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Politics
Tinubu/Shettima Independent Campaign Council deploys ICC Chart for mobilisation
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
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Tinubu/Shettima Independent Campaign Council (ICC) yesterday unveiled an Application; ICC Charts, which the Council plans to deploy for the purpose of mobilising grassroots support for the victory of the All Progressive Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the 2023 presidential election.
Briefing journàlists yesterday in Abuja, former Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, Silas Agara, who is also the National Coordinator of the Tinubu/ Shettima Independent Campaign Council, said the Application is designed to mobilise an unprecedented number of votes never witnessed in the history of presidential elections in Nigeria.
Agara, flanked by the group’s Deputy National Coordinators of both North and South, said the Independent Campaign Council will also review its work plan to ensure the victory of Tinubu/ Shettima ticket.
According to him, “The ICC is a tactical and strategic organ of Tinubu/Shettima ticket, which is saddled with primary responsibility of supporting the dynamic Presidential Campaign Council for Tinubu/Shettima ticket. The ICC is a grassrootsbased initiative, strategically covering the bottom-up campaign network.
“The ICC Presence is fully rooted in: All the States plus FCT down to the polling units. The ICC is built around Tinubu/Shettima Presidential Ticket, with a wellstructured operation manned by a National Coordinator with Deputies overseeing Northern and Southern operations.
“The ICC also has six Directorates that are responsible for: Media, Legal, Logistics and protocol, Admin and Finance, Women and Youth”.
Speaking further, the former Deputy Governor said the ICC is a multidimensional and an all-inclusive approach that has close workings with various committees for maximum engagement with the Nigerian people towards generating the highest number of votes ever witnessed in the history of Nigerian presidential election.
He said the ICC is ICT compliant, creating an advance grassroots networking that will enhance voter confidence leading to the anticipated resounding victory for Tinubu/Shettima and the APC in 2023.
“We have designed a unique model of engagement with our committees and all support groups called the ICC chart; a model that deepens and reasserts hope for greater Nigeria; this renewal of the connection between the people and the APC is what the Tinubu/Shettima presidential initiative seeks to bring about” he said.
Pointing out that the ICC work plan is already been implemented in various States of the federation, Agara said part of the manifesto of the Bola/ Shettima candidacy seeks the building of a 21st Century Economy through; Building Modern infrastructure, Creating a valueadded economy, Strengthening good government, Ending our reliance on oil & gas, Agriculture & land; A Green revolution.
Explaining how the Application works, Abiola Oshodi, a Canadian based resource person of the Tinubu/ Shettima ICC, said the application can be downloaded in Apple store or Google Play Store, from which the details of the user will be captured automatically, hence there is no room for double registration.
He said the Tinubu/Shettima ICC will also deploy a tactical team to assist supporters on how to use the application, to ensure that Tinubu wins the highest number of votes in the 2023 Presidential election.
Also, in his brief remarks, the Chief spokesman of the Tinubu/ Shettima ICC, Hilliard Etah, who was also former acting national chairman of APC, said the Independent Campaign Council complements the Presidential Campaign Council, by picking up from where members of the PCC stops their work.
He explained that the mega rallies across the States are usually planned and executed by the PCC, while the ICC takes off from there to reach out to more Nigerians individually, as a method of boosting the number of support base of the party.
All Progressives Congress Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and Deputy Governor of Lagos State, Dr. Femi Hamzat, at an interaction between Tinubu and South West Muslim Leaders on Sunday in Ibadan, Oyo State capital...
I remain a force in Ogun 2023 politics – Amosun says
By Musa Baba Adamu
Former Governor Ibikunle Amosun and Senator representing Ogun Central Senatorial District, on Monday, stormed Abeokuta with hundreds of his followers across Ogun State.
This gathering was coming barely two weeks after an Abeokuta High Court directed the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to expunge the names of his candidates in the African Democratic Congress (ADC) from its list of candidates contesting the 2023 general elections.
But, Amosun and his supporters appeared unperturbed by the court ruling as they gathered at the Ake Palace Square for an empowerment programme.
Speaking with journalists, Amosun insisted that regardless of anything that happens, he remains a force to reckon with in Ogun politics, despite leaving office almost four years ago.
Amosun boasted that the larger population of the people of the State are still solidly behind him, asking them to remain calm.
He reiterated that Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) remains his choice during the presidential poll, stating that his support for Tinubu is unwavering.
The former governor appealed to Nigerians to collect their Permanent Voters’ Cards (PVCs) and remain peaceful before, during and after the elections.
“We should all come out and collect our PVCs and we should not fight. This is Ogun State and we should be violence-free. All of us are for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. There is no controversy about that one,” Amosun said.
Recall that Amosun has declared that he would not vote for the APC during the 2023 governorship election in Ogun.
He said he would support Biyi Otegbeye of the ADC by coming out to campaign for him openly.
As the Ogun Senator, Amosun said he had extended his empowerment programme to the other two Senatorial districts of Ogun East and West because of the support and love he gets from constituents of other districts.
“One novel thing about what we are are doing today is that we are not limiting this to just Ogun Central even though Ogun Central will have more because I represent Ogun Central, but I know we have our people as well in the East and West, though Ogun East and West have their own Senators and they have been giving their people things, but I’m doing this in the Central and I felt that I should extend that courtesy to our people in Ogun West and East.
“It is not only the people of Ogun Central that have been supporting me since, our people from Ogun West and East have also been supporting our course and I feel they should also benefit from this empowerment programme,” he said.
PAGE 16 POLITICS
By Christiana Ekpa
An area court in Bukuru, Jos South LGA of Plateau State has sentenced Gabriel Orupou (alias Alaye) to two years imprisonment and or N100,000 fine for destroying a billboard belonging to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.
Orupou, a resident of Dadin Kowa, was found guilty of criminal conspiracy.
Delivering the sentence, the presiding judge, Hyacinth Dolnaan and Abdulahi Sadiq, also granted compensation in the sum of N400,000 as damages for the banners destroyed and a six-month
Labour Party condemns killing of members nationwide
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
The Labour Party (LP), has condemned in strong terms the continuous killings of its members in parts of the country.
Addressing newsmen on Monday in Kaduna, the party’s National Secretary, Umar Farouk Ibrahim Mai Rakumi, lamented the continuous killing of its members, particularly in Kaduna State and called on the ruling party to rise to the occasion and save the lives of innocent Nigerians.
He said, “The spate of the killings of our members is worrisome, I call on the federal government and Kaduna State governments to take proactive measures towards ensuring the protection of its members and Nigerians in general.”
“Our great party has noticed with dismay in recent times, the spate of killings of our party supporters in Kaduna State. Particularly in southern Kaduna which is one of our strongholds and the constituency of our Gubernatorial candidate Jonathan Asake is becoming a source of concern.”
“Just last week our great party lost eight members in Kaura local government and Zangon Kataf Local Government respectively. This series of killing within a short time is highly condemnable and insensitive, especially in this festive period,” he noted.
He also called on the Kaduna State government to put all the mechanisms in motion to apprehend and prosecute those responsible for the criminality.
“The killing of the amiable woman leader of the Labour Party in Kaduna state, Mrs Victoria Chintex is still fresh in our minds and we will follow up with her gruesome murder till the Kaduna State government apprehends the culprits,” he assured.
He opined that the Labour Party views all the killings in its major strongholds in Kaduna State and some parts of the country as a calculated attempt to demoralise supporters in next year’s elections in the country.
“I want to assure the good people of Kaduna State that as the labour party waxes stronger on daily basis,
Court jails man for destroying Atiku’s 2023 election campaign billboard in Jos
jail term in the event of default.
Recall that the billboard bearing campaign messages of the PDP presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his running mate, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa was allegedly destroyed by Orupou on instructions of one Musa and Danlami (now at large) of Dadin Kowa who reportedly paid him the sum of N2,000 to pull down the billboard.
Speaking with journalists, after the judgment, the legal adviser to the PDP in Bassa LGA, Barrister John Amama said that the judgement delivered was indeed a victory for democracy.
Amama commended the Police for once again demonstrating that they are up and doing in upholding justice and fairness to all political parties by arresting the culprit.
He used the opportunity to call on youths not to allow themselves to be used as political thugs as there are consequences for such acts.
“I want to appeal to political parties to engage in issue-based campaigns rather than employing the services of thugs to destroy campaign materials of their political opponents.
“I want to commend the PDP in Plateau State for conducting itself in a very civilised manner by addressing the matter through legal channels rather than retaliating,” he said.
R-L: Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Leader of Afenifere, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, former President General of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Chief John Nnia Nwodo, and Presidential Candidate of Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, during Nwodo’s 70th birthday celebration, yesterday at St. Mulumba Catholic Church, New Haven, Enugu,
Ogun will vote Atiku, not Tinubu – PDP campaign DG Akinlade
By Musa Baba Adamu
The Director General of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council in Ogun State, Adekunle Akinlade, has said the people of Ogun State would rise above ethnic sentiments to vote for the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
Akinlade said Atiku would defeat Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and other candidates to win the 2023 election in the state, saying failure is not an option.
Akinlade, who is also the deputy governorship candidate of the PDP in the state, noted that the recent court judgment which ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to recognise Ladi Adebutu as the governorship candidate, had been giving the ruling party sleepless nights.
Speaking in Abeokuta at the meeting of the PCC members held on Monday, Akinlade maintained that the party leaders drawn from all the 20 local governments in the state have the mandate to mobilize votes for Atiku and other candidates in the next elections, urging Nigerians to vote the PDP in all elections.
“We want everybody to work hard. I have no doubt that we will deliver Atiku in the first election and I have no doubt that we will also deliver the PDP in the second election in Ogun State. We are going to vote PDP all through, no sentiment of any kind.
“We are going to work from local government to local government and ward to ward. A lot of what we are going to do has to do with strategic engagement and peaceful engagement with the members of the public. We know those who have registered to vote and we have the data. We will take genuine advantage of the data. Failure is not an option for us in Ogun State and failure is not an option for us at the national level,” he said.
In his remarks, the State Chairman, Sikirullahi Ogundele, said “PDP is hungry to return to power” both at the state and the national levels.
Ogundele called on the PCC members to see their appointments as a call to duty and work in unison to ensure the party’s victory next year.
NNPP senatorial candidate laments high cost of governance in Nigeria
By Ikechukwu Okaforadi
New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) 2023 senatorial candidate in Anambra State, Barr Helen Mbakwe has lamented the high cost of governance in Nigeria, saying that no country can succeed by wasting its resources.
Mbakwe, who is running for the Senate under the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) said a lot of money is being used to fund the lifestyle of the leaders of the country and leaving the masses with little.
Speaking to journalists in Anambra State on Monday, the banker-turned-lawyer called for a drastic cut in the cost of governance, saying her aspiration to go to the Senate is to play a role in making laws that will cut waste by the country’s leaders.
She said: “I’m not a regular politician, but seeing the yearnings for a new Nigeria, I am compelled to run for office, to be a part of the making of the new country we seek.
“The cost of governance is simply too high, we need lawmakers who will make laws to curb the waste we experience in government, and I can tell you that you cannot pour new wine in an old container.”
According to her: “We need a crop of politicians who are entirely new, not the over-recycled politicians who we have today.”
Her choice of NNPP, she said, was deliberate.
“Because of the new Nigeria it offers us. I believe that if we hope for a new Nigeria, we should also yearn for an entirely new crop of leaders,” Mbakwe said.
PEOPLES DAILY, TUESDAY, DECEMBER 20, 2022 PAGE 17 POLITICS
What I will do for security personnel – Plateau PDP guber candidate Mutfwang
By Christiana Ekpa
The gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang has expressed commitment towards improving the welfare of security personnel in the state to enable them to respond swiftly to security challenges if given the mandate in 2023.
He also noted that equipping security operatives in the state with requisite security intelligence and boosting their morale with welfare packages will enable them to demonstrate more commitment towards tackling emerging security threats in rural communities.
Mutfwang stated this while speaking at the closing ceremony of the training of the newly recruited men and officers of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria (VGN), held in Jos, Plateau State capital.
According to him: “There is a strong connection between welfare and productivity of security personnel across the globe, therefore, giving priority to their welfare will boost their morale for greater response to the security of lives and properties.”
He applauded the newly recruited personnel for their immense contributions to national security and promised to work closely with them to secure the land and people of the state if he is elected governor in 2023.
Mutfwang urged them to discharge their duties with dedication, self-commitment and patriotism to the state and the nation.
In her earlier remarks, the state commander of the Vigilante Group of Nigeria, Mildred D. Shepsuk, expressed the gratitude of the organization to the governorship candidate for attending in person and supporting them.
She noted that the newly recruited personnel were drilled thoroughly to respond to emerging security threats in our local communities.
Further attacks on INEC facilities may affect 2023 elections - Commissioner, Okoye
By Musa Baba Adamu
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has expressed worries that if attacks on its facilities persist into January 2023, it could affect the conduct of the general elections.
National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, INEC, Festus Okoye, said this at a workshop on Political Violence and Election Security organised by the National Defence College on Monday in Abuja.
Okoye said the commission had recorded some reverses in states where the attacks took place, including destruction of ballot boxes and other election material, as well as permanent voter cards.
He said that the commission had since the 2019 recorded 50 attacks in 15 states of the federation.
According to him, the attacks recorded in 2022 were systematic and coordinated to derail lNEC from conducting free, fair, credible and transparent elections.
He particularly said that the commission recorded so many losses in the attack on its office in Abeokuta South Local Government in Ogun.
Okoye however assured that INEC has the capacity to recover from those attacks,
“So all these attacks that have taken place, we have the capacity to recover and we are going to recover because we are already reprinting the permanent voters cards that were lost during the inferno.
“We are also replacing the voting cubicles and ballot boxes that were lost, we are also trying to rent offices for the ones that we cannot repair.
“But if these attacks go into January and February, it may be difficult for us to recover from those attacks.
“This is because if you look at section 134 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 as amended, it has a threshold that a candidate must meet before that candidate can be declared as the winner of any election.
“So we do not want these attacks to continue, we don’t want them to persist.
“But we have the assurance from the various security agencies that they are going to dominate the environment, neutralise these attacks,” he added.
Okoye added that the security agencies had given the assurance that they would ensure a secure and safe environment for the conduct of the 2023 general elections.
He assured Nigerians that INEC would conduct an election driven by technology that would produce a winner that the Nigerian people want.
No DSS officer was slapped by Adeleke’s family – Osun PDP
By Musa Baba Adamu
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Osun State has denied allegations that personnel of the Department of State Security (DSS) attached to the security detail of the state governor, Ademola Adeleke was physically assaulted.
The Osun All Progressives Congress (APC) had alleged on Sunday in a statement by Kola Olabisi, the Osun APC Director of Media that a DSS operative was slapped by the elder sister of the governor, Modupe Sanni.
The Osun PDP in a reaction by Oladele Bamiji, its Director of Media on Monday described the APC as rudderless and in severe pain over its loss of political power.
The Osun PDP advised the APC to prevail on former Governor Adegboyega Oyetola to apologize and return all looted assets rather than looking for petty diversionary tactics and engaging in rumour peddling.
According to Osun PDP, “Such statements with the seal of a supposed registered political party is pathetic, to put it mildly. It is the lowest level anyone could descend to show unsophisticated frustration.
“While we are not unaware of the fact that APC leaders and members alike, as things stand in the state, are down and critically idle, nevertheless, we never thought they will degenerate to the point of trying to give life to beer parlour gossip.
“As such, we like to advise the party to endure its time in the desert with sensible anger, as the petty style adopted so far by APC handlers can only continue to reduce their electoral stock.
“We like to emphasize that at no point did Governor Adeleke or any member of his family physically assault any security details attached to them. The truth, which can be easily verified from security personnel around him, is the kind hospitality and respect the Governor and his family have accorded them.
While reiterating the position of the Osun State Government in an earlier statement by its spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed that the alleged withdrawal of DSS personnel from Ademola Adeleke had nothing to do with him or any member of his family but a minor disagreement with the Police, which is being handled by the appropriate authorities.
The party called on the people to dismiss the
Governor Adeleke
entirety of the insinuations of the APC, describing the rumour as a clever plot to distract from the questions of accountability posed to it by the PDP-led Ademola Adeleke administration.
2023: Enough of character assassination – Enugu PDP warns opposition parties
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Enugu State has condemned what it called the deliberate attempt by some opposition political parties in the State to engage in the maligning of the party’s governorship candidate in the State.
The Party’s stand was in reaction to a trending video in the State which made some allegations against its governorship candidate, Barr. Peter Mbah.
Addressing journalists in Enugu on Monday, Barr. Nana Ogbodo, Director of Communications/Spokesman, PDP Campaign Organization in the State said those involved in the malicious campaigns and character assassination should be brought to book by law enforcement agencies.
Ogbodo said the purveyors of the fake news were taking for granted the fact that the Enugu State Governor, Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, had enthroned an enabling environment characterized by restraint even in the face of brazen provocation.
He said it was unfortunate that some misguided members of the society have continually hidden under the anonymity of the social media world to peddle sheer falsehood and utter malicious content.
According to him, Enugu State is not immune to this malaise. In the last few months, especially since the beginning of campaigns for the forthcoming elections, those who ought to have known better, have sought to revile the prevailing civility in the state and drag the hardearned reputation of Enugu’s illustrious sons to the mud of public obloquy.
“Lately, the state has been inundated with clearly malicious jingles and sundry content conceived with the devious intent to malign the reputation of our governorship candidate, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah. Despite the disingenuous attempt to mask the identity of the purveyors, it is not difficult to deduce the source of these slanderous messages.
“We are not in the least surprised by such discovery, as the messages are in sync with the characters of the linchpins whose political careers are typified by mudslinging. Whereas most of these pretenders have no record of success in any previous endeavor, they are wont to rate any other person’s successes from the warped prism of their serial failings, after all, it is often typical of scoundrels to assume that their enemies are the enemies of God!
