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Tag: PRESIDENCY

  • Buhari won’t change election results, says Presidency

    The Presidency has cautioned against a lot of the hate spewing, incitement to violence and the polarizing statements by so-called political leaders as a number of states brace up for supplementary elections prescribed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    It also rejected unfair and ridiculous criticisms of President Muhammadu Buhari’s apparent disinterest in the upcoming elections in some states by party members who wrongfully assume that the President will abuse power by changing results to favour them.

    A statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, also noted that some past Presidents of Nigeria were known to interfere in inconclusive elections.

    This, he said, was the reason why party members appeared to be upset that the same thing is not happening now.

    He added “But President Buhari is a different kind of leader. He swore to defend the constitution and will not veer off from that.

    “The constitution of Nigeria gives the President no such powers. It is unfair and ridiculous to criticise President Buhari for not going against the constitution.

    “Party members in states where there will be supplementary elections then need to be reminded that they need to work hard to earn their people’s votes, rather than expect President Buhari to manipulate INEC in their favour.

    “Interestingly, while members of the ruling APC party were criticising the President for not interfering on their behalf, members of the opposition were condemning the President based on their assumptions that he would definitely interfere, as many in the opposition did while in power.

    “Under President Buhari, INEC had been and will be completely independent throughout the elections, free from any interference.

    “President Buhari is a man of conviction, and the manipulation of election results goes against everything he stands for. INEC is completely in charge.” he stated

  • Buhari won’t interfere with choice of NASS leaders, says Presidency

    The Presidency has said that President Muhammadu Buhari will not interfere with the process of electing the next crop of leadership of the incoming National Assembly.

    Rather, the President will stick to the rule of law and the operative principle of separation of powers in the affairs of the National Assembly.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Affairs (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, who stated this at a media briefing in Abuja yesterday, said the President will give both arms of the federal legislature a free hand to elect their leaders.

    Enang’s position contradicts claims by some returning senators that President Buhari will have a hand in the choice of the principal officers in the Ninth Senate.

    The presidential aide maintained that Buhari will play neutral and allow the elected lawmakers to sort out their leadership tussle and allow the best candidates to emerge.

    Enang said: “The principle of President Muhammadu Buhari is that each arm of government should function according to what the constitution says, which is that every person in government should do the right thing.

    “He (Buhari) will not go beyond what the constitution allows him and every arm of government should stick to its constitutional responsibilities.”

    Enang appealed to the present crop of lawmakers to give priority to some pending bills, among which are the 2019 Appropriation Bill, the New Minimum Wage Bill, the Medium Terms Expenditure Framework and the budget of the various government agencies.

    “The budget of the 64 different federal government owned agencies are still pending before the national parliament.

    “Unless the budgets of the different agencies are considered and passed, we still have a lot to lose in terms of opportunities for employment in those ministries and some capital projects which would have increased government spending or the spending of the various agencies and parastatals.

    “The executive is ready with all the system to come in and defend the budget. We have, in advance, worked with the committee on appropriation to determine a time table for the defence of their budgets.

    “We have informed all the ministers, heads of departments, agencies and the ministries to be on the alert so that immediately the bill is committed to the committee on appropriation, we will upon invitation, appear before them”, he said.

  • PDP suffered greatest loss in fourth republic, says Presidency

    The Presidency on Thursday night said that the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has suffered the biggest Presidential election loss in the fourth republic.

    This was contained in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu.

    Since the loss, he said that PDP has been doing everything to destroy the country’s democracy.

    According to him, the PDP is deteriorating public discourse.

    Read also: PDP optimistic of success in supplementary polls

    He said “Since they suffered the biggest election loss in all presidential elections in the Fourth Republic, the People’s Democratic Party, PDP has been doing everything they can to damage the foundation of the country’s struggling democracy.

    “By rejecting them at the polls, Nigerians are saying that they are sick of their pessimistic and negative politics. PDP believe they must be in power as a birthright.

    “If they are not power, in the states or at the center, they will use all means to spread instability. In President Buhari, they have met their match.” he said

  • Saboteurs won’t lead Ninth National Assembly, says Presidency

    The Presidency yesterday disclosed that President Muhammadu Buhari and his government will not allow saboteurs to occupy the leadership position in the Ninth National Assembly.

    A senior aide to the President dropped the hint on condition of anonymity.

    According to the aide, the President will ensure that only persons selected by the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Working Committee (NWC) will be Senate President and other principal officers of both the Red and Green chambers.

    “Even as the President has no preferred candidates for the position of the principal officer of the parliament, he is ready and willing to support the decision of the leadership of the party in line with worked out zoning arrangements”, the aide said.

    He said the Presidency had never had it smooth with the relationship that existed between it and the leadership of the eight National Assembly and will, therefore, not fold its arms while another set of unfriendly characters take charge in the next dispensation.

    He said: “Be rest assured that the President will not micro-manage the process electing the National Assembly leadership but he will not allow the lawlessness that happened in 2015 to repeat itself.

    “The President will allow the decision of the party to remain supreme. Once the party zones the positions, he will give maximum support to it.

    “It is not like before, now, the decision of the party is supreme. You see what has happened to the two governors. In the past, this won’t have been possible.

    “What I can tell you is that the President doesn’t have any preferred candidates.”

    At the beginning of the Eighth parliament, Senate President Bukola Saraki and house of Representatives Speaker Yakubu Dogara, emerged against the arrangement of the APC leadership.

  • Osinbajo to Ogun people: Come out to vote, ignore threats of mayhem

    Vice President Yemi Osinbajo on Wednesday revealed that the Presidency had received security report that some people in position of authority in Ogun state were threatening fire and brimstone during and after the Governorship and State House of Assembly elections scheduled for March 9 in the state.

    Osinbajo, however, urged the people to discountenance such threats, saying it is only the Federal government that is saddled with the exclusive preserve to provide security for the protection of lives and property.

    The Vice -President who addressed thousands of traders at Kuto, Itoku, Lafenwa and Panseke markets – all in Abeokuta, separately in a mega rally for APC,  further assured that nobody would be able to breach the peace or cause problem as there are adequate security arrangement to ensure the safety of everybody.

    Osinbajo urged the traders to come out en masse to cast their ballots for the All Progressives Congress Governorship candidate in the state, Prince Dapo Abiodun.

    “We will do all humanly possible within the ambit of the law to provide adequate security for all and sundry on and after the coming Governorship and State House of Assembly elections in the state.

    So, don’t panic as we are up to the task ahead.

    “The coming Governorship election in Ogun state is very crucial and we should all come out and vote.

    “And you are to cast your votes for Prince Dapo Abiodun as the Ogun state governor. Also, vote for all House of Assembly candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the election.

    “By and large, ensure your votes are counted in your presence before you leave the polling booths.

    Don’t let us turn our back at the APC, because it is the only party that can take us to the next level. And we should not cast our votes for any other party than the APC,” Osinbajo advised.

    Similarly, former governor and leader of the party, Aremo Olusegun Osoba, enjoined the people to cast their votes for Abiodun as the next governor.

    Osoba said the Vice-President who represented the President for the rally, brought good tidings for the state to express appreciation for the electoral victory of the President Muhammadu Buhari/Osinbajo joint ticket in the Saturday, February 23, 2019 polls.

    Also, Dapo  Abiodun who was flanked by his running mate, Engr. Noimot Salako-Oyedele and the Lagos West Senator, Solomon Adeola, appealed to the people to support him to emerge victorious on Saturday.

    “We won’t promise what we would not do. But with your support during the polls, victory is sure for us in the APC.

    “Come out and cast your votes for the APC. Your votes are to make Ogun state greater,”  Abiodun said.

  • PDP, Presidency clash over Buhari’s directive

    THE Presidency yesterday joined issues with the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the opposition party’s position on ballot box snatchers.

    At the PDP National Executive Council (NEC), its presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar and National Chairman Uche Secondus urged the military and other security agencies not to obey presidential order asking them to deal ruthlessly with ballot box snatchers.

    But the Special Assistant to the President on Media & Publicity, Garba Shehu, said President Buhari’s remark on ballot snatchers had unsettled the PDP.

    The party chieftains described the order as unlawful and insisted that there are enough provisions in the nation’s laws for the prosecution of ballot box snatchers.

    Speaking at a national caucus meeting of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Abuja on Monday, President Buhari had said: “Anybody who decides to snatch boxes or lead thugs to disrupt the election, may be that would be the last unlawful action you would take. “I have given the military and police the order to be ruthless. I am going to warn anybody who thinks he would lead a body of thugs in his locality to snatch boxes or to disturb the voting system; he would do it at the expense of his/her own life”.

    Atiku and Secondus cautioned the President.

    The PDP presidential candidate said: “It’s shocking for any head of state to utter such words in a democracy and that Nigerians should not accept it from President Buhari.”

    He accused the President of failing to uphold the rule of law, describing the suspension of Justice Walter Onnoghen as the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN) as unconstitutional.

    Atiku said: “When you people are talking about democracy, I have always said that Gen. Muhammadu Buhari is not a democrat, he has never been a democrat. We started the fight to drive the military, he was never there; he never participated. You can see that he just wore the garb of democracy so that he can come back to power.”

    According to him, Nigerians should be allowed to elect the candidate of their choice, saying: “You owe it to the people to let them give their verdict in the same way that you were elected.

    “If you do so and if you win, then the people will commend you for it. Otherwise, history will condemn you for it.”

    Secondus carpeted the President for making such remark.

    He said: “By that directive, ordering soldiers to kill our citizens without recourse to the law and with impunity, the President has unwittingly given license to APC leaders to carry military personnel on Saturday.

    “The agenda of that directive is clear; to scare away voters and agents, that we have directed to defend their votes, so as to give way to a military-protected political thugs to come into the polling booths, and implement their result replacement strategy.”

    Secondus said the President ought to have signed the amended Electoral Act Bill to demonstrate his commitment to free and free elections.

    The party chair insisted on non-deployment of military or paramilitary units to electoral duties, as, according to him, elections are civil activities, which the police are best trained to handle.

    He also sought assurances from the Federal Government that all communication assets – fixed and mobile, including the Internet, will not be interrupted or compromised during the elections.

    The party chair similarly urged adherence to steps taken by the government to safeguard the conduct of the elections, including restriction of movements and closure of the nation’s borders with the Republics of Chad and Niger.

    The meeting, which lasted several hours, was attended by PDP stakeholders, including governors, federal lawmakers, former cabinet ministers and members of the Board of Trustees.

  • Presidency expresses worry over crisis of youth bulge

    The Presidency yesterday expressed concerned over the impending crisis of youth bulge, saying the challenge should not be left to the military and security agencies alone.

    According to the Presidency, kidnapping for ransoms, armed robbery, insurgency and terrorism have in recent times dominated national security discourses due to the large number of youths involved in crimes and criminality.

    National Security Adviser (NSA) to President Muhammadu Buhari Major General Babagana Monguno (retd) made the remarks at the National Defence College, Abuja,  during a national security seminar with the theme: “Youth bulge in Nigeria: Implications for national security.”

    The seminar was organised by the Alumni Association of the National Defence College (AANDEC) in collaboration with the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) and the National Defence College, Abuja.

    Monguno said the youth in various countries are rapidly increasing in population and most of them who are unemployed have become willing hands to be used by criminal groups to perpetrate crimes.

    The NSA, who was represented by Director, Counter Terrorism Desk in the ONSA, Rear Admiral Y.E.M. Musa, noted that “the increasing rate of criminality and involvement of the youth has been a major concern to security planners”.

    “This is more so that the solution does not lie solely with the military. Everyone has a role to play towards gainfully engaging the youth beyond seeking white collar jobs. The private sector, civil society, youth leadership and entrepreneurial developers as well as philanthropists would need to take ownership of the solution to the challenges posed by increasing youth numbers.

     

  • CCT Chairman truly answerable only to Presidency, says NBA

    •Lawyers plead with Fed Govt to stop Onnoghen’s CCT trial •Appeal Court fails to hear suspended CJN’s appeals

    THE Nigerian Bar Association (NBA) said yesterday that it agreed with the argument by the Chairman of the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT), Danladi Umar, that he and his tribunal were not answerable to the Judiciary, but the Presidency.

    NBA, in a statement issued by its President, Paul Usoro (SAN), said Umar was correct in that argument, but contended that the fact that the CCT was under the control of the Executive informs the urgent need to discontinue charge of breach of code of conduct pending against the suspended Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Walter Onnoghen before the CCT.

    It said: “The Chairman of the CCT, Hon. Danladi Umar, in his response to a  petition that was written against him and which was forwarded to him by the  Federal Judicial Service Commission (FJSC) states emphatically that he and his tribunal are answerable and report only to the Presidency, by law and practice. He is absolutely correct.

    “An insistence, in the circumstance, on the CJN, the head of an independent arm of the FGN, standing trial before a tribunal that is under the Presidency and is answerable only to the Presidency, mocks the concept of and completely erodes the independence of the judiciary and the constitutional separation that should exist between the three arms of the FGN.

    “It is precisely for this reason that our constitution  created the NJC and we are pleased that the FGN has warmed up to the utilisation of that due process, as illustrated by the submission of the EFCC petition to the council.”

    NBA’s new intervention is coming a day before the resumption of proceedings in the case before the CCT.

    The CCT Chairman had, at the last proceedings on February 4, this year, insisted that Onnoghen must appear before the tribunal in person before any further businesses could be conducted in the charge pending against him (Onnoghen).

    Umar gave the directive shortly before agreeing to the request by parties for adjournment to February 13.

    He said: “Under the Administration of Criminal Justice Act (ACJA), a defendant, who is served with a charge and represented by lawyers, must take his plea before raising any objection.

    “The defendant has continued to stay away from this tribunal. I am going to grant this adjournment at the instance of the prosecution and defence, but must state that the defendant must attend court at the next adjourned date so that all the issues would be resolved in his presence.”

    Also yesterday, the Court of Appeal in Abuja failed to hear the three appeals filed by suspended CJN.

    The appellate court had in late January adjourned on February 12, 2019 for the hearing of the appeals

    But, when lawyers to parties got to court yesterday, the court could not form quorum (of three justices) for the purpose of hearing the appeals.

    Parties were told to await information, on a later date, on when the hearing is to be rescheduled.

    The appeals are against the decisions of the Code of Conduct to assume jurisdiction over the charge pending against Onnoghen and the ex-parte injunction granted by the CCT, and on which President Muhammadu Buhari acted to suspend Onnoghen.

     

  • 2019 polls: FG will cooperate with international observers, Says Presidency

    …Says El-Rufa’i gave adequate clarifications on foreign interference 
    The Presidency on Wednesday night said that the Federal Government under President Muhammadu Buhari would cooperate with election observers and would not let the international community down in the conduct of the coming elections.
    It also assured Nigerians and the international community that the President would do everything within his power to ensure free, fair and credible elections in the country.
    This was contained in a statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu.
    According to him, statement by Kaduna State Governor, Nasir el-Rufai over opposition’s call for foreign interference in Nigeria’s domestic affairs, has properly tackled the issue.
    He said “We have taken note of the clarification to a reported earlier statement by the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufa’i concerning opposition call for foreign interference in our domestic affairs and to say that latest statement by him should rest the issue for good.

    Read also: Gang-up against Buhari won’t stand, says Presidency

    “There is nothing more to sneeze at. The Governor spoke strongly in defense of national interest. It is clear that El-Rufa’i, our party the APC and all its candidates have reposed their faith in democracy through general elections.
    “They are all of the view that there is no place for violence against local people or foreign citizens in our midst.
    “Opposition PDP ought to own up to the mistakes of their own policies for 16 years which have led the country to a sorry pass that has cost lives, jobs and growth instead of dwelling on diversionary issues.” he stated

  • Presidency: governor crying wolf where none exists

    The Presidency has carpeted Rivers State Governor Nyesom for making unsubstantiated allegations in a bid to give the Federal Government a bad name.

    It accused the governor crying wolf where there is none in his fresh allegation against the President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration.

    Wike had raised the alarm that the Buhari’s government has marked 200 judges for intimidation and false allegations.

    Speaking with The Nation on telephone, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, said that the allegation was false.

    He said: “If it is coming from Wike, it is no surprise because he likes to cry wolves where there is none.”