Former Vice President Mike Pence is filing paperwork on Monday declaring his campaign for president in 2024, setting up a challenge to his former boss, Donald Trump, just two years after their time in the White House ended with an insurrection at the U.S. Capitol and Pence fleeing for his life. Pence, the nation’s 48th vice president, will formally launch his bid for the Republican nomination with a video and kickoff event in Des Moines, Iowa, on Wednesday, which is his 64th birthday, according to people familiar with his plans. He was set to file papers making his candidacy official…
Author: Ifeanyi N.
A witness of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ibrahim Hamza, told the Presidential Election Petition Court, PEPC, on Monday that he signed the election results of Nasarawa State under duress. The witness said this at the continuation of the hearing of a petition filed by Atiku Abubakar and his party, PDP. They are challenging the Feb. 25 presidential election results, which brought President Bola Tinubu to power as a duly elected president. Respondents in the petition marked CA/PEPC/05/2023 are Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), President Bola Tinubu, and All Progressives Congress (APC). Hamza, who is the 10th witness called by…
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Plateau State, Samuel Kwamkur, on Sunday, in Jos, warned former Governor Nasir El-Rufai not to set Nigeria on fire with his careless utterances. Speaking at a press briefing, Kwankur, a former National Director of the Christian Association of Nigeria, was reacting to statements credited to the former Kaduna governor. El-Rufai had allegedly told his audience before handing over to his successor that the Islamic dominance in Kaduna had been successfully carried out in Nigeria and that it shall continue. He alleged that El-Rufai equally told his audience that in the course…
The People’s Redemption Party, PRP, has advised Kano State, Governor Abba Kabir not to use his office for personal vendetta but for the best interest of the state. This was contained in a press statement signed by members of the 2023 Kano PRP candidate forum issued to the media. They warned the Governor against injustice, prioritizing any individual, group, or political party’s interest above the collective interest of the state. “Election is the only legal and acceptable way of producing leaders under democracy in Nigeria, there must be a winner and a loser. “We are calling on the new government…
Frontline candidate for the speakership position in the incoming 10th House of Representatives, Tajuddeen Abbas of the All Progressives Congress (APC), has congratulated the governors of Bauchi and Rivers ṣtates, Bala Mohammed and Siminalayi Fubara, on their emergence, respectively, as the chairman and vice chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum. Abbas said he was elated that the two leaders were elected by their colleagues to pilot the affairs of the PDP Governors Forum, noting that their emergence is a testament to their leadership qualities and readiness to serve the people. In a statement from his campaign office,…
The Ohanaeze Ndigbo, the apex Igbo socio-cultural group, has called on Federal Lawmakers from the zone in the 10th National Assembly to vote for its principal officers based on their inclination. Chiedozie Ogbonnia, National Publicity Secretary, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Worldwide, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Awka on Sunday. Ogbonnia said that the group is not in agreement with the zoning of key offices of the 10th National Assembly as has been proposed by the ruling party. He said that the apex Igbo group leadership, under Chief Emmanuel Iwuanyanwu, agreed to direct all…
The Presidential Election Petitions Tribunal (PEPT) reconvened in Abuja today to resume the hearing on the suit filed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and its candidate, Atiku Abubakar, challenging the victory of President Bola Tinubu and the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the February 25 presidential election. Since Tuesday, May 30, the tribunal has been diligently considering the petitions presented by multiple parties involved in the case. Alongside the PDP and Atiku Abubakar, the Labour Party, represented by Peter Obi, and the Allied Peoples’ Movement (APM) have also filed petitions. The respondents in this case include the Independent National…
Senator Dino Melaye, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) candidate in the Kogi State gubernatorial race, has expressed his strong disapproval regarding the recent clash that reportedly occurred between Kogi State Governor Yahaya Bello and the governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The clash reportedly took place on Saturday when armed thugs, believed to be supporters of Alhaji Muritala Yakubu, the SDP candidate, attacked the governor’s convoy. In response, Senator Melaye issued a statement to the press in Lokoja, stressing that the peace and well-being of the people of Kogi should not be endangered by political disputes or the…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President, Kashim Shettima to follow the path of the late President Umaru Yar’adua by making their assets declaration public. The opposition in an interview with ThePunch on Sunday, June 4, 2023, said it was not enough for Tinubu and Shettim to fill out assets declaration forms and submit them to the Code of Conduct Bureau. In a telephone conversation with the newspaper, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba said the president and his vice should demonstrate their readiness for transparent leadership. “They should follow the…
Governor Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, on Sunday says the legislative background of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Vice President Kashim Shettima heralds improved executive-legislative relations for the country. Buni, in a statement by his Director-General Press and Media Affairs, Alhaji Mamman Mohammed in Damaturu, said the Tinubu administration ”is a meeting point of the executive and legislative arms of government that could fast track development. “Tinubu, Shettima and the SGF, George Akume were former Governors and Senators, while the newly appointed Chief of Staff, Femi Gbajabiamila is the outgoing Speaker of the House of Representatives, making it a unique…
China’s Defence Minister Li Shangfu used a speech in Singapore to attack US strategy toward the Indo-Pacific, saying Washington is seeking to stoke confrontation through its support for Taiwan, military deployments and building alliances in the region. And Li vowed that China would defend its interests — particularly over Taiwan, the biggest potential military flashpoint between the world’s biggest economies. “We will never hesitate to defend our legitimate rights and interests, let alone sacrificing the nation’s core interests,” Li said Sunday. “As the lyrics of a well-known Chinese song goes, when friends visit us, we welcome them with fine wine.…
The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, in Kogi State, Dino Melaye, has said Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State should support the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, in his push to reclaim his mandate. Melaye said Makinde should walk into the presidential election tribunal and support Atiku to show that the healing process has begun. Makinde, along with the G-5 governors led by ex-Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, had turned against Atiku during the last presidential election. While Makinde and Wike supported President Bola Tinubu, other members of the G-5 governors supported Peter Obi of the…
Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State has enjoined members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) across the country to steer clear of issues that could divide the party and instead focus on its unity. The governor made these declarations during a retreat organised by the party for elected officials in Bauchi on Saturday. Makinde, while speaking at the retreat, insisted that the process of healing the party must begin immediately. In his address to the gathering, the governor urged party members to embrace peace and put aside issues capable of causing division in the party as a result of the…
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has urged the present administration under President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to engage in genuine dialogue with organised labour and other stakeholders over petroleum subsidy removal to reach a fair and reasonable solution. The party gave the advice in a communique at a retreat for the elected officials on its platform, held on Saturday in Bauchi. The PDP in the communique, signed by its acting National Chairman, Amb. Umar Damagum, made available to newsmen in Abuja, expressed concerns over what it described as the quick removal of the subsidy and the lack of adequate consultation. The…
Bauchi State governor, Senator Bala Abdulkadir Mohammed, on Saturday, called for unity among members of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. He asserted that its strength lies in the ability of the members to remain united in the face of adversities. Governor Mohammed made the assertion at a one-day PDP retreat for elected officials in Bauchi, adding that the party remained resilient in the face of challenges. According to the Governor, the party’s conflicts with its governors and among members only serve to not only divide it and members but also undermine their shared objectives. “Despite the challenges we…
Opposition Senators-elect and House of Representatives members-elect are expected to meet at separate times with Tinubu at the State House in Abuja between 3 pm and 5 pm on Monday, June 5, 2023. The President’s notice of invitation, dated June 3, 2023, was signed by the Permanent Secretary, State House, Tijani Umar, on behalf of the Chief of Staff to the President, Femi Gbajabiamila. According to the notice, opposition senators-elect are billed to meet with Tinubu by 3 pm, while opposition House of Representatives members-elect will gather at the same venue to engage the President by 5 pm. The invitation…
A faction of the Labour Party, led by Lamidi Apapa, has asked the party’s presidential candidate in the last general elections, Peter Obi, to withdraw his case against President Bola Tinubu at the Presidential Election. The faction gave the advice on Friday, June 2, 2023, following the incident which happened at the tribunal on Thursday where the court chided Obi and the Labour Party for lack of preparation in their petitions and thereby stepped down the hearing. Speaking at a press conference in Abuja on Friday, the National Publicity Secretary of the faction, Abayomi Arabambi, said the development vindicated their…
A Catholic Priest in Edo State, Rev. Fr. Andrew Obinyan has charged Benue State Governor, Rev. Fr. Hyacinth Alia to rely on God for guidance in his desire to bring good governance and development to Benue State. Obinyan, who gave the charge on Saturday in Benin while speaking with newsmen, said that is the only way Alia can succeed as governor of Benue. He said, “I know you will sacrifice for Benue State to grow and prosper, but all that will definitely take some time. “You should begin your administration with this plea: ‘God, I don’t know what to do.…
The 2023 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has described President Bola Tinubu’s government as temporary. Atiku made the remark while stressing that he would reclaim his alleged stolen mandate in court. He spoke during a PDP stakeholders’ meeting for elected officials of the party in Bauchi State on Saturday. PDP urged members of the National Assembly of the PDP not to be “rubber stamp members of the National Assembly.” According to Atiku: “You are there to serve as a formidable opposition to this temporary administration. “Based on the results announced by the INEC and pending…
The member-elect in the House of Representatives for Ogbaru Federal Constituency and leader of the Labour Party, LP, caucus of the 10th National Assembly, Victor Afam Ogene has expressed the readiness of his party to work with the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, if it would take charge of visible opposition in the country. However, Ogene warned the PDP that the Labour Party would lead the charge on behalf of the Nigerian people to create a new nation if it stays on the “audio side” and remains an opposition party in name. He made the assertion during the one-day retreat for…