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Tag: Oshiomhole

  • 2019: PDP not an option, says Oshiomhole

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole has written off the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) as a non-issue in next year’s general elections.

    He said the PDP will make a minimal impact at the polls.

    Speaking with reporters after meeting with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo at the President Villa, Abuja, Oshiomhole announced the commencement of the APC presidential campaigns, adding that the ruling party was ready for the elections.

    Stressing that the PDP was no option in the forthcoming elections, he said that even with the apology tendered by its National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus, there have not been any comment of acceptance to the apology by Nigerians.

    He said: “Our campaigns will start tomorrow (today) in Uyo; we are flagging off with the Southsouth and it is going to be the first rally of the President and taking place in the Southsouth is particularly significant.

    “From all the feelers we have, I think the people of Uyo and Akwa Ibom State are anxious to receive Mr. President and to hear the message. We are all in good mood.”

    Asked the chances of the APC to win the elections next year, he said: “Of course, how can you ask what the chances are? If PDP was doing well after 16 years, they wanted to do 60 but they were terminated, no employer will recall an employee dismissed due to gross misconduct and abuse of finances you don’t recall the employee back.

    “I remember that the best (Uche) Secondus had to say was that he was apologising to Nigerian people and I have not heard anybody say he has accepted the apology and people who have robbed you they don’t apologise and say allow me back into your store room, you don’t do that.

    “So we are certain that even as we can’t talk of any perfect situation, nothing can make Nigeria get so confused as to think that yesterday there was mismanage and those who were at the heart of that mismanagement can be entrusted with providing leadership for tomorrow.

    “I don’t think that is the question at all, PDP is out of this calculation as far as I am concerned. I don’t think Nigerians even in their moment … PDP is just not an option, particularly when their candidate is not a new face, there is basis for benefit of the doubt, you can give benefit of the doubt to a stranger not to someone who was at the heart perhaps one of the most powerful vice president we have ever had.

    “So, I am clear that Nigeria will never ever have basis to give PDP the benefit of the doubt,” he added

  • Osinbajo, Oshiomhole meet in Aso Rock

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Thursday met behind closed doors with the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The meeting started around 1 pm at the Vice President’s office at the State House, Abuja.

    While the details of the meeting is yet to be disclosed, it may not be unconnected with arrangements for the APC campaign slated for Akwa Ibom State on Friday.

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    The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

  • Video: Buhari, Osinbajo, Oshiomhole sing Christmas song

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday alongside his Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole joined Christians to sing the Christmas song “We Wish You”.

    The President in a message that accompanied the video posted on his verified and official twitter handle said Christmas was a message of hope and salvation that Jesus Christ embodies and conveys.

    He said, “At Christmas we reflect on the humble, symbolic and divine birth of a young child thousands of years ago in Bethlehem, Judea; and the message of hope, compassion, salvation, reconciliation, forgiveness and peace that Jesus Christ embodies and conveys. Merry Christmas to All!”.

    https://twitter.com/ShehuBello/status/1077571545055277057?s=19

    Buhari had earlier on his Christmas message wished Nigerians a prosperous new year and promised to work towards a better future for the Nigerian youths.

  • OKOROCHA locks out OSHIOMHOLE, Imo APC Chiefs from stadium

    NATIONAL Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State were yesterday locked in a fresh spat after the state government allegedly denied APC the use of Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri for the flag-off of its governorship election campaign.

    Oshiomhole branded the governor’s action anti-party and derided his style of governance. Although Okorocha is an APC member, he is vehemently opposed to the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Hope Uzodinma, whose election he has threatened to work against. The governor, who is supporting his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, for the governorship race on the platform of Action Alliance (AA), fired back at Oshiomhole, dismissing the allegation that he denied Uzodinma the use of the stadium as untrue, adding that only Oshiohole could believe it. Okorocha and members of the state cabinet boycotted yesterday’s campaign of APC.

    Oshiomhole said: “For the workers who no longer know what a pay day looks like, I bring a message of hope. “When a governor will look at the face of his people and say there is money to do other things but no money to pay those who are working for the government. “I bring a message of hope that appointments into your government will be made on merit and not on family connection. “I bring a message of hope that when we talk of happiness, we will not domesticate it in the hands of a sister; that the happiness of the great people of Imo State will be the primary purpose of government under Senator Hope Uzodinma. “I bring you a message of hope that in constructing buildings and building roads, they will be based on due process. “One contract will not be awarded to three people. If it must be awarded, it must not be awarded to in-laws; it will be awarded to genuine business men and women of Imo State.

    “I bring you hope that never again will your governor look at your leaders and abuse them because democracy is about people. “I bring you a message of hope that never again shall we govern on the basis of family connection: whether you know somebody or you don’t know somebody; you married from me, I didn’t marry from you; that shall not be the basis of winning the next election. “I bring you a message of hope that your money will be used to develop Imo land. “And through you, I bring a message of hope to the traditional rulers; that they will be able to preside over their domains without being intimidated by the governor. “I bring you a message of hope that from now on, we will govern in a way that will leave no man in doubt that democracy is government of the people by the people and for the people.

    “I want to assure those workers who have been lamenting, those families whose husbands have not been paid for six months to nine months, and I want to assure those pensioners that the bailout money which President Buhari gave to governors, including the governor of Imo State, that was not used for the purpose, that money will be retrieved and our pensioners will smile again.  “Never again will a governor of this state look at you in the face and say that your salary depends on when he wants and not when it is due. “Never again will someone use your money to print posters with a President Obama when he is doing the opposite of Obama. “I bring you assurances of hope that you are going to have a governor who will lead you by the power of personal example. “Let me say it without fear of contradiction that those who are printing President Muhammadu Buhari’s posters, putting his face and their own faces because their faces are unknown, their party is unknown and they will put Buhari’s face and put the logo of an unknown party, those ones are fake.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari has APC as his party. He is our presidential candidate. President Muhammadu Buhari believes in and has adopted Senator Hope Uzodinma as the APC governorship candidate. “We want real democrats that will accept the will of the people. How can you explain that an APC governor will deny an APC candidate the use of the stadium that is built with tax payers’ money from Imo State?” Switching to pidgin English, Oshiomhole continued: “I hear say yesterday he talk am say he no wan give stadium because when he dey contest against (former governor Ikedi) Ohakim, he talk say Ohakim no give am stadium. So, he too go copy Ohakim. I say e good oh! If you copy who fail exam, you too you never fail? If you copy who fail exam, what will you get? He who copy failure will find failure awaiting him.”

    In a swift reaction to Oshiomhole’s allegation, Okorocha, speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, said: “For those who know Chief Hope Uzodinma very well, they won’t be surprised that he could come up with this false claim on the issue. Only men like Adams Oshiomhole would believe him. “Since Governor Rochas Okorocha became governor in 2011, the Dan Anyiam Stadium has always been made available for all the political parties and candidates to use, not minding the political affiliations.

    “The Stadium is the property of Imo people and Chief Uzodinma would not have been denied the opportunity of using the facility for the flag-off of his campaign if he had asked or applied for it. “He never applied to use the stadium, especially when a press release had been issued days before the flag-off of his campaign that the governor had directed that the stadium should be released free to political parties and candidates who would like to use it for their rallies or for other political activities. “As usual, Chief Uzodinma wanted to use the stadium issue to blackmail the governor and to continue to deceive men like Oshiomhole.

    “The truth is that Chief Hope Uzodinma cannot raise up to one thousand people, talk more (sic) raising a crowd that would fill the stadium. “He does not have the capacity. He knows his handicaps. Where would Chief Uzodinma get the crowd to fill the Stadium? “Last time, he published a crowd of an event that took place in the north as the crowd that graced his rally when he was named the candidate of the party. And Senator Araraume’s men also used the picture of the same crowd. We exposed them on that. “Men and women of goodwill should ignore Chief Uzodinma’s claim for who he is.”

  • God ’ll not allow PDP’s return in 2019, says Oshiomhole

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole has prayed that God almighty will not allow People’s Democratic Party’s (PDP) return to power in 2019 for looting the nation dry during its 16 years in power.

    He explained that only President Muhammadu Buhari can salvage the country and bring it back to prosperity. Oshiomhole urged the people of Nasarawa State to vote massively for Buhari and other APC candidates in the 2019 general elections.

    The APC chairman stated this yesterday in Lafia, when he  flagged off the APC 2019 statewide campaign and presentation of party’s flags to the party’s governorship candidate Abdullahi Sule and APC Senate, Reps and state Assembly candidates.

    Oshiomhole explained that God healed the President from sickness to shame the PDP, who wished him death, adding that Buhari would win the 2019 general elections in landslide.

    The APC chairman hailed the giant strides of Governor Umaru Tanko Al-Makura in the state and his policy of inclusiveness, urged the APC governorship candidate to follow his footsteps, when elected.

    He explained that he has painstakingly followed the developmental achievements of the governor in sectors of the state and appealed to the people of Nasarawa south to reward Al-Makura by voting him to represent them at the Senate in 2019.

    Al-Makura urged the people to return Buhari back in 2019 as well as other APC candidates.

    He said the President has done a lot for the state by providing 33kva electricity and award of contract for the dualisation of Keffi, Makurdi, Abuja road among many other achievements.

    He thanked party’s governorship aspirants for agreeing to work tirelessly for the party’s victory.

    The governorship candidate assured the people that he would use his experience in the private sector to bring growth to the state.

    He noted that he would continue from where Al-Makura stopped and take the state to the next level, adding that he would hit the ground running immediately he take over from Al-Makura because he has already set the template.

    Other speakers at the event include ex-governor Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the chairman of the campaign council Ahmed Wadada, state party chairman Philip Schekwo.

     

  • Oshiomhole: mercantile parties collecting money to endorse candidates

    All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole has said that some of the registered political parties have rendered useless the idea behind the Supreme Court judgement, which states that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should register as many groups as possible as political parties.

    Oshiomhole said many of the existing political parties have been busy making brisk business from the so-called bigger parties.

    He accused them of demanding for money from them to endorse their candidates, instead of producing their own presidential candidates.

    Speaking when a delegation of the National Democratic Institute and the International Republic Institute visited the APC headquarters in Abuja yesterday, Oshiomhole also lashed out at civil society groups, many of whom he claimed were being sponsored by political parties as election observers.

    He said as Edo State governor, some of such civil society groups came to solicit for money from him to write favorable report.

    The APC Chairman said many political parties, which he described as democratic merchants, have approached him demanding for money for them to endorse the candidacy of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    He lamented that the entire political process is being turned into a platform for trading.

    Oshiomhole said: “Our constitution guaranteed the freedom of association, INEC tried to restrict the registration of political parties. The judiciary said no you can register anybody who wants to. But the result is that we have a long ballot paper, which poses challenges on election day with regard to how people are going to identify who to vote for.

    “But, more worrisome is that you form a party today, tomorrow you gang up that we are not producing candidates; we are supporting this. I can tell you how many requests I have from these so-called political parties that if you pay me this, we will announce that we are supporting your presidential candidate.

    “So, people have formed political parties as platform for trading. We must be careful so that in the name of freedom, we do not create democratic merchants, creating more confusion, generating more heat.”

    The APC Chairman said it was very unfair of the opposition to accuse President Muhammadu Buhari of not being committed to a free and fair election or using security agents to intimidate opponents, when he had in fact insisted that governors whose security details were withdrawn be given back their security.

    He said: “Our President has been a victim of rigging and a compromised judiciary and I was rigged out by President Obasanjo’s government. But we have made some progress and these are things you can cross-check. We have moved from a process where the PDP as the ruling will arrogantly announced that there is no vacancy, whether in a Government House in the case of state government or in the Presidency, where they said they would govern for 60 years.

    “It was common to find police carrying ballot boxes on election day and these were captured on camera and published on front pages of newspapers. But we had a former President in Obasanjo, who publicly said last year that nobody could be governor on his party platform unless he approved.

    “He entrenched this culture of compromising internal democracy within the political parties and writing results on election day and challenging those who are victims to go to court and the court compromised the process.  I was a victim of that. As a person, I come from civil society background.”

    Oshiomhole told his visitors that the PDP presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar allegedly emerged through a fraudulent process, adding that the temptation to use fraud to go further was strong.

    He said: “The PDP candidate bought his ticket paying more dollars to all delegates than his rivals. If you spent millions of dollars to procure your candidature, I don’t think it will be difficult to sustain the argument that vote-buying is something that the opposition is used to.”

    On the neutrality of security agencies, the ruling party’s chairman said: “I will be more at home if specific examples can be given that on certain day,  a security man did something against an opposition. Perception is okay, but it may not be real.  What is apparent may not be real.  So, I am more at home when specific examples are given.

    The PDP, Oshiomhole said, was found of throwing about “unfounded allegations”.

    He alleged that the National Assembly hurriedly amended the Electoral Act as a booby trap for INEC and the ruling party to favour the PDP and opposition-controlled states.

    He talked about the National Peace Council (NPC) and added that the APC was  pleased with the peace accord signed by the political parties and their candidates.

  • Why we dissolved Imo, Ogun APC excos, by Oshiomhole

    The needs to instill discipline informed the dissolution of the state Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Imo and Ogun States, National chairman of the party Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said on Wednesday evening.

    He spoke at the inauguration of a 27-man caretaker committee to pilot the affairs of the party.

    Oshiomhole said the decision to devolve the executive committees was to build powerful institutions as against indiduals.

    He added the new national leadership of APC was determined to build strong platform that will not be at the mercy of powerful individuals.

    Oshiomhole said that the lesson to be learnt from what happened in Imo and Ogun states with regard to the last primary elections was that no one should play God or try to corner things to himself alone.

    “In politics, there is need for inclusiveness in handling issues in the democratic setting. We want to build strong institutions and not strong individuals,” he said.

    Oshiomhole told the caretaker committee that their major assignment will be to work hard to ensure the success of the APC’s governorship candidate, Senator Hope Uzodinma.

    The party’s National Working Committee had dissolved the party executives at all levels in Imo and Ogun states following public threats by Governors Ibikunle Amosun and Rochas Okorocha to campaign against APC candidates during the election.

    Oshiomhole also said he will be in Imo state on Thursday to flag off the governorship campaign of Uzodinma.

    He charged members of the committee to close ranks with Uzodinma and other candidates of the party by mobilising supporters across the state to ensure it’s victory in the 2019 poll.

    Oshiomhole said the APC was much more preoccupied with building strong institutions than powerful individuals whose tenure remained ephemeral.

    He urged members of the committee to take a cue from the party’s philosophy of negotiation and inclusiveness in its dealings with supporters of the party in Imo state.

    Chairman of the committee, Marcelinous Nlemigbo, who expressed gratitude to the Oshiomhole- led national working committee (NWC) over the constitution of the body assured they would put in place efforts aimed at reconciling aggrieved members of the party.

    He also promised to work closely with the top echelon of the party to ensure victory for the party in the 2019 poll.

     

  • Oshiomhole accuses opposition of spreading falsehood

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole has accused the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP)  of spreading fake and malicious information about his relationship with the President’s wife,  Aisha Buhari.

    In a statement by his Chief Press Secretary,  Simon Egbegbulem,  Oshiomhole said the misinformation  being peddled was part of the PDP’s plan to cause disaffection within the ruling party ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to the malicious and misleading statement credited to Oshiomhole against the person of the First Lady in the social media.

    “We want to state that it is the handiwork of mischief-makers. At no fora did the National Chairman made such uncomplimentary remarks against the person of the First Lady.

    “This is part of the fake news from the pit of hell being propagated by highly unscrupulous elements of the PDP and their cohorts, knowing fully well that they have lost the forthcoming general elections.

    “Unfortunately for the PDP, all their efforts to cause disaffection among members of the ruling party have failed. As we speak, both the first lady, the APC National Chairman and other leaders of our party enjoy cordial relationship and working in unison to ensure that the PDP looters do not return to power.

    “We urge the highly discerning people of our great country to disregard the misleading comment currently on the social media as it is not only fake, but equally untrue.

    “The tiger cannot change its spots, as the saying goes. PDP has chosen to remain the lying party it has always been.”

  • Losing election not end of political career, Oshiomhole tells members

    ALL Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole has a word of consolation for party members, who are aggrieved over the conduct of the primaries.

    “Losing one nomination does not amount to the end of their political career”, the APC said in Abuja yesterday.

    He urged all those who lost nominations to take a cue from President Muhammadu Buhari, who lost three times before winning the presidential election when he had lost hope.

    Speaking while receiving the report of the party’s reconciliation committee for the Northeast  from Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura, Oshiohmole said “although democracy was both attractive and problematic, it remains the best form of governing a people”.

    He told the panel members that the National Working Committee (NWC) will study the recommendation and act on it as quickly as possible.

    Oshiomhole expressed confidence that the party would come out of the crisis of the primaries stronger and win the general election.

    He said: “Thank you for making quality recommendations that will help us to address what has happened and talk people out of their mood and get them to rededicate themselves to the party, but also to learn one or two lesson in the future because this is not the last time we are going to conduct elections and we will be having more than one person participating therefore the possibility of one or more persons not winning the position they applied for.

    “You are the first to submit a formal report to us and we are very grateful. I assure you that to justify the time and effort you have invested, and the time spent by the people and the confidence they have reposed in our party and your committee by appearing before you, we will study this report and NWC Will act on it as quickly as possible.

    “It is quite reassuring that people recognise that there is no house where there are no grievances. What matters is whether the family has the competence to manage disagreement within the family.

    “The only place where there is no disagreement is heaven and since none of us has been there, we can’t even speak to what happens there.  But in the real world, people have a right to feel the way they feel. They may be right, they may be wrong, but it is all part of democracy.

    “I read a lot of things in the media, some of which are not quite informed. The truth is that if you look at the issue of political parties around the world, the United Kingdom (UK) for example, the Labour Party is more prone to internal contestations than the Conservative.

    “The more democratic and liberal a political party is, the more freedom that people feel that they cannot be sanctioned and so, you will have such discordant voices.

    “We can learn from those voices and run a better party and a better system in the future. No matter what anybody wants to say, our party is leading by example.”

     

     

    “For example, we are the only party that allows people to contest election against a sitting governor. All the sitting governors of the PDP had automatic tickets and so, you are not even allowed to murmur about your governor.

    “But here, in obedience to our rules, we allowed people wishing to challenge sitting governors to do so and in one case, a governor could not return.

    “Democracy is an attractive wind but also problematic. But like they say, it is still the best way to run a system and a country. So, I am very confident that we are going forward; we are going to win this election. The whole essence of this reconciliation is to let people know that the fact that you lost one nomination submit the end of your political future.

    “We have the best teacher in our family in person of President Buhari who contested elections three times and lost. He almost gave up, hotness encouraged not to give up.  He went for the fourth time and won.  He has thought is that this process is only for long distance runners and not a 100 meters dash.

    “Secondly, if our primary purpose for seeking nomination and getting elected is to serve the people, and improve on the quality of life, then even if 20 of us file out to contest election as governor, we know ab-initio that only one person will be elected even if all 20 are angels.

    “But if democracy is working and working well, that one person that emerged will govern in such a way that will add value to the quality of life of every citizen because the main objective is to improve the quality of life of the people.

    “At the end of the day, the deliverable is what will change as a result of my membership of the APC. I am excited that you said people have not decamped and have confidence in the leadership of the party.”

    Al-Makura said the committee was glad to report that no aggrieved members in their area of coverage decamped but have confidence in the leadership of the party.

    He said: “Immediately after our inauguration and considering the fact that there no time, we immediately hit the ground running. Considering the area to be covered, the committee decided to cluster the area into three. Maiduguri played host to Borno and Yobe; Bauchi played host to Bauchi and Gombe; and Yola played host to Adamawa and Taraba.

    “We are pleased to inform the National Working Committee that we were impressed by the response we received across the zone. It showed commitment and faithfulness of members of our party and their confidence not only on our committee, but the leadership of the party”

  • Rein in Oshiomhole, Okorocha urges President

    IMO State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday urged President Muhammadu Buhari to call All Progressives Congress (APC) Adams Oshiomhole to order over what he called “his culture of rascality.”

    He was reacting to a report credited to Oshiohmole in which the party chair berated Okorocha and his Ogun State counterpart, Ibikunle Amosun for encouraging their supporters to pursue their political ambitions in other political parties.

    Oshiomhole said both governors were “behaving like poor students of their own history”, reminding them  they had lost elections before winning on the platform of the APC.

    The Imo governor advised Oshiomhole to emulate President Buhari, who he said had never used any foul language on any Nigerian leader, both present and past.

    His Chief Press Secretary Sam Onwuemeodo said in a statement: “We won’t take the pain to begin to talk about all the abuses and media attack on Governor Rochas Okorocha and some other governors of APC extraction by the National Chairman of the Party, Adams Oshiomhole but to humbly plead with President Muhammadu Buhari, who is the leader of the party, to call Oshiomhole to order.

    “The party’s national chairman has, in less than six months, enthroned the culture of rascality in the party and the development is not good for the party. APC is not known for rascality and abuses. And the earlier he is called to order the better for the party.

    “Since Muhammadu Buhari became President, he has never used any foul language on any Nigerian, low or high, and that is the best way to go. And Oshiomhole should borrow a leaf from Mr. President.

    “One of the reasons the PDP lost in 2015 was the abuses the handlers of the party then were heaping on the APC presidential candidate then, and the President today, Muhammadu Buhari. Oshiomhole should be advised not to tow the 2015 PDP line.

    “Chief Olusegun Obasanjo is the former President of the country. And no matter the provocation or his political activities this time, Oshiomhole should have considered his status as the former President of the country in talking about him, and should have exercised caution in addressing him. Saying that God would punish the former President was never advisable. This should not be the language of APC.

    “APC does not belong to Oshiomhole. He should therefore be advised to carefully select his words when he is talking about certain categories of Nigerians. And he should also find out why he is the only one talking about APC and no other member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party is doing so.

    “Oshiomhole should help the party and its candidates by making his points without abusing people. The way Oshiomhole is talking has become nauseating to most Nigerians and the earlier he is called to order, the better.

    “He should be talking about the achievements of President Buhari and APC as a party instead of using the opportunities he would have used to do that, to be insulting people.

    “To say the least, few weeks to the elections, APC and its candidates do not need Oshiomhole’s abuses or insults but the reasons Nigerians should re-elect President Buhari and elect APC candidates.”