Displaying items by tag: Election

The former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu, says that President Muhammadu Buhari did not ask him to discard his political ambition.

He said this after a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the State House, Abuja, on Monday.

The former Lagos State governor told reporters that becoming Nigeria’s president is his lifelong ambition.

The National leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, says his visit to the Presidential Villa on Monday offered him the opportunity to formally inform President Muhammadu Buhari of his Presidential ambition in 2023.

When asked how the President responded to his declaration, Tinubu said, “He is a democrat. He didn’t ask me to stop, he didn’t ask me not to attempt and pursue my ambition. It is a lifelong ambition. You are running a democratic dispensation and you must adopt the principles and values and virtues of democracy.”

Tinubu said he’s qualified to make Nigeria better.

“I don’t want to discuss individuals now, I must discuss myself. I have the confidence, vision and capacity to build on the foundation of the President and turn Nigeria better. I have done that with commitment and yielding zeal in Lagos State.

“You have seen that experience and capacity to turn things around and that is also what we are doing. The confusion and drift of the past in PDP are being corrected as we are today. Going back to the data of how many barrels of oil we were producing when we took over and what we have today.

“You now see excellent infrastructure. Let us think back and be intellectually inquisitive as to the past and the present as well as what the future holds for Nigeria,” he added.

The former Lagos governor dodged the question of a potential race for the APC ticket between him and Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, whose support groups have been mobilising for his candidacy.

The former governor of Lagos state, says there is no rule preventing a kingmaker from becoming king.

Tinubu played a role in the merger of different parties to form the All Progressives Congress (APC), and the subsequent emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari as the party’s candidate in 2015, thus earning him the moniker.

Fielding questions from reporters after meeting with Buhari at the presidential villa, Tinubu said he would pursue his ambition without the title of “kingmaker”.

“About the cap of kingmaker. I have never seen the cap of a kingmaker before,” he said.

“That is the truth and I have never seen where it is written in the rule book anywhere in any country that a kingmaker cannot be a king – unless you commit murder.

“So, whatever is your attribute [of me] is your own opinion. Me, I want to pursue my ambition without the title of a kingmaker. You can write your literature and story based on your own perception.”

Professor Charles Soludo, the Governor-elect of Anambra State, has termed his victory in the November 6 governorship election as a victory for the people.
Shortly after the Returning Officer for the election pronounced him the winner early on Wednesday morning, the candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) delivered a statement headlined "A Divine Journey Whose Time Has Come."

God, party members, supporters, INEC, security agencies, the presidency, and many others all played a role in not only guaranteeing his victory, but also in ensuring the election was held successfully despite the early anxieties and problems, according to his victory speech.

"There is enough room for everyone to contribute in the service of our motherland," Soludo stated in his victory address, adding, "That's the Anambra way!" Soludo extended a hand of fellowship to other candidates in the election, reminding them that the state is greater than them all. Let us maintain the "Anambra spirit" alive and well."

He emphasized that, despite initial technological hurdles, particularly with the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS), INEC should not abandon its efforts to implement technology in future elections, but rather improve them.

The Governor-elect also paid tribute to all those who died, particularly the three police officers who were killed by unknown gunmen during a town hall meeting with teenagers during his campaign.

Read complete text of his victory speech below: 

The run-up to this election and the election itself tested the resilience and integrity of our federal institutions. Many times there were tensions especially as one party boasted that it must “take” or “conquer” Anambra by all means.

“Our institutions proved again and again that this country can achieve eminent greatness when our institutions rise up to the occasion. The judiciary, led by the President of the Court of Appeal and the Chief Justice of Nigeria, stood for the integrity of the judiciary.

“We salute the eminent justices of the Anambra High court, Court of Appeal and Supreme Court for standing up for justice. Your names will be written in gold. We thank President Buhari, the presidency, and our security agencies for ensuring a level playing field.

“We must particularly commend the Chairman, Management and staff of INEC for systematically striving to bequeath a legacy of free, fair and transparent electoral system to Nigeria. The use of Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) represents a massive improvement over the Card Reader and manual accreditation system.

Senator Andy Uba said that he made Prof Charles Soludo Governor of Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN)

Senator Uba made this known during the Anambra gubernatorial debate on ARISE News Channel Supported by Enough-is-Enough.

Candidates who were present during the debate have already been cleared by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), including Mr Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Professor Chukwuma Soludo of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), and Mr Valentine Ozigbo of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

This was not the first time Senator Uba has alluded such claims that he was instrumental to Prof Soludo’s emergence as the Governor of CBN during the administration of former President Olusegun Obasanjo tenure.

He made similar remarks in Lagos whilst briefing journalist last week.

In a reaction from Prof Soludo, he raised a gray area about secondary status.

“when did you graduate from secondary,” Soludo threw jab.

“I graduated in 1974,” Uba responded.

Recall that Ubah was recently taken to court over a school diploma that he reportedly provided for the election.

According to a suit filed in the Federal High Court, Abuja, on October 8, 2021, with the case number FHC/ABJ/CS/1211/2021, Uba's Form EC9 to INEC was full of incorrect information.

The statement of result for the Senior School Certificate Examination May/June 1974 apparently issued by Union Secondary School, Awkunanaw, Enugu, Enugu State, under the Enugu State School System and allegedly bearing the name of Uba Emmanuel Nnamdi with Candidate Number 05465/089 is fraudulent.

The WAEC did not hold exams in 1974, when Uba graduated from secondary school, according to the report Senior School Certificate Examination (SSCE).

In a rebuttal by Prof Soludo, "you cannot lie against someone who is alive.

He said, “I know Andy was a Masseur in the U.S.

“If throwing up my name gives Andy Uba a CV, then I will concede that to him.”

Uba in a reaction said, “When he (Soludo) became the CBN Governor, he came to my house to say thank you."

Dele Farotimi Lawyer and Human Rights Activist declared that protests are for reactionaries and it is a waste of time.

Farotimi made this know in as a guest on CityTalks with Reuben Abati on City 105.1.

It's been a year since Nigeria was rocked by the historic #ENDSARS protest, a youth-led anti-police brutality action.

The Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS), a now-disbanded police tactical unit infamous for cruelty against criminal suspects, sparked the protest, which developed from social media campaigns into street rallies in October 2020.

The protest became a platform for demanding government action against insecurity, corruption, economic woes, and general maladministration blamed for the suffering of the majority of Nigerians and lack of opportunities for the youth. Although SARS activities and general issues of police brutality, including unlawful arrests, torture, and extrajudicial killings, were at its core, the protest became a platform for demanding government action against insecurity, corruption, economic woes, and general maladministration blamed for the suffering of the majority of Nigerians.

The Lagos based lawyer stated that the Nigerian state is deaf to change.

He further stated that he cannot go out protesting to a deaf entity.

When fielded with questions why there was a stacked division in terms of the response to the #ENDSARS protest in the northern region except the Federal Capital Territory: because the protest was more significant in south, rather than a national affair; Mr Farotimi was of the opinion that the northern region will not come out because most of them don’t understand what is going on and moreso they the issue of banditry, kidnapping to deal with.

In retrospect: according to the human right activist, “nothing has changed, every Nigerian is a victim of Nigerian.

“Each of us has become victimized by the abominable insanities that we have normalized

“Nobody can discount the humanity of the policeman.

“I have friends, family members who are police men and I know the deplorable conditions they live.

“When you demand that the humanity of a man be recognized and the man denies the humanity of the person from whom is demanding recognition, it doesn’t work like that.

“Is not about people not remembering that policemen who died, but we should ask ourselves; in what circumstances?

“Were the policemen killed by peaceful protesters for whom the likes of me will speak for?

“Or by miscreants they brought to disrupt the peaceful protest?”

He said, “I believe we have learnt several lessons, when you speak in relation to the Nigerian State and the rulers of Nigeria, it is either we conclude that they either learnt nothing at all or they are very deliberate in responding to what they did learnt by merely reinforcing the extent of their readiness to cow the citizenry.

“In so far as it relates to learning lessons, the enthusiasm of the Nigerian youth that felt the #Endsars movement has not being dampened, but they have learnt that they are not protesting to a benign moral force to whom appeals would elicit anything other than bullets.

“The events that terminated the protest have sufficiently advertised the nature of the country in which we leave.

“The state has done a fantastic job of reinforcing just exactly how little it has either learnt or how little it is prepared to change

“Because the same brutality that led to the end of the protest was on open display.”

Minister Lai Mohammed, Information Minister and Culture has said that were false and misleading as most of those who made the claims of losing people were yet to show up and give evidence a year after such allegations.

In a rebuttal concerning Mr Mohammed’s comment, Farotimi said; “In the first place there was a live Instagram feed, nobody has argued about that.

“In the second place, before the panel in Lekki the Nigerian Army was busy a probating and reprobating but eventually a fact was established in that place, that bullets were fired; fact established forensically.

“Secondly, there were hospitals who have brought their testimony before the panel, establishing clearly that they received gunshot injuries victims from the tollgate, established beyond reasonable doubt.

“I witness what happened on 20 October, 2020 and I listened to the testimony of DJ Switch.”

He added, “What will make an intelligent person like Raji Fashola, Honourable Federal Minister of works and Housing going to the toll gate to discover a camcorder that was not missing, if it is not a furtherance of a fraud to cover up what they did in that place.

“What else explains that level of iodophilia stupidity.

“Where is that camcorder today?

“Enough lies have been told that day to stitch together a very picture of the truth.”

Senator Musiliu Obanikoro is of the opinion that Nigerians need to cultivate the habit of a good loser when they lose election.

Senator Obanikoro who served as a Senator for Lagos state in 2003-2007, said this as a guest on City Talks with Reuben Abati on Saturday.

He stated that once a political party takes a decision, it behooves every member of that party to either reluctantly or otherwise support the position of the party as long as you are a loyal member of the party.

According to him, some people feels that once they did not win a Primary election, they can no longer participate in the process in the election.

Senator Obanikoro encourages viewers to participate in an election process so that they cannot complain afterwards.

When he was fielded questions about the low turn of voters, which was a big issue in the Lagos local government election conducted on the Saturday 24^th July, 2021 and was also an issue in the last local government election in Lagos State 4 years ago, Senator Obanikoro is of the view that the Voters apathy in the election were as a result certain factors, with reference to previous election, election held recently, even the one conducted by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), is declining.

He said that low vote turn out were as result of; i) Every one of us have become a government unto ourselves. ii) Economic hardship and the belief that an average person’s vote does not count.

Until we overcome these challenges, he said, “We will have difficulties having people participate in elections.

“When good people don’t come out to participate in an election, then definitely you may not get good people to run the affairs of the local government,” Senator Obanikoro said.

According to him, the effect of low voter’s turn will make people complain about the absence of the dividends of democracy.

He said, “We must find a way as a people through community engagement to get our people come out and appreciate the essence of local government administration.”

Reacting to the question raised by Dr Abati on the controversial issue on the plan by the National Assembly to increase election funding; for that of the Presidential aspirant to N15 billion, at the governorship level to N5billion and so on.

From Senator Obanikoro’s perspective, he said that the idea of commercializing elections is very unfortunate.

He said that when he joined politics in 1990 there about, that if such impediments were placed on his way, that he wouldn’t have gotten to where is now.

The Public Communication and business strategy consultant, Dr Okechukwu Ikechukwu has said that the disposition of the National Assembly will open a new vista of controversies that will call things up between now and 2023.

Dr Okechukwu said this on Saturday, as a guest on CityTalks with Reuben Abati.

Recall ahead of the 2019 general election the President refuse to assent to the electoral act amendment bill three times.

On the 16^th of July, Day 2 of the big issue about the electoral act amendment bill, Minority Leader, Ndudi Elumelu, led the PDP caucus out of the chamber on Thursday afternoon.

Elumelu raised an objection on the decision to consider clause 52 alongside other clauses despite the fact that a decision had not be arrived at.

He argued that the opposition lawmakers would not sit and watch as their concerns were being ignored.

Dr Okey reacting to the melodrama characterized around the electoral amendment bill, described it as power-politics.

According to him, he listed three perspectives to it. Namely:

1. The reputation of the National Assembly
2. The electoral act as part of the crisis of the political leadership
3. The decision of the National Assembly and the impact.

He said, “The Primary issue on the table is that if anybody at any point was in doubt whether the Representatives are actually representing Nigerians, the conduct of the Senators cleared that doubt.

“Did the Senators consult their constituents, in order words, those who sent them to National Assembly, and can they therefore be said that they are saying what the people who sent them to say? The answer is no.

“The processes leading up to that decision, did it and does it suggest that there was some backroom scheming going on? The answer is yes.”

Dr Okechukwu opines that the disposition of the lawmakers on the electoral act amendment bill discredits the leadership of the National Assembly and also reveals that the lawmakers are primarily committed to whatever agreements they make in Abuja pertaining their political survival rather than the Nigerian States.

When fielded questions about the logic behind the vote by those who voted for or against, he said, “I believe that this decision of the National Assembly has only thrown open a new vista of perception and controversies that are likely to call a lot of things between now and 2023. Both for the ruling party and the political elite generally.

“The outcome of that voting, that decision of that bill is not attributed to any particular party it, cut across party lines.

“It tells you that there are some interests other than national interest, other than electoral purity, other than national service that is behind the content and form of the bill they passed.”

Dr okechukwu said that he shares the same view with persons saying that within the purview of section 78 of the 1999 constitution that what the national assembly is proposing is unconstitutional and illegal.