The Nation Newspaper

Tag: PDP

  • Allegations, counter allegations over polls

    The outcomes of the supplementary polls are still generating reactions in different states, report Kolade Adeyemi, Kano; Uja Emmanuel, Makurdi; and Adamu Suleiman, Sokoto.

    Kano govt: no death, violence in supplementary poll

     

    The Kano State government has said there was no death and violence during last Saturday’s supplementary election.

    Addressing reporters in his office yesterday, Commissioner of Information, Youth and Culture Malam Muhammad Garba challenged anyone with proofs of death and violence to produce them.

    Garba, who expressed disgust at what he described as concoction of lies and falsehood on the social media by enemies of the state, said gory pictures of Jos crises and violence in parts of Ghana were presented as scenes from the Kano supplementary election.

    He said: “The increasing negative side of the social media is gradually outweighing its usefulness. As many of you are aware, the supplementary election was very peaceful, despite two incidents at polling units in Dallas and Nassarawa local government areas, which were immediately resolved by security agents.”

    Garba accused the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the Kwankwassiyya Movement of spreading falsehood in their bid to discredit the rerun election which he described as peaceful and credible.

    According to him, “the PDP claimed two people were killed in Nassarawa, we went to Nassarawa and asked questions, and there was no trace of such incident.”

    Garba also noted that contrary to rumours that there was protest in Kano after the announcement of the results, “what we witnessed in Kano was jubilations as thousands of people trooped to Government House to identify with Governor Ganduje over his well-deserved victory.

    “Even the so called members of the Conference of Political Parties are all members of the Kwankwasiyya PDP. The day they gathered, we all saw that they wore red caps and red cap as we know is the symbol of Kwankwassiyya PDP.”

    He added: “Kano is peaceful, shops are open, the markets are open. People are going about their business without molestation. We have asked our supporters to remain calm and peaceful. By God’s grace, this government will continue to ensure peace, no matter how hard they try to provoke our supporters and party members.”

     

    ‘Violence, intimidation, thuggery mar Kano rerun’

     

    Contrary to the claim of the Kano State government, a foreign observer from South Africa, the Pan African Women Projects, has said the supplementary election conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kano was marred by violence, intimidation and partisanship on the part of the security operatives.

    The Publicity Secretary of the group, Madam Mphoentle Keitseng, at a news conference yesterday in Kano, said the rerun was conducted with cases of loss of lives and other malpractices. “It is evidence that INEC and security agencies were compromised,” the group said.

    “The observed regulated violence and sponsored thuggery in Nassarawa, Madobi, Dala, Kura, Rimin-Gado and Kibiya local government areas. Women were not found queuing in most polling units we visited. We also observed that the two major political parties APC and PDP tried to undo each other for swift electoral victory, hence the palpable eruption of spontaneous crisis with some loss of human lives.

    “There is a visible lacuna in the Electoral Act with regards to the role and responsibilities of the INEC. We call for immediate review of the Act to strengthen the functionalities of the INEC for effective, responsive and coordinating activities in any type of subsequent election”.

    The group, however, hailed the umpire for conducting the supplementary election across the nation despite numerous challenges.

    Read also: Ajimobi to Makinde: shun politics of bitterness

    My victory based on hardwork, says Ganduje

     

    Kano State Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje yesterday said his victory at the Kano supplementary election was as a result of hardwork by his team and not through violence.

    Ganduje, who contested under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), spoke when the chairmen of the 44 local government areas of the state visited him at the Government House, Kano.

    “It was not breach of peace that gave me the victory but hard work and prayers. We prayed and we worked hard. Peace is paramount,” he said.

    Ganduje urged supporters of the APC not to engage in any form of violence or intimidation of the opposition in the course of their jubilation, saying his government and party is not in conflict with the opposition.

    “We want peace and peace must be given a chance to thrive,” he said.

    “We will come up with new strategy in governance. All as an effort to consolidate this victory and continue with the good things we started. We will continue to do what our people voted us for. That is to further develop all structures of the society.

    “This victory shows that Kano people repose confidence in us since from day one. We will, therefore, not let them down,” Ganduje added.

    He also said he would work with other opposition groups that supported him before the elections.

    “We have other opposition parties that came and worked with us before this election. For the development of our state, we are planning to work with them.”

     

    Benue APC heads for tribunal, confident of victory

     

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Benue State has headed for the Election Petition Tribunal to challenge the results of the elections won by Governor Samuel Ortom and other candidates of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    Members of the party reached this resolution during an emergency meeting at the Makurdi residence of their Leader, Senator George Akume.

    The APC said the elections were not transparent and did not reflect the will of the Benue electorate.

    The party said: “It is the party’s position that the victories of its governorship candidate, Emmanuel Jime and many other candidates of the party were brazenly upturned through massive rigging, ballot stuffing, vote buying, intimidation of voters and alteration of results, with abounding evidence.

    Benue APC once again congratulates President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election and hopes that his second term will be of immense benefits to the state; beginning with the speedy rehabilitation of Makurdi- Gboko road, Makurdi- Naka- Adoka road, Makurdi- Otukpo- Enugu- Road and the Makurdi- Lafia- Akwanga- Keffi- Abuja road, as well as appointment of Benue sons and daughters into key positions at the Federal level.

    “The party has overwhelmingly passed vote of confidence on Senator George Akume for effectively leading with huge success the APC Presidential Campaign Council in the whole of Northern Nigeria, providing quality leadership and holding the party together even in turbulent moments at the state level.

    The party equally commends its National Secretariat under the amiable leadership of the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the National Leader of the party, Chief Ahmed Bola Tinubu and other leaders of the party who gave both financial and moral support to the Benue chapter of the party during the electoral period.

    “The party commiserates with those who lost their loved ones during the election and condemns all violent acts that were visited on the voters while they exercised their civic rights, pointing out that the attack on the Gboko Local Government Electoral Returning Officer, Prof. Mrs Dooshima Tuleun was most unfortunate, barbaric and inhuman.

    “Benue APC commends the efforts of Rev. Pastor Frederick Ikyaan, Dr. Stephen Hwande, Hon. Hingah Biem, Ambassador Dr Dickson Akoh, Bishop Sam Zuga, Dr. Stephen Akuma and many other great sons and daughters of Benue who either joined or formed alliances with us to rescue Benue from its current poor state of leadership which has become a textbook example of misgovernance.”

    The party urged its supporters to be steadfast, committed and not be distracted as their “stolen mandates would be in their firm grips within the count of 180 days”.

     

    Sokoto: Coalition of political parties reject results

     

    A coalition of 28 registered political parties in Sokoto State has rejected the outcome of the  governorship election.

    A statement by the coalition said: “The coalition hereby rejects the results and dissociates itself with whatever is related to it.”

    Addressing a news conference in Sokoto yesterday, the Leader of the Coalition and Chairman, Nigerian Elementary Democratic Party, Alhaji Musa Aliyu, said the conduct of the supplementary polls was evidently characterised by violence and contravened the nation’s electoral laws and the constitution.

    Aliyu said: “To say the fact, the exercise was undoubtedly characterised by votes buying, intimidation, non-use of the smart card reader device as well perfected duplication of voting in polling units where the polls were earlier conducted. Also certain polling units were left out  as elections were not conducted”, Aliyu pointed out while calling he attention of lovers and protectors of democracy, both home and abroad as well as International Observer Groups and defenders of democracy to what he described as ‘obnoxious’ development which has rendered  the exercise ineffective thus appealing for peace and calm by its supporters and other law abiding citizens of Sokoto State while awaiting the outcome of the litigation on the polls.”

     

    PDP governorship candidate congratulates Yobe  governor-elect

     

    The governorship candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Yobe State, Umar Iliya Damagum, has congratulated Mai Mala Buni of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for emerging the governor-elect.

    The PDP candidate, who spoke with reporters after his party’s review meeting of their performance in the last election, called on the governor-elect to be fair and just to every Yobe indigene irrespective of his or her party affiliation.

    Damagum said the time for politics was over and the business of governance should be put in the front burner instead of petty politics of victimisation.

    He also disclosed that his party would not challenge the APC victory at the tribunal.

    “Even though, there are so many things that have bedevilled the elections but winner has been announced.  We have no option but to accept the will of God, and move forward to do what is important for me and my supporters,” he said.

    Damagum, who though expressed reservation with the electoral body, however, noted that such issues would not stop him from congratulating the winner, and urged the governor-elect to use their mandate for the good of those who elected them.

    “I congratulated our governor-elect, Mai Mala Buni with his deputy, Idi Barde Gubana.  I call on him to look at Yobe as his entire constituency. Knowing that God has given him this opportunity that every other person living in Yobe is his responsibility. He should be just and fair to everyone and should mix petty politics with governance. The time for politics is over. It is now the time to build Yobe.  I wish him all the best.

    “I cannot go into what I am uncertain about. I can’t go to the tribunal. All I know is that I had a good running battle but with what is happening in the country and the judiciary itself, I don’t think I would go into an uncertain venture. I accept the will of God and the wishes of Yobe people.”

     

    Atiku congratulates

    Bala Mohammed

     

    The presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar yesterday congratulated Bala Mohammed on his declaration as the governor-elect of Bauchi State.

    “Your victory is a deeply satisfying one. In you, the good people of Bauchi state have rightly reposed their confidence for four years of good governance,” he said.

    Atiku expressed confidence that the state would do well under Mohammed considering his achievements as the minister of the Federal Capital Territory.

    Atiku said: “PDP is now poised to bring progress to Bauchi through him and thereby extend the frontiers of democracy, peace, progress and prosperity. Bala Mohammed’s efforts to provide potable water in the FCT remain unmatched today, and the former Vice President believes that such will be replicated in Bauchi state.

    “By virtue of Bala Mohammed’s election, the Pearl of Tourism in Nigeria, is now poised to be the bastion of good governance in Nigeria and for this, he is grateful to almighty Allah for what he has done for him and the good people of Bauchi State.”

     

    25 elected Kebbi lawmakers get certificates of return

     

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has presented Certificates of Return to the 25 newly-elected House of Assembly members in the concluded general elections in Kebbi State.

    The certificates were presented by the state Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Alhaji Muhammad Mahamud, in Birinin Kebbi yesterday.

    Mahamud urged elected lawmakers to provide dividends of democracy to the electorate in the state.

    The members Alhaji Isa Rukubalo representing Yauri constituency and Alhaji Samaila Bui representing Arewa constituency, who spoke on behalf of the others, promised to provide dividend of democracy for their constituencies.

    Rukubalo noted that the victory would provide opportunity to consolidate on the social economic development of Kebbi State.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) won all the 25 constituencies in the state.

     

    Tribunal orders

    inspection of election materials in Nasarawa

     

    The Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lafia has ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to allow the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) and  Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) to inspect electoral materials used in the March 9 election.

    Musa Nagogo, Governorship Candidate of the  PDM, is challenging the victory of Abdullahi Sule of the All Progressives Congress (APC), citing the omission of his name and party logo in the election.

    Also, David Ombugadu, of the PDP is challenging the March 9 governorship election in the state.

    They also prayed the court for an order compelling INEC to allow them to inspect the register and other vital documents used in the conduct of the election unhindered.

    Ruling in the ‘Motion Ex-parte,’ filed by the two candidates , Abba Mohammed, Chairman of the Tribunal, ordered INEC to avail them access to all the materials used in the election.

     

    Election Tribunal receives 12 petitions in Nasarawa

     

    The National and State Houses of Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Lafia has received 12 petitions from different candidates in Nasarawa State.

    Mr Bello Mukhtar, Secretary of the tribunal, made the disclosure to newsmen in Lafia yesterday.

    He said the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) filed five petitions, All Progressives Congress (APC) filed two petitions and the Peoples Democratic Movement (PDM) filed three petitions.

    He said the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) and the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) each filed one petition.

    Mukhtar stated that the tribunal was still expecting petition from the re-run elections that were conducted on March 23.

    News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that PDP is challenging the three senatorial seats, Lafia/Obi and Awe/Doma/Keana Federal Constituencies, while APC was challenging Akwanga/Nassarawa-Eggon/Wamba Federal Constituencies.

    PDM is challenging Nasarawa South and Northern Senatorial seats, Akwanga/Nasarawa-Eggon/Wamba Federal Constituencies.

    ZLP and APGA are challenging Awe/Doma/Keana Federal Constituencies and Nasarawa West Senatorial seats respectively.

     

  • Elections in Nigeria

    After the collation of results in the gubernatorial and state assembly elections that held on March 9, the gubernatorial election results of six states – Bauchi, Sokoto, Plateau, Adamawa, Kano and Benue- were declared inconclusive by the umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC. Supplementary elections to determine the winners in those states were set for last Saturday, March 23. On the day, a pending court action stalled the conclusion of the election in Adamawa. However, the exercise that was conducted in the other five states were very much like the other elections already conducted in 2019, in terms of disruptions and violence.

    As at 11am on Monday, INEC had managed to announce winners in Sokoto, Benue, Plateau and Kano states. For those who are more concerned with counting tallies for the two major political parties, it was two apiece for the major parties in the final collation and result in those four states. The All Progressives Congress, APC, recorded victories in Plateau and Kano states, as Simon Lalong and Abdullahi Ganduje, both incumbents, were announced winners respectively.

    The opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, defeated its fiercest rival through the victories of Aminu Tambuwal and Samuel Ortom in Sokoto and Benue states respectively. Also, a pending court action had prevented the announcement of result in Bauchi; in the end, Bala Mohammed of the PDP was announced the winner, having beat the incumbent APC candidate.

    The marked use of violent disruptions to influence results in the elections is one of the major concerns of 2019 so far, and the nightmare seems to be dragging on forever. As at the time of writing, apart from Bauchi and Adamawa states, Rivers State is the only other state where the result of gubernatorial elections are yet to be announced. In a class of its own, Rivers State looks to have been set aside by INEC, probably until conclusion of the exercise everywhere else, because of the alarming degree of violence and disruption that occurred on March 9 in the state. Even if INEC and security outfits plan a concentration of personnel to collate and announce results there, most people agree that only one outcome – a Nyesom Wike win – is likely to restore normalcy (whatever that means in Rivers State) to the PDP stronghold.

    As it stands, APC has clinched 15 states to PDP’s 11 in the 29 states where gubernatorial elections were conducted in 2019. With the likely possibility that PDP will take the outstanding three, an outsider would think that our politics has produced a rich democratic outcome with the almost even split between the two biggest parties. The attractiveness of a duopoly for a healthy democracy is a matter of global debate, but Nigeria is in the same company with some aged and mature democracies in its inherently two party political system. The only difference is that our two major parties are separated by a revolving door, and our politicians can not always decide where to come out.

    Although the signs have always been there, this election is a refresher on the rudiments of election victory in Nigeria. First, as just discussed, is the adequately sized ‘platform’ – a synonym for political party in Nigeria. As of now, only two political parties fit that profile. Apparently, size does not refer to the number of members; it is about the size of the pocket of the party or the pockets of its key members. This matters in our politics of stomach infrastructure. Bags of rice, beans, garri, etc., are branded and distributed openly in election season, without shame or repercussion, by law or by conscience. In recent times, this has degenerated into distribution of raw cash at the polling units, during voting. There were reports to this effect during the presidential, gubernatorial and even in the supplementary election on Saturday. Our politics is heavily transactional, and only parties with deep pockets can compete.

    Then there are the thugs, for obvious reasons. They are unruly, violent and brazen, but methodical and targeted in their activities. They are responsible for most of the bloodshed in these past elections and virtually all the cases of inconclusive results. As for our security operatives, although there has always been suspicion of undue influence by them in elections, in 2019, we have received disturbing reports of active involvement and engagement in the disruption that makes it hard to tell the thugs apart from the security officials. The situation in Kano especially over the weekend further demonstrates that preparations for the disruptions were made. Lives have been lost and innocent voters maimed.

    After the money and the muscling, come the lawyers. Win or lose, the election war chest is incomplete without funds for the likely legal battle afterwards. The legal option can redefine winning and losing in Nigerian elections, as history has shown. That is why our politicians always run to tribunals. A day before the supplementary elections on Saturday, a shocker was delivered by the election tribunal hearing petitions against the victory of Gboyega Oyetola, winner of the Osun State gubernatorial election held last year. Oyetola was sacked by the tribunal, and INEC was ordered to retrieve his certificate of return and issue one to Ademola Adeleke of PDP. Of course, Oyetola continues to draw on the war chest by going on appeal. But the decision has given impetus to Atiku Abubakar, now of the PDP who is currently contesting President Muhammadu Buhari’s victory, and other would-be petitioners who have smelled a chance for a comeback.

    In this regard, the lawyers and tribunals become players in the warped game, selling their services, and more, to the highest bidder. History has exposed the underhand deals that have put the legal profession under scrutiny. Careers have ended and legal reforms have been carried out. But in 2019, old tricks are returning to this theatre of manipulation and with the election exercise all but done, the ball will again be passed on to the lawyers and the nation will say a silent prayer that integrity and honour will prevail, even though the signs have not been good in this election year.

    So what does it mean to win or lose elections in Nigeria, in a murky playing field where almost everybody is smeared by the filth on the field of play? Victory is fleeting and the pangs of defeat are short-lived, because the game is always afoot and a loser can switch teams within a moment’s notice to enjoy the benefits on the ‘winning side’. It is not a pleasant picture by any means, especially when the real loss is not suffered by anyone on that murky field of play, but by ignorant cheer leaders, wilful or inadvertent bystanders and even the unborn.

    To cure the ignorance of the electorates, our politicians need to find a conscience and begin to engage people on issues that matter, rather than through stomach infrastructure. They must begin to engage the wilful, apathetic political bystanders, by ensuring a better, fairer contest in elections, with officials that know their duty. The force of law may be needed through better electoral laws, but compulsion should be accompanied by working systems.

    National identity cards for example can be synchronised with driver’s license, passport and other documents of identification including the voter’s card, with a unique number for all living Nigerians, managed by a sophisticated system of biometric identification and verification. Integration of this system in the electoral process can help increase faith in the system and minimise disruptions. INEC’s approved budget was over N240 billion for this election alone. If that had been frontloaded into better biometric systems, we would have solved several problems for the price of a failed election.

    At the end of the day, the guilt is evenly spread and some may say that we have the electoral system we deserve. Election rice may be sweet on one person’s plate, but the same hand that offered the food may have engineered the death of another Nigerian many miles away or just next door. It is time we get our priorities straight.

  • Our members free to vie for National Assembly positions, says PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said its members can the contest for leadership positions in the Ninth National Assembly.

    A statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said that despite their minority status, opposition lawmakers have constitutional right to seek election into any of the presiding positions in any of the chambers.

    It stated that the positions of President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker are not the exclusive preserves of any political party, but a constitutional right of every elected lawmaker in both chambers.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has 65 senators-elect, the PDP has 42 and the Young Progressive Party (YPP) has one. In the lower chamber, the APC has 223, against PDP’s 190 and 10 seats shared among a number of fringe parties.

    The PDP described as unfair the posturing of APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole as if the presiding offices and committee chairmanship positions in the National Assembly were exclusive rights of the APC.

    The statement reads: “President Buhari and Oshiomhole should wake up to the fact that the National Assembly belongs to no political party but to all Nigerians, who exercise their control through their elected representatives.

    “For emphasis, Section 50 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is clear in providing that  ‘There shall be:- (a) a President and a Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves; and (b) a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves’

    “Section 92 (1) makes the same provision for the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of State House of Assembly.

    “The PDP, therefore, does not only have a constitutional say in the process of the emergence of the leadership of the Ninth National Assembly, but will, as a matter of constitutional right, field candidates into presiding offices of both chambers, if need be.”

    Also yesterday, members of the Senate Caucus of the PDP urged their APC counterparts to leave Senate President Bukola Saraki out of the schemes and plots to get his successor.

    REad also: Buhari: I look forward to effective relationship with Ninth National Assembly

    The PDP caucus said the APC senators should leave Saraki out of the jostle by senators-elect on the platform of the ruling party over who gets elected into the leadership of the Ninth Senate.

    In a statement by Senate Minority Leader, Mrs Biodun Olujimi and Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sen. Dino Melaye, the PDP caucus stated that it has observed closely as the contenders for the various Senate leadership posts in the APC sponsor various publications in the media to make it appear that Saraki is seeking to play a role in who occupy the various leadership posts in the next Senate.

    The caucus warned: “Such surreptitious attempts to drag Saraki into the issue that does not concern him would not augur well for the smooth take-off of the next Senate and could only create suspicion and ill-will among the incumbent Senators and the incoming ones.”

  • Lessons of 2019 elections

    The recent general elections underscored a collective progression to political stability and democratic consolidation. Group Political Editor EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the importance of the exercise and implications for the polity.

    Public consciousness is growing. The electorate is waxing stronger in their capacity for wise choices during elections. Many observers contend that future polls may get better since blind voting may continue to give way.

    The recent general elections were an eye-opener. The presidential election lacked a predictive value in some states. While voters endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari in some states, they turned their back on the All Progressives Congress (APC) governors.

    The candidates were on the weighing scale on poll day. Many of them lost at their polling booths, units,wards and local governments.

    A veteran journalist, Bayo Onanuga, pointed out that the power of social media was over-exergerated during the electioneering. Those who dominated the social media campaigns got fewer votes.

    Also, the endorsement of candidates by ethnic organisations paled into futility. Many big wigs fell as they were rejected by local voters during the parliamentary and governorship elections.

    The poll revealed that President Buhari’s strength lay in the power and influence of local voters from his native North.

    For the first time in Nigeria’s electioneering history, 73 individuals vied for the country’s presidency. For the first time also, Nigerians had to vote not with their thumbs but with any finger; to prevent “ink spilling into the box meant for another party”, according to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    At the end of the day, just one winner was expected – even if the contest went into a run-off.

    On Wednesday, February 27, Chairman of INEC, Prof Yakubu Mahmood, declared President and candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Muhammadu Buhari, winner of the election, having fulfilled the legal requirement of winning not only the highest number of votes (15,191,847), but also at least 25 per cent of the votes in two-thirds of Nigeria’s 36 states. Indeed, he scaled this hurdle in 34 states. The candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and Nigeria’s Vice President from 1999 to 2007, Atiku Abubakar, came second with 11,262,978 votes.

    Atiku has vowed to legally challenge the results because of alleged irregularities; even as local and international observers have affirmed the overall credibility of the elections despite pockets of violence in a few states and, in the words of the European Union Elections Observation Mission (EU EOM), some “operational shortcomings”.

    Without any iota of doubt, this is his right. There is, however, a growing consensus that he should rather concede defeat, for the common good.

    What Nigeria needs now is an intensification of its economic diversification, scaling of its infrastructural drive and fortification of its territories against insurgency.

    Even as several Western media may have concluded that President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election is as a result of his honesty, integrity, there are evidences that Nigerians believe that there is need for at least four more years for the administration to finish the projects being undertaken across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory. As experience has shown, a new government often means abandonment of projects. To the credit of the Buhari Administration, it has been completing many projects abandoned for many years by previous successive governments. And, even so, with much less resources.

    Prior to the elections, while urging Nigerians to make a “sensible choice” of retaining President Buhari, the Minister of Power, Works and Housing Babatunde Fashola, had said: “Fundamentals of the economy are heading in the right direction. What we need to do is to consolidate on that.”

    Indeed, according to the latest report of the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS), issued a few days to the presidential election, before it was postponed for a week, many of the economic indices showed positive performances. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew at about 2.38 per cent in the fourth quarter of 2018. The growth in real terms (year-on-year) rose from about 1.81 per cent in the previous quarter of the year. Good performance, though, economists warned that more needed to be done to stem unemployment. One good reason why there must be consolidation.

    Read also: Buhari, APC chiefs endorse Lawan for Senate President

    In sectors such as agriculture, which recorded annual GDP growth of about 14.27 per cent, higher than 11.29 per cent recorded in 2017.

    The sector contributed about 23.08 per cent to nominal GDP in Q4 of 2018, as against 21.93 per cent in the corresponding period in 2017.

    Nigeria’s drive to be self-sufficient in the production of rice is being relentlessly pursued. Indeed, according to the Africa Rice Center, Africa’s foremost research organisation on rice, with its production of 4 million tonnes a year, Nigeria now ranks the highest producer of rice in Africa.

    Manufacturing recorded 10.11 per cent in the last quarter of 2018, as against 8.53 in the corresponding period in 2017 and third quarter performance of 2018.

    Manufacturing PMI, according to the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), which had, for many months, recorded expansions rose, to an all-time high of 61.10 in December 2018, although it fell to 57.1 in February 2019.

    In his 2019 State of the Union address President of the United States of America, Mr Donald Trump admonished opposing parties to  rejection “the politics of revenge, resistance, and retribution” and embrace “the boundless potential of cooperation, compromise, and the common good.”

    For all contestants to various elective offices in Nigeria’s political season, this should be the mantra.

    The last words should go to President Muhammadu Buhari: “The new Administration will intensify its efforts in Security, Restructuring the Economy and Fighting Corruption. We have laid down the foundation and we are committed to seeing matters to the end. We will strive to strengthen our unity and in-clusiveness so that no section or group will feel left behind or left out.”

     

  • 25 elected Kebbi lawmakers receive certificates of return from INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has presented Certificates of Return to the 25 newly-elected House of Assembly members in the concluded general elections in Kebbi State.

    The certificates were presented by the state Resident Electoral Commission (REC), Alhaji Muhammad Mahamud, in Birinin Kebbi on Tuesday.

    Mahamud urged elected lawmakers to provide dividends of democracy to the electorate in the state.

    Red also: ‘Wike never offered AAC’s guber candidate N3b to drop ambition’

    The members Alhaji Isa Rukubalo representing Yauri constituency and Alhaji Samaila Bui representing Arewa constituency, who spoke on behalf of the others, promised to provide dividend of democracy for their constituencies.

    Rukubalo noted that the victory would provide opportunity to consolidate on the social economic development of Kebbi State.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) won all the 25 constituencies in the state. (NAN)

  • Coalition of 28 political parties rejects Tambuwal’s victory

    A coalition of 28 political parties in Sokoto State on Tuesday rejected the victory of Gov. Aminu Tambuwal at the governorship election in the state.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday declared Tambuwal winner of the election after Saturday’s supplementary polls with a narrow margin of 342 votes,

    The Chief Collation/Returning Officer, Prof. Fatima Mukhtar, said that Tambuwal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) secured the highest votes of 512, 002, defeating his close rival Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu of APC, who polled 511, 660 votes.

    Addressing a news conference in Sokoto, the coalition leader, Alhaji Musa Aliyu of the Nigeria Elements Progressive Party (NEPP), rejected the declaration.

    Aliyu, the NEPP governorship candidate in Sokoto State, said that the process was flawed with irregularities and characterised by acts of violence which contravened the nation’s electoral laws and the Constitution.

    “Our decision was rightly informed by the glaring fact that the elections were hugely marred by myriad of flaws, which had rendered the result of the polls null, void and unacceptable.

    Read also: Atiku congratulates Tambuwal, Ortom

    “We observed that the elections were characterised by massive vote-buying, intimidation, non-use of card reader machines as well as the duplication of voting in polling units where the polls were earlier conducted.

    “The coalition, therefore, deemed it necessary to unravel these infractions on the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, as well as INEC’s Electoral Guidelines.

    “We are also in total and formidable support of All Progressives Congress (APC) action to seek legal redress,” he said.

    He appealed to supporters and the entire people of the state to remain calm and law abiding, “while we patiently await the outcome of the litigation on the polls”.

    Some of the delegates at the conference included Mujjitaba Aminu of MPN, Muhammad Shehu of GPN, Lawali Haliru of UPP, Dan-Ali Kasarawa of LP and Bello Ibrahim of DPP.

  • ‘Wike never offered AAC’s guber candidate N3b to drop ambition’

    The Rivers State Commissioner for Information and Communications, Emma Okah, on Tuesday, stated that Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) never offered the governorship candidate of African Action Congress (AAC), Biokpomabo Awara, N3 billion or any sum to drop his governorship ambition.

    Okah, who doubles as the Director of Information and Communications of PDP Campaign Council in Rivers, alleged that AAC’s standard-bearer had mastered the art of telling lies, since the All Progressives Congress (APC) adopted his party in the state.

    The 40-year-old Awara, an engineer, who hails from Kula-Kalabari in Akuku-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers, while addressing reporters in Abuja, disclosed that he earlier turned down N3 billion that Wike offered him “some days ago,” through the governor’s associates, but he maintained that his running mate, Akpo Yeeh, 67, an Ogoni, resigned on Monday and defected to PDP, after he collected Wike’s N200 million bribe.

    Rivers information commissioner said: “The allegation is childish and ridiculous. Does he know the weight of N3 billion? Where will the governor get such money to give anybody as bribe to win an election that he has already won? What did Awara do or will do that will make the governor offer him such money? Is it for the lies he tells or the election he contested and failed? Even though lying is part of the APC, Awara is running faster than his masters in learning the art of falsehood.

    “Awara stands before history to elect between darkness and light and whichever course he chooses will have political implication for the rest of his life. Awara is advised to toe the line of honour mapped by his deputy, Elder Akpo Bomba Yeeh, and free himself from the yoke of standing before history to answer questions which his inordinate ambition has inflicted on the state.

    Read also: Ignore vituperations of defecting Yeeh in Rivers – Tonye Cole

    “How will Awara explain to God and men of goodwill that he does not care about those that died during the governorship and House of Assembly elections; robbing Rivers people their right to choose the governor they like and indeed, the huge economic toll the state has to bear as a result of his recklessness in wanting to serve the wrong master at the wrong time and at all costs?”

    Okah also assured AAC’s governorship candidate that unless he responds in full to the weighty issues raised during Monday’s news conference by his defecting running mate, a huge burden would contiue to hover over his (Awara’s) head.

  • Yobe PDP gov candidate concedes defeat, rules out court action

    Almost a month after his defeat, governorship candidate of People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Yobe state Amb Umar Damagum has congratulated the governor-elect Mai Mala Buni.

    The PDP candidate told reporters after his party’s review meeting of their performance in the last election.

    He called on the governor-elect to be fair and just to every Yobe reside irrespective of their party affiliation.

    Damagum said the time for politics was over, urging the business of governance should be put in the front burner instead of petty politics of victimisation.

    He also disclosed his party will not be heading to the tribunal over outcome of the polls in the state.

    “Even though, there are so many things that have bedeviled the elections but winner has been announced.

    “We have no option but to accept the will of God, and move forward to do what is important for me and my supporters,” he noted.

    Damagum expressed reservation with the electoral body but noted such issues would not stop him from congratulating the winner.

    He urged the governor- elect to use his mandate for the good of those who elected them.

    “I congratulated our Governor Elect, Mai Mala Buni with his deputy, Idi Barde Gubana. I call on him to look at Yobe as his entire constituency knowing that God has given him this opportunity that every other person living in Yobe is his responsibility.

    “He should be just and fair to everyone and should mix petty politics with governance. The time for politics is over. It is now the time to build Yobe. I wish him all the best,” Damagum said.

    Asked whether he will be heading to the tribunal, he replied: “I cannot go into what I am uncertain about. I can’t go to the tribunal.

    “All I know is that I had a good running battle but with what is happening in the country and the judiciary itself, I don’t think I would go into an uncertain venture. I accept the will of God and the wishes of Yobe people.”

    Asked if he would accept an opportunity to be part of the APC- led government if given the opportunity, Damagum said: “Until he contacts me, I will decide that.

    “Like I call on this people for this meeting, if he contacts me, I will also call them together, discuss and give him an answer.”

    He thanked his supporters and expressed optimism that bright and better future is awaiting the party ahead.

  • Our members can vie for positions in N/Assembly, says PDP

    The national leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Tuesday said that its federal lawmakers elected into the Ninth National Assembly can contest for leadership positions in the Senate and the House of Representatives.

    A statement by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said despite their minority status, opposition lawmakers are constitutionally eligible to seek election into any of the presiding positions in the bicameral legislature.

    Specifically, the main opposition party stated that the positions of President of the Senate, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Deputy Senate President and Deputy Speaker are not the exclusive preserves of any political party, but a constitutional right of every elected lawmaker in both chambers.

    Presently, the PDP has about 42 senators elect in the upper chamber while the All Progressives Congress (APC) has 65 so far. The Young Progressive Party (YPP) has one. In the lower chamber, APC has about 222, against PDP’s 110 with about 10 seats shared among a number of fringe parties.

    The PDP said, “It is therefore laughable and amounts to empty grandstanding and self-delusion for President Muhammadu Buhari and the National Chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, to posture as if the presiding offices and committee chairmanship in the National Assembly are exclusive rights of the APC.

    “President Buhari and Oshiomhole should wake up to the fact that the National Assembly belongs to no political party but to all Nigerians, who exercise their control through their elected representatives.

    “For emphasis, Section 50 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is clear in providing that ‘There shall be:- (a) a President and a Deputy President of the Senate, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves; and (b) a Speaker and a Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, who shall be elected by the members of that House from among themselves’

    “Section 92 (1) makes the same provision for the election of the Speaker and Deputy Speaker of State House of Assembly.

    “The PDP, therefore, does not only have a constitutional say in the process of the emergence of the leadership of the 9th National Assembly, but will, as a matter of constitutional right, field candidates into presiding offices of both chambers, if need be.

    “The PDP wishes to remind President Buhari and Oshiomhole that the APC had in the past benefited from the provisions of section 50, with the defection of then Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon. Aminu Tambuwal from the PDP to the APC, in October 2014, without relinquishing the speakership of the House to the PDP; a development that was applauded by President Buhari, as then opposition leader as well as the APC, through its then National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed.

    “In fact, the former Minority Leader of the House, Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila, echoed the Constitutional provision that when he said the constitution requires only that the Speaker or Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives shall be elected by members of that House from among themselves”.

    “Moreover, in June 2015, Hon. Terkimbi Ikyange and Hon. Peter Azi, both of APC, were elected Speakers of Benue and Plateau State Houses of Assembly respectively, though their party, the APC, was minority in both Houses”.

    The PDP insisted that the only party offices in the legislature are the Majority and Minority Leaders and Deputy Leaders as well as Majority and Minority Whips and Deputy Whips.

    The party cautioned President Buhari, Oshiomhole and the APC to respect the independence of the legislature, end their imposition plot and to stop sowing seeds of discord among the lawmakers, saying such is directly against the overall national interest.

  • PDP senators to APC: leave Saraki out of jostle for Senate Presidency

    The Senate caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday asked their counterparts in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop dragging the name of the Senate President Bukola Saraki into the schemes and plots for his successor.

    The PDP Senate caucus said the APC senators should leave Saraki out of the jostle by Senators-elect of the ruling party over who and who gets elected into the leadership of the Ninth Senate.

    In a statement by Senate Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi and Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sen. Dino Melaye, the PDP caucus stated it has observed closely as the contenders for the various Senate leadership posts in the APC sponsor various publications in the media to make it appear that Saraki is seeking to play a role in who occupy the various leadership posts in the next Senate.

    The PDP Senate caucus warned such surreptitious attempts to drag Saraki into the issue that does not concern him would not augur well for the smooth take-off of the next Senate and could only create suspicion and ill-will among the incumbent Senators and the incoming ones.

    “We have noted with regret and surprise how some Senators who are interested in becoming the next Senate President and those seeking to occupy various leadership positions in the next Senate have been busy dragging the name of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, into their schemes for fulfilling their ambitions. We believe those involved in this dirty game are only afraid of the shadow of the Senate President.

    READ ALSO: You are jittery, PDP tells APC, Buhari

    “Such people should know that Dr. Saraki is not interested in their plots, schemes and manipulation. His concern now is to continue to provide leadership to the Eighth Senate and to ensure that the Senate achieves as much as it is possible in the remaining two months of its tenure.

    “It is obvious that many Senators and even Senators-elect still defer to Saraki. And this is understandable because he is a national leader of the PDP.

    “He is a respected Senator who has also provided solid leadership for the Senate. So, those who are afraid of his influence should find a positive way to deal with that, not sponsoring falsehood in the media.

    They went on: “Let it be known that no matter the mischief being sponsored by these spineless people, Dr. Saraki knows that it is the duty of all Senators in the Ninth Senate to elect their Senate President and other leaders.

    “Nobody from outside the Senate has such powers. It is also the right of every Senator to aspire to that position as stated by the constitution. He has benefitted from this practice of Senators within the chambers exercising the right. He is conscious of this fact and will not be a party to any plan to seize or interfere with the process of evolving the leadership of the Ninth Senate.

    “We therefore urge the APC gladiators and their handlers to leave Saraki out of their schemes and manipulations. They should go and concentrate on how to convince the Senators-elect and ensuring that the election of the next Senate President takes place in a conducive atmosphere with a view to strengthening the institution and making it perform its constitutional roles, without any hindrance.”