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Tag: President

  • Senegal elects new president Feb 24

    Senegal citizens are set to elect a president on Feb. 24, 2019 from five candidates, including incumbent and front-runner Macky Sall, an official said.

    Analysts believe President Sall, 57, has high chances of winning a second term, after two prominent opposition figures were barred from running.

    They are the former mayor of the capital Dakar, Khalifa Sall, and Karim Wade, a former minister and son of former President Abdoulaye Wade.

    Idrissa Seck, 59, a former prime minister (2002-2004) and candidate of the Rewmi party, now counts as Macky Sall’s main rival.

    Also in the running are opposition parliamentarian Ousmane Sonko of the Patriots of Senegal for Work, Ethics and Fraternity (PASTEF) party; El Hadj Sall, the leader of the Party of Unity and Gathering (PUR); and independent candidate Madicke Niang, a former foreign minister.

    Both Khalifa Sall, who has no family relation to the current president, and Karim Wade were barred in January by the Constitutional Council over their convictions for misuse of public funds.

    Khalifa Sall, one of Senegal’s most popular politicians, was in 2018 sentenced to five years in prison for corruption, a verdict he says was politically motivated.

    The 63-year-old’s attempt to appeal his sentence was denied.

    Karim Wade, 50, who had been groomed to succeed his father and was supposed to be the candidate of Senegal’s largest opposition party, the Senegalese Democratic Party, was in 2015 sentenced to six years in jail for “illicit enrichment” while working as a minister during his father’s presidency.

    A year later, President Sall pardoned Wade, who had been in detention since 2013.

    The two exclusions are likely to clear the path to Macky Sall’s re-election, analysts say.

    “The legal proceedings are regarded as being aimed at removing important rivals,” Paulin Toupane, Aissatou Kante and Adja Faye, analysts at African research organisation the Institute for Security Studies (ISS), said in a joint report.

    “As Feb. 24 approaches, suspicions persist and political tensions are rising,” the researchers said.

    Macky Sall has been leading the politically stable former French colony, which is often hailed as one of Africa’s model democracies, since 2012.

    During his first term in office, the flag-bearer of the ruling Benno Yakaar coalition has been lauded for implementing socio-economic reforms, including investment in infrastructure, education, the health sector and job creation.

    The government has been popular in Senegal for the social grants it has doled out to poor families, and this policy is likely to secure Macky Sall many votes in this year’s poll, particularly in rural areas.

    “Many beneficiaries are eager to profit from the promised social and infrastructure achievements of this programme’s second phase,” political Commentator, Omar Dieng, said,

    Senegalese voters will elect their president between 08:00 GMT and 18:00 GMT at more than 15,000 polling stations across the country.

    The poll will be monitored by observer missions from the EU, the AU and the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).

    Provisional results are expected within three days of the election. A candidate needs to garner more than 50 per cent of the votes to win in the first round.

  • Postponement: Fate of ex-Congolese president awaits you next Saturday, CUPP tells Buhari

    The Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) on Saturday attacked President Muhammadu Buhari for blaming the Independent Natiaonal Electoral Commission (INEC) for positioning the elections.

    The coalition insisted that President Buhari was part of reasons for the unfortunate postponement.

    It described President Buhari as dishonourable and a desperate despot afraid of losing to the opposition.

    Recall that INEC on Saturday postponed the elections earlier scheduled to commence today. This shocking postponement has since attracted condemnations within and outside the country.

    The president also condemned the commission on Saturday for subjecting Nigerians to so much embarrassment despite according the commission all the needed support and corporation.

    Read CUPP’s full statement below:

    CUPP reaction to President Buhari statement on election shift

    Your statement on election shift shows you are a dishonourable , lying desperate despot scared of impending defeat.

    ..You are pained because you didn’t get staggered election which was why your government security forces sabotaged election materials distribution

    ..Your Air Force called off pilots midair into distribution. Your Central Bank locked strong rooms midway into distribution of electoral materials, your security forces aided bandits to steal supplied materials.

    You used Amina Zakari to compromise about eight Federal Commissioners to support you plan to conduct staggered election. Your security forces looked the other way while your supporters burnt INEC offices and card readers.

    Despite the mayhem your government and security forces unleashed on INEC, you wanted the election to hold with only 50 percent state ready and thinking that INEC will give you staggered election.

    Though INEC failed Nigerians , the commission disappointed you more by refusing staggered election and you shamelessly issued a statement blaming them after you set the nation on the path of fire and bloodshed by sabotaging distribution.

    Bow your head in shame, Mr.President.

    We shall meet you again on Saturday February 23 2019.

    The fate of President Kabila of Congo awaits you. In case you don’t know, after burning down Congo’s electoral body’s offices and materials, Kabila’s party was defeated.

    Ikenga Imo Ugochinyere
    CUPP Spokesperson

  • Atiku insists on restructuring Nigeria if elected president

    Atiku insists on restructuring Nigeria if elected president

    Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2019 elections has re-affirmed his commitment to restructuring if elected on February 16.

    Atiku gave the assurance while addressing thousands of party faithful at a presidential rally at the Adokiye Amiesimaka Stadium in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital on Monday.

    The PDP presidential candidate who was accompanied by his running mate, Peter Obi, and other leaders of the party promised to uphold the rule of law.

    “If you (masses) elect PDP and Atiku into office; I will restructure Niger Delta and all other parts of the country. We must restructure the country.

    “Secondly, after the Obasanjo/Atiku administration started the East West highway project; till today it has not been completed.

    “It has not been completed because we did not vote PDP to continue in power in 2015. The project has been haunted till today. We are going to complete it, if voted into power,” he assured.

    Atiku said his administration would complete the dredging of old Port Harcourt and Onne sea ports if he wins February 16 presidential polls.

    According to him, Rivers state, Niger Delta and South-South had been abandoned by the administration since 2015, notwithstanding being the economic hub of the country.

    “Every development that the people of South-South, Niger Delta and Rivers have gotten was done by PDP-led governments. The roads, schools, hospitals and water, among others were provided by PDP.

    “I assure you that I will protect the constitution, protect separation of powers and will not interfere with the National Assembly and Judiciary because I believe in checks and balances.

    “My administration will uphold rule of law and will never allow the rule of law to be trampled by anybody,” he promised.

    Also speaking, former President Goodluck Jonathan called on the people of the state to come out enmass to vote PDP at all levels.

    He said nepotism, divisiveness, discrimination, factionalism, favouritism, sectionalism and killings had now become prevalent in the country.

    “All of us know that things that had never been happening in this country have been happening since 2015. Nigerians can attest if the country has gone forward, backward or static.

    “We cannot as a nation continue to stay where we currently are. We believe the only person out of the candidates who can lead us out if this quagmire is Atiku.

    “If your son or daughter is qualified to become Inspector-General of Police and Chief of Army Staff, he or she will be appointed. No one will be discriminated. Atiku will lead Nigeria forward,” he said.

    Senate President and Director-General of Atiku Presidential Campaign, Bukola Saraki, said Atiku had experience to take the country to greater heights.

    He said poverty and unemployment had reached an all-time high never seen in the country since its independence in 1960.

    “There is poverty in the land and Nigerians are tired of poverty. The people want a man who can bring economic prosperity and that man is Atiku,” he said.

    On his part, PDP National Chairman, Uche Secondus, assured the people of victory at the polls.

    He expressed optimism that Mr Abubakar would win the North Western states of Jigawa, Kebbi, Kaduna, Kano, Sokoto and Zamfara.

    “If you want a president that will work for 24 hours daily, a president with capacity and energy and a president who will be in charge and take responsibility, then vote Atiku,” he appealed.

    Hightlight of the rally was the adoption of Governor Nyesom Wike as gubernatorial candidate by 58 political parties in the state.

  • 2019: Soyinka endorses Moghalu for President

    Nobel laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka has endorsed the flag-bearer of the Young Progressive Party, YPP, Kingsley Moghalu for president and asked Nigerians to cast their vote for him in next week’s presidential election if they want a change in the country.

    Soyinka, in a statement he issued on behalf of the Citizen Forum, where he is the convener, said over the past few months, the forum studied the careers, experiences and track records of most of the presidential aspirants, and most intensely those actually short-listed by the opposition parties themselves and picked Moghalu as the best choice.

    “Like millions of Nigerians, we watched the debates. I physically interacted with some of the acknowledged top contenders, in some cases several times. We participated in Handshake Across Nigeria, where some candidates presented their briefs. Among others, I delivered a keynote address. We watched television interviews. We have exchanged notes with highly respected international Civil Servants. The drive towards Consensus among these dedicated groups sometimes took the form of test questionnaires to the aspirants, including items such as: ‘Who among the contestants would you choose, if you did not emerge as the ultimate preference?’

    “There was nothing complicated about assessment parameters: mental preparedness, analytical aptitude, response to the nation’s security challenges, economic grounding, grasp of socio-political actualities, including a remedial concern with the Nigerian image in foreign perception etc. etc. not forgetting a convincing commitment to governance and resource decentralization – commonly referred to as Restructuring,” he explained.

    Soyinka said the Forum rejected retrograde propositions of a political merry-go-round, which urged the electorate to choose this or that candidate in order to ensure “our turn” at the next power incumbency, saying that overall, the exercise was exacting but also-therapeutic.

    “It proved yet again that there is over-abundant leadership quality locked up in the nation, and that it is a collective shortcoming that the political space has not been sufficiently opened up to let soar such potential. Well, to cite the Chinese proverb: a journey of a thousand miles begins with the first step.

    “Let me reiterate: there is over-abundant, but stifled leadership material, and there can be no excuse, now that that potential of high quality is being manifested, for constricting the political space in a population that is nudging two hundred million. And that statement is of course specially addressed to those who took part in this exercise, those who deliberated opted out of it, some of whom were assessed anyway. Such potential compelled us to exercise utmost rigour in what proved to be a most daunting exercise. The final determination however is – the flag-bearer of the Young Progressive Party–Kingsley moghalu,” he said.

    Soyinka said the Civic Forum would now join forces with those who pray, “Evil Spirit, leave us be!” – at least those who subscribe to the belief that political elections are not a Do-or-Die Affair!

    The Nobel laureate had earlier said that the nation had been brought to her knees as the blaring media testimony needed no augmentation, adding that beyond her borders, Nigeria is the tale of citizens designated pariahs of the global community for whom special dossiers were opened, and units of security agencies were specifically assigned.

    Soyinka said online transactions were programmed to reject basic usage once the word ‘Nigeria’ was inserted in the data profile, saying that there were few nation left, within or outside the continental borders where – no matter the codeword – a Nigerian ‘room’ had not been designated.

    “Her humanity litters the sand trails of the Sahara, it lines the Mediterranean sea-bed with the bones of a desperate generation, seeking ‘green pastures’.Lines from my poems have been appropriated and embossed as epitaphs on the tombstones of Nigerians washed up the isle of Catania and accorded dignified burials by total strangers, certainly paid more respect than Nigerians themselves consider due to their own humanity.

    “Other would-be migrants have been slaughtered by religious fundamentalists on the shores of Tripoli, while waiting for their precarious crossing on suicidal boats. Yet others end up as commodities in the slave markets of Libya and Mauritania, hundreds recently rescued and airlifted – credit where credit is due! – repatriated by government.

    “It was not always thus. Numerous Nigerians believe that it need not remain so. There is always a choice to be made outside any presumptuous orders – in reality associations guaranteed to perpetuate social disorders and the politics of inequality.This is not the thinking of any one individual but of a large section of this populace. If it were not, there would not have been a record number of nearly a hundred political groups aspiring to take over the reins of governance.

    “We do not need any instruction however to estimate that several of the aspiring groups are mere plants, raised to sow confusion.It redounds to the credit of a few individuals, including some of the candidates themselves, who embarked on efforts to winnow down their own ranks, then seek a consensus candidate as standard bearer for the battle against the two political behemoths,” he stated.

    He said the Forum, which was last heard of during the time of the dictator, Sanni Abacha – was pulled out of retirement to join in their effort to arrive at peer consensus and change the narratives.

  • 2019: Its time for North-east to produce president – Dogara

    From Jonas Ike, Abuja

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon Yakubu Dogara, has said that the February 16 Presidential election offers a very rare opportunity for the north east to produce a president in the person of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar under the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Speaking in Bauchi on Tuesday at the Presidential campaign rally of the PDP, Hon Dogara noted that some people think that the north east can never be able to produce someone that will have the golden opportunity of becoming the president of Nigeria.

    “They thought no one from the north east would come out to take the challenge..many unpatriotic people wished that a day like this will never come where one of us; a father, a leader from North East, will contest for the position of the president.”

    He added that whereas Nigeria is now the poverty capital of the world, the north east is the poverty capital of Nigeria, a situation that will change when “one of us, our leader form the North East, and who is getting a huge acceptance wherever he launches his campaign, is brought to power.”

    Furthermore, he stated, “It is now left to us, the people of the north east, to come out enmasse to vote for him. That’s the only way to show our total support for a better tomorrow, and who ever votes otherwise has shown that he is not after the development of North East.

    “I want to make it clear to you, we are not campaigning for Atiku just because he is from our zone, no, we are campaigning and supporting him because of our belief that he will work for a better Nigeria. He is the only one that will bring an end to hunger, poverty, insurgency, especially Boko Haram, and also one who will make education a top priority. He will provide jobs to our youths.”

    The speaker argued that Atiku will work to unite the country and return it on the path of development, while taking a swipe at the Bauchi State governor, Mohammed Abdullahi Abubakar, who he described as a Pharoah.

    “It is only in Bauchi that a Pharaoh-like regime is being practiced. If you are a photocopy of Pharaoh, know what happened to the original Pharaoh.

    “We are bringing someone (Sen Bala Mohammed) who will bring back the lost glory of our dear state. It’s unfortunate that over 1.3 million children in Bauchi State are out of school today, which means if care is not taken, we may face another bigger security challange of our lives in the near future.

    “Let us wake up and chase away hunger, poverty, insecurity and a Pharaoh-like government,” he charged.

  • Ex-Tanzanian president leads Commonwealth observers for Nigeria’s presidential poll

    Ex-Tanzanian president leads Commonwealth observers for Nigeria’s presidential poll

    The Commonwealth has deployed a 20-member Observer Group, led by former President Jakaya Kikwete of Tanzania, for the February 16 Nigerian presidential election.

    The Commonwealth Secretary-General, Patricia Scotland, constituted the observer group following an invitation from Nigeria’s Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), according to Commonwealth Secretariat.

    Josephine Latu-Sanft, Commonwealth Secretariat’s Senior Communications Officer, said members of the group included politicians, diplomats and experts in law, human rights, gender and election administration from across the Commonwealth.

    She quoted Ms Scotland as saying that an advance group of observers was deployed to Nigeria on January 28, while other members of the team were expected to arrive in Abuja on February 8.

    Ms Scotland said: “The Commonwealth has a long history of observing elections in member countries, in solidarity with electors as they choose their leaders, and in support of efforts to strengthen democracy and the rule of law in accordance with the values and principles of the Commonwealth Charter.

    “The Commonwealth has observed the previous five elections in Nigeria, and I am pleased to be deploying so distinguished a group to again support the nation in its continuing journey of democratic development”.

    The Commonwealth Observer Group’s mandate was to observe and consider factors affecting the credibility of the electoral process as a whole.

    It would assess whether the elections have been conducted in accordance with the standards for democratic elections to which Nigeria has committed itself, with reference to national legislation and relevant regional, Commonwealth and international commitments.

    Where appropriate, the Group could also make recommendations for the future strengthening of the electoral framework.

    The Commonwealth Observer Group would consider the pre-election environment and election preparations.

    Members would be deployed to various regions of the country where they will observe the voting, vote-counting and results procedures.

    The Group would submit its final report for consideration by the Commonwealth Secretary-General, and she will in turn share it with the Government of Nigeria, INEC and political parties.

    The Secretary-General would also convey the report to all Commonwealth governments after which the report would then be made public.

    The Group would be supported by Commonwealth Secretariat staff led by Katalaina Sapolu, Senior Director of the Governance and Peace Directorate.

    Other members of the Commonwealth Observer Group are Lesley Clark of Australia; Gary Dunn, former Commonwealth Deputy Secretary-General from Australia; and Omar Jallow from The Gambia.

    Members of the group also comprised Emmanuel Akwetey, Prosper Bani and Emmanuel Bombande, all from Ghana.

    Shahabuddin Quraishi from India, Orrette Fisher from Jamaica and Jedidah Waruhiu from Kenya are also members of the group.

    Also in the group are Notemba Tjipueja from Namibia, Eric Kwa from Papua New Guinea, Ernest Sagaga from Rwanda and Marcella Samba-Sesay from Sierra Leone.

    Others are Crystal Orderson from South Africa, Joy Napier from St Kitts & Nevis, Elizabeth Donnelly from United Kingdom, Linda Duffield, also from United Kingdom, and Musa Mwenye from Zambia.

  • 2019: We are not part of communique endorsing Atiku for president – Anambra Govt

    2019: We are not part of communique endorsing Atiku for president – Anambra Govt

    The Anambra Government has disassociated itself from a purported communiqué by Ohaneze Ndigbo endorsing the candidacy of Atiku Abubakar for the Feb. 16 presidential election.

    Abubakar is the People’s Democratic Party (PDP)’s presidential candidate in the February 16 election.

    Solo Chukwulobelu, the Secretary to Anambra Government (SSG), made the disclosure in a statement on Friday.

    Chukwulobelu said that the contents of the communiqué did not reflect the Anambra Government’s position.

    An arm of the Ohaneze Ndigbo, ‘Ime Obi’, arising from a meeting on Thursday in Enugu declared support for Mr Abubakar.

    Ime Obi is a rapid response arm of the Ohaneze Ndigbo, comprising delegations from the seven states that make up the organisation including state governors.

    However, Chukwulobelu expressed dismay that the apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation had decided to be partisan, in spite of the fact that members of the organisation belong to different political parties.

    Chukwulobelu said: “We have read bits of the communiqué purportedly issued by the Ohaneze leadership. We regret that they do not reflect the position of the people and Government of Anambra State.

    “The position of the Anambra State Government is that Ohaneze should remain a united umbrella for all Ndigbo, and should not take sides with any party.

    “There are major leaders in all political parties, including the three major ones in Nigeria, namely, All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), All Progressives Congress ( APC) and PDP.

    “It is deeply regrettable that the Ohaneze leadership has chosen to go down a divisive trajectory capable of setting back Igbo unity for several years,” he said.

    The SSG said that Gov. Willie Obiano had sent a delegation to attend the Ime Obi meeting summoned by the organisation in Enugu.

    “Our delegation arrived early enough to participate in the meeting of Ime Obi scheduled to start at 7 p.m. on Thursday.

    “We were surprised to learn that the meeting had been held earlier and lasted for a mere 30 minutes.

    “The representative of the Ebonyi State Government, Dr Eric Kelechi Igwe, who arrived at the venue before the time the meeting was scheduled to start was also surprised that it had already taken place.

    “The same goes for others like the Minister of Science and Technology, Dr Ogbonnaya Onu, and the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige,” he said.

    Chukwulobelu said that they were shocked that the meeting was even slated for a day President Muhammadu Buhari was campaigning in Anambra and Enugu States.

    He said that Buhari’s visit to Anambra was to honour Nnamdi Azikiwe, First Republic president of Nigeria, and the leadership of Ohaneze Ndigbo was expected to participate actively.

    “We were, indeed, surprised that the Ime Obi meeting could hold today (on Thursday) of all days.

    ‘‘We had expected Ohaneze leaders to participate actively in the inauguration of the Zik Mausoleum, Onitsha, Anambra State,” he said.

    Chukwulobelu said that the Mausoleum which had been under construction for the past 23 years was completed by the Buhari administration which was a big honour to Azikiwe, an Igbo man.

     

  • 2019: Despite Buhari’s visit, Ohaneze endorses Atiku for president

    The Igbo socio-political group, Ohaneze Ndigbo, on Thursday endorsed the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Atiku Abubakar.

    TNG reports that President Muhammadu on Thursday visited Anambra as part of activities to kick start his campaigns in the south east.

    The president had during the visit reiterated his support for the south east in terms of appointment and infrastructural developments.

    Atiku, a former vice president and major challenger of President Buhari has as his running mate, Peter Obi, a former governor of Anambra State.

    The President General of Ohaneze, John Nwodo, announced the endorsement in a statement.

    He said the ‘Ime Obi’ which is the highest decision making council of the group took the decision in Enugu after it’s meeting.

    “In its collective search for a polity that is just, egalitarian and inclusive, the Ime Obi Ohaneze Ndi Igbo met today Thursday 24 January, 2019 at the Nike Lake Hotel, Enugu, to further deliberate on the future of Ndigbo in the chequred history of a beleaguered country”.

    He said the Ime Obi took the decision after a ” critical and dispassionate appraisal of the issues and the visible fault lines in the polity, including the analysis of the election manifestos of the various contesting parties, especially with regards to the restructuring of the federation and continued relevance of the people of the Southeast in the Nigerian geopolitical space.”

    According to him, the meeting resolved as follows:

    “That Ohaneze remains the apex socio-cultural organisation that works for the interest of the Igbo in and outside Nigeria. It attempts to aggregate the views of all other Igbo platforms”

    “Ohaneze notes particularly that a major political party (PDP) by the nomination of our son Peter Obi as the vice presidential candidate has given Ndigbo an opportunity for inclusivity. Ndigbo must seize the moment”

    “That the presidential candidate of PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has made an avowed commitment to restructuring of the federation and reconfirmed same during his recent visit to the United States in his meetings high-level US officials”

    “In consideration of the above and other relevant existential factors pertaining to the treatment of the Igbo in our polity, the Ime Obi Ohaneze, therefore, hereby ratify the decision reached at the Ohaneze National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting held in Enugu on Tuesday 22 January, 2019, to adopt the Atiku Abubakar/ Peter Obi ticket in the 2019 presidential election. Ime Obi therefore endorses and embraces fully, this ticket without equivocation, especially with regards to the position of Ndigbo at the AWKA Declaration which insisted on a complete restructuring of the Nigerian polity”, Mr Nwodo said

    The group urged Igbos to see their PVCs as their most potent tool to ensure a restructured polity and for a better society.

    The meeting further called on the international community to help to ensure a free and credible 2019 electioneering in Nigeria

    Ohaneze also urged all Igbos to vote and to protect their votes.

     

     

  • Kim’s resignation: World Bank commences selection process for new President

    The World Bank on Thursday said it has commenced a process that will lead to the selection of a new president.

    The commencement of the process follows the sudden exit last Monday of the incumbent president, Jim Yong Kim, who announced he would be stepping down from his position effective February 1.

    Kim’s announcement came more than three years ahead of the scheduled end of his tenure in 2022.

    Since the announcement, World Bank’s CEO, Kristalina Georgieva, was announced as the person to assume the role of the interim president effective February 1.

    On Thursday the Bank in a statement said its Board of Executive Directors met on Wednesday, January 9, under the chairmanship of its dean, Merza Hasan, to discuss the selection process for the next President.

    While expressing appreciation to Kim for his leadership of the World Bank Group and the significant accomplishments of the Bank during his tenure, the Executive Directors affirmed the Board’s commitment to an open, merit-based and transparent selection process.

    “The Executive Directors agreed that candidates should be committed to the implementation of the Forward Look and the capital package agreement as articulated in the Sustainable Financing for Sustainable Development Paper,” the statement said.

    The directors spelled out the criteria prospective candidates for the president should meet before selection.

    They include a proven track record of leadership; experience of managing large organizations with international exposure, and a familiarity with the public sector; the ability to articulate a clear vision of the World Bank Group’s development mission; a firm commitment to and appreciation for multilateral cooperation; and effective and diplomatic communication skills, impartiality and objectivity in the performance of the responsibilities of the position.

    The directors also set the deadline for the submission of nominations starting from “February 7 by 9 A.M. Eastern Standard Time (EST) and ending on March 14 by 9 A.M. EST.

    They said the nominations may be made by Executive Directors, or by Governors through their Executive Director, while candidates must be nationals of the Bank’s member countries.

    At the close of the nomination period, the executive directors said they would publish a shortlist of three candidates along with their consent, while formal interviews would be conducted for all the candidates with the expectation of selecting the new President before the Spring Meetings of 2019.

    The President of the World Bank is ex officio chair of the Board of the Executive Directors of the International Bank for Reconstruction and Development (IBRD) and the International Development Association (IDA).

    The President is also ex officio chair of the Board of Directors of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency (MIGA), and the Administrative Council of the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID).

     

  • SDP crisis: Gana throws out VP offer, insists on running for president

    SDP crisis: Gana throws out VP offer, insists on running for president

    The embattled former Minister of Information, Professor Jerry Gana on Saturday disclosed that he is in the Social Democratic Party (SDP), to win the forthcoming 2019 presidential election and not to be running mate to former Cross River State Governor, Donald Duke.

    Gana, at the unveiling of his campaign programme tagged ‘SWIFT’ said the leadership of SDP would not want to take the decision of him accepting to become running mate to Duke, if the party wants to win election.

    The development is following the judgment of a Federal Capital Territory (FCT), high Court in Maitama a week ago declaring Jerry Gana, the winner of the presidential primary election of the SDP conducted on October 6 this year.

    The party had declared a former Governor of Cross River State, Mr. Donald Duke, winner of the election and its flag bearer for the 2019 presidential election.

    Duke at the primary polled 812 votes, while Gana had 611.

    Gana who was not satisfied with the outcome of the primary went to court seeking to be declared the winner in line with the zoning and rotation formula of the party’s constitution.

    He promised to unify Nigeria and also obey the rule of law if he wins the presidential election in 2019.

    His words: “I do not mind at all but, the party will definitely want a strategy, that is a winning strategy. Let us be very realistic the South South have just concluded a turn of the presidency during former President Goodluck Jonathan, if Nigerians are to be real they will know that it is too soon to have a presidential candidate running for an election from that zone.

    “The other zones of Nigeria would also want to have the vote, so if you want to win election the party will not do that. But if they want to just play politics they would do that. I am not for that I am for winning election.”

    Gana vowed that securing Nigeria and its people will be the primary responsibility of his administration if elected.

    He said: “we have identified unresolved conflicts, realities of injustice, prebendalism, ethno-religious crises, kidnapping, militancy, banditry, armed criminality, defective state structure and failure of governance. These have resulted in the negative backlashes and security challenges in our nation. Accordingly, we shall strengthen security of life and property to facilitate a qualitative development of the nation; reconcile the Nigerian peoples for better harmony, understanding and unity; and restructure the Federation for prosperity, equity and progress.

    “We cannot continue to live in denial that we are not a crisis-torn, conflict triggered and deeply divided people and expect the same people to build a progressive nation. The reality is that the country is at war with itself. We should take advantage of our heterogeneous nature, exploit the strength and synergy of our diversity to build a strong, united and progressive Nigeria. This is possible! It can be done! And we are determined to do it! Unfortunately, we have emphasized our differences and promoted the things that divide us, rather than those things that unite us. These matters have become sources of tension within and amongst the various peoples of Nigeria.”