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Politics
Disregard opposition’s propaganda, LP’s polling agents solidly on ground -Tanko
By Christiana Ekpa
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The Labour Party (LP) Presidential Campaign Council on Sunday dismissed as opposition propaganda the allegation that the party does not have polling agents in core northern states, saying they are solidly on ground championing the ways and means to change the narrative in this year’s elections.
In a statement issued yesterday by the Spokesman of LPPCC, Yunusa Tanko, the party said it has foot soldiers scattered all over the North to man all polling units in the north and the entire nation.
Tanko, who was reacting to sponsored stories by opposition parties at the weekend, said “Opposition gimmicks to weaken the resolved minds of Nigerians to Vote Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed into power this year will not fly.
“The attention of the Labour Party Presidential campaign council, (LPPCC) has been drawn to yet another deceitful information circulating in the social media to the effect that our party has not submitted agents for 90,000 Polling Units in North Central, Northeast and Northwest.
“We see this as yet another propaganda from the opposition to bring our rising influence down and deceive the electorate in an election year.
“We have volunteers all over the country that surpass even the number of agents required for each Polling booth so the issue of not being able to supply agents for 90,000 units is a complete fallacy designed by the enemies of progress in Nigeria.
“INEC gave a window of up to January 20th for political parties to submit their list of agents for the elections and as such cannot at this time raise concerns about any political Party not being able to submit enough agents.
“The Labour Party has a task force on the recruitment and selection of agents headed by our presidential candidate H.E. Peter Obi himself and his Vice, Datti, the National Chairman and the National Secretary of the party are all members of that committee.
“LPPCC is investigating the source of this propaganda because we know it is not definitely from the INEC.
Dr. Yunusa Tanko
Oil producing status: Enugu next Gov has no excuse to fail - Group says
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
Apolitical pressure group, Save Enugu Group (SEG) has said that whoever emerges as the next Governor of Enugu State cannot have any excuse not to perform better than Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, saying that the state Governor has left yet another legacy achievement by putting the sate on the map of oil producing states in Nigeria.
In a statement signed by its Coordinator, Willy Ezugwu, the group said that in a few years time, the oil producing status of Enugu State should reflect in infrastructural development, improved Healthcare facilities, boost in educational support and in all other sectors of the state.
“For us, Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has left a commendable legacy achievement by silently, but effectively, pursuing to a logical conclusion desired inclusion of Enugu State on the list of oil producing states in Nigeria.
“It will remain the most valuable achievement of the outgoing administration when the tenure of the incumbent Governor ends in May this year.
Currently, the Governor’s preferred governorship candidate is Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, the candidate of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
The SEG said that the state’s oil producing status is a mega success of the Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi administration that is glaring to all, saying that “when the new status of the state first become public, it was considered a political rhetoric.
“But with the unfolded reality, we congratulate the people of Enugu State and hail Governor Ugwuanyi, who has now distinguished himself as the people’s Governor, who will be leaving a big shoe for the next administration.
“We hereby assure our dear state that the Save Enugu Group is alive to its mandate and prepared to continue on the path of holding the sate government accountable if any administration deviates from making pro-people projects the central focus of the government.
“With the new status, we enjoin the people of the state to vote wisely and elect a candidate who is prepared to not only sustain the achievements of the Governor Ugwuanyi administration but to surpass them”, the group said.
Lawan vows 98 percent Yobe votes to be for Tinubu/Shettima ticket
By Musa Baba Adamu
The President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan expressed with confidence on Sunday that 98 percent of votes in Yobe in the forthcoming Presidential poll will be delivered to the candidate of the rulling All Progressives Congress(APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate, Kashim Shettima.
Lawan described Yobe State as the pride of APC and vowed that no stone would be left unturned to ensure its victory at the polls at all levels.
The Senate President made the remarks in Damaturu, at the inauguration of the Yobe State APC 2023 Campaign Council which held at Yobe Government House.
The council which is chaired by former Governor of the State, Alhaji Ibrahim Gaidam has Lawan as Alternate chairman and also former Governor Bukar Abba Ibrahim as the Grand Patron.
Speaking at the occasion, the Senate President said: “Just as the chairman of the council said, we will be totally committed to ensuring that this party, the APC in Yobe State delivers all the seats by the Grace of God.
“We will work tirelessly, we will ensure that we leave no stone unturned, we will do whatever it takes because APC in Yobe State is the pride of APC in Nigeria and we cannot afford to let APC family in Nigeria down.
“Actually, we believe that we are supposed to dominate in Presidential poll when it comes to performance. We should be able to have the highest percentage, like we did before, nothing less than 98 percent to vote our Presidential Candidate.
“And we can do that by mercilessly committing ourselves to our party rather than regional thinking or sentiments.
“In Yobe State, you know we have a single family and our Governor by the Grace of God should have the highest number of votes for any Governor in Nigeria.
“This we will do by making sure that our zones, the three zones in the state compete. So I want to assure you that we do everything possible within the law to ensure that our Governor comes back to office in flying colour.
“Our National Assembly and State Assembly members should be waiting for inauguration Insha Allah.
“Above all, we should be a very shinning example to everyone in this zone, I mean the North East zone. We have a vice Presidential Candidate in the neighbouring State, our sister State, Borno. Let’s beat Borno State in the Presidential election.
“Borno and Yobe are the same people. They have given us every possible support before and one good turn deserves another. It is for us to also do the same for them.
“Lastly, I want to thank those who decided to bring us on board as members of the campaign council for the confidence reposed in us and I want to specifically say that I’m committed to ensuring that we deliver our party in Yobe by the Grace of God.
In his acceptance speech, the chairman of the campaign council, Senator Gaidam said Yobe state, from its creation, had always aligned with the progressives.
PAGE 16 POLITICS
My experience in APC full of sorrow – ExJigawa deputy gov, Gumel
By Musa Baba Adamu
The former Deputy Governor of Jigawa State, Ahmed Mahmoud Gumel has described his time as a member of the All Progressive Congress (APC) as full of pain and agony.
Gumel stated this weekend after he collected his new PDP membership card in Bamaina, the country home of ex-governor Sule Lamido.
He claimed the APC administration has failed to meet the yearnings and aspirations of the common man.
“I used to shed tears whenever I see how things are happening in APC and remember how things were when we are in government under the Peoples Democratic Party,” Gumel stated noting that it was high time for him to rejoin his party and meet his people to make things better.
“That is why I didn’t tear my old PDP membership card because I know I will come back to my house one day because we build the house,” he said.
He, however, debunked the allegation that he left the party alone.
“I and all my supporters who worked for the success of APC in 2015 and 2019 have quit the party and will work for the victory of PDP in the coming 2023 general election,” he asserted and also affirmed that more prominent politicians in the state will join PDP in the next two weeks.
The former deputy governor resigned his membership from the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) and rejoined his former party, the PDP.
AA to INEC: Remove Al-Mustapha, others as our presidential candidates for 2023
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
The Action Alliance (AA) has again condemned the refusal of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu led Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognize its Presidential candidates, Solomon -David Okanigbuan against Major Hamza Al-Mustapha in the 2023 general elections, saying failure might nullify the electoral exercise.
The National Chairman of AA, Adekunle Rufai Omo-Aje made the appeal at a press conference held at the party’s national headquarters in Abuja.
He noted that INEC’s failure to upload the names of all the candidates presented would threaten the polls.
Omo-Ajeat claimed that at a national convention held by the party and monitored by INEC, Solomon-David Okanigbuan emerged the party’s presidential candidate, among others.
However, Major Hamza AlMustapha (rtd.), the former aide to late Gen. Sani Abacha, won the presidential primary election conducted by the sacked national chairman of the party, Barrister Kenneth Obidiche Udeze, on June 9 in Abuja.
The electoral umpire had recognised all the candidates presented to it by the Udeze-led faction of the party, despite court judgements declaring that Udeze was no longer a member of the party and order directing INEC to accept and publish all the candidates sent to it by the Omo-Aje leadership of the AA.
Addressing the newsmen, Omo-Aje alleged that INEC is covertly orchestrating a clandestine plan against the 2023 elections, and Action Alliance will not fold our arms and watch our nascent democracy rubbished and wounded.
“Gentlemen of the press, it has gotten to the level for us in Action Alliance to come out in the open and make categorical statements loud and clear on the rooftop to the hearing of all concerned citizens of this country about an orchestrated plan by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and its Chairman — Prof Mahmood Yakubu in making the coming 2023 General Election a waste of the nation’s resources and cause chaos in the polity.”
According to him, we are at the receiving end of a calculated plan/agenda of Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, going by his wicked meddlesomeness, through INEC, in the internal affairs of our party, Action Alliance.
“We fulfilled all INEC electoral guidelines and requirements according to the Nigerian constitution with the commission, yet he is hell bent on excluding Action Alliance from the coming 2023 General Elections.
“This forms the crux of our press briefing, to draw the attention of the relevant authorities and the nation in particular about the miscarriage of justice in INEC, actively promoted by its Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu,” he said.
Omo-Aje, who said that Barrister Udeze was the party’s national chairman up to June 2019 before he was suspended and expelled, said he (Omo-Aje) emerged the national chairman after a national elective convention conducted in February 2020 by Alh. Abubakar Mohammed who took over as the acting chairman then and the poll was monitored by INEC officials.
“This brought in Hon. (Dr.) Adekunle Rufai Omo-Aje and his team as the new National Executive Committee (NEC) of Action Alliance.
“And INEC had related with this new NEC of our party, until around April 2022 when a collaborative plan started between Prof. Mahmood Yakubu and Kenneth to return him (Kenneth) as chairman of our party through the back door,” he said.
He said instead of Udeze to challenge his suspension and expulsion from the party internally and through the courts, he instituted several court cases urging the courts to declare him national chairman of the party but lost all.
L-R: APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with Kano State governor, Abdullahi Ganduje, during the Arewa endorsement rally for Tinubu at Mobolaji Johnson Arena, Onikan, yesterday in Lagos.
2023: Akpabio accuses A’Ibom APC chieftains of working for Atiku
By Christiana Ekpa
Senator Godswill Akpabio has berated some Akwa Ibom All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders in the State for not truly working for its success but rushing to claim success in Abuja.
Akpabio, who is the National Vice Chairman of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, said those leaders whom he described as “Abuja politicians” shout Tinubu in the day and Atiku in the night.
He noted that he was particularly aware of one of them who had publicly endorsed the PDP Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar and a PDP Senatorial candidate but would rush to Uyo to claim chairman of the party.
Akpabio further noted that someone in the APC, poised to destabilize the party for the benefit of PDP, instituted seven cases in court against his party’s governorship candidate, Akanimo Udofia.
This was contained in a press statement signed by Akpabio’s Chief Press Secretary, Mr Jackson Udom and sent to journalists in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State.
Hee said Akpabio made the revelation, weekend, while receiving the leadership of about 250 Presidential Support Groups in Ikot Ekpene Local Government Area of the State.
The statement quoted Akpabio to have promised to personally support any other support group in the State with genuine interest to work for the APC.
The statement reads in part, “I have heard of several other groups being set up within the party by other party leaders. I am not against it, so long as they are being set up in support of the party and our Presidential candidate. I will personally support and attend their meetings anytime I am around in the State.
“I will not support a situation where some leaders of the party in the State would be shouting Asiwaju in the day and PDP (Atiku) in the night.
“I am very much aware of a particular person in our party, who has publicly endorsed the governorship candidate of the PDP and its Senatorial candidate, but would rush down to Uyo to say I am the chairman of the rally for Tinubu. Which Tinubu are you talking about?”
Describing the groups as the real supporters of the APC in the State, the former governor said anybody who would not embrace the groups is not a politician, stressing that no matter how he identifies with the centre, he would always identify with the grassroots.
POLITICS
By Musa Baba Adamu
The Zamfara State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged that the State Anti-Thuggery Committee was established to intimidate its members and supporters during the 2023 general elections.
The Acting State Chairman of the Party, Hon. Muktar Lugga disclosed this on Saturday during an interview with newsmen in Gusau, the State capital.
According to Lugga, the committee had no constitutional role to play in the election as the Independent National
Shun all forms of electoral malpractices – John Cardinal Onaiyekan to politicians
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
His Grace John Cardinal Onaiyekan, a former Catholic Archbishop of Abuja Diocese, in Abuja on Saturday, advised politicians in the country to shun any form of electoral malpractices for a credible election this year.
He said that Nigerians would not accept rigged elections anymore in the country.
He gave the warning during the celebration of his 40th anniversary as bishop, at the Holy Trinity Church, Maitama in Abuja.
He warned politicians scheming to manipulate the results of this year’s election that the current mood of the country can lead to unrest at the slightest provocation.
Onaiyekan stated that the current yearning of Nigerians is for a better country. Noting that the election would no longer be business as usual with regard to the result of the elections, he urged politicians to desist from any form of manipulation.
“All of them, whether they are in government or not, should desist from rigging or causing violence; they should not do it; they should allow this election to run in a free and fair way,” he admonished.
While insisting that he has no special candidate, Onaiyekan said the advice was for the politicians to understand that “the mood in which Nigeria now is not a mood that they will quietly accept a rigged election.”
He advised politicians to fear God, saying they would answer to their actions before Him when they leave this world.
“Even if no one asks questions, God will definitely ask questions and He has His way of asking questions about the deeds of all humanity”, he said.
Zamfara Anti-Thuggery C’ttee intimidates opposition – PDP chairman, Lugga
Electoral Commission (INEC) had outlined conventional security agencies to take part in providing adequate security during election processes across the country.
“Therefore, any attempt to give chance to the State anti-thuggery committee is contradictory to the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and will not be accepted by the PDP in the State.
“The PDP will continue to follow the rule of law in the fight for our rights and we will never succumb to any pressure until we salvage Zamfara State.
“I have said it times without number that no amount of intimidation or harassment can pull us back, we must address the perplexing and embarrassing situation of the State.
“We are, therefore, alerting all security agencies in the State to note and remain focused in their responsibilities to ensure peaceful political processes across the State,” he said.
The chairman also expressed worry over the recent indiscriminate arrest of the party’s supporters, including PDP heavyweights, citing example of the recent arrest and detention of a former minister of Information, Hon. Ikira Bilbis and a former Ambassador, Captain Mairiga Mafara.
NNPP guber candidate tasks electorates on candidate that will advance Cross River
The Governorship Candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in Cross River, Wilfred Bonse, has advised the electorate in the state to vote for a candidate that would advance its development in the forthcoming elections.
Bonse in a statement in Abuja, said that the choice of the electorate would define the socioeconomic and political future of Cross Rivers.
He urged the electorate to cast their votes for him and his party, adding that he was in the race to bring to bear his experience in financial management to help restore the state’s lost glory.
“2023 is going to be a defining year in the political history of our great nation in general and our dear state in particular, as we will be going to the polls to decide our electoral, political, social, economic, and developmental future.
“The choices before us are quite simple, and the options are very unambiguous. We have to choose between the continuation of the status quo or choose to break free and vote for a future we can be proud of.
“It is for this reason that I’m offering my service to the people of Cross River State. I bring you a viable, credible, and competent alternative to the status quo.
“I come with the fresh breeze of a new dawn, where Cross River State can live up to the true meaning of its title: “The People’s Paradise.
“I bring you a mixed bag of high-capacity expertise in financial management, engineering, alongside a high level of goodwill among the foreign investors and the business community, to say the very least.
“A vote for me is a vote to restore Cross River State to her state of lost glory as well as setting her on the path to rapid accelerated growth and development,” Bonse said.
The governorship hopeful called on the electorate in the state to cast their votes for NNPP for development of the state.
He said that NNPP remained the only viable, credible and competent alternative, capable of rescuing the state and giving Cross River people a future they would be proud of.
He added that NNPP is also politically equipped to save the country, saying “I believe we can save Nigeria, one state at a time.
“As we go to the polls, let us make use of the power we have been given by the universal adult suffrage provision of the Constitution, to bring about a new Cross River, free from the shackles of subjugation and socioeconomic slavery.
“New Nigeria and a New Cross River are possible. Let’s begin with Cross River State, vote NNPP,” he appealed. (NAN)
Edo State Police Commissioner, Mohammed Dankwara, Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu of Edo State when They visited Igueben Community After the Abduction of Passengers At A Train Station yesterday In Edo State,
APC could only win presidential poll if Nigerians go to sleep – Pastor Giwa
By Christiana Ekpa
Senior Pastor of Awaiting The Second Coming Of Christ Ministry, Adewale Giwa has predicted that the chances of All Progressives Congress(APC) winning the presidential poll is not feasible.
Pastor Giwa, while addressing his congregation in Akure, the Ondo State capital on Sunday, said it could probably happen when Nigerians decide to feign ignorance by going to sleep.
Pastor Giwa is famed for being critical of the APC-led Federal Government, especially in relation to insecurity and the economy.
He cautioned the electorates to guard against selling their voting rights for peanuts.
According to him, Nigerians are not lost on how President Muhammadu Buhari-led government and his party had plunged the nation into its current economic comatose.
Giwa stated: “We have not forgotten how they lied to us that they would make naira equal in value to the dollar, but failed to actualize it. They promised our children scholarships, but they ended up closing our higher institutions for almost a year. Most of their policies have turned married women and young ladies into prostitutes. You can’t imagine how Yahoo boys have taken over the streets of Nigeria due to the failure of the current government to provide jobs.
“APC can only return to power again if Nigerians are sleeping. Let me advise you to get your PVC ready and vote out this ruling party”.
Pastor Giwa’s reactions comes just as the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) recently took delivery of its last batch of BVAS machines, which it hopes to deploy massively in the conduct of the general elections slated to kick off in February this year.
