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Tag: apc primaries

  • Yahaya Bello reveals Buhari’s only interest in APC primaries

    Yahaya Bello reveals Buhari’s only interest in APC primaries

    Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi, a Presidential aspirant on the All Progressives Congress (APC) platform, says President Muhammadu Buhari’s only interest is to field the best candidate that will defeat other opponents in the 2023 presidential election.

    Bello said this at a media appearance on Sunday in Abuja, noting that the candidate must be able to give the people the right kind of leadership while building on the successes of the President.

    The governor said that he was optimistic that the best candidate would be chosen irrespective of region, tribe or religion, stressing that Nigerians were clamouring for who would solve the challenges of the country.

    Bello, therefore, expressed optimism that he would emerge as the chosen candidate considering all that he had achieved in Kogi in terms of security, unity and progress, building on the successes of President Buhari.

    “Mr President has always been providing a very wonderful leadership, the National Chairman has equally been providing a superlative leadership for our party and for our country and yesterday’s (Saturday) meeting was one of them.

    “For us as aspirants in the forthcoming primary election, we were asked to make a consensus among ourselves on who will emerge so that we can come up with one formidable candidate against the PDP.

    “It is very gladdening and I know that by the grace of God, we are going to come up with the one strong candidate.

    “And, I am very optimistic that I, Yahaya Bello, as the candidate to build on the leadership and successes of President Muhammadu Buhari, will emerge as the consensus candidate by the special grace of God, considering our achievements and successes in Kogi on security, unity and progress.

    “Nigeria of today is all out for who is coming to solve Nigeria’s problem and not where you come from and that leadership, I by the special grace of God will provide for Nigeria,” Bello said.

    On the fate of the party after the special national convention, Bello said that the party as always will come out stronger than ever before, commending the party’s leadership for a smooth process all the way.

    “By the special grace of God, we are going to come out stronger than ever before. This kind of anxieties were expressed in the last convention that came up with Sen. Abdullahi Adamu as the National Chairman and other committee members.

    “This kind of anxieties came up when we were electing our senators, governors and all our candidates across boards three weeks ago and we all came out very strongly.

    ‘By the special grace of God, I am optimistic that we are going to come out very strongly.

    “By the special grace of God, I Yahaya Bello of Kogi State shall win that convention and the flag bearer of the All Progressives Congress for the general elections come 2023,” Bello added.

    Bello, however, urged delegates of the parties to vote him in the forthcoming elections to give him the opportunity to continue the legacies of President Buhari to build a safe, united prosperous Nigeria.

  • APC Primaries: Group urge delegates to vote Tinubu, says he will unite the people

    Mr Femi Adekanbi, Coordinator of the support group, Ondo State Network for Tinubu (OSNT), has called on national delegates of the All Progressives Congress( APC) to vote for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to emerge as the presidential candidate of the party ahead of the 2023 general elections.

    He made this known in a statement on Sunday in Akure, stating that Tinubu will unite the people.

    Adekanbi said that Tinubu would work towards creating a stronger and more prosperous Nigeria, surpassing even the dreams of the country’s founding fathers.

    “Asiwaju Tinubu is the most qualified. At this stage in our nation’s history, we need a unifier and someone embued with rich ideas, and strategies to fix the nation’s battered economy and unite the people. He perfectly fits the bill,” he said.

    He appealed to the party’s delegates to shun monetary inducement, and vote for Tinubu.
    The group coordinator added that the nation was at a critical junction in history, which required patriots and citizens to choose wisely who would take them beyond 2023.

    Adekanmbi said the nation needed a president, who could put the country together, irrespective of its religion and ethnic background.

    “Asiwaju is extremely intelligent and one thing I can assure Nigerians, if Asiwaju is voted, from his first day in office, is to hit the ground running,” he said.

  • BREAKING: Few days to APC presidential primaries, INEC releases guidelines for 2023 Poll

    BREAKING: Few days to APC presidential primaries, INEC releases guidelines for 2023 Poll

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has released the legal framework that will guide the 2023 general elections.

    TheNewsGuru.com, (TNG) reports this is coming barely 72hours to the presidential primaries of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC slated for 6-7 of June.

    INEC Chairman Professor Mahmood Yakubu, said with the presentation of the Regulations and Guidelines, the Commission has concluded formal preparations for the polls.

    He said it is the first time the Commission is releasing the guidelines nine months to the general elections.

    Details to follow…

  • Abia court disqualifies APC guner candidate hours after victory in primaries

    Abia court disqualifies APC guner candidate hours after victory in primaries

    The joy of Chief Ikechi Emenike and his supporters following their victory at the primaries on Thursday as APC candidate in the governorship election next year in Abia State has been short-lived.,

    This followed an Abia High Court’s ruling hours later against the victory as Justice O. A. Chijioke nullified the result.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Emenike had been declared the victor of Thursday’s controversial primary election.

    The suit against the process was instituted by Mr. Chinedum Nwole and two others.

    The judge declared that Emenike lacks the locus standi to contest the primary election because he had earlier been suspended from the party.

    ALSO Abia State Governor, Ikpeazu visits Buhari, explains why South East region should produce president in 2023

    The court ruled that both Emenike and the APC State Chairman, Chief Donatus Nwakpa breached article 9.3 of the APC constitution by going ahead to participate in the primary election.

    Justice Chijioke therefore, declared their participation in the ward, local council, state and the recently held national convention of the party as illegal.

    The ruling read in part, “That by the virtue of the suspension of the first defendant (Emenike) as a member of the second defendant (APC), the first defendant cannot participate in whatever form whatsoever in the activities of the second defendant including the scheduled ward, local government, state and national congresses of the second defendant due to to take place between 2021 and 2022.

    “That order of injunction is hereby made restraining the first defendant from parading, dignifying and or posturing himself as a legitimate member of APC during the subsisting of his suspension from the party as prescribed by the constitution.”

    Consequently, the judge directed the National Working Committee of the party to desist from having further dealing with the duo based on the subsisting court order.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that the lingering crisis in Abia APC had been going on for a while with the efforts of some stakeholders of the party in the State not yielding much result.

  • APC Primaries: Don’t dump the party after primaries – Adamu

    APC Primaries: Don’t dump the party after primaries – Adamu

     

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, (APC), Abdullahi Adamu has appealed to aspirants not to leave the ruling party after its primary election would have been completed.

    Adamu said every aspirant would be given a level playing field at the primaries.

    TheNewsGuru.com gathered that the APC National Chairman made the plea in Keffi Local Government Area of Nasarawa State on Sunday, when stakeholders of the ruling party in the Western Senatorial Zone of the State organized a valedictory session in his honour.

    Adamu, was represented at the event by the Speaker of the Nasarawa State House of Assembly, Ibrahim Abdullahi.

    He urged aspirants to accept the outcome of the forthcoming primary elections in good faith.

    He said, “I want to assure everyone of you that the party will provide a level playing field for all aspirants vying for various positions during the forthcoming APC primaries.

    “I also want to appeal to all aspirants to accept the results of the primary elections in good faith and not to leave the party.

    “I assure you all that there would be a reward for every loyal party member.”

  • 2023 Presidential Election: Tinubu to announce defection to SDP soon -Sources reveal

    2023 Presidential Election: Tinubu to announce defection to SDP soon -Sources reveal

    Ahead of APC Primaries, there are indicatons that Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu would decamp to the Social Democratic Party, SDP, soon.

     

    “Reality is dawning on Asiwaju Bol Ahmed Tinubu that a surprise might erupt in the forth coming primaries of the All Progressives Congress and to forestall the unthinkable, the strong man of Lagos politics had prepared a ‘plan b’ for himself, to enable him actualize his age long dream of becoming the president of Nigeria, come 2023,” inside sources said.

     

    There have already been reports that certain prominent members of President Muhammadu Buhari’s cabinet are opposed to Tinubu’s presidential ambitions and have urged the president against supporting the embattled APC leader.

     

    TheNewsGuru.com gathered that Tinubu’s decision to join the SDP was sparked by a recent revelation as well as the outcome of yesterday’s meeting with other presidential candidates in the South West.

     

    There were also speculations that Tinubu may have also influenced the announced defection of Abdulmumin Jibrin his Campaign Group Director General.

     

    “I have done my best for APC; it is time to move on. By the grace of God, I will announce the new party I will be joining in 24 hours. More information will be forthcoming,” he said.

     

    Despite the fact that Jibrin is yet to announce his next political party, his defection increased rumors about Tinubu’s likely defection, which “is happening sooner than we imagined,” according to insiders.

     

    To be or not to be, Tinubu’s purported defection has now dominated discussion in several quarters, especially after none of the aspirants agreed to the subject of a consensus candidate when it was raised by one of the conveners during yesterday’s meeting of South West Presidential ticket contenders.

     

    However it was learned that Tinubu intended to test the waters with the governorship race in Ekiti on June 18, 2022, he had to move up his tactics due to the reluctance of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to modify the Presidential primary timetable.

     

    INEC in a press statement had insisted that the Commission would on no account shift the deadline originally announced for primaries and this has thrown political parties, especially the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling APC in a state of disarray ever since.

  • APC: I’m not afraid of Tinubu, other gladiators – Yahaya Bello

    APC: I’m not afraid of Tinubu, other gladiators – Yahaya Bello

    Gov. Yahaya Bello of Kogi on Saturday said that he was not afraid of key actors jostling for the 2023 presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Bello, who spoke in Abuja while, responding to a question at the Second GYB Annual Seminar for Political and Crime Correspondents and Editors, reiterated that all indicators pointed to the fact that he stood in the best position to win the 2023 election for the APC.

    The frontliners in the discuss around 2023 presidency are former governor of Lagos State and a National Leader of the APC, Bola Tinubu, Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi; a former governor of Abia, Sen. Orji Kalu and other aspirants.

    Bello said that he was confident of being the flag bearer of the party, stressing that he had over 16 million Nigerians, who had obtained their PVCs registered in Yahaya Bello support groups with a view to having him elected.

    He said, though Tinubu and other personalities were founding members of the APC, the foundation of a house was not enough to build the house as there were other things to be put in place for the house to stand.

    The governor maintained the optimism that he was most favoured to clinch the APC ticket for the presidency.

    “To answer your question, whether I am scared of other contestants for the presidency. You mentioned Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and others. I will say

    No; I am not scared of anybody in the contest for the APC presidential ticket.

    “Tinubu and others are the founding members of the APC, but foundation is not enough. I will defeat all the other aspirants because I have all it takes to be a champion. My performance in Kogi State will speak for me,” he noted.

    On why he was always rooting for the younger generation, Bello said he believed that Nigeria could do more with younger persons in power.

    The National Coordinator of the Yahaya Bello Presidential Campaign Council, Sen. Jonathan Zwingina, said the huge success of Bello’s declaration ceremony had already sent shivers down the spines of others.

    According to him, he possesses the right qualities to lead Nigeria, with uncommon humility.

  • APC Primaries: Oyetola extends olive branch to Adeoti, Lasun

    APC Primaries: Oyetola extends olive branch to Adeoti, Lasun

    Gov. Gboyega Oyetola of Osun, has appealed to those who lost at the state All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primaries, to join hands with him towards the victory of the party in the July 16 poll.

    Oyetola made the call on Sunday, after emerging the bearer of the APC at the end of the party’s direct primary election in Osogbo.

    Oyetola was declared winner after polling a total of 222,169 votes to defeat other aspirants in the race.

    The aspirants included former Secretary to State Government, Alhaji Mushood Adeoti, who polled 12, 921 votes and former Deputy Speaker, House of Representatives, Alhaji Lasun Yusuf who got 460 votes.

    The governor said he was extending a hand of fellowship to the two aspirants, asking them to join him to prepare for the July governorship election.

    “The outcome of this primary election is victory for our party and members who have spoken loudly through their votes.

    “I thank you all our party members, for your constant support, especially for speaking eloquently with your massive votes in favour of our administration’s restoration and consolidation agenda.

    “With this primary election now concluded, I invite us all to rededicate ourselves and the party to delivering an overwhelming victory at the gubernatorial polls, holding on Saturday, July 16.

    “For me, we are all winners. I, therefore, extend my hand of fellowship to the other two aspirants to join me, as we prepare for the July election. We are all brothers. Let’s join hands to build the Osun of our dream,” he said.

    Oyetola added: “Let us close ranks and eschew bitterness in whatever form. Therefore, may I use this opportunity to also ask all our aggrieved members, to have a rethink and join hands with us to further strengthen our party and deliver outstanding results at the gubernatorial poll.”

    He commended Gov. Abdulrahaman Abdulrasaq of Kwara, who was also the Chairman of the state Governorship Primary Election Committee and members of his team, for conducting a hitch-free primaries.

    “As we commence the electioneering campaigns, I urge all contestants across party lines, to perform this exercise with utmost decency and not jeopardise the peace and tranquillity our state is noted for,” the governor said.

  • After meeting with Buhari’s CoS, Oshiomhole issues new boast on Edo APC primaries

    After meeting with Buhari’s CoS, Oshiomhole issues new boast on Edo APC primaries

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Adams Oshiomhole, has said the party will go ahead with its planned primaries on June 22.

    Oshiomhole said this on Monday when he briefed State House Correspondents at the end of the meeting he and members of party’s National Working Committee had with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, at the State House, Abuja.

    He expressed optimism that the election will be free, fair and transparent, adding that a candidate that can unify the party in the state will emerge.

    He said: ‘We’ve gone a long way.

    “We’ve advertised the timetable, there was the stage of collection of forms and about six people collected forms.

    “In that timetable, we also provided for screening and we also provided for appeals arising from the screening.

    “This is standard practice that the NWC has adopted since 2015 and in the case of Edo, we have completed the process of selling forms, we have also completed the process of screening, we have completed the process of appeals arising from the screening by those who wish to take advantage and the NWC has met and has reviewed the report of the screening committee and we were unanimous that the screening was thoroughly done and found that three people were eligible to contest, with regards to the provisions of our constitution.

    “We have these three gentlemen on parade to contest the primaries, which has been slated for the 22nd of June in line with the provisions of our constitution.

    “We will do direct primaries.

    “It’s more democratic, less susceptible to corrupt practices and it makes the party be membership driven.

    “It’s always for me something interesting that after you have picked your candidate by a handful of elites, you’ll now organise a rally to introduce to the members who is going to contest an election.

    “They are supposed to bring the members to us and we can only achieve that through direct primaries.

    “So, we are doing everything possible, having completed the issue of screening and we have upheld the result of the screening committee.

    “We are proceeding now to conduct the primaries, God willing, on the 22nd of June in Edo State.

    “One person appealed his disqualification and he had ample opportunity to approach the Appeal Committee and even with the benefit of coming with his lawyer because this time, because of what happened in Bayelsa, we have decided that we have to be very strict.

    “There are always two issues that lead to disqualification after elections.“As you saw in Bayelsa, we won the election, but, for technical reasons, we lost it at the Supreme Court.

    “We have decided we should look at the composition of the committee.

    “We have very senior lawyers, professors of law, we have various professors who should be familiar with the issues of certificate, because those are always the booby traps, whether there are impunities or contradictions or forged documents.

    “Then we have lawyers who have handled election tribunal, they know the issues that people can raise once you have filed your nomination because the courts have said INEC cannot screen candidates.

    “The power to screen candidates, it’s exclusively part of the party.

    “So, if the party mismanaged the process and they produce someone who has a fake certificate or multiple age or issues of spelling, those lawyers know what can lead to disqualification.

    “So, we have confidence in the report they gave us, but in line with our democratic practice and as stated in our constitution, they also had an opportunity to make an appeal and that opportunity was provided.

    “One of them took advantage of it.

    “Unfortunately, he wasn’t successful.

    “The appeal panel still reaffirmed the findings of the lower party.

    “We are getting ready for the primary on the 22nd and we pray that God will preside over the exercise, it will be free fair and transparent and we’ll have a candidate that can unify the party in the state.”

    On if APC was ready for Obaseki’s exit, Oshiomhole said: “I don’t know about exit.

    “What we see from your media, electronic and print, is that he visited a number of PDP governors.

    “We read from electronic and print that those consultations may have to do with his plan and so on.

    “But we are not here to speculate.

    “Our party is not a party of big men.

    “It is governed by rules.

    “Both the small and the big are subjected to that rule.

    “I’m sure you will agree that our President led by example when we conducted direct primary in the last presidential election.

    “We still went to Eagle Square for affirmation.

    “So, if the President did not have the right of first refusal because our constitution does not provide for it, we cannot under any circumstance now bend the rules when it comes to some people and changes the rule when it comes to others.

    “Our duty as the management board of the APC is to ensure that we obey strictly the provisions of our constitution, which empowers the National Working Committee to conduct primaries for president, governors, National Assembly, and State Houses of Assembly.”

  • Edo 2020: There’s need to tread with caution, Fmr Gov Osunbor tells APC leaders

    Edo 2020: There’s need to tread with caution, Fmr Gov Osunbor tells APC leaders

    …says reconciliation is imperative before primaries

    Former Governor of Edo State, Senator Oserheimen Osunbor on Friday advised the All Progressives Congress, APC leaders in the state to tread with caution not to fall into legal pitfalls after the guber election.

    Osunbor in a statement issued and signed by him on Friday advised all the warring party men to embrace peace before the primaries scheduled for June 22.
    The Professor of Law who is also a member of the APC national Caucus explained that:
    “The crisis in Edo State Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) which has simmered for about two years now threatens to boil over as we draw closer to the Party’s Gubernatorial primaries on June 22. This portends disastrous consequences for the Party and the people of Edo State unless it is resolved promptly before the primaries.
    “Given my position in the Party I have made efforts outside of public glare towards bringing about reconciliation by speaking to the two leading protagonists, the National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and His Excellency the Governor of Edo State Godwin Obaseki as well as some of their supporters.

    “I also tried to rally some elders of the Party from the State to broker peace. It is common knowledge that our revered royal father, His Royal Majesty the Oba of Benin, Oba Ewuare II made his own efforts including appealing to our President Mohammadu Buhari to help broker peace among these two illustrious sons of Edo State.

    ” It is also believed that their mutual friend Dr. Aliko Dangote made repeated efforts at reconciliation to no avail. So did a number of others that I know.
    When therefore the National Caucus of the party resolved at its meeting of 21 November 2019 to institute a National Reconciliation Committee to address the crises in various states of the Federation, which resolution was upheld by a decision of the National Executive Committee of the party the following day, there seemed to be light at the end of the tunnel.
    ” However, this has not happened till date as the National Reconciliation Committee which was reconstituted in February 2020 has not yet completed its assignment.

    “There is now a chance that the Committee may be confronted with a fait accompli and overtaken by events if the Edo primaries (and guber elections) are held before it concludes its assignment.
    “That would be tantamount to medicine after death. It will be extremely risky and ill-advised for the party to conduct its primaries, talk less of going into the governorship election bitterly divided; hence it has become urgent and compelling to hasten the process of reconciliation of all aggrieved persons without further delay.
    “The reason that reconciliation is imperative is that if the Party conducts rancorous primaries and goes into the governorship elections divided, winning will become more difficult than it should be ordinarily, given the weakness of the opposition in the State.

    “Even if the APC candidate wins the election the victory will be tenuous because of the threat of litigation that is almost certain to follow. This is why we must as a party tread with caution.
    “It is often erroneously thought that elections end when INEC’s Returning Officer announces a winner but this has over the years proved not to be conclusive in all cases.
    ” At best it can be likened to the end of the first half in a game of football. The second half which is even more decisive plays out in the Election Petitions Tribunal and courts of law and way up to the Supreme Court where it involves governorship election. If and when that happens the matter moves from the political arena to the judicial arena and no one can ever predict with certainty what the outcome will be or what the courts will decide. Examples are legion where the courts have shocked many by declaring a different result from what was announced by INEC because a political party had violated its own constitution, the Electoral Act and other laws including infringing on the rights of its members or engaged in one form of impunity or the other. Let us not forget so soon how in 2007 the Supreme Court punished PDP for the injustice they did to Ararume.
    “It is unhelpful at this stage to dwell in polemics, apportion blame or argue as to whether it is best to adopt direct or indirect primaries which at any rate enjoy equal legitimacy ( along with consensus) under Article 20 of the APC Constitution.

    “There is no doubt at all that the APC Candidate will win the forthcoming election but we must be mindful not to lose the victory in court because of a flaw in the process that produced the candidate.

    “The pain of such a loss will be too agonising to bear. The leaders of the main opposition in Edo have been quoted in the media as saying that they are hoping and praying to benefit from the APC crisis so that they can recover through the court the governorship that they lost in the court. APC must not make the mistake of “gifting” them the governorship whether by act of commission or omission.
    “For now the signs are not good. There is danger ahead. We must avoid pitfalls. I therefore make this clarion call on the APC national leadership to act urgently and decisively to put our house in order by fostering reconciliation before it is too late. We need to tread with caution.