Buhari’s Ex-Aide, Obono-Obla, Loses Bid For Senate, Predicts Doom For APC In C’River
A former personal assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Prosecutions, Okoi Obono-Obla, has predicted doom for the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State, saying the party would suffer a “massive defeat if elections are held today.”
Obono-Obla who lost out in his quest to grab the party’s ticket for the Cross River Central Senatorial district at the primaries held last week, said in a statement on Saturday morning that the party would not win a single seat if the elections are held now due to the infighting within the party.
He also stated that the State chapter of the party is presently in disarray with massive discontentment among its members and would find it difficult to present a united front when election comes.
“If elections are held today, the party will surely suffer a massive defeat in Cross River State,” Obono-Obla noted.
“Aggrieved aspirants, angry with the callous and vicious manner the potentate and his conquering army manipulated the primaries to favour aspirants from their side to fly the party’s flag have filed several lawsuits against the party in the state, seeking redress.
“These plethoras of lawsuits were filed by aggrieved aspirants at APC panels set up to hear complaints arising from the primaries. But they failed to hear these complaints. ”
Obono-Obla added that the manner the primary election was conducted in the state was “unfair, disorderly and shabby,” adding that the discontent has further polarized the party into different factions as well as embroiled the party in pre-election litigations.
“These developments will distract the party from focusing on the next general elections. The party is disoriented without cohesion and cannot fight the next election,” he said.
He also revealed that more than 30 cases are currently pending in the Federal High Court, Calabar, all challenging the party leadership on the shabby, disorderly, and sham manner it conducted the primaries, especially the one challenging the legitimacy of the present state executive committee.
Kwankwaso Speaks On Stepping Down For Atiku, Tinubu
The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso has denied reports of plans to drop his ambition to succeed President Muhammadu Buhari.
The presidential candidate of the Peoples
Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar is reportedly planning to meet with Kwankwaso and Labour Party’s Peter Obi over a proposed alliance to defeat the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Bola Tinubu.
But speaking to The PUNCH, Kwankwaso said he won’t step down for anyone.
While insisting that he would emerge victorious in the 2023 election, Kwankwaso said the Kwankwasiyya Movement is popular nationwide.
He said, “I won’t be stepping down for anyone; our party is popular across the country and we are sure of victory at the polls.
“Our candidacy is based on capacity and performance. People are looking for those who have done it better in the past, and people who are trusted. Nigerians want someone who can unite Nigeria, improve the educational system and end insecurity.
“We will defeat the two major parties at the polls in 2023. The Kwankwasiyya Movement is very popular, and we will win even in the North-East. I’m happy that the Electoral Bill was signed into law, and that will make it difficult for anyone to rig us out as they have always done. Once there is a free and fair election, it will be difficult for anyone to defeat us.”
Kidnapped Abuja-Kaduna Train Passengers Regain Freedom
After spending 74 days in a terrorist’s den, some victims of the Abuja-Kaduna train attack in March have regained their freedom.
Recall that the Kaduna-bound train was attacked by some dreadful terrorists on March 28, 2022.
The assailants had opened fire on the moving train, killing at least nine people while they whisked away to an unknown location no fewer than sixty others including children and the elderly.
Reports reaching this news platform at the moment confirmed that the terrorists released six females and five male victims of the train attack on Saturday.
Their release was coming after several threats by the terrorist which was duly followed by intense negotiations. The Publisher of Desert Herald, Tukur Mamu, who served as a mediator, affirmed their release today, Daily Trust reports.
According to Mamu, a source confided in him that the terrorists released the male captives on health grounds, adding that the women were among the vulnerable in captivity.
“It was expected initially that all the abducted women will be released in the first batch while negotiations for the release of the remaining victims will continue but the abductors had cut down the number of women they initially agreed to release because the Nigerian Government had demanded that they include those with life-threatening injuries among the released,” Mamu was quoted as saying.
Meanwhile, some relatives of the abducted passengers had told newsmen they had been expecting the release of the captives.
Oshiomhole Speaks On Tinubu’s Emergence As APC Presidential Candidate
A former National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, has reacted to the emergence of Bola Tinubu as the party’s Presidential candidate.
Tinubu, a former Governor of Lagos State won the APC Presidential primary election by a landslide on Wednesday, defeating thirteen aspirants in the process.
He polled 1,271 votes to beat the likes of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who polled 235 votes, former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi who scored 316 votes, and Senate President Ahmed Lawan who polled 152 votes.
In a statement he personally signed on Friday, Oshiomhole described the victory of Tinubu as a reaffirmation of his much-acclaimed unique capacity.
The former Edo Governor said the Presidential candidate of APC represents a movement, a force, full of energy and radiating hope of a brighter future to come.
He noted that Nigerians, no matter their political persuasions, would readily recognize his unique abilities and accept him as the right person to lead the country in 2023.
He said: “This victory is a reaffirmation of your much-acclaimed unique capacity to headhunt, mobilize, motivate and empower the best minds, irrespective of their tribe or religion, and use their combined creative efforts to translate your vision into reality.
“This is a key asset of leadership that you possess, which over the years has differentiated you from others and positioned you well above your contemporaries.
“You represent a movement, a force, full of energy and radiating hope of a brighter future to come, when Nigerians hand over to you the baton of leadership, which you are well prepared for and ready to accept with all its attendant responsibilities.”
Umahi Accuses South-East Delegates To APC Primary Of Trading Votes
The Ebonyi State Governor, David Umahi, on Saturday accused the South- East delegates to the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential primary of trading their votes.
Umahi, who stated during the maiden matriculation ceremony of the King David University of Medical Sciences at his hometown in Uburu said that no one would complain of marginalisation of the Igbos due to the delegates’ conduct at the primary.
The governor polled 38 votes in the presidential primary won by former Lagos Governor, Bola Tinubu
He said: “I had a series of meetings with the party’s chairmen in the five states of the zone in the company of its national vice chairman.
“I implored the delegates that the issue was not about me but the mood of the Igbos in the nation.
“I implored that they should vote for any South-East aspirant so that when the votes are counted, we would not be missing.
“We would have made a strong statement in the process that the Igbos are eminently qualified with due capacity to lead the country.”
He expressed regret that the delegates traded their votes while only those from Ebonyi voted for him and others.
Umahi added: “They will come later to preach about Igbo unity and its agenda but henceforth, the only agenda I know is the Ebonyi agenda.
“This shows that even if we have an equal number of local government areas and delegates such as other zones, we would still trade our votes.
“We are currently regarded as people who can sell anything but they should remember that anyone who betrays his brother will lose the trust of those who gained from the betrayal.
“There was no sort of lobbying I did not receive but I maintained that it was about bringing the marginalisation of the Igbos to the fore.”
Umahi commended the Ebonyi delegates for their trust and steadfastness, saying other people would soon realise that money was not everything.
“You (Ebonyi delegates) have made yourselves reference points of steadfastness in the country and when people are seeking trustworthy people, they will come for you.
“I have lost total confidence in the leadership of the Ohaneze Ndigbo socio-cultural organisation and will openly confront anyone who challenges the Ebonyi agenda,” he concluded.
2023: INEC Speaks On Extension Of Voter Registration
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has said it is considering extending the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise.
The National Chairman of the electoral agency, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, made this known in a tweet on INEC’s official handle on Saturday.
Yakubu stated that the commission has heard Nigerians’ requests concerning the extension of CVR registration, adding that the agency will soon make a decision on the matter.
He also assured Nigerians that they will be able to register to vote in the 2023 elections, stating that their vote will count.
The tweet reads: “We have heard your requests loud & clear. You will soon hear from us on the extension of CVR registration.
“Please assure me that you will register, pick your PVCs, and Vote. I also assure you that your vote will count.”
His comments followed calls from the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room, a coalition of Civil Society Organisations for the body to extend the registration scheduled to end on June 30.
Meanwhile, the commission said that it has immediately released additional 209 machines deployed mainly to the five South Eastern States, Lagos, and Kano.
The Chairman of INEC’s Information and Voter Education Committee Festus Okoye said in a statement that the agency released the machines due to a surge in PVC registration across the country.
“In response, the Commission has immediately released additional 209 machines deployed mainly to the five South Eastern States, Lagos, and Kano where the pressure is most acute.
“The Commission will monitor the situation over the next few days. Thereafter, it will meet to review the progress of the exercise,” he said.
2023: Onanuga Reveals Who Will Determine Tinubu’s Running Mate
The spokesman for the Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Bayo Onanuga, has revealed who will determine the running mate to the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Onanuga disclosed that the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) will decide who becomes Tinubu’s running mate in the 2023 general elections.
In a chat with reporters on Friday, Onanuga said Tinubu had an arrangement with the APC Governors that they would decide his choice of running mate if he emerged as the candidate.
He stated that Tinubu’s running mate can come from any region and religion, but the PGF has the task to pick a competent deputy for the APC candidate.
Onanuga added that the APC Governors and the ruling party will look at the chances and decide how it will balance a Muslim from the South.
“The vice-president can come from any region and religion, but the PGF is at liberty to pick. The party will look at the chances and decide how it will balance a Muslim from the South, maybe with somebody that comes from the North-East, North-Central or the North-West. That is how it is done. I cannot circumvent the party. The Bagudu-led PGF has the task to pick a competent deputy for him,” he said.
This development comes after members of the APC Northern States’ Governors Forum paid a courtesy visit to Tinubu in Asokoro, Abuja on Friday.
Although details of the closed-door meeting were sketchy, it was gathered that it might not be unconnected with talks around the running mate and the likelihood of Nigerians rejecting a Muslim-Muslim ticket.
Tinubu: Why Defeating Atiku Abubakar Will Be Tough – Femi Fani-Kayode
Former Minister of Aviation Femi Fani-Kayode has stated that it will be very difficult to defeat the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar.
Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today, Fani-Kayode, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has described Atiku as a formidable opponent.
According to the APC chieftain, the ruling party will work against Atiku in a very forceful and decisive way.
He said: “We’ll be working against Atiku in a very forceful and decisive way, and I absolutely have no regrets about that.
“If you look back in 2019, I wasn’t really involved in his campaign at the presidential level. I didn’t really get involved in the campaign itself.
“It was in 2015 I was involved in the campaign for (former) President Jonathan but this time around, we are on oppposite sides to the PDP and I’m on the opposite side to (former) vice president Atiku and I’m supporting president to be, Bola Tinubu and we are going to win. Believe me, it’s going to be a very tough fight.”
While insisting that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu will defeat the PDP presidential candidate, Fani-Kayode said Atiku is a strong, focused and an experienced politicians.
He dismissed claims that the former Vice President will be a walkover, stressing that the election will be tough.
“Atiku cannot be underestimated. Those that say walk over, I always look at them and say, ‘look, obviously you don’t know politics, you dont know Atiku.’
“He is a formidable candidate, he’s a very strong man, very focused man, an experienced man and you need to respect that and he has an excellent team of people around him but I believe with the tenacious nature of Asiwaju, the people around him and with the party, the governors, the president and everybody else behind him in unity, strength and power, I believe we will be able to defeat him. It wont be easy, it will be a tough fight but I believe we will prevail in the end,” Fani-Kayode said.
El-Rufai Reveals Why Northern Governors Picked Tinubu Over Osinbajo
Days after the national convention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) held in Abuja, Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has explained why the Northern governor backed Bola Tinubu over Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Former Governor of Lagos State, Tinubu emerged winner of the APC presidential primary.
He defeated the likes of VP Osinbajo, Former Transportation Minister, Rotimi Amaechi, Senate President Ahmad Lawan, Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello, Pastor Tunde Bakare and others.
Speaking on Tinubu’s victory at the party’s just-concluded national convention, El-Rufai said APC delegates and governors from the North-West and North-East met and resolved to back Tinubu after seeing him as the most sellable of the five Southern aspirants submitted to President Muhammadu Buhari earlier.
He said the president refused to pick a particular candidate and asked the governor to allow the delegates to decide.
El-Rufai insisted that Tinubu was the best bet and hence the Northern stakeholders choose him over Osinbajo, Amaechi and others.
He said: “I can’t say all of us stuck with Bola Tinubu. Not all of us were stuck with Bola Tinubu. In many of our states, the delegates’ votes were divided. And I went to address the Kaduna delegates for the last time before the voting,
“I don’t know how the delegates voted but the feedback I got after the voting is that most of them voted Asiwaju, some voted for Amaechi and some voted for Vice president, Osinbajo.
“But overall you can see that overwhelming, Asiwaju Tinubu won. I cannot say all the governors did that. We the Northwest governors met and we decided that our best bet, is the person we can most easily sell in our region, and that is Asiwaju Tinubu and this is why you see the pattern of the voting that way and where the North-West goes, the North East follows.”
Atiku To Meet Peter Obi, Kwankwaso As PDP Mulls Collaboration Against APC
The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar may meet the presidential candidates of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, to begin talks over an alliance against the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
Recall that Peter Obi and Kwankwaso were members of the PDP before they defected to pursue their presidential aspirations.
It was gathered that Obi exit from the PDP would affect its vote in the South which was the main opposition party stronghold, also Kwankwaso’s emergence as the candidate of the NNPP will split the votes in the North, especially Kano.
Political analysts believe this will give the advantage to the ruling APC.
Speaking to The PUNCH, former National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, said the 2019 election has made the opposition party realise it needs all the votes from all states.
He said in Kano State, President Muhammadu Buhari won in all the 44 local government areas with 1.4 million votes, while Atiku got 391,593 votes.
“Though the incumbent governor of the state, Abdullahi Ganduje, won the governorship election on the platform of the APC in 2019, it was a tight race between his party and the PDP. So, the PDP has prospects in the state, which is why it has to do what is necessary to get the maximum possible from the state,” Secondus said.
“The 2019 governorship election results, which were a combination of the March 9 election and the March 23 rerun, showed the APC polled 1,033,695 votes, while the PDP scored 1,024,713 votes. With the above analysis, you will see that the PDP will need the cooperation of the two gentlemen to remain popular and win these states.”
The former PDP chairman described Peter Obi and Kwankwaso as “valuable persons” to the party.
Also speaking, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jibrin, pointed out that Peter Obi could split the South-East votes into three.
He stated that the PDP must work to stop the splitting of votes in the southeast as that used to be its stronghold.
“We may have a situation whereby Obi will have some votes from there (South-East), then our party and the APC will get votes as well. We need to work against that. The South-East is our zone and we know the people and the voters there will not abandon us,” he stated.
A source privy to the planned discussions between Atiku, Obi and Kwankwaso said, “We will talk to them. The battle ahead is not personal. We need to win the election and rescue the country from the bad governance of the ruling party. Thank God that we have about nine months ahead of us before the conduct of the general elections.
“We have enough time to engage people and solidify whatever agreement we want to propose. We should not allow this opportunity to slip from our hands.”
Everyone matters – Atiku’s aide
Speaking to The PUNCH, Paul Ibe, an aide to Atiku Abubakar, said when contesting against a ruling party everyone matters.
He stated that Atiku has been consulting with everyone since he grabbed the ticket of the PDP.
He added, “After he won the primary, he met with other aspirants, PDP governors, former ministers and other stakeholders. In this race, especially when you are contesting against a ruling party, everyone matters. These are extraordinary times and they require extraordinary measures.
“So, there will be alliances and the objective is to kick out the APC that has done nothing than to make Nigerians suffer, promote division and entrench a state of insecurity. But I can’t say if the party is reaching out to them (Obi and Kwankwaso).”
2023: South-East Governors Are Real Igbo Enemies – Ohanaeze Youths
Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide (OYC) has accused the South-East Governors of being the real enemies of the South East region.
The council said the governors should be blamed for the woeful outing of presidential aspirants of Igbo extraction in the recently conducted presidential primaries of the APC and PDP.
In a statement on Saturday by the President-General of the council, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike, the council said that the governors traded off the people’s destiny for political positions at the events.
He was reacting to threats by the Movement for the Actualisation of the Sovereign State of Biafra (MASSOB) to South-East delegates to the primaries for collecting money and betraying their people.
Nnabuike asked MASSOB to focus their anger on the governors and not the delegates.
He said: “It is wrong for anyone to say the delegates should be punished. Nobody should touch any of the delegates to the PDP and the APC national conventions.
“The real enemies of Ndigbo are the governors who ordered the delegates to vote for non-Igbos. It is a show of shame that the South-East governors could not muster votes to at least show the rest of the country that we are serious with the demand for a Nigeria President of Igbo extraction.
“Instead, they traded off our pride with their selfish interest. They have by this singular act shown themselves to be the real enemies of Ndigbo. We, therefore, call on the MASSOB and ASETU to direct their anger towards the governors, who must tell us what happened to Igbo votes during the conventions. Any attempt to attack the delegates is an exercise in futility and would be resisted.”
