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Tag: Presidential Campaign

  • Gov. Lalong vows to foster unity as DG APC Presidential Campaign

    Gov. Lalong vows to foster unity as DG APC Presidential Campaign

    Gov Simon Lalong, the Director-General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) party presidential campaign, said that he would foster unity in Nigeria while discharging his duties for the party.

    The D-G stated this at a news conference on Thursday, when he was received by APC members and supporters at the Yakubu Gowon Airport Heipang near Jos.

    The APC National Chairman Adamu Abdullahi, earlier presented Gov Lalong of Plateau to President Muhammadu Buhari, as the DG of the party’s presidential campaign organisation for its candidate Bola Tinubu and his Vice, Kashim Shettima .

    Lalong said APC presidential campaign would prioritise issues that promoted national development, and urged Nigerians to elect leaders who will facilitate the process .

    He implored Nigerians against using ethno-religous affiliation and parochial interests in selecting the leadership of the country.

    ” Nigeria is one nation, the challenges we have is not for a Muslim or Christian because we have common challenges,” he said .

    He assured Nigerians of his capacity to lead the APC presidential campaign, especially with his current position as the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum.

    Lalong described his new position as a pride to Plateau, and a demonstration of the confidence bestowed on its people for their labour for APC.

    He appealed to Plateau people and Nigerians to support the party in delivering its Presidential candidate and other candidates for elective positions at various levels successfully.

    “The entire soul of APC and its campaign structure is put in trust to the people of Plateau.

    “Know that they expect confidence in you to deliver the president to bring change and development in Nigeria,” he said .

    He expressed confidence of ensuring APC wins the Governorship elections in Plateau, in addition to other elective positions.

    The governor said he would be working with a formidable team at the state and the national levels to ensure the party’s success.

  • Just In: Obi’s Vice: Baba-Ahmed confirmed as Okupe withdraws

    Just In: Obi’s Vice: Baba-Ahmed confirmed as Okupe withdraws

    Doyin Okupe, the Director-General of Mr Peter Obi’s Presidential Campaign Organisation has formally resigned his holder’s position as the running mate to the Labour Party Presidential candidate.

    Dr Okupe tendered his resignation letter on Thursday to pave way for the presentation of Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed as his substitute.

    The party’s National Chairman Barrister Julius Abure who confirmed Dr Okupe’s resignation assured Obi’s supporters that Senator Baba-Ahmed would be unveiled on Friday.

    He disclosed that his unveiling was initially scheduled to hold Thursday afternoon but had to be shifted to Friday due to the inability of the presidential candidate Mr Peter Obi to get into Abuja on Thursday as expected.

    Abure further added that Mr Obi travelled to Maiduguri, Borono State capital and was billed to return to Abuja Thursday for the ceremony but unfortunately his flight was cancelled.

    Senator Yusuf Datti Baba-Ahmed according to sources finally accepted to be Mr Peter Obi’s running mate after an intense discussions last Wednesday night.

    The Labour Party had to shift attention to Senator Baba-Ahmed after the crash of the initial romance with the New Nigerian People’s Party Chieftain, Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso who declined to be Obi’s Vice.

    The source further said the choice of the former Senator, who is also an economist and a well known anti corruption crusader elicited resounding excitements among the supporters of Obi who believe that they will make a perfect team.

    Senator Baba-Ahmed who is in his forties is also considered by Obi’s supporters who are mostly youths as a good bridge between the old and younger generations.

    Pairing with a much younger person like Baba-Ahmed is equally considering as a means to seamless transition to the new breeds of leadership in the country.

    The former Senator represented Zaria Federal Constituency of Kaduna State in the House of Representatives from 2003 to 2097 and was elected Senator for Kaduna North 2011 under the umbrella of All Nigerian People’s Party, (ANPP).

    He is the founder and Pro-chancellor of Baze University Abuja and the the Baze University Hospital which is said to be the biggest private hospital in Africa today.

  • Presidential poll: APC Presidential campaign petitions IGP, DSS over PDP’s ‘illegal access’ to INEC server

    Presidential poll: APC Presidential campaign petitions IGP, DSS over PDP’s ‘illegal access’ to INEC server

    The presidential campaign of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has written the Inspector General of Police and Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) over the alleged access to the server of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) by leaders of the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The presidential campaign team which managed the activities of President Muhammadu Buhari before and during the elections is demanding that the aforementioned security agencies investigate, arrest and prosecute (if found guilty) the leaders of the opposition.

    The petition written, signed and released on Monday by the spokesperson of the APC presidential campaign, Festus Keyemo (SAN) might bot be unconnected to the rejection of the Presidential election results by the candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar and his subsequent decision to challenge the results at a competent court of law.

    Recall that INEC declared President Buhari winner of the February 23 presidential elections having scored a total of 15, 191, 847 to defeat his closest rival Atiku Abubakar of the PDP who pulled 11, 262, 978 votes.

    However, the PDP and its candidates rejected the results saying the pool of evidences at their disposal including official figures on INEC’s computer server showed Buhari lost the presidential elections with over 1.6 millions votes.

    Hence the APC campaign’s decision to petition police and DSS on how the PDP leaders were able to access data on INEC’s data.

    Read full petition below:

    APC CAMPAIGN PETITIONS IGP, DSS, WANTS PDP HIERARCHY INVESTIGATED OVER ILLEGAL ACCESS TO INEC’S SERVER

    Monday, March 25, 2019
    1. The Inspector-General of Police,
    Police Force Headquarters,
    Louis Edet House,
    Abuja.
    2. The Director-General,
    Department of State Services,
    Aso Drive,
    Abuja.
    Dear sirs,

    PETITION TO INVITE, INTERROGATE AND INVESTIGATE THE PDP LEADERSHIP OVER ITS ADMITTANCE OF ILLEGAL ACCESS TO INEC’S SERVER
    BACKGROUND
    1. It would be recalled that an Electoral (Amendment) Bill containing the provision for electronic transmission of results to INEC’s central computer system (otherwise called “server”) was sent to President Muhammadu Buhari by the National Assembly for assent late in the year 2018.
    2. Despite the shortness of time before the Presidential/National Assembly Elections, and the lack of time to first simulate the process to ensure its effectiveness in a country like ours with problems of effective networks in many rural areas and constant failure of technological devices, together with its violation of the time frame of such laws as provided for in regional and continental Protocols in terms of the length of time required for the passage of such laws before any major election, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party was hell-bent that the President should sign the Bill into law. That was the first indication that the main opposition was up to something sinister regarding the electronic transmission of the results.
    3. Upon the last-minute postponement of the February 16, 2019 Presidential/National Assembly Elections, the nation was shocked to see already prepared presidential elections results floating around in the cyber space just less than 24 hours after the postponed election was originally billed to hold! The fake results had details of the scores of the candidates of the major parties. Of course, the fake results gave victory to the candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, even when elections did not hold.
    4. The only conclusion one can draw from the above is that the PDP had prepared those results which were to be smuggled into the INEC Server. However, the sudden postponement of the election scuttled that evil plan, but it was too late to restrain the release of the fake results.
    RECENT DEVELOPMENTS
    5. The proper elections were held on February 23, 2019 and President Muhammadu Buhari declared the winner. Despite the approval of the elections as credible by nearly all local and international observers (except some few known PDP acolytes masquerading as local observers), the PDP cried foul and made a shocking claim: it claimed that from purported results it obtained from INEC’s server, it has so-called proof that its candidate won the election by about 1.6million votes!
    6. Shockingly and coincidentally, this margin was about the same margin by which it also purportedly “won” by the fake results released just hours after the postponement of the February 16, 2019 Presidential/National Assembly Elections.
    7. As if this expensive joke was not enough, the PDP and its Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have gone ahead to file an Election Petition against the clear victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and have repeated the same outlandish claim of having access to INEC’s server which shows that they have some purported results at their disposal giving “victory” to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.
    8. Sirs, we wish you to note that INEC’s server is the back end of electronic records of INEC. This is not INEC’s website but its server! Although, the purported results have been conclusively shown by public engagements to be false and even ridiculous, especially as the total number of accredited voters is exactly equivalent to the purported votes of the APC and PDP candidates, this criminal claim of the PDP has revealed a few things:
    (a) It is now clear that some criminally-minded PDP operatives have access to the INEC server to be able to smuggle in fake results into that server.
    (b) The only means by which they could have access to the INEC server is by the criminal hacking of the server or through the criminal conspiracy of some INEC officials.

    PRAYERS
    The APC Presidential Campaign Council hereby prays that the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services use your good offices to investigate the hacking of and/or illegal tampering with the INEC server by the PDP. The leadership of the PDP must be invited, interrogated and investigated and those identified as perpetrators must be arrested and prosecuted.
    Opposition is healthy in a democracy but it is not a license for criminality and illegality. A country governed by laws cannot be blackmailed or cowed into indolence by the perceived underdog status of the opposition so as to condone such a blatant criminal claim by the PDP of having illegal access to INEC’s server.

    We trust you will act with alacrity.

    Thank you.
    FESTUS KEYAMO, SAN, FCIArb (UK)
    Director, Strategic Communications,
    APC Presidential Campaign Council,
    (Official Spokesperson).

     

  • JUST IN: PDP suspends presidential campaign over CJN Onnoghen’s suspension

    The opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has suspended its campaign for 72 hours to protest the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen.

    President Muhammadu Buhari controversially suspended Onnoghen from office on Friday. The president said he was acting on a court order by the Code of Conduct Tribunal (CCT). The president then swore in another Supreme Court justice, Tanko Mohammed, as Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria.

    Many Nigerians including the Nigeria Bar Association (NBA) and Senate President Bukola Saraki have described the president’s action as illegal.

    In its statement by its national chairman, Uche Secondus, the PDP said it was suspending its campaign for 72 hours in solidarity with Nigerians.

    “Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council has suspended its presidential campaign in protest of President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to suspend the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Walter Onnoghen.

    “The PDP Campaign Council further predicated the suspension of its campaign activities in solidarity with Nigerians in our collective rejection of the assault against our democratic order.”

    The campaign council, co-chaired by Secondus, also described Buhari’s action as a “dangerous and brazen assault on the constitution”

    “The basis for this election is the democracy itself. When democracy comes under this kind of virulent attack, then the election itself becomes superfluous,” the statement said.

    The PDP Presidential Campaign was scheduled to be in Benue State on Saturday before the suspension.

    “In the first instance, we are suspending our campaign for 72 hours. It is our hope that President Buhari will listen to the voice of all lovers of democracy the world over and restore democracy in Nigeria immediately and without qualifications. At the moment, the President has effectively suspended the constitution under whose basis the elections are being contested.

    “The action of President Buhari represents a constitutional breach and a direct attack on our democracy. This must never be allowed to stand, as there is no way by which democracy can survive under these autocratic tendencies.

    “We call on all well meaning Nigerians to rise in defence of democracy and save our nation from this imminent slide into tyranny,” Mr Secondus said.

  • 2019: Gana dares Falae, set to launch SDP presidential campaign

    2019: Gana dares Falae, set to launch SDP presidential campaign

    The Prof. Jerry Gana Presidential Campaign Team, known as G19, says it is going ahead with its planned commencement of Gana’s 2019 election campaign.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that a Federal High Court in Maitama, Abuja on Dec. 14, declared that Gana and not Mr Donald Duke, was the rightful Candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) for the 2019 election.

    Justice Hussein Baba-Yusuf had held that the regulations contained in the party’s constitution were binding on every member and must be obeyed.

    The judge held that the zoning and rotation formula as contained in the party’s constitution stipulated that both the chairman of the party and the flag bearer should not come from the same zone.

    However, the National Chairman of the party, Chief Olu Falae, on Friday appealed to all members of the party not to attend any of the events being scheduled by Prof. Gana and his Presidential campaign committee pending the outcome of the appeal in the earlier judgement.

    In a swift reaction to Falae, Dr Ike Neliaku, the G19/Gana Campaign Director-General, said: “ the Gana Presidential Campaign train is set to leave the station tomorrow December 29 (Saturday), and will run swiftly to redeem the time and arrive its destination successfully and unhindered.

    “Therefore, all the media organizations and guests invited to the Media Presentation are joyfully expected to be at the Ladi Kwali Conference Centre, Sheraton Hotel and Towers Abuja by 11.30 a.m.,” neliaku said in a statement in Lagos.

    He said that they were prepared to win the election and help other serious candidates of the party to win their elections as well.

    “We did not seek the party tickets to become merchants, traders and transationalists, we are too serious a community of people to engage in such.

    By the grace of God, we are running the race to win and determined to secure resounding victories for the Party.

    “ Considering the unmitigated embarrassment and sliding fortunes of the party in the last three months, I wonder if it is not time for the majority of party faithful who love the SDP to arise and rescue her from the tyranny of the minority who have received a mandate from outside of the arty hierarchy to muscle and cage the elegant stallion,” he said.

    The DG explained that following the High Court Judgment in favour of Prof. Gana as the 2019 Presidential Candidate of the SDP, and in the spirit of “our avowed commitment to Party Constitution, Gana wrote the National Chairman on Dec. 17 to inform him of the judgment and sought audience on Dec. 19 to brief the National Working Committee (NWC) on the agenda and roadmap of his campaign thrust.

    ” The National Chairman, through the Deputy National Chairman South, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, responded on December 18, conveying his inability to be in Abuja as requested.

    “On December 19, Prof Gana personally submitted his nomination form to the Party which was received by the Deputy National Chairman (North), Dr Abdul Isiaq and other members of the NWC on behalf of the party for onward transmission to INEC, in line with the court Judgment and order.

    “Dr Isiaq announced at the public occasion that the party will obey the court order. To our surprise, we understand that the national chairman, at the last minute, instructed the party not to proceed with the form to INEC, which is a flagrant disobedience to the court judgment.

    “After waiting for about 10 days without any information from the national chairman on moving forward, and being under tremendous pressure to commence campaigns in the light of limited time, Prof Gana wrote a second letter dated Dec. 27.

    The letter notified the National Chairman of his intention to unveil his campaign vision to the Media on Dec. 29, and meet with Stakeholders on Jan. 5, 2019.

    While expecting the national chairman’s response to the letter, our attention was this afternoon drawn to a press statement reportedly issued by the national chairman, on the subject matter of our letter.

    “To say the least, we are shocked at the national chairman’s sudden shift of position, after making commitment to both our candidate and other legitimate stakeholders, that as Social Democrats he and by extension, the party, were obliged to obey the court judgment and orders; and would expectedly work with the position of the court.

    “For the avoidance of doubt, the reliefs granted in consequence of our case by the FCT High Court are all declaratory, which could only be vitiated by a contrary judgment of an appeal court.

    “It speaks volumes that our National Chairman would prefer an Appeal process, yet to commence and determined, in total disregard to a subsisting valid judgment and order by a court of competent jurisdiction.

    ”We have consulted with other leaders of the Party who represent about 90% of both the NWC and the NEC of the Party, and arrived at the conclusion that the views of the National Chairman are not in tandem with the majority.

    “ Unequivocally as the DG of G19, we will rather stand with the Rule of Law, which is a cardinal element of our campaign thrust and our great party,” he added.

  • BREAKING: Fayose launches 2019 presidential campaign

    Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State has inaugurated his presidential campaign.

    The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Governors Forum had launched his presidential campaign on his Facebook page.

    TheNewsGuru.com reports that Fayose had on several occasions declared that he would kick the All Progressives Party, APC, led federal government out of office in 2019.

    The governor had initially said he would approach the Supreme Court to determine his eligibility to contest for the state governorship election due to his inability to complete his first term in office. This follows court’s ruling dismissing his impeachment.

     

    See photo of the campaign inauguration…

  • 2019: Atiku denies holding Presidential campaign in Enugu

    2019: Atiku denies holding Presidential campaign in Enugu

    Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has dismissed reports that the All Progressives Congress, APC, Enugu State Chapter shunned a purported presidential campaign parley called by Integrity Group, which is linked to him.

    A statement signed by Atiku’s Media Office stressed that, “the so-called Integrity Group is not known to Atiku Abubakar, the Atiku Media Office and the supposedly held parley by the group, is not known to the former Vice President.”

    The statement reads in part: “The news about this event is, at worst, the handiwork of some opportunists, political jobbers and shortsighted schemers who are out to do all they can to create power struggles for nothing but, their own selfish ends.

    “As such, the Atiku Media Office seeks to distance itself and the former Vice President from such group or persons.

    “The Atiku Media Office restates that what is of paramount importance to Atiku Abubakar (presently in Saudi Arabia to perform the lesser Hajj), at this critical stage of the life of our nation is party unity, unconditional support for the Acting President and prayers for the recovery and return of the President.

    “The former Vice President, is focused on lending his time and best endeavours to the President to ensure that the country turns the corner by overcoming the present ravaging recession and inflation and put food on the table for the average Nigerian citizen. The time for politics is yet, a while away”, the statement concluded.”