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Tag: Opposition

  • Ministerial Nominees and Opposition's Holler, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    Ministerial Nominees and Opposition's Holler, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    By Ehichioya Ezomon
    How’s it the business of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and critics to determine the kind and quality of persons nominated to be Ministers of the Federal Republic of Nigeria?
    From complaining about delay in naming the ministers, to the nominees being “uninspiring” and “not technocrats,” the PDP moved to the Senate to challenge some aspects of the mode of screening of nominees.
    As assigned by the 1999 Constitution of Nigeria (as amended), picking nominees is the prerogative of President Muhammadu Buhari, which he has carried out in accordance with section 147(1)-(3), as follows:
    (1) There shall be such offices of Ministers of the Government of the Federation as may be established by the President.
    (2) Any appointment to the office of the Minister of the Government of the Federation shall, if the nomination of any person to such office is confirmed by the Senate, be made by the President.
    (3) Any appointment under subsection (2) of this section by the President shall be in conformity with the provisions of section 14(3) of the Constitution:
    Provided that in giving effect to the provisions aforesaid, the President shall appoint at least one Minister from each state, who shall be an indigene of such state.”
    And in compliance with the provisions of section 14(3) of the Constitution, President Buhari has named 43 nominees, indicating at least one person from each state, and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Abuja.
    This is to “reflect the federal character of of Nigeria and the need to promote national unity, and also to command national loyalty, thereby ensuring that there shall be no predominance of persons from a few states or from a few ethnic or other sectional groups in that Government or any of its agencies.”
    On the nomination of Ministers, the PDP should be reminded that the President is not obligated to consult with individuals or groups, least of all the opposition political parties, and critics of the President and his government.
    If at all he’s amenable to consulting, that would be with members of his immediate and extended families, the hierarchy of the APC, political and career associates, and friends across the country.
    But won’t the PDP benefit politically if Buhari were to appoint “uninspiring” persons into his cabinet, which the opposition would use as campaign tools against him and the APC till 2023?
    As a respondent noted, “When the PDP cries over anything done by Buhari, be rest assured that the President has got it right.” Certainly, he’s spot on with the nomination of the 43 persons as Ministers!
    By the way, what does the opposition mean by none of the nominees is a technocrat? A technocrat is defined as “a scientist, engineer, or other expert who is one of a group of similar people who have political power as well as technical knowledge.”
    Are critics saying the nominees, comprising persons of engineering, law, banking, medicine, journalism, aviation, military and other backgrounds, and with decades of practice, are not technocrats just because they were pitched by President Buhari?
    Who should he nominate to pass the mustard of being categorized as technocrats? The ones chosen or endorsed by the opposition? Please, give Nigerians a break!
    The President had said he would choose people he knew, and trusted could deliver his government’s policies and programmes in the next four years. And he’s got the corps he wanted.
    Did we forget so soon the complaints of the First Lady, Aisha Buhari, that many of those that served in the first term of her husband’s government were neither known by the President or herself as “wife of 27 years”?
    Simply put, total strangers, and those that didn’t work for the success of the APC to gain power, peopled the government cobbled together in almost five months, and yet, there were protests from dissatisfied party members!
    And who are those that Buhari nominated this time? Without a doubt, virtually all are loyal and steadfast members of the APC, who helped the party and the President to return to power.
    Others are former Ministers, who, devoid of biased assessment, performed creditably in their ministries; party members, who’re “technocrats” in their chosen fields; and maybe one or two trusted associates, friends or old school mates of the Buharis.
    Surely, these picks are a piece of bad news for the PDP. So, not done yet, it moved to the Senate, and attempted to come by way of screening of the nominees, to scheme to tweak the process.
    The party’s onslaught was through its Minority Leader, Enyinnaya Abaribe, who wanted the Senate to stick to its in-house procedure by applying the same standard of quizzing all nominees.
    Seeing no headway, the senator inferred that the APC-dominated chamber had bent the rules, by asking some nominees to “bow and go,” without questioning them to ascertain their suitability.
    Wasn’t it the practice of the Senate, to accord “privilege clearance” to former senators, members of the House of Representatives and State Assembly, former governors, and female nominees?
    Perhaps, the PDP wanted a return to the undignified ways of the Eighth National Assembly, when unparliamentary practices held sway, aimed at holding the executive to ransom, and frustrate the clearance of Ministers, and nominees to government agencies.
    For instance, several individuals and groups wrote unsubstantiated petitions, some “frivolous” in their intents, against former Governor Rotimi Amaechi, in order to halt his clearance.
    Particularly, getting Mr. Amaechi the all-clear became a drawn-out battle that lasted for days, as if he wasn’t qualified for the position, in line with the provisions of section 147(6) of the Constitution.
    The subsection provides that: “No person shall be appointed as a Minister of the Government of the Federation unless he is qualified for election as a member of the House of Representatives.”
    Was Amaechi not a member and Speaker of the Rivers House of Assembly, and Governor of the state for two consecutive terms of eight years, between 1999 and 2015?
    In the nature of opposition, and especially with respect to the 2019 general election that the PDP invested substantial capital and made heavy weather of its outcome, the party craved to make a mountain out of a molehill.
    But Senate President Ahmad Lawan ruled that the chamber never skewed the process to favour particular nominees, though it wasn’t about to dispense with its traditional courtesy to former lawmakers, governors, ministers and female nominees.
    Kudos to the Ninth Senate, for postponing its annual vacation, and suspending its rules to continue the screening on Friday, July 26 and Monday, July 29, which are not plenary days: a departure from the Eighth Senate that would have proceeded on recess.
    It’s hoped that nothing would impede completion of the screening, and confirmation on Tuesday, July 30, to enable President Buhari swear in the Ministers, and for them to get down to business.
    * Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.
  • Opposition planning to discredit elections should Buhari win – FG

    Opposition planning to discredit elections should Buhari win – FG

    The Federal Government has alerted the public “to the evil machinations of the opposition” to scuttle and discredit the 2019 polls.

    Recall that the elections is scheduled to commence on February 16.

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed at a media briefing on Monday in Abuja, alleged that ‘the opposition’ was dispatching a 10-member delegation to some Western capitals, to sell the idea that ”government had perfected the plan to rig the election”.

    He said the opposition, (apparently referring to the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party), was also instigating widespread violence and attacks on key institutions including the INEC and the police to discredit them

    “Specifically, they are sending a delegation to some Western capitals, including London, Brussels and Washington DC, to push the concocted line that the Buhari Administration has perfected plan to rig the polls.

    “They are therefore pushing for a rejection of the results if the President wins re-election. They are also predicting carnage in the event of the president’s victory.

    “Already, they have started flying the rigging kite domestically,” he said.

    The minister added: “They have been engaging in incendiary rhetoric and in making outlandish claims using several fronts, including the nebulous Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) which, by the way, is nothing more than a reincarnated Association for Better Nigeria (ABN).

    “Of course you all know the role that the ABN played in the failed 1993 political transition process.

    ”They have targeted, for attacks, the two key institutions that are most critical to the success of the election: INEC and the Police.

    “They have used every malleable and malicious personality to make wild allegations against INEC.”

    He said the strategy by the opposition is to discredit the election even before it is held.

    Mr Mohammed said he recently alerted the nation to the plot by the opposition elements to scuttle the polls and push the nation into a constitutional crisis that would lead to an interim government.

    “When we raised the alarm, the opposition dismissed it. Of course, they were shocked to have been found out, so we understand their panic reaction.

    “To underscore the seriousness of our alert, a week after our press conference, the National Security Adviser (NSA) met with state governors to also inform them of this same plan to scuttle the polls via widespread violence,” he said.

    The minister said the opposition was going the hog to scuttle the polls because they were convinced, that they could not win.

    Mr Mohammed assured that the administration was undaunted by the opposition’s antics.

    He restated the commitment of the president to ensure a free, fair and violence-free election.

  • The opposition and Aisha’s turnabout, By Ehichioya Ezomon

    By Ehichioya Ezomon
    Until lately, Aisha Buhari was the “darling” of the opposition, as she presented herself as a “shadow cabinet” to or an in-house critic of her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) government that he heads.
    In those days, the opposition didn’t need to do much to checkmate the government, as members were sure that Aisha would, sooner than later, throw a bombshell to titillate her husband’s critics, but discomfit the president, his administration and the APC.
    Accordingly, they hailed her as a “truth teller”, “straight shooter” and the “right woman for the job.” Indeed, some Nigerians mooted the idea of President Buhari stepping aside for his wife to assume the reins of power. So, to diehard “Buharists/Buharideens” and APC members, Aisha was “working for the opposition” in a made-from-heaven “political romance.”
    Her “homilies,” not reproduced here in chronological order, began in October 2016. Like a bolt out of the blue, she complained that the Buhari government was populated by “strangers”: people who didn’t work to install the administration.
    In an interview with BBC Hausa, Aisha said a “few people” were behind the presidential appointments, stressing that, “the president does not know 45 out of 50 of the people he appointed and I don’t know them either, despite being his wife of 27 years.”
    “Some people are sitting down in their homes folding their arms only for them to be called to come and head an agency or a ministerial position,” she said, adding, “you will know them if you watch television.”
    Due to the said anomaly, she vowed: “He (Buhari) is yet to tell me, but I have decided, as his wife, that if things continue like this up to 2019, I will not go out and campaign again and ask any woman to vote like I did before. I will never do it again.”
    Her damning assessment was sweet music to the disparate power blocs in the APC that felt shortchanged in the appointments, and to the opposition, which sensed an internal resistance to a second term bid by Buhari.
    In October 2017, at a stakeholders’ meeting on reproductive health and nutrition at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, Mrs. Buhari told the stunned audience that despite huge yearly budgets, the Aso Rock Clinic was bereft of basic medical essentials, such as equipment and drugs.
    She related her experience at the supposed state-of-the-art hospital designed to cater to members of the Presidency and other high-profile Nigerians, but whose X-ray machine, she’s told, had packed up when she wanted to do a scan.
    As she queried: “There is a lot of construction going on in this hospital, but there are no consumables, no single syringe there. What does that mean? Who will use the building? We have to be good in reasoning.”
    Then came Aisha’s reiteration of a “cabal” in the Presidency, accusingly dictating and controlling the affairs of the government – a narrative that aligned perfectly with the view by many that Buhari was reportedly not in charge of his administration.
    At another occasion, she proclaimed that, very soon, the “hyenas and jackals” in Buhari’s government would be flushed out – perhaps a hint of an imminent cabinet reshuffle, which never happened.
    Following the August/September 2018 controversial primaries of the APC, Mrs. Buhari accused the party National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, of favouring some aspirants with “automatic tickets” while others, who paid the relevant fees for nomination, were shortchanged.
    Many had surmised that she’s fighting on behalf of her brother, Mahmoud Ahmed, who failed to get the ticket for the governorship of Adamawa State. But she was also holding brief for the hundreds of aggrieved APC aspirants that didn’t scale the primaries.
    Not the least of Aisha’s verdicts on her husband’s governance was her December 2018 complaint that two persons in government were sabotaging Buhari’s efforts, and “slowing down” what would have been many of his achievements since 2015.
    At a National Women Leadership Summit, organised by ‘Project 4+4 for Buhari & Osinbajo 2019,’ in Abuja, she alleged that some politicians were going to the “two men” in the night “to beg for favours,” a situation she described as “disappointing.”
    Again, it’s almost a rebuke of the Buhari government, prompting the president to deny the existence of such a “cabal” and urged Aisha to name any of his decisions and actions that were influenced by the “cabal” or hold her peace forever.
    However, the main opposition candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, pounced on these accusations coming at the peak of electioneering for the February 16, 2019 presidential poll, and pleaded with Aisha to mention the names of the two-man cabal.
    As in her previous public censures, she didn’t identify the duo, but commended President Buhari “for doing well in delivering dividends of democracy to Nigerians even in the face of massive opposition.”
    Thereafter, she did the unprecedented by composing a women and youth parallel but complementary campaign council that’s larger and more representative than the one launched by her husband for his re-election.
    And to add insults to the opposition’s injury, Aisha tattooed four fingers of her hands with the slogan 4+4, indicating four more years for President Buhari in office. This taunting probably quickened the severance of her “political romance” with the opposition.
    Now, the questions: Why has Aisha changed her mind on the promise to withhold endorsement of her husband for a second term in office? What has changed? Has Buhari remedied the anomalies she spotlighted in his governance style? To her, certainly yes! Hence, her commendation of him “for a job well done.”
    Remarkably, an Esan proverb counsels: “It’s not what traders say when going to the market that they will repeat when returning.” To wit: Aisha cannot hold the same opinion about her husband in off season and during election period in which Buhari has a higher stake. Doing so would be to cut her nose to spite her face.
    Thus, her volte-face is a big, and an enduring lesson for the opposition, as depicted in the maxim: “The tongue and teeth do quarrel but they know how to settle.” After all, Muhammadu and Aisha, as husband and wife, can resolve their differences, over form and style of his governance, without an interloping opposition.
    * Mr. Ezomon, Journalist and Media Consultant, writes from Lagos, Nigeria.

  • 2019: Plans by opposition to break APC with malicious audio won’t work – FG

    The Federal Government has said the deliberate release of an audio in which the Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, allegedly criticised President Muhammadu Buhari will not break the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, stated this while speaking with journalists in Abuja on Tuesday.

    Amaechi is the director-general of the APC Presidential Campaign Council.

    Mohammed said, “The opposition is determined to ensure the ongoing campaign for the 2019 elections is not based on issues but on mudslinging.

    “What is the point in shopping around for audio clips or publications that are then maliciously edited out of context? Why do they think this will break our ranks in the ruling party?

    “What advantage do they think they can get from this infantile act? Whoever wants to circulate any audio or video clip should do so in its entirety so the people can understand the context. Otherwise, let them continue wasting their time circulating an audio that is clearly designed to blackmail.”

    IG’s tenure elongation

    Speaking on controversy around the Inspector-General of Police, Mr Ibrahim Idris, whose tenure will expire on January 15, Mohammed said the President “is at liberty to extend his tenure.”

    He also said the planned protest by the opposition would not be enough to stop the President from excising his power.

    The minister claimed that former Presidents extended the tenures of former IGs.

    He said, “When you are drowning, you grab any floating object you can find. You even grab at straws. That’s what the PDP is doing with the issue of the IGP’s tenure.

    “In the first instance, it is the prerogative of Mr President to extend or not to extend the tenure of the Inspector-General of Police or any service chief. That prerogative cannot be taken from Mr President on the altar of paranoia by some people.

    “Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in his time, extended the tenure of Mr Sunday Ehindero as IGP. Was there no opposition party then? Also, in his time, President Umaru Yar’Ardua extended the tenure of Mr Mike Okiro as IGP, heavens didn’t fall.”

    He added, “I have read that some opposition parties are planning a series of nationwide protests on the issue of IG’s tenure. That’s purely within their right in a democracy. And I wish them the best of luck.”

    Zakari’s controvercies

    Speaking on INEC’s appointment of Mrs Amina Zakari as head of the commission’s Collation Centre Committee, Mohammed described the opposition’s reaction to it as nothing but sheer hysteria, which he said would result from a pathological fear of impending political doom.

    He said, “Her role is limited to overseeing the physical structure, that is the International Conference Centre, which is the collation centre for the presidential election. The cries of the opposition amount to red herring.

    “In targeting Mrs Zakari, the PDP has forgotten that she was appointed in their time. If she was found worthy then, what has changed now?

    “Ahead of the 2019 elections, the PDP has complained against the IG, INEC chairman, Mrs Amina Zakari, etc., the party is blaming everyone but itself for the sorry state in which it has found itself.”

    Why Buhari appointed Tinubu to head campaign

    Mohammed also said President Buhari would not want his work to be affected by campaign, and decided to hand over the responsibility of steering the campaign to a former governor of Lagos State, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

    He said the action was within the President’s prerogative and a mark of the confidence he reposed in the former governor.

    He said, “Concerning the mischievous insinuation from the opposition that PMB handed over the campaign to Asiwaju because he cannot withstand the rigours of electioneering campaign, this is absurd.

    “The President’s daily schedule over the past months is more rigorous than any electioneering campaign.

    “Of course, it has never happened in the recent history of Nigeria that a President facing re-election will rather concentrate on his job rather than his campaign. PDP, for one, cannot fathom this because of their brand of do or die politics. Again, the President deserves commendation, not condemnation, for that decision.”

    Mohammed also denied the PDP’s allegations that the ruling party was planning to use the Operation Python Dance launched by the army to rig elections.

    “The truth is that the PDP, in its time, used the security agencies to rig elections after elections. It is therefore not a surprise they are afraid that the APC might do the same. We do not rig elections and we do not use security agencies to rig elections. We are APC, not PDP.”

     

  • Defections: Saraki has always behaved like opposition – FG

    The Federal Government on Wednesday accused the Senate President, Bukola Saraki of always acting like a member of the opposition before officially decamping on Tuesday.

    This was revealed by the Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed on Wednesday.

    The minister said the defection of the Senate President from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) was a great relief to the party.

    Mohammed while briefing State House correspondents after the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council (FEC), presided over by President Muhammadu Buhari at the Villa, said Saraki had become the greatest obstacle to the government.

    Mohammed, expressed doubt over the party membership of Saraki.

    “I don’t think the government would have suffered more as regards the delay in passing the budget. The Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki has behaved all along as if he was a member of the opposition,” he said.

    The minister said APC stands to lose nothing with the defection of Saraki and his loyalists adding that the party in his native Kwara State will grow stronger with the exit.

    He also said the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), in the state have also defected to APC “demonstrating their rejection of Mr Saraki’s return to their party”.

  • 2019: Buhari’s team, APC offering opposition parties N50m each — ADC

    2019: Buhari’s team, APC offering opposition parties N50m each — ADC

    …show proofs of the bribe – APC

    The African Democratic Congress (ADC) has alleged that the All Progressives Congress and the President Muhammadu Buhari team are offering opposition parties N50m to compromise them.

    The National Chairman of the ADC, Ralphs Nwosu, said this in his welcome address at a meeting with a team of officials of the National Democratic Institute (NDI) and International Republican Institute (IRI) at the party’s headquarters in Abuja, on Wednesday.

    However, the APC has challenged the Ralphs Nwosu-led ADC to back its allegation with evidence instead of soiling the nation’s image with unsubstantiated claims.

    The National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, gave the challenge in an interview to counter the accusation.

    In his words: “It is unfortunate that some Nigerians would think that they are playing opposition politics by making wild allegations before international organisations, that’s quite unfortunate.

    “These individuals making these wild allegations cannot give you one shred of evidence to back their claims. Let them name the person or persons that made them such an offer.

    “At least, they must be able to name a person who is offering money to cause trouble within them. If you can go as far as making allegations that have far-reaching implications on the reputation of your country, if that means anything to you at all, he should be bold enough to back it up with evidence.”

    However, the ADC chair further explained to the NDI and IRI team that Nigeria’s democracy made appreciable progress since 1999; noting that the country had had a successful transition at the expiration of tenure every four years.

    The party chairman described the decision of former President Goodluck Jonathan to accept defeat and congratulate his opponent even before the final announcement of the Presidential election results as “a hallmark performance” of the successes recorded within the period.

    Nwosu said, “However, the events of the last three years seem to be undermining all the gains.

    “In terms of elections, the bye-election in Rivers State turned the territory to a police state and a battlefield until the government of President Buhari, working with relevant agencies of the state, got the ‘hacked’ result they wanted.

    “Despite the poverty in the land, the ruling party and government have unlimited budget for bribing the electorate, electoral bodies and causing mischief.

    “The APC and President Buhari’s team are presently sharing N50m to members of the opposition parties in an attempt to cause crises within the parties. I heard that they have upped that of ADC to N100m, but they will fail.”

    He said the ADC, which had been adopted by the former President Olusegun Obasanjo-led coalition and other groups, had a membership of 6.5 million persons.

    The party chairman also told his guests that the ADC was a grassroots party which had registered about 1.2 million fee-paying members within the last three months with close to 10 million persons waiting to be registered.

    The head of the visiting team, Mr Christopher Fomunyoh, who is also the Regional Director, Central and West Africa of the NDI, said the team was in Nigeria to assess Nigeria’s level of preparedness for the 2019 elections.

    He said, “We are currently visiting Nigeria to assess the level of preparations for the 2019 elections.

    “It is our tradition to meet with all major stakeholders focusing on the electoral process. We also came to see what opportunities exist for future engagements.”

     

  • Opposition spreading lies, blackmailing me with herdsmen, farmers clashes – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday said opposition parties are blacking him with the herdsmen/farmers clashes happening in the northern part of the country.

    Buhari said this on Tuesday when he led leaders of the All Progressives Congress to Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital to support the party’s candidate, Kayode Fayemi in the forthcoming governorship election in the state.

    Buhari appealed to Ekiti voters to cast their votes for Mr Fayemi on Saturday to secure their future and ensure the development of the state.

    The president, while addressing a huge crowd of APC supporters, said Ekiti people should be wary of the blackmail against his person regarding the herdsmen and farmers clash.

    Hundreds of people have been killed in several states due the violence, and largely despite security presence. Some of the states most affected by the violence are Plateau, Benue and Taraba.

    “They blackmailing me, saying I have not done anything about the farmers/Fulani herdsmen clashes because I am a Fulani man,” the president said.

    “But this is a cheap blackmail. We are doing everything to curtail the situation, and provide a lasting solution to the problem.”

    Buhari was apparently referring to the campaign stunts of the Peoples Democratic Party, branding the APC’s federal government as irresponsive to the herdsmen/farmers clashes.

    Ekiti State led a couple of states in the enactment of the anti-open grazing laws, which had been criticised by the federal government.

    Ayo Fayose, the Ekiti State Governor, had also been frontal in accusing the president of allowing the killings to continue, citing his ethnic origin as a major factor.

    Buhari said the allegation against him was untrue and a cheap blackmail.

    He also told the crowd in Ekiti to vote on Saturday and look beyond “stomach infrastructure.”

    Stomach infrastructure is Fayose’s policy on providing welfare directly to indigent people of the state.

    “Do not allow your future to be insulted by stomach infrastructure,” Buhari said. “Vote on Saturday, looking beyond stomach infrastructure.

    “Don’t waste your votes, vote for Dr Fayemi. I know Ekiti people cannot be brainwashed or deceived.”

    The president also said Ekiti State had received a fair share of projects from the federal government, including 13 roads worth N760.7 million, as well as housing projects. He said the projects were providing jobs for the people of the state.

    “I am not here to only campaign, but also to urge the people of Ekiti State to embrace change,” he said.

    While the APC was holding its rally at the Oluyemi Kayode Stadium, Ado-Ekiti, Fayose was holding another one at the government house.

    The rallies, held simultaneously, restricted movement around the town as Fayose rallied transporters and teeming PDP supporters to the government house for his rally.

    The city witnessed heavy traffic snarl as major routes leading into and outside the city were blocked to pave the way for the movement of the president, governors and other bigwigs of the APC; many of whom landed at the Akure airport, in neighbouring Ondo State, from where they arrived Ekiti by road.

    There were reports that Fayose mobilised the transporters to the government house in order to hamper the conveyance of APC members to the venue of the mega rally, as the bus drivers and okada riders drove and parked their vehicles at the government house, venue of the PDP rally.

    The APC rally was attended by the national leader of the party, Bola Tinubu; the pioneer chairman of the party, Bisi Akande; newly elected chairman, Adams Oshiomhole; the governors of Kebbi, Ogun, Kogi, Osun, Oyo, Ondo, Edo, and Nasarawa States; as well as the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and federal ministers.

    Speaking at the rally, Tinubu said there was hardship in the country because the previous government looted the treasury.

    “The party stole all the money in the treasury. They ate the breakfast of the children,” he said. “Prices are up, yes, we agree, but who stole all the money. The PDP is a party of destruction. When they ate the tail and brain of the yam, where are they going to get the yam for lunch?”

     

  • Opposition candidate wins Sierra Leone’s presidential poll

    Opposition candidate wins Sierra Leone’s presidential poll

    The opposition party’s candidate, Rtd Brig Julius Madaa Bio of the Sierra Leone Peoples Party (SLPP) has been declared the winner of the March 31 Sierra Leone Presidential run-off election.

    According to the result announced by the Sierra Leone’s National Electoral Commission (NEC) on Wednesday in Freetown, Bio received 1,319,406 votes representing 51.81 per cent of the total valid votes cast, 2,546,577, to defeat the candidate of the ruling party.

    According to the result Kamara Wilson of the ruling All Peoples Congress (APC) polled 1,227,171 votes, representing 48.19 per cent of the valid votes cast.

    The Chairman of NEC, Mohamed Conteh,who announced the result, said that the national turn out in the election was 2,578,271 representing 81.11 registered voters, while 31,694 invalid votes were recorded.

    “Therefore, in exercise of the powers conferred on me as National Returning Officer by sections 52(2) and 94(4) of the Public Elections Act, 2012 (Act No 4 of 20l2), I hereby certify that Bio Julius Manda having polled 1,319,406 of the valid votes cast in the March 31 Presidential election run-off has been duly elected President of the Republic of Sierra Leone.

    “Any citizen of Sierra Leone who has lawfully voted in this election may challenge the validity of the said election of the President by petition to the Supreme Court of Sierra Leone, within seven days after the declaration of Presidential result pursuant to section 55(1) of the Public Elections Act, 2012 (Act No. 4 of 2012),” Conteh said.

    Bio is to take office as Sierra Leone’s 5th President having won the run-off election with more than 92,000 vote margin against his APC counterpart.

    Bio replaced President Ernest Bai Koroma of APC, who has completed his two terms of five years each.

    Under Sierra Leone’s constitution, a winning candidate is sworn in once the Chief Electoral Officer certifies the results of the election, followed by official inauguration later.

    Fourteen political parties participated in the first ballot which was conducted on March 7, where no candidate secured the mandatory 55 per cent of the total valid votes cast.

    The opposition candidate, Bio led the final result of the first ballot with 1,097, 482 votes, making 43.3 per cent of the 2, 537,122 valid votes cast in the polls.

    Samura Kamara of APC at the first ballot came a close second with 1,082, 748 votes, representing 42.7 per cent of the total votes cast.

    The run-off election became necessary since none of the candidates was able to get 51 per cent of the total votes cast as provided by the country’s constitution.

  • 2019: Atiku visits Fayose, hails him for standing up to opposition roles

    Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar on Wednesday visited Ekiti State where he held talks with the state Governor, Ayo Fayose and leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

    Stating why he chose to visit Ekiti first since his return to the party, Atiku said Fayose’s role as opposition leader and chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum has held put the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) on its toes.

    He commended Fayose for various projects being executed in the state.

    Atiku said Fayose’s popularity in Ekiti and Nigeria was not in doubt as he has been acknowledged as “frank, bold and straight forward politician.”

    He said: “Since my return to PDP, this is the first state I am visiting to consult with leadership and party members.

    “Governor Fayose and I had struck a relationship during his first tenure and I respect him for this.”

    Atiku also hailed Fayose for nominating his deputy, Prof. Kolapo Olusola, as his preferred candidate for the 2018 governorship election.

    The ex-vice president said he was not in Ekiti for campaign but to consult with party leaders on the way forward.

    But Fayose, himself a presidential aspirant, used the opportunity to throw verbal missiles at former President Olusegun Obasanjo over his latest advice to President Muhammadu Buhari not to seek re-election in 2019.

    The governor alleged that Obasanjo was aggrieved with the President because his (Obasanjo’s) ministerial nominees were rejected.

    Calling Obasanjo unprintable names, Fayose faulted the ex-President’s call for a Third Force as alternative to PDP and All Progressives Congress (APC).

    He maintained that PDP remains the most viable alternative to APC, urging Nigerians to return the party to power in 2019.

    Fayose also blasted Buhari for allegedly inflicting hardship on Nigerians.

    The Ekiti governor said exchange rate has shrunk by 45 per cent under President Buhari whom he accused of doing nothing to stop the recent killing of Nigerians in some parts of the country.

    He said every attempt to muzzle PDP would fail and predicted a landslide victory for the party in the July 14 governorship election in Ekiti.

  • Expect robust, vibrant opposition from PDP in 2018 – Secondus tells APC

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Uche Secondus, has assured Nigerians that the PDP will play robust and vibrant roles in the nation’s polity in 2018.

    Mr. Secondus, in a new year message he issued on Saturday in Abuja, said the worst was over for the PDP.

    He said the opposition party was ready and re-energised to play its role in the polity to deepen Nigeria’s democracy.

    “2017 was tough for us but the worst is over; we are now more than ever determined to take power back in Nigeria because the writing on the wall is clear that the ruling party cannot cope.

    “We sympathize with Nigerians for the hardship they have been going through in the hand of ruling party but assure them that there is a light at the tunnel.”

    Mr. Secondus said having gone through the political furnace, the PDP had learnt its lesson and was now refined and focussed to return to power.

    He appealed to Nigerians, particularly the media and civil society groups, to stand up to their responsibilities and hold the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration accountable.

    “The new year 2018 is strategic and critical in the political life of the nation because activities in the year will determine the success or otherwise of 2019,” he said.

    While wishing Nigerians a prosperous 2018, Mr. Secondus charged members and leaders of PDP to put all hands on deck in the new year, describing the task ahead as enormous but surmountable.

    He urged PDP members in Ekiti and Osun states to brace up for the party’s anticipated victory in the forthcoming gubernatorial elections in the states in 2018 by vigorously mobilising the voters.

    NAN