TheNewsGuru

Tag: General Elections

  • Boko Haram planning to launch attack before general elections in Nigeria – US warns

    The United States of America has warned of an impeding attack by members of the Boko Haram and ISIS West Africa.

    In a statement published on Friday, January 18, 2019, on its official website in Nigeria, the US said the insurgents had threatened to attack public places.

    The US said although it did not have information on attacks targeted at the embassy, it advised the citizens to review their movements and keep a low profile.

    “There is an increase in ISIS propaganda videos specifically directed to Nigeria and the ongoing civil unrest in Borno State and the North-East.

    “ISIS West Africa and Boko Haram have both stated they plan to disrupt the upcoming 2019 presidential elections by conducting attacks on Nigerian security and infrastructure, as well as places of gathering such as markets, hotels, and malls.

    “While we have no specific threat information to the U.S. Embassy or within Nigeria during the election season, U.S. citizens in Nigeria should remember to follow personal security precautions on a regular basis.

    “Actions to take: Expect additional police and military checkpoints and possible roadblocks throughout the country. Carry proper identification, including a U.S. passport with a current Nigerian visa, if needed; exercise caution when walking or driving at night; review travel routes and times to reduce time and place predictability; avoid crowds and demonstrations; be aware of your surroundings; keep a low profile; stay alert in public places, including schools, hospitals, government facilities, places of worship, tourist locations, and transportation hubs,” the statement said.

    The US embassy also advised the citizens to monitor press reports and review their travel advisory for Nigeria.

    It gave out contact details of the embassy in Abuja and the consulate in Lagos for further assistance.

     

  • ASUU Strike: NANS threatens to boycott general elections

    The National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) has threatened to boycott the 2019 general elections should the Federal Government fail to meet the demands of the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU).

    The chairman of the Abuja chapter of NANS, Mojeed Omolaja, stated this in Abuja on Wednesday at a one-day conference organised by Online Publishers Association of Nigeria with the theme: “Free Press and objective reporting in the 2019 election year.”

    He also distanced the FCT chapter of NANS from the faction of NANS led by one Akpan Daniels Bamidele who was said to be a student of Nasarawa State University, Keffi.

    The Bamidele-led NANS had visited President Muhammadu Buhari where he endorsed his re-election.

    Omolaja insisted that the NANS officials who paid courtesy call to the President were not fair, adding that the FCT chapter of NANS stood for integrity.

    He said, “We in the FCT here are not part of those who went to eulogise the President; we stand for integrity and anything we get right in FCT will be got right in all the states of the federation because we lead and others follow.

    “The Nigerian students will not vote in the forthcoming election if academic activities do not resume in the universities.

    “In this forthcoming elections, we the FCT chapter of NANS that controls other chairmen in other states have deemed it fit not to participate in the election until when ASUU calls off the strike, because they can’t be playing with our future.

    “Their children are going to school abroad and we are here and they still want their children to come and rule over us with their lackadaisical attitude towards our education.

    “It is quite unfortunate that at this point in time students are at home doing nothing.

    “The major reason we are at home is that ASUU is on strike and we expect the Federal Government to meet their demands because this incessant issue is a catastrophic setback to the students.

    “Imagine somebody spending seven to eight years to finish a four-year programme. It is not done abroad. Is it because our parents don’t have the financial muscle to send us abroad?”

     

  • ‘Politicians stockpiling arms ahead of general elections’

    The Director-General of National Taskforce on Small Arms, Light and Chemical Weapons, Dr Emmanuel Okereke, on Tuesday, alleged that some politicians had been stockpiling ammunition ahead of general elections.

    Okereke, who made the allegation in Abuja at a news conference, said the stockpiling of ammunition by desperate politicians was due to the porous nature of the nation’s borders and the non-existence of a specific agency or commission to tackle the menace.

    He said, “Due to the lack of a legally established specific body or commission as obtainable in 14 out of the 16 countries in the West African sub-region, all manner of ammunition have been illegally brought into the country ahead of the elections by high-class political players.

    “For Nigeria to effectively tackle the menace of proliferation of ammunition in the country with its attendant crimes, a National Commission for the Prohibition of Illegal Importation of Small Arms, Ammunition and Light Weapons and other related matters, must be established as already done by other West African countries except Nigeria and Gambia.”

    The Commission, he added, was recommended for all West African countries through a resolution passed to that effect by the Economic Community of West Africa States in December 2017.

    “Unfortunately, while 14 out of the 16 member sub-regional body have complied, Nigeria and Gambia have yet to do the needful in that direction,” he added.

    He also stated that before the ECOWAS’s resolution, a bill for the establishment of such a commission had long been sponsored by the national task force.

    He said, “The bill, as it is currently in the 8th Senate, has passed second reading in the House of Representatives but not yet at the Senate having earlier failed to scale through the required legislative processes in the 6th and 7th National Assembly.”

    He said the commission, when established, would not be a burden on the finances of the country but rather a revenue earner.

    He called on the Senate to fast-track action on the bill for the commission to be in place as soon as possible.

     

  • 2019: Augoye rolls out drums for Atiku, Okowa, other PDP candidates

    2019: Augoye rolls out drums for Atiku, Okowa, other PDP candidates

    Delta State Commissioner for Works, James Augoye has said Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) will make Nigeria work again.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Augoye stated this on Sunday during campaign drumming support for various PDP candidates in the 2019 General Elections in Ughoton, Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State.

    While speaking during the campaign, Augoye lamented woes the country has suffered under the President Muhammadu Buhari administration.

    He said Buhari crippled the economy of the nation and rendered it’s security apparatuses incapacitated.

    Augoye stressed Atiku is the only candidate that can change the fortune of the nation for good, and said the administration of Atiku will be far better off than that of Buhari’s.

    He urged Nigerians to vote massively for the PDP presidential flag bearer.

    The Delta State Works Commissioner also urged the people of Okpe Ward 10 to vote PDP candidates for Delta Central Senatorial District, House of Representatives, State House of Assembly, and Governor Ifeanyi Okowa.

    TNG reports Evelyn Oboro is the Delta Central Senatorial District flag bearer, Efe Afe, candidate for House of Representatives, and Sheriff Oborevwori for House of Assembly.

    While highlighting the development strides of Governor Okowa, Augoye said the SMART Agenda of Governor Okowa has yielded good fruits, and benefited Deltans, especially the people of Jeddo, Ugbokodo and Ughoton communities.

    Stressing that Okowa recognises and have high regards for the communities, he said the administration will complete the Okpe road for easy access to commuters, and to ease traffic congestion at Effurun round about and other parts of Warri metropolis.

    “Okpe road is in three phases. Presently we are on phase one. Also, plans are in place for the dualization of Jeddo road from Shaguolo down to Omadino.

    “Jeddo has to return Governor Okowa so that the Okpe road can be completed, and the proposed dualization of Jeddo road can be accomplished,” Augoye said.

    Community leaders, women and youths, who spoke during the campaign declared unparalleled support for all the PDP candidates in the 2019 general elections.

    Speaking during the campaign, chairman of Jeddo community, Solomon Bayagbon said, “Okowa’s government has done much for our community, and we are grateful.

    “I want to assure Governor Okowa that Jeddo community is behind him. The women, youths, and all residents are behind him.

    “We will not disappoint him. We have agreed to declare Jeddo for Governor Okowa”.

    The Jeddo community leader pleaded with Okowa to ensure that contractor handling the Okpe road is mobilised back to site for speedy completion of the road.

    Also speaking, Chief Robert Onome, President General of Okpe Union Worldwide, said the stride of Okowa in the state is worth giving support for.

    “Governor Okowa has shown with his first term the need to give him support for second term.

    “The development he has put in place in Delta has proved the worth of him.

    “For recognising our communities in his government, we will work assiduously to ensure he gets maximum votes.

    “We have all it takes to deliver,” he said.

    The campaign was well attended by chiefs, elders, leaders and youths of the three communities.

    Augoye was ably accompanied by the mobilisation Team Augoye for Okowa 2019 at the campaign.

    Political Adviser to the Speaker of Delta State House of Assembly, Sheriff Oborevwori; Deputy Chairman, Okpe LGA, and Senior Special Assistant to Governor Okowa and once Okpe LGA chairman, Chief Efe Uko also attended the campaign.

     

  • 2019: Who is the Nigerian billionaire behind the 2015 general elections?

    As events unfold for 2019 general elections to hold in Nigeria, it becomes imperative to consider certain dealings that came to play in events leading up to the 2015 general elections in the country.

    In the wake of the Cambridge Analytica data scandal, confessional statements emerged of how a Nigerian billionaire supported ex-President Goodluck Jonathan to execute a smear campaign against Muhammadu Buhari in the 2015 general elections.

    However, given over 8 months and counting, after the Cambridge Analytica revelations came to the fore, neither has the so called Nigerian billionaire been named nor anything further heard of the ‘ghost’.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports parent company of now defunct Cambridge Analytica, SCL Elections, confirmed it was hired in the wake of December 2014 to support Jonathan’s campaign on a massive scale.

    Brittany Kaiser, a senior director at Cambridge Analytica, who would go on to play a public role at the launch of Nigel Farage’s Leave.eu campaign, and a senior strategist on the Donald Trump campaign, was fingered, with the Nigerian billionaire not named.

    Regarded by colleagues as a prolific networker, in 2014, Kaiser was introduced to the ghost Nigerian oil billionaire who wanted to fund a covert campaign to support Jonathan, according to the report that stated the billionaire wanted total discretion.

    “We can confirm that SCL Elections was hired in December 2014 to provide advertising and marketing services in support of the Goodluck Jonathan campaign,” the firm stated.

    However, several confessional statements made by employees of the firm, seven of them, with close knowledge of the campaign, showed that Cambridge Analytica did more than just providing advertising and marketing services in support of the Jonathan campaign.

    Employees of the defunct Cambridge Analytica, according to the report, actually worked effortlessly and ruthlessly to sway the 2015 general election votes in favour of Jonathan.

    This came to the fore after Cambridge University professor Aleksandr Kogan harvested valuable information on the data of about 50 million Facebook users in the US to sway votes in favour of Donald Trump.

    Describing how Cambridge Analytica worked with people they believed were Israeli computer hackers, they said the hackers offered Cambridge Analytica access to Buhari’s financial and medical records, and that they had accessed the private emails of two politicians who are now heads of state.

    Also, Cambridge Analytica was reported to have used an astonishing and disturbing video content, especially on social media, Facebook and Twitter inclusive, to push the campaign, a malicious one, against Buhari.

    Mark Zuckerberg and Jack Dorsey have largely remained silent on how Cambridge Analytica manipulated Facebook and Twitter to push the malicious content to sway the election in the country, especially given that as Nigeria heads into the 2019 general elections, malicious contents of various kinds and varying degrees are yet being peddled on the platforms.

    “Coming to Nigeria on February 15th, 2015. Dark. Scary. And very uncertain. Sharia for all. What would Nigeria look like if Sharia were imposed by Buhari?,” a Guardian UK report quotes the voiceover on the malicious campaign video, spread on Facebook and Twitter, against Buhari in 2015.

    “Its answer to that question is certainly dark. And scary. It’s also graphically, brutally, violent. One minute and 19 seconds of archive news footage from Nigeria’s troubled past set to a horror movie soundtrack. There are scenes of people being macheted to death. Their legs hacked off. Their skulls caved in,” the report stated of the campaign video.

    According to one of the employees, now a former contractor of the defunct data analytics firm, “It was voter suppression of the most crude and basic kind. It was targeted at Buhari voters in Buhari regions to basically scare the shit out of them and stop them from voting”.

    According to the Guardian UK, the employees confessed Cambridge Analytica was paid an estimate of N1 billion by the Nigeria billionaire barely six weeks to the elections to sway the votes, and that there is no suggestion Jonathan knew of the covert operation.

    While there is yet to be seen any ‘dark and scary’ malicious content like the one peddled in 2015 on the social media, various malicious contents of varying degrees are being peddled on, especially Facebook and Twittter, and it is absurd that execs at Facebook and Twitter have been silent on the matter.

    While, SCL Elections denied the confessional statements made by its employees, stressing that, they, through the instrument of Cambridge Analytica, only provided advertising and marketing services in support of the campaign, the firm went further to say “Members of the SCL Elections team that worked on the Nigeria campaign remained in country throughout the original campaigning period” and that “Although the election was rescheduled, SCL was not retained for the entirety of the extended campaign period. Team members left in accordance with the company’s campaign plan.

    “During an election campaign, it is normal for SCL Elections to meet with vendors seeking to provide services as a subcontractor. SCL Elections did not take possession of or use any personal information from such individuals for any purposes. SCL Elections does not use ‘hacked’ or ‘stolen’ data”.

    It is more appalling that the President Buhari government did nothing about the matter, except for a political press statement by Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity.

    President Buhari failed to act on the matter first because the outcome of the 2015 elections favoured him, and secondly most probably because Buhari himself was also fingered in the Cambridge Analytica scandal.

    His team was alleged to have hired AKPD, the firm of former Barack Obama strategist David Axelrod, to push slick-social-media-heavy, Obama-esque message of hope in favour of Buhari.

    There are multiple wider political questions about what went on in the Nigerian election of 2015 and the role western powers, and the social media, played. There are even more questions to be answered as the country nears the 2019 general elections.

     

  • 2019: ECOWAS charges INEC on credible polls

    2019: ECOWAS charges INEC on credible polls

    Ahead of the 2019 general elections, a delegation of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) has charged the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) to conduct credible, free and fair elections in Nigeria.
    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports General Francis Behanzin made the charge when he led an ECOWAS delegation on a courtesy visit to the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) headquarters in Abuja.
    Gen. Behanzin said the purpose of the visit was to, among other things, find out about INEC’s preparation for the 2019 general elections and the challenges it was facing, in view of Nigeria’s large voter population of over 80 million.
    He described Nigeria as “a very big country”, pledging financial support for the conduct of the elections, while also expressing gratitude to INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu for his contributions to the improvement of the electoral process and sustenance of democracy across the West African sub-region.
    He revealed that ECOWAS would be sending 200 observers to monitor the 2019 general elections set to hold in Nigeria.
    Head of Political Affairs, ECOWAS, Dr. Remi Ajibewa reiterated the need for INEC to carry all stakeholders comprising political parties, the media, civil society organisations and security agencies along as it prepares for the general elections.
    He said INEC should also synergise with the Police to secure the electoral process, and commended the Commission for the conduct of the Osun State Governorship election.
    However, he regretted that while INEC did its best, the International Community and Voters feared that security agents might be used to create problems for the electoral process.
    In his response, Prof. Yakubu thanked Gen. Behanzin for his kind words and seized the opportunity to explain the Commission’s preparations for the 2019 polls.
    He said the Commission had developed, validated and was already implementing its 2017 – 2021 Strategic Plan, the Election Project Plan and had also released the Timetable and Schedule of Activities for the 2019 General Elections since January 9th, this year.
    He said the Commission also carried out the Continuous Voter Registration (CVR) exercise that allowed citizens who just turned 18 years and other Nigerians who had never registered the opportunity to do so.
    He informed the delegation that over 14.5 million voters were registered during the exercise between April 2017 and August 2018, and that the new figure will be added to the almost 70 million citizens already in the national Voter Register after due processes.
    He said the country might have about 83 million voters after the register had been cleaned up.
    Prof. Yakubu observed that conducting general election in Nigeria could be likened to conducting an election for the whole of ECOWAS.
    He informed the delegation that Nigeria currently has 91 registered political parties out of which 89 will field candidates for various positions in the next year general elections.
    He said the Commission works with security agencies under the aegis of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) to secure the electoral environment.
    Since the general elections will take place simultaneously in all states, he said the security meeting would be cascaded to the states.
     

  • INEC deadline: Delta APC at risk of missing out in 2019 elections

    It appears the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta state is at risk of missing deadline set by the Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC) for the submission of forms CF001 and CF002 for candidates vying for Senate and House of Representatives positions.
    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports INEC form CF001 is affidavit in support of personal particulars of persons seeking election, and form CF002 is form for the submission of names of candidates by a political party.
    INEC had fixed October 18, 2018, for the submission of forms CF001 and CF002 for Presidential and National Assembly and December 1, 2018, for Governorship and State House of Assembly.
    A Federal High Court sitting in Asaba, chaired by Honourable Justice Toyin Adegoke, according to Fred Okpowhoro Olokor, Esq, the legal team lead of the Cyril Ogodo led executive, had given an order on October 17, 2018 barring either factions of the APC in the State from submitting names of candidates to the INEC.
    This follows a suit by Cyril Ogodo and two others brought against National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole and others, that all parties maintain status quo pending the hearing and determination of the substantive suit.
    At the resumed hearing of the case, Counsel to the Plaintiffs (O. J. Oghenejakpor, Esq.) who had filed a Motion on Notice to restrain 1st and 2nd Defendants (i.e APC and Oshiomhole) from submitting any list of candidates from Delta State to INEC other than the list of candidates that emerged from the Cyril Ogodo led executive’s primaries, which was duly served on all the Defendants, urged the Court to hear the Motion on Notice.
    But because the Defendants served counsel to the Plaintiffs their processes which included preliminary objections in court on the 17th of October, 2018 the motion was not moved.
    In a bid to diligently prosecute the case, the plaintiffs’ counsel applied for a stand down for a few hours to respond to the preliminary objections filed by the Defendants and served in court. The stand down was granted.
    And before the resumption of hearing after the stand down, the Plaintiffs’ counsel was able to file his response to the preliminary objections and was ready to argue the said preliminary objections and the substantive application.
    However, the Defendants vehemently argued that they were not ready to respond on points of law orally. They insisted on filing a reply and applied for an adjournment of the case.
    The Plaintiff Counsel thereafter called upon the court to preserve the res in the matter which is to restrain the APC from submitting any list of candidates from Delta State to INEC for the 2019 general elections except candidates that emerged from the Cyril Ogodo anchored primaries.
    TNG reports the court then inquired from the Counsel to the INEC if any list of candidates had been submitted to INEC as at 17th of October, 2018. The INEC counsel confirmed to court that no list of candidates for Delta State have been submitted yet.
    At this point the Honourable Judge ordered that all parties should maintain status quo. The clear meaning and intent of the Status Quo, therefore, is to preserve the res by ensuring that no list of candidates is submitted to INEC until the determination of the substantive matter.
    The judge then ordered for accelerated hearing and fixed November 1st and 2nd 2018 for the hearing and determination of the case.
    Going by this, the Delta APC might miss deadline for the submission of candidates for Senate and House of Representatives in the 2019 elections. The party might also miss out in submitting candidates for Governorship and State House of Assembly if the case is not decided by November 2nd.
    Reacting to the development, the legal team lead of the Cyril Ogodo-led faction, Fred Okpowhoro Olokor, has warned the Prophet Jones-led faction against contempt if they go ahead to flout the court order.
    “It is pedestrian and mischievous for anyone to suggest or argue that the Federal High Court in Asaba did not restrain APC from submitting any list of candidates for Delta State to INEC.
    “The counsel to the 1st and 2nd Defendants (APC and the APC National Chairman) was in court and clearly understood what the order meant.
    “Counsel will thus be unduly exposing his clients to the risk of contempt proceedings if he allows them to be misled by the mischievous interpretation of the Prophet Jones factional Legal Adviser as is being circulated in the media.
    “Let it be known that anyone who violates the clear orders made on the 17th of October, 2018 stands the risk of having contempt proceedings initiated against them,” he stated.
    Meanwhile, Legal Adviser of the Prophet Jones Ode Erue led executive, E. V. Onojeghuo Esq has said the party is at liberty to carry out its constitutional duties.
     

  • Breaking: Facebook opens elections war room ahead of 2019

    Ahead of the 2019 general elections in Nigeria, social media giant, Facebook has announced opening its first physical elections war room in Menlo Park, California.
    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Facebook’s goal is to get the right subject-matter experts from across the company in one place so they can address potential problems identified by its technology in real time and respond quickly.
    “The war room has over two dozen experts from across the company – including from our threat intelligence, data science, software engineering, research, community operations and legal teams. These employees represent and are supported by the more than 20,000 people working on safety and security across Facebook.
    “When everyone is in the same place, the teams can make decisions more quickly, reacting immediately to any threats identified by our systems, which can reduce the spread of potentially harmful content.
    “Our dashboards offer real-time monitoring on key elections issues, such as efforts to prevent people from voting, increases in spam, potential foreign interference, or reports of content that violates our policies.
    “The team also monitors news coverage and election-related activity across other social networks and traditional media. These efforts give us a collective view and help track what type of content may go viral.
    “To prepare, our team has also done extensive scenario-planning to game out potential threats – from harassment to voter suppression – and developed systems and procedures in advance to respond effectively,” Facebook said on Thursday.
    The social media giant in a statement by Samidh Chakrabarti, Facebook Director of Product Management, Civic Engagement, said the preparations helped a lot during the first round of Brazil’s presidential elections.
    “The work we are doing in the war room builds on almost two years of hard work and significant investments, in both people and technology, to improve security on Facebook, including during elections.
    “Our machine learning and artificial intelligence technology is now able to block or disable fake accounts more effectively – the root cause of so many issues.
    “We’ve increased transparency and accountability in our advertising. And we continue to make progress in fighting false news and misinformation.
    “That said, security remains an arms race and staying ahead of these adversaries will take continued improvement over time. We’re committed to the challenge.” the Facebook Director stated.
    Speaking further on efforts to prevent people from misusing Facebook during elections, the social media platform said it has also broadened its policies against voter suppression, action that is designed to deter or prevent people from voting.
    “We already prohibit offers to buy or sell votes as well as misrepresentations about the dates, locations, times and qualifications for casting a ballot. We have been removing this type of content since 2016.
    “Last month, we extended this policy further and are expressly banning misrepresentations about how to vote, such as claims that you can vote using an online app, and statements about whether a vote will be counted (e.g. “If you voted in the primary, your vote in the general election won’t count.”).
    “We’ve also recently introduced a new reporting option on Facebook so that people can let us know if they see voting information that may be incorrect, and have set up dedicated reporting channels for state election authorities so that they can do the same,” said Jessica Leinwand, Facebook Public Policy Manager.
     

  • Breaking: Ben Murray-Bruce writes PDP, dumps senatorial ambition

    Senator Ben Murray-Bruce, representing Bayelsa east senatorial district in the National Assembly, has announced withdrawal from the race to represent his constituency in the 2019 general elections.
    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Bruce announced his withdrawal on Monday in a letter he addressed to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
    According to the letter, TNG gathered that Bruce withdrawal is coming to allow for someone else from the constituency to fly the banner of the PDP in 2019.
    Read full letter:
    I thank God and the good people of Brass, Bayelsa East Senatorial District who offered me the golden opportunity four years ago to represent them and the state in the Senate, Nigeria’s highest lawmaking chamber.
    It is without doubt that I have tried to discharge my duties as a legislator and representative of my people creditably to the best of my ability so far.
    My voice has been very loud on the issues that matter to our people and our country at all time.
    My support to our party, my people and state government is unquestionable. I am humbled that the national leadership of my party supported by the State chapter in appreciation of my efforts offered to support my reelection to the senate to continue my service.
    I have also intensified consultations in the last couple of week in the course of which I have come to realize an existing local rotational arrangement of over 20 years beginning with the late Great Chief Melford Okilo, by which arrangement the Senatorial seat rotates per local government area among the three councils for four years in the Senatorial District.
    Even with the support of my party at the National and state levels with the full backing of my state government and leadership, as a man of honour interested in the well being of my people, I hereby announce my withdrawal from the Senatorial race.
    I do not want whatever reason to appear to have used my privileged position and influence to do anything that other than the well-being and the stability and the good of the people.
    I am in all of these for the people, not for my self.
    Once again, I thank the former President, Dr. Goodluck Ebelo Jonathan, the National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, my colleagues in the Senate and Governor of Bayelsa State, the Honourable Henry Seriake Dickson for their support and encouragement.
    I also thank the leadership of my Senatorial District and state, for for being there for me.
    I thank Specially the people of my constituency for their trust and confidence in me to serve and represent them in the Senate.
    By trusting me with this mandate, I have come to know them and our people even better, an experience I will never forget for the rest of my life.
    I am indeed grateful to My darling wife, my children, other members of my family for their support and prayers. I appreciate the efforts of my hardworking campaign staff for their support and dedication.
    Again, I thank the leadership of the party for their continuing support. I also assured the party of my availability and readiness to serve at any capacity when the opportunity comes.
    Best Regards
    Senator Ben Murray Bruce.
     

  • 2019: #NotTooYoungToRun campaigners condemn Saraki’s declaration

    Champions of the #NotTooYoungToRun campaign have condemned Senate President Bukola Saraki for usurping a platform designed for young aspirants to dialogue with party leadership to advance his personal political ambition.

    TheNewsGuru (TNG) reports Saraki on Thursday had a meeting with young politicians and aspirants who are interested in running for public office in 2019 under the newly signed #NotTooYoungToRun Act and declared to run for president in the process.

    “The movement wishes to express its disappointment with Senator Saraki for usurping a platform designed for young aspirants to dialogue with party leadership to advance his personal political ambition. We strongly condemn this act by the President of the Senate and dissociates ourselves from this political move,” Samson Itodo, convener of the #NotTooYoungToRun movement said in a statement.

    Read full statement:

    Not Too Young To Run Campaigners Distance Movement From Saraki’s Declaration

    As part of efforts to promote youth candidacy and democratic party primaries, the Not Too Young To Run movement commenced a series of public town hall meetings with the leadership of political parties and young aspirants to address the challenges faced by young aspirants in securing party tickets. The movement scheduled three town hall meetings with the leadership of the All Progressive Congress (APC); People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and other parties. The first dialogue held today August 30, 2018 in Abuja with the leadership of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). The event had in attendance the Chairman of the party Mr. Uche Secondus; Senator Bukola Saraki, Hon. Udeh Okoye, National Youth Leader of the party. The event also was attended by young aspirants registered under the Ready To Run platform.

    The young aspirants advocated for a reduction in the cost of party nomination forms and requested the party to uphold internal democracy in the conduct of party primaries. In his response, the Chairman of the PDP assured the young aspirants of their support for youth candidacy in the forthcoming primaries.

    Whilst addressing participants at the town hall, Senator Saraki declared his intention to run for the office of the President in the 2019 elections. The movement wishes to express its disappointment with Senator Saraki for usurping a platform designed for young aspirants to dialogue with party leadership to advance his personal political ambition. We strongly condemn this act by the President of the Senate and dissociates ourselves from this political move.

    As noted earlier, the movement reaffirms its identity as a non-partisan citizen led movement dedicated to the defense democracy, political inclusion and transformative leadership. The movement restates its commitment to sustain its engagement with political parties to ensure youth candidacy and democratic party primaries.