TheNewsGuru

Tag: 2023 Election

  • Just In: Tinubu finally chooses his running mate

    Just In: Tinubu finally chooses his running mate

    Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 presidential election has finally decided on his choice of running mate.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports that a reliable source in the Tinubu Campaign Organisation, who requested anonymity, confirmed this on Sunday in Abuja.

    The source said Tinubu would make the name of the candidate public in the week.

    “The vice-presidential nominee may most likely be a former governor and senator from the Northeast part of Nigeria.

    “The person is also by accident of birth a Muslim, confirming what Gov. Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State said on Saturday that Tinubu had settled for a Muslim-Muslim ticket,’’ the source said.

    The source added that in picking the running mate, Tinubu was not thinking about religion, but about competence, exposure and intellectual depth of the candidate.

    “The considerations given for the choice of a running mate were dictated by the need to choose an individual capable of working with the presidential candidate to take Nigeria to greater heights,’’ the source said.

    Tinubu is scheduled to pay Sallah homage to President Muhammadu Buhari in Daura, Katsina, on Sunday to brief him on his chosen running mate.

    The former two-term Lagos State governor won the APC’s presidential ticket at the party’s June 8 special national convention and presidential primary election.

    He earlier chose Ibrahim Kabiru Masari, as a placeholder for the vice-presidential slot.

    Tinubu was away in France from June 27 on a short vacation during which he held some strategic meetings. He returned to Nigeria on Saturday early enough for Sallah festivities.

  • Coalition, LP to deploy agents to polling unit to safeguard votes in 2023 — Utomi

    Coalition, LP to deploy agents to polling unit to safeguard votes in 2023 — Utomi

    Prof. Pat Utomi, the Convener, The Big Tent of the Third Force, says the coalition and the Labour Party (LP) plan to deploy at least 15 agents each to polling booths in the country to help safeguard votes in 2023 general elections.

    Utomi, the Chairman, National Consultative Front (NCFront) and a leader in the Labour Party, disclosed this in a statement on Friday in Lagos on Election Agenda.

    According to him, the coalition has worked and made much sacrifice to get Nigeria to move from state capture by aging oligarchs and to make the nation overcome its numerous security and economic challenges.

    “The broad coalition of women, youth, professionals and the intellectuals which has adopted the leadership of the Labour Party and Peter Obi is serving notice that in addition to its agents which will number up to 15 in each polling booth in the country, it will use technology to guard the votes of Nigerians in 2023.

    He said the organization would in the next week, unveil the details of Mass Polling Booth education programmes and the retreat for the gubernatorial candidates and ideology workshops for all Third Force candidates.

    The convener, who expressed delight that Nigerians’ political awareness had continued to rise, said “People have awoken. They want to take back their country”.

    He said that the coalition and LP were planning to counter all electoral manipulations and violence in 2023 that could throw up bad leaders.

    “The last frontier before liberation for the people is in checkmating the traditional ways and means by which they thwart the will of the people.

    “These include Election fraud or rigging, vote buying, manipulating of electronic voting, equipment and voter intimidation, as well as abuse of emotions around ethnicity, religion and region,” Utomi added.

    According to him, the coalition will inaugurate Big Tent Think Tank to harmonise the original manifesto of the Labour Movement with the production focused philosophy of its Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi.

    He said this would include the production and value chain-based ideas of a competitive economy, based on the latent comparative advantage of the different parts of Nigeria aimed at sustainable manufacturing espoused for years.

    Utomi said contrary to claims about the governance capacity, structure, and manifesto of the Big Tent of the Third Force (which has the Labour Party and its Presidential Candidate, Obi as arrow head of a collegial leadership initiative), the coalition was ready to provide needed leadership.

    According to him, leadership has networks reaching down to every polling booth through the 36 political commissions of both the Nigeria Labour Congress and the Trade Union Congress.

    Utomi said the structure of the Big Tent had been deepened by the passion with which the people, young and old were motivated to buy into the reform pointed to by Mr Peter Obi.

  • VON DG, Okechukwu predicts Tinubu’s chance in 2023 election

    VON DG, Okechukwu predicts Tinubu’s chance in 2023 election

    The Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), Osita Okechukwu has predicted the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential flag bearer, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s chance of winning the 2023 general election is by 60 per cent.

    He made this prediction on Sunday while chatting with newsmen at the party’s National Secretariat in Abuja.

    Assessing the party’s candidate for the February 2023 presidential election, Okechukwu rated Tinubu high, insisting that the APC standard will win the election by 60 per cent victory over his other opponents.

    Hear the APC leader: “Asiwaju has 60 percent of winning this election. We are in charge of 22 states of the federation. We have the majority in the National and State Houses of Assembly – they are not going to betray him.

    “Even in the South-East, that has never been our (APC) stronghold, on the day of the election, we are going there to protect our mandate.”

    Okechukwu argued that aside from the growing popularity of the APC flag bearer, he said all political appointees of the present administration who are party members would equally ensure victory for Asiwaju Tinubu.

    According to the VON boss, “Whatever is my preference, if I want my office to remain it means I must support Asiwaju, it’s applicable to those who are board members whether you are coming from Yenogoa or Dutse so that is the power of incumbency.”
    On the opposition parties, Okechukwu dismissed the Labour Party candidate as no match and argued that the emergence of Atiku Abubakar as the PDP and Musa Kwankwaso as New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) candidates negate the convention of rotation system, adding that this would be their albatross.

    “They don’t believe in rotation convention. For them, the agitation or the glue and the bound that rotation created since independence. When Tafawa-Balewa as Prime Minister, the president or governor-general was Nnamdi Azikiwe from the South. When Gowon became Head of State, Obafemi Awolowo was his deputy, the same thing with Murtala and Obasanjo. Obasanjo/Shehu Yar-Adua; Shagari/Ekwueme down the line.

    “It’s not as if rotation is a new thing. So, for the PDP because of Atiku’s muscle, they jettison the rotation of the presidency which was an injury to himself. Some of us in the south will forbid him because he touched on the ligament that is holding the country.

    “That is why we thank the northern governors because they recognised the import of that ligament. You may not take it seriously but if you know the sense of belonging it brings to the north and south you can’t just dismiss it.

    “So APC obeyed it. Kwankwaso I know they were afraid of us. I don’t want to name names. This rotation may not have its legal teeth but rotation is a convention. It has its moral angle. That’s why the UK does not have a written constitution they live on conventions. Atiku will not know what he did to himself until the day the votes come.

    So is also the way Kwankwaso is playing with us. The areas he will capture in the north, I know he is not going to give up and since he doesn’t obey the convention, he will not nominate somebody to go with Peter and if Peter does not go strong north, we will be in CPC and ANPP in 2003 we had 12 million votes we didn’t win the south.

    Nobody can win in Nigeria if you can’t have northern support. No northerner can win without a southern stronghold. Atiku has lost in the southern stronghold. That’s why I’m giving Tinubu about 60% chances.”

  • 2023 elections: Irabor warns politicians against instigating trouble

    The Chief of Defence Staff (CDS), Gen. Lucky Irabor, has warned politicians and their supporters who are planning to cause trouble during the 2023 general elections to desist.

    Irabor gave the warning while addressing newsmen during the Defence Headquarters bi-weekly news briefing on Thursday in Abuja.

    He said that considering the fact that some individuals don’t usually desire peaceful elections, the armed forces would give the necessary support to the civil authority to ensure peaceful elections.

    According to him, they will ensure a peaceful period in the coming elections so that every one of us will have a country we will be proud of.

    The CDS advised those eying positions and appointments after elections to see themselves as men and women that conducted ourselves peacefully.

    “For anyone who is looking forward to be elected, he must do it within the ambit of the provisions of the law because we will not in any way stand aside and see those who perpetrate violence all because they are looking for political office or appointive offices.

    “Nigeria remains nation that must live in peace, desire to live in peace, and Nigerians deserve to live in peace.

    “And so, we will not allow criminals among those or if you like, thugs that might have made themselves available for anyone to use.

    “We are working very closely with the police and we stand ready to give them all the support that is necessary, because going forward, Nigeria must be peaceful and that is what we are looking forward to,” he said.

    Irabor, however, called on journalists and the public to continue to support the military and other security agencies in the quest to return peace to trouble spots in the country.

    He urged the media to continue to educate Nigerians on the need to trust the military with actionable information in dealing with security challenges as issues of insecurity did not only rest with the military and other security agencies.

    According to him, Nigeria belongs to every one of us and we have a duty to contribute in one way or the other in ensuring that criminals among us are exposed and dealt with.

    Fielding questions from newsmen, the CDS said availability of effective equipment for the troops in theatres of operations had been a major focus of the government.

    He said the acquisition of fighting equipment was largely dependent on what was available in the market that had been assessed and adjudged to be effective, especially in dealing with Improvised Explosive Devices (IEDs) attacks.

    According to him, IEDs attacks have remained the greatest challenge, especially for the operations in the North East over the years.

    On moles within the troops, Irabor said the military had a mechanism of identifying enemies within, adding that a number of culprits had been arrested and court marshaled in different theatres at different times.

  • ASUU strike may ruin APC in 2023 – Primate Ayodele warns

    ASUU strike may ruin APC in 2023 – Primate Ayodele warns

    The Leader of INRI Evangelical Spiritual Church, Primate Elijah Ayodele has warned the ruling party, the All Progressives Congress, APC, over the ongoing strike embarked on by the Academic Staff Union of Nigerian Universities, ASUU as this may ruin the party’s chance of retaining power.

    Ayodele disclosed this on Thursday stating that the ASUU strike may affect the chances of APC retaining power in 2023.

    In a statement by his spokesman, Oluwatosin Osho, the clergyman said Nigerians would vote against APC if the ASUU strike continues.

    He also berated the Federal Government over the harsh economic conditions of the country.

    Primate Ayodele said the strike is affecting the economy of Nigeria negatively while asking the government to meet the demands of the lecturers because they deserve it.

    According to Ayodele: “This government has been disappointing with the way they are handling ASUU Strike, and this is affecting the Nigerian economy negatively.

    “When there is no school, how do you want the economy to grow? It’s impossible.

    “ASUU deserves what they request for; the government should do the needful, the strike is part of Nigeria’s economic crisis, and it’s really sad that they are unable to resolve it.

    “If things continue this way, the victory of the ruling party will be affected in 2023; people will vote against them massively.”

  • PDP running mate: Untold story of how Atiku used Ayu to shove Wike aside

    … despite emerging PDP cttee’s favourite

    …it was simply Atiku’s script Ayu played

     

    From day one, the winner of the PDP presidential primaries, Atiku Abubakar never wanted Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike as his running mate, this was a clear directive that he gave his former campaign manager, Iyorchia Ayu.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports multiple sources confirmed that despite the outcome of the party’s committee report that endorsed Wike, Ayu had to arm-twist members to ensure Wike was shoved aside using his position as the party chairman.

    A source privy to this development told TNG that “the outcome of what you have seen today is purely the handiwork of Atiku and Ayu because the plan was hatched to reflect the emergence of Okowa.

    “Hours before this announcement, the committee members met and another round of voting took place, Wike still defeated other contestants by a wide margin.

    “Five members abstained and Wike still won 10-6 but Ayu insisted that the others must cast their votes and they bluntly refused, this development led to anxiety but at the end of the day Ayu properly played the script of Atiku.

    Another source also confirmed to TNG that”why it took the party this long to announce Okowa was because Wike had won all through but he was not Atiku’s anointed candidate for running mate.

    “Ayu on the other hand had to play the script of Atiku to cover him as if he had no hand in this whole charade but he was simply the arrowhead of it all.

    “Atiku never wanted Rivers Governor because it’s believed that he is uncontrollable but the truth is that Okowa can’t fill the void for PDP as Wike is not his match in any form.

    “Okowa may not even deliver Delta State next year as he has successfully balkanised the state to shreds that he needs a miracle to even win the guber polls.

    “We are all watching how things will unfold but with this development, PDP just shot itself in the heart.

  • 2023 Election: Labour Party considers establishing office in Kano as Obi assures no region will be left behind

    The Labour Party of Nigeria has said it will consider establishing an office in Kano State which is arguably Nigeria’s second most populous State after Lagos, and strategic for securing mass votes from the northern region in the 2023 general elections.

    The party made this known on Sunday June 12, while responding to a tweet by former Personal Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on New Media and Digital Communications Bashir Ahmad.

    Ahmad had noted that the Labour Party does not have an office in Kano, a state with an estimated population of 12.5million people and over 5,000,000 registered voters.

    “Did you know that Labour Party doesn’t have an office in Kano, a state with over 5,000,000 registered voters, not only that the party doesn’t have a single candidate in the whole 44 local governments in the state, and the story is so very similar in at least 25/36 states and FCT.

    “In Kano and neighboring Kaduna, Katsina, Jigawa and Bauchi states, the Labour Party doesn’t even have a whole gubernatorial candidate, if you don’t know what that means then congratulations,” he wrote.

    Responding to his tweet, the party said: “We understand your plight with the lack of structural offices in Kano; we know that many of you desire true change but are unable to speak out due to certain situations; be assured that we are on top of the situation and an announcement will be made soon”.

    Meanwhile, presidential flagbearer of the Labour Party Peter Obi has assured that no community or region will be left behind, insisting that “structure is all about human beings”.

    “Whenever I hear of NO STRUCTURE, my answer to it is simple; the 100 million Nigerians that live in poverty will be the structure. The 35 million Nigerians who don’t know where their next meal will come from will be the structure.

    “The elderly, our mothers, fathers, and the old ones dying or being owed gratuity/pension will be the structure. ASUU; the lecturers that are being owed, and the students who are not in school will be the structure.

    “We’ll create the structure, and they’ll see what the structure is all about. The structure is about human beings,” Obi said.

    The presidential aspirant seeks to unite an ethnically fragile country by lifting people out of poverty and creating a new sense of nationalism and patriotism.

    Obi has promised to publish his governance manifesto in the coming days, which will spell out his priority areas if elected to succeed Buhari.

  • Bakare wishes Tinubu best in 2023, says new Nigeria possible

    The Overseer of the Citadel Global Community Church, Pastor Tunde Bakare, on Sunday wished APC Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu the best in the 2023 general elections, saying that a new Nigeria was possible.

    Bakare, one of the contestants for the APC presidential ticket at the party’s primaries on June 8, made the remarks while addressing his congregation and supporters on the APC primary during the church’s Sunday Worship in Lagos.

    In his address titled “A New Nigeria is Still Possible”, Bakare said he remained committed to such new Nigeria that would work for all and sundry.

    “I congratulate the winner of the APC presidential primaries, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, for his victory.

    “His emergence as the flagbearer and presidential candidate of the APC is a testament to his significant contributions to the course of the South West as well as his labour towards the formation and establishment of the APC as I have said in times past.

    ” I, therefore, extend best wishes to him as he proceeds on the campaign trail towards the 2023 general elections,” the cleric said.

    Bakare said that since the conclusion of the APC Primaries in Abuja on June 7 and June 8, he had received “an almost endless stream of visitors” and shared various impressions, but yet to make any official public statements.

    “As the main constituency and core group I am accountable to, I deem it appropriate to share a few thoughts with you first,” he told the congregation.

    On his involvement in politics, Bakare said it was antithetical that some parents wanted their children to grow up to be President but did not want them to become politicians in the process.

    The overseer said that he had a lifelong commitment to serving his nation, Nigeria.

    Bakare said that he remained convinced now more than ever that the quest to serve his beloved nation, Nigeria, had been a worthy adventure for a worthy cause.

    According to him, as a presidential aspirant at the APC’s Special Convention, it had been a great honour for him to be the standard-bearer of the message of a New Nigeria; a Nigeria that works for every Nigerian.

    He thanked his supporters across the nation and in the Diaspora for their unalloyed support despite the challenges leading up to the primaries.

    Bakare said: “Our heads remain unbowed because we did not compromise on the values that are integral to building a New Nigeria.

    “For us, the means has always been as important as the end. This is why we confidently wear our “zero votes” as a badge of “zero tolerance for a certain kind of politics”.

    The cleric said that his confidence was rooted in the Biblical reference in Dan 4:17 that Holy God rules human kingdoms and can raise leaders out of losers.

    According to him, since he will ultimately give account to God, he will continually trust Him despite what may today appear to be a setback.

    The presidential aspirant said: “There is still a cause and there is still a nation to transform.

    “This is not the work of just one man or woman or just one party, but the calling upon every Nigerian worthy of the name.

    “It is my earnest prayer that the good Lord will bless Nigeria with leaders not in love with money but in love with justice.”

    He prayed that God would bless Nigeria with leaders not in love with publicity but in love with humanity.

    Bakare prayed that God should bless Nigeria with leaders who can subject their particular egos to the pressing urgencies of the great cause of freedom.

    “May we all find it within ourselves to become these leaders no matter the temptation to be less than.

    “This is the moment where those leaders must begin to revive the dreams of our founding patriots; the dreams of a Nigeria strong and united though tribes and tongues may differ.

    “The dreams of a Nigeria where no one is oppressed, no matter which part of the country they come from and live in, and no matter how they choose to worship God.

    According to the cleric, Nigeria has a seat at the table of nationhood, especially an ideal Nigeria where peace and justice reign.

    He said that the moment had come when Nigerians should begin “to build a bridge between the dreams of our past, the realities of our present and the visions of our future towards a New Nigeria.

    “A Nigeria where every man or woman, and every boy or girl, can live up to his or her full potential, and be all that they were created to be.

    “I remain audaciously confident that a New Nigeria is possible and that, upon the foundational values of integrity and incorruptibility.

    “Nigeria will, no doubt, become a cutting-edge nation; a nation that will, one day, be the peace, progress, prosperity and possibilities capital of the world.

    “I remain committed to working towards this cause in the days ahead in whatsoever capacity God and the good people of Nigeria so choose, ” the cleric said.

    Bakare prayed for those who had suffered with him and followed him before, now, and future that they would not lose their reward, but live to enjoy good governance in the new Nigeria.

    Newsmen recall that Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State, defeated 13 other aspirants, including Bakare, who polled zero vote, to clinch the party’s ticket for the 2023 presidential election.

  • 2023 election may end electoral fraud and monetary inducement- Accord chairman

    Accord Party Chairman, Chief Bartho Igwedibia, has disclosed that the outcome of the 2023 general election might end the era of electoral fraud and monetary inducement in Nigeria’s political struggle, he further stressed that politicians banking on vote-buying and electoral malpractices will get disappointed.

    He made this known during a news conference on Sunday in Awka.

    Igwedibia said that the leadership of the party both at the state and federal levels foresaw this and decided to adopt proactive steps ahead of time.

    “With the recent amendment in the Electoral Act, it is now clear that results shall be transmitted electronically from the polling units to central collation point, and this will end manipulation of results,” he said.

    Igwedibia attributed the recent surge in the number of people seeking to obtain the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) Permanent Voters Card (PVC) to the fact that votes will count in next year’s elections.

    “After considering that votes will count in next year’s elections, Accord leadership resolved that candidates to fly our flags must have sterling qualities which Nigerians most desired now.

    ” The choice of our presidential candidate, Prof. Chris Imumolen, shows that it was a painstaking exercise that we did to get youth with high leadership qualities and he will spring a surprise in next presidential election,” he said.

    Igwedibia noted that Accord resolved to field Imumolen, 39 years of age and an educationist because education was the bedrock upon which every development occurred.

    “Most of the bigger political parties were ignorant of this fact that a lot of Nigerians are now informed and will desire a new order in her leadership structures.

    “Most bigger parties presented old men as presidential candidates, but we scored a heart trick by making sure that we presented a youth full of potential,” he said.

    According to him, “Nigeria is presently having a mirage of challenges due to recycling of old men as political leaders most of whom no longer fit into the digital world.

    “We need a sound-minded and experienced youthful leader capable of tackling the challenges of insecurity, unemployment, hunger and poor funding of our universities amongst others,” he said.

    Igwedibia said that Accord had already drawn action plans to ensure that its candidates, especially the presidential candidate, emerged winner of the 2023 election.

  • INEC issues deadline for submission of presidential candidates, running mates

    INEC issues deadline for submission of presidential candidates, running mates

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has fixed June 17, 2022 as deadline for the submission of list of presidential candidates and their running mates by political parties.

    The apex electoral body warned that the dedicated portal for the submission of list of candidates for national elections will automatically shut down at 6.00pm on Friday, June 17.

    However, for governorship and House of Assembly elections, the list of candidates shall be uploaded from 1st to 15th July, 2022.

    Professor Mahmood Yakubu, made this known during a meeting with Resident Electoral Commissioners (REC) in Abuja on Thursday, June 9.