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Tag: 2019

  • PDP threatens to boycott 2019 general elections

    The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, on Thursday hinted on pulling out of the 2019 general elections if the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and security agencies fail to establish their impartiality.

    PDP’s National Chairman, Uche Secondus said this at the party’s national secretariat, Abuja while hosting a combined delegation of the International Republican Institute, IRI, and the National Democratic Institute, NDI.

    He lamented INEC’s alleged manipulation of vote figures in the recently concluded Ekiti governorship election in favour of the All Progressives Congress, APC.

    Secondus also accused the Nigeria Police Force of chasing away PDP agents from various polling centres particularly areas known to be its strongholds.

    He said, “We are still contemplating on whether we will participate in the 2019 elections or not. We are yet to take a decision on this.

    “We are not sure that the security agencies and INEC would be impartial and transparent. In the Ekiti elections, there were instances our party agents’ tags were removed and given to the APC agents.

    “There were clear cases of manipulation, ballot snatching and harassment of our party agents.”

  • 2019: Okotie ready to run for President, begs PDP, APC for ticket

    2019: Okotie ready to run for President, begs PDP, APC for ticket

    Popular Nigerian cleric, Pastor Chris Okotie of Household of God Church International Ministries, has declared his intention to run for the presidency in the 2019 general elections.

    Reports indicated that the cleric declared his intention to run for the 2019 presidential election during his church’s service on Sunday.

    Okotie called on Nigeria’s two political parties APC and PDP to adopt him as their presidential candidate.

    Speaking at a press conference in his church today, Okotie cited the dashed dreams and aspirations of the people having been confined to oblivion.

    “Some days ago, I wrote a letter to the chairmanship of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole and Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus, asking them not to field any Presidential candidate, that they should adopt me.”

    Okotie reportedly noted that Nigeria is a crying nation that need liberation and that the solution to Nigeria’s problem does not lies on APC or PDP, adding, “This is the beginning of the complete turnaround of our nation”

    Okotie had been part of the three past presidential elections in the country.

    He first ran for the president under the banner of the Justice Party (JP), led by Ralph Obiorah. He contested again in 2007 on the platform of a party he founded, Fresh Democratic party, FRESH and lost to Umaru Yar’Adua in the May 2007 elections.

    He also contested against President Goodluck Jonathan in 2011, but was not part of the 2015 presidential race.

  • 2019: Buhari will lose gallantly – Galadima

    2019: Buhari will lose gallantly – Galadima

    The National Chairman of the R-APC, Alhaji Buba Galadima, said that President Muhammadu Buhari would lose the 2019 presidential election if he contested.

    He said the President “is destined to lose the 2019 election and lose his deposit.”

    He mentioned that since he led a splinter group out of the APC, the R-APC members had been receiving death threat messages and messages of solidarity from across the world.

    The former ally to the President, who claimed that he knew Buhari so well, said that if the President knew what awaited him, it would have been better for him not to go into the electoral contest as a candidate in 2019.

    He said, “Let us not forget that the man we will be facing is a military general. We are ready, prepared to take on this fight despite their intimidation and threats.

    “I know him but if I were his adviser, I would tell him not to contest.”

    He warned that those who signed the alliance might become rich overnight if they chose to betray the cause, alleging that the ruling party had set aside a huge sum of money to bribe them.

    He also said that members of the coalition would be harassed and intimidated, warning that Buhari, being a retired general, would not go down without a serious fight.

  • Why I won’t vote in 2019- Burna Boy

    Nigerian dancehall singer, Damini Ogulu better known as Burna Boy has said he won’t vote in the 2019 elections.

    The outspoken singer noted that next year would be tantamount to supporting the same crop of politicians to continue to remain in power at the expense of the youths.

    He wrote on his Instagram page:“He (Macron) was six years old when Buhari was Nigerian Head of State in 1983. Now, Emmanuel Macron is President of France. Buhari is Nigerian President.

    “If this doesn’t explain it all, I don’t know want can.

    “I will not be voting (in 2019) and see no reason why me or any Nigerian youth should.

    “If you think your votes mean anything or that you can implement change by voting for he same people, you are delusional and you’re part of the problem.

    “We are hopeless youths who are too scared to fight for our future. Therefore, we unconsciously accept to have no future. Just recycle the past over and over while praying and talking so much.

    “They (old leaders) will continue to mess with us unless we tame them.”

  • 2019: We may register more political parties – INEC

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it will continue to register any association that meets the legal requirements for registration as political party ahead of 2019 general elections.

    The Chairman of INEC, Mahmood Yakubu, disclosed this in an interview with newsmen on Sunday in Lagos.

    Yakubu, however, said that any party registered six months to the general elections would not be allowed to participate in the elections.

    “Once associations meet the legal requirements as political parties, the commission is under obligation to register them, but the law also provides for a period of six months to general elections.

    “It states that any association registered as a political party six months to the election cannot participate in the general elections.

    “We have 68 political parties at the moment. As at last week, we had received applications from 130 associations for registration as political parties.

    “So, we will continue to register political parties based on the position of the law.’’

    He noted that as part of its duties, the commission would do what the law required of it, saying “if we don’t, they will go to the court and the court will order the commission to register them as political parties.

    “But, we will not allow the commission to be dragged to court over a matter which we have responsibility under the law. So, we will continue to do the needful.’’

    On why INEC was yet to conduct bye-election to fill vacancies created by death of some lawmakers, Mr Yakubu said the commission was yet to receive notification of those vacancies.

    He said that while INEC had the responsibility to conduct bye-elections to fill vacancies in National Assembly and state Houses of Assembly, it had to be notified of such vacancies.

    At the moment there are three vacancies in the National Assembly and two in House of Assembly of two states.

    The Senate lost Ali Wakili (Bauchi South) in March and Mustapha Bukar (Kastina North) in April while House of Representatives lost Buba Jubril (Lokoja/Koto Constituency), Kogi.

    Taraba House of Assembly lost Hosea Ibi (Takun I Constituency) in January and Stephen Ukpukpen of Obudu I Constituency, Cross River House of Assembly died in March.

    Yakubu said the procedure for bye-election was that the presiding officers of the various legislative houses would communicate to the commission declaring vacancy “on the basis on which INEC will conduct bye-elections.

    “The law says once we receive such a declaration of vacancy the commission must conduct bye-election within 30 days.

    “As soon as we receive the communication, INEC will kick start the process that will lead to the conduct of bye-elections.

    “Remember we received such a communication in respect of Ibarapa East State Constituency in Oyo state, caused by the unfortunate death of the former Speaker of Oyo State House of Assembly, who died recently.
    “We have since conducted the bye-election to fill the vacancy. So we are waiting for communication.’’

    He said that INEC was in touch with the presiding officers, particularly of Taraba House of Assembly and the Speaker of the House of Representatives and President of the Senate.

    “We hope very soon appropriate communication will be convened to the commission on the basis to which we conduct bye-elections.’’

    Yakubu said that as a matter of procedure, INEC had already instructed its Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in the affected states to commence background preparations.

    “So, as soon as we receive the vacancies, we will kick-start the process.’’

     

  • Democracy Day: PDP ‘sympathises’ with Nigerians, urges mass action against APC in 2019

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised Nigerians to take decide their destinies by collecting and using their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) in 2019 elections to save Nigeria and its democracy.

    National Chairman of the party, Mr Uche Secondus, gave the advice in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Ike Abonyi, on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Secondus said that democracy, which PDP nurtured for 16 years had been “grossly undermined’’ by the All Progressives Congress (APC)-led administration, in the last three years.

    He said that Nigerians were anxiously looking forward to the opportunity to dispense with the ruling party.

    Secondus said he sympathised with Nigerians “for finding themselves in horrible situation on a day they should be celebrating freedom and good governance, but were burying their innocent ones and groaning in avoidable hardship”.

    “If democracy must survive in our country we must do away with APC, and Nigerians are ready and willing to do just that because they cherish democracy as the best form of government.

    “Going by their poor record of performance in the last 36 months, and the determination of Nigerians to put the country in the right footing, this is the last Democracy Day this President will mark.’’

    The chairman said that the agenda of the APC government now was to intimidate, harass and scare opponents to create a Police state with the aim of turning the country into one party.

    He added that 2018 democracy day would be the last for the ruling party at the federal level going by the non-performance of the party.

    According to him, next Democracy Day, which Nigerians and indeed, all lovers of democracy are anxiously looking forward to, will be the transition to real democracy which PDP is returning to give Nigeria.

    Secondus called on the international community to show more than passing interest in the events leading to Nigeria’s general elections in 2019.

    He alleged that APC’s rigging strategy had started through intimidation and harassment of political opponents.

  • Obasanjo’s party, ADC palling 30 other parties to unseat Buhari come 2019 election

    Obasanjo’s party, ADC palling 30 other parties to unseat Buhari come 2019 election

    Former president Olusegun Obasanjo and his party, the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have announced plans to unveil a mega alliance in June.

    The move, according to the party, was part of the resolve to defeat President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2019.

    National Chairman of ADC, Okey Nwosu, told ThisDay that ADC has opened talks with about 30 other registered political parties in the country.

    Nwosu said, “We have started the reorganisation of the party, and by June, we are going to address the nation on the way forward and the promise ADC has for Nigerians.

    “By June, we are going to address the nation on the way forward and what ADC has in stock for Nigeria and Africa.

    “We are just working on a document to create a continental brand from the ADC, a model political party like no one before.”

    Of what would become of the present leadership of ADC after the merger, Nwosu said, “Our party had its last national convention in 2015 and at that time, we said the founding national executives could continue in their offices until such a time that the party will start to take a real life.

    “With this fusion we are undergoing now and the membership we have, I feel we are taking a new life. So any moment from now we are going to fix our convention.

    “The most important thing for people like me is that I have founded a party that eminent Nigerians approve as a proper vehicle to address the inadequacies that brought about the political situation in our country.

    “So I am fulfilled and I am like a missionary on a mission of nation-building. Position doesn’t matter to me and most members of the party. My preoccupation from now on is how to move this party to the Villa and state government houses in Nigeria.”

  • 2019: Buhari has done more than enough to be reelected – Lai Mohammed

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, says the 2019 re-election bid of President Muhammadu Buhari-led APC government will be very easy.

    The minister stated this on Tuesday in Oyo while inspecting the 52-kilometre dualised Oyo-Ogbomosho road project under construction by Reynold Construction Company (RCC)

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the N47.5 billion project is the section two of the entire Ibadan-Ilorin road dualisation construction project.

    Section one of the road construction project, which is Ibadan-Oyo, as well as section three which is Ogbomoso-Ilorin, had been completed

    Addressing newsmen at the construction site, Mohammed said the administration “is so confident of its re-election in 2019 because of what are being delivered in terms of infrastructure and social welfare.

    “The proper and easy ways you can get the electorate to vote for you are by keeping your promises to them, delivering on your promises and embarking on projects which touch their lives.

    “Either in term of infrastructure or social interventions, we are working everyday for the people. We are working for the common man in this country.

    “As of today, we feed 8.2 million children in public primary schools all over Nigeria.

    “In the process, we engaged 7000 cooks and the feeding programme in about 24 states covered 62,000 Primary schools.

    “These are what we are doing and that is why we are so confident that our re-election will be easy,” he said.

    The minister said the administration would not engage in banters with critics but will continue to showcase its achievements for people to see and make conclusions.

    On the road project which the contractor said was 52 per cent completed, the minister gave an assurance that funding would no longer be the constraint to its timely completion.

    “Funding will no longer be a challenge to many of our critical road projects.

    “This is because the N191 billion presidential intervention fund has been put in place and critical roads like this will benefit from the funding,” he said.

    Mohammed said people were not able to see and appreciate the level of work done on the Oyo-Ogbomosho road project because it was been constructed along Oyo town by-pass

    “You need to come here to see the amount of work that is going on.

    “I am happy that it is not a paper project, we have been told by the contractor that it is 52 per cent completed.

    “I am very confident that we are not going to encounter any funding challenge,” he said.

    He said the project was being financed from the N100 billion Sukuk loan secured by the Federal Government

    “We took the Sukuk loan of N100billion which was divided into six equal parts each for the geopolitical zones.

    “We decided in the south-west zone that the Oyo-Ogbomosho road should benefit from our own part of Sukuk.

    “That is why we are able to get the contractor back on site to complete the project,” he said.

    Mr Omotayo Awosanya, the Federal Controller of Works in Oyo State, who conducted the minister round the project, said the road contract was awarded in June 2010.

    “The initial completion period was for 40 months. It was supposed to have been completed by October 2013.

    “When it was initially awarded by the previous administration, there was no proper funding which caused the delay.

    “Since the present regime of President Buhari, funding has improved and the project is going on well.

    “We are also lucky that this project is benefitting from the Sukuk fund in addition to what the budget can provide,” he said.

    Awosanya said the government had so far paid the contractor about N26 billion from the N47.5 billion total contract cost.

    On the significance of the road, Awosanya said, “it is a corridor of the extension of Lagos- Ibadan that will accommodate traffic generated in Ibadan and Oyo going towards the North.”

    On his part, the Project Manager, Mr Harel Vaknin, who spoke on behalf of Reynolds Construction Company (RCC), said it is the main highway linking the Western and Northern parts of the country.

    He said the four-lane highway consists of 7.30 metre wide roadway in each direction with two interchange bridge construction.

  • Buhari, Atiku, others above 70 should forget contesting in 2019 – Northern Groups

    The Coalition of Northern Groups on Monday in Kaduna asked President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar, who are above 70 years, not to contest the presidency of the country in 2019.

    The group said such leaders were responsible for where the country found itself, adding that the country should be led by young Nigerians that could take it to the Promised Land.

    The CNG’s position was contained in a communiqué it issued shortly after the end of a two-day summit which was held at the Arewa House, Kaduna on Monday.

    The coalition gave the Ndigbo a notice to leave the North last year . It however withdrew the notice to quit months later.

    Over 30 groups including the Nastura Ashir Sharif ‘s Arewa Citizens Action for Change); ShettimaYerima’s Arewa Youth Consultative Forum; Aminu Adam’s Arewa Youth Development Foundation; Alfred Solomon’s Arewa Students Forum; Abdul-Azeez Suleiman-led Northern Emancipation Network and the Northern Youth Vanguard led by Joshua Viashman, form the coalition.

    However, while fielding questions from journalists, a leader of the group and the National President of the AYCF, Alhaji Shettima Yerima, said it was the belief of the coalition, that though it was the right of Buhari and Atiku to contest, it was left for Nigerians to decide their fate.

    Yerima said on behalf of the CNG, “We advise him (Buhari) that we still have people within our generation who have integrity who are very competent and also have capacity to lead. We are advising him not to contest but if he chooses to go ahead to contest, Nigerians will go ahead to decide. This is our own opinion and advice to somebody whom we feel is a father to us. Anybody above 70 years should not contest.”

    When asked whether the advice had been extended to Atiku , he said, “ it extends to anybody above that age (70).”

    But the Presidency has challenged the Coalition of Northern Groups to cite the section of the nation’s constitution that stipulates that those above 70 years cannot contest the presidential seat.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, gave the challenge in an interview in reaction to the northern coalition’s call that Buhari and Atiku, who are above 70 years, should not contest the presidency of the country in 2019.

    He said the country was being governed by law, hence nobody’s constitutional right could be abridged for no just cause.

    The presidential spokesman said, “Let them tell us the section of the constitution that stops those above 70 years from contesting. As you know, the country is governed by law and the President has not breached any law by showing interest in the race.

    “If they want to contest, they are free to come out and do so. The President is not stopping anybody from contesting against him.”

    Attempts to get a reaction from former Vice-President Atiku Abubakar were unsuccessful.

    A communiqué read on behalf of the CNG by its spokesman, Alhaji Abdul-Azeez Suleiman, said the summit basically centered on restructuring of the country as being clamoured by some Nigerians.

    The coalition said it opted for a holistic “restructuring” of the country.

    It lamented the attitude of northern political leaders to the contentious issue of restructuring of the country.

    The CNG also dismissed both the Northern Governors’ Forum Committee on Restructuring and the Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s Committee on Restructuring by the APC-led government, saying that Nigeria neither belonged to the APC nor the PDP.

     

  • 2019: ‘Why Buhari’s re-election will be difficult’

    Former Sokoto State governor, Attahiru Dalhatu Bafarawa has stated that President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election bid would be difficult in 2019 due to his failure to improve the living conditions of Nigerians.

    Bafarawa who stated this in an interview with Garkuwa Radio, maintained that Buhari’s failed to improve the nation’s economy while the security situation has worsened in the past two years.

    He, however, noted that the living standard of Nigerians had worsened in the last three years with wanton killings in some parts of the country.

    The former governor said, “As far as I am concerned, it will not be easy for Buhari to win election in 2019. He has not fulfilled the promises made to the people while their living conditions have worsened.

    “In fact, had it been he met the yearnings and aspirations of Nigerians, things would be easy for him and I will have no reason whatsoever to contest for the presidency.”

    Bafarawa added that, “It is very disheartening that all those who supported Buhari to win the presidential election had been abandoned. Infact, his close associate, Malam Buba Galadima, is still in pains for being neglected by Buhari.

    “I played a major role in the emergence of Buhari as the candidate of the defunct ANPP in 2003 but today we are no longer together.

    “I have not decided whether to run for the presidency in 2019. Of course people have been urging me to contest but I will make my decision at the right time.”