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Tag: PDP

  • PDP members join APGA in Anambra

    Over 3,000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Anambra South have joined the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

    The defectors endorsed Prince Nicholas Ukachukwu, APGA’s senatorial candidate for the zone, at a rally in Orsumenyi, Nnewi South.

    They promised to work for his victory.

    Ukachukwu, who received the defectors, praised them for the bold step and pledged quality representation if voted into power.

    “Representation is not just about the glamour, power, money and honour it commands, but principally about service to the people.

    “It is sad that those now elbowing one another for the senatorial seat could not do a single project for the people, including the incumbent who has wasted eight years without anything to show for it.

    He challenged the people to drive round his community to appreciate the construction and asphalting of roads in the area.

  • PDP dares INEC, vows to reopen campaigns

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has vowed to reopen its campaigns any moment from now.

    The party said its position is hinged on provisions of the Electoral Act.

    A statement on Sunday night by the spokesman for the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the decision to reopen the campaign was consequent upon the postponement of the presidential and National Assembly elections from February 16 to February 23.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) had barred parties from reopening their campaigns upon the shift in election date.

    The Electoral Act allows campaign up to 24 hours to election date in any category of election. The party has rejected administrative prohibition of open campaigns issued by the electoral body after the postponement.

    “Such administrative pronouncement was erroneous, directly in conflict with the provision of the Electoral Act and is not backed by any other law in our country.

    “Our position is predicated on the clear provision of section 99 (1) of the Electoral Act which stipulated that ‘for the purposes of this Act, the period of campaigning in public by every political party shall commence 90 days before polling day and end 24 hours prior to that day.

    READ ALSO:Postponement: INEC decides on resumption of campaign tomorrow

    “The clear import of this provision, in the current situation, is that given the postponement of the election to February 23, 2019, the 24 hours requirement for closure of all public campaigning falls at midnight of February 21,” the statement added.

    The main opposition party reminded INEC that whenever its administrative pronouncement conflicts with the Electoral Act, such administrative pronouncement must bow before the law.

    It charged INEC to be appropriately guided while directing party members to await further directives ahead of its reopening of campaigns.

     

     

     

     

     

  • Niger APC, PDP, others react

    THE Niger State All Progressives Congress (APC) has described the postponement of the Presidential and National Assembly elections as unfortunate and sad.

    The State Secretary of the APC, Alhaji Aminu Liman, said in Minna that the development has brought to question the much acclaimed integrity of the chairman and members of the Commission.

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) also described the development as an embarrassment to the international community as the nation had been ridiculed.

    The state Chairman of PDP, Barrister Tanko Beji, in a statement alleged that the elections was postponed because PDP had prepared for and was set to win it.

    “The whole saga is sad and very regrettable. This is an unacceptable decision by the INEC which came  few hours to the conduct of the election which we, as a party, had prepared for and was set to win,’ he said.

    The Campaign for Democracy (CD) called for a detailed investigation into the whole matter.

    The Niger State Coordinator of the campaign for Democracy, Alhaji Abdullahi Jabi, regretted the action of INEC saying INEC should put its house in order to forestall a future occurrence

  • Thugs connive with Police to terrorize Electorates – Famurewa

    The APC Senatorial candidate in Osun East senatorial district in the postponed presidential/national assembly elections, Hon. Ajibola Israel Famurewa has alleged threat to the lives of the people of eight villages in Atakumosa East local government of the state of Osun by thugs loyal to the PDP and one Chief Francis Fadahunsi, the PDP candidate.
    Famurewa, a serving member of the House of Representative representing Ijesa South federal constituency and the Director General of the campaign organization of the incumbent governor of the state, Gboyega Oyetola made this known when he led party leaders and other APC candidates to address a press conference on the security challenges of his zone after a meeting with the commissioner of police, Abiodun Ige at the state headquarters in Osogbo, the state capital.
    It was authoritatively reported that residents of Iwara, Olowu, Atorin, Ifewara, Temidayo, Tobalase, Lapaide and Faforiji communities in Atakunmosa East Local Government of Osun state were on Thursday thrown into confusion when gunmen suspected to be armed political thugs attacked villagers in the build up to postponed  Saturday elections.
    In the attack which was said to have occurred around 11:30pm, on Thursday evening, where an eleven years old girl, Rukayat Balogun was shot  in the leg by the suspected political thugs who invaded Iwara village and searched indiscriminately all the houses in the affected community. It was learnt that the mother of the victim, Mrs Fasilat is an active member and a food vendor in the O – Meal school feeding programme of the ruling All Progressives Congress in the area.
    Famurewa who expressed worries about the influx of thugs into the villages said for over a week now, the suspected thugs have been terrorizing people of the areas especially the supporters of the All Progressives Congress APC, mainly because Atakumosa East was won convincingly by the APC in the last guber election despite the huge financial inducements by the PDP.
    According to him, a team of thugs led by Sanya Omirin and Folorunsho Aderibigbe popularly known as “Serere” searched, ransacked every household and started unleashing terror on houses accommodating APC supporters.
    “The thugs were said to have armed with dangerous weapons like guns, axes and charms were moving around freely for four hours which the operation lasted. The mother of the eleven years old girl who is currently receiving treatment in the Wesley Guild hospital Ilesa also confirmed that Serere led the gangsters to her house when the honourable minister of health, Prof. Isaac Adewole paid an unscheduled visit on the recuperating girl whose leg was strayed with bullets.
    “I have told Chief Fadahunsi times without number to desist from nurturing thugs. The information at my disposal indicates that Chief Fadahunsi bought and imported 100 guns (60 AK47 and 40 pump actions) into Osun. I told him to his face that election is not a do or die affair.”
    While calling on the Police to swing into action and ensure the perpetrators are arrested, investigated and brought into book to face the full wrath of justice, Famurewa accused the DPO in charge of Iperindo division, saying he is conniving with PDP thugs to unleash terror on his supporters.
    Other leaders on his entourage, which included Chief Adebiyi Adelowo, Hon. Lawrence Ayeni, Hon. Wale Adedoyin also advised the Commissioner of police to transfer all the DPOs in Ijesaland to forestall total breakdown of law and order. In their words, “Though we have appealed to our members and supporters to remain calm in the face of provocation, but let it be known that we are resolute in our determination to resist violence and intimidation in our land”, they concluded.

  • Observers urge INEC to declare Jime, winner of Benue Guber Polls

    The Coalition of Election Observers in Benue State has called on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to forthwith announce Emmanuel Jime, the candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as winner.
    Like in six other states, INEC had declared the polls in Benue inconclusive, alleging that 121,011 electorates were either not able to vote or election did not hold in their areas.
    However, in a statement by Convener Princess Ajibola on Saturday, the election observers urged INEC to  adhere to the constitution and declare the APC flagbearer winner having picked up the highest number of votes in areas where card reader machines were used for accreditation.
    The group of observers, who thoroughly monitored the exercise asserted that the incumbent and candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Samuel Ortom, connived with some INEC officials to deliberately sabotage the entire process in his favour.
    According to the observers, “ It is no coincidence that the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Samuel Ortom, only scored high votes in places where Card Readers were deliberately sabotaged by his agents to force electoral officers to resort to manual accreditation. In course of our observation, we documented that Card Readers were not used in Logo, Guma, Vandekiya, Konshisha, Buruku and Gwer West Local Government Areas.
    “ The manual accreditation gave room to vote manipulation in the identified local government areas. Incidents documented included over voting, accreditation of people that are not registered voters, ballot stuffing amongst others. These incidents do not in any way form part of what INEC had promised when it announced its determination to conduct acceptable elections and they certainly do not indicate credible elections in any part of the world.
    “ The knowledge on the part of other candidates that violations occurred on this scale is reasons for the election results so far announced are being met with rejection. The results have become controversial and are now a subject of protests by many candidates and observers.
    “ Public anger will continue to grow for as long as INEC continues to delay in declaring a rejection of results from locations where Card Readers were not used. This is because INEC had issued a guideline that specifically directed that the use of card reader machine must be complied with.
    “ In a bizarre development, the PDP candidate has connived with some INEC officials in Benue state to rig the elections through the failure to use Card Readers and is now parading himself as the winner of the election while citing some outrageous votes.

    Read Also:Rivers APC lashes INEC over comment on military

    “ The rigging is so brazen that the leading APC candidate was allocated zero votes in places where it had large turnout of its supporters and polling agents, which would suggest that even the agents were not allowed to vote.
    “ We see the case in Benue State as test for INEC that it can take electoral decisions that will ensure that every vote it organized do not end up being tabled before Election Petition Tribunals for adjudication. The Commission must begin to put an end to the practice of deprived winners being asked to go to court to reclaim their victories. INEC should therefore cancel the results from local government areas where Card Readers were not used and declare the Emmanuel Jime/Sam Ode ticket as winner.
    “ We urge the international community to keep close watch of the development in Benue state so that the world will know what truly transpired in the state since it will become necessary to make interventions at some point based on the way the electorates will likely respond to their votes being stolen.”

  • ‘Atiku will get 90 percent votes in Cross River’

    The Coordinator of the Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign in Cross River State, Mr Chris Agara has expressed confidence that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) would score not less than 90 per cent of votes in the presidential elections in the state.

    Mr Agara in an interaction with reporters in Calabar, that were carrying out an aggressive campaign down to the grassroots to mobilize support for Atiku in the elections.

    “We are looking forward to having a minimum of 90 per cent votes for the PDP in Cross River State. There is no arrogance in it. It is just so. We go right down to the polling units to mobilize and let the people know the difference between PDP and the Federal Government and for them to come out in their numbers and vote that day and vote the PDP and change the government of the day. Cross River is a PDP state and nobody can take away.

    “One of the problem we have in the country is unemployment. Atiku came to Cross River and said he is going to support the deep seaport and the construction of the superhighway. That alone would generate not just thousands but millions of job opportunities. The youths are wiling to work, only that the opportunities are not there. So if the youths are properly engaged their lives would change and the economy would go round. Trade and commerce would definitely thrive. The multiplier effects cannot be quantified. That is what we would be telling the people.

    “Atiku’s thrust is to empower the youths, human capital development and restructuring the country. Everybody should be allowed to grow according to their own abilities and capacities. Not to stifle people and not allow them to move because you want others to catch up with them.

    “Whoever wants to lead should have pedigree. He should have tried something on his own and developed it. You need a lot to start a transaction and grow that transaction to success because you would gone through a lot in terms of financial discipline, personal discipline, emotional stability, and foresightedness to grow. If the man in Adamawa is the single largest employer of labour in Adamawa, then you can imagine what such a person can do if given the opportunity to run the country,” Agara said.

  • Breaking: PDP rejects postponement of election

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Prince Uche Secondus has said that shoddy arrangement for this election by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, is a deliberate predetermined agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari to cling on to power even when it’s obvious to him that Nigerians want him out.

    He was reacting to the postponement of the election by INEC.

    Prince Secondus said that the postponement which is part of a grand design by the All Progressives Congress, APC, to thwart the will of Nigerians at all cost, clearly exposes INEC as a failure and calls on the Chairman of the Commission, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to resign immediately.

    The PDP leader warns that the party will not accept anything short of a well organized electoral process devoid of manipulation, harassment and intimidation of voters and the opposition particularly members of the PDP.

    “Having failed in all their nefarious options to enable them cling on to power, the APC and the INEC came up with the idea of shifting election an action that is dangerous to our democracy and unacceptable”, he said.

    The National Chairman said that the APC in connivance with the INEC have been trying all options including but not limited to burning down INEC offices in some states and destroying of electoral materials to create artificial problems upon which to stand for their dubious act.

    According to a statement from the National Chairman’s media office signed by Ike Abonyi, Prince Secondus said that the party is privy to all the pressures from the APC and the federal government to arm-twist the INEC, to dance to their new strategy after their earlier ones failed.

    “With several of their rigging options failing, they have to force INEC to agree to a shift in the election or a staggered election with flimsy excuses pre-manufactured for the purpose.

    “For the avoidance of doubt the PDP sees this action as wicked and we are also aware of other dubious designs like the deployment of hooded security operatives who would be ruthless on the people ostensibly to scare them away.

    He said that by the action of the President has further demonstrated his insensitivity costing the huge cost after Nigerians including those who came home from abroad have all mobilized to their various constituencies.

    The National Chairman recalls that the PDP had earlier alerted Nigerians that the APC was coming up with lined up rigging strategies including burning down of INEC offices and engineering crisis in PDP stronghold areas to scare away the people.

    Prince Secondus said that the wicked killing of over 60 persons mostly women and children in Southern Kaduna on the eve of the election is a copious ploy by the APC to frighten the people away from voting knowing too well that they were not going to record any vote from the area.

    “Recall that the Governor of Kaduna state, Mallam Nasir el-rufai had earlier threatened international election observers of going to their country in body bags and with the fatal violence in the state on the eve of  election, it’s clear what the motives are, to frighten the observers from the state so that he can carry out his nefarious acts.

    The National Chairman also drew the attention of all lovers of democracy to the statement of President Buhari on the international media that nobody can unseat him from office as an indication of what he wants to do.

    Prince Secondus also regretted that President Buhari who made a promise at the signing of peace accord that the election will be conducted in a fair and transparent atmosphere  has gone ahead in breach of the peace agreements to send soldiers and other security agencies to arrest, harass and intimidate opponents in Rivers, Akwa Ibom, Kwara, Kano, Kaduna states.

  • The big contest

    IT is the sixth presidential election since the restoration of civil rule in 1999. Eyes are on Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa, as the people of the highly heterogeneous and consistently fragile federation go to poll. Will the election be free and fair? Will its outcome strengthen the sanctity of the ballot box? Will it meet international best practice? Will Nigeria’s electoral democracy be a model for Africa? Voters are warming up for a festival of choice and change. The international community is also beaming the searchlight on the country. After the presidential and National Assembly elections, Nigerians are expected to also troop out to elect governors and members of House of Assembly on March 2. No fewer than 91 parties are participating in the periodic general elections. But, 71 presidential candidates are on the ballot. The big two are President Muhammadu Buhari of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and his main challenger, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The semblance of a third force is the Peoples Trust (PT), which is fielding a pro-democracy crusader, Gbenga Olawepo Hashim, as candidate. The fact that only two big parties dominate the scene historically confirms the tendency towards a two-party system. The historical backgrounds are the conflict between the Nigeria National Alliance (NNA) and the United Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in the First Republic, the National Party of Nigeria (NPN)/Progressives Parties Alliance (PPA) of the Second Republic, the Social Democratic Party (SDP)/National Republic Convention (NRC) antagonism in the Third Republic, the PDP onslaught against the Alliance for Democracy (AD)/All Peoples Party (APP) in 1999 and the APC/PDP battle of 2015. This is also underscored by the fact that some mushroom parties have decided to queue behind the two major parties through their endorsement of President Buhari and Atiku.

    In the National Assembly elections, 109 seats are being contested in the Senate while 360 seats are being contested in the House of Representatives. Foreign observers and domestic monitors are warming up for the crucial electoral duty. Ahead of poll, the Police High Command has emphasised that electoral security should not be compromised. Some police commissioners have been transferred. Few ones were appointed and assigned. Also, the Armed Forces have reiterated their commitment to peaceful polls. During the week, political leaders on both divides stepped up their campaigns, which were rounded up on Thursday. The message of the APC is continuity. The message of the PDP is change.

    At 76, President Buhari, who was elected four years ago, is seeking for a second term. He is a General of the Nigerian Army, who fought in the civil war. He is a former military governor of the defunct Northeast State, Federal Commissioner for Petroleum, Chairman of the Nigeria National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), Military Secretary, General Officer Commanding, Third Armoured Division, Jos, military Head of State and Chairman of the Petroleum Trust Fund (PTF). The president entered politics in 2002 and contested for the presidency in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015. He failed. In 2015, he defeated incumbent President Goodluck Jonathan. His victory terminated the 16 years of dominance by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Buhari campaigned on a four- point manifesto: security, economy, employment and anti-corruption. In private and public life, he is perceived as a man of honour and integrity. According to observers, Buhari cannot be described as a lucky statesman. Fixing a nation at a crossroads is not an easy task. Twice in national history, fate has entrusted on the Daura-born leader the unenviable duty of salvaging a nation in distress; first as a young and energetic General in 1984, and later, as a septuagenarian statesman driven by patriotic anger. Under his leadership, hope has been the elixir for Nigerians in the last three and half years. Three decades ago, he rode to power on military populism.

    The conditions that paved the way for his ascension in 1983 were similar to the prevailing circumstances of 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015, which made him to throw his hat into the ring. Reminiscent of the Second Republic, Buhari had warned that the country was in the brink. He lamented that the ship of state was sinking; the economy had been mismanaged, the Nigerian currency had almost become a worthless paper, a culture of theft and graft in high places was thriving, insecurity remained insurmountable, roads were death traps, and hospitals were mere consulting clinics. The nation lay prostrate.

    On May 29, 2015, the euphoria of victory at the historic presidential election fizzled out in the face of these mounting challenges. President Buhari inherited little assets and many liabilities. The components of the national burden included a disunited polity, aptly torn apart by the battle for presidential power, an empty treasury ravaged by an avaricious leadership, a huge foreign debt capable of mortgaging the future, depleted foreign reserves, soaring corruption by greedy actors, an army of jobless youths, dilapidated infrastructure, and growing insecurity. President Buhari has managed to overcome his inevitable adjustment difficulties. The image of the new democrat in Aso Villa, Abuja, contrasts sharply with the stern-looking soldier of early 80s in Dodan Barracks, Lagos. In 1984, the military Head of State and Commander-In-Chief was like the lord of manor. There was no parliament to moderate his actions. He was both the legislature and the executive. He ruled by decrees, many of which were draconian. He brooked no opposition.

    But, the last three and half years was a different ball game. The President is being constitutionally tamed by the National Assembly and an independent judiciary. Unlike before, the media and civil society groups are active in playing the role of watchdogs in democracy without inhibition. Presidential actions may have also been moderated by the utter sensitivity to the legitimate pressures and demands from the ruling party. Unlike 30 years ago, dialogue is now the watchword. An effort at consensus building is becoming the norm. While adapting to the compelling ethos of democratic culture, dictatorship is foreclosed. No doubt, many achievements of the ‘regime of change’ may have been easily overlooked by a polity that is assailed by collective amnesia. But, the feats constitute, in part, the making of a new nation-state.

    The Buhari administration has not only maintained a clean break from the past, it has also offered a new orientation to the polity. The first task was clearing the Augean table by making corruption a risky venture. The President has demonstrated to all that, henceforth, the corridor of power should not be perceived as an avenue for private accumulation. He and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), have led by personal examples by reducing their emoluments and shunning opulence in office. It was the first preliminary step in setting the tune for reducing the cost of governance. Gone were the days of business as usual. According to observers, Buhari has campaigned during this electioneering more than he did four years ago. During the campaigns, the president promised to build on the achievements of his administration in the four aforementioned areas. The election, they said, will be a referendum on his performance in office. Atiku is a veteran presidential contender. He is a retired Customs Officer and successful businessman. He entered politics in the aborted Third Republic as a disciple of the late Major General Shehu Yar’Adua.

    He was a presidential aspirant in the defunct Social Democratic Party (SDP). He stepped down for the late Chief Moshood Abiola at the Jos Convention of the party. In 1999, he was elected governor of Adamawa State. But, the PDP presidential candidate, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo, picked him as running mate. He was vice president for eight years. In 2007, 2011 and 2015, Atiku sought for the highest office, but without success. He has traversed some partiesPDP, Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and APC-in a bid to realise his ambition. He is a courageous politician who is undeterred by previous disappointments. Atiku has criticised the APC government for nepotism, for the battle against insecurity that has not been totally won, and for low standard of loving. However, two promises by Atiku stand him out: the actualisation of restructuring and the sale of the refineries. They are controversial.

    Many believe that he is campaigning on the borrowed platform of restructuring. Also, many have argued that the refineries are critical c0mmonwealth that should not end up on private pocket. Apart from the president and former vice president, other contenders may not make much impact on Saturday. It is a crowded race, no doubt. But, the remaining flag bearers are largely ambitious, paper-weight politicians, whose parties are unpopular. They are not in popular reckoning. Although the candidates have made names in their various careers, the weak political structures that lack tentacles at the grassroots, may be swallowed by the bigger parties. Although the young, vibrant elements on these platforms raised fundamental issues that are germane to good governance during the campaigns, they could not pull much crowd. At best, these candidates on the fringe may become special spectators on poll day.

    The independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), chaired by Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, a political scientist, has assured the anxious country that the poll will be credible and transparent. The body is not leaving anything to chances. Both PDP and APC have criticised the agency for some reasons, but, generally, INEC has asserted itself as an independent institution and an unbiased umpire. According to INEC, 84,004, 084 million registered to vote. This is an improvement in the voting population because 68, 833, 476 registered to vote in 2015. The Northwest has 20, 158, 100, representing 24 percent. The Southwest has 16, 292, 212. This represents 15. 29 percent. The Northeast has 11, 289, 293, which is 13 per cent. Also, the election will hold in 119,973 polling units and results will be collated in 8, 809 wards. Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) will vote, Yakubu said, but the prospect of Diaspora voting is foreclosed. In th4e day of election, there will be restriction of movement between 7 am and 4pm.

    The Chief Returning Officer for the Presidential Election is the INEC Chairman. The electoral body has released seven-step voting procedure for the exercise. Step 1: Upon arrival at the polling unit, the voter joins the queue and present himself to the INEC official (APO 111) at the polling unit, who will determine whether he or she is at the correct polling unit and check if the photograph on the Permanent Voter Card (PVC) matches his or her face. If satisfied, he or she will direct the voter to the next INEC official (APO 1). Step 2: The official (APO1) will request the voter for his/her PVC to confirm that the card is genuine and the details, using the smart card reader to confirm that the PVC belongs to the person by ascertaining. The card reader will contain the name, photograph and finger prints of all those registered in their polling unit. Step 3: The voter will then meet the next official (APO 11), who will request for his PVC to confirm that his/her name and details are in the voters’ register. The name will be ticked and the PVC returned to him/her. He/she will then apply indelible link to the cuticle of the appropriate finger for that election to show that the person has been accredited to vote.

    If the name of the person is not found on the register, he/she will not be allowed to vote. Step 4: The Presiding Officer (PO) stamps, signs and endorses the date at the back of the ballot papere. The PO will roll the ballot paper inwardly with the printed side inwards and give to the voter. He/she will then direct the voter to the voting cubicle where he will vote in secret. Step 5: The voter will stain his/her appropriate finger for the election with the ink provided. He/she will then use the stained finger to mark the space or box provided on the ballot paper for his/her preferred candidate/party. He/she will roll the marked ballot paper in the manner the PO gave to him/her. Step 6: Then, the voter will leave the voting cubicle and drop the ballot paper in the ballot box in full view of people at the polling unit. Step 7: The voter will then leave the polling unit or wait, if he/she so chooses in an orderly and peaceful manner to watch the process up to the declaration of result. Yakubu said about one million ad hoc staff have been recruited.

    “The projected increase in the number of ad hoc staff to be engaged in the elections by the commission arose from the need to make provisions for adequate manpower for the exercise on a general template and specifically, to take care of peculiarneeds for that purpose in some polling units across the federation,” he added. Oil-rich Nigeria has had an uninterrupted 20 years of political stability, a far cry from its unenviable experience of intermittent stoppage of civilian administration through coups by restless soldiers. Yet, it is still politically and religiously divided. Also, political stability has not been converted into a special advantage. The stability has not been accompanied by any significant economic success. It seems there is much commit ment to orderly transfer of power by stakeholders than the pursuit of farreaching economic reforms that can catapult the bewildered country into a huge economic miracle.

    But, religious and tribal sentiments may not have undue influence on the outcome of the presidential election. The top candidates-General Buhari and Alhaji Atiku-are both Fulani from the North. They are also Muslims. For geo-ethnic and religious balancing, they picked their running mates from the South. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo (SAN) of the APC is a Christian cleric from the Southwest state of Ogun. Atiku’s running mate, Peter Obi, is a Christian and former governor of Anambra State. There have been endorsements and counter-endorsements of the two main candidates. The two flag bearers have traversed almost the 36 states for campaigns. So far, the campaigns have not been marred by violence. Interparty conflicts have also been reduced to exchange of hot words in the media. However, since the beginning of the year, elder statesmen and religious leaders have been appealing to politicians to eschew violence.

    The Primate of the Anglican Church, Dr. Nicholas Okoh said: “Violence does not drop from the sky. People arrange it. People who organise violence should be asked to bring their sons and daughters or themselves to be part of it so that they can feel the effect. They create problems, go abroad and come back to rule us.” On Wednesday, a peace accord was signed by the president and 72 other candidates. Also, in his broadcast to the nation on Thursday, President Buhari assured the country of his commitment to free and fair poll and urged the youth to shun violence. In recent elections and by-elections, allegations of vote buying were rife. There is no political party that is insulated from the electoral fraud.

    Yakubu warned against the menace, saying that perpetrators wikl be dealt with in accordance with the law. According to observers, there are some mistakes that should not be repeated, if INEC is to conduct a hitch-free exercise. In previous polls, the failure of card readers generated anxiety and tension. The INEC chairman has assured that the machines will not malefaction. Also, INEC staff are expected to be regular and punctual at the polling booths. It is expected that in the coastal states where some locations cannot be reached through vehicles, adequate arrangement should be made to ensure that electoral materials get to those remote communities under police protection. Yakubu has also urged his staff to be patriotic and shun bribery and corruption to avoid the repeat of the trial of INEC staff who committed electoral offences in the course of their duties during the last election.

  • APC, PDP in tug of war

    As Nigerians across the country get ready to cast their ballots in today’s presidential and National Assembly elections, DARE ODUFOWOKAN, Assistant Editor, identifies nine states where the poll is expected to throw up some drama, even as pundits insist that the outcome in most of these states remain unpredictable.

    KWARA STATE

    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 led by Senate President Bukola Saraki 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 machinery, 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; non-payment 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.

    With the failure of the last minute retrieval of the senatorial ticket from Governor Abdulfatah 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 Muhammadu 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.

    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.

     

    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 vice-president 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

    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 people 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

    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 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 fairness 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

    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 Atikun 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.

     

    AKWA IBOM

    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 Godswill 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, 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 re-elected 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 (Akwa-Ibom 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

    In Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s state, the presidential contest 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 formal results announced, Buhari won in 13 local governments, while PDP won in 7 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 Buhair today. It is for these reasons that analysts concluded that though the election will be dramatic, the APC looks good to win.

     

    EDO STATE

    President Buhari of the APC will win the presidential election today in Edo State convincingly. His victory, of course, 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.

    One, President Muhammadu 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.

  • Why Nigerians should reelect Buhari, by APC Scandinavia

    The All Progressive Congress (APC) Scandinavia chapter has urged Nigerians to re-elect President Muhammadu Buhari and Prof. Yemi Osinbajo tomorrow, (Saturday) in order to consolidate on their achievements so far

    They also said the reelection of Buhari will ensure the continue diversification of the economy from oil dependent to Agriculture.

    In a statement on Thursday, the APC diaspora chairman, Lawal Ayoola, said the last minute call was to remind Nigerians that they cannot afford to return Nigeria back to the corrupt elites and unrepentant looters of the collective wealth of our country again.

    He said, “We are not claiming perfection in our APC Buhari led administration over the last 3 and the half years, we can categorically say that President Buhari’s nearly 4 years in office already surpassed uninterrupted 16 years of the PDP in power. 

    “If we may recall, about 20 states were in the financial comatose state as a result of accumulated unpaid workers` salaries during the PDP era, but the President Buhari led government bailed them out irrespective of party affiliation”.

    “Over 58,000 projects including over 300 federal roads across the country that were started but abandoned by the PDP administration and even in those instances where the funds had been paid for from the public treasury to contractors who did nothing,  the Buhari administration priotized them and we can see for ourselves active work going to complete these projects”.

    “In the 16 years of PDP led administrations contracts were awarded and re-awarded in such a manner that the project could not fly and impossible to revoke the contracts without government facing the legal battle such as the one Nigeria is facing in the UK”.  

    “In recent times, a London arbitration Tribunal awarded  $8.9 billion fine against Nigeria in favour of the British firm, Process and Industrial Developments Limited (P&ID)”.

    “The company initiated the moves to recover a judgment debt of $6.6 billion in damages plus $2.3 billion in uncollected interest, which was calculated at $1.2 million a day, according to a lead judgement by Lord Hoffman”.

    “The Buhari led government has been focused in diversification of our economy from oil dependent to Agriculture as well as the  N-Power programme, blocking of financial leakages across board, ongoing recovering of our stolen wealth, anti-graft war etc”.

    “The PDP led administration looted our country dry such that when President Buhari took over the rein of office in 2015 and with the price crash of the country main source of revenue, the crude oil, Nigeria was on her way into recession”.

    “The cruel and stupendously corrupt PDP governments were master of padded economy and fake financial publications”.

    “Over 16 billion dollars on power improvement and the power distribution companies sold to their friends but nothing to show for it but with less than 4 years of Buhari administration, the improvement is 4 times far better than the PDP 16 wasted years”.

    “Apart from the ongoing infrastructural development going on in the East including 2ndNiger Bridge, the much campaign mantra of PDP for several campaign seasons, the immediate payment of pension arrears to all ex-Biafra police officers and N88Billion released for the reconstruction for damages in the south-east shows that Buhari is an authentic leader”. 

    “The PDP Presidential candidate, Alh Atiku eight years as vice president of Nigeria was best described by his boss, Olusegun Obasanjo”. 

    “Atiku recent statement of amnesty and tax break for the people that put Nigeria in such a messy situation for 16 years shows that he is just interested in power and not the values Nigeria needs. Nigerians are facing the consequences of what PDP did for the past 16 years. Many untimely deaths due to lack of good roads, hospitals and sound health care, companies closed in record numbers due to lack of electricity and other infrastructures, our public schools and education far below standard now due to their cruel wickedness while their families are living large in and out of Nigeria”.

    “We call on all eligible voters to compare the values and antecedents of these two candidates of PDP and APC, we can categorically say that the difference is clear”.

    “We can not afford to return the people that blindly and confidently looted our collective wealth and put us through the suffering the nation is going through with no repentant attitude”.

    “Please, the future of Nigerians will greatly be affected by our decision on Saturday 16th Feb 2019. Please vote wisely by voting APC across board and President Mohammad Buhari and Osinbajo to continue the great job they already embarked on for Nigeria and Nigerians”.