The Nation Newspaper

Tag: #NigeriaDecides2019

  • Buhari, Atiku go for broke

    President Muhammadu Buhari ,Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and 71 other presidential candidates are returning to the trenches today following the 11th hour postponement of last weekend’s presidential and national assembly elections. Buhari ,who is seeking re-election on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC),Atiku of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the other candidates will be battling for their share of the millions of votes that will be cast in what promises to be the biggest ever in Nigeria’s history.

    The two frontline contenders went for broke, seizing the opportunity of the postponement to push for votes. A total of 109 Senators and 360 Members of the House of Representatives are also to be elected nationwide today. Over 84million voters were registered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for today’s elections and the governorship/house of assembly polls on March 9. But only 72.7m voters actually collected PVCs and are eligible to vote today. The elections were rescheduled about six hours before the opening of polls last Saturday by INEC,citing logistic problems across the nation. Its action drew flak from the generality of Nigerians, particularly the two main parties locked in the presidential contest – APC and PDP. Politicians have been busy all week mobilising their supporters for a fresh go.

    The parties used Monday to Thursday to re-strategise and fill in gaps in their campaigns. The Federal Government approved the payment of salaries ahead of the 25th day of the month pay day “to enable voters travel”. Information and Culture Minister Lai Mohammed said in Abuja on Wednesday that the National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) and Arik and Aero airlines had consented to slash their prices to cushion the economic effects of the polls postponement on voters.

    He said: “The National Union of Road Transport Workers, which has about two million members and who operate motor parks in all 774 local government areas of the country, an affiliate of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) with members cutting across drivers, bus boys, motor parks operators etc, have offered to provide discounts to travellers using their motor parks and members who are looking to travel to their respective voting points. This discount is also to encourage voters who would have normally been disenfranchised as a result of INEC’s postponement. This discount is also valid between the 21st of February and the 25th February. “Arik and Aero airlines have also thrown in their own incentives.

    Aero contractors have offered 50 percent discount to all travellers who present their permanent voters card (PVC) at the purchasing point. Arik will be selling their one way ticket at N16,000 to any destination across the country. This is to support Nigerians looking to travel to cast their votes. The discount is valid between the 18th of February and the 11th of March. “On the part of the Federal Government also, we decided that to make it easy for those who will want to go back to vote, salary payment started yesterday (Tuesday) as opposed to the normal 25th of every month.

    This is just to ease the burden of people who want to go back and cast their vote.” The odds appear to remain in favour of Buhari with projections and poll experts tipping him to win the most votes in spite of the postponement. Buhari’s APC is in control of the four states with the largest concentration of registered voters :Lagos 6.8m,Kano 5.4m,Kaduna 3.9m and Katsina 3.2m.He is a cult hero in the Northwest with 20.1million voters, and Northeast with 11.2m voters. Poll projections suggest that in the Northeast the President will win in Bauchi,Borno,Gombe,Yobe, while Atiku is likely to win in Taraba. Adamawa where Atiku comes from is generally seen as a battleground between the two leading candidates, although many residents acknowledge Buhari as the brain behind the relative peace being enjoyed in the state now after many years of insecurity caused by Boko Haram. Most of the states in North Central – Kwara,Kogi,Plateau,Benue and Nasarawa- are regarded as battlegrounds but Buhari is tipped to win in Niger. The Northwest,especially Kano with its enormous votes ,has always been Buhari’s comfort zone .His home state – Katsina, Sokoto,Kaduna,Kebbi,Zamfara and Jigawa are all considered safe for him.

    Same goes for the Southwest where the APC is in control of the six states in the zone: Lagos, Ekiti,Ogun,Ondo,Osun and Oyo. Atiku is projected to win in all the five Southeast states of Abia, Anambra, Enugu, Ebonyi and Imo, although Buhari is tipped to receive more votes in the zone than he did in 2015. Most of the states in the South South are also projected to vote for Atiku.These are Bayelsa,Rivers,Delta and Cross River, while Edo and Akwa Ibom are likely to cast their lot with Buhari. Three weeks ago, the New York-based global research and political risk solutions firm, Eurasia Group,in a report projected that there is 60% probability that Buhari would win the presidential race.

    It said: “Opposition candidate Atiku Abubakar has regained some momentum in recent weeks, but President Muhammadu Buhari remains favoured to win (a 60% probability). “On election day, the ruling All Progressives Congress’s (APC’s) significantly greater control of local political structures and resources—it governs 23 states compared to the opposition’s 12—will boost voter mobilisation and solidify Buhari’s advantage. “Buhari’s suspension of the country’s chief justice on 25 January heightened anxiety over the possibility of a post-election crisis, but the episode does not change Eurasia Group’s view that widespread violence is unlikely.

    “Positive news coverage in recent weeks, along with Buhari’s controversial move to suspend Chief Justice Walter Onnoghen over allegations of corruption, have boosted Atiku’s campaign, but it is too late to change the electoral dynamics and Buhari remains favored to win on 16 February. “As we have previously noted, key actors in Atiku’s camp—including his campaign’s director general Bukola Saraki, key powerbroker Governor Nyesom Wike of the oil-rich Rivers state, and southeast governors from his People’s Democratic Party (PDP ) —had been disengaged from his election campaign.

    “ Wike was annoyed by Atiku’s failure to consult him on key decisions, Saraki remains distracted by a tough Senate reelection battle in Kwara state, and the southeast governors are hampered by many conflicting motivations, including their own lack of political clout (which makes them reluctant to overtly challenge the federal government) and their wariness of Atiku’s running mate Peter Obi, a former governor of the southeastern Anambra State who they view as a political outsider. “The lack of enthusiasm on the part of some PDP governors is a problem for Atiku because these officials control significant discretionary funds at the state

  • Final battle: APC, PDP raise stakes in ‘swing’ states

    Undeterred by the disappointments occasioned by last Saturday’s last minute postponement of the presidential and national assembly elections, millions of Nigerians across the country are ready to cast their ballots in today’s rescheduled polls. DARE ODUFOWOKAN, Assistant Editor, reports that the stakes are higher as the frontline political parties and candidates battle for honors. He also identifies some states where the poll is expected to throw up some drama. Of course, pundits and analysts are still insisting that the outcome in most of these ‘swing’ states remains unpredictable.

    KADUNA STATE

    Fears of possible outbreak of violence, especially in the southern flank of the state, is dogging today’s election in Kaduna. This is further heightened by the unending spats between Governor Nasir El-Rufai and leaders of the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) over the killing of over60 people by yet to be identified hoodlums in various dispersed hamlets in the Maro Gida and Iri areas of Kajuru Local Government Area of the state. Observers of the politics of the state say the development has further weakened the strained relationship between the governor and the people of the zone.  El Rufai had darwn the ire of the elites in Southern Kaduna earlier with his decision to appoint a muslim running mate from the axis. Pundits say the people may react by voting against the ruling party in today’s elections.The po litical scenario in the state has remained complex in view of some dynamics in the last three and a half years.  The tense security situation in Southern Kaduna and Birnin Gwari axis has compounded the political permutations.

    The issues beclouding politics in the state are performance;  security challenge; the prolonged Hausa-Fulani/ Southern Kaduna cat and mouse relationship; religious factor, especially mutual suspicion by Muslims and Christians; the rising Shiites clan and its attendant grave security implications; and distrust among political elites. Governor El-Rufia recently pointed out that recent intelligence reports indicated that some people want to foment trouble in Southern Kaduna before or during the elections. He said the reports show that the planners want the violence to spread to other parts of the state, because they have sensed defeat in the coming general election. He appealed to the people that the only thing that they should carry with them on election day to the polling unit is their Permanent Voters Cards (PVCs).

    The police, he added, will arrest them if they carry weapons. Governor el-Rufai has controversially trudged on since 2015, his greatest asset is the enthronement of new governance modules which have reduced waste in government. Apart from pruning the size of his cabinet, he has cut frivolous expenses and his performance is appreciable. But his garrulous, uncompromising and dictatorial leadership style at a point alienated him from the masses. There are no old politicians in Kaduna State who are with him.  Members of the old brigade who were with him in 2015 like Suleiman Hunkuyi, Isa Ashiru, Yaro Makama, and Ambassador Sule Buba are now in PDP against him. These old hands have teamed up with ex-Vice President Namadi Sambo, a former National Chairman of PDP, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, and exGovernor Ramalan Yero.

    But, Buhari is likely to retain his grip on the state albeit with a lesser margin in February. KWARA STATE Following the postponement of the elections last week and the opportunity offered for further campaigns, the ruling APC and the opposition PDP in Kwara State decided to cover more grounds largely by taking their campaigns to churches, a development that is unusual in the politics of the state. While chieftains of the O tun ya Movement of the PDP visited some prominent churches on Sunday, the APC gubernatorial running mate, Kayode Alabi, toured a number of churches too. However, while the APC in the state will go into today’s elections more assured and united, following Tuesday’s confirmation of the Hon. Bashir Bolarinwa-led state executives as the authentic by the court, the PDP is facing serious crisis in the southern senatorial district as supporters of Senator Rafiu Ibrahim accuse Senate President Bukola Saraki and Governor Abdulfatah Ahmed of tricking them out of the senatorial race to pave way for Ahmed’s ambition.

    With the failure of the last minute retrieval of the senatorial ticket from Governor Ahmed for Sen. Rafiu Ibrahim by Saraki, as INEC insists that the governor remains the senatorial candidate of Kwara South, the district may just be a walkover for APC. With Ibrahim’s supporters now aggrieved amidst suspicion that Ahmed and Saraki played a fast one on them by refusing to perfect Ibrahim’s candidature, PDP is seriously weakened in Kwara South. If one adds this to the seeming unpopularity of the governor in the area, the same factor that led to Saraki’s earlier decisison to substitute him with Ibrahim, and the massive followership currently being enjoyed in the area by APC and its candidates, then it may even be comfortable to predict that President  Buhari will sweep the presidential votes across the district today.

    The influence of  Lola Ashiru, an architect, who is the APC senatorial candidate, is another factor helping Buhari’s chances. Other factors that may swing electoral behaviour this time include the looming protest votes from Offa and its environs over the recent bank robbery which claimed many lives; the spiral effect of losing Irepodun/ Ekiti/ Isin, Oke-Ero Federal Constituency to APC; and the neglect of the district in the scheme of things. The Ibolo, the Igbomina and the Ekiti in this district naturally detest the politics of the Sarakis. Also, today’s elections in Kwara State will be headlined by the intense struggle for the political control of the north-central state between the Saraki political family and those opposed to his continued hold on the politics of the state, who are largely chieftains of the opposition APC, Saraki’s former party.

    Pundits say, for the first time in a long time, the threat to the status quo in the state, as symbolised by Saraki Dynasty is real. It is too dicey to say either of the two leading parties, APC and PDP, will win today, as analysts say the electoral map here is very fluid with the three senatorial districts left open to be won either by PDP or APC. Thus, the presidential election in the state can go either way at the close of political hostilities. The spate of violence in the past weeks across the state highlighted how tense the political atmosphere in the state is. While Saraki, aside from struggling to win his seat and return to the Senate, is also fighting to remain politically relevant by delivering the state to the PDP presidential candidate, Abubakar Atiku, the opposition APC is determined to show the world that Saraki has lost hold of the state as the “O to gee” movement swept across the state following the emergence of Abdulrazaq Abdulrahman, as the APC gubernatorial candidate.

    Saraki, who represents Kwara Central Senatorial District, has a date with his closest rival, Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, who was a former member of the State House of Assembly. The contest is reminiscent of the duel between David and Goliath. For Oloriegbe, who was once a product of the dynasty, his record of selfless service as a medic and as well as coming from a respected family, will make the contest tough. His greatest advantage is the mass discontent against the Sarakis. Despite the power of incumbency and over reliance on money politics, it won’t be an easy ride for Saraki in Kwara Central District. In the last one month, the Senate President has retreated to fault lines for political survival and to retool his campaign machin ery, but the people of Ilorin Emirate, who dominate the district, are now sharply divided for and against him. What will count against Saraki include the collapse of governance in the state in the last four years; poor state of infrastructure; nonpayment of local government workers’ salaries; the conspiracy of the elites; sheer flaunting of affluence by political leaders in the state; the exodus of his loyalists and strategists to APC; the “O To Ge” (Enough is Enough) revolution; and the imposition of PDP governorship candidate, Razak Atunwa, on the party. In Kwara North, it is a battle royale between the PDP candidate, Hon. Zakari Mohammed (the incumbent member of the House of Representatives for Baruten/Kaiama Constituency), and the APC candidate, a pharmacist and erstwhile expert in DFID, Sadiq Umar. The two candidates are credible and tested professionals. But what will determine the direction of the district is the politics of power shift. The people of the district are unhappy with Saraki for denying them the governorship slot in the past 20 years. The last time the district tasted gubernatorial power was between 1991 and 1993 when Senator Sha’aba Lafiagi was elected into office. Despite plans by Saraki dynasty to enter into a gentleman agreement with the district on power shift in 2023, they are unprepared to trust him. AKWA IBOM The arrest of about 400 suspected thugs, allegedlyimported into the state by politicians last week to interfere with the process of last Saturday’s botched presidential and national assembly elections in the state, has heightened the political tension pervading Akwa Ibom State as the people go to the polling booths to cast their votes today.

    While security agents insist that they are on top of the situation across the state, there are worries that the worst of such clandestine plans to violate electoral laws may not be over. Reports alleged that the thugs, many of whom were said to have been ferried into the state from Bayelsa, Rivers and other neighboring states, were meant to work for the ruling PDP against the opposition APC. The hotel where the suspected criminals were nabbed by the police is reportedly owned by a chieftain of the ruling party. Another prominent chieftain of the PDP is currently on the run as he is wanted by the police in connection with the development. But the APC in the state has assured its members that there is no cause for alarm while urging them to come out en masse and cast their votes. Former governor of the state, Senator Godswill Akpabio, said PDP plans to intimidate the people of the state into staying at home and because they know they will lose today’s election. He urged them to defy the threat of violence and cast their votes. At no time had the PDP’s control of the politics of the state been threatened as it is today.

    The contest between Buahri and Atiku today will determine how the rest of the polls will go in the state,  pundits say. Since 1999, the oil-rich state has been voting for the PDP till date. Whether that will change today is left to be seen. The defection of former Governor Akpabio to the APC changed the political narratives in the state. As it is, both APC and PDP are laying claim to the state as a stronghold. But political signals indicate that President Buhari may carry the day. This is based largely on the political acceptance being enjoyed across the state by Akpabio. Since he left the PDP, he has resisted several attempts to undermine his popularity. Many analysts say his performance while in office as governor is still speaking for him. Going by recent political events in the state, it is very convenient to say both the PDP and the APC are well rooted in the nooks and crannies of the state, no thanks to the political division between Akpabio and Governor Udom Gabriel Emmanuel.

    The politics of the state is now symbolised by a sharp division of the people into PDP supporters and APC supporters. The competition between the two political parties is further heightened by the fact that both Akpabio and his former godson, Udom Emmanuel, will be on the ballot paper as candidates in this year’s general elections but on the platform of different political parties. While Emmanuel is seeking to be reelected as the governor of the state, Akpabio wants to remain in the Senate as the representative of the people of Akwa-Ibom northwest. In 2015, the duo worked together as PDP candidates and won in convincing manners. This time around, their camp is divided and they are at loggerheads politically. Thus, Akpabio and the APC will be relying on the former governor’s political machinery across the state, aided by the political influence of other APC chieftains like Umanah Umanah, Nsima Ekere (a former deputy governor), John Akpan Udoedehe, Don Etiebet, Ime Umana, Group Capt. Sam Ewang (Rtd), among others, to carry the day.

    For Emmanuel and the ruling PDP who will be entering the ring without the statewide support they enjoyed from Akpabio’s camp in 2015, their major strength will lie in the power of incumbency and the ability to showcase the achievements of the current administration to the people of the state. Across the three senatorial districts of Uyo (Akwa-Ibom northeast), Ikot Ekpene (AkwaIbom northwest) and Eket (Akwa-Ibom south), political analysts, candidates, party chieftains and the voters are daily coming up with permutations on how the governorship elections would be won and lost by the two leading political parties, PDP and APC, and their governorship candidates, Emmanuel and Ekere respectively. Akwa Ibom has 31 local government areas. While Eket, where both Emmanuel and Ekere hail from, has 12 local government areas, Akpabio’s Ikot Ekpene boasts of 10 council areas. The remaining nine are found in Uyo District where former Governor Victor Attah and Umanah hail from. At the last count, there are 1,837, 767 registered voters in the three senatorial districts of the state. According to very reliable political permutations, the PDP and APC will keenly contest for the votes of the people of Akwa-Ibom South Senatorial District.

    It is unclear who is likely to win the zone between the two leading parties given the parity in popularity of both in the area. The APC is most likely to sweep the votes in Akwa Ibom Northwest Senatorial District where Senator Akpabio is the undisputed leader. The Northeastern Senatorial District is another battleground where both APC and PDP will slug it out evenly. However, pundits say with Umanah supporting Ekere, the APC may slightly outperform PDP in the zone, slightly because Uyo is also the seat of government and Emmanuel has many of his people resident there. While Umanah’s popularity in Uyo will aid APC, PDP should benefit from the votes of government functionaries and their people. OGUN STATE Amidst fears of violence in today’s rescheduled presidential and national assembly elections in the state, the police command in Ogun State has appealed to the people in the state to desist from thuggery and violence to ensure peaceful conduct of the elections. Reports had it that there was a high presence of thugs in the state last week in the build up to the postponed elections. Rumours of the kidnap of a prominent market leader in Abeokuta, the state capital, earlier this week has also fuelled anxiety. Eye witness reports from across the state also have it that groups of rival transport unions in some parts of the state may have concluded plans to unleash terror on the state during today’s polls as they struggle to ensure the victory of their preferred political parties and candidates across the state. Places like Abeokuta, the capital, Imeko-Afon, Ijebu-Ode, Idi-Iroko, Ijebu-Igbo,Ilaro, Sagamu, Aiyetoro and Ota, are places to watch out for today, according to reliable sources. Bimbola Oyeyemi, the police public relations officer for the command, warned that the command would not tolerate any act of thuggery and violence during the election. He said the command is well prepared for today’s exercise, adding that it had deployed many personnel across the state to check and curb any misconduct during the election.

    ““Three commissioners of police have been deployed to the three senatorial districts in Ogun to man the elections,” he said. Today’s presidential contest in Ogun will surely be unusually interesting.  This is just as pundits say for the APC, the result will be better than it was in 2015 when the APC defeated PDP by a hundred thousand votes. Buhari polled 308, 290 votes, while former President Goodluck Jonathan of the PDP took 207, 950 out of 559, 613 total votes cast. According to the formal results announced, Buhari won in 13 local governments, while PDP won in seven local government areas.

    In spite of the support currently being enjoyed by Atiku and the PDP from former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Buhari will still win the presidential election in the state convincingly. Given the fact that Buhari’s candidature has been adopted by about four other political parties aside his APC in the state, the President looks set to confirm his acceptance in the state. With the APC and APM in the state working towards the victory of President Buhari, and the two factions of the PDP unable to come together and galvanise their members towards the presidential election, the APC is looking good to win the presidential election in the state even with a wider margin than it posted in 2015. Notwithstanding the support of former President Obasanjo for the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, investigations show that the APC candidate, President Buhari, stands the chance of winning the presidential election in the state with convincing margin.

    This is because in spite of the unusual political ripples, APC’s candidate evidently enjoys massive support from the state. The Federal Government’s attention to major roads in the state, including the Sagamu-Ikorodu road and Lagos-Ibadan Expressway is also swaying support for APC across the state. Also, Buhari’s decision to immortalise the late Chief MKO Abiola, an indigene of Ogun, by declaring June 12 as the nation’s Democracy Day, remains a political move well aimed. It has endeared him to the elites in the state and it is expected to help him garner some votes across the state. Similarly, numerous artisans and traders across the state who benefitted from the Tradermoni scheme are helping Osinbajo to propagate the candidates of the ruling party just as many youths now enjoying under the N-Power employment scheme in the state, are poised to reward the APC by voting for Buhari today.

    It is for these reasons that analysts concluded that though the election will be dramatic, the APC looks good to win. EDO STATE In spite of the anxiety created by allegations of huge sums of money moved into the state by an opposition political party to sway the support of the people its way, President Buhari of the APC will still win the presidential election today in Edo State. The arrest and questioning of a close ally of the PDP presidential candidate by security operatives in relation to similar cash haul, strengthened the vote buying plan rumour in the state. But Governor Godwin Obaseki said the PDP will just end up wasting money if it attempts to buy the votes of the people in Edo. He said Buhari will win and his victory will surprise many observers. This is because he will garner good votes in areas he hitherto would have done badly ordinarily.

    The change in his political fortune in places like Edo Central is as a result of certain factors that were not available before now. According to pundits, President Buhari will easily garner the majority of votes in Edo State given the popularity of his party, the ruling All Progressives Congress, across the state. The APC’s political hold on the state, from the days of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole, who is now its National Chairman, supported by the rave reviews currently being enjoyed by Governor Godwin Obaseki, should work in the party’s favour. Before the 2015 general elections, the PDP could boast of pockets of strongholds in the Southern Senatorial District of the state, but all that faded with the defeat of the party by APC that year. However, some observers say a pocket of opposition may arise today, largely from revenue touts and their godfathers who have been having a running battle with Governor Obaseki over revenue collection across the district, especially in Oredo council. The death of PDP strongman and former political leader of the state, Chief Tony Anenih, late last year, may have completed the demystification of PDP in a state it controlled for nearly 12 years before Oshiomhole took over.

    Also, the decision of Governor Obaseki to hearken to the clarion call on him by the people of Edo Central, to extend developmental projects their way will be rewarded by the people of the area today as they change their age-long voting pattern and embrace the APC. It is a widespread belief in the area that unlike Oshiomhole who abandoned the area while in office, Obaseki has carried out numerous developmental projects in Edo Central. To also shore up the chances of the APC in Edo Central, many supporters of the late Anenih have joined the APC and are now working hard for the victory of President Buhari in the area today.  PLATEAU STATE Today’s presidential election on the Plateau is expected to be dramatic. It is highly unpredictable with pundits saying whoever wins will do so with a very slight margin. Yakubu Dati, the Plateau Commissioner for Information, has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari will win 100 percent votes in the state. This was just as a former governor of Plateau State and Senator representing Plateau North, Jonah Jang, boasted that the state will deliver two million votes for the PDP presidential flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar, today. “I assure you that Plateau will vote Buhari 100 per cent this time around. President Muhammadu Buhari is going to win Plateau State this time around because of the steps he has taken to strengthen the state. As I speak with you, more than 5,000 rice farmers have been empowered with farming implements and seedlings. The school feeding programme is ongoing, safety nets programmes are also there. People are benefiting at the grassroots level.

    We are also benefitting directly because Mr. President, for the first time, when we had crisis, he and the vicepresident came,” Dati said. But Jang, who is not seeking a return to the Senate, insisted that the APC in the state will lose today’s election to the opposition PDP. “Since 1999, no PDP presidential candidate had ever lost an election in Plateau State, and failure will not start in 2019. I want to urge Plateau people that during the forthcoming presidential polls, the PDP Presidential flag bearer should get two million votes in the state,” the former governor boasted. And ahead of today’s presidential election, the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in Plateau had urged its members to canvas for votes for President Buhari. Dogara Abubakar, the SDP’s chairman and Alpha Kapnan, its secretary, said that the resolve to mobilise members for President Buhari came after an agreement by the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in Abuja. But a coalition of political parties in the state under the auspices of the Plateau Political Parties Forum(PPPF) on Thursday endorsed Atiku of the PDP as their preferred candidate, vowing to deliver the state to the opposition party. Both the PDP and the APC can boast of presence in all the corners of the state. While the APC formed the state government, the PDP represents two of its three senatorial districts. So, the political climate in Plateau State is as uncertain as it was in 2015.

    To most observers, the presidential race might be neck and neck. KOGI STATE Although he is currently being trailed by bad press following a fresh face-off between him and his deputy, Simon Achuba, that has seen the personal security team of the number two man withdrawn without explanation, Kogi State governor, Yahaya Bello, is still boasting that President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling APC will win today’s elections convincingly across the state. The unexpected disagreement between the governor and Achuba had further disturbed the unity of the factionalised ruling APC in the state. Governor Bello has been at loggerheads with nearly all the foundation chieftains of his party since emerging governor in 2015. But observers say with all the groups within the party united in their resolve to work for the President’s re-election, the effect of the intra-party crisis may not be felt much in today’s election.

    In 2015, Buhari surprisingly won the presidential election in Kogi State, polling 60.3 % of total votes cast. At a time when the state was in the firm control of a PDP administration, it came as a surprise. But today, the story is queerly different. While the state is now controlled by Buhari’s party, pundits say the people may not repeat the same enthusiasm that saw them voting for APC in 2015. Aside from the obvious fact that the PDP in Kogi State may have shaken off their slumbering and ready to do serious political battle to return to prominence, the APC will have to first wriggle out of its political quagmire for it to make any serious impact in today’s election. It is left to be seen if the party has actually done that. Kogi is a state many observers are watching keenly as PDP confronts APC today in a battle for political superiority.

    The ghost of the late Governor Abubakar Audu is still haunting APC and Governor Yahaya Bello, who has tried to re-write history after benefitting from Audu’s mandate. Out of the three senatorial districts, APC remains solid in Kogi Central, which is largely populated by the governor’s Ebira kinsmen. There had been a few protests against Bello in the Central District but the governor has engaged in arm-twisting and outright political witch-hunting to retain his grip. But the party needs extra salesmen to regain the confidence of Kogi East (Audu’s fortress) in the next strands of election. The management of the aftermath of Audu’s death – including the hounding of his son – looks set to hurt the ruling party. Most retired civil servants/ teachers (pensioners) are from Kogi West and in the last three and a half years, they have gone through hell trying to collect their gratuities and pensions. The same Kogi West secured the deputy governorship slot but its candidate, Hon. James Faleke, was uncomfortable with the power equation. Faleke’s loyalty to Audu appeared to be a “wise” decision because he would have ended being a glorified deputy in a despotic Bello government. The tactical senatorial nominations of Jibrin Echocho (APC candidate for Kogi East) and Senator Smart Adeyemi (Kogi West) have, however, succeeded in bridging the gaps between the ruling party and the peo ple of the state. Also, the travails of Senator Dino Melaye have left the Kogi West with no alternative than to shop for an amenable candidate in Adeyemi in order to get value for their votes.

    BENUE STATE In a move that further heightened the already tense political atmosphere in the state ahead of today’s polls, the Chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ohimini Local Government Area of Benue State, Boniface Okoloho, was last Saturday shot dead by unknown gunmen. The APC chieftain was reportedly killed on his way home from a party function in Ohimini. Ohimini is an Idoma dominated area in the state which forms part of Benue South Senatorial District. Up until a few weeks ago, many had thought that the presidential race between APC and PDP in Benue State is predictable. While many had considered the security challenges faced by the state in recent times and predicted a victory for PDP, some others have examined the leanings of major political gladiators in the state and announced that APC will poll more votes than PDP in today’s election. But today, most analysts agree that the election in the state can go either way. Governor Samuel Ortom has capitalised on the farmers-herders crises as a weapon to secure his second term ticket. The anti-Fulani sentiments in the state have grown to the extent that President Buhari and APC are despised. Ortom went a step further to apologise to the people of the state for leading them to APC in 2015.

    The joining of forces by Ortom and ex-Governor Gabriel Suswam, who has an axe to grind for being put on trial for alleged corruption by the APC administration, has made the PDP more formidable. The scenario in the state is being monitored because the three senators from the state, who are leaders with massive support in the grassroots, are treading different political paths. They are Senator David Mark (Benue South); Senator Barnabas Gemade (Benue North-East) and Senator George Akume (Benue North-West). While Akume is sticking to APC, Mark remains in PDP with his ally ex-Minister Abba Moro now taking his slot, and Gemade is trying his luck in the Social Democratic Party (SDP) after defecting first from APC and then PDP in quick order. Of the three senators, only Akume has a herculean task at hand to sell APC to the people of the state who are angry over the consequences of the farmers-herders crises. He needs to work harder to retain his senatorial seat for the fourth term since 2007 and to install his political associate, Emmanuel Jime, as the governor of the state. He has a tall order to assert himself as the “political godfather” of the state.

    As a leader with tremendous goodwill, if Akume succeeds, he will book a place in the Guinness Book of Records as a great politician. Any loss might be the beginning of his political retirement. NASARAWA STATE As the people of the state file out today to vote for the country’s next President, the question on the lips of analysts is whether incumbent President and APC candidate, Muhammadu Buhari, can break his now age-long electoral jinx in Nasarawa State. The APC flag-bearer has never won elections in Nasarawa State since he has been participating in the presidential race. During the 2015 presidential election, the then President Jonathan of the PDP surprisingly won the presidential election in Nasarawa State, defeating Buhari, who was widely tipped to win the state. It was a surprise because the state was seen by many as a stronghold of Buhari’s given the presence of many of his associates in the state. Not even the widespread opinion that Governor Tanko Al-Makura has done well in office helped. He also lost the state in 2011 when he contested on the platform of the Congress for Progressives  Change (CPC).

    While the CPC’s governorship candidate, Umar Tanko Al-Makura, the incumbent governor, won the gubernatorial election, Buhari could not get enough votes to defeat Jonathan in the state. Not a few analysts are saying that the APC will have to do more than enough to change the status quo today. Al-Makura’s decision to stamp his feet and allow power to shift from Nasarawa South District to Nasarawa North District for fair ness and equity has deflated the anticipated winning formula of the opposition. This has in turn shored up the popularity of the ruling party in the north where the PDP held sway before now. This is expected to impact in favour of President Buhari in the presidential election. The harmony within the rank and file of APC in the state notwithstanding, it is still uncertain if Buhari can floor Atiku in the state. ADAMAWA STATE In spite of the tension created in Adamawa State by allegations and denials of an alleged attempt by the PDP to bribe the leadership of INEC in the state ahead of last week’s postponed election, the people of the state are ready to vote in today’s rescheduled elections. Perhaps as part of measures to calm frayed nerves, the state office of the INEC, has administered oath of neutrality on its staff. INEC has consistently denied the alleged $1million bribe offer. Resident Electoral Commissioner, (REC) in-charge of the state, Kassim Gaidam, before administering the oath in his office, noted that the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended) made it mandatory for all staff both employed and appointed by INEC for the conduct of an election to affirm or swear before the high court, an oath of neutrality.

    He said: “We are gathered here today to administer this oath on me, management, electoral officers and other staff of INEC in Adamawa State office. A similar ceremony will be carried out for ad hoc staff at their respective local government areas of posting”. Adamawa, since 1999, remained a PDP threshold until 2015 when it voted APC. Pundits will say Buhari’s victory in the state back then was aided by the presence of Atiku in the same party with him. But with the President and Atiku today on the ballot on opposing sides, many of the factors that delivered Adamawa to APC in 2015 are no longer applicable. The people of the state are now caught between two choices of producing a home-bred president or voting for their son-in-law Buhari to remain in office. For Atiku and the PDP, a lot is now at stake. If he defeats Buhari in Adamawa, he would boost his political profile as primus inter pares in the state. But if Atiku suffers any setback, he would join the league of the likes of ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo who lost in his home state. Being an indigene of the state who once won its governorship election before being selected as Vice President by former President Olusegun Obasanjo is an added advantage for Atiku in today’s contest.

    On the other hand, the performance of Governor Jibrilla Bindow in office has added value to Buhari’s campaign. Also, the nomination of game changers like Senator Binta Mashi and Hajiya Aishatu Ahmed Binani and other mobilisers at the grassroots have made winning the state an uphill task for Atiku. But the two camps stand equal chances of carrying the day, according to pundits. Other prominent politicians Buhari and his party will be banking on to swing the votes their across the state today include former Military Administrator of Lagos State, Brig-Gen. Buba Marwa (rtd); a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the President’s in-law, Dr. Halilu Modibbo, among other numerous elected and appointed political office holders across the state. For Atiku, he will be relying on a strong, tested and trusted political machinery with tentacles across the nooks and crannies of the state that has aided his hold on the politicos of the state for decades now. Though his recent return to PDP has seen some of his associates turn their back on him, it is still largely believed that his political structure is strong enough to deliver the votes for him. Our findings show that the governorship candidate of PDP, Umaru Fintiri, popularly called “The ATM” by civil servants due to the prompt payment of salaries when he was Acting Governor of the state, has made the turf tougher. Fintiri is giving Bindow an electioneering headache because of ‘the ATM perception’. The governor, for his part, has been prudent and he has performed creditably better than most of his successors..

  • Buhari to Nigerians: Vote govt of your choice

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday morning again appealed to Nigerians to come out on Saturday to vote for the presidential candidate of their choice.

    In doing this, the President urged them to vote for the government that will lead Nigeria toward its finest destiny.

    He made the call in a national broadcast this morning.

    Buhari said “As your President, I hereby ask all Nigerians with voting cards to participate in defining the future of our nation by exercising your democratic rights tomorrow. I urge you to go out and vote.

    “I say this because elections are the cornerstone of representative governance. And voting constitutes the highest and best expression of the sovereign will of the people to choose the government that best represents them.

    “It is only upon the freely expressed will of the people that government truly dedicated to the welfare, rights and interests of the people can be founded.

    “You will be able to vote in an atmosphere of openness and peace, devoid of fear from threat or intimidation. Tomorrow is an encounter with history in which you, the people, shall affirm your collective belief in our national greatness and in our future.

    “I ask that you embrace and hold on to the importance of the moment soon to be upon us. Honour your civic duty as voters by going to the polls tomorrow to vote for the government of your choice, for the government that will lead Nigeria toward its finest destiny.

    “As citizens there is no greater duty than this and no greater honour. Tomorrow, I know you will once again make Nigeria proud of its people.” he said

    The President urged Nigerians not to be discouraged by anyone from exercising their rights as citizens and voters tomorrow.

    Read also: APC to Nigerians: reject treasury looters

    To vote, he said, means that they believe in Nigeria and the excellent things the future holds for the nation and its people.

    He added “No matter our political leanings, we all believe in Nigeria, in the noble principles for which it stands and in the values we strive for our beloved nation to uphold.

    “All who are able, must vote so that we may better perfect this democracy and continue to build the greater nation we seek. Do not be afraid of rumours of violence and unrest.”

    According to him, the security agencies have worked diligently to ensure that adequate security measures are in place.

    While noting that democracy is the most beneficial way to select a nation’s leaders, he said that it is far from the easiest thing to achieve and maintain.

    He said that it requires a combination of patience, tolerance, compassion, diligence, wisdom and hope.

    “These traits exist in us the Nigerian people. Because of who we are, democracy has the chance to flourish in this land.

    “Thus, I commend all of you for your patience and peaceful conduct so far during this electoral season and especially during this intervening week following the postponement of the February 16 elections.

    “Many were worried and thought the worst might happen. You proved them wrong by showing that you are a great people with an abiding love for peace, democracy and the unity of our country.

    “According to the daily INEC public briefings given this week, the Electoral Commission says it is ready and fully prepared to conduct the election in a free, fair and transparent manner. I believe INEC realises the profound and weighty duty that rests upon it.”

    The President urged Nigerians to have faith that INEC will this time rise to the occasion.

    He said “We must cast aside doubt and have faith that INEC will rise to the occasion. We must believe and encourage INEC to fulfill and honour this responsibility it owes to our country.”

    Buhari also assured the international, domestic monitors and observers of their safety and freedom of movement needed to perform their important functions.

    While thanking domestic monitors and observers for their contributions to Nigeria’s democracy, the President also thanked the international groups for their friendship and concern for the nation.

    “We appreciate their efforts in encouraging us to further entrench and strengthen our democracy.” he said

  • President urges Nigerians to shun violence rumour

    To President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigerians have a date with history tomorrow.

    In a nationwide broadcast this morning, the President urged Nigerians to disregard rumours of violence but troop out en masse to perform their civic duty during the rescheduled presidential and National Assembly election.

    He urged the electorate to elect a government that will move the country to loftier heights.

    Buhari said: “As your President, I hereby ask all Nigerians with voting cards to participate in defining the future of our nation by exercising your democratic rights tomorrow. I urge you to go out and vote.

    “I say this because elections are the cornerstone of representative governance. And voting constitutes the highest and best expression of the sovereign will of the people to choose the government that best represents them.

    “It is only upon the freely expressed will of the people that government truly dedicated to the welfare, rights and interests of the people can be founded.

    “You will be able to vote in an atmosphere of openness and peace, devoid of fear from threat or intimidation. Tomorrow is an encounter with history in which you, the people, shall affirm your collective belief in our national greatness and in our future.

    “I ask that you embrace and hold on to the importance of the moment soon to be upon us. Honour your civic duty as voters by going to the polls tomorrow to vote for the government of your choice, for the government that will lead Nigeria toward its finest destiny.

    “As citizens there is no greater duty than this and no greater honour. Tomorrow, I know you will once again make Nigeria proud of its people.”

    The President urged Nigerians not to be discouraged by anyone from exercising their rights as citizens and voters tomorrow.

    “To vote”, he said, “means that they believe in Nigeria and the excellent things the future holds for the nation and its people.

    “No matter our political leanings, we all believe in Nigeria, in the noble principles for which it stands and in the values we strive for our beloved nation to uphold.

    “All who are able, must vote so that we may better perfect this democracy and continue to build the greater nation we seek. Do not be afraid of rumours of violence and unrest.”

    According to him, the security agencies have worked diligently to ensure that adequate security measures are in place.

    Identifying democracy as the most beneficial way to select a nation’s leaders, he said that it is far from the easiest thing to achieve and maintain.

    He said that it requires a combination of patience, tolerance, compassion, diligence, wisdom and hope.

    Buhari said: “These traits exist in us the Nigerian people. Because of who we are, democracy has the chance to flourish in this land.

    “Thus, I commend all of you for your patience and peaceful conduct so far during this electoral season and especially during this intervening week following the postponement of the February 16 elections.

    “Many were worried and thought the worst might happen. You proved them wrong by showing that you are a great people with an abiding love for peace, democracy and the unity of our country.

    “According to the daily INEC public briefings given this week, the Electoral Commission says it is ready and fully prepared to conduct the election in a free, fair and transparent manner. I believe INEC realises the profound and weighty duty that rests upon it.”

    The President urged Nigerians to have faith that INEC will this time rise to the occasion.

    He said: “We must cast aside doubt and have faith that INEC will rise to the occasion. We must believe and encourage INEC to fulfill and honour this responsibility it owes to our country.”

    Buhari also assured the international, domestic monitors and observers of their safety and freedom of movement needed to perform their important functions.

    Lauding the domestic monitors and observers for their contributions to Nigeria’s democracy, the President also thanked the international groups for their friendship and concern for the nation.

    “We appreciate their efforts in encouraging us to further entrench and strengthen our democracy,” he said

     

     

  • Osinbajo to Nigerians: don’t be discouraged

    From Bisi Olaniyi, Precious Igbonwelundu, Adekunle Jimoh, Gbenga Omokhunu, and Rosemary Nwisi.

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo yesterday urged Nigerians not to be discouraged by the earlier postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

    The vice president made the plea in Ilorin during a courtesy visit to the Emir of Ilorin, Alhaji Ibrahim Sulu-Gambari.

    The vice president was in Ilorin to conclude the door-to-door campaign to mobilise votes for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Osinbajo said the only way Nigerians could assist to sustain the nation’s democracy and promote good governance was to come out en mass on Saturday and vote for continuity.

    He commended the monarch for his fairness toward political parties and their candidates in the state.

    The vice president  said he did not envy the monarch who “has his sons vying for different positions across different parties in Kwara.’’

    The vice president prayed for the victory of the president and all All Progressives Congress (APC) candidates in the general elections.

    The emir, in his remarks, welcomed the vice president and wished him and his entourage well in the elections.

    The vice president was accompanied by Minister of Information and Culture Alhaji Lai Mohammed, who is the leader of  APC in Kwara.

    Also on the entourage were the governorship candidate of the APC in  Kwara, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, the party’s chairman in the state, Bashir Bolarinwa,  and other party stalwarts.

    The vice president and his entourage were welcomed by an unprecedented crowd who thronged the streets leading to the palace and were chanting “ O to ge’ (Enough is Enough).

    From Adabata to Pakata and on to  Isale-Aluko as well as Oja Gboro and Ipata,   the people in their thousands, particularly women and youths,  lined up on the streets with brooms chanting that they were tired of the old order and in need of  a change in Kwara.

     

    APC, PDP clash over attack in Ilorin

     

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday accused suspected thugs loyal to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of attacking its supporters after the convoy of the Vice President Yemi Osibajo passed through an area in Ilorin, the Kwara State capital. But the PDP last night denied the allegation.

    Two supporters of APC sustained injuries.

    A police source revealed that the incident happened around Isale-Koko, Ilorin suburb, after the vice president’s convoy had left the area.

    Police spokesperson Ajayi Okasanmi could not confirm the incident.

    The APC governorship candidate in the state, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, condemned “the brazen attack today in Ilorin on the convoy of the Vice President Prof Yemi Osinbajo by armed PDP thugs.”

    In a statement, Abdulrazaq’s media aide Rafiu Ajakaye said: “The vice president was at Isale Aluko suburb of Ilorin on a door-to-door campaign when some dare-devil gunmen opened fire at his convoy which included thousands of APC members and supporters.

    “In what is a reminiscence of the Offa robbery, this attack is the height of recklessness on the part of these street urchins who have long been empowered and armed by the discredited dynasty to terrorise our community and anyone who has contrary views to their amala politics.

    “Coming just a day after two of our supporters were killed in Ojoku in the convoy of our senatorial candidate Arc. Lola Ashiru, this is becoming too much and the madness must stop.

    “Going into an election with these thugs clearly on the loose is an existential threat not just to all of us challenging the misrule in our state but to the entire people of the state and their properties.

    “We call for immediate arrest and prosecution of these thugs. We also demand investigations to reveal those who gave the orders for these deadly attacks. We call for all measures to be taken to ensure safety of lives and properties and sanctity of the ballot box in Kwara and beyond.

    “No one’s political interest should be at the expense of human lives and their properties.  We insist that a political contest is a contest of ideas and no one must be allowed to cow or kill others in the process.”

    The PDP, in a statement by its spokesperson, Tunde Ashaolu, said the incident was an intra-party issue involving members of the APC.

    The statement reads: “It was also gathered that the money released to be shared among party supporters triggered the violence.

    “Our party has no time for violence as we have been busy preparing for the presidential and national assembly elections coming up on Saturday as well as the governorship and State Assembly elections.”

     

    Rivers polls: Wike, kinsmen, Cole, APC leaders in fight to the finish

     

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, his Ikwerre kinsmen in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP),  All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Tonye Cole and other APC leaders in the state are in a fight to the finish over the general elections.

    Wike, yesterday in a broadcast, urged APC members to allow  peace in Rivers to continue and to prepare for 2023 polls.

    PDP kinsmen of Rivers governor in the four Ikwerre Local Government Areas of Port Harcourt City, Obio/Akpor, Ikwerre and Emohua, also alleged that unending atmosphere of hostility was being foisted by the unholy relationship between the Rivers APC and the security agencies, which was described as a major source of worry, threatening peace and communal tranquility.

    Cole and some leaders of APC in the state, at a news conference in Port Harcourt, however, declared that candidates of the party would not only participate in the 2019 elections, but would win.

    Wike, in the broadcast, called on the leaders of the APC to accept the reality that their party would not be on the ballot for the 2019 general elections in Rivers.

    The governor said: “Truth be told, the Supreme Court has spoken. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has confirmed. It is the will of God and there is nothing anybody can do to return the APC to the ballot for the 2019 general elections in Rivers State.”

    The leaders of Ikwerre ethnic nationality, at a world news conference yesterday at the Obi Wali International Conference Centre, Port Harcourt, through a former Rivers governor, Sir Celestine Omehia, stated that they would not sit idly and watch Minister for Transportation Rotimi Amaechi cause their people unnecessary harm.

    Ikwerre PDP leaders said: “The Minister for Transportation has the penchant for fomenting trouble, which had caused the loss of lives in the past. Keen watchers of political events in our state have also noticed the bitterness exhibited by the minister (Amaechi) towards the governor (Wike).”

    At a news conference yesterday, Cole said: “I want to start by telling our supporters in APC and around the state that not only will we participate in the elections, we will win them. It is better to be prepared than for the opportunity to come and we are not prepared. The opportunity is coming. Be prepared.”

    A chieftain, Chidi Lloyd, while also speaking, stated that what could have resulted in a colossal loss of human lives and property in Rivers State was avoided by the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections in the country on February 16, through violence and thuggery displayed by PDP members across Rivers, while again mobilising to unleash mayhem in the state on February 23.

    The party’s spokesman Chris Finebone condemned “the shameful use of card-carrying members of the PDP” by the INEC office in Rivers  as ad hoc staff, insisting that the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of INEC in Rivers, Obo Effanga, and his staff were collaborating with the PDP to rig the elections, declaring that they would not get away with it.

    Read also: Avoiding excessive bleeding after childbirth (2)

     

    Rivers APC crisis:  Appeal Court strikes out Abe’s suit

     

    The Appeal Court Panel sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital yesterday struck  out a case filed before it by the Senator representing Rivers South East in the National Assembly, Magnus Abe, for lack of merit.

    Abe and 42 others filed the suit shortly after the Federal High Court upheld the judgment of a State High Court which nullified the state congresses and primary elections conducted by the Ojukaiye Flag Amachree-led faction of the All Progressives Congress (APC), and disqualified all its candidates.

    At a news conference in Port Harcourt, shortly after the ruling, Abe said: “We had approached the Court of Appeal to help with the logjam arising from the current situation in the APC in the state.

    “We believe that that is not the sum of the judgement of the Supreme Court so in  consultation with our legal practitioners, we’ve asked them to approach the Supreme Court for a final response on that matter.”

     

    Group berates Atiku

     

    A prominent group, Media for Morals, has expressed support for the Chief of Army Staff, Lt-Gen. Tukur Buratai, for vowing to ensure the armed forces remain apolitical and professional in the discharge of its duties.

    In a statement by its National Coordinator, Dr. Mairo Mudi, the group also berated the Presidential Candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP),  Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for “encouraging lawlessness in the armed forces by asking soldiers to disobey orders made by its superiors”.

    “All the hullabaloo about President Buhari’s warning for the military and the police to deal ruthlessly with ballot box snatchers is only indicative of the fact that some politicians, obviously of the opposition stock, were reliant on that method to get to power through rigging.”

     

    Lagos CP warns ballot box snatchers, others

     

    Lagos State Commissioner Zubairu Muazu yesterday warned ballot box snatchers and other electoral offenders to have a rethink or face the wrath of the law.

    Muazu spoke at his maiden interaction with reporters.

    According to him, the command would stop at nothing to ensure that offenders are prosecuted and convicted, reminding residents that the earlier deployment of 30,000 security personnel for the exercise would be maintained.

    Muazu said:“A very robust operation order to cover deployment of security personnel for the elections is on ground; so we will ensure there is a safe and secured environment for electorate in Lagos to go and cast their votes without fear and intimidation.”

     

    Police arrest INEC official, two others with card reader

    A senior official of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and two others were Wednesday night arrested by policemen attached to the commission’s head office in Lagos for alleged illegal possession of card reader.

    It was learnt that the officials were taken to SARS office at Ikeja where they allegedly spent the night and were later escorted by policemen back to the commission following directives from the Police Commissioner Zubairu Muazu.

    Muazu confirmed policemen escorted Bello to take the card reader back after it was discovered that he did not steal it.

    The police chief said: “We confirmed that the official was posted to Surulere. The card reader in question had problems and he was supposed to turn it over. But there wasn’t enough security and he decided to hold on to it.

    “The said card reader has not been configured. We verified from INEC and as such, we detailed policemen to escort him back so that he will safely return the card reader. I am not aware of any attempted bribery incident.”

    INEC spokesman Olufemi Akinbiyi said he was not aware of the incident.

    He said: “I do not have that information. I am part of the team at the CBN ensuring that electoral materials are moved out without hitches.”

     

    Clerics cautioned against meddling into politics

     

    Clerics in Bauchi State have been cautioned against dragging religious matters into politics.

    Muslims youths and students leaders, in a statement by Prince Mohammed Sani Hassan, Comrade Alhasseenor  Adam and Babangida Bindis, said they were not happy with the way religious matters were being dragged into politics in the state.

    They said: “We are not happy as future leaders the way and manner religious leaders are dragging religion issue into politics in the state.”

    “In the history of politics since 1999 to date, Bauchi State has not produced a leader like Rt Honourable Yakubu Dogara, Speaker and National Assembly member representing Bogoro, Dass and Tafawa Balewa Federal constituency. He built more than 1000 mosques in all the nooks and crannies of Bauchi State, he sponsored  many Muslims to Hajj, he assisted both Christians and Muslims in Bauchi State, he catered for both religion in Bauchi State, he should not be condemned,”the group said.

    ‘Buhari’s directive on riggers has exposed PDP’s antics’

     

    The Buhari Campaign Organisation (BCO) yesterday praised President Muhammadu Buhari for exposing the rigging plot of the opposition through his directive to the military and other security agencies that they should deal ruthlessly with ballot box snatchers and other election riggers during Saturday’s elections.

    Buhari’s support group noted that reactions from the camp of the opposition to Buhari’s order were a clear indication that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its presidential candidate are planning to rig the 2019 polls.

    In a statement issued in Abuja by its Director of Communication and Strategic Planning, Mallam Gidado Ibrahim, the BCO stated that what the president did with his directive was to uncover a hornet’s nest in the camp of the opposition and stirring it up for Nigerians to know their plan to rig the polls.

    Ibrahim said: “We in the BCO give kudos to President Muhammadu Buhari for this marching order. Only the evil minded should be afraid of the order. The opposition are criticising President Buhari for his comment on ballot box snatchers because they want Nigerians to see nothing of those who denied them electricity and other infrastructure in the past 16 years.

    “The president said exactly what we have always wanted him to say: thuggery and ballot box snatching have no place in a credible democracy. The president is absolutely right, otherwise we will encourage the opposition and their thugs to dictate democracy for us. “

  • Zamfara: PDP faults AGF on letter to INEC

    Calls for free, fair, transparent poll

     

    The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) has faulted the Attorney General for the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami on his letter to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    In the said letter, Malami had advised INEC to postpone the general elections in Zamfara State, to accommodate a ruling of the Sokoto Division of the Court of Appeal, purportedly directing the electoral body to allow the Zamfara State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) field candidates for the upcoming elections.

    INEC had barred the state chapter of the APC from fielding candidates for elections for submitting names of its candidates after the expiration of the deadline prescribed by the Electoral Act.

    However, after series of legal rigmarole initiated by the leadership of the Zamfara APC, the Appeal Court purportedly gave the go ahead to the chapter to submit the lists of its candidates to INEC for the governorship and state assembly elections scheduled to hold on March 2.

    But in a swift reaction on Thursday, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus described the AGF’s letter to INEC as part of APC’s design to arm-twist INEC and the judiciary to take illegal actions in their favour.

    Addressing a news conference at the Legacy House, the party’s Abuja campaign office, Secondus said what the AGF was seeking is not backed by law.

    According to the party chair, the AGF is an interested party in this matter and thus has no moral right to advice INEC.

    Secondus said, “The inability of the APC to field candidates due to self-inflicted crisis when other parties did within the stipulated period for the election is not covered by section 38 & 39 of the Electoral Act 2010 which the AGF is relying on for his dubious advice.

    “I, therefore, call on INEC to follow the dictates of the law and continue in its plan to achieve a credible election”, adding that the 2019 general elections, more than any other in the past, provide an opportunity for the country to get on the right path.

    “The challenge that we now face is one of expectation. Those entrusted with the responsibility of ensuring that the expression of the people’s will is made manifest, have time and again failed to demonstrate good faith. We expect better than we are getting,

    “A sick narrative has emerged, one of systemic and systematic rigging, manipulation of the true record of the voters register and a cabal you can no longer trust with the trajectory and growth of our democracy and nation.

    “This is the evidence of bad faith by those managing the election and the government of the day”, Secondus said.

    The party chair accused the electoral body of failing to clean up its register of voters before it published same, against the practice under previous INEC administrations.

    He also faulted the voting arrangements put in place by the electoral body whereby accreditation and voting will go on simultaneously.

    It’s a departure from arrangements in previous elections where voters were first accredited and allowed to vote only after the end of the accreditation exercise.

    According to the party chairman, the new continuous voting regime this was meant to facilitate multiple voting by APC members in their numbers.

    Also, Secondus alleged that the voter register compiled by INEC contained data of dead voters for whom Permanent Voter Cards (PVC) were printed and distributed nationwide.

    Quoting official government data, the party chairman said the gross death rate in the country stood at 12.5 per 1000 lives, adding that from available evidence, over 1,050,051 dead persons would vote in the upcoming elections.

    “The decision that dead voters will cast ballots has been taken by INEC and the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    The idea of ghost voters is consistent with the nature of this virtual President.

    “There has been a coordinated approach to register foreigners as voters, mainly from Niger and Cameroon. That is why INEC has established so many polling units along the borders with Cameroon and Niger. That is despite the fact that population data did not justify the move”, Secondus said.

    Read Also: APC, PDP in two-horse race: How the states may vote

    Speaking on Saturday’s presidential election, the party chairman cited multiple “intelligence sources” available to the PDP showing that the APC, in conjunction with INEC, through the ICT situation room, have concluded plans to manipulate the outcome of the election.

    He said, “By deliberately corrupting the INEC voter’s register to induce voter suppression in PDP strongholds and operations areas with the aim of disenfranchising at least four voters through corrupting of their four names on the voters register.

    “The strategy is to create artificial problems wherein at least four registered voters can be disfranchised in PDP strong hold areas. The target is to adequately limit the estimated members of PDP who would want to vote in their areas.

    “There is a deliberate ploy to disrupt Internet services and jam cell tower coverage ostensibly to prevent Nigerians from covering the elections via social media.

    “There is also confirmed intelligence showing that critical PDP players in this election are to be earmarked, arrested and quarantined to a particular location to give way for the elections to be rigged.

    “The other intelligence available to the party also shows that some uniforms of para-military and military operatives, particularly the Army and Police, have been produced in large numbers for use by civilians during the voting period.

    “To send faulty card reader machines to certain identified PDP strongholds and record a deliberate slow screening of voters to frustrate and discourage them.

    “They have packaged large sums of foreign currency to induce voters and security and INEC operatives.

    “We also have on good authority that all the electoral frauds via the ICT, which the APC has mapped out, are being coordinated by a highly placed government official (body bag) with the help of some foreigners inside an apartment in the government House and other locations in Kaduna state.

    “We have deep respect for our security personnel who are sworn to protect and defend our constitution and the integrity of our nation. President Buhari administration however, is determined to subvert the impartiality of our security agencies.

    “It has recently moved personnel to areas along the borders, where they will be employed to create violence, stuff ballots and aid non-Nigerians to vote in a predetermined manner”.

    Secondus also alleged extravagant use of money at APC campaigns through advertisements, billboards and the use of state media as an instrument of the party, adding that the use of public resources for partisan purposes is unprecedented.

    The chairman similarly faulted the decision by INEC not to transmit election results electronically, saying this was caused by the refusal of President Buhari to sign the law that would have made this possible.

     

  • Buhari’ll win with or without your votes, Ubah tells Ndigbo

    The senatorial candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Anambra South, Senator Andy Ubah, has stated President Muhammadu Buhari will win Saturday’s poll with a landslide with or without the votes of Ndigbo.

    He said it was better the Igbos cast their votes for Buhari as voting against him would not stop his victory at the poll.

    Addressing party faithful on Wednesday at a rally in Nnewi, Ubah said the people of the zone should resist the mistakes of 2015 when APC was not voted for in the South East.

    He said Ndigbo should have nobody to blame if they were not seen to have massively voted for Buhari and every other candidate of the party in the zone.

    According to him: “It is obvious that President Muhammadu Buhari will be re-elected on Saturday. Whether you vote for him or not, he will win.

    “It is unfortunate that during the last election in 2015, only 10 million votes were recorded for Buhari in the South East.

    Read Also: Attack on Buhari, Osinbajo treasonable, says Falana

    “But this time around, I want Anambra South alone to give him not less than 1 million votes.”

    Candidate representing Nnewi North/South and Ekwusigo Federal Constituencies, Engr. Jude Onyeka said voting all APC candidates would guarrantee a team that would bring democracy dividends to the zone.

    On his part, National Auditor of the party, Chief George Muoghalu asked party supporters not to be confused with money or any other gratification.

    Other chieftains at the rally were the party’s deputy governorship candidate in 2017 in Anambra, Dozie Ikedife jnr, Nnewi North chairman, Tony Atuenyi as the host, Engr Forth Dike, J.C.Okeke, Omo Okeke, among others.

  • Ezekwesili’s group declares support for Atiku

    The Red Card Movement (RCM), a civil society group founded by Dr Obiageli Ezekwesili has endorsed the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar for the February 16 presidential election.

    The endorsement was a departure from the group’s initial position under Ezekwesili whereby the RCM issued a Red Card to the PDP and the governing All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Ezekwesili resigned from the group to contest the presidential election on the platform of the Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN) but withdrew from the race a few days ago.

    At a public declaration in Abuja Thursday, co-chairman of the RCM, Dr Tony Akabuno, said the decision to endorse Atiku was informed by the failure of the APC to fulfill its campaign promises to Nigerians.

    Akabuno said the group would mobilise 20 million votes for Atiku to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari as the APC were defeated in the upcoming elections.

    The group described the PDP presidential candidate as the “best option” for now, saying however that the RCM will not merge with the PDP.

    Read Also: ACPN to Ezekwesili: Return our money or face court action

    Akabuno said: “Some co-conveners were of the opinion that we should not get into any arrangement with PDP. These ones suggested a ‘siddon look approach’.

    “They appealed to me, as one that is very close to the state champions, to persuade our leaders across the federation to desist from supporting the Atiku/Obi ticket.

    “But as a pragmatic political strategist and the peoples’ general, I had no choice than to reject the inferior argument of some co-coveners and strongly aligned with our state champions, who are in sync with the grassroots”.

    Akubono said the coming election will be a defining moment in the political history of the country, adding Buhari has failed in all his cardinal programmes of improving the economy, provision of adequate security and fighting corruption.

    He accused the President of playing politics with the fight against corruption, saying the nation cannot afford to perform experiment with the Presidency.

    “This is not about Buhari but about the future of the country. The question is if we want the status quo to remain or if we want a change.

    “We the leaders of RCM are not in doubt that the Atiku/Obi ticket is the most efficacious brand that can send Buhari back to Daura.”

  • APC raises the alarm over destruction of Buhari, Ogah’s campaign posters

    ABIA State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over the destruction and defacing of campaign posters of President Muhammadu Buhari and the governorship candidate of the party in the state, Dr. Uche Ogah within Umuahia, the state capital. In a telephone interview with the Publicity Secretary of the party, Comrade Benedict Godson,  on Wednesday, the party accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of being behind the defacing and destruction of President Buhari and Ogah’s campaign posters.

    APC while warning that the party would no longer watch the ruling party in the state using hoodlums to destroy campaign posters of the President, its gover norship candidate in the state and any other candidate of the party said that henceforth, anybody caught engaging in the wicked act would be dealt with according to the law. According to Godson, the defacing of its candidates’ campaign posters is a sign that the ruling party is defeated already.

    He stated that what the party is concerned about at the moment is how to sell ideas of their candidates to the people of the state and ensuring that President Buhari gets maximum votes in Abia State. Godson, while enjoining members of the party and Abians to get their PVCs and be ready to vote out bad government from office come 2019, assured that the party would ensure that the votes of the people counted.

    “I want to advice our brothers in the opposition party that this is not the way that democracy is being played. I believe that they have seen that we have come to take over the state and I want to plead with them to gently hand over the mantle of leadership of Abia State to Dr. Sampson Uche Ogah who has come to liberate Abia from bondage come 2019.

    “Destruction of billboards and posters Mr. President, Uche Ogah and other candidates of the party is undemocratic and that cannot stop us from returning Mr. President Muhammadu Buhari who has done so well in terms of good roads, constant light, better life for Nigerians and Uche Ogah as both Presi dent and governor of the country and Abia State respectively. “It is important to say that the PDP government that we have in Abia State has failed Abians in all ramifications. They owe teachers from primary to tertiary. The roads that they claim that they have built have caved in and they cannot justify the amount of money they claimed to have spent on such roads. “The little that we are seeing in the state is being built by the Federal Government through the NDDC. “We want to assure them that nobody has monopoly of violence and destruction of posters. We are warning the PDP to stop the destruction of our candidates’ campaign posters with immediate effect,” said Godson.

  • INEC releases timetable for 2019 general elections

    INEC releases timetable for 2019 general elections

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday released a timetable for the 2019 general election.

    The commission made the timetable public through a post on its official social media handle @inecnigeria noting that the general election is only 402 days away.

    The Chairman of the commission, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu was quoted in the post as saying: ”Today, it is exactly 402 days to the opening of polling units nationwide at 8:00 am on Saturday 16th February 2019.Let us all join hands to make 2019 our best election ever.”

    According to INEC, notice of election commences on August 17th, 2018, quoting Section 30 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) which requires not later than 90 days before the election.

    It further noted that the collection of forms for all elections by political parties for nominated candidates at the commission’s headquarters is scheduled to hold between August 17th and 24th, 2018.