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  • The umbrage war between Atiku & Tinubu campaigns – By Magnus Onyibe

    The umbrage war between Atiku & Tinubu campaigns – By Magnus Onyibe

    In the past couple of weeks,allegations of corruption against the presidential candidates of the leading contenders for the office of the president of the federal republic of Nigeria has taken center stage.

    That is contrary to the view that l canvased in an article published in the mass media in September of last year titled:”Presidency 2023: A Contest Between Three ‘Sinners’?”.

    In that piece,l had drawn attention to the fact that the front liners for the 2023 presidential contest Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Wazirin Atiku Abubakar,Mr Peter Obi and Dr Musa Kwakwanso are ex public servants.And in light of the fact that Nigerians regard all present and past public office holders,especially of the political hue as corrupt,l surmised that the quartet who having served as state governors and Nigeria’s vice president respectively,are deemed to be ‘sinners’ in the eyes of Nigerian masses,and would not be bullish on corruption allegations against each other.

    Furthermore,l made the case that since corruption is an over-flogged issue in Nigerian political space and an over rated factor in leadership,the presidential hopefuls are all likely to ‘let the sleeping dogs lie’ by not anchoring their campaigns on who is more corrupt or better positioned to fight the menace.

    It had seemed as if my prediction would come to pass with the initial focus of the campaign by the demagogues being on issues about  development and related matters.

    But corruption allegations and counter allegations reared their ugly heads a couple of weeks ago and l got proven wrong in assuming that corruption would not be a hot button issue or lightening rod in the 2023 general elections campaigns.

    And the whole shebang came by way of an allegation by one Micheal Achimugu, purportedly a former media aid to ex vice president,Atiku Abubakar,PDP presidential flag bearer.

    The self styled whistle blower fouled the political atmosphere by releasing an audio tape(purportedly the voice of the man he claims to be his former boss)speaking about the use of Special Purpose Vehicles,SPV while serving as vice president under the regime of former president Olusegun Obasanjo, OBJ,1999-2007.

    It was considered a weighty allegation against PDP presidential flag bearer and the ruling APC’s presidential campaign team decided to make a song and dance of the claim by the so called whistle blower by making it look like the mythical opening of a pandora box.

    Mr Festus Keyamo,Minister of state for Labor and Employment who is Tinubu’s Presidential Campaign Council spokesman threw down the gauntlet/drew the first blood:

    “We understand that the law enforcement agencies may be reluctant to act simply because of the perception of persecution of a presidential candidate that this may evoke. However, facts are sacred. The facts so far presented to the world clearly indicate that Atiku Abubakar has a case to answer. In other climes when such serious allegations arose in the middle of campaigns,the law enforcement agencies acted decisively.

    “The issue of the Marine Float Account is not new to Nigerians. In the voice note, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar can be heard boasting that the issue of that account  was thoroughly investigated by EFCC, yet then he was smart enough to escape.

    “However, we note that in 2006, at the height of his public quarrel with Obasanjo over the sharing of money, the same PDP officially asked Atiku Abubakar to refund N500 million taken from that account.”

    And the Atiku Abubakar campaign,having been provoked,and appears no longer interested in ‘letting sleeping dogs lie’ has unleashed damning allegations of corruption against the APC standard bearer.

    Mr Deji Ologbondiyan, a spokesman of Atiku Abubakar Presidential Campaign Council,seemed to have hit Tinubu with what can be compared to a sledge hammer with the following weighty allegations:

    “This is the case in the vexatious plots by Asiwaju Tinubu to divert attention from his litany of atrocities by seeking to impugn the impeccable character of our Candidate,Atiku Abubakar, with the unfounded controversy of corruption.

    “Today, the entire world has seen that the real Mr SPV; the Corruption kingpin,the real ‘artful dodger’ of Nigeria is Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the ‘emilokan’ Presidential Candidate of the APC.

    “Bola Tinubu, sensing that his many corrupt activities, especially his fleecing of Lagos State with many Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) companies was about to come to light, rushed to hire a serial blackmailer, as he has always done, to foul the public space with fabricated allegations against Atiku Abubakar.

    “Nigerians now know of how Tinubu has been desperately trying to divert attention from his alleged use of Alpha Beta Consulting Limited and Alpha Beta LPP, companies he reportedly owned by proxy, to loot N100bn tax money belonging to Lagos State, since 2002.

    “It is now in public domain how Alpha Beta, which has for over 20 years held the exclusive rights to collect taxes in Lagos State in return for a commission under very shady arrangements through which it reportedly siphoned billions of naira belonging to Lagos State.

    “The public is now aware of a petition before an anti-corruption agency wherein Tinubu’s alleged SPV company was reported to have used another company which shares same address with Tinubu’s office on Idowu Taylor Street in Lagos to launder Lagos State funds.

    “Documents sighted in one of the anti-corruption agencies reveals that Tinubu’s SPV allegedly laundered over N20 billion ($46.5m) in different currencies to several companies, including payment of N1bn ($2.3m) to company that is widely known to belong to him.

    “Bola Tinubu should come out clean and speak to these damning money laundering allegations against him.

    “He should explain to Nigerians how billions of naira belonging to Lagos State and meant for the welfare of the people, reportedly found its way into Soft Alliance and ended in bits and pieces in foreign currencies into domiciliary accounts allegedly owned by him in commercial banks.”

    To what end would the ongoing umbrage war between Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Wazirin Atiku Abubakar campaigns serve,readers are wont to ask?

    The truth is that,beyond being a pure mudslinging exercise which has raised the scandal content in the campaign season a few notches higher,there is no other immediate benefits since the hoopla can not prevent the antagonist or protagonists from participating in the general election that would hold in less than 30 days.

    It is rather fortuitous that in his famous 1st day of January 2023 Open Letter to Nigerians,particularly the youths,former President Olusegun Obasanjo,OBJ had co-incidentally validated the belief that all the four presidential front runners are not saints,as l had posited in my earlier cited last September essay titled: Election 2023 : The Three Presidential Front Runners Are ‘Sinners’.

    Below is how the President Emeritus,OBJ put it: “none of the contestants is a saint…”. Obviously,too much had already been thrown up about corruption allegations against members of the political class and especially the leading candidates in the current contest during previous election circles.

    So,corruption is an issue that has been over flogged in my reckoning,and it does not merit being the center piece of any serious elections campaigns in this new season.

    Although the position above may appear to be radical,it is pragmatic.

    And my justification for the radical posture is: how far has anti corruption taken us since 2015 when our country anchored government’s agenda on it?

    Are we happy with where we are right now in our country whereby life has been reduced to a Hobbesian state of nature so much so that our compatriots are having brutish existence owing to socioeconomic and political hardships wreaking havoc on the critical mass of Nigerians arising from wrong headed policies or sacrifice of wealth creating opportunities on anti corruption Altar?

    Another underlying reason for the belief that corruption should not be an issue in the current political dispensation is hinged on the fact that all the presidential standard bearers of the most likely parties to win the presidency, APC,PDP, LP and NNPP have been passed through the crucible of scrutiny for probity and accountability by the relevant anti graft agencies.

    Some,particularly the PDP flag bearer, Atiku Abubakar has had his public service records scrutinized as recently as the last election circle in 2019 when he contested against the incumbent.

    The scrutiny of the public service records of Wazirin Abubakar is so intense that everything in his cupboards have been turned inside out,yet his records have remained unassailable in the eyes of the law. But in the eyes of the public,he is deemed to be corrupt owing to a nasty fight that he had with his former boss,OBJ who in a feat of vendetta apparently decided to smear him by tagging him with corruption toga with no scintilla of evidence whatsoever except claims in his book: ”My Watch” where in chapter 36 he alleged that his second -in-command misappropriated $20m and $125m funds belonging to PTDF -a petroleum intervention agency.lt is an allegation that Wazirin Atiku Abubakar has consistently denied and of which his accusers have no proof of evidence to justify.

    Although,the PDP presidential flag bearer is squeaky clean in the eyes of the law based on his victories in the law courts, false allegations that he sold public assets to him self and cronies when he served as the vice president of Nigeria and held the position of the chairman of national economic council and privatization committee (1999-2003) has continued to swirl around him and taint his public service records.

    It is unfortunate that the negative toga has become stuck on him all these years,even though there is no evidence whatsoever to support the false allegations and narratives circulated in the social media. As l write this essay,no one has been able to identify a single federal government asset that was sold to Wazirin Atiku Abubakar or his cronies.

    Neither the retail petrol stations nor the steel production mills or automobile assembly plants formerly owned,but now sold by federal government belongs to Atiku Abubakar or his associates.

    So,the reality is that the ex-vice president and PDP standard bearer Atiku Abubakar has been a victim of jungle justice characterized by the public lynching which he has been suffering in the hands of those savaging him based on false allegations that he sold public assets to himself during the privatization exercise carried out under OBJ’s regime 1999-2007.

    Hopefully, a trending video recording in the social media showing Wazirin Atiku Abubakar being exonerated of any wrong doing by Mallam Nasir El-Rufai,the current governor of Kaduna state and former Director General,DG of the Bureau of Public Enterprise,BPE which is the agency that handled the sale of government assets during OBJ’s reign and under Atiku Abubakar’s leadership would finally confirm to Nigerians that the former vice president has been maliciously tagged as corrupt without corroborating evidence.

    And based on his antecedents,particularly how his dexterously led the team that revolutionized the telecoms sector by successfully unbundling it,Wazirin Atiku Abubakar remains the best man for the job of the president of Nigeria in 2023 as he is poised to recover her from the rot of the locust years since 2015 till date.

    Like the PDP presidential candidate,the other leading candidates such as Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of All Progressives Party,APC,have also been investigated by relevant anti corruption agencies to ascertain his worthiness or otherwise for public office.

    Asiwaju Bola Tinubu of PDP last contested for pubic office in 2003 which is about 20 years ago. And Mr Peter Obi of Labor Party, LP last vied for governorship post in 2007.

    That is some 16 years ago,and as running mate to PDP flag bearer in 2019- four(4)years ago.

    Dr Musa Kwakwanso of New Nigeria National Party,NNPP also last contested for the governorship of Kano state in 2011 and 2015 when he vied for a senate seat and won.

    As earlier stated,the common thread holding the quartet together is that they have all occupied public offices and they have also been very heavily investigated by our country’s anti corruption agencies on the issue of corruption since the return of multi party democracy in Nigeria in 1999.

    The investigations were so thorough that all the warts in their cupboards have been exposed,just as presumed skeletons in the graves have also been exhumed.

    To that extent,corruption issues which had been the dominant subject of discussions by political office seekers in our country even before independence were not expected to continue to occupy left and center of politics in 2023.

    In fact,it is disappointing that despite the prominence or notoriety that acts of corruption and the fight against the crime have gained in the nearly sixty three (63)years of existence of our country,not much has changed the negative trajectory to positive optics.

    Instead,corruption has witnessed an uptick,rather than ebb.

    By and large,getting rid of corruption as evidenced in all the coup plotters speeches made to justify their actions via their broadcasts on radio or television and in the scripts published in newspapers or magazines; unacceptable levels of corruption has always been one of their grouse and main objectives for their toppling of governments since 1966 when the first coup detat happened.

    Unquestionably,what the scenario above tells us is that the key reason which the military always adduced as justification for their incursion into politics is consistent with the objectives of politicians who also front load corruption as their motivation for seeking to replace their counterparts or rivals in leadership positions during political power contestations via the ballot box.

    Although,corruption concerns have remained the constant or reoccurring decimal over the years under both military dictatorships and democratic regimes, nothing has changed for the better.
    Instead it has gained more grounds in our country.

    That is despite all the energy invested even before our country gained self rule and independence in 1960.

    In corroboration with the past experience,it is unsurprising that corruption was the defining feature of the 2015 election as then president Goodluck Jonathan led PDP government at the center was painted massively with the brush of corruption by its then rival and main opposition,APC.

    Having succeeded in literally hanging corruption chain around the neck of PDP like a heavy log by then opposition APC,then president Goodluck Jonathan and PDP got thrown into the sea to sink to the bottom until recent times that PDP is resurfacing after being under the water in the past eight (8) years.

    And the new ruling APC wooed the electorate over to its side with the slogan “kill corruption before it kills Nigeria”

    But contrary to the APC mantra that resonated with the masses in the past nearly eight (8) years of the party governing at the center ,corruption has almost literally and practically killed Nigeria and Nigerians.

    Hence,l am of the conviction that the masses have become too fatigued by the monumental level of corruption being perpetrated under APC leadership since 2015 that it mounted the saddle in Aso Rock Villa seat of presidential power, which is why the desire of the electorate now is not to elect another real or imagined corruption fighter,but a wealth and prosperity builder for the nation in the person of Wazirin Atiku Abubakar.

    My candid advise is that what should be the prime quest of Nigerians is for a new president with the cognate experience in terms of having good grasp of the issues of governance in order to rescue them from the menace of insecurity of lives and properties via effective and efficient policing.Based on experience,the presidential flag bearer of PDP is clearly in a pole position to recover Nigeria from the socioeconomic and political hole in which it is currently stuck.

    The potential president should also be someone who will pursue the agenda of development and progress via provision of physical infrastructure (as Buhari has done) as well as someone savvy enough to engender prosperity for majority of the populace by introducing policies that would promote creation of jobs for the masses in order for them to enjoy improved standard of living.

    For the sake of emphasis, in the forthcoming general elections,l am advocating that it would not be wise for Nigerians to be looking for a messiah in the form of one who claims to have zero tolerance for corruption which was the prime criteria in choosing our president in 2015,and which has turned out to be a catastrophic mistake because it takes more than fighting corruption to be a successful President.

    Put succinctly,recruiting our political leaders,especially a president based on false hope anchored on the concept of corruption free country of Eldorado dimensions,as Nigerians have found out the hard way,can be equated with having a fatalistic vision.

    That is evidenced by the current rapid descent of our country into a state of nature where life is brutish, anarchic and devoid of civility.

    And it is why in 2023,Nigerians must be wise enough to realize the fact that our cherished country does not need a Saint to rescue her from the monumental socioeconomic and political quagmire in which it is currently mired.

    With the highlighted new criteria for political leader’s recruitment in 2023 based on pragmatism and influenced by the dynamics of the existential issues or the demons bedeviling the masses that need to be slayed,the media which is the agenda setter had successfully steered the dialogue by political office seekers towards developmental issues as opposed to corruption based matters.

    It was so fitting and gratifying that the dominating dialogues on election 2023 became centered around proposed solutions to the horrendous state of insecurity of lives and properties that are about to utterly destroy our country; the devastating rate of poverty that is on the verge of eclipsing the nation and seriously wreaking havoc on the populace as well as the toxic level of disunity suffocating our country and pushing it to the precipice owing to the politics of zero sum politics that has become highly entrenched in our country,instead of multi sum politics that could have availed all the nationalities a good sense of belonging.

    All of the aforementioned challenges and how to tackle them had already been put in the front burner of discussions via political parties manifestoes,rallies,town hall meetings,focus groups,etc that were unfolding particularly after the parties primaries that ended last June,before the hurly burly of corruption that has now seized the atmosphere.

    So,the campaign for 2023 general elections was reasonably and basically undramatic,except for the occasional gaffes/goofs in speeches allegedly made by APC presidential candidate,Tinubu during his campaign engagements that generated comic relief.

    That was the prevailing atmosphere until the bursting into the public space of the purported audio recording of former vice president Atiku Abubakar speaking about Special Purpose Vehicle,SPV that has now shifted national dialogue from more pressing essential issues with a view to finding solutions to our myriads of challenges back to corruption which had defined 2015 general elections.

    The sordid turn of events is owed to the reactive instead of responsive actions of the spokespersons of the leading candidates,particularly Mr Festus Keyamo of APC who has recently boiled down the electioneering process to corruption.

    In this season of politics,whereby it is easy for innocuous or insignificant issues to get amplified and escalated to achieve selfish political ends,the ruling APC’s campaign spokesman,Mr Festus Keyamo has succeeded in making a mountain out of mole hill of the incident with the likely intention of upending the focus of the campaign from national development issues to anti corruption matters thereby resurrecting the ghost of 2015.

    And it is to the chagrin of most Nigerians; not because dealing with corruption matters is not important,but with barely thirty days (30) days to 25 February which is the D-Day for the presidential polls, diverting attention of voters from developmental issues of the future to past incidents of alleged malfeasance is redundant and detestable.

    Assuming the so called whistle blower’s claim is valid,Mr Keyamo who believes he literally has a ‘loaded gun’ with which he is intending to shoot down the ambition of the PDP presidential flag bearer may end up hurting his principal,Mr Bola Tinubu more than his target.

    That is because in his attempt to slay the former vice president,Atiku Abubakar,he would inadvertently be pointing the gun at his principal,former lagos state governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu who obviously would prefer to steer conversations about 2023 presidential contest away from the issue of corruption.

    The assertion above is underscored by the reality that an ugly specter of corruption is basically like an ever present sword of Damocles hanging over the APC standard bearer who has long ago been tarred black with the brush of corruption since he served as governor in 1999 till date.

    By and large,the APC campaign management council would view Keyamo’s apparent misadventure as resurrecting the ghosts which the APC presidential candidate must have been praying would be forgotten in consonance with the conventional wisdom: “let the sleeping dogs lie”

    So,the Tinubu campaign council’s spokesman hyperventilation and righteous indignation about the alleged use of SPV by PDP presidential candidate when he was vice president of Nigeria may not augur well with or be in the best interest of Mr Tinubu.

    But apparently,the activist in my good friend Mr Keyamo is overshadowing the politician in him.

    Hence he has suddenly changed from being a politician marketing his candidate to Nigerians with a view to getting them to elect him as their next president to a fire spitting anti corruption activist in the mold of the fiery lawyer,Mr Femi Falana with whom he was a member of the highly regarded human/civil rights lawyers club.

    It is really unsurprising to some of us that judicial activism which is actually Keyamo’s first love would be clashing with his new personality as a politician.

    That Mr Keyamo boasted during a Channels television interview that if his principal Mr Tinubu is averse to his line of action which is tantamount to diverting the course of the campaign,he was ready to resign from APC campaign council to personally pursue his agenda of bringing the PDP presidential candidate down; validates my prediction that a battle between the two diametrically opposite personalities would be raging inside him.

    And contemplating resigning from the role if queried by his boss for diverting attention suggests to me that other members of the campaign team,and very likely his principal may not be on the same page with him on his intention to prosecute PDP presidential candidate on what appears to be a phantom charge that may not stand the test of thorough jurisprudence, be it analytical ,sociological and theoretical aspects.

    Truth be told,a mere allegation against a public officer gleaned from an unverified audio recording indicating that a Special Purpose Vehicle,SPV had been leveraged to receive party donations do not appear to me to be a lock,stock and barrel situation worthy of dissipating very precious energy.

    In fact,on the contrary,a good number of legal experts believe that it may actually go down as a moment of indiscretion for Mr keyamo to have gone ahead to file a corruption case against the PDP presidential candidate on the 20th day of January,likely in defiance of his principal whose prime interest appears to me as being mainly to win the 2023 presidential election and not about being an anti corruption tzar.
    Om fact, it is antithetical to embarking on activism into which keyamo is channeling a lot of energy and of which he seems to have succeeded in shifting the political momentum.

    Pundits further contend that it would be foolhardy if the learned silk sacrifices his privileged role as the spokesman for the ruling party’s campaign council on the altar of the alleged corruption case against PDP’s candidate which is tantamount to shadow chasing or cutting his nose to spite his face.

    The assertion above is underscored by the reality that Mr Atiku Abubakar is practically the most investigated and tried politician of our time.

    And he has consistently been found to be guiltless even in the instances that he fought against then seating president of Nigeria,chief Olusegun ,OBJ.

    Hoping to find the Wazirin Adamawa guilty in court of law on the basis of an alleged telephone chat with someone claiming to be a member of his staff which the PDP has identified as a random
    member of Atiku support group,is in my assessment,equivalent to searching for a needle in a haystack simply because the evidence being relied upon appears to be nebulous.

    In any case,Mr Keyamo’s activist posture has now triggered an avalanche of corruption charges in the law courts and court of public opinion against APC’s Tinubu as Atiku’s Campaign team has launched counter offensive actions by similarly filing corruption cases against Mr Keyamo’s boss Mr Tinubu and unleashing into the public space allegations of multiple acts of fraud allegedly committed by Tinubu leveraging SPV.

    In what is tending towards looking like a judicial circus show,a stalwart in PDP has filled a suit urging the court where Mr Keyamo filed the case against the PDP presidential candidate to extend the case to the other three presidential front runners which are: Bola Tinubu of APC, Peter Obi of LP and Musa Kwakwanso of NNPC.

    As a further push back,another PDP presidential campaign council member and spokesman,Senator Dino Melaye has also stretched the legal battle further by inviting the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA into the matter and urging the agency to conduct narcotics test on the APC presidential flag bearer, Mr Bola Tinubu thereby further fouling the already putrified atmosphere.

    The current unsavory developments are very disappointing and disheartening to me because the ultimate losers in this evolving political drama are the long suffering Nigerian voters. Once again, they are being denied the opportunity to hear from those that would likely take over the leadership of our country politically from 29 May,as they may be unable to share with the masses ,their plans on how to pull them out of misery.

    That is because the cacophony of voices arguing over who is more guilty of corruption amongst the presidential front runners is overshadowing the focus on how the electorate can obtain their PVCs, deal with the crisis of voter intimidation and suppression,sift through the maze of fake news that is getting them confused and curb the vandalization of INEC facilities,especially in south east.

    Those are some of the most critical issues that are currently not receiving enough attention.
    Authorities should also pay attention to the sophisticated rigging of the election process as being alleged by lkenga Ugochinyere of Coalition of United Political Parties,CUPP who is claiming that INEC server and data base are likely to have been compromised owing to the strange names,photo identities and biometrics of foreigners,even Caucasians that his team claim to have found on the verified and approved voters list from INEC.

    Those are clear and present dangers to the forthcoming elections in our beloved country that are more pressing than fighting corruption.

    Besides,Nigeria is not a mosque or church where piety is the pre requisites for choosing leaders such as imams or Mullahs and bishops and pastors.

    The most successful,wealthiest and industrialized nations in the world-USA and China-do not make anti corruption their number one criteria when choosing their political leaders.

    Otherwise the contest for political offices would be between the heads of the evangelical/Protestant churches, Catholics and other faith based groups in the USA,just as in China ,it would have been a contest between those who subscribe to Buddhism,Taoism and Christianity.
    Evidently, proven capacity and ability to lead the country towards accomplishing set goals of development and prosperity are the required qualities,hence those countries are the most prosperous in the world.

    Rather than relying solely on corruption as a precondition,they chose their leaders from amongst those that they believe would be the best in helping the critical mass of citizens of the countries conquer life’s challenges based on their previous records of success and new proposals on how to overcome existential challenges that could impede progress.

    If we in Nigeria make fighting corruption the number one item in our template for choosing our political leaders,(as we seem to have been doing since independence in 1960)we would at best be like countries such as Iran and at worst Afghanistan where purity in religion is the prime consideration in choosing their leaders and the reason life is unbearably difficult in those climes.

    Clearly,our country’s constitution precludes ex convicts from contesting for public office.And there is no where it is stated that those who have been alleged to have been corrupt or indicted,not convicted by competent courts of law,should be prevented from contesting for public office.
    So,if the law courts have not convicted the individuals seeking public office,why do we allow convictions in the courts of public opinion influenced by protagonists and antagonists color our opinions of our potential leaders?

    To me,it equates with being led by the nose.

    Therefore,let us stop wasting or dissipating our precious time and valuable energy on what can best be characterized as ‘holier than thou’ approach to choosing our political leaders currently at play.

    We must not miss the opportunity of concentrating more on electing a leader with proven capacity and ability to dexterously manage the challenges that we are contending with as a country based on his previous accomplishments that have served the best interests of Nigerian masses. And Wazirin Atiku Abubakar ticks that box.

    By the time we succeed in using technology to tame the monster of election rigging through the deployment of technology in the form of Bimodal Voters Accreditation System,BVAS and INEC Result Viewing, IReV portal in the fast approaching election process,we can thereafter apply technology in fixing the demon of corruption that has hobbled our country.

    Given that Russian hackers are alleged to have compromised the election process in the United States of America,USA by gaining access to Democratic Party database in the Us to influence the outcome of the general elections in the most technologically advanced country in the world,it would appear like nothing is impossible for those who try.

    As politicians are known to never give up on seeking how to gain advantage, Nigerian political actors with money can afford to procure the services of Russian or Israeli hackers to perpetrate what CUPP is alleging.

    In the light of the above,we all must be vigilant and pay more attention to the alarm being raised by CUPP to determine if it has merit.

    As l had noted in my media intervention of September last year titled: “Presidency 2023: A Contest Between Three Sinners?”, and which has been echoed by president Emeritus,Olusegun Obasanjo in his famous Love Letter to Nigerians on new year day, none of the presidential hopefuls is a saint.

    As we all are well aware,saints do not live on earth,but in heaven.

    Just as it is impossible to find virgins as patients in maternity wards of hospitals.

    So,it is about time that we stopped chasing shadows as reflected by the folly of making fighting corruption the most important criteria in the recruitment of our political leaders.

    In conclusion,Asiwaju Bola Tinubu was said to have used Alfa Beta tax consultants as SPV to fleece lagos state, when he was the governor and till date. And he has so far successfully defended himself in the court of law. But he remains indicted in the court of public opinion.

    On his part ,Wazirin Atiku Abubakar is alleged to have sold public assets to himself and cronies without any proof. He has equally conclusively defended himself in the court of law which has given him a clean verdict of being guiltless.

    Yet ,he is still being vilified by ignorant members of the public.

    Ditto for Mr Peter Obi,who although is proud to have saved for Anambra state over thirty (30) billion naira in bank coffers and one hundred and fifty (150) million dollars in three banks,one of which is Fidelity bank where he owns a major stake, he was also accused of consistently appointing care taker committees to run local government councils,instead of conducting elections for the recruitment of local government chairmen and councilors.

    As such he was alleged to have indirectly been receiving and managing local government funds through his appointees as caretakers which is against the letter and spirit of the laws separating state governments from local governments.

    Even if he has never been convicted of any corruption charges,he stands guilty in the estimation of some stakeholders in Anambra state for not only appearing to be perverting democracy by not conducting LGA elections throughout his tenure,but also for investing Anambra state government funds in business concerns like Fidelity bank and SABmiller brewery in Onitsha where his family business is equally an equity holder alongside the state government.

    Dr Musa Kwakwanso has been governor of Kano state, minister of defense and senator of the federal republic of Nigeria.

    He has also been charged by anti graft agencies to court for corruption.

    So far,he is not known to have been convicted by any court of law on charges of corruption.

    Again,as OBJ had noted,there is no Saint amongst the presidential hopefuls.

    As such ,Kwakwanso is also tarred with a black brush of corruption in the court of public opinion of a wide spectrum of kano people who do not belong to the formidable kwakwansiya movement in the state.

    Having exhausted the media hype associated with conspiracy theories such as the tale by Mr Achimugu which has gone with the winds,l hope the presidential campaign councils of both the APC and PDP would cut the chase and get back into the mode of enlightening the long suffering Nigerian electorate who are in excess of ninety three million (93m) lNEC registered voters nationwide.

    That critical mass of Nigerians are anxious to find out where they can (1) queue up to purchase petrol for as much as N500 per liter as opposed to N87 per liter pre 2015 (2)queue up to collect their PVC to exercise their civic responsibility for which they end up bribing INEC officials that are creating bottle necks; and (3) also queue up to change their old naira notes to the new design which is proving to be like the proverbial passing of the Carmel’s head through the eye of the needle; (4)before finally finding their ways through the myriad of bewildering complexities in the current political web in order to make the right choice from amongst the presidential frontrunners and other public office seekers;so as to determine who can best look after their interest in the next (4) years and cast their votes for them on 25 February and 11 March for candidates of their choice and hope that from 29th May, their destiny would be in safer hands.

     

    Magnus Onyibe, an entrepreneur, public policy analyst ,author,development strategist,alumnus of Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy,Tufts University, Massachusetts,USA and a former commissioner in Delta state government, sent this piece from lagos.
    To continue with this conversation, please visit www.magnum.ng

  • Atiku’s wife, Titi woos South-West women to vote for her husband

    Atiku’s wife, Titi woos South-West women to vote for her husband

    Ahead of the Feb. 25 presidential election, Hajia Titi Abubakar, wife of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, on Monday pleaded with women in the South-West to vote for her husband.

    Abubakar made the plea while addressing PDP women at the South-West Zonal Town Hall Meeting held at the Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, UCH, Ibadan to canvass for their votes.

    According to her, Atiku, having been vice president of the country for eight years between 1999 and 2007, has the experience and knowledge to lead the country.

    She said the PDP presidential candidate was so passionate about the growth and development of the country.

    Abubakar said that her husband’s desire to be the nation’s president, “is to make Nigeria to be in its rightful position among the comity of nations”.

    She said that the Atiku Abubakar’s administration, if elected, would unite the country, reform it, decentralise power and ensure that true federalism is in place.

    The wife of the presidential candidate added that an end would come to insecurity, while the country would witness economic growth and good governance would as well be in place.

    She, however, promised to prioritise women’s welfare, through empowerment, assuring all programmes that would enhance improvement of women folks would be put in place.

    Abubakar hinted that her programme, tagged: “SHE- Security, Health and Education” , would begin work immediately after the presidential election.

    She urged all eligible Nigerians to do the needful by collecting their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and come out enmasse on election day to perform their civic duty.

    Abubakar urged all PDP women in the zone to keep on supporting the party’s campaign exercise so that the party could emerge winners in all elections.

    In her remarks, Mrs Dupe Adeleke-Sanni, President, Adeleke Women of Substance Worldwide, urged South-West women to support Atiku Abubakar’s presidential ambition.

    Adeleke-Sanni, who is a senior sister of Gov. Ademola Adeleke of Osun, assured her that women in the zone would give their votes to Atiku Abubakar, comes Feb. 25.

    Also, Mrs Jumoke Akinjide, a former Minister of State for Federal Capital Territory (FCT), said that women in the zone would intensify their efforts to mobilise people across the zone to vote for PDP candidates during the general elections.

    Sen. Abiodun Olujimi; Nike Adebutu, wife of the PDP Governorship candidate in Ogun and Modinat Arisekola – wife of the late Arisekola Alao, among others, were at the meeting.

  • The Nigerian political atmosphere is becoming darker – By Godwin Etakibuebu

    The Nigerian political atmosphere is becoming darker – By Godwin Etakibuebu

    I was never. 

    I have not been. 

    And, for sure, l shall never be. 

    A prophet of doom. 

    I have always lived my life, physically and spiritually, very positively about everything. 

    My dearly beloved country inclusive.

    The caption of this piece: the Nigerian political atmosphere is becoming darker, might be suggesting something negative. Or so it looks like. Yes, it is like that, and there is no way one wants to explain it, the truth is that the Nigerian political cloud is not too clear for objectivity’s reading. 

    The political oracle; if there is any identifiable one, might even not be able to be more forthcoming with the darkened political weather in Nigeria currently. If it looks that much for any oracle to interpret, then you will be willing to forgive this writer. He is nothing but a mere Political Technocrat. And for every individual, there is always limit of endeavours.

    Let us take some cursory interpretation of a few things happening around us. We just have to be very positive in doing so. Or, succinctly put, let us be exclusively objective, though the word ‘objective’ itself is ‘subjectively’ in detailed diagnosis. But we can, for the purposes of this discussion, chose to be conspiratorial, of the few things we should be looking at. 

    Which is the best way to start than to begin with the quality of the campaign ushering in the 2023 General Elections. How qualitatively cogent and eruditely attractive are the issues being canvassed by the personae dramatis in the narrative route to the general elections? Are the campaigns any issue related or based?

    Will all of us in Nigeria, even across the frontiers of this country, be falling into a major camp of conspiracy by saying that the political permutation, as we see it today, are not far from issues based? 

    What we have in our hands; at each point of campaign discussions, across all the major political parties, is nothing but abusive languages on each other. They; the campaigns, are nothing but campaign of calumny. They are looking so much like campaign of gangsters.

    Coming with the first day of the campaign, even before the campaigns started properly, revelations about criminality lifestyles of the upper-class runners of the politicians have been made public – one against the other.

    It is so bad that hitherto securely protected criminal lifestyles of the front runners of the two major political parties – APC and PDP, are now common knowledge to babies that are just born. It is even an obvious fact, as a friend of mine in the United State of America put it to me while discussing the issue a few days ago that “unborn Nigerian children shall know all Nigerian big thieves before they are born, because they [the unborn children] are now hearing the narration from their mothers’ womb”. 

    Can any person, in all sincerity, say that the Nigerian political atmosphere is not becoming darker on this issue?

    The departing president of Nigeria; Muhammadu Buhari, is another “bend corner of the road” in the plaintive narration into our future. More critically on Buhari’s narration is the difficulty of finding a way of fixing his “bend corner”.

    Here is a President that will go to sleep whenever the country he is elected to governor is on fire. He would sleep so deeply that most of us would be thinking that he has travelled to a place no ordinary mortal can reach. That would be the time that the wife – Hajia Aisha, will not even be available to help Nigerians in crossing over to the “ozer” room to call him.

    Take for example, the case of the Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria [CBN] – Godwin Emefiele, who has been accused of “sponsoring terrorism financing and great economic crimes against Nigeria”, by the Directorate of State Security [DSS]. In fact, the DSS embarked on arresting Godwin Emefiele but for the judiciary that stopped the operation more for its illegality. 

    Where is President Muhammadu Buhari in this melodrama? This is not the first time he is displaying this character. It is his way of doing things – albeit strangely, unofficially, and oddly too. Here is a man that would appoint ministers and the ministers he so appointed would torpedo the Nigerian ship, Buhari would not say a word, in either queuing, disciplining or sacking the minister taking Nigeria to hell. He will opt to go for a very deep sleep at such times, and always.

    Take a look at this comparison of event below, as it happened in 1977 and how the same event is playing out in 2023 – 46 years after. This will also help us to know more about the man; Muhammadu Buhari.

    In 1977, a Colonel Muhammadu Buhari was the Nigerian Minister [then called Federal Commissioner] for Petroleum Resources, and today; 2023, a retired Major General of the Nigerian Army, and now President Muhammadu Buhari, is the Nigerian Minister for Petroleum Resources [in fact, he has been since 2015]. Why this comparison?

    On June 7, 1977; 46 years ago, a front story headline on the Daily Times, quoted Colonel Buhari as assuring Nigerians, on the crisis of fuel in the country then, and this is what the Newspaper quoted him as saying: “FUEL CRISES MAY BE OVER NEXT YEAR”, with a subheading rider that says: “we rely on foreign firms for figures”.

    What has changed since 1977, when he made this statement, as then Minister for Petroleum Resources and today – from 2015 till date [2023], when he is also the Minister for Petroleum Resources?

    Or don’t we – Nigerians, know how much President Buhari hates corruption, with his advocacy that Nigeria must kill corruption before corruption kills the country? 

    Yet don’t we know, in the other hand, how much our dearly cherished anti-corruption Czar President now presides over one of the most organised and syndicated corrupt government this country ever seen?

    And do you want to say that this is not translating to a darker political atmosphere over Nigeria?

    If there is any Nigerian that would say that the political atmosphere over Nigeria is not becoming darker, such Nigerian must either be a very sick person – suffering from “concentrated dementia” or be part of the instrumentality that helps in darkening the political cloud; a cloud that is pushing Nigeria faster to a precipice.

    Or in a position where we may be having front political parties’ contenders for this February 25th, presidential election being fully qualified for total disqualification, for reasons of their alleged nefarious acts of the past, that someone will say that the political atmosphere over Nigeria is not becoming darker?

    Of course, there are many other topical issues that identify the depth of how deep corruption  has sank Nigeria into. For example, the argument of whether the Federal Government increases fuel pump price or not would remain neither here nor there. Facts remained solidly proven that the Federal Government of Nigeria and its Agencies in the Petroleum Sector continue to defraud Nigerians on daily basis in many ways.

    Facts on ground, based on most recent finding show that while the syndicated Cabal presiding over the finished product [PMS] rakes N200.9 billion monthly from our connective commonwealth, those crook officials presiding over the Nigerian Crude Oil sector gather for themselves nothing less than $US70,000,000 daily.

    The issue therefore couldn’t have been the increase from N165 to N185 or otherwise. That begs the predicament of the Nigerian citizens. The issue is whether there shall be hope for Nigerians for a qualitative leadership after going through the rituals of 2023 general elections?

    Because the issue and the challenge are that of leadership!

    Contact:

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    Phone: +234-906-887-0014 – short messages only

    You can also listen to this author [Godwin Etakibuebu] every Monday; from 0930 – 1100 hours @ Lagos Talks 91.3 FM live, in a weekly review of topical issues, presented by The News Guru [TNG].

  • 2023: Oyo rally confirms PDP’s unity – Campaign Council

    2023: Oyo rally confirms PDP’s unity – Campaign Council

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) says the unprecedented turnout of Nigerians in solidarity with the party’s Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, at its presidential rally in Ibadan, Oyo State capital confirmed reconciliations and unity in the PDP.

    Spokesperson of Atiku/ Okowa Campaign Organization, Kola Ologbondiyan, said this in a statement in Abuja on Sunday.

    Ologbondiyan said that the rally in Oyo State, the political capital of the South West, signaled the PDP’s readiness for a sweeping victory in Oyo, the South West and across other five geo-political zones of the nation.

    Ologbondiyan appreciated the unanimity, oneness of purpose and consensus among the ranks of leaders, critical stakeholders and teeming members of the party with Gov. Seyi Makinde.

    He said the solidarity was in their collective drive to ensure victory for the PDP at all levels of the February and March elections.

    “The unity and single-mindedness witnessed at the Oyo rally, just like in other states of the federation, further confirms that the PDP remains one big family.

    “That PDP remains indissoluble and indivisible family driven by the patriotic mission to rescue and rebuild our nation with Abubakar on the saddle as President.

    “The people of Oyo State and, of course the South West, are independent-minded, insightful, egalitarian and politically astute with unparalleled nationalistic outlook that cannot be swayed by parochial and narrow-minded sentiments.”

    Ologbondiyan said that the action of solidarity by PDP teeming members and supporters in Oyo State, like in other states, had sent very strong signal to other political parties that the PDP remained firmly united in the South West and other parts of the country.

    “Our campaign, once again, commends the people of Oyo State, professional groups, community leaders, faith-based groups, traditional institutions, youths and women groups.

    Ologbondiyan urged the people of Oyo State and Nigerians across board to remain united and resolute as they come out enmasse to vote.

    He urged them to take a firm stand, within the ambit of the law and democracy, by protecting their votes to the very end and elect Abubakar in the overall interest of the nation.

  • CROWD FOR HIRE: 2023 campaign rallies as a metaphor – By Dakuku Peterside

    CROWD FOR HIRE: 2023 campaign rallies as a metaphor – By Dakuku Peterside

    The theatricals for winning the hearts and minds of the voters are all around us. The perceptual game of showing strength in the number of supporters is an  age long effective game plan for the parties, and it is one strategy that cuts across all parties. All political parties are outdoing themselves in winning the popularity contests typified by pulling a crowd with the most outrageous noises and boisterous displays in rallies on the streets, roads, stadiums, and other venues that can contain crowds. If pulling crowds is the determinant of election outcomes, the 2023 general elections would have been won and lost.

    Granted, politics all over the world feed on numbers – crowds. Nigeria is no exception, and with what we have seen so far in the 2023 electoral campaigns, Nigerian politicians are taking this to another level. Nigerian politics feeds on a crowd fuelled by a panoply of factors, most importantly money. This issue is the difference between the crowds that gathered at Nigerian politicians’ rallies and those that followed  Adolphus Hitler blindly or Donald Trump to desecrate the white house.

    Whether in Kenya, South Africa, the USA, the UK or Nigeria, crowds serve the same purpose in politics – a show of strength, influence the people’s minds, create the perception of popular support and acceptance, and generate media buzz and optics. It has nothing to do with believing in the candidate, his cause, or even campaign massage, and it is only for the non-discerning to judge the possible outcome of an election with a crowd at campaign rallies.

    Sourcing for a crowd is fast turning into an industry in politics. In the United States, there are companies in the enterprise of mobilising crowds. Crowds on Demand and Crowd for Rent are US companies, and Envisage Promotion is a UK company, all set up purposely to provide crowds to support political and socio-economic  causes. Even a Kenyan author wrote a book, “Crowd for Hire- How Kenyan politicians source Crowds for events”. Crowd hiring is ubiquitous, and no matter what clime you go to, professional crowd contractors are plying their businesses.

    In the build-up to the 2023 elections, the rented crowd is the ultimate phenomenon. You will see the same faces, the same individuals in most rallies hosted by different political parties, and sometimes wearing the face cap of party APC and the T-Shirt of PDP. All the major political parties – APC, PDP, LP, NNPP in all their rallies pull unprecedented crowd or flash mob that has nothing to do with genuine support for the candidates or even passion for their message. The emergence of social media means some of this crowd can be manipulated, photoshopped and fake videos produced to appear bigger.

    The crowd that congregates whenever there is a rally has more to do with economic reasons than belief in any cause or loyalty to a party . Recently, exposure came from no less a person than the revered clergyman Pastor Enoch Adeboye, who rightly linked the availability of young men and women for political rallies to a high level of unemployment,  hunger, and abject poverty in the country. I am afraid I must agree absolutely. Although the rented crowd is an old phenomenon associated with politics, unemployment in Nigeria has complicated the matter. Unemployed youth is a fertile ground for political mobilisation, rightly or wrongly. The latest statistics showing a 33% unemployment rate, many underemployed persons, and idle youths are ready to be hired. Youth are forced by being unemployed to channel their energy to political causes that do not serve them any purpose or represent their political views.

    Another factor responsible for the large crowd at political rallies is the acute poverty pervading the land. Here is the utility value of crowd contractors. Many Nigerians, who should ordinarily be engaged in more productive activities, are hired for between N1,000 to N10,000 Naira to attend campaign rallies. And these amounts depend on which region  of the country and whether the party is in power or not . Parties now have a humungous and humorous budget for mobilisation. With 133 million Nigerians being multidimensional poor, every Naira for the next meal or to help pay school fees and house rent is important and worth sacrificing time for. Most persons attending campaign rallies under the current dispensation are going for the day-paid job, and it has nothing to do with passion for any political ideal or candidate or even hope of a better tomorrow which ordinarily politicians trade on.

    The next factor contributing to the growing crowd surge prevalent in political party rallies is the significant erosion of our value system. Honesty, integrity, and self-respect are vanishing traits in our society. Most participants in these rallies know the candidates and the party is the opposite of what they believe and know, yet they openly identify with them in rallies when paid but vote otherwise. The motivation is often extrinsic based on the perceived immediate gratification they hope to get. Most people in the crowd easily forget that what is at stake is the struggle for power and leadership that will shape their lives in the next four years. As such, they must be introspective and altruistic in determining which candidate, party, or cause to follow and support even during the campaign.

    Our parties have no known ideologies, and attraction to them is often based on either parochial or mundane sentiments. This anomaly is counterproductive during electioneering campaigns when people see all political activities as making money, consolidating political capital, and gaining political patronage. Some in the crowd want to have fun, love the atmosphere and fun activities during rallies and want to participate. Although in the rally, out of curiosity or just having fun, this group will collect money or other provisions if provided.

    Hunger has been weaponised, and any rally that provides food for the crowd will need more crowd control. Social media are awash with real-life videos of the fights for food and provisions in various rallies across the nation. It is embarrassing that hunger is linked with political campaigns in Nigeria. People are struggling to survive and live in the moment. They want to avoid rallies where candidates will elucidate policies to alleviate hunger. They want rallies where they are fed for the day.

    Some ill-informed voters even assume that a candidate or party that provides food or money during rallies indicates how generous and good the candidate or party will be when elected. They frown at any candidate or party not providing immediate food or cash and deem them tight-fisted , anti-poor  and, therefore, may not generously provide for them when elected. The term “stomach infrastructure” has been used to describe the phenomenon of voters and the people expecting daily subsistence from the government and politicians  instead of developmental policies and activities that may ultimately eliminate hunger and poverty. This is dangerous for our politics.

    A rally crowd has its usefulness, but there are other measures of popular support. Money is the language the public understands. What politicians may need to understand is that time has changed, and the world has also changed. The level of civic enlightenment and the mindset of the electorate has changed. And the influence of social media has impacted people’s attitudes towards the electoral process. Crowd renting may not have a significant effect on the electoral outcome of the 2023 election.

    Like their counterparts in other third-world countries, Nigerian politicians still prioritise campaign crowds over and above real voter turn-out and actual votes. It is part of the reasons for organising noisy rallies to show off party strength and inadvertently show the world that we are still in the stone age. Historical records have shown that large political crowds usually do not translate to a favourable electoral outcome, and it’s all noise and no substance.

    When politicians hire a crowd, it is an investment in the visuals. Those visuals and perceptions they create are some of the most strategic elements of a campaign, particularly in this era of social media. A crowd on social media platforms instantly transmits a message to a virtual global followership of people. Rallies make for good social media interactions, and parties are keying into this to create content that can influence the perception of popular support for the party and candidate. This perception is crucial, especially for winning the election and managing the post-election conflicts often inevitable in Nigerian politics. Little wonder, all serious parties are adopting a crowd-renting strategy to have the number and size of crowds that make people not doubt the outcome of the elections if they win.

    I have established that crowds are essential to the party’s politics and campaigns. I have looked at the morality or otherwise of renting a crowd . It is evident that such rented crowds, no matter the visual power they portray, do not translate to  voter loyalty or electoral victory. This is even more when the majority of the rented crowd does not vote for the candidates, they attended rallies for or may vote for candidates and parties with whom they did not participate in rallies. I advise that major political parties  focus more  on convincing and mobilising their supporters to attend the rallies and vote for the candidate and party. Things must be done differently if we want result that matters.

  • 2023: Where are Gombe and Bauchi States heading in the campaigns?

    2023: Where are Gombe and Bauchi States heading in the campaigns?

    By Abdulmutallib Abubakar

    Political campaigns for the 2023 elections at Gombe and Bauchi States level are dominated and influenced by incumbency power, godfatherism, internal party politics and involvement of traditional leadership such as emirates councils and other monarchs. In Gombe State, the gubernatorial candidates are Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya, the incumbent governor contesting under the All Progressive Congress (APC), Muhammad Jibrin Dan Barde and Alhaji Kamisu Ahmad Mai Lantarki, who are contesting under People Democratic Party (PDP) and New Nigerian Political Party (NNPP) respectively. The candidates have nearly equal chance of winning the election, but the campaign patterns seem to be largely controlled and determined by amount of money injected by candidates, most often to rent halls and crowds, use public places, travel to the 11 local governments, wards and villages as well as paying for airtimes on radio and television stations. It can be argued that the incumbent governor who is vying for the second term is more visible than other contestants and therefore, has a slight edge. The governor has structured the campaign from the ward level to local government and state levels while other contestants do not have the required financial resources to tour all the locations, which greatly put them at disadvantage.

    The disadvantage for the serving governor is that he does not seem to be getting the desired blessings from many political godfathers who appear to be adamant not to support his campaigns either financially or physically. This gives other candidates from PDP and NNPP some hope. The campaigns do not also appear to have been getting the required support from other political gladiators in the state and even royal blessings from some traditional rulers that are considered influential.

    The incumbent Governor campaigns on the evidence of infrastructure he claims to have put in place in the state. This is always a claim that comes from incumbency and only the public can verify such claims. Other contestants on the other hand campaign on promise or perceived shortcomings of the incumbent.

    Ordinarily, one would think the PDP is the main challenger to the APC in the gubernatorial contest. In reality though, the strong showing of Mail Lantarki, the NNPP candidate indicates that it is still a matter of conjecture who the main challenger is. PDP is strong because it has previously held power in the state. However, observers point to the leadership inexperience of the current party’s flagbearer and his alleged erratic behaviour including recorded indecent audio utterances alleged to be made by him and seen as unbecoming of a person aspiring to an office as Governor.

    However, all these may come to nothing if the voters deem the baggage of the incumbent governor to be heavier.

    On the other hand, the political campaigns in Bauchi state have similar pattern of contest. The only difference being is the players. The ruling party in Bauchi is an opposition party at the national level. So the campaigns is as hot as election. It is a hot contest as no political party can claim to have a smooth sail and strong comparative advantage. The contest is between three (3) political parties namely PDP, APC and NNPP. The APC is the major opposition party in state. APC ruled the state between 2015 and 2019 and has the majority members of the State Assembly and National Assembly. The party’s gubernatorial candidate is a former Chief of Air Staff, Sadiqque Baba Abubakar who defeated some prominent politicians in a keenly contested APC primary election back in August, 2022. Sadiqque had a successful military career and is popular among the electorate. He is relying on his popularity to campaign and to unseat the incumbent. Sadiqque’s major strength is his duality – having come from Giade LGA which is  part of Katagum Emirates and was born and brought up in Bauchi Metropolis. He has also been a philanthropist, having set up a Foundation that support many people in the state since before he became the Chief Air Marshal. Sadiqque’s running mate is also a political heavy weight in Bauchi State. Many see Sadiqque’s choice of Abdullahi Shehu (Barden Gabas) as a running mate is because he is very popular and is loved by people especially within the state capital whom he once represented at the lower chamber of the National Assembly.

    The NNPP is also a force to reckon with in the elections in Bauchi State because of its flag bearer, Halliru Dauda Jika who is a grassroots politician and a household name in Bauchi politics. Dokaji as he is fondly called, was a member of State Assembly who was also elected Speaker between 2007 and 2015, Member House of Representatives between 2015 and 2019 and a Senator from 2019 to date. He was formerly in APC before he defected to NNPP after losing primary election. He is very popular among the youths and women. He is banking on his popularity in the campaign.

    The incumbent Governor of the state Bala Mohammed is the standing bearer of the PDP in the state. Apart from the incumbency factor, there are various projects executed by his administration that may favour him and he is using them in the campaign. Another factor that will work in his favour is that he is from Bauchi South senatorial district – a zone that has produced all the governors of the state since the return of democracy in 1999.  He was brought to power through protest votes organised and supported by some political gladiators and masses, who were not happy with M.A Abubakar’s APC administration in 2019, despite the corruption allegations against him when he was the FCT minister. However, Bala Mohammed seems to be falling out with his supporters including the political gladiators and godfathers because of his nature of administration, which many people described as self-centred as he failed to address the concerns of particularly civil servants. The incumbent Governor despite these challenges continue to be strong and confident in the face of the 2023 election. He has recently, during his campaign, visited some monarchs to seek their support.

    There is also a fierce political contest for Bauchi South senatorial seat. The current occupant of the seat, Sen. Lawal Yahaya Gumau is contesting under the umbrella of the NNPP and hails from Toro local government area, the second largest area, he was representing at the Green Chamber of the National Assembly between 2011 and 2018. Following the demise of late Sen. Ali Wakili, Gumau contested and won the vacant Senatorial seat. He was re-elected in 2019 and is contesting for the third time now. Gumau is a grassroots politician and enjoys the support of Izala group being one of its top financiers in the state. He is said to have played major role in initiating and also playing vital role in the construction of Fortune University, Magaman Gumau – an institution owned by the religious sect.

    APC candidate is, Hon Shehu Umar Buba, a former Caretaker Chairman of Toro LGA, a vibrant Youth and a community mobilizer. Shehu Buba enjoys the support of Miyatti Allah cattle breeders. He also enjoys the support of Izala. The PDP’s flag bearer is Hon. Garba Dahiru, the immediate past Commissioner for Information in the state. Dahiru is a seasoned journalist and he relies on the support of the state Governor.

    The issues that may favour or disfavour Bala Muhammad campaigns include unnecessarily withholding salaries of State and Local Government workers thereby subjecting them to serious hardship – a factor many believed had contributed negatively against his predecessor, former governor Mohammad Abubakar; also his administration is termed as family and friends affair as his siblings occupy lucrative positions in the government and are said to be the ones undertaking major contracts in the state; the Governor romance with the G-5 governors may work against him because Atiku supporters such as Dr. Bello Kirfi and Sen. Abdul Ningi among others, have already withdrawn from providing support to Bala. In fact, the recent removal of Bello Kirfi as Wazirin Bauchi potents a great danger to the governor’s second term ambition.

    On the other hand, the factors that may work against Sadiqque are first he is not ‘a career politician’; his wife that is the current Minister for Humanitarian Service and Social Investment, Sadiya Umar Faruq may have major influence on him; and lack of clear identity as he seems to be claiming both Bauchi and Katagum Emirates. While for Haliru Jika, the campaign against him are that: people are skeptical about his youthful age as he does not possess the needed maturity, which led to his impeachment as House speaker during the regime of Governor Isa Yuguda; the way he always lavishes money and displays affluence is also a cause for concern which may be used against him during campaigns.

  • 2023 elections: PDP set to commence campaigns in Rivers

    2023 elections: PDP set to commence campaigns in Rivers

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Committee in Rivers State has said all is now set to commence the party’s open air campaigns in the State.

    The Director, Directorate of Publicity and Communications, Chief Ogbonna Nwuke, disclosed this in a statement in Lagos.

    He said the countdown to PDP’s appearance on the campaign trail in Rivers had begun.

    “Early in the week, the PDP in Rivers State released its official campaign time table. We have barely four days to go to the commencement of the outdoor campaigns of the PDP.

    “’Beginning from Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area on the 16th of this month, we shall go from local government to local government area to showcase our candidates and what the PDP will do for Rivers people in the next four years,” Nwuke said.

    He said that given what had happened in the state in the last seven years in terms of the execution of well-thought out development programmes at the grassroots, PDP remained the party to beat.

    According to him, nobody who has a “pure and discerning heart“ can be in any doubt of the capacity of the Rivers PDP to take the state to a new threshold of progress and growth.

    “’As a responsible and focused political party, experienced in the delivery of good governance, we are prepared to take our message of economic prosperity, social transformation and political consolidation to all the nooks and crannies of Rivers State.

    “’We are similarly ready to share our message of great hope and outstanding achievements of the Wike administration that eyes can see, with the good people of Rivers State.

    “By the grace of God, the report card, eminently earned by the performing governor of Rivers State, adjudged the best in the country has been well received by detribalised Nigerians and all true Rivers people,” he added.

    According to him, “Rivers State is PDP, PDP is Rivers State’, adding that it is on record that successive PDP administrations in Rivers have worked tirelessly to deliver the dividends of democracy in pursuit of a common vision that we share with the people.

    “It is, therefore, time to gird our loins for the good fight, time to roll up our sleeves and time to put our hands on the plough in a determined effort to further uplift the pace of development in our state along a defined path that puts the people first and selfish personal interests last.

    “It is time to enter into another social contract with our people, and time to execute a new understanding that works for all through the consolidation of efforts that are rapidly shaping the future of the Rivers State.

    “Let no one deceive Rivers people. This is a fight between light and darkness; a fight between empty promises and promises fulfilled; a fight between deceitful lies and a great will on the part of our leaders to serve the people,” he said.

    Nwuke called on all lovers of the state to vote en mass for the ruling party in the forthcoming elections.

    He said: “We urge all lovers of our great state, all who are born in our dear state, who reside in our urban and semi-urban areas, who reside in our local government areas and our local communities, to turn out en masse.

  • APC fulfilled most campaign promises to Nigerians – Badaru

    APC fulfilled most campaign promises to Nigerians – Badaru

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Sunday said it has fulfilled most of the campaign promises made to the people of Jigawa since 2015 and solicited for more support.

    Gov. Muhammadu Badaru stated this on Sunday while inaugurating the APC 2023 gubernatorial campaign in Hadejia, headquarters of Hadejia Local Government Area of the state.

    He said his administration had executed viable projects and programmes in all parts of the state from the grassroots to urban centres.

    According to him, the objects of the rally is to formally showcase the governorship and other candidates of the party from the zone to the people of the state.

    The governor said that there were indications that APC could retain power both in the state and at the federal levels because of the achievements made by the party across all sectors.

    He, however, expressed appreciation to God for making the event a reality having given them the opportunity to serve the state and utilise its resources judiciously for the benefit of both rural and urban dwellers.

    Badaru said that the turnout of people at the rally was a clear demonstration of the party’s acceptability in the state, and appreciation of the democratic dividends it had brought to the people.

    The governor, therefore, called on the electorate to campaign for the party’s candidates at all levels to enable it to retain power for continuity.

    The APC’s governorship flag bearer, Alhaji Umar Namadi expressed his readiness to pilot the affairs of the state with keen interest to serve his people, if elected in 2023.

    Namadi, also the incumbent deputy governor of the state, said the APC administration had done a lot of projects that have a direct bearing on the lives of the commoners who are in the majority in the state.

    The governorship hopeful said the number of the new projects and the rehabilitated ones across the sectors executed under the Badaru-led administration cannot be overemphasised.

    He, however, assured the teeming APC supporters of his determination to continue to invest in meaningful developmental programmes and projects, if given the mandate.

    Also, former Sen. Ubale Shitu expressed appreciation to God and the people of the state for demonstrating their support to the party, adding that it proved APC’s strength above the opposition parties.

    He said it was a thing of joy for them to witness mammoth crowd at the rally as against the low turnout during the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate visit on Friday in the state.

    “This is a clear message for the opposition parties and the PDP to note that the majority of the people in Jigawa are not with them,” he said.

    APC chieftains, candidates and other party loyalists attended the rally.

  • 2023: Labour Party releases updated presidential campaign list

    2023: Labour Party releases updated presidential campaign list

    The Labour Party (LP) on Wednesday, released an updated list of 1,453 members, as its final Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) list for the 2023 general election.

    Recall that the Labour Party had earlier released a 1, 234 member Campaign Council list which was later retracted to accommodate more people.

    Mr Julius Abure, the National Chairman, LP at a news conference in Abuja on Wednesday said the first list was retracted in order to capture all interest which have been covered in the new list.

    Abure said that the Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council remained Dr Doyin Okupe while retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Mr Mohammed Zarewa, would serve as the chairman.

    Some of the members included Mr Oseloka Obaze, who would serve as Deputy Director-General and Campaign Manager, and Alhaji Yusuf Maitama, Deputy Director-General (North).

    Also in the council were Mr Yunusa Tanko, who would serve as spokesperson, while Mr Clement Ojukwu, would serve as the Secretary.

    Mr Denzel Ketenbe would serve as Deputy Director-General (South); Mr Isaac Balami, Deputy Campaign Manager 1, and Mrs Eyitemi Taire, Deputy Campaign Manager 2 among others.

    The Zonal Officers were Coordinator South East Chief Damian Okeke-Ogene, Coordinator South-South Prince Favour Rueben and Coordinator South-West Mr Balogun Oshuntokun.

    Other State officers were Coordinator North-Central Mr Joseph Ndira, Coordinator North-East Mr Alhassan Fawu and Coordinator North-West Alhaji Audie Mohammed.

    “You will recall that on Oct.12, we present the Campaign Council list, obviously there were some errors, some misplacements and we had general complaints about the list.

    “As a party that is democratic, that is a listening party, we decided to take all these grievances into account and we then promised that we are going to review the list to update it to accommodate other interests.

    “We have been working on the list and I am highly elated today to announce to you that we have received the list and that is the list we are presenting today.

    “We are presenting the presidential council list as well as the committee and it is also pertinent to put on record that it is not possible to accommodate every interest,” he said.

    Abure appealed to all LP supporters and all those who have been working for the party that the list was unable to accommodate to continue to do their work and continue to support the party.

    According to him, what is most important is for all to focus on the election and be able to deliver all candidates of the party including the presidential candidate.

    “It is also pertinent to announce that the campaign council and the committees will be inaugurated on Friday, Oct. 28 ,then our Campaign will kick off in Lafia in Nassarawa state on Saturday, Oct .29.

    “I want to appreciate all our candidates who have been working tirelessly to establish the party
    This call like we have always maintained, is a patriotic duty that history has entrusted on us at this time,” he said.

    Abure said the aim was for all to come together to solve the leadership problem of the nation by working to enthrone a patriotic ,visionary and proactive leadership and every other thing wold follow to reposition the country for greatness.

    He expressed optimistism and confidence that the PCC no doubt would lead the presidential campaigns and Nigerians would support LP programmes and the men of integrity being paraded to wn the election.

    The Secretary-General Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council,Clement Ojukwu, commended Nigerians for their support for the party .

    “Your interest in the affairs of our great party and your desire to ensure that our Presidential Candidate becomes the next democratically elected President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria saw you spcaking out on the list published.

    ” Fellow compatriots, it is in keeping with our promise to look into your candid observations following the publication of the list of members of our great party’s Presidential Campaign Council that we have studiously reviewed and updated the list which we present to you today,” he said.

    Ojukwu said that the party encouraged all to continue to work assiduously at their various Ggoups, Wwrds, LGAs, senatorial districts, and states including the Diaspora to ensure victory for the party at the pools in the 2023 presidential election.

    He said that the LP remained grateful to all members of the party, members of the presidential campaign council, volunteers, and sympathizers for their nterest and commitment.

  • 2023: We hope Nigerians are convinced to vote for us – Tambuwal

    2023: We hope Nigerians are convinced to vote for us – Tambuwal

    Director General of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential campaign organisation, Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto State has expressed hope Nigerians are convinced enough to vote for candidates of the party in the 2023 elections.

    TheNewsGuru.com (TNG) reports that Governor Tambuwal expressed the hope in a statement released by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr Mohammed Bello on Thursday and  in Abuja while stressing that the PDP has not set aside its drive for votes kick-started on Monday.

    Tambuwal said that contrary to what was being circulated in the  social media and similar platforms, the campaign train “is continuing, by the grace of God on Monday in Kaduna”.He said he was amazed and taken aback last night when he  saw on social media and on very many platforms that the  PDP had called off its campaign.

    “That is far from the truth. In fact, it is fake news. People are looking forward to our coming to states, capitals and villages because PDP is the party to beat in 2023. Other parties are afraid because they have not started (their campaigns). None of them have composed their campaign councils, not to even talk of starting. They are trying to throw spammer at our works,” Tambuwal said.

    Tambuwal, who also doubled as  Chairman of Nigeria Governors Forum (NGF) and the PDP Governors Forum said those making such efforts  would not succeed.

    “It is one of those shenanigans when you see a party doing well and its candidate is better than yours. What you begin to do is to cause mischief. It is not going to work. We will run our campaign, as I said before, it Is going to be issue-based. We believe there are sufficient challenges in  our country.”

    Tambuwal said that he believed in the candidature of Atiku Abubakar  and Ifeanyi Okowa.

    “I also believe that when we get there,  we shall do better for Nigeria; and, we hope we are able to convince Nigerians to vote for Abubakar/Okowa come February 2023.”

    He assured that the campaign team would replicate the kind of scenario it had in Uyo, Akwa Ibom on Oct. 10, and where thousands of party supporters turned up for the kick off of  its presidential rally.