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Tag: Tambuwal

  • Ultimatum from ex-PDP chiefs: Buhari’s men await next move from Saraki, Tambuwal, others

    Strategists of President Muhammadu Buhari are awaiting the next line of action from leaders of the defunct New Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), following an ultimatum the latter issued to the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for a meeting.

    In a four-page letter the defunct nPDP leaders addressed to the National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, dated April 27, 2018, they alleged that their members had been relegated to the background in the APC in spite of their contributions to the success of the party.

    But despite the seven-day ultimatum, the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Odigie-Oyegun and members of the National Working Committee (NWC) are yet to meet on the protest letter.

    There were indications that the party leadership was tactically awaiting the return of President Muhammadu Buhari, the leader of the party, before taking a decision.

    But some Buhari’s strategists who spoke with our correspondent last night said they were not “losing sleep” over the ultimatum, adding that it was anticipated and they had guarded against it.

    They are only awaiting the next step of the nPDP leaders after the expiration of the seven-day ultimatum for counter-response.

    Investigation conducted by our correspondent revealed that the party is overwhelmed with activities, including the governorship primary in Ekiti State, the conduct of local government congresses, state congresses and the forthcoming national convention.

    It was learnt that managing the aftermath of the Ward Congresses in some states had been herculean for the party which is trying to ensure peace and reconciliation among its members.

    A member of the NWC said the leadership of the party might not discuss and respond to the nPDP letter in isolation.

    “Apart from being busy, the issues raised in the letter are weighty and all other organs might have to be involved,” the source said.

    Another party source, however, said: “The party appears to be tactically awaiting the return of the President because most of the issues raised border on the disposition of the Presidency.

    “You cannot get a letter and go to town with a response without hearing from the other side. With feedback from the President, the party will be in a good stead to lay the cards on the table.

    “Even on the eve of the President’s departure to the United Kingdom, he had audience with some of the key leaders of nPDP who joined hands to form the APC coalition.

    “No one knew whether or not the April 27 letter came up for discussion.”

    When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mr. Bolaji Abdullahi, simply said: “The party has not had the opportunity to discuss the letter.”

    A source in Buhari’s camp, who spoke in confidence, said: “We are not losing sleep over the ultimatum, because we know their ultimate target is exit from APC. We had anticipated it long time ago and we have our plans on how to curtail them.

    “The letter was just the first stage of a pre-planned agenda to embarrass APC and President Buhari.

    “They have lined up more activities before they finally defect. We got all the intelligence report long before hand.

    “On the alleged side-lining of the nPDP members, we will respond with appropriate statistics at the right time. The letter was misleading and inaccurate.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “Unlike in 2014, the political dynamics are different this time around because Buhari is a covert strategist.”

    A leader of the nPDP said: “We cannot talk of the next step now until Buhari comes back to the country. We want his reaction to our notes too.

    “His body language will determine our next move, which is being jealously kept.”

    The nPDP leaders lodged their protest in a letter dated April 27, 2018 which was delivered to the APC National Secretariat in Abuja yesterday.

    The letter was signed by a former National Chairman (nPDP), Alh. Abubakar Kawu Baraje and ex- National Secretary (nPDP) Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola.

    Those copied include President Buhari and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

    In the said letter, they listed seven grievances on why the coalition which led to the birth of APC was not working.

    They include lack of concession of any position to nPDP in power sharing; no significant patronage and appointments to executive positions in various government agencies; fewer appointments of nPDP members into boards of various government agencies; opposition to the emergence of the President of the Senate and the Speaker of the House of Representatives; general lack of consultation, non-recognition and even persecution of former New PDP members and leaders; and harassment, intimidation and persecution of former New PDP leaders by the government.

  • Between Buhari, Saraki and Tambuwal

    Last week, Uche Secondus, National Chairman of PDP currently defending his honour in court following the listing of his name as one of Federal Government identified alleged looters, inaugurated a committee to woo back and groom former PDP stalwarts such as Saraki, Dogara and Tambuwa, for 2019 as “a part of a strategy to ensure “the party does everything within the confines of the law to regain power in 2019”.  “The last three years of Buhari”, he says, “has convinced Nigerians of the need for a credible alternative in 2019”.

    It is difficult to fault the thesis of Secundus who without doubt has correctly read the mood of frustrated Nigerians.  For his party, his jibe at Buhari could not have come at any other auspicious time. The daily mindless killings have continued. Pastor Adeboye has hardly finished saying there may be no election in 2019 if the killings continued while government appears helpless, when grisly murder of 71 women and children in southern Kaduna by suspected herdsmen followed. In the midst of this, the president buffeted by ill- health jetted out to London for medical attention leaving in charge of his security apparatus, a defence minister, the Director General of DSS and an Inspector General of police who by their body language and pronouncements have lost the confidence of besieged people of the Middle Belt region. Whether out of indolence or incompetence of his administration, there was no government policy thrust to address new realities following his admission in faraway US that the killers are remnants of Gadaffi armed gang let loose on West Africa. Similarly, little has been heard of state policing as recommended by his Party. Wailings by Middle Belt opinion leaders such as Jerimiah Useni and Theophilus Danjuma who now openly accuse the Fulani hegemonic power of discrimination and ethnic cleansing seemed to have been ignored.

    And curiously the president has ignored the opinion of Nigerian patriots such as elder statesmen Wole Soyinka, the Nobel laureate and Emeka Anyaoku, the respected former secretary General of the common wealth and many others on restructuring which they had proffered as panacea to massive corruption at our dysfunctional centre, herdsmen killing, uncontrolled entry of illegal immigrants, insurgency in the north and militancy in the Niger Delta.

    With the President once again away on medical trip to London while various causes of social dislocations remain unaddressed,  not many will disagree with our young hot blooded but highly resourceful Professor Pius Aladesanmi’s verdict that it is not difficult “to  delegitimize Buahri because of his irredeemable clannishness, failure to fly, and failure to deliver.”

    Unfortunately since a people deserve the government they get, we are saddled with Buhari’s government no matter how imperfect. However, since tomorrow is a product of yesterday and today, Secondus and his committee of Babangida, Abacha and Obasanjo groomed new breed politicians like Babangida/Olu Falae’s SDP and Obasnajo/Oyinlola coalition cannot in my view be the messiahs the country needs.

    The Committee is headed by former Cross river state governor, Liyel Imoke  supported by former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido; his Niger State counterpart, Babangida Aliyu; and former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam. Others are former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii; former Aviation Minister, Kema Chikwe; and a former National Chairman of the PDP, Bello Haliru Mohammed. Besides Dr. Kema Chikwe and Dr. Paul Orhii, all other members of the committee are either on judicial or media trial by EFCC

    First,Uche Secundus, the man trying to chart a new beginning for us was   himself in February 2016 arrested by EFCC for allegedly receiving 23 vehicles including Mercedes G63 and a Range Rover Autobiography, all valued at N310 million from controversial businessman and Deziani associates who was said to be in the habit of distributing money and gifts to politicians in order to evade payment of $14m crude oil royalty his company, Atlantic Energy Drilling Concepts Nigeria Limited, failed to remit to the federal treasury.

    Liyel Imoke the chairman of the committee, was a senator at thirty under Babangida fraudulent “transaction without end”, became a member of one of Abacha’s “five fingers of a leprous hand” (apology to late Bola Ige, and later Obasanjo’s Special Adviser on Public Utilities; Chairman of Technical Board of the National Electric Power Authority and his Federal Minister of Power and Steel, where he supervised the unbundling of the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA). He and Olusegun Agagu, who had also served as Minister of Power and Steel were questioned on the disbursement of $16 billion for the National Integrated Power Project (NIPP).  Committee on Power of the House of Representatives during a public hearing later concluded that  all the contracts awarded to companies to execute power plants projects in the country were not executed just as it also queried the scandalous concessionairing  of the Ajakouta Steel Plant.

    Sule Lamido was Obasanjo’s Foreign minister from 1999 to 2003 and elected governor of Jigawa State April 2007-2014. He was Obasanjo’s favourite for the 2015 presidential election. Mr. Lamido alongside two of his sons, Aminu and Mustapha, and two others have been arraigned by the EFCC on a 27-count charge for alleged abuse of office and money laundering. He did not consider that as an impediment to his 2019 ambition. While declaring at a rally in Birnin Kudu Local Government Area of Jigawa recently, he had bragged “They called me a thief and jailed me. All the molestation and intimidation can’t change my destiny in becoming the next president come 2019″ His joker: unlike Buhari, he says he is an authentic Fulani.

    Bello Haliu Mohammed was the former Chairman of PDP. He and his son, Bello Abba Mohammed, were arraigned before Justice A.R Mohammed of the Federal High Court, Abuja on a 4-count charge bordering on criminal breach of trust and money laundering by Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, that want them to return the N300, 000,000 (Three Hundred Million Naira) paid into the account of Bam Projects and Properties Limited in March 2015.

    As for Gabriel Suswan, Benue state Governor (2007-2015), he was indicted by  the Justice Elizabeth Kpojime’s Panel of Inquiry  set up by Governor Samuel Ortom along with 52 others for alleged misappropriation of N107 billion.  The Economic Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has since sealed off three properties: the Metropolitan hotel along FMC road, a residential building still under construction by the river side and Suswan; s family home in HUDCO quarters all in Makurdi

    Like the committee members, those they seek to groom also have a past. Saraki fresh from medical school in London was with his father’s Societe Generale Bank where the loss of N19b led to the collapse of the bank. His illustrious father thereafter donated him to Obasanjo where he served as special adviser on budget. From there he made him governor of Kwara state, a state he had run as a personal fiefdom for over fifty years. Then Saraki moved to the senate where in 2015, he traded off the victory of his party to snatch the plum job of senate President. Today he has all the 8th senate senators who illegally collect N13, 5m in addition to their N700, 000 monthly salaries in his pocket. Melaye is Saraki’s man Friday. He is currently in police detention for alleged gun-running. Of course, Nigerians are conversant with the story of budget padding at the lower house under the leadership of Dogara.The problem with Tambuwal is that even as a former speaker of the lower house and now as a governor, he has been unable to properly articulate  our crisis of nation building. He continues to insist our problem is not restructuring but more money from the federal to the states to implement their programmes.

    Dear compatriots, with the facts before you, pick your choice among all the devils you now know and those you don’t know.

  • PDP raises panel to discuss name, bring back Saraki, Tambuwal, Kwankwaso

    The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has inaugurated a contact committee for the purpose of aligning with other political parties ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    The committee, which is headed by a former governor of Cross River State, Mr. Liyel Imoke, will also explore the possibility of tinkering with the name and insignia of the PDP.

    Some key stakeholders, particularly prominent chieftains of the PDP that defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2014, are said to have insisted on a change of name, as one of the conditions to rejoin the PDP.

    Prominent among the APC chieftains being wooed by the leadership of PDP include the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki; former Kano State Governor, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso; his Sokoto State counterpart, Aliyu Wamakko; and former Gombe State Governor, Danjuma Goje.

    Overtures are also being made to woo the Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal. Tambuwal had defected from the PDP to the APC at the tail end of his tenure as Speaker of the House of Representatives.

    Investigation further revealed that the high-profile politicians are being wooed with tickets for choice offices, including the presidential slot.

    But the heavy baggage of corruption trailing the PDP has made it difficult for prospective defectors to cross over from the APC and other political parties.

    A prominent chieftain of the PDP confided in our correspondent yesterday that the major task of the committee is to make wide consultations regarding the propriety or otherwise of name change.

    The source, who did not want to be named said, “Yes, we are seriously concerned about the issue of name change, as being demanded by some of the intending returnees.

    “But I must let you know that not all of them are assisting on name change because they can see through the veil of deception in the APC government’s anti-corruption campaign”.

    Our correspondent further gathered that the leadership and key stakeholders in the PDP may have narrowed the search for the party’s presidential flag bearer to only two individuals -a serving governor and a serving senator from the same geopolitical zone.

    The two politicians are believed to have enough political clout to challenge President Muhammadu Buhari’s pre-2015 cult-like followership, particularly among the masses in the Northwest geopolitical zone.

    While inaugurating the committee yesterday, the National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, said the party would do everything within the confines of the law to regain power in 2019.

    Secondus said the past three years of President Buhari’s administration had convinced Nigerians of the need for a credible alternative in 2019.

    The party chair tasked members of the committee to reach out to Nigerians and groups on the need to forge a common front for what he described as the “political salvation” of the country.

    Secondus said: “Just as your name connotes, you are to deploy your well-versed network to help open the space and allow into our party, all those whose union with us can help in rescuing this country.

    “Like we always say in this party, this umbrella is big enough to accommodate all people of patriotic ideals”.

    Imoke promised to work tirelessly to deliver on the mandate, stating that the situation in the country had become too dangerous for well-meaning Nigerians to fold their hands in resignation.

    Other members of the committee include former Jigawa State Governor, Sule Lamido; his Niger State counterpart, Babangida Aliyu; and former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam.

    Others a former Director-General of the National Agency for Food and Drug Administration and Control (NAFDAC), Dr. Paul Orhii; former Aviation Minister, Kema Chikwe; and a former National Chairman of the PDP, Bello Haliru Mohammed, among others.

  • How to foster national unity, growth, by Sultan, Tambuwal, Ajibola, others

    EMINENT Nigerians, including the Sultan of Sokoto, Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, former Justice Minister Bola Ajibola (SAN) and ex-National Commissioner for Insurance Oladipo Bailey, have argued that it was difficult for the nation to attain its full potential in the face of growing insecurity and widening division among the ethnic nationalities.

    To them, the nation’s quest for growth and economic prosperity was only realisable in a secure, peaceful and united environment, devoid of unnecessary rancour.

    The Sultan of Sokoto, Tambuwal, Ajibola Bailey, a scholar, Dr. Mahmud Saidu and Assistant Inspector General of Police, Mauzu Hadeija (retd) spoke in Abuja on Saturday at a one-day lecture and award of patron/matron and honorary fellows.

    It was put together by the Chartered Institute of Loan and Risk Management of Nigeria (CILRMN) and The Defender online media.

    Those conferred with the institute’s awards are the Sultan of Sokoto, President Muhammadu Buhari’s wife Aisha; Inspector General (IG) Ibrahim Idris; former Communication Minister Maj.-Gen. Tajudeen Olanrewaju and a cleric, Primate Elijah Babatunde Ayodele.

    The lecture held under the theme: “Towards national integration and economic development of Nigeria: The online media and risk management approach”.

    The Sultan of Sokoto, who was represented by the Emir of Keffi, Shehu Chindo Yamusa (III), urged the media to always be guided by the tenets of the professions and endeavour to present “the untwisted truth” all the time.

    He added: “I agree that the factors militating against our integration and economic development in this country can best be addressed if we can all agree and show it in our actions and utterances, whether we are president, traditional rulers, governors, journalists, lawyers, civil society activists and so on and so forth, that we are first and foremost, Nigerians before we are who we are.

    “This is the reason why I have usually told those, who talk about restructuring, to focus on economic restructuring rather that geographical restructuring and that the way they usually agitate about it means the splitting of Nigeria into pieces.”

    Tambuwal, who was represented by a member representing Kebbe/Tambuwal (Sokoto State) Federal Constituency in House of Representatives, Abdulsamad Dasuki, urged Nigerians to keep working for the unity and progress of the country.

    He particularly advised the political leaders to work to promote national peace and cohesion, and desist from acts capable of encouraging hatred and division.

    Ajibola attributed the growing insecurity in the country to rising unemployment and illiteracy.

    Relying on a United Nation’s report, Ajibola, who was represented by the Vice-Chancellor, Crescent University, Prof. Ibrahim Gbajabiamila, noted that Nigerian presently ranks among countries with high number of out-of- school children.

     

  • Tinubu condoles with Ajimobi, Tambuwal

    ALL Progressives Congress National Leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has commiserated with Oyo State Governor Abiola Ajimobi over the death of the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Michael Adeyemo.

    He also mourned with Sokoto State Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal over the demise of his Special Adviser, Media and Publicity, Imam Dalhatu Imam.

    Adeyemo died last Friday after a heart attack. He was 47 years old.

    Tinubu said in his letter to Ajimobi: “I was shocked and saddened to learn of the death of the Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, Rt. Hon. Michael Adeyemo.

    “For a young man with such a promising career to be so plucked by death leaves a sour taste in the mouth. But who are we to question God?

    “Please accept my deepest sympathy and condolences. I also extend, through you, my condolences to the family left behind by the deceased, to his colleagues in the state assembly and to the government and people of Oyo State.

    “I pray that God Almighty grant repose of his soul and grant his family the strength to bear this loss.”

    In the letter to Tambuwal, the APC national leader said: “Please accept my deepest sympathy and condolences over the death of your Special Adviser, Media, Malam Imam Dalhatu Imam.

    “His death was a loss not only to you, the government and people of Sokoto State and Kaduna, his home-state, but a loss to all of us.

    “I knew the deceased since his time at THISDAY as Political Editor, through when you were Speaker of the House of Representatives and he your Special Adviser.

    “He was deeply committed to his work and to the journalism profession. His death is a loss also to that profession.

    “I wish I could say something that might erase the sadness and loss but words fail us at such times. All I can say is that you take heart. I pray that Almighty Allah grant his wives and children the strength to carry through this moment.

    “I also pray that Allah grant him Aljanna Fridaus.”

     

     

     

  • Saraki, Tambuwal give PDP conditions

    Will the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) grant the request of Senate President Bukola Saraki and some of its former members for a name change before rejoining the party?

    The party is wooing Saraki, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, his predecessor, Senator Aliyu Wammako, former Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) and former Governor Danjuma Goje (Gombe) to return to its fold in order to wrest power from the All Progressives Congress (APC) next year.

    They all left PDP in 2014 to form APC, which wrested power from PDP in the 2015 elections.

    Although sources said yesterday that the request of the APC chieftains tagged as “game changers” had been “tactically rejected” by the National Executive Committee (NEC), PDP spokesman Kola Ologbondiyan claimed that no decision has been taken on the issue.

    Another APC chieftain and  former Zamfara State Governor Sani Ahmed Yerima, who was never in PDP, is being wooed by the opposition party.

    About three APC governors from the Northwest are also on PDP’s radar.

    But none of them, it was learnt, has made any commitment to return to PDP. They were said to be weighing the options.

    The name change request is said to be a drawback for the talks.

    There are fears that changing PDP’s name may truncate the tenure of the National Working Committee (NWC) led by Prince Uche Secondus.

    Some forces in the party also felt that the APC stalwarts should not be dictating to a party they “left in the lurch to lose the 2015 presidential election.”

    A top member of (NEC), who spoke in confidence, said: “We have really opened up talks with Saraki and others. It is like we are begging them to return to their roots as part of a larger reconciliation policy in PDP.

    ”We want Tambuwal, Kwankwaso, Wammako, Goje and others in PDP because we see them as “game changers. We are also targeting ex-Governor Sani Ahmed Yerima of Zamfara State who has always been in the opposition until the APC coalition emerged.

    “We have had series of shuttles to them by some of our leaders having discovered that they had been patching in APC. They have been stifled and abandoned in the coalition called APC. We want them to return to their natural habitat.

    “The PDP has also initiated talks with three APC governors in the Northwest, which is the political base of President Muhammadu Buhari.”

    Responding to a question, the source added: “None of these leaders has given the PDP any commitment because they are the weighing options. Some of them have given sufficient signal that they might quit APC.

    “If you look at some states, the associates of these key leaders have started deriding APC. Some of them have even defected from APC to PDP. So, we are positive.”

    Another member of NEC said: “As part of the ongoing negotiations, some of those defecting to PDP specifically demanded for a change of name of the party.

    “We were wary of the request for change of name in order not to cause crisis in PDP. If we accede to their request, the Uche Secondus-led NWC will technically cease to exist.

    “The danger is that these new members might want the NWC restructured in a manner that will give them a stake in the leadership of the party.

    “We believe we have conceded enough by granting a waiver to all PDP returnees and new members. We have promised them equity and justice too in all our dealings.

    “Another concession is granting these bigwigs the control of PDP machinery in their states in order to determine who to field for the 2019 polls. We, however, added a caveat that they should accommodate those who have been steering the affairs of PDP in the affected states before their return.”

    The source however added: “We won’t promise any of these leaders automatic presidential ticket. We are firm on this.”

    Ologbondiyan said the party was reaching out to top politicians and leaders but declined to name them.

    He said there were demands at the talks including the name change.

    Ologbondiyan said the party had not taken any decision on the request.

    He said: “Our party is open to discussion with anybody and politicians of various ilk. We are talking to community leaders, religious leaders and youth groups across the nation. A lot of Nigerians are tired of this government and we are reaching out to them.

    “We are discussing with everyone on the need for us to lead the coalition for the sack of this incompetent administration in Nigeria and the dysfunctional APC.

    “In the course of these discussions, various suggestions have been made; some requests and demands naturally came up. We are not tied to any decision yet.

    “But as we speak, the PDP remains open to conversation. No decision yet in respect of changing name. PDP is a structured party and we have various caucuses that any decision will pass through.”

  • ‘Tambuwal, Wamakko not working against Buhari’

    In this piece,  a politican from Sokoto State, Hon. Naseer Bazza, disputes the claim that Governor Aminu Tambuwal and his predecessor, Senator Aliyu Wamakko, are working against President Muhammadu Buhari in the Northwest state.

    Apparently bent on tarnishing the image of the two most influential politicians in Sokoto state in contemporary times, a group composed of Frustrated Political Parasiites (FPP) claiming to be members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) calling itself Adalci Buhari SAK spoke through Dahiru Yusuf Yabo, who was a Commissioner for Water Resources during the Bafarawa era. Ever since Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko unseated that administration in 2007, Yabo has never failed to show his hatred towards Wamakko, who denied him perhaps a juicy position, had the DPP won in that dramatic election, which saw Wamakko stamping his feet on Sokoto politics, ending the Bafarawa era.

    Although, the  group of Frustrated Political Parasites (FPP)  raised issues, but our major concern is to focus on the headline which reads: Tambuwal, Wamakko working against Buhari.  In Arewa’s political history, specifically contemporary history, both Tambuwal and Wamakko have been influential in the emergence of Buhari as a contemporary politician and Buhari as a president. In short, one historic event both Buhari and Wamakko would forever cherish was the 2015 APC campaign in Birnin Kebbi the capital of Kebbi state where Buhari kept on thanking Wamakko for mobilizing a mammoth crowd which was unprecedented in the history of that state. Again. Wamakko who anchored Buhari’s campaign team in the seven Northwest states of Sokoto, Kebbi, Zamfara, Kaduna, Kano, Jigawa and Katsina, made sure that Buhari had the highest votes ever. As  governor of Sokoto State then, he abandoned state matters and relocated by revolving round all the seven states in order not to take chances all for Buhari’s victory and in the end Wamakko’s zone gave Buhari the highest votes ever when compared with Buhari’s three previous attempts. Unfortunately for Yabo and his group, going by the name Buhari SAK, who among them has ever won an election, any election? How many of them can guarantee president Buhari just a 100 votes, just that figure?

    Interestingly, President Buhari knows who Wamakko is and who he was to him in 2015 and what and how Wamakko is going to assist him in 2019. Therefore, that dummy of Tambuwal, Wamakko working against Buhari would not sell. It is a bad product that no market can afford accommodating. Another dummy Yabo used but which back fired was where he ignorantly alleged that in 2011 Buhari without the support of both Tambuwal and Wamakko scored  550, 000 votes but in 2015 the duo only added120, 000 votes to the president. The most important thing is winning and not the figure. What if they had added 300,000 votes but Buhari lost, would the figure have been of any benefit? The group is merely composed of frustrated unpopular self acclaimed politicians who have no grassroots base and have never been relevant either at the local level or national. It is a group of busybody  and those seeking for government patronage. It is clear that what they want is contracts and positions in government since they claimed all those from CPC have not been carried along except one of them who is Tambuwal’s political adviser.

    Another unreasonable matter raised was the rapport between former Governor Wamakko and Governor Tambuwal. Here, it is also clear that they are not happy with the peace in Sokoto and in the party as well. Are they truly genuine APC members? What manner of APC members are they? Dahiru Yusuf Yabo is still a bona fide member of the PDP who made attempt to decamp to ADP a party he wanted to run for the governorship race come 2019 but somehow found himself in the APC as a mole with an ulterior motive. The question is, is he a card carrying member of the APC or CPC since he has been referring to himself as a CPC member? From our investigations, CPC is not a registered political party in Nigeria so it is either these dissidents are with the APC or they are moles planted to cause confusion in Sokoto APC. What has the cordial relationship between Wamakko and his successor in office got to do with Buhari’s second term? Is it not the same group that said the duo did not add value to Buhari’s election in 2015 by quoting figures? Is it a crime or a sin for a predecessor and his successor to develop good rapport? There is much to it than meets the eye. Dahiru is hiding under political struggle to further expose his personal hatred for Wamakko who has been consistently humiliating Dahiru’s political mentor, Bafarawa in all political issues at both local and national levels respectively. Yabo is acting Bafarawa’s dirty script against Wamakko and the more they plan, the more they always fail.

    The group as earlier stated is composed of political liabilities who are desperately in need of relevance as a ticket to receiving government patronage and in its desperation to achieve that the members have resorted to blackmail, slander and malice. Yabo in his interview said 3 of their members were former governorship aspirants, agreed, is that any achievement? How many candidates are in the group? There is a big difference between being an aspirant and a candidate. Anybody can be an aspirant even the market woman can aspire to rule but it takes politicians with substance to qualify as candidates. How many of them can withstand that? As far as we know, 2 of the so called aspirants have been Wamakko allies while the other has been with Bafarawa, hence his hatred for Wamakko who denied the DPP the chance to misrule the state in 2007. The so called chairman of the group Prof. Lawal Bashar was with Wamakko right from 2007 to his second tenure when Wamakko sacked him from the Primary Education Board as its chairman. Again, Aliyu Sanyinna was a commissioner in Wamakko’s administration and was later appointed chairman of the state Assembly Commission. Yabo was also a commissioner in Bafarawa’s cabinet so all 3 aspirants have tasted power and have lost out and are doing whatever it takes to get government patronage but Tambuwal has not been playing to their wishes so they are now fighting back.

    From all indications, the group is playing a well written script sponsored by those who are not happy with the cordial relation between Wamakko and Tambuwal. The script which the Adalci Buhari SAK group is acting on, just like the numerous previous ones would not stand the test of time because there is no stopping an idea whose time has come and if Wamakko could withstand and survive over 71 petitions and still standing, this tiny frustrated group would soon fizzle out. It is said that when you feed a dog for three days it would remember you for three years but feed a human for three years and he would forget you in three days. In Sokoto ALU is a phenomenon, in Sokoto ALU is a mystery, in Sokoto ALU is a factor in Sokoto SAI ALU is real. What this dissident group should learn from history is that when you change the way you look at things, the things you look would surely change. As we approach 2019 we are waiting to see whether President Buhari is  going to rely on this FPP members or Wamakko and Tambuwal. For Buhari to have smooth second term, he still needs Wamakko who, whether you like it or not is the issue in Sokoto politics, is the factor in Sokoto and the political pillar for success

    However, the APC in Sokoto and the Tambuwal administration should take this as a challenge and wake up to its responsibilities of providing basic social amenities.  Time is running out for  the government and the only way which is always the hard way is for government to do what will benefit its people by providing the necessary social amenities. The Tambuwal administration swore to work for the people and should be seen to be doing so. When a small group start complaining, and issues are not addressed, the matter begins to grow bigger and it may end up consuming institutions of authority. When the people fear their government, there is tyranny; when the government fears the people, there is liberty. Democracy is about liberty. Therefore, no matter how a minor voice is, it should be heard.

    Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember and involve me and I learn. Government in a democracy should be inclusive. Bill Gates has said it all,  the APC economic policies have not been addressing poverty, hunger and unemployment. There is need to change the way we look at things. Perhaps, it could be part of the issues this group of Frustrated Political Parasites is challenging, though in a wrong manner.

  • APC reconciliation: Tinubu in Sokoto, meets Tambuwal, Wamakko

    APC reconciliation: Tinubu in Sokoto, meets Tambuwal, Wamakko

    The Head of the Presidential Reconciliation Committee of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, yesterday  visited Sokoto, where he met with Governor Aminu Tambuwal and his predecessor, Senator  Aliyu Wamakko.

    Tinubu, accompanied by APC chieftain, Alhaji idi Farouk, held a two-hour closed-door meeting with his hosts at the Government House and Wamakko’s  private  residence at Gawon Nama.

    The meeting was later expanded to accommodate  Deputy Governor Ahmed Aliyu and  the National Vice Chairman of APC (North West), Malam Inuwa Abdulkadir.

    Speaking briefly to reporters after the discussion, Tinubu said he was in Sokoto for a family meeting.

    “Family members meet regularly to talk to each other and I’m here for that purpose.

    “We had a family talk, in talk of today, tomorrow and the future of our country and our ruling APC,” he said.

    President Muhammadu Buhari appointed Tinubu on February 7 to resolve the crises rocking some state chapters of the party.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said in a statement on Tinubu’s assignment that the  reconciliation process was part of the efforts to improve cohesion in the party.

    He said the process entails resolving disagreements among party members, party leadership and political office holders in some states of the Federation.

     

     

  • Turmoil in PDP over Tambuwal

    Turmoil in PDP over Tambuwal

    •Jonathan, associates kick
    •Obasanjo schemes to impose crony on CNM

    A fresh crisis is looming in the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the 2019 elections.

    The threat to party peace stems from alleged plan by some powerful forces to hand over the PDP presidential ticket to Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal of Sokoto State.

    Tambuwal is currently in the All Progressives Congress (APC) but he is being wooed by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State and some other PDP governors to return to the party he dumped ahead of the 2015 elections.

    Also pushing for the Sokoto governor’s candidature is a prominent traditional ruler in the North, party sources told The Nation yesterday.

    Simultaneously, the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) appears to be narrowing its choice of presidential candidate in next year’s election to one of the three ex-governors it is currently wooing as a possible replacement for President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Ex-governors Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), and Ibrahim Shekarau (Kano) like Buhari, are all from the North-West geo-political zone.

    The Nation gathered authoritatively that their names feature prominently in ongoing consultations by CNM bigwigs.

    But there is a condition: any of them seeking the Olusegun Obasanjo-inspired coalition’s support must first identify with it publicly.

    Wike, fresh from installing Prince Uche Secondus as party chairman despite vehement opposition from the likes of former Military President Ibrahim Babangida and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, is said to have drawn the ire of Jonathan and many of his supporters for promoting Tambuwal’s presidential ambition in PDP.

    Party sources said the anti-Tambuwal elements are uncomfortable with him in view of the role he played in the loss of power by the PDP in 2015, especially the defeat of Jonathan.

    The Jonathan associates and some PDP governors have vowed to stop Tambuwal’s bid to secure the PDP presidential ticket.

    Tambuwal was Speaker of the House of Representatives under Jonathan and his defection from the PDP to the then newly formed APC laid the foundation for the defeat of the PDP in the 2015 polls.

    Party sources also said he might return to the party on the basis of an alleged unwritten agreement between him and Wike.

    He is the only APC governor that has not yet identified with the 2019 re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    A source conversant with the ongoing intrigues said:  “Jonathan’s associates and some PDP governors are not comfortable with Tambuwal for betraying the party to pave the way for the victory of APC and President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015

    “They believe that, as the Speaker of the House of Representatives, he  was used by the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN ) to destabilize the PDP, giving the ACN control of the House from  2011 to 2015

    “They accused Tambuwal of working for ACN and later joining APC to fight Jonathan. Jonathan’s kinsmen and his associates have not forgotten the role he played in bringing down their man. To that extent, the ex-president’s camp sees Tambuwal as a hard sell in the South-South, particularly in Bayelsa, Delta and Rivers states.

    “Some PDP governors and leaders believe he will also be difficult to sell in the South-West because of the role he played in the defeat of Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila in the Speakership race in 2015. Whereas the South-West supported him to become the Speaker by defeating Hon. Mulikat Adeola from Oyo State in 2015, he was implicated in working against Gbajabiamila, who was the zone’s choice for Speaker in 2015.

    “Some PDP governors also believe that Tambuwal will be no match for Buhari in the north since his major political platform belongs to ex-Governor Aliyu Wammako who APC and strategists of Buhari are lobbying to remain in the ruling party.

    “Wammakko, politically known as ‘Alu’, may prefer to return to the Senate on the ticket of APC as long as he can be allowed to single-handedly pick a successor to Tambuwal to consolidate his political base.”

    But a PDP source said: “With Wike’s backing, Tambuwal may get the ticket. I think those making a strong case for Tambuwal have gone far on this project to be underrated.

    “If Jonathan and his associates can be cut to size during the National Convention of PDP, Wike and others can have their way on Tambuwal.

    “The aftermath in PDP might affect the chances of the party in 2019 because those in favour of the former Interim National Chairman of the party, Sen. Ahmed Makarfi as the preferred candidate for the party’s presidential mandate may cause an upset. Adopting Tambuwal will amount to abandoning the agreement with Makarfi by PDP governors to make him the party’s presidential candidate.

    “I think a member of the Interim Caretaker Committee saw this coming when he advised Makarfi to seek a firm commitment from Wike and others. Makarfi preferred to have trust in these governors.

    “Whatever it is, it is just a matter of when Tambuwal, who pulled the strings behind the scene during PDP convention, will move to PDP.

    “Realising the danger of APC plot against him, Tambuwal has gone on the fast lane by winning prominent Emirs to his side and reconciling with the likes of ex-Governor Attahiru Bafarawa. This was what accounted for the enlargement of his cabinet to 25 on February 5. He also pulled the rug from under  Wammako’s feet by appointing his younger brother, Ahmed Barade Wamakko  as Commissioner for Social Welfare.

    “Also, the anti-Tambuwal elements in PDP and APC are not relenting. For instance, the alleged hounding of Prince Kassim Afegbua, who is the spokesman of Babangida, by security agencies might have been more about his role as a political strategist of Tambuwal than the ex-Military President.”

    Notwithstanding, it was learnt that some PDP governors are considering Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo.

    A third source said: “These governors say Dankwambo is young, well educated, urbane, cosmopolitan with less baggage.  He was in Asaba last week when the governors met with the Secondus-led executives. He is also very close to Governor Ayo Fayose

    “Their worry is whether or not he has the stature to defeat Buhari.”

    Another PDP source added: “Dankwambo is too close to Governor Nasir el-Rufai for comfort. We are suspecting that APC is propping him up as a weak candidate to make it an easy ride for Buhari. We know their game plan.”

    Investigation by our correspondent on Obasanjo’s CNM revealed that contrary to claims by the former president  that he has no preferred candidate for the 2019 presidential race, the coalition  may  make strong recommendations on some candidates for Nigerians to vote for.

    A source in the group however said that whatever action taken by it will be guided by utmost caution to avoid acts capable of derailing its plans to “ease out Buhari” at all cost.

    “Whatever may be the pretence by ex-President Obasanjo, the ultimate target of CNM is to get a replacement for Buhari in 2019,” the source said.

    “The group may recommend any of the three former governors from the North-West as being capable of replacing Buhari.

    “The three leaders are Rabiu Kwankwaso, Sule Lamido, and Ibrahim Shekarau who are all from the North-West like Buhari.

    “I think a major challenge of CNM is how to work to the answer in 2019 on any of these three presidential aspirants.

    “This is why CNM, through Obasanjo, is opening talks with top politicians from the six geopolitical zones.”

    But the group is still working on the platform it will use to actualize its plan to replace Buhari.

    “The choice of platform is a challenge,” the source explained.

    He added: “PDP is the strongest opposition party which Obasanjo does not want to associate with in order not to return to his vomit having torn his membership card.

    “The CNM is trying to recommend a merger of PDP and other parties with a new name to be able to push its agenda for any of Kwankwaso, Lamido and Shekarau.”

    The CNM believes it has made a substantial inroad into the National Assembly as one of the institutions to promote the anti-Buhari agenda.

    Continuing, the source said: “The CNM has been implicated in a romance with some Senators and members of the House of Representatives which led to the reversal of INEC’s Order of Elections in 2019.

    “Nigerians should expect more radical resolutions from the National Assembly which can promote the coalition’s plans against Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

    Analysts however see Obasanjo’s motive as selfish and playing gambling with Nigerians.

    One analyst asked: is it his birth right to choose president for us? He imposed Yar’Adua, Jonathan, now he is scheming to impose on us the next President. He must be stopped.

    “On Wednesday, Obasanjo insisted that CNM would remain a socio-political movement.

    “He said he would cease to be a member if the coalition becomes partisan.

    “He said: ‘In the year 2015, I said I would no longer participate in partisan politics. And I still stand by my decision. Everybody, irrespective of his or her political affiliation is free to come here for advice, I will gladly do that. I have no candidate, whatsoever, for any political office. I just believe that things must be done differently in Nigeria to get different result.’

     

  • APC adopts Tambuwal for second term

    APC adopts Tambuwal for second term

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Sokoto State has adopted Governor Aminu Tambuwal for 2019.

    State chairman Usman Sulaiman said they were convinced of Tambuwal’s achievement, and will continue to support him.

    He said: “As a party, we will support him, not only for second term, but for a third and fourth, if the constitution will allow it.

    “Governor Tambuwal has performed well despite some challenges occasioned by the economic situation in the country.”

    The chairman said other areas of achievements include salary payment, pensions and gratuities, revamping of the education sector, and the huge impact Tambuwal made in the social sector.

    “When we lost our indigenes in a stampede in Saudi Arabia, Tambuwal paid N500,000 to each of the families of the victims. That is the only support they got from the authorities. For that and many, we will be eternally grateful to the governor,” he noted.