TheNewsGuru

Tag: 2023

  • APC presidential candidate, Tinubu off to France, gives reasons

    APC presidential candidate, Tinubu off to France, gives reasons

    The All Progressives Congress, (APC) 2023 presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu has travelled out of the country to France.

    According to a statement by Mr. Tunde Rahman in the Media Office on Monday in Abuja, Tinubu travelled early Monday morning after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa.

    “He is off to Paris, France to hold some important meetings, the APC standard bearer is expected back in the country before Sallah celebration,” Rahman said in the statement.

    He said before his departure, Tinubu attended the public presentation of a book titled “Mr. Speaker” and the launch of a legislative mentoring initiative in commemoration of the 60th birthday of Speaker of House Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila.

    Recall that Tinubu emerged as APC Feb. 25, 2023 presidential candidate on June 8 at the party’s presidential primary and special convention.

    The former two-term Lagos State governor had since his emergence embarked on a series of thank you and reconciliation visits to those who contested against him at the party’s primaries.

    This, included the seven aspirants who stepped down for him.

    Meanwhile, the APC Buhari campaign office located at the Abuja Central Area, had been redesigned and renamed Asiwaju Bola Tinubu Campaign Office by the party’s leadership ahead of the electioneering.

  • PDP: Wike, Bauchi Governor Bala Mohammed meet in Port Harcourt

    In an effort to reconcile Governor Wike with Peoples Democratic Party’s presidential flagbearer Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and other PDP stalwarts, the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed has held a closed-door meeting with his Rivers State counterpart, Wike ahead of the 2023 elections.

    The National Vice Chairman of the PDP, South-South Dan Orbih was also part of the meeting.

    Recall that, a picture of Wike meeting Labour party presidential candidate Peter Obi had surfaced online, amid speculation Wike was going to support him.

    Gov. Wike has also recently met with Governor Dave Umahi of Ebonyi State in Port Harcourt.

    Governor Wike is aggrieved after losing the PDP presidential ticket and subsequently being neglected as Alhaji Atiku’s running mate.

    However, Wike has refrained from making a public statement since losing the vice presidential slot to Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta state.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Wike’s group rejects a reconciliation meeting with Atiku’s camp citing contradiction and disrespect as basis for the rejection.

  • 2023: Hon. Shina Peller joins Accord Party

    A member of the House of Representatives representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa federal constituency Hon. Shina Peller has defected to another party.

    Peller who announced his dumping of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) last week has  announced his defection to the Accord party.

    The lawmaker made the announcement on the floor of the Green chamber  on Tuesday.

    In a statement, Peller disclosed that he entered talks with his new party and others after he left the APC.

    He stressed that he had  numerous options, but  chose AP  “for  some very peculiar reasons”.

    He noted that Accord Party was the first platform in Oyo State to zone Oyo North Senatorial ticket to Oke Ogun considering that Ogbomosho Zone had done two terms.

    Peller said the party has shown an unwavering commitment to the yearnings of the people of Oke-Ogun.

    “In Oyo State, the Accord Party is a force to reckon with, its internal democracy mechanism is intact, a component lacking in other parties. Accord Party is also strategic as it concerns balloting.

    “On the ballot paper, Accord comes first before the two major parties. With Accord as our party, voting sensitization becomes easier for us to do.

    “Today, I would like to inform the general public that I am now with the Accord party. The logo of the Accord constantly reminds me and other well-meaning Nigerians of their civic responsibility – to vote for credible leaders.

    “In Oke-Ogun, Oyo North Senatorial District and Oyo State at large, Accord Party is our strength, its logo is our thumb – it’s our power and we shall make it count”, he added.

  • 2023: INEC explains only way Lawan, others can contest senatorial election

    The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has explained the only way Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, and others who didn’t contest the primaries could return to the Senate in 2023.

    INEC explained that unless  the individuals who won the primaries  or legally nominated by their parties withdraw from the race.

    Although the INEC’s National Commissioner of Information and Voter Education, Festus Okoye, who appeared on Arise TV on Monday morning, said he has not come across the names of candidates submitted by political parties, viral report has it that the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Yobe North Senatorial District has replaced the name of Bashir Machina with that of Lawan.

    Machina had contested Yobe North senatorial district and won at the time Senate president Ahmad Lawan was slugging it out in the All Progressive Congress (APC ) presidential primary election.

    Okoye said that the Commission monitored and has the reports of all the senatorial and House of Representatives primaries, adding that properly nominated candidates must write to INEC with a sworn affidavit, asking for a fresh primary, which would be conducted within 14 days before a replacement can be made.

    “I completely agree with you that someone who has not contested party’s primary should not be in a position to be nominated as party’s candidate,” Okoye said.

    “But now the Independent National Electoral Commission is not in a position as at now to make a determination in relation to what you’re saying or to make a determination in relation to whose name was submitted by a political party.

    “The Commission monitored the primaries of different political parties. Their senatorial and House of Representatives primaries and we have our reports. So if somebody emerged from the party primary and someone else’s name is submitted, it is the duty of that particular individual to utilise Section 285 of the Constitution, Section 84 and 29 of the Electoral Act to seek redress in a constituted court of law.

    “Moreover, what the law provides is that at the end of this nomination process, if any of the candidates that have been properly and constitutional nominated withdraws in writing and sworn affidavit that the ‘political party that nominated me must and shall conduct fresh primaries within the period of 14 days and then make such replacement.’

    “Then the person must do this through a letter submitted to the political party that nominated him with an affidavit indicating that he or she has voluntarily withdrawn. So that is the state of the law as at today.”

  • Peter Obi’s Coalition urges INEC to extend of Voters Registration beyond June 30

    Peter Obi’s Coalition urges INEC to extend of Voters Registration beyond June 30

    One of the support groups for the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, under the aegis of Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO), has written the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) demanding for expansion of its voter registration and validation infrastructure to serve the teeming numbers of Nigerians willing to register.

    The group which allegedly was funded by independent professionals and intellectuals in a letter dated June 16, which was signed by its Chairman, Marcel Ngogbehei observed that no matter the number of years of extension of the voters registration and validation if the infrastructure is not expanded it will amount to a total waste of the nation’s time and resources, saying it makes more sense to employ 50,000 workers for 3 months with massive numbers of voter registration machines than to employ 5,000 workers for one year with a few machines.

    It noted that INEC was expected to capture at least 20 million additional Nigerians in this exercise, but the electoral body has barely completed 4 million applications as at March 2022 according to information available on its website. This means that a whopping 16 million Nigerians are likely to be disenfranchised.

    The group also observed that most citizens in the North have already been captured, but the Middle and Southern parts of the country will be denied their universal adult suffrage with the way the registration and validation exercise is being handled.

    The letter reads, “The Coalition for Peter Obi (CPO), a self funded group of independent professionals and intellectuals hereby call on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to immediately expand its infrastructure for conducting voter registration and verification exercise across the country and particularly redeploy same to areas of high demand.

    “From statistical analysis, the Nigerian population is estimated at 216 million as at June 2022 according to data from the Worldbank, with a median age of 18.1 years. That means half of the population of Nigeria or 108 million are above 18 years and eligible to vote. INEC’s current voters register estimates Nigeria’s voting population at 84 million, so INEC is expected to capture at least 20 million additional Nigerian voters in this exercise, but the electoral body has completed barely 4 million applications as at March 2022 from information available on its website.

    ” This means that a whopping 16 million Nigerians are likely to be disenfranchised. This is not good for our democracy.

    “This call has become necessary to ensure that 16 million Nigerian citizens are not disenfranchised in the forthcoming general elections.

    “As part of our voter education exercise around the country in June 2022, our field volunteers have observed a clear lack of capacity on the part of INEC to service the voting population especially in high demand areas owing to inadequate infrastructure including limited numbers of registration machines resulting to a slow pace of registration in many centers. We expected that the past 3 weeks of continuous surge would have been enough for INEC to immediately restrategise, expand and redeploy resources to the areas of high demand.

    “As a Coalition of several groups made up of diverse Nigerians from all works of life and from every part of the country including the diaspora, we are committed to support INEC to ensure that it carries out its statutory function as an electoral management body (EMB) to conduct free, fair and credible elections for sustainable democracy in Nigeria.

    “In view of the present troubling circumstances, we recommend that INEC urgently embark on expansion of its voter registration and validation infrastructure to serve the teeming numbers of Nigerians who wish to exercise their patriotic and civic duties of voting in the forthcoming general elections.

    “It has therefore become very obvious that no matter the number of years of extension of the current exercise, it will be a total waste of the nations manpower if the infrastructure is not immediately expanded to cover areas of high demand – which currently is the South. This makes sense because INEC’s data shows that most citizens in the North have been captured. Many Nigerians from the Middle and Southern parts of the country will at the end of the day be denied their universal adult suffrage.

    “Failure to do this will create an impression that INEC has deliberately put machineries in place to disenfranchise a segment of the country thereby manipulating the outcome of the 2023 elections.

    “We will be available to provide non interfering support to INEC to see that every Nigerian who presents himself or herself for registration is duly registered in a seamless manner as stipulated on the INEC website.”

  • Super Falcons to face Japan’s Senior Women Team in Kobe

    Nine-time African champions and FIFA World Cup ever-present Nigeria will take on the Senior Women National Team of Japan in a prestige international friendly match at the Noevir Stadium, Kobe on Thursday, 6th October this year. The date falls within one of the FIFA Women International Windows for this year.

     Nadeshiko Japan, which is the alias of the Women National Team of Japan, are rated 13th in the world, while the Super Falcons are 39th.

     Both teams have clashed only once at competitive level – at the 2004 Olympic Women’s Football Tournament. Nadeshiko pipped the Falcons 1-0 at the Karaiskakis Stadium in Piraeus on 14th August 2004.

     Two back-to-back friendlies in 2013 were won 2-0 each by Nadeshiko.

     Japan’s entertaining girls won the FIFA World Cup in Germany in 2011, beating Team USA in a pulsating penalty shoot-out after regulation time ended 2-2. Nadeshiko thus became the first team from Asia to win a senior FIFA World Cup trophy.

     The Super Falcons are perennial champions of the African continent and have participated at every FIFA Women’s World Cup since the competition began in 1991, reaching the quarter finals in 1999.

  • 2023 : PFN declares June 26 PVC Sunday, says members must attend service with voter cards

    The Pentecostal Fellowship of Nigeria (PFN) has appealed to churches to mobilize eligible Christians to get obtain their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) ahead of the 2023 general elections.

    This was contained in a statement signed and released by Rev. Steven Dangana, the Plateau state chairman of the Christian body in Jos, Nigeria.

    Dangana also said the Fellowship had declared June 26, as ”PVC Sunday”.

    He said members would be expected to attend church service with their PVCs that day.

    The chairman explained that the decision to declare the PVC Sunday was taken at its National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on June 16 in Lagos.

    Dangana called on heads of churches to mobilise their eligible members, to register for their PVCs.

    He said the leadership of the Fellowship had constituted a special committee to consult widely and advise it on the direction to go in the forthcoming general polls.

  • 2023 Elections: Hon. Shina Peller dumps APC

    Honourable Shina Abiola Peller, who represent Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Kajola/Iwajowa Federal Constituency, at the green chamber of the National Assembly has dumped the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The announcement was made via a letter addressed to the chairman of his ward .

    The Iseyin Oke Ogun born politician was elected to the House of Reps in 2019 under the paltform of the APC.

    Peller contested the Oyo North Senatorial District seat under the aegis of APC but lost in the primary election. Consequently, Peller has now dumped the party to defect to another one yet to be announced.

    Peller, in the letter he personally signed and addressed to APC Ward 9 chairman, Koso in Iseyin Local Government Area, insisted that he took the decision after due consultation with his people.

    The lawmaker said that undemocratic conduct of some party chieftains particularly in Oyo State has shown that the people from the grassroots and the youth will continue to be at the mercy of the few at the top.

    He alleged that some people within the party imposed their preferred candidate against the wish of the people.

    He maintained that he left the APC because his people have asked him to do so.

    He explained further that he decided to join politics not for selfish reason but the overall interest of Nigerian youths and the people of Oke Ogun.

    His letter reads, “I write to formally inform you of the renouncement of my membership from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “I took this decision after due consultation with my people from the Oke Ogun region and beyond who feel humiliated by the undemocratic acts and decisions of some gladiators within Oyo State APC.

    “President Muhammadu Buhari preached bottom-to-top approach driven APC, but the undemocratic conduct of some party chieftains particularly in Oyo State has shown that the people from the grassroots and the youth will continue to be at the mercy of the few at the top, who impose their preferred candidate against the wish of the people, as recently witnessed in Oyo North Senatorial District where I belong.

    “My people have therefore decided that we withdraw our membership of the APC, and I totally align with them as I delved into politics not for selfish reason but the overall interest of Nigerian youths and the people of Oke Ogun. So. I hereby renounce my membership of the APC”.

  • 2023: President Buhari donates Abuja campaign office to Tinubu

    The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu has taken over president Buhari’s 2019 campaign office in Abuja.

    Findings show that president Buhari donated the campaign office to Asiwaju Bola Tinubu to fast track his campaign process ahead of the 2023 general elections.

    House of Representatives and leader of the Tinubu Support Group, James Faleke confirmed the development to newsmen  in Abuja today.

    Faleke, who was Tinubu’s agent at the APC convention, disclosed that the campaign office, which was sited in the Central Business District of Abuja, is well equipped with Information and Communication Technology as well as a database, call centre among others.

    The lawmaker stated that the donated office has now been converted to Tinubu Campaign Headquarters, while other existing outlets would become annexes.

    The Buhari Campaign Office was the second space donated to the Tinubu campaign.

    Recall that Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, had also donated his presidential campaign office to the ruling party’s presidential candidate.

  • Just In: Rivers Gov, Wike set to emerge as Atiku’s running mate

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has been selected and is set to emerge as the running mate to the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, thus ending days of horse-trading characterised by suspense and anxiety over the sensitive issue.

    Wike, a Christian, according to TheNewsGuru.com sources garnered 16  votes to Delta State Governor, Dr Ifeanyi Okowa’s  3 votes to secure the consequential recommendation of the Committee set up by the party to deal with the issue.

    Except unforeseen circumstances intervenes, Wike will pair with  Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in next year’s general election.
    According to TheNewsGuru.com sources which included three former governors who are members of the selection committee, the stage is now set for his formal announcement and transmission of the joint presidential nomination ticket to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC)

    The recommendation, according to the report, was made by the committee set up by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Chairman, Dr Iyorchia Ayu, to screen three southern governors and recommend one for the position.

    At the end of its assignment on Tuesday, June 14, the 16-member committee voted 13 – 3 in favour of the Rivers State Governor.

    The report did not however say who ran away with the three votes.

    Wike was runner-up at the PDP special convention two weeks ago at the National Stadium, Abuja, where Atiku emerged as the party’s standard bearer.