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Tag: PDP

  • PDP: Adebutu is our governorship candidate in Ogun

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday said Ladi Adebutu is its authentic and legitimate governorship candidate in Ogun State ahead of the March 2 election.

    The party urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to save itself from unnecessary controversies and immediately reflect Adebutu’s name as its candidate in the Gateway State, in compliance with the judgment of the Court of Appeal of December 18, last year.

    It also advised party members, supporters, the electorate and the public to ignore anything to the contrary.

    A statement by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary and Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan, reads: “The PDP hereby informs the public, security agencies, all electoral organs, observers and particularly, its teeming supporters in Ogun state that its candidate in the March 2, 2019 election in Ogun state remains Ladi Adebutu.

    “The PDP cautions the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to insulate the commission from unnecessary controversies by immediately obeying the judgment of the Court of Appeal of December 18, 2018, and without further delay reflect Ladi Adebutu’s name on the ballot, in the interest of a hitch free and peaceful election in Ogun state.

    “The PDP states that Ladi Adebutu’s name was duly and statutorily submitted to INEC after he won the governorship primary conducted by the National Working Committee (NWC), the only body empowered by law to conduct such primaries. The PDP has not substituted his nomination with anybody and such is not in our contemplation.

    “The PDP charges the INEC Chairman to note that since the ruling of the Court of Appeal validating Ladi Adebutu as the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun state, no other court, not even the Supreme Court has over turned that extant ruling.

    “INEC is, therefore, compelled to obey the law. It cannot choose for itself which judgment to obey and cannot operate in waiting, anticipation or contemplation of a non-existent consideration in the conduct of the Ogun governorship election.

    “In this regard, the PDP urges all Nigerians, particularly the people of Ogun state, to completely disregard certain individuals, including Senator Kashamu Buruji, who has been making misleading comments and trying to create an impression that the Supreme Court has made a pronouncement on the issue.

    “Moreover, the PDP holds that Senator Buruji cannot under any imagination be the governorship candidate of the PDP in Ogun state. He is not a member of our party; he did not participate in our Ogun state governorship primary and has no connection whatsoever in our governorship nomination process at any level for that matter.

    “INEC cannot go to the streets to pick a candidate for our party. It must therefore, in compliance with the extant judgment of the Court of Appeal, immediately reflect Ladi Adebutu’s name in the ballot, otherwise Nigerians will have no other option than to conclude that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has become compromised to cause confusion and anarchy in Ogun state.

    “Finally, the PDP appreciates the people of Ogun state for rallying behind our candidate, Ladi Adebutu, as he continues to consolidate on the consensus already reached by the people to freely give him the mantle of leadership of their state on March 2, 2019.

    “The PDP therefore cautions certain manipulators in INEC as well as fifth columnists, who are being funded by anti-democratic forces to destabilise our party in Ogun and cause trouble in the state, to desist from such acts as they will be firmly resisted by the people.”

     

  • Adebutu remains Ogun gov candidate, PDP insists

    The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) on Thursday maintained Hon. Ladi Adebutu is its authentic and legitimate governorship in Ogun State for the March 2 gubernatorial polls.

    The party urged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to save itself from unnecessary controversies and immediately reflects Adebutu as PDP candidate in the Gateway state in compliance with the judgment of the Court of Appeal of December 18, 2018.

    It also advised party members, supporters, voters and the public to ignore anything to the contrary.

    This was contained in a statement by National Publicity Secretary and Director, Media and Publicity, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Kola Ologbondiyan.

    The party said: “The Peoples Democratic Party(PDP) hereby informs the general public, security agencies, all electoral organs, observers and particularly, its teeming supporters in Ogun state that its candidate in the March 2, 2019 election in Ogun state remains Ladi Adebutu.

    “The PDP cautions the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, to insulate the commission from unnecessary controversies by immediately obeying the judgment of the Court of Appeal of December 18, 2018, and without further delay reflect Hon. Ladi Adebutu’s name on the ballot, in the interest of a hitch free and peaceful election in Ogun state.

    “The PDP states that Hon. Ladi Adebutu’s name was duly and statutorily submitted to INEC after he won the governorship primary conducted by the National Working Committee (NWC), the only body empowered by law to conduct such primaries.

    “The PDP has not substituted his nomination with anybody and such is not in our contemplation.

    “The PDP charges the INEC Chairman to note that since the ruling of the Court of Appeal validating Hon. Ladi Adebutu as the PDP governorship candidate in Ogun state, no other court, not even the Supreme Court has over turned that extant ruling.

    “INEC is therefore compelled to obey the law. It cannot choose for itself which judgment to obey and cannot operate in waiting, anticipation or contemplation of a non-existent consideration in the conduct of the Ogun governorship election.”

    The party described Senator Buruji Kashamu as an imposter, saying he cannot fly its flag at the polls.

    Read Also: Ogun 2019: You’re on your own, INEC tells Adebutu

    The PDP insisted: “Moreover, the PDP holds that Senator Buruji cannot under any imagination be the governorship candidate of the PDP in Ogun state.

    “He is not a member of our party; he did not participate in our Ogun state governorship primary and has no connection whatsoever in our governorship nomination process at any level for that matter.

    “INEC cannot go to the streets to pick a candidate for our party. It must, therefore, in compliance with the extant judgment of the Court of Appeal, immediately reflect Ladi Adebutu’s name in the ballot, otherwise Nigerians will have no other option than to conclude that Prof. Mahmood Yakubu has become compromised to cause confusion and anarchy in Ogun state.”

  • PDP will reverse ‘this baggage economy’, says Peter Obi

    Vice Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ), Mr. Peter Obi has said that the party would reverse what he described as baggage economy by reducing the dependence on crude as the major revenue earner.

    Obi said that the issues of restructuring was sacrosanct to addressing some of the challenges bedevilling the country.

    The former Governor of Anambra State spoke in Benin City, the Edo State capital during an interactive session with members of the public including civil society, representatives of the Nigerian Medical Society, NMA, Nigeria Bar Association and Nigeria Society of Engineers and other professional bodies.

    Obi assured the gathering that the present economic misfortunes of the country would be reversed to rapid economic growth if the PDP is voted into power.

    He said he believed that security votes is right but that monies belonging to the public should be properly accounted for.

    Read Also: 2019: INEC urges journalists on professionalism

    Obi who accused the Buhari-led administration of failing in the promises to the people said it was due to bad leadership and cluelessness.

    He said a PDP government would bring back foreign investors to develop the economy especially those who closed their businesses for fear of kidnapping, banditry, insurgency as a result of inability to provide security for the citizenry.

    According to him, “The election we are face is not election between Atiku and Buhari. It is about the future of Nigeria. Anybody can tell you any story, the thing is that Nigeria is collapsing. Today, we record insecurity like never in the history of Nigeria. Today Nigeria has the highest number of poor people in the world, we must come together to send them packing.

    “Nigeria has been shut down economically, politically and socially for over three years and has resulted in hunger, insecurity, and economic instability especially in the North Eastern part of the country.

    “We are going to treat everybody equal especially the physically challenged in the area of empowerment. We will take the issue of the physically challenged very seriously in our incoming government and that is one of our agenda.

    “When we will do proper restructuring and federalism, local government will become very free and autonomous to get its revenue directly from the federation account without state interference for rapid grassroot development”

    State Chairman of PDP, Chief Dan Orbih urged the people not to be carried away with the sharing of N10, 000 by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

  • APC enraged over PDP’s N388m U.S. lobbying deal

    The  Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is spending about $1,080,000 (about N388million) on its ongoing lobbying in the United States, The Nation has learnt.

    The party is also polishing its image in the United Arab Emirates (UAE), the United Kingdom  and other parts of Europe, but the budget remains unknown.

    The U.S. lobbying is believed to have paved the way for the recent visit of the party’s presidential candidate, Alh. Atiku Abubakar, to Washington DC for talks with some congressmen and groups.

    Former Aviation Minister  Osita Chidoka, however, said the contract was designed to “promote free and fair elections”.

    Chidoka, who was part of Atiku’s delegation to the United States, said the agreement to hire a strategic consulting firm predated the emergence of the party’s presidential candidate.

    But the National Publicity Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Lanre Issa-Onilu, said the agreement had sinister motives.

    He said blowing N388million on such a venture was “a sign of the recklessness which PDP is noted for”.

    In the agreement between PDP and Ballard Partners, Inc. the party is expected to pay the firm $90,000 per month for 12 months.

    The lobbying is expected to run from September, 2018 to September 20, 2019.

    The agreement was signed by Chidoka (the PDP Special Advisor) and Brian D. Ballard (the President of Ballard Partners, Inc.).

    It reads in part: “This agreement shall become effective in September, 2018 and shall remain effective until September 20, 2019. This agreement shall automatically renew for successive one-year period on the anniversary of the effective date of the agreement unless either party terminates the agreement. Upon renewal, this agreement may be terminated within thirty (30) days written notice by either party.

    ”It shall be the Firm’s duty to consult with the Client and advocate on its behalf those issues the Client deems necessary and appropriate before the US Federal government.

    “Issues and objectives may include, but not be limited to enhancement of U.S. Nigerian relations, strengthening and advancing democratic values and the rule of law in Nigeria, with a special focus in the coming months on maintaining political and security conditions free of intimidation and interference in order to ensure the success and fairness of Nigeria’s national election for president in 2019.

    “It shall further be the Firm’s duty to inform the Client of developments in legislation and policy relevant to the Client’s issues and objectives.

    “It shall be the Client’s duty to provide the Firm the information necessary to best represent the Client. It shall also be the Client’s duty to timely compensate the Firm for its services.”

    The Nation stumbled on a document, which states the terms of the contract and its cost. The PDP will shell out at least $90,000 a month for 12 months.

    The document said: “The Firm shall receive from the Client $90 000 a month, payable in quarterly installments for this agreement, plus the reasonable cost associated with the representation, including but not limited to, necessary registration fees; and travel expenses such as hotel, air fare, car services and meals, excluding cost typically associated with the operation of an office such as overhead, staff, and equipment.

    “The fee shall be paid in quarterly installments of $270,000 with the first installment being due immediately upon execution of this agreement; second installment due on December 21st, 2018; third installment due on 21 March, 2019; fourth installment due on June 21, 2019; and continuing to be due on quarterly basis until the termination of the agreement. The Firm will bill costs quarterly.”

    A PDP source , who spoke in confidence, said:  “Nothing is secret, nothing is untoward in the agreement. The agreement predated the emergence of  Atiku.

    “The engagement of the firm was only about lobbying in the US because we want free and fair elections in February. The All Progressives Congress(APC) did the same thing in 2014.”

    Responding to a question, the source said: “The agreement has nothing to do with the issuance of visa to Atiku and his trip to the United States. We entered into the agreement on September 21, 2019 and we had our primaries on October 7, 2019.

    “As at the time we signed the strategic consulting contract, the PDP did not have any presidential aspirant in mind. We just wanted to be heard by the United States Government and its people.

    “It is not a function of anything to do with Atiku.”

    Asked of the motives behind the agreement, the source said there was nothing sinister.

    “How can anybody sign an agreement to destabilise this country. I don’t want us to keep looking stupid. Everything about the agreement was transparent.”

    When contacted, a former Minister of Aviation, Dr. Osita Chidoka, said: “The agreement was signed before the PDP primaries and it was for the purpose of promoting free and fair elections.”

    Reacting to the hiring of the consultant,  APC National Publicity Secretary Lanre Issa-Onilu said: “The PDP leaders have sinister motives but they cannot succeed. They are paying huge sums of money to engage consultants with the sole intention to deceive those abroad and Nigerians again into submitting our resources by coming back to power.

    “We thank God that all their efforts from the UAE to the UK, the USA and elsewhere in Europe have all ended in disastrous outcome.

    Read also: Minimum wage: TUC shifts battle to National Assembly

    “The free and fair poll is here in Nigeria, not in the US. So, they can deceive themselves but they cannot deceive Nigerians.

    “Spending N388million on public relations and lobbying is very reckless and a sign of recklessness which PDP is noted for. Everything about PDP and its leaders has been driven by recklessness. Their 16-year reign in government was a reckless enterprise. Nigerians should watch out, they are spendthrift.

    “We know the cash is part of the money stolen which this APC government is making efforts to retrieve from them. This is why they think President Buhari should not be re-elected.

    “The February 16 presidential poll is not about who will win; it is about which state will vote more for President Muhammadu Buhari because PDP has technically pulled out of the race.”

  • Onnoghen: Buhari destroying democracy – Secondus

    The National Chairman of the People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus has accused the Federal Government of orchestrating the destruction of the nation’s democracy.

    This, according to the party chair, was part of the “nefarious” agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) to rig the February presidential election.

    Secondus, who was reacting to the arraignment of the Justice Onnoghen before the Code of Conduct Tribunal, said the President and his team were arm twisting the Tribunal to force the CJN out of office.

    In a statement Wednesday by his media aide, Ike Abonyi, the PDP chair said the APC was afraid an independent judiciary will obstruct its rigging plan.

    He described calls by the government on the CJN to vacate his seat as provocative, saying it has left no one, including the global democracies, in doubt that indeed democratic rule has been suspended in Nigeria to pave way for dictatorship.

    “The blackmail, the frame up and the orchestration of fictitious figures in the CJN’s bank accounts by the government and their agents are all deliberate ploy to destroy the envious career of a man because of desperation for power

    “What they are trying to do is not only illegal but a recipe for anarchy and breakdown of rule of law and must be vehemently resisted,” the party chair said.

    Read Also: PDP, Secondus knock Buhari

    Secondus said it was very glaring that President Buhari and his ruling APC have concluded plans to plunge the country into a major crisis in frustration for their apparent inevitable rejection by Nigerians.

    He noted trying to force the head of an arm of government out of office without following the clearly laid down procedures amounted to breach of rules and an invitation to major national crisis.

    The party chair urged the CJN to disregard calls for his resignation and remain in office as the constitution guiding the operations of government is very clear on how he can be removed.

    “President Buhari’s inclination to non-democratic behavour is now apparent as he moves to muscle all other arms of government as well as ingredients of democracy”, he added.

    The main opposition party chairman directed all lovers of democracy and rule of law in the country to stand up to be countered, saying it’s now obvious that the APC administration is determined to wreck the nation’s democracy all because it’s being rejected by Nigerians.

    “The agenda is not hidden, which is to truncate democracy rather than face the Nigerian electorate,” Secondus said.

    “After the 2016 bizarre arrest and harassment of some Judges and Justices of the Supreme Court and the August 8, 2018 failed coup d’état on the National Assembly, including the sponsored theft of the Senate mace, added to the list, it’s now very clear that democratic norms have taken flight in the country under President Buhari,” he added.

    He regretted Buhari could bare his fangs on the judiciary as part of the intimidation agenda of the regime preparatory to the rigging of the 2019 presidential election.

  • PDP will revamp economy — Peter Obi

    The Vice-Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ), Mr Peter Obi, on Wednesday said the party would revamp the economy of the country and set it on the path of growth if returned to power.

    Obi made the statement in Ikeja while addressing traders during his visit to the popular Computer Village.

    The News Agency of Nigeria reports that the party’s governorship candidate in Lagos, Mr Jimi Agbaje, and his running mate, Mrs Haleemat Busari, along with other party faithful were with Obi on the visit.

    Obi claimed the challenges in the country’s economy were caused by the incompetence of the ruling All Progressives Congress(APC).

    He said the APC-led Federal Government lacked the capacity to create and grow businesses, hence the various issues bedevilling the economy.

    Obi said that the PDP would turn the economy around if elected, as the party had the experience and the people to do so.

    The PDP vice-presidential candidate said that he and Agbaje had run successful businesses and would bring their experience to bear in promoting businesses in the state and the country.

    “How can a man who does not have a shop aspire to be the chairman of the traders in the market?

    “I have always been a trader. You know that Jimi Agbaje too is a trader. So we understand your needs.

    “You know that the vice president helps to run the economy. With me, you have someone who understands business and understands your needs,” Obi said.

    The PDP vice presidential candidate described ICT as the future of the world, saying Nigeria’s exchange rate would regain health when the country becomes an exporter of computer technology.

    Also speaking, Agbaje alleged that the state government, through bottlenecks, recently discouraged Google from providing free wi-fi in all primary schools in the state.

    He said Google had to look in the ways of Ghana and Uganda when it could not implement its plan easily in the state.

    The candidate said if the plan had been implemented in the state, the Computer Village, being an ICT hub, would have benefitted.

    Read Also: I wish I could believe Peter Obi

    Agbaje said the APC state government had failed to provide incentives to harness the potential of ICT for development.

    He promised that if elected, his government would give the right support to ICT to propel development.

    The PDP candidate also promised to address what he called the problem of multiple tax regime in the state, to promote growth of businesses.

    NAN reports that Obi and Agbaje later visited the Ladipo Spare Parts Market in Mushin as well as markets in Festac Town.

    Speaking at Ladipo market, Agbaje said he would improve facilities at the market to ease business transactions.

    He said he would not shut the market as being threatened by the APC-led administration in the state.

    Agbaje said he would attend to all the needs of the traders and listen to their demands always.

    He said the refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari not to assent to the amended Electoral Act bill was not good for democracy.

    Speaking, the General Chairman of the Ladipo Auto Spare Parts Market, Mr Jude Nwankwo, urged the PDP and Agbaje to attend to their needs if elected, pledging the traders’ support for them.

  • PDP planning to attack our members in Kwara, APC alleges

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has raised the alarm over an alleged plot by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kwara State to unleash violence on its members before, during and after the presidential campaign rally on February 4 in the state capital.

    In a statement yesterday in Abuja, the nation’s capital, the party’s spokesman Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu saaid the PDP in Kwara State should know that the forthcoming elections in the state would not be won through the use of guns and thugs but through the thumbprints of the people.

    The statement reads: “The attention of the APC has been drawn to a sinister plan by the PDP in Kwara State to unleash violence on our teeming members and supporters before, during and after our party’s presidential campaign rally slated to hold in Ilorin on February 4.

    “Credible intelligence available to us also indicates that the sinking PDP is planning to orchestrate spurious charges against some of our members before some compromised courts in the state. In addition, we have it on good authority that meetings are being held with thugs, where decisions were taken to create chaos in the state any moment from now.

    “The orchestrated violence is aimed at instilling fear in the minds of our members and supporters from coming out en masse to honour President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of our party at the February 4 rally.

    “While we acknowledge the fact that the PDP is scared stiff of our party’s growing popularity among the good people of Kwara State and the impending doom that awaits it at the coming polls, we call on the leaders of PDP in Kwara State to rein in their hired thugs in the interest of peace and the people of the state.

    “For the purpose of emphasis, we would like to reiterate that the coming elections in the state would not be determined by guns, clubs and cudgels, but by the thumbprints of Kwarans, who have resolved to change the political narrative of the state from decadence and underdevelopment, as nurtured and fostered by the soon-to-expire Senator Bukola Saraki political dynasty, to one that promotes individual dignity and prosperity for all, which our party and its governorship candidate, Abdulrahman Abdulrazak represents.

    “We call on our members, supporters and, indeed, all good people of the state to go about their lawful duties and not be scared of welcoming our dear President on February 4, as security agencies have been put on alert to forestall any breakdown of law and order and molestation of people before, during and after the Presidential campaign rally.

    “We would wish to remind the PDP once again that no amount of scaremongering and dirty tactics it aims to deploy would stop its massive shell lacking at the polls. The obvious desire of Kwarans to change the political status quo in the state for the good of all and not for the benefit of a few retrogressive elements is now a movement aptly christened O To Ge (Enough is Enough), which is total and irreversible.

    “Finally, we urge APC members and supporters to keep the positive spirit that has characterised their conduct in this electioneering period alive, as the time for the rebirth of our dear state is at hand.”

     

     

  • ‘Why Buhari deserves second term’

     

    Former national woman leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Dr. Ramatu Aliyu spoke with some reporters in Lagos on why President Muhammadu Buhari deserves reelection and other issues. MUSA ODOSHIMOKHE was there. Excerpts:

    Can you share your experience from the 2018 National Convention of the APC in which you contested as national woman leader?

    It was a worthwhile experience. I have since put the negatives behind me and decided to focus on the positives. In spite of the challenges, the party came out of it alive and we are getting stronger by the day.

    It doesn’t have to be about me. You win some, you lose some. We have to play politics with maturity. No bitterness and that is how life should be.

    Why did you lose the election?

    There will always be theories for those who do not believe in the power of destiny. I have also heard other theories to the effect that I lost because my Governor was against my return. So how many theories will one react to?

    At the end of the day, my firm belief in the will of the Almighty allows me to be at peace with myself and by extension my party. I remain fully committed to the same goal of ensuring the success of President Muhammadu Buhari, especially with the elections around the corner.

    The concern now is how to put in more efforts for our President to re-emerge in the forthcoming election so that he can continue with the good works.  And we have been mobilising people, not just women before now and we are still going round to strategise.

     What is your assessment of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration in the last three and a half years?

    Very high. When you look at security, economy and anti-corruption which form the tripod upon which we ran a successful campaign in 2015 then you will see why I rate PMB’s government highly. Nobody is saying we are 100 percent, far from that.

    But success is not merely a function of how high you have gone, but also of how low you are coming from. This administration has pulled us out of recession, doused the insecurity in the country, confronted corruption in high and low places and has frontally embarked on a massive infrastructural rejuvenation across the country. We can do more, but already we have so much to be proud of

    Do you think the President stands a better chance ahead of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate Atiku Abubakar?

    Absolutely. With everything PMB has achieved in the past three and half years with even meager resources, a lot of Nigerians can see beyond the propaganda of the PDP. How would they return to power without disparaging the President?

    But we are not distracted by their desperation. PDP and its candidate have nothing to offer Nigeria beyond a return to the dark alleys of corruption and insecurity. Nigeria has moved on for good.

    What is your assessment of the inclusion of women in the present administration?

    I get this question a lot and my answer is generally not too dissimilar on each occasion. We can hardly ever have enough women in government to be honest. Under this APC administration we have women occupying key positions in the cabinet as well as other parastatals.

    READ ALSO: Look beyond 2019, Bakare tells Buhari, Atiku, others

    Of course we’ll keep asking for more but I am proud of the effort of the current government thus far. At least , I can boldly say more women are coming out with boldness , they are ready to serve, eager to make an impact.

    Considering the serious opposition mounted by Atiku, will it be different from what we had in 2015?

    The set circumstances which led to the ouster of a sitting government in 2015 are markedly different from what is obtainable today under this government.

    In 2015, Nigeria was for all intent and purpose in a limbo. Key indices like security, economy and infrastructure were all looking bleak. Nigerians had to come together to effect a change of government.

    Today most of these indices are looking better and things can only get better from here. So Nigerians have no need to go back to our “collective National vomit”.

    We are moving forward and thanks to President Muhammadu Buhari, a role model and a father figure to corrupt free minds.

    How will the APC fare in Kogi State despite the reported government under performance?

    Well, for starters we need to clarify the general elections in Kogi would not include the governorship elections and therefore, the President can be judged by Kogites on his own merit; which we generally agree is stellar.

    Kogites stand a chance to continue to benefit from the numerous interventions and programs of the APC led government like the N-power, Tradermoni, school feeding and bailout funds. So I urge all Kogites to rally behind APC in the overriding interest of our beloved state.

     

  • PDP urges Yakubu to resist pressure

    THE People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has restated its call on Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Chairman Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to resist pressure to rig the 2019 elections in favour of President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    At a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, PDP spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan urged the INEC chair to rise above the manifest compromises and conduct the elections in a transparent manner.

    The party said its misgivings about the neutrality of INEC were informed by a careful appraisal of comments by critical national and international stakeholders concerning the electoral body.

    The main opposition party observed that the entire nation was worried and that there was palpable fear among Nigerians as to whether the INEC chairman could indeed conduct free, fair, credible and transparent elections.

    The party observed that allegations were rife in the public space that the INEC Chairman was being compromised by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Buhari Presidency.

    It alleged offers of huge bribes of money, choice property within and outside Nigeria as well as juicy appointments to Prof. Yakubu’s relations, in return for the rigging of the elections in favour of the President and the APC. The party urged the INEC chair to resist any such pressure.

  • Southern Youths Leaders warns PDP against dragging Army into politics

    The Southern Youth Leaders Forum, which consists of leaders of various youth groups,  civil society groups, trade unions and voluntary youth organizations from the Seventeen Southern States has warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and it’s Presidential candidate,  Alhaji Atiku Abubakar against attempt at dragging the Nigerian Army into its ongoing war of words between itself and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).
    The group described as worrisome, a recent statement by the PDP and it’s Presidential candidate where they said the Nigerian Army lack power to deploy its troops,  for elections. While also amongst other things also calling on the Nigerian Military to reject orders from the President and Commander in Chief. The youth leaders said such statement by the PDP is a clear attempt, to drag the Nigeria military into the mucky water of politics.
    At a press conference in Lagos on Thursday, the group through its leaders, Comrade Oladimeji Odeyemi,  for the Southwest States, Engr, Dr Fidelis Nze (KSM) for the Southeast States and Barr John Atani for the Southsouth States, stated that PDP’s attack on the constitutional duty of the Army, is  aimed at unnecessarily heating up the polity and  instigating civil disturbances during the election.
    According to the Southern Youth leaders, , demanding that security be lessen at a crucial election such as the forthcoming one, is politics taken too far and quite mischievous, for a party, which for sixteen years used the military, to protect the citizens during elections in the country.
    The groups alleged that PDP only aim is to smear the reputation and integrity of the Army leadership in its choice of attack on the  Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Tukur Buratai. The unfortunate attacks on General Tukur Buratai by some unscrupulous politicians, is an attempt to undermine our nation’s military and security policies.

    Read Also:Protect your votes from ballot box snatchers- Lagos APC women leader

     

    The groups further advised Nigerians to be weary of the campaign of calumny by the PDP as the main intent is to promote insecurity and encourage violence, during the general elections, in other to criticize the result of the elections.

    The group also said it needs to remind Nigerians, that the Nigeria Army under the leadership of Lt. General  Tukur Buratai has catapulted professionalism to the point where its institutional ethos and mission has seen significant improvement in the last three years. Discerning Nigerians and every right thinking person on earth will at this point in time be able to compare  PDP agitation, to the reality on ground, in term of the performance of our military.
    The group urged Nigerians especially the youth to reject being used as instruments of violence, and to cooperate with the military, especially the Nigerian Army as it gives support to the Nigerian Police and other sister security agencies during the elections, in order to entrench peace and tranquillity throughout the electioneering process.