Secession, Restructuring Clamours Won’t Create Better Life For Nigerians – Sowore

The African Action Congress (AAC) has said the clamour for restructuring, power rotation and secession by various groups in the country would not meet the long-term aspirations of Nigerians.

This is even as the opposition political party also said it was unfair for the federal government to defend the minister of Communication and Digital Economy, Dr. Isa Pantami, in the wake of allegations that he had openly supported some extremist groups in the past.

Factional national chairman of AAC, Omoyele Sowore, who stated this during the party’s National Executive Council (NEC) meeting in Abuja on Tuesday, however, warned that a mass revolution was inevitable if the legitimate concerns being raised by Nigerians about the future of the country were treated with levity |||READ MORE

Ezekwesili: I Have Been Rejecting Ministerial Appointments Since 2007

A former Minister of Education, Mrs. Oby Ezekwesili, said she was determined since 2007 that she would never accept a ministerial appointment again.

Ezekwesili said this in a series of tweets yesterday, adding that she had rejected past ministerial appointments.

The former minister’s tweet came barely two weeks after her former protégé, Japheth Omojuwa, said in an open letter that Ezekwesili was expected to be appointed a minister by President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 |||READ MORE

2023: APC, PDP, others should nominate Igbo candidate for election in Nigeria — Ohanaeze

AHEAD of 2023 general and Presidential elections, the umbrella body of South East people, Ohanaeze Ndigbo, has asked Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, the All Progressives Congress, APC, and other political parties to zone the presidency to the South East for equity, justice and fairness.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja, the President General of Ohaneze Ndigbo, Professor George Obiozor, who noted that time is ripe for Nigeria to get a President of South East extraction in 2023, said the talent of Igbo is yet to be fully utilized and maximised by Nigeria.

Obiozor, who expressed optimism that the South East would get the Presidency in 2023, however, warned that many were called, and a few were chosen. It wondered why why people were beaming unnecessary attention on negative issues such as security challenges in the South East because Igbo Presidency had changed from probability to possibility |||READ MORE

How Ibiono Ibom Stakeholders Dethroned Oba’s Strong Ally, Inyangmme As Political Leader

PDP stakeholders in Ibiono Ibom Local Government Area have dethroned Elder Ntienyong Inyangmme, a strong political ally of Senator Bassey Albert (OBA), as the Political Leader of the Local Government.

In a letter signed by 54 political stakeholders and addressed to the Governor and Acting State Chairman of PDP, the political bigwigs in the area said Inyangmme was only selected as political leader but yet to be ratified and formally installed.

The stakeholders stated that one of the reasons they have withdrawn their support for Inyangmme is his “ignoble role” in the 2020 Local Government Party primaries for the LG elections in the state. They stated that Inyangmme went against the established zoning arrangement in the area which favoured Ibiono Ibom Southern to produce the Council Chairman. Inyangmme had, alongside OBA, Ignatius Edet and others in their camp supported re-election of EkomAbasi Akpan who is from Ibiono Ibom Northern.

The stakeholders stated further during the period Inyangmme acted as Political Leader, he caused more harm than good and has factionalized the party while aligning with few selfish individuals to run the party as a private enterprise which caused “turmoil, apprehension and crisis in the party” |||READ MORE

BREAKING: Yakubu assumes office as INEC Chairman

 

Prof. Mahmood Yakubu on Thursday assumed office for a second term as Chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.

Yakubu had arrived to a rousing reception by INEC headquarters staff and guests at about 11:20 am and went into a closed-door session with the national commissioners. Thereafter, at a brief ceremony to formally take over affairs of the commission, Yakubu pledged to discharge his mandate without bias.

He said he had steadily strengthened the institutional capacity of INEC to carry on with its mandate even in the absence of a Chairman. Before handing over the reins of leadership, Muazu congratulated Prof. Yakubu on his reappointment |||READ MORE

 

Clinton says most Republicans want to see Trump gone but can't say it publicly: report

Former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said that most Republicans want to see President Trump voted out of office but can’t say it publicly, Axios reported on Sunday.

Clinton told the New York Times Opinion podcast “Sway” that most Republicans “have been cowards, spineless enablers” of the president throughout his administration

"Most Republicans are going to want to close the page," Clinton said on an episode of the podcast set to be released Monday. "They want to see him gone as much as we do, but they can't say it publicly." |||READ MORE

 

 

  

Nigeria is not a democratic state, the presidential address is proof | #EndSARS

For all intents and purposes, the Federal Republic of Nigeria is a democratic state, at least it ought to be. Yet, when the elected president of the federation address a nation in turmoil and steeped in grief and he alludes that his prompt response to the demands made by the people who voted him into office – a demand for a life free from the fear of being brutalised by the Nigerian Police Force no more – was misconstrued as a sign of weakness and hence his decision to deploy the military to summarily execute completely peaceful protesters, one begins to wonder if the act if up.

If a memo was passed around by the Nigerian Government where the end of the civilian democracy was communicated, perhaps the handlers of the President should let him know that some 200+ million Nigerians are yet to receive it. Maybe the president had somehow missed the memo that it is no longer business as usual, a memo which the mandate that Nigerians gave him when they forgave his past excesses as a dictator and brought him into office as a democratic president in 2015 was supposed to communicate.

Not only did the president take over 24 hours to address the country after the massacre of armless protesters whose only crime was sitting on the asphalt on Lekki-Epe expressway and singing the national anthem, but when he did address the nation, he casually skirted past it with no regard whatsoever for the weight of this tragedy |||READ MORE

Trump and Biden run vastly different pandemic campaigns

WINSTON-SALEM, N.C. (AP) — North Carolina caps outdoor gatherings at 50 people to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus, but don’t tell that to President Donald Trump. He basked in a largely maskless crowd of several thousand supporters during a campaign rally in this critical state.

“As far as the eye can see,” Trump said, reveling at the sight of people flouting public health guidelines at Tuesday’s event. “I really believe that these crowds are bigger than they were four years ago.”

A day earlier in Pennsylvania, Trump’s Democratic challenger, Joe Biden, held a socially distanced meeting in a backyard. His team has been so attentive to local regulations that some staffers have left the room if they risked breaking the rules on crowd limits |||READ MORE

Ondo poll: Adelegan emerges ADC gov candidate

Dapo Adelegan has emerged the governorship candidate of the African Democratic Congress in Ondo State.

The Chairman, Electoral Matters of ADC, Anayo Arinze, described the party’s primary as peaceful while appreciating four aspirants who stepped down for Adelegan to fly the party’s flag in the forthcoming October 10 governorship election in the state.

This was contained in a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Yemi Kolapo |||READ MORE

I didn’t campaign for Buhari while with Jonathan – Dasuki

A former National Security Adviser, Sambo Dasuki, has denied campaigning for the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), while serving as ex-President Goodluck Jonathan’s NSA.

Dasuki said this in a statement on Sunday titled, ‘I never campaigned for APC or Buhari as NSA to President Jonathan’.

He said, “The truth is that I was involved in an attempt at forging an alliance between the Action Congress of Nigeria, All Nigeria Peoples Party and the Congress for Progressive Change, among others, prior to the 2011 elections, which was not successful |||READ MORE

 

APC must not disintegrate, Buhari tells APC members

President Muhammadu Buhari has advised members of the governing party, All Progressives Congress (APC), to withdraw all pending litigations against one another, and settle for internal conciliation.

The president, who gave the advice at an emergency virtual meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NEC), in Abuja on Thursday warned that the mutating disagreements could lead to self-destruction, with dire consequences.

He further warned that the gains of the party could be reversed as conflicts overshadow the primary objective of service to the people, urging members to refocus on the larger picture and place more emphasis on uniting the party |||READ MORE

Disagreements can lead to self-destruction – Buhari warns party

President Muhammadu Buhari has warned that the endless disagreement within the All Progressives Congress (APC) could lead to self-destruction with dire consequences if the situation is not tamed promptly.

He, however, charged all members of the party to withdraw all pending litigations against one another, and settle for internal conciliation.

These were part of President Buhari’s remarks during the party’s emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the APC held on a virtual platform and monitored from the State House, Abuja on Thursday |||READ MORE

 

Obaseki finally dumps APC

Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, has formally announced his decision to resign his membership of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

Obaseki, who was disqualified from contesting the party’s governorship primary election slated for June 22, announced the decision to State House correspondents after meeting with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday.

The embattled governor said he would pursue his ambition for second term in office on another platform |||READ MORE

 

Nigeria drifting towards disintegration under Buhari – Akwa Ibom elders

ELDERS under the aegis of Akwa Ibom Leaders Vanguard said it has observed that the continued lopsidedness of political appointments by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration which favours only Northerners was leading the country towards disintegration and anarchy.

The Leader of the group, Senator Anietie Okon, who made the assertion in a statement made available to newsmen Monday in Uyo, wondered why president Buhari does not see Nigeria beyond his immediate Northern enclave.

Okon said the sack of Mrs. Mary Uduk, Acting Director-General of Security, and Exchange Commission (SEC) and replacing her with a northerner instead of ratifying her appointment, was a clear case of nepotism the Buhari’s led administration has continued to pursue and damning the consequences |||READ MORE

Gambari: How not to love Nigeria

When it mattered most, the overwhelming majority of Nigerians entrusted the leadership and governance of the country into the hands of Muhammadu Buhari as President. He was massively chosen on the basis of what he represented and what he promised to bring to the table in the face of the daunting challenges facing the country at the time.

Also, many people won their elections seamlessly by mere association of their aspirations with that of Buhari at that time. In other words, rather the party, All Progressives Congress, APC, Muhammadu Buhari was the brand to beat.

Although he is exercising this mandate through the instrumentality of organs and institutions made up of appointed, elected and specialized individuals at various levels, and to a reasonable extent on the guidance of the manifestoes of his party, APC; it is the man Buhari who would solely take the glory and blame of the government and governance in the end |||READ MORE