The Coalition of South East Youth Leaders, COSEYL, the apex socio-political youth group in the South East, has asked former president, Goodluck Jonathan to jettison his presidential ambition. The group, in a statement issued by its President General, Goodluck Ibem while reacting to reports that the former president dumped the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, for his presidential ambition, asked him to support the call for Southeast presidency. The coalition lamented why Jonathan would be nursing ambition to return to Ask Rock when the South Easterners who had supported him in previous times are…
Author: Ifeanyi Nwagboso
A governorship and two House of Representatives aspirants have dragged the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) before a Federal High Court in Abuja over threats to disqualify them from contesting the 2023 general elections. The aspirants, Ambassador Sodique Baba Abubakar, Sodique Lawal Abubakar and Bindir Umar Buba, are praying the court to stop APC and INEC from disqualifying them on the strength of their being political appointees according to the Section 84 (11) and (12) of the Electoral Act 2022. The suit marked, FHC/ABJ/CS/641/2022, was instituted on their behalf by a Senior Advocate of…
The Indian High Commission here on Wednesday categorically dismissed speculative media reports about New Delhi sending its troops to Colombo, saying India is fully supportive of Sri Lanka’s democracy, stability and economic recovery. The denial from the Indian mission came a day after it refuted as “fake and blatantly false” local social media speculation that former prime minister Mahinda Rajapaksa and his family members have fled to India. The whereabouts of Mahinda Rajapaksa has been speculated since his resignation on Monday. It was reported that Mahinda had left his office-cum-official residence, Temple Trees. In its first reaction to the situation…
Barely 48 hours after dissociating himself from moves by some groups to draft him into the 2023 presidential race, former President Goodluck Jonathan has finally made up his mind to vie for the top post. Nigeria is set to go to the polls next year in a crowded contest parading many contestants in both the ruling APC and several opposition parties, including the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. On May 9, Jonathan had rejected presidential expression of interest and nomination forms bought for him by people described as nomadic Fulani pastoralists and Almajiri communities. He was quoted as saying…
Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, has resigned his appointment. Amaechi resigned his position following President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that all cabinet members vying for elective offices in the 2023 elections, should resign before May 16. The President’s directive was made known on Wednesday, at the end of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in Abuja. The resignation of Amaechi was confirmed in a tweet by APC Twitter UK handle. It wrote, “Nigeria’s Minister of #Transportation, HM Chibuike R. Amaechi [@ChibuikeAmaechi] has resigned from the Federal Executive Council (FEC) to focus on his Presidential Campaign. “Thank you for your service…
Ahead of the political parties’ primaries, the Nigerian Senate has adjourned plenary till June 7, 2022. The shutdown was to enable the lawmakers participate fully in the Presidential, national assembly, governorship, and state houses of assembly primaries holding across the month of May. The Senate Leader, Yahaya Abdullahi, moved the motion for adjournment and was seconded by the Deputy Minority Leader, Shuaibu Lau. The Senate President, Ahmad Lawan, in his remarks, moments before the close of plenary on Wednesday, explained that it is very important that the lawmakers participate fully in activities and processes leading to the conduct of party…
The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio, has tendered his resignation. Akpabio’s resignation is in line with President Muhammadu Buhari’s directive that cabinet members interested in contesting the 2023 general elections should quit before May 16. The Personal Assistant to the Minister on Media, Jackson Udom, confirmed the resignation to The Nation. He said: “The Minister has resigned. He has submitted his resignation letter to the SGF. We are waiting for him at the ICC, where he is coming to submit his nomination form”. Earlier, Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba resigned his appointment. The development made Buhari…
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Wednesday said he had agreed new deals with Sweden and Finland to bolster European security, pledging to support both countries’ armed forces should they come under attack. The agreements, described by Britain as “a step-change in defence and security cooperation”, will go some way to assuage fears in Finland and Sweden over threats made by Russia should either nation decide to join NATO. “What we are saying, emphatically, is that in the event of a disaster or the event of an attack upon Sweden, then the UK would come to the assistance of Sweden…
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has extended the deadline for the sale of its expression of interest and nomination forms. APC extended the deadline to May 12 2022 and directed that all aspirants who had submitted their forms would be screened on Saturday and Sunday. It also disclosed that aspirants who have obtained the nomination forms have until Friday to submit them. The party gave ‘Sallah holidays as a reason for the delays in the purchase and submission of forms. “Following the new submission date, APC has fixed Saturday, May 14 and Sunday May 15 for screening of all aspirants…
President Muhammadu has directed ministers with presidential ambition to resign immediately. The President gave the directive Wednesday at the Federal Executive Council meeting. He also asked those with other ambitions or contesting for various positions to resign. The minister of state for petroleum, Timipre Sylva, the Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, the Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajuiba, the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi among others are expected to resign following the directive.
A Senior Advocate of Nigeria, SAN, Olisa Agbakoba, on Wednesday insisted that former President Goodluck Jonathan is eligible to run for the Presidency again in 2023. Agbakoba backed his claims with some sections of the Nigerian constitution that allow a former President to run for the office again. In a statement he signed and forwarded to the media, Agbakoba said: “The eligibility of Former President Goodluck Jonathan to run for the office of President has become a vexed issue. In reviewing whether he is eligible to run, I will consider strictly the legal issues. The moral and ethical questions are…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Benue State chapter, has said the “campaign of calumny” being orchestrated against the party and its Tiv consensus governorship candidate, Rt. Hon. Titus Tyoapine Uba, by the All Progressives Congress (APC), shows that the opposition is afraid of defeat in 2023. The PDP in a statement issued by its State Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, on Wednesday, said heavier defeat awaits Benue APC in 2023 than they suffered in 2019, stressing that the APC stooping to “fabrication of fairytale and lies” only reflects fear and outright panic going into the coming polls. The umbrella party urged…
Nepal has shut its international borders with India and China for a period of 72 hours ahead of the local polls slated for Friday, according to the Home Ministry. The government decided to shut the borders to prevent any untoward incidents during the polls which will be held in 753 local units, said the Ministry. Ministry spokesman Phanindra Mani Pokharel said that a directive has been issued to the respective administration offices of the districts bordering India and China to implement the recommendations. The adjoining districts have been asked to halt all movements, except for emergency services, during the 72-hour…
Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State and Presidential aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC) has criticised both the party and the Federal government, saying both need to change the way they do things. Fayemi, in Adamawa State on Tuesday, in continuation of his campaign tour, said the APC had failed in its reward system and that the security agencies, which the federal government supervises, should have raised their human capacities long ago. Fayemi, who addressed APC delegates at the City Green Hotel in Yola, spoke at length on how the APC was not getting it right with its reward…
Governor Ben Ayade of Cross River State has told the All Progressives Congress, APC, that there must be detailed reasons before he can accept a decision on a consensus candidate for the party. The Governor, who is among the crowd of APC’s presidential aspirants, insisted that there must be a cogent reason to back up such a decision, especially when he is not the favoured aspirant. Ayade told Channels Television on Tuesday that once he is convinced, he would accept the party’s decision and work with whoever gets the APC flag, describing himself as a team player. “In a scenario…
President Muhammadu Buhari has responded to the call for him to extend his tenure by six months. This was in response to the Senior Advocate of Nigeria, Robert Clarke’s recent remarks, where he demanded that Buhari should elongate his stay in office. While the Presidency, through Garba Shehu, spokesperson to the President, noted that Clarke, may be sincere in his wish, he maintained that Buhari “will step down on May 29th, 2023, after serving two terms – as per the constitution.” The presidency said that Buhari, having taken over from an incumbent government in 2015, is committed to extending and…
Former Kaduna lawmaker, Senator Shehu Sani, has declared that some 2023 presidential aspirants are not serious. According to him, any aspirant who has not consulted across the 36 states is not serious about his ambition. The Kaduna State governorship aspirant claimed that most of the aspirants purchasing nomination forms are only playing game. In a post on his verified Facebook page, the former lawmaker said the aspirants are only concerned about picking forms, and erecting billboards. He said, “Most of the presidential aspirants are not serious. For the ruling party, they visit the Villa, buy form, erect billboards in Abuja…
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has launched an all-out attack on the current government and warned that all plans against arresting him would backfire. Speaking to his party workers at a rally, Imran Khan said criminals were sitting in the Pakistan Parliament and said his party only wanted early elections – which had been the PTI’s demand, the Daily Times reported. Alleging that Shahbaz Sharif plans to arrest him, Imran said he would give a call for the Islamabad march after May 20 and asked the workers to protest in their respective cities once the march begins. The PTI…
Kayode Ajulo, a constitutional lawyer, has branded the emergence of many presidential candidates for the 2023 general elections as a good omen for the country. However, according to Ajulo, only three of the numerous All Progressives Congress (APC) aspirants are constitutionally qualified to contest the presidential election. He stated this in an interview with NAN on Tuesday in Abuja. “From our preliminary examination of the aspirants, only three aspirants in the All Progressives Congress (APC) are constitutionally qualified to run for the president’s office,” Ajulo said, declining to elaborate further. Among the APC aspirants are Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and…
A former National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Yekini Nabena, on Tuesday dismissed claims of possible compensation for Presidential aspirants who lose during the party’s primary election. Nabena said there would be no compensation for Presidential aspirants who lose during APC primary election. There have been insinuations that APC may have some form of compensation for its Presidential aspirants who lose during primaries. The claims followed the N100 million price tag APC pegged on its Presidential nomination forms. Despite the N100 million price tag, the number of aspirants picking the forms continues to increase. However, responding to…