economic burdens currently facing citizens across the country.

    He said that despite the economic challenges and security concerns that tested the patience and resilience of Nigerians in the outgoing year, citizens should not lose hope.

    According to the former governor, renewed commitment by government and collective optimism among Nigerians are essential to overcoming the nation’s present difficulties and achieving a more stable and prosperous future.

    Read Also: Makarfi urges Nigerians to harness unity, resources for better Nigeria

    Makarfi said, “As we exit 2025, I extend greetings and best wishes to all Nigerians. As the past year tested our patience and resilience in the face of economic hardships, insecurity and other uncertainties, the new year offers us an opportunity to strengthen our resolve to confront and overcome our challenges together as a people united by shared hopes and a promising destiny. 

    “As we look ahead, we must continue to carry on with courage, industry and faith in the promise of Nigeria, leveraging on, among others the one big endowment that God has blessed us with, which is our diversity in both human and material resources. Using this, we can rekindle hope and reinforce unity across all lines. 

    “As our diversity remains our biggest source of strength, we must continue to see and use it to engender mutual respect and sustained dialogue, so that together, all of us can deploy our disparate skills and expertise to build and bequeath a Nigeria worthy of the pride of this and upcoming generations of Nigerians. 

    “I appeal to governments at all levels to upscale efforts aimed at decisively wiping out all forms of insecurity that have been allowed to become seemingly intractable as well as introduce measures to ease the burdens imposed by the economic difficulties, ravaging the country. 

    “It is my fervent prayer that God Almighty brings forth a 2026 and beyond that heralds renewed unity and peace, improved security, economic recovery and grater opportunities for all Nigerians. Happy New Year and may God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

  • Makarfi urges Nigerians to harness unity, resources for better Nigeria

    Makarfi urges Nigerians to harness unity, resources for better Nigeria

    Former Governor of Kaduna State and ex-Chairman of the National Caretaker Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Ahmed Makarfi, has called on Nigerians to deploy their skills, strength, resources and diversity to rekindle hope and build a better nation.

    In a New Year message personally signed and made available to journalists in Abuja, Makarfi said the New Year offers Nigerians another opportunity to confront the country’s challenges with renewed determination.

    Makarfi, who recently resigned as Secretary of the PDP Board of Trustees, extended his greetings and best wishes to Nigerians as the country bids farewell to 2025.

    He noted that the outgoing year tested the patience and resilience of citizens amid economic difficulties, insecurity and other uncertainties, stressing that the New Year provides a chance to strengthen collective resolve.

    According to him, Nigerians must face their challenges together as a united people, bound by shared hopes and a promising national destiny, in order to overcome current difficulties and secure a brighter future for the country.

    “As we look ahead, we must continue to carry on with courage, industry and faith in the promise of Nigeria, leveraging on, among others the one big endowment that God has blessed us with, which is our diversity in both human and material resources. 

    Read Also: Makarfi urges governments to tackle insecurity, ease economic hardships in 2026

    “Using this, we can rekindle hope and reinforce unity across all lines. As our diversity remains our biggest source of strength, we must continue to see and use it to engender mutual respect and sustained dialogue, so that together, all of us can deploy our disparate skills and expertise to build and bequeath a Nigeria worthy of the pride of this and upcoming generations of Nigerians. 

    “I appeal to governments at all levels to upscale efforts aimed at decisively wiping out all forms of insecurity that have been allowed to become seemingly intractable as well as introduce measures to ease the burdens imposed by the economic difficulties, ravaging the country. 

    “It is my fervent prayer that God Almighty brings forth a 2026 and beyond that heralds renewed unity and peace, improved security, economic recovery and grater opportunities for all Nigerians. 

    “Happy New Year and may God continue to bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

  • Makarfi loses eldest son in road accident

    Makarfi loses eldest son in road accident

    • PDP mourns

    Former governor of Kaduna State, Senator Ahmad Mohammed Makarfi, has lost his eldest son, Faisal Ahmad Makarfi.

    Faisal, alongside two others, was reportedly involved in an auto crash along Zaria-Kaduna Expressway on their way from Makarfi town yesterday evening.

    A source said Faisal died at a health facility on Zaria road while doctors were battling to save the lives of others.

    The funeral is scheduled to take place in Makarfi town, Kaduna State this morning.

    Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party yesterday  condoled with Makarfi. The  party’s acting National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Ibrahim Abdullahi,Manga prayed for God to strengthen the entire Makarfi family following such irreparable loss.

    He stated: “With a heavy heart but total submission to Allah’s Will,the PDP wishes to commiserate with His Excellency Ahmed Mohammad Makarfi,CON (Secretary BOT,former Governor of Kaduna State and Chairman National Caretaker Committee over the sad demise this evening,of his son,Dr Faisal Ahmed Makarfi,in a car crash.

    Read Also: PDP voids Makarfi’s suspension

    “While we beseech Allah Subahanahu Wata’ala for the repose of Faisal’s gentle soul,the PDP grieves with the entire family.

    “The PDP prays Allah to provide the Makarfis with the fortitude to bear this huge loss,” he stated.

    Also condoling with the family, a  former lawmaker who represented  Kaduna Central in the Senate, Comrade Shehu Sani, via his official X handle said “Just received the sad news of the death of Faisal the Son of HE Senator Ahmed Makarfi.May Allah grant him Aljanna firdausi.Amin.”

  • Election: Southern Kaduna asks Makarfi, Sambo, Hunkuyi, Ashiru to explain PDP’s failure

    •Threatens to shift loyalty to APC at guber poll

    THE people of Southern Kaduna have vowed to align with another party and possibly the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), if the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will not explain to them what led to the woeful performance of the party in the northern part of the state during the presidential election.

    Southern Kaduna people who spoke through Coalition of Southern Kaduna Nationalities (CSKN) lamented that, none of the PDP’s bigwigs from Kaduna north, including former Governors Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi, Mukhtar Ramalan Yero, the PDP gubernatorial candidate, Isa Mohammed Ashiru and Senator Suleiman Hunkuyi could deliver their respective local governments areas to the PDP during the presidential and national assembly polls.

    Towards this end, the CSKN said, an ultimatum of 24 hours is issued to the PDP and the party bigwigs in question to respond accordingly, or may be left with no option than to shift their loyalty to another party that will take care of their aspirations and yearnings in the zone.

    Addressing a press conference in Kaduna on yesterday, the leader of CSKN Dr. Yusuf Gandu Magaji said, “the Southern Kaduna Nationalities are disenchanted by the voting pattern as revealed by the results from Zone 1. We believe that there is a betrayal of confidence and trust along the party (PDP) stalwarts in Zone 1 who can no longer be trusted.

    “The pattern of the results of the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections conducted on the 23rd February. 2019 leaves much to be desired. The results from Kaduna North caused a shock to the Southern Kaduna Nationalities and instigated a rethink in our longstanding marriage and commitment to the opposition party, PDP.

    “The result shows that PDP won overwhelming in the Southern Senatorial Zone. This stresses a fact that, the zone remained faithful and voted for the party en-mass. However, in a sharp contrast, the party performed woefully in Zone 1 as their loyalty was shifted to APC.

    “The key issue here is that most of the party heavy weights and those who benefitted during the PDP’s reign concentrate in Zone 1, yet they failed to deliver their wards to the party.”

  • Tambuwal, Makarfi pledge support for Atiku as Dickson, others visit

    Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal and former Kaduna State Governor Ahmed Makarfi have pledged full support for Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar.

    Tambuwal and Makarfi lost at the presidential primary in Port Harcourt, Rivers State.

    They gave their commitment yesterday when Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson led two other PDP governors to their Abuja homes.

    Dickson told reportersafter the meeting tha Tambuwal stressed the need for the PDP to remain a strong united party adding that the emphasis should be on the country and not on his personal ambition.

    Tambuwal who observed that the country was being run by proxy said the country needed a president who would deliver effective governance.

    Makarfi said although the 12 aspirants went into the primary election as contestants, the emergence of one of them was a collective victory for party.

    Makarfi said he had a long-standing political relationship with Atiku spanning many years and that it was too late in the day for him to jettison that relationship over presidential primaries.

    He predicted a resounding victory for the PDP in the 2019 elections

    Dickson together with Governors Ifeanyi Okowa (Delta) and Darius Ishaku (Taraba) hailed Tambuwal and Makarfi for their understanding and spirit of sportsmanship.

    Dickson who heads the Standing Committee on Reconciliation of the PDP, said the party had commenced series of consultative talks with other categories of aspirants and leaders of the party so as to present a united front.

    Dickson said: “I am leading a team of the committee of governors to interact and compare notes with our brothers, Governor Aminu Tambuwal and Senator Ahmed Makarfi.

    “They ran a great race and we are all proud of what they did and what they continue to do. We appreciate their statesmanship, we appreciate the way and manner they have been of help in consolidating the gains the party is making.

    “This is just the beginning of several interactions formally and informally that we are going to have with them and with several other leaders of our party.

    “As you all know, they are very key players in the unfolding political scenario and we are all committed to reclaiming our country and building a new Nigeria”.

    Dickson stressed the need for leaders of the PDP to close ranks and to hold regular talks as opposition politicians to reposition the PDP for electoral victory.

  • PDP: Makarfi, Hunkuyi in fierce battle over senatorial slot

    Ex-Governor of Kaduna State, Alhaji Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi is now seeking the senatorial ticket of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Kaduna North having failed to secure the party’s presidential nomination.

    Contending the ticket with him are Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi who, himself  failed to secure the PDP’s governorship ticket  and  Ahmad Rufai Shehu (Ubale) the only PDP member who initially obtained the party’s nomination form.

    Shehu has approached the Federal High Court, Abuja to restrain the party from taking the ticket away from him.

    He asked the court on Friday to prevail on PDP and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop the party from  fielding  either Makarfi or Hunkuyi.

    According to investigation, both Makarfi and Hunkuyi are banking on the Kaduna North Senatorial ticket as their Plan B.

    Following the loss of presidential ticket, some aspirants including the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso, Governor Aminu Tambuwal, were allowed to retain their elective offices.

    But Hunkuyi has vowed not to concede Kaduna North Senatorial ticket to Makarfi.

    A top PDP source said: “We have a fresh challenge at hand in Kaduna PDP. There is an ongoing battle between former Governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Mohammed Makarfi and his long time political enemy, Senator Suleiman Othman Hunkuyi over the party’s senatorial slot for the Kaduna North Senatorial District where the duo hailed from.

    “Both Makarfi and Hunkuyi (who is a serving Senator) have lost out in the recently concluded PDP presidential and governorship primaries in Kaduna State.

    “Makarfi’s preferred aspirant in the Kaduna Governorship Primary, Isa Ashiru defeated Hunkuyi who defected to the PDP from All Progressives Congress (APC) after a political battle with Governor Nasir Ahmad el-Rufai.

    “Makarfi, Hunkuyi and Ashiru are from the same federal constituency which is Kudan/Makarfi.

    “The only party member, Ahmad Rufai Shehu with the senatorial form has been screened and waiting for the primaries, is from Zaria LGA. In fact, going by INEC deadline, Shehu is the PDP’s automatic candidate for Kaduna North Senatorial District.”

    Another source said the “PDP is also split on Kaduna North Senatorial District ticket.

    “While the National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus  is backing Makarfi (who was his predecessor). Those in Hunkuyi’s camp are claiming that they have the support of the National Leader of the party. Dr. Bukola Saraki.

    “Our leaders are insisting that Makarfi should be honoured for stabilizing the party. The PDP governors also failed to fulfil their promise to compensate Makarfi for doing a yeoman’s job in giving PDP a second chance to survive again.

    “These leaders said the conditions Hunkuyi gave for defecting from APC to PDP were to contest only for governorship. They said he can’t come home with a story of automatic senatorial ticket.

    But Ahmad Rufai Shehu (Ubale), who was the only party member who obtained the nomination form for Kaduna North Senatorial District, filed an application on Friday at the Federal High Court, Abuja seeking to restrain PDP and INEC from nominating any other candidate.

    He asked the court for an “order of injunction restraining PDP and INEC from fielding and sponsoring Hunkuyi and Makarfi or any other candidate for the 2019 Kaduna North Senatorial District seat without conducting primary election.

    He said: “That the primaries for the Senatorial seat were scheduled to take place on October 2, 2018 but the election committee postponed same without any justification.

    “That the primary elections in the other two senatorial districts of Kaduna State have been conducted. However it is only Kaduna North Senatorial District that the primary has not been conducted.

    “I wrote a letter to the Chairman Election Petition Committee of PDP, Kaduna State on October 6 and submitted it on the 8th of October.

    “I have not received any response from the Chairman Election Petition Committee of PDP, Kaduna State with respect to the aforesaid letter.”

    He urged the court to declare as follows:

    *A declaration that the claimant having purchased Nomination Form for Senatorial Primary Election of PDP for Kaduna North Senatorial seat (Zone 1) and has satisfied all the legal requirements to contest, is entitled to participate in the primary election of the party.

    *A declaration that the claimant having completed and complied with every requirement of law and qualified to contest the primary for Kaduna North District is entitled to participate in the primary election of the party.

    *An order that any act of 1st (PDP) and 2nd (INEC) defendants in fielding and sponsoring the 3rd (Hunkuyi) and 4th (Makarfi) defendants and / or any candidate without duly conducted primary for the senatorial seat is invalid and illegal to that effect.

    *An order of injunction restraining the defendants(PDP, INEC, Hunkuyi and Makarfi) either  by themselves, agents, privies, assigns, authorized representatives or howsoever described from fielding and sponsoring Hunkuyi and Makarfi and / or any other candidate for the  2019 Senatorial seat of Zone 1(Kaduna North) in Kaduna State without conducting primary election.

    *An order of mandatory injunction directing the 1st Defendant(PDP) to conduct primary election for the Senatorial Seat of Zone 1, Kaduna State.

     

     

  • Makarfi congratulates Atiku

    Senator  Ahmed Makarfi has described former Vive President Atiku Abubakar’s victory in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential primary as the will of Allah.

    In a statement by Makarfi’s spokesman, Alhaji Mukhtar Zubairu Sirajo, Makarfi also thanked his supporters and urged them to join other  members of the PDP ensure Atiku’s victory in the 2019 elections.

    Makarfi said: I wishes to convey his most sincere appreciation and gratitude to Almighty Allah for the peaceful and successful conclusion of the PDP convention in Port Harcourt, which culminated in the emergence of Wazirin Adamawa, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, GCON as the Party’s flag bearer.

    “It is a fact that long before the convention, in fact, ever since I threw his hat into the ring of the quest for the nomination, I had, at every turn, made it clear that that the contest was not a matter of life and death, believing in, and submitting to the prerogative of God to bestow power on whomsoever He wished.

    “I also followed that up with a commitment to the party and others, to support whoever would eventually clinch the nomination.

    “In keeping faith with that commitment, I extend his congratulations to Wazirin Adamawa and reiterated his commitment to the success of the campaign in all ways.

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Northerners not afraid of restructuring, says Makarfi

    Former Caretaker Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Presidential aspirant Senator Ahmed Makarfi has dismissed insinuations that northerners are not favourably disposed to restructuring.

    According to him, the issue has more to do with those promoting it from the North.

    Senator Makarfi said it was important for Nigeria to discuss the way and manner the country is restructured to promote fairness and equitable allocation of resources for the good of all.

    He said: “It is not that northerners don’t want restructuring addressed, it is the issue of who in the north is talking about it. There are people they (northerners) trust, and there are people they don’t trust. There are people they think can say anything to get power, and so it is important to northerners to listen to people they trust because when they do so, they will have no concerns.”

    Makarfi said part of his agenda for the country is to consider the report of previous conferences on restructuring, and also tackle security challenges.

    He added: “To move Nigeria forward from the present situation, I will immediately establish the request for the restructuring of the country. We already have a report of previous conferences, so we will dust them and I will get Nigerians to review them, discard what is obsolete, inject new ideas, and then get Nigerians to discuss the way forward in terms of how to restructure this country in a way that will be fair and equitable to each part of Nigeria…”

  • Northerners not afraid of restructuring, says Makarfi

    Former Caretaker Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Presidential aspirant Senator Ahmed Makarfi has dismissed insinuations that northerners are not favourably disposed to restructuring.

    According to him, the issue has more to do with those promoting it from the North.

    Senator Makarfi said it was important for Nigeria to discuss the way and manner the country is restructured to promote fairness and equitable allocation of resources for the good of all.

    He said: “It is not that northerners don’t want restructuring addressed, it is the issue of who in the north is talking about it. There are people they (northerners) trust, and there are people they don’t trust. There are people they think can say anything to get power, and so it is important to northerners to listen to people they trust because when they do so, they will have no concerns.”

    Makarfi said part of his agenda for the country is to consider the report of previous conferences on restructuring, and also tackle security challenges.

    He added: “To move Nigeria forward from the present situation, I will immediately establish the request for the restructuring of the country. We already have a report of previous conferences, so we will dust them and I will get Nigerians to review them, discard what is obsolete, inject new ideas, and then get Nigerians to discuss the way forward in terms of how to restructure this country in a way that will be fair and equitable to each part of Nigeria…”