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Tag: Peoples Democratic Party

  • Makarfi blames collusion for killings in Nigeria

    A former caretaker committee chairman of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ahmed Makarfi has blamed the incessant killings and banditry in the country on criminal collusion by some persons and government agencies.

    Markarfi, who stated this in Abuja on Thursday when he came to return his presidential nomination documents, added that as long as the collusion continued, it would be difficult to stop the killings.

    The former Kaduna State governor is one of the 13 aspirants jostling for the presidential ticket of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    The aspirant said if elected, he would establish a viable education trust fund, strengthen the private sector, unbundle the power chain, restructure the country and ensure that the country enjoyed peace and security once again.

    Makarfi said, “Nigeria need to be secure, there is too much bloodletting in this country today. We must restore sanity and stop these killings.

    “It is not possible for these killings to be going on, without one collusion or the other. The collusion can be from anybody, but there is no way these things are going on that there is not one collusion or the other.

    Read Also: I am confident of picking PDP’s ticket – Makarfi

    “If I happen to be nominated and elected, I have the history of having restored peace in Kaduna. It will also be replicated in the length and breadth of Nigeria. This is not theory, but practical because I have done it before”.

    Bemoaning the high number of out-of-school children in the country, the politician said if given the chance, he would implement economic and welfarist policies.

    He said, “I have spoken on the policy that our children must never quit school because of financial difficulties. So we must introduce students soft loan, where students facing financial difficulties can borrow and they will only pay back when they are permanently gainfully employed.

    “This will force the government to create job opportunities for our teeming youths so they can get the money refunded.

    “I have also spoken on power generation. We are running a unitary system, where whatever is generated is domiciled in one place and then redistributed. When you are generating you lose power, when you are distributing you lose power, anything that happens at any point the whole country goes into darkness, this must stop.

    “We will explore God given natural resources to satisfy any area of Nigeria with uninterrupted power supply. We must do so and we will do so under my leadership, so that within a short period of time the entire Nigeria can have power 24 hours.

    “Employment opportunities for our teeming youth must be created if we are to keep this country secure. The way we give stipends to our youths is not the way. We need to create good job opportunities that can retrain the middle class and redistribute wealth, not by giving stipends.

    “We need to also promote the private sector because there are too many regulations that do not go well with Small and Medium enterprises and large scale businesses.

    “We shall streamline regulations so that businesses can thrive and expand. And when they thrive and expand, they will be able to employ more. And when they employed more the country will be at peace. They will also make more profit and it means more taxes for the country. So it is a win win situation”.

    Similarly, Senator Abdul Ningi was also at the PDP secretariat to return his nomination form for the governorship contest in Bauchi State.

    Having been a member of the two chambers of the federal legislature for 16 years at different times, Ningi said he had garnered the required experience for govern Bauchi State.

    Said h, “I have not seen any government in the past that has acquired more experience than myself.

    “Bauchi has become like a cursed state in the last three years and if things continue to be the way they are in the next couple of years, I don’t know how we are going to describe Bauchi.

    “I see this as my obligation and my resolve to ensure that Bauchi story changes. I want to add value to the state and make sure it becomes one of the front line states in terms of development.

    “The story is that of unemployment, youth restiveness inability to provide basic education needs, among other challenges. Look at the Nigerian template in WAEC and JAMB and you will see that we are all below average. That is not a good story to tell”.

    Also on hand to submit his nomination form was Alhaji Ibrahim Ajia who is vying for the party’s ticket for the governorship election in Kwara State.

    A former senator, Patricia Akwashiki also came to return her nomination documents for the Nasarawa State governorship election.

  • Market men and women buy nomination form for Niger governor

    Market men and women from across all the local government councils in Niger state on Friday besieged the national Secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to purchase a N22.5 million nominations and expression of interest form for Niger state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello.

    Coming under the auspices of the Niger state Market Men and Women Association, the Group said they decided to buy the nomination form for the Governor because of their conviction that his tenure has brought lot of blessings to the people of the state.

    Spokesman of the traders, Alhaji Ahmed Salihu told newsmen those traders in the state camp together to contribute money to purchase the firm, stressing that they were heading back to minna to present it to the governor as a surprise gift.

    He said “In the history of Niger state, this is the first time that Market Association decided to buy the nomination and expression of interest forms for the present governor of Niger State, Abubakar Sadiq Sani Bello.

    “We are doing this because the governor has achieved a lot not only for market people but to the entire Niger people. Talking about the market people, for the first time the governor fixed all the roads in the market.

    “He provided three 500 KVA transformer to the market. He did this because he wants to discourage the use of small power generating sets in the market in order to avoid fire disaster.

    “So because of his achievements, the market people decided to come together to do this for him. We are here on his behalf without even his knowledge. After here we are going back to the state present it to the governor as a big surprise.

    Read Also: ‘Why Nigerians can’t trust Mark as president’

    “If the market association has a chance, it would have first purchased the form for President Muhammadu Buhari for what he has done.”

    Salihu disclosed that improvement in market activities in the State has helped improve the Internally generated revenue in the state, saying Under the governor’s administration, the state IGR has improved just as commercial activities have risen”

    Also on Friday, 12 members of the Sokoto state House of Assembly who refused to join former Speaker of the house of representatives, Aminu Tambuwal to defect to the main opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) were also at the secretariat to buy a nomination form for one of them, Faruok Malami Yabo.

    Leader of the delegation, Sani Alhaji Yakubu told newsmen that they are ready to take over the government from the current PDP government led by Aminu Tambuwal.

    While insisting that the APC will take over power from the PDP in the State during 2019 general elections, Yakubu said “As you can see, we have all contributed a total sum of 22 million, 500 thousand to obtain form for Honourable Yabo

    “We decided to contribute our hard-earned salaries to the gentleman because we found it very imperative,” he said.

     

  • PDP faults purchase of nomination forms for Buhari

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged a shadowy group was used as a front to purchase the N45 million presidential nomination form of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election.

    Describing the development as a “worn-out stunt, smacking of fraud”, the PDP said it has the potential of worsening the image of the President.

    In a statement on Thursday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, the party said President Buhari can no longer play the “pro-poor gimmick” which his followers have always presented to Nigerians.

    The statement said, “Already, our people are daily confronted by the flaunting of affluence and material wealth by the President and those around him, while betraying and abandoning millions of poor Nigerians who, unfortunately, put their trust in him in 2015.

    “Nigerians are aware that the very expensive personal effects, including posh jewelries daily paraded by his close relatives betrayed the gimmick of using an unregistered group, pieced together to execute  another failed pro-poor stunt to sway Nigerians.

    Read Also: Buhari not power drunk, says presidency

    “Moreover, the PDP urges the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to note that the purchase of the N45 million form by the group directly violates section 91 (9) of the Electoral Act which provides that  “no individual or other entity shall donate more than One million naira (#1,000,000) to any candidate.”

    “Since President Buhari has not publicly disowned the purchase of the form by the group, the PDP charges INEC to, within the next 24 hours, hold him culpable and make him to face the appropriate sanctions for the violation of electoral laws.

    “Finally, it is unfortunate that President Buhari and his handlers, in their desperation to hang on to power, even when they have been rejected, have reduced themselves to objects of public ridicule with their many bloopers ahead of the 2019 general elections”.

     

     

  • APC chieftain faults Wike on choice of governorship candidate

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Chief Eze Chukwuemeka Eze, has faulted the destructive criticisms by Governor Nyesom Wike of the endorsement of Pastor Tonye Cole as the governorship candidate of APC in Rivers.

    Eze, on Thursday in Port Harcourt, described as most unfortunate, satanic, diabolical, malicious, devious, sad and unacceptable, the remarks of Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Rivers governor, while speaking with reporters in Government House, Port Harcourt on Wednesday, said: “For the APC to even think of bringing up anybody against me in this state to challenge whether I have done something or not, then you know that something is fundamentally wrong.

    “What has the Federal Government done for the APC in Rivers State? What has Rivers APC achieved? Mention one thing. Is it in terms of the roads, the airport or seaports?”

    The APC chieftain, however, maintained the Wike was a disaster, as far as governance in Rivers state was concerned.

    Read Also: ‘Why riverine person will succeed Wike in 2019’

    He said: “This is a man who forced himself on the people of Rivers State through spilling the blood of hundreds of the people of Rivers State. This is a man who supervised the ceding of some oil wells that belong to Rivers State to Bayelsa State. This is a man who institutionalised insecurity as a way of governance.

    “This is a man who has governed Rivers State against the constitution, without making public the budgets of the state since 2015. This is a man who has refused to account for what he has used over N900 billion that accrued to the state for, since he assumed office these past three years.

    “Wike lacks the capacity to govern a sophisticated state like Rivers, as he has only succeeded in making the state a laughing stock among other states in Nigeria.

    “The only major achievements of the Wike’s administration, apart from inaugurating projects earlier completed by his predecessor, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi (now Transportation Minister), are to withdraw our students studying on scholarship outside the country and decimated all the educational and agricultural facilities set up by the government of Amaechi.”

    Eze also stated that Rivers APC needed not to campaign vigorously this time round, based on Wike’s maladministration, thereby turning himself into the chief campaigner of the main opposition party (APC).

    He said: “Let me, as Wike’s good friend and brother, counsel him to concentrate more on his hand-over note, as the coming of Pastor Tonye Cole to rescue Rivers State from his maladministration is not only divine, but timely.

    “Cole, a renowned Pastor of the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG), coming at this point is answer to the prayers of various churches and groups in Rivers State, that a child of God will govern Rivers State in 2019.”

    The APC chieftain also described as untrue, Wike’s allegation that Amaechi failed Rivers people by refusing to attract development projects to the Niger Delta state.

    Eze revealed that Rivers governor denied the Federal Government land to enable it to construct an Industrial Park that would revolutionise the state, just to spite Amaechi, making the Muhammadu Buhari’s administration to buy 10,000 acres of land for the project in Rivers.

  • Defection report: PDP acting as comic relief, says APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has described claims by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) that six APC Governors and 27 lawmakers were planning to join them as a big comic relief ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Acting National Publicity Secretary of the party, Yekini Nabena said in a statement that while PDP was hallucinates on APC members’ defection to the PDP, the APC is consolidating to go into the 2019 General Elections as a smarter, more united and stronger political fighting force.

    Nabena informed the main opposition party that Nigerians have since rejected them and what they stand for which include corruption, Waste, greed among others.

    The statement reads “With the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) claim that six All Progressives Congress (APC) Governors and twenty-seven National Assembly members have ‘concluded discussions’ to join the PDP, it is now clear that the PDP has assumed the role of comic relief ahead of the 2019 General Elections.

    Read Also: Saraki’s presidential aspiration a joke, says APC

    “Nigerians have rejected the PDP and all that it represents – corruption, impunity, waste, greed. Hence, in the face of imminent 2019 defeat, the PDP has chosen to hide behind lies and false realities to save face.

    “While the PDP hallucinates on APC members’ defection to the PDP, the APC is consolidating to go into the 2019 General Elections as a smarter, more united and stronger political fighting force.

    “While the PDP wallows it its cooked up tales on the state of the nation, the President Muhammadu Buhari administration-led APC administration is focused on bettering the lives of Nigerians, addressing infrastructure needs, revamping the economy, restoring our rank in the comity of progressive nations, confronting the challenges we face as a nation and generally repositioning the country in line with the Change Agenda promised Nigerians.”

  • Edo r-APC members join PDP

    Members of the reformed All Progressives Congress (r-APC) in Edo State have defected to the People’s Democratic Party.

    Many of the Edo r-APC defectors were supporters of Kwankwassyia movement in the state.

    They adorned the famous red cap of the movement as they marched through the streets of Bénin City to the state secretariat of the PDP.

    The defectors were former members of the PDP who joined the now defunct ruling ACN in 2012 during the administration of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

    They described their return as home coming.

    Read Also:Abductors of Edo APC chieftain demand N20m ransom

    Chief Osamede Adun, the Aiyobahan of Bénin Kingdom, who led the defectors, said he has remained with the PDP in soul even though he was a member of the APC.

    Adun said he was first forced to leave the PDP because the threat to his business interest by the state government.

    He however said he was not worried if more taxes were imposed on him because he and his supporters are determined to rout out the APC.

    Chief Adun promised that his supporters would not contest any position in the forth coming elections but that they hoped their demands would be met when it’s time for sharing after electoral victory.

    State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, who gave the party’s membership cards to the defectors, said the Edo APC led by Godwin Obaseki is now experiencing ‘political Ebola.’

    Chief Orbih condemned what he termed frequent overseas trip by Governor Obaseki saying the solutions to the state problems were not in abroad.

    Orbih urged Governor Obaseki to remain at home instead of traveling to different parts of the world to find solutions to problems in the state.

    He said the defections were a sign that the Edo APC is weak and has failed to deliver on electoral promises.

    He accused Governor Obaseki of abandoning Edo people and bringing people that are unknown to Edo politics to dominate affairs of the state.

    Special Adviser to Governor Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, could not be reached for comments.

     

  • ‘Why riverine person will succeed Wike in 2019’

    A governorship aspirant on the platform of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Rivers State, Soalabo West, has stated that a riverine person will succeed Governor Nyesom Wike on May 29 next year, in order to make the Niger Delta state great again.

    West, an energy and maritime lawyer from the Kalabari (riverine) part of Rivers state, stressed that he was not bothered about last week’s declaration by Wike of PDP, who is from the upland part of the state, to seek reelection in 2019.

    The governorship aspirant, on Monday in an interactive session with reporters in Port Harcourt, expressed optimism of emerging victorious at the primary election of the PDP.

    He said: “The argument in 2015 was that Rivers was a PDP state and the people of the state needed to wrest the leadership of the state from the All Progressives Congress (APC), the party which the then incumbent governor, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, defected to in 2013.

    Read Also: Senator urges Wike to build on inherited projects

    “Governorship aspirants from the riverine ethnic nationalities were asked in 2015 to work with Wike, not because the upland/riverine dichotomy was not there, but essentially because of imperatives of the time, especially that Rivers State should go to the PDP and that the state should be properly mobilised to deliver majority votes to the then President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 presidential election.”

    West also stated that his governorship aspiration was propelled by the desire to bring to the fore vision, youthful vigour, a pragmatic and dynamic approach to the development of Rivers State, devoid of political bickering and sectarian exclusiveness that were currently being institutionalised.

    The PDP governorship aspirant pleaded with the youths and other stakeholders to do away with violence and thuggery, in order to have peaceful, free, fair and credible primaries and general elections.

  • Crisis rocks PDP over automatic tickets for N/Assembly members

    Alleged offer of automatic tickets to serving members of the two chambers of the National Assembly for the 2019 elections, has sparked crisis between the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the party’s intending aspirants across the states.

    The protesters, who stormed the party’s Abuja secretariat on Monday, demanded a level play field for all aspirants through free, fair and transparent primary elections across the states.

    One of the protesting groups from Kogi State said offering automatic tickets to the lawmakers was in clear violation of the Electoral Act, the PDP constitution and the party’s guidelines.

    In an address read by Dr. Halimat Hamzat on behalf of the group, the aspirants insisted that they must be given equal opportunity to be voted for, either through delegates election or direct primaries.

    Dr. Hamzat said the party’s plot offer automatic tickets to the lawmakers was uncovered last week when an aspirant for the  House of Representatives visited the Abuja home of one of the party’s leaders, where he met a serving PDP senator.

    According to Hamzat, the senator was said to have told the aspirant that tickets for all the National Assembly positions had already been allocated to serving members of the Senate and House of Representatives.

    Read Also: Restructuring: Only N/Assembly has the power – Dogara

    “As if that was not enough, Senator Dino Melaye met with all the members of the seven local governments in Kogi West on Friday and boasted that the issue of senatorial ticket had been settled by the highest organs of the party.

    “Melaye also told them that PDP’s senatorial ticket for Kogi West had already been given to him, even as someone who recently defected to the PDP. This is in total disregard for the interests, eligibility and qualification of other aspirants”, Dr. Hamzat said.

    The group expressed reservations about the possibility of the party leadership conducting free, fair and transparent primaries into the available senatorial and House of Representatives seats.

    The aggrieved aspirants reminded the national chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus of his often repeated pledge to do away with impunity and imposition of candidates for elections.

    Although none of the national officers of the PDP was ready to speak on the matter yesterday, it was however gathered that offer of automatic tickets was one of the concessions the party made to serving lawmakers that recently defected to the PDP.

    But the aspirants cautioned against the move, urging the party against manipulation of the nomination process to avoid what they described as a looming fragmentation of the PDP across the states.

    “We the aspirants for legislative seats in the National Assembly on the platform of the PDP shall collectively and wholeheartedly work for the interest of the party and any candidate duly nominated through transparent primary election.

    “But should the party proceed with its pre-determined or manipulated primary elections to nominate any candidate, an implosion that would be inimical to the interest of the party might occur”, the aspirants vowed.

  • 200 APC members defect to PDP in Edo

    About 200 members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have defected to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party at Ogbonna in Estako Central local government area.

    The defectors were led by a former Chairman of the APC in the locality, Dr. Peter Itabor Amarekhamhe.

    Dr. Itabor said they left the APC because several promises of the party were not fulfilled.

    Itabor stated that youths and women in the area have not benefitted from any of the empowerment packages of the federal government.

    Read Also: Edo APC dismisses non-performance allegation

    He promised to work for the victory of the PDP in the locality.

    State Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih, who received the defectors said the PDP would defeat Comrade Adams Oshiomhole in Edo North in next year’s general election.

    Chief Orbih said the defectors were disappointed with the harsh economic conditions and insecurity in the country.

    Orbih promised to provide a level playing field for the defectors.

     

  • Ruling party chides PDP

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said the attack on its decision to adopt direct primary to select its Presidential candidate by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is a clear sign that the opposition had conceded defeat in the yet to be conducted Presidential election.

    Party spokesman Yekini Nabena said the party decided to adopt direct primaries because of its belief that it will ensure fairness; create a level-playing ground for contestants; eliminates corrupt tendencies usually associated with the delegates system and ensure full and direct participation of party members at all levels in the election of party candidates.

    The party said it was “amused by the interest the PDP has in the mode of election the APC chooses to adopt for Primaries to elect candidates for the 2019 elections.

    “With over 13 million registered APC members coupled with a large section of nonpartisan Nigerian electorate supporting the President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC administration, it would seem that the PDP, on account of its attack of APC’s adoption of Direct primaries particularly to elect its presidential candidate, has already conceded defeat even before the 2019 elections.

    “We quite understand that the revolutionary and progressive idea of direct primaries to elect party candidates is strange to the PDP, a party known for its inability to ensure internal party democracy and actively promotes imposition of candidates against the will of its members.

    “The APC is a Progressive Party and will continue to implement the Change Agenda promised to Nigerians. We urge Nigerians to continue their support as the President continues to rebuild and reposition the country.”