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  • Tinubu to Lagos APC leaders: work for victory in Saturday’s elections

    Tinubu to Lagos APC leaders: work for victory in Saturday’s elections

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has urged the party’s leaders in Lagos State to mobilise and work for the victory of APC’s candidates in the governorship and the state House of Assembly elections on Saturday.

    Tinubu spoke yesterday at the party’s state secretariat on Acme Road, Ikeja, during a stakeholders’ meeting.

    He said the governorship election is important to the APC, warning those working against the party’s interest and fuelling crisis within the Lagos APC, especially at ward and local government levels, to stop or face the consequences.

    According to Tinubu, the poor performance of APC and the loss of six House of Representatives seats to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in some parts of the state during the March 28 presidential and National Assembly elections was not because Igbos voted for PDP as being speculated.

    He blamed the loss to internal wrangling and refusal of APC members to work for the party’s victory during the election.

    The APC National Leader said party registered members in Lagos State alone were about two million, adding that it was, therefore, worrisome that the APC got fewer than 800,000 votes in the elections.

    The party, Tinubu noted, lost in some local councils in the March 28 elections because of low turn-out of party members at the polling booths.

    He said: “The turn-out of APC members during March 28 elections was poor and that was why APC was defeated in some polling units, wards and local governments in Lagos State. I delivered my ward for APC and I wonder why many leaders could not deliver their wards to the APC despite been mobilised by the party for the election.

    “Some people said that APC lost in some wards and local governments to PDP because of Igbo votes; that is not true.

    “If you mobilise for the party, there is no way APC will lose the election. Igbos are not your enemies. If APC lose the presidential election in Lagos, I will understand why. But losing six House of Representatives seats to opposition in Lagos State have never happened in the history of Lagos.”

    Tinubu promised to compensate any APC ward and local government leader that delivers his ward for the party.

    “You are all shouting change and we may likely change any party leader that doesn’t perform. Any ward leader that doesn’t perform will be changed. If you do very well, there would be continuity for you. But if you fail to deliver, there would be change. If you deliver your ward and local government, there would be continuity for you.

    “There is no room for repeat in our party. We don’t want failure in our party. So, we will remove those who cannot perform and replace them with those who can deliver and work genuinely for the party,” he told the party leaders.

    Stressing the need for APC to prepare actively for the Saturday election, Tinubu asked the APC leaders to stop public rally and start organising meeting at ward, local government, constituency and senatorial levels to strategise for the party’s victory in the election.

    He praised the Arewa Community in Lagos for giving APC block votes during the March 28 elections, urging all other non-indigenous groups and all the APC leaders and members to work tirelessly to deliver their polling units, wards, constituencies and local governments for the party  in Saturday’s election.

  • Tinubu: The quintessential political strategist

    Tinubu: The quintessential political strategist

    The evolution of the All Progressive Congress (APC) into the governing party and the emergence of its candidate, Gen. Muhammad Buhari as the President-elect prove a fundamental truth. A single visionary blessed with courage equal to his vision is ultimately more powerful than a vast multitude that is devoid of sight, courage and sound counsel.

    Gen. Buhari, a personification of integrity, stalwart patriotism and decency, was the inevitable candidate and is the right man to be President this time. Complementing him as the necessary strategic catalyst of this great democratic feat was Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    Never in the history of our nation has an incumbent President lost to his challenger. For that to happen is a profound feat.  For that feat to come about through a newly merged political party is something bordering on the edge of the impossible. Yet, in our Nigeria, that is exactly how our democracy has been secured and our chance for a better future revived.

    As the primary architect of the APC, and a key strategist in its drive to become the government of this nation, Bola Tinubu has earned history’s verdict as a true and committed democratic.

    At moments when others threatened to quit or did quit, Tinubu stuck doggedly to the course. When the Alliance for Democracy (AD) ran into stormy weather and was  hijacked by the reactionary elements funded by the government in power, Tinubu established a another progressive party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (CAN). From his solitary redoubt in Lagos, the ACN cast its progressive message and Tinubu attracted able and committed people to the democratic cause and to his course in it.

    The epic turn from governing a single state to governing a nation had begun. Few believed, as Asiwaju did, that this achievement was within reach.  The ACN went on to win six states and secure the Southwest for the progressive cause.

    And when the time came to re-shape the opposition nationwide into one body, Tinubu took the lead in sowing together the different political parties into a workable whole. In the face of state-sponsored attacks and spirited attempts to scuttle the merger, Tinubu led the team of political fighters to make APC a reality. The period between the formation of the party, the inauguration of the party’s executive, to its convention in Lagos, the national presidential campaign and now the elections was one charactererised by dangerous moves, plots and turns against him. Tinubu survived them all and remained standing.

    As the intellectual force behind the APC, Tinubu never waivered. Gen. Buhari and Chief Bisi Akande were the strongest and most faithful of allies in this great effort.

    These are statesments of high-caliber personalities who never shook when the adverse wind blew.

    If along the way Tinubu had wavered, many would have wavered with him. The story today would have been a different and inferior one. He remained standing even when many tried to make him fall.

    Tinubu is brave at heart and large in vision. He has the fortitude to stand when times get tough and when doubt becomes as thick as fog. He forges ahead while others succumb to fear. He stands alone when others are tired and sit down. This rare man chooses to take risks and stake everything he has for a just cause. He stands alone when he makes unbelievable sacrifices in order to achieve a greater goal. He excels in the wee, lonely hours; when others are asleep, he pours over Nigeria’s problems in search for solutions. He stands alone when he makes the tough and necessary decisions, not minding how he will be perceived. He stands alone when he refuses to join the doubters and holds on to the belief that it is possible.

    For standing against the tide of greater power and might all these years, Tinubu has achieved something for all us. He is truly an architect of modern Nigeria, a driving force behind a new Nigeria and one of the fathers of a truly democratic two-party system.

    Tinubu has ushered Nigeria into the meeting hall of democratic nations. By staying the course, by investing his intellect, experience and resources in the struggle for a better country and by working with people of like minds, Tinubu has helped lift the nation from its despair.

    APC’s electoral success is not a fluke. It was earned. It came as a result of great sacrifices and through the effort of the key drivers and other leaders who kept steadfast even when hope seemed lost. The long hours on the road and in the air, crisscrossing the nation, spreading the message of change and urging others to join the party bore fruit. The APC ship got many on board. Not even the attacks from the PDP could sink it.

    On the campaign trail, Tinubu was a firebrand. He easily excited the crowd whenever he spoke.

    People were sure to taste of his wit, his incisive political jabs and his commanding vision about what APC can do to change Nigeria. Perhaps the greatest lines of the 2014/2015 presidential campaign that will never be forgotten and will remain in the books for a very long time is that from Tinubu. Responding to attacks by the PDP that the APC presidential candidate Gen Buhari was a former general and should not be trusted, Tinubu had a reply for them in full measure that shut them up. Tinubu roared at the Abeokuta campaign: “When France needed to get out of political troubles, it tapped Charles De Gaulle; when America needed solid political leadership, it called on Eisenhower; Nigeria needs fixing and the man for the job is Gen Muhammadu Buhari”. This answer and analysis from Tinubu settled the argument. It won many over and shut the mouths of the politicians on the other side. On the campaign trail from the South to the North, Tinubu was a delight. Fired up and in his elements, he was unrelenting. He saw what many did not see that APC will not form the next government and restore hope to Nigerians.

    Whenever the history of this political era in Nigeria is written, it will be said that there was one man, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, who stood firm in commitment and courage to make the difference for Nigeria. Tinubu is a class act and is in a class by himself. From the corporate world, he took the political storm by storm in Lagos. This was after a commanding performance in the pro-democracy struggle to liberate Nigeria from the clutches of military dictatorship. He was at the vanguard of democracy in the days of the National Democartic Coalition (NADECO) struggle. Since then, he has never looked back. As governor of Lagos state, he excelled in governance. He brought out the excellence in Lagos through a combination of pragmatic decisions and financial and social engineering that   turned into a model city.

    Lagos, today, is a reference point. He took over the Southwest, reshaping the political landscape in a positive and dynamic way. He was instrumental in identifying six men, who today remain some of the best governors this country has ever known. On the national stage, he was a constant voice of opposition. Unwavering, unbowed, unbeatable, Tinubu was the fulcrum of opposition politics. His voice rang out loud and clear against injustice, impunity and miss-governance.

    For his progressive views and opposition to government, Tinubu suffered. His businesses suffered. His political structures came under severe assaults. Enemies sought to ruin his reputation. They dragged him to court, hoping to jail him but failed. In all, he survived and remained standing. Through all of this, he has remained humble and self-effacing.

    In the explosive celebration that followed the victory of the APC in the presidential elections someone in the tiny crowd that gathered in his office said: “Your Excellency Tinubu, this is your finest hour”.  Tinubu shot back, “No. This is Nigeria’s finest hour and it is the best birthday gift I can ever wish for”. He went on in his major reaction to the victory to describe the victory of the presidential candidate of the APC, Gen Buhari as Nigeria’s finest moment in its political history. “It is a moment when hope is re-born, faith is rekindled and a fresh fire of patriotism is released for the task ahead”.

    That is the measure of a man who sees ultimate victory in the emancipation of his people and the triumph of good over evil. Tinubu has seen it all. Today he stands tall in humility. He has survived where others were crushed. He has achieved what others failed to achieve for our country politically. He has been this generation’s’ most consummate and strategic political mind. History will record that.

     If anyone ever doubted the veracity of a sobriquet – The Last Man Standing – given to Tinubu, they should doubt no longer. The title is more than valid. More importantly, this last and only man standing  dedicated himself to a great and selfless task that we all may stand to feel the morning rays of genuine democracy shine upon us. This man is a hero. What no one dared to do, he did.

    Now, friend and foe alike, we are all the better for it.

    Sunday Dare is Chief of Staff/Special Adviser on Media to Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

  • Buhari, Fashola, Tinubu: Lagos won’t discriminate

    Buhari, Fashola, Tinubu: Lagos won’t discriminate

    President-elect Muhammadu Buhari returned yesterday to the hustings in Lagos to seek support for All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate Akinwunmi Ambode.

    He also addressed a town hall meeting in Owerri, the Imo State capital, to boost Governor Rochas Okorocha’s campaign.

    Governorship and Assembly elections are slated for Saturday.

    The rally in Orile, Lagos Mainland, an area with a big concentration of Igbo residents, presented the opportunity for the party leaders to address the reported anti-Igbo comment by the Lagos monarch, Oba Rilwan Akiolu. They spoke before a massive crowd of cheering residents, many of them excited to see Gen. Buhari, who was visiting the city for the first time since his victory in the March 28 election.

    Governor Babatunde Fashola and APC National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu said the party should not be crucified for the Oba’s statement because he is not a member of the APC and was not speaking for it.

    Tinubu said: “To you the Igbo, don’t we pay your children’s school fees like others? When we conducted an exam and a spelling competition, an Igbo boy, Ebuka, from Anambra, came first and he became the governor for one day.

    “Those that won the competition three times in a row were Igbo. Ebuka was sent to Switzerland computer school and then Obafemi Awolowo University. We did not say he was an Igbo boy and he would not enjoy. He became an executive in Oando and he is now in Canada.

    “Another boy, Felix, won and went to Switzerland and OAU. We paid his scholarship; we did not deny him because he is Igbo.”

    The APC National Leader, who noted that he was the first Yoruba governor to ever appoint an Igbo commissioner, said the Peoples Democratic Party, having failed to win last week’s presidential election, was desperately trying to pull the APC into the Oba Akiolu controversy.

    Tinubu urged Lagos residents to vote wisely in the governorship and House of Assembly elections and not to waste their votes on the opposition.

    “As you vote on Saturday, pray that God will not let you waste your vote; a vote for progress is a vote for development,” he said.

    Tinubu said Ambode was chosen as the party’s governorship candidate because he had the brain, character, integrity and ability to do a good job.

    “Vote for the man that will give you solid development, happiness, hope and great progress in Lagos and in Nigeria.

    “We have a president-elect from the party now. We have gotten victory and we will continue with the progress that Nigeria deserves,” Tinubu said.

    He noted that in the last 16 years, the state had been fair to all ethnic groups.

    “In 2011, when Jimi Agbaje asked me to give him the governorship ticket, I told him he was not qualified and I told him I was going to support a man of character and sound mind, who is Fashola.

    “Since then, Fashola has performed tremendously well and has not been sentimental, especially against the Igbo,” he said.

    Tinubu added that the PDP has plundered the economy through its agents, such as Transformation Ambassadors of Nigeria (TAN), Subsidy Reinvestment and Empowerment Programme (SURE-P) and other bodies.

    He said the money meant for the country’s development was diverted to private pockets, noting that Nigerians have been in bondage under the PDP-led government.

    He said: “Now they want to sneak into Lagos through the back door.

    “Lagos is not for experiment; this is the job for great brains. And because I supported Fashola, he got angry. I told him I will support a man of character and sound mind. Now, let me ask you people, has Fashola not performed?

    “Did he discriminate against the Igbo? He paid your children’s WAEC money, school fees and other things like that. Did he ask whether you are Okafor or Mahmud when you visit government hospital for medication? Did he ask you to pay different money when you are not a Yoruba man?

    “That is what you must think about as you vote on Saturday. Your vote for APC is a vote for the progress of Lagos and, by the grace of God, APC will continue to serve your interest in the state,” he said.

    Gen. Buhari described Lagos State as too important for the APC to lose to the opposition.

    “Defy all elements, whatever it may be, and vote for APC from top to bottom,” he said.

    Gen. Buhari told the crowd that Lagos, with its huge investments, could not be toyed with.

    “Don’t attempt to be on the wrong side of the centre because we are now the centre.

    “Tell your neighbours, your relatives and even the opposition party to please bury the hatchet and fall in line and vote for APC,” he said.

    The president-elect assured the people that they stood to benefit a lot if they voted for the APC.

    Gen. Buhari said that he will prioritise investment in Lagos infrastructure, noting that the state is a “mini Nigeria”.

    “Governor Fashola told me how much the state has been spending to maintain Federal Government infrastructure, including roads, buildings and other institutions.

    “I urge Ambode, who will be the next governor of the state, to harass me sufficiently to honour my undertaking,” he said.

    Gen. Buhari praised Tinubu for all he had done to mobilise revenue to sustain development in the state.

    He also praised Fashola for his hard work, commitment to the state and to the country.

    “I am extremely impressed,” he said.

    Fashola called for Igbo support saying the APC created the Orile Iganmu Local Council Development Area, which has a large concentration of Igbo people.

    He said the state had spent over N51 billion to construct roads, which will benefit everybody, irrespective of where they came from.

    “Even if you did not vote us in the last election, you can change your mind and vote us now. We will build Lagos together.”

    Fashola urged residents to vote Ambode, saying: “We are 5.8 million on the voters’ register and I will want three million votes for Ambode.

    “Put ethnic sentiments aside, there will be no discrimination.

    “As your governor, I have defended you every time you have been intimidated without discrimination,” he told the crowd.

    Fashola said Gen. Buhari  had promised to compensate the state for all Federal Government assets it had maintained.

    “That sign of compensation is already here and I know you won’t want to miss it,” he said.

    Ambode also solicited support from the people.

    “I want to say a big thank you to you all; March 28 was historic for Lagosians. We said we wanted change and we made it possible.

    “We are united on one cause; we will not discriminate against anyone.

    “We are all one, be you Yoruba, Hausa or Igbo; that is how we will remain forever.”

    The huge crowd waited patiently for the arrival for the party leaders. They were entertained by a live.

    At 12. 25pm an open roof bus that conveyed the party leaders arrived at the venue. Those in the convoy include: National Chairman Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, Tinubu, Fashola, Rivers, State Governor Rotimi Amaechi Senator Chris Ngige, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora, Lagos State APC Chairman Dele Ajomale, Ambode, Cardinal James Odunmbaku and Lagos State APC Women Leader Kemi Nelson.

    Others are Dr. Idiat Adebule, Mr. Audu Ogbe, Lagos State Deputy Governor Adejoke Orelope-Adefulire and Director of Organisation, Buhari Campaign, Boss Mustapha.

    Gen. Buhari presented Ambode to the crowd and urged them to support him.

     

  • Tinubu: My song for the generalissimo

    SIR: This is my song in honour of a man of many parts, politician of note, generalissimo of the progressive movement, a detribalised Nigerian, a mentor and benefactor; Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu. Those who don’t known him may say other things about him, but those of us who have been privileged to walk with him can never forget how impactful his hands are on the march to greatness of his associates. He is firm and committed and does not entertain sloppiness.  Tinubu never allows you to walk alone, once he shares the vision of your pursuit. I have experienced this attribute first hand and the impression it has left on me is indescribable.

    Celebrating Tinubu is the celebration of excellence in all ramifications; little wonder the world is to mark his birthday and giving him a standing ovation worthy of a man who has given himself over to the emancipation of genuine democratic ethos in Nigeria. Tinubu knows what the world needs and is not afraid to go after it. Let them paint the man of the people in whatever colour pleases their electoral desperation, the world has come to know him as a man of great vision and he is now been celebrated on the global stage. That was why he could stand on developing Lagos state through the creation of Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to meet the needs of its large population in the state at a time the powers that be insisted he must not. He suffered for it but I am sure he counted it as a blessing because today, Lagos is doing well through that initiative.

    This man of many parts knows what Nigeria needs and he has never been afraid to pursue it, even if it were to put him in a minority.  Gradually at home, many Nigerians here are coming to terms with the reality of his pursuit, the honesty of his intention and the altruism of his philosophy and they are rewarding him for it. First in Lagos, then Ekiti, Osun, Ogun, Edo, Imo, and with the combination of another farsighted Nigerian leader, General Muhammadu Buhari, the acceptance of his dream of a better Nigeria is far spreading beyond the coast of his traditional ‘home page’.

    Those who don’t know him may vilify him, but those who have shared sessions of strategies with him know that Tinubu is a master of political brinkmanship. He is deft and calculating but never vindictive. His politician eyes are more than the human two; he sees beyond and across the present. For a man trained in accounting, his forensic knowledge of humanity is awesome and challenging.

    Tinubu’s knowledge of humanity is the secret behind the emergence of a Lai Mohammed, the single individual who can wrestle with an entire governmental information machinery and not blink with facts and figures that dissolves doubt about the deceit of some who have been given the privilege to lead but daily show their utter unpreparedness for the task.

    I know Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu as a man with a generous heart; indeed generous to a fault. Asiwaju, your life is a bundle of encouragement to many of us.  Since we knew you in 1992, when you were elected as a senator representing Lagos West constituency in the short-lived Nigerian Third Republic, you have not ceased to be amazing. Your courage in fighting the dreaded Abacha regime, as a founding member of the equally amazing pro-democracy group, National Democratic Coalition (NADECO), which mobilized support for the restoration of democracy and recognition of the June 12, 1993 election as the real watershed in Nigeria’s political emancipation, cannot be forgotten in the book of history.

    You stood with your friend and brother, Aare MKO Abiola till the end. You have always stood with people close to you; no let me rephrase that, you have always been standing for what is good for Nigeria. You started with the people of Lagos and today the LCDAs are benefitting the residents, you stood with the people of Ekiti and after years of agonising legal battle, the people’s rightful choice was installed, you stood with the people of Osun state and the same happened just as you stood with the people of Edo state and the reality is showing today.

    Now Asiwaju, you are standing for Nigeria. Those of us who know you, know that no amount of blackmail can derail you from the path of honour which you have chosen to meander with the masses. You have always stood for the people and my prayer is simple, sir: May you keep standing to the very end.

     

    • Oba Abdul-Wahaab 

     Kwara state

  • Lawmaker dedicates victory to Buhari, Jonathan, Jega, Tinubu

    Lawmaker dedicates victory to Buhari, Jonathan, Jega, Tinubu

    A member of the House of Representatives and former governorship candidate of the Labour Party (LP) in the June 21, 2014 election in Ekiti State, Hon. Opeyemi Bamidele, has congratulated the President-elect Gen. Muhammadu Buhari over his landslide victory in last Saturday’s presidential elections.

    In a press release made available to The Nation, Hon. Bamidele described it as “a brilliant outing by Nigerians whose determination to liberate themselves from the untold hardship and sheer misrule that characterized the 16 years of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hegemony in Nigeria is worthy of celebration.”

    Bamidele, who returned back to the All Progressives Congress Congress (APC) as the campaign for the elections got underway, called on the President-elect to regard the victory as a God-given opportunity to provide a most unique and transformative leadership to the nation. He added that Gen. Buhari should not renege on his promise to ensure a zero level of tolerance for corruption and to commit himself to the security and welfare of Nigerians on assumption of office. The lawmaker said, otherwise, the efforts of all lovers of democracy at home and abroad to support his bid for the presidency will be in vain.

    He said: “In the same vein, I urge Gen. Buhari neither to allow himself to be distracted nor dissipate so much energy in probing past leaders and administrations, but rather encourage those who have looted public treasury to re-invest such money in the local economy with a view to generating more opportunities for massive employment and financial stability.

    “His most urgent assignment must be to concentrate on the critical need to assemble a highly professional and resourceful economic team that has the capacity to rescue the nation’s economy from the doldrums within a reasonable space of time, as the poverty condition among the people of this country is no more tolerable and requires an urgent intervention. He needs this crack economic team to complement his strict leadership posturing in order to move the nation forward.

    Bamidele also congratulated President Goodluck Jonathan for his spirit of sportsmanship. “He has demonstrated that he has the spirit of a good sportsman and has acted in the interest of peace, progress and unity of our dear nation. The issue at stake is beyond Gen. Buhari and President Jonathan as it is essentially about the sustainability of our democracy as a nation and the need for us to demonstrate to the rest of the world that Nigeria has come of age and has set her foot on the right path in terms of commitment to global best democratic practice standard.”

    He described the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, and the National Leader of the APC Asiwaju Bola Tinubu as men who would go down in history as defenders of democracy. He said Prof. Jega is a man whose integrity and strength of character “became the blood and tonic that sustained the electoral process.”

    He also described Asiwaju Tinubu as the foremost opposition leader whose selfless and resourceful efforts gave rise to the new Nigeria everyone is celebrating today. He added: “Tinubu was once referred to as ‘the last man standing’ when he was the only surviving governor following the so-called ‘electoral tsunami’ that swept away his counterparts in the Southwest geo-political region in the 2003 general elections.

    “Tinubu did not only leave progressive legacies of socio-economic transformation in Lagos State, but went back to the trenches to rescue the rest of the Southwest region from the PDP between 2003 and 2011 in a tumultuous legal and political battle of heroic dimension.”

  • Youth groups kick against campaign of calumny against Tinubu

    Youth groups kick against campaign of calumny against Tinubu

    A combined youth groups-Badagry Division Youth and APC Campus Connect, have  described the recent media war by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) against the national leader of the All Progressives Congress Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a mere propaganda that is doomed already.

    The groups said when the opposition failed in their machinations; it resorted into campaign of calumny against Tinubu in order to assassinate his character.

    Speaking at a media briefing in Lagos the groups’ spokesperson Eniola Opeyemi, said the two groups are also throwing their weight behind a legal suit instituted by Tinubu against a popular private television station for broadcasting alleged defamatory documentary against his person.

    Said the groups:”The continuous attack on Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s image is politically driven to score cheap points. We are learned and therefore can’t be blindfolded. The opposition has designed their propaganda some of which they are now pushing through certain media organisations to reduce the status of the Tinubu who represents a new face of politics.

    “Asiwaju, unlike the self-centered politicians in the PDP, have worked to ensure that more people especially youths are employed through his lofty policies when he served as two-term governor of Lagos State, and till date, he still uses his influence to make more families happy. We support Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. We trust him for getting more people established than the so-called self-acclaimed leaders of the Yoruba race.”

    The groups lampooned Federal Government for its failure to provide enough employment opportunities despite its repeated promises, adding that young graduates out of frustration now beg for financial aid, steal, or rob while young ladies are involved in prostitution.

    The groups also scored Federal Government ‘very low’ on security, using the abducted schoolgirls from Government Secondary School Chibok Borno State by the Boko Haram sect in April14 last year as a case in point.

    “Insecurity is another heavy burden that hangs on the nation, needless to say that the President has not just shown sincerity in tackling major threats to the peace of the nation.

    “Nigeria has witnessed the highest number of terrorist attacks than ever in the history of the country, the worst of all is missing of Chibok girls which triggered the #Bringbackourgirls hashtag and subsequently the campaign. However, we fear that less than a month to the first year anniversary of the Chibok abduction, Nigeria might just be bidding farewell to the poor girls, owing to government lackadaisical attitude.

    The groups urged President Goodluck Jonathan to take a cue from smaller neighbouring countries’ approach to tackling Boko Haram.

  • Tinubu: victory shows people’s will for change

    The victory of All Progressives Congress (APC) in the presidential elections was yesterday hailed as one anchored on people’s will to stop the nation’s drift to abyss, the party’s national leader Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, has said.

    The APC leader said the country had been mismanaged and toed a dangerous path under the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which was defeated in the contest.

    The victory, Tinubu said, would detach the nation’s economy from its current bond to dollar, noting that PDP government wasted time to run the country down. He said Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, the president-elect, would introduce “common sense reforms” and bring accountability to governance and public administration.

    “This is a defining moment for our nation. It is the time to turn potentials of our country to realities. The people have suffered enough but we are resilient. Our economy is tied to the dollars when we have arable land and untapped minerals, yet we have no electricity to power the industry. How can you build a nation in that way?

    “The PDP government had enough time to develop the country…we have petroleum industry yet we cannot create enough jobs. We have refined products from petroleum but we cannot turn them around. Who says we cannot be the headquarters of plastic in Africa? It is a matter of creativity and common sense reform.

    “We have to have this change to engender competitiveness in thinking and in service delivery. But, a nation that follows a political philosophy of power in reverse becomes the ruler and will not serve the people. If people are not being held accountable, then you have not had a nation. APC will be a good octopus that will start from every aspect and bring good governance to the people.”

    At Tinubu’s Ikoyi home, it was celebration galore. Hundreds of youths and politicians converged to celebrate the party’s victory at the polls. Notable politicians at Tinubu’s house yesterday included Governors Babatunde Fashola (Lagos), Abiola Ajimobi (Oyo), Chief Bisi Akande, Senators Dayo Adeyeye, Babafemi Ojudu, Anthony Adefuye, Chief Pius Akinyelure, Justice George Oguntade, Cardinal James Odumbaku, Mr Dele Alake, Joe Igbokwe and Mr. Demola Seriki, among others.

    Also speaking yesterday in a statement,  Tinubu described the outcome as “Nigeria’s finest moment.”

    “It is a moment when hope is re-born, faith is rekindled and a fresh fire of patriotism is released for the task ahead. I congratulate General Buhari, Nigeria’s President-elect on his  hard won victory. I salute our galant party leaders and members for running the long distance to victory. To millions of Nigerians I say this- the APC seeks not power for its sake, but for the purpose of bringing a better life to our people and re-building our country”.

    This is also democracy’s finest moment. Nigerians alive today have witnessed the beginning of an era of change . They made this happen and they are the true celebrants and they are deserving. Together we share this victory. Side by side we would work together to bring our country back.”

     

  • APC Victory celebration

    APC Victory celebration

    National Leader of APC Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Celebration of Victory for Presidential Election of Gen Buhari with Gov Babatunde Fashola and Gov Isika Ajumobi
    National Leader of APC Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu celebration of victory for election of Gen Muhammed Buhari with party members
  • Order barring soldiers from Tinubu’s home subsists, says court

    Order barring soldiers from Tinubu’s home subsists, says court

    The order barring soldiers from the home of the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader Asiwaju Bola Tinubu will remain in force until the substantive suit is heard, the Federal High Court said Tuesday.

    Tinubu sued the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Kenneth Minimah over the deployment of soldiers to lay siege on his 26, Bourdillon Street, Ikoyi, Lagos home between February 9 and 11.

    The former Lagos State governor is praying the court to enforce his fundamental rights.

    Justice John Tsoho, on March 26, granted an interim injunction restraining the army from laying siege to Tinubu’s home.

    The judge also stopped Tinubu’s arrest or detention during the period of the general elections.

    He restrained Minimah and his privies from “arresting, detaining, harassing or intimidating the applicant” until the determination of the substantive suit.

    The suit was adjourned for hearing Tuesday, but the applicant’s lawyer, Chukwuma Onwuemene, who stood in for Mr Femi Falana (SAN), sought a short adjournment.

    Minimah was not represented by any lawyer.

    Justice Tsoho recalled that the applicant had already secured an interim injunction against his arrest and intimidation by the military, which still subsists.

    He said he could not give any date before the Easter vacation, which begins next Monday.

    Tinubu is seeking a declaration that the siege on his home was an infringement on his fundamental human right to private and family life protected under Section 37 of the Constitution.

    According to him, the military’s action violated sections 35 and 42 of the Constitution as well as Articles 2 and 5 of the African Charter on Human and Peoples Rights (Ratification and Enforcement) Act.

    Tinubu said the siege caused him and his family “psychological and mental torture.”

    His aide, Sunday Dare, who deposed to a supporting affidavit, said: “The applicant was exposed to embarrassment as many members of the public asked whether he committed any offence which warranted the siege.

    “The siege portrayed him as a hardened criminal in the society.”

  • The bridge builder called Tinubu

    The man, Asiwaju Ahmed Bola Tinubu has become a household name and a terror in the camp of the conservative PDP ruling class. Many people know him as a former Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Governor of Lagos State [1999 – 2007], an accomplished retired but not tired accountant with multinational oil company; a NADECO activist. Some out of sheer preference call him the Asiwaju of Yoruba land or Jagaban of Borgu land amongst other well deserved titles.

    Some of the old disciples of Chief Obafemi Awolowo who abandoned the noble cause of the sage but rather pitched their tents with PDP for stomach infrastructure now contest the title of Asiwaju of Yoruba land with Tinubu. The holy book tells us that you are a Christian if you are Christ-like in actions and conduct. Like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Bola Tinubu has constantly stood with the masses. When Rome was on fire, only the courageous stood to rescue it from total ruin.

    Bola was a chivalrous soldier that survived the holocaust of ravaging PDP army in 2003. He is a man of valor, vision, unbending and an incorrigible activist. He is a liberator of the poor and the oppressed. A man of good and quality taste, He is the first leg in a long relay race of the rebuilding of Western Region after the catastrophic reign of PDP from 2003 – 2011, and the emancipation of Nigerians from the ruins of the conservatives. He is a trailblazer and sustainer of the light, which Chief Obafemi Awolowo brought to Western Region of Nigeria.

    Bola Ahmed Tinubu confronted one King Pharaoh that ruled Nigeria from 1999 – 2007 and fought him to a standstill. The same king, out of office, respects him for his effrontery and courage when the war lasted. When the PDP that represents slavery, oppression, avarice, impunity and destruction invaded the southwest, Tinubu stood like the rock of Gibraltar. He was unmoved and didn’t fall for the carrots dangled at his face. After partial loss of the region, few of the comprised people got appointed into the government at the centre.

    After his re-election victory in 2003, Tinubu consolidated on the foundation that resisted the invasion. He broke new grounds and became a pacesetter in good governance. A new standard was set for infrastructural development, clean environment and transportation through the construction of standard roads, establishment of LAWMA, LASTMA and BRT lanes. The feat is unparalleled. The enemy placed embargo on allocations of Lagos state so that the affairs of the state can collapse with the erroneous thought that Tinubu would surrender to the PDP government. Through deep and highly intellectual approach, he discovered new grounds for revenue generation. He re-strategised and heightened the pace of development to the amazement of the PDP. At the end of his tenure, the baton was handed-over to Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola.

    Bola Tinubu out of office assiduously went to work and made plans for the recapture of lost grounds from the PDP in five of the six states of southwest. He systematically and gradually got victory from one state to 2, 3, 4, and 6 states and his sermon of emancipation and self-help spread like bush fire in the harmattan season.

    Let us salute the courage of soldiers held in captivity but didn’t lose their heads and fighting spirits. The likes of Chief Olusegun Osoba, Chief Bisi Akande, Late Lam Adesina, Otunba Niyi Adebayo and others. They remained undaunted and soon regained freedom to join the new army. They believed and embraced the new commander of the People’s Army – Ahmed Bola Tinubu.

    There was conviction even in the army of the ruling class that Joshua has come to lead the people to the Promised Land. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Senator Rasidi Ladoja, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko ran to Bola Tinubu for help when their rights were trampled upon. The courts reinstated them. Some of them embraced the leadership of Tinubu. Others remain ungrateful. They are now the arrow heads of hate campaign, mudslinging, tar painting and name calling of Bola Tinubu.

    Bola Ahmed Tinubu enlarged his frontiers. He extended a handshake to the north and east of the Niger. He got an embrace. A feat that looked impossible. The alignment of the progressive north and the cooperation of the forward-looking elements of southeast and south-south are discernable. It resulted in the formation of a strong opposition called All Progressive Congress (APC). Chief Obafemi Awolowo that the PDP administration is now deceitfully eulogising was despised, tar painted and described in unprintable terms like Bola Tinubu. Awo will be smiling in his grave for Tinubu has made him proud today politically.

    Bola Tinubu, your efforts at bringing back the lost glory of old western Region are yielding fruits. The non-aligned states have seen the light your campaign has brought to the people. The APC is a confirmation of a new dawn in Nigeria. The non-conformists that for long have remained in the conservative camp of the north and oppressors of the south have woken-up from their slumber. The courage of our highly honourable and distinguished men others that abandoned the sinking ship of PDP to join the mass-transit train of change is commendable. The sacrifice of the five progressive Governors led by Rotimi Amaechi that quit the ruling PDP is outstanding in the history of Nigeria. Whatever they say today, Bola Tinubu, you are a leading light for a group of Nigerians with high intellect and the entire populace yearning for true change. The 16 APC states are the standards for modern Nigeria in road infrastructure, transportation, education, health, wealth creation and good governance. If anybody is in doubt of your relevance to the nation, the death of your mother, Alhaja Abibat Mogaji, sometime ago readily serve as a test case of relevance.

    The encomiums and struggle to get space to pay condolence visit to you was unprecedented. This was clearly not for the deceased but for you Tinubu in appreciation of the bridge you have built across Nigeria. The conservatives once accused Awolowo of amassing wealth at the expense of the people. He stated that no poor man could fight the cause of the poor. The revolutions recorded all over the world were led by the rich or the silver spoons that saved the poor from the task masters, slave drivers and caterpillar of the commonwealth. You have continuously used resources at your disposal to fight the cause of the downtrodden Nigerians. You established institutions where Nigerians are making a living. We have in our midst people of yester years who dined and wined with Chief Awolowo but have lost value. They lead an army without soldiers. On your own Tinubu, you have proved to be an agent of light and unity. Your name will be written in gold when the time comes. Tinubu will live long to see the birth and sustenance of New Nigeria. The Lord will Guide and protect you and members of your family against the forces of darkness.

     

    • Oyebamiji wrote in from Lagos