Ahead of the 2023 general elections, prominent Nigerians have established a third force, Rescue Nigeria Project (RNP), to give Nigerians alternative platform to the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP). Founders of RNP include former Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega; political economist, Prof. Pat Utomi; former Governor of Kwara State, Ahmed Abdulfatai; and former Governor of Cross River State, Donald Duke. Others include Prof. Tunde Adeniran, Senator Lee Maeba, Usman Bugaje, Amb. Nkoyo Toyo, Yomi Awoniyi, Dr. Rose Idi Danladi and Dr. Sadiq Gombe. Delivering his keynote address, Abdulfatai lamented the…
Author: Ifeanyi N.
Barrister Mutiu Agboke is the Oyo State Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In this interview, Agboke said any Commission’s official who flouts the oath of office would be dealt with accordingly. He also stressed the importance of technology in delivering the Commission’s mandate, calling for the support of all Nigerians to succeed in ensuring credible polls to Nigeria. What is the progress with the Continuous Voter Card register? Why local government polls are won by ruling parties People are eager to register because INEC facilitates the process for the registrants. So, it is very easy for…
Ahead of the first in-person Quad summit among the leaders of the US, India, Japan and Australia in Washington, China on Friday criticised the grouping, saying the formation of exclusive closed cliques runs against the trend of times, and it is doomed to fail. At the invitation of US President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his counterparts Scott Morrison of Australia and Yoshihide Suga of Japan have gathered in the American capital for the first-ever in-person Quad summit at the White House on Friday. Asked for China’s reaction as the Quad summit is expected to address the challenges…
A chieftain of the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC), Dr. Garus Gololo, has advised the party to field Vice President, Yemi Osibanjo, and Governor Babagana Zulum of Borno State, for an overwhelming victory in the 2023 presidential election. Speaking in an interview in Abuja on Friday, Gololo said Osibanjo has displayed competence, loyalty, hard work and statesmanship to pilot the affairs of the country. Gololo said, with dialogue and negotiation, power could rotate to the south, despite the fact that the north has the numbers, adding that the south might not pick it the way they are going about threatening…
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ebonyi State chapter, has, ahead of the 2023 general election, said it has zoned its governorship ticket to the Abakaliki bloc. Abakaliki bloc comprises two senatorial zones, Ebonyi North and Central. The state chairman, Elder Fred Udeogu, made this known while speaking with journalists in Abakaliki, the state capital. He noted that the two senatorial zones will harmonize, decide for themselves on whether the North or the Central will produce the next governor of the state. Udeogu equally noted that the stakeholders of the party zoned the party’s chairmanship position to Ebonyi south senatorial zone,…
The All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) says it is confident that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will conduct a free, fair and credible election in Anambra on November 6, saying the party has always defeated the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) since 2002. Dr Victor Oye, National Chairman of APGA, said this when he spoke with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Friday in Awka, the state capital. Oye expressed optimism that no group or political party would be able to rig the poll. He said that the party was neither worried…
Stanley Ekezie, a chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Imo State has accused Gov Hope Uzodinma’s administration of leaving the people of the state with broken hopes and failed expectations across all sectors. The party chieftain said Imo people cannot wait to sack the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the polls regretting that the atmosphere has become gloomy as a result of the disappointing scorecard of the incumbent governor. Ekezie, who is also the Southeast zonal ex-officio of the PDP, stated this on Friday in Owerri, the state capital, while receiving the Forum of Imo Editors and Columnists…
Biden administration is imploring Iran to quickly return to talks on its nuclear programme after a three-month hiatus caused by its government transition, warning that the window for negotiations may soon close. A senior administration official said Thursday that U.S. patience is wearing thin and that further delays while Iran continues to expand its atomic capabilities could lead Washington and its partners to conclude a return to the landmark 2015 nuclear deal is no longer worthwhile. The official, who briefed reporters on condition that he not be identified by name, spoke as diplomats from the remaining parties to the agreement…
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has beckoned on the world to query President Muhammadu Buhari over his role in the escalation of terrorism, violation of rights, electoral malpractices, corruption, national division and economic ruin of Nigeria in the last six years. PDP made the call ahead of Buhari’s Friday address of the United Nations General Assembly in New York, UNGA. The party noted that Buhari administration has violated the sanctity of human lives, freedom, respect for human rights, justice and rule of law; credible elections, and democratic governance for which UNGA represents. In a series of tweets on Thursday, PDP…
Senator representing Ekiti South at the National Assembly, Mrs Biodun Olujimi has expressed strong optimism, that the defections currently being suffered by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), would not affect its opportunities of winning elections. The lawmaker stated that those who defected to other parties might have personal reasons for decamping, expressing hope that they would soon return to the umbrella fold. While conversing with journalists in her office on Thursday, Olujimi, who was the Minority Leader of the 8th Senate, said, if those who left the party do not return, they would soon “fizzle into oblivion”. She said, “This…
Akwa Ibom State Governor, Mr. Udom Emmanuel has advised the people not to put to risk all they have attained or gamble away their future as they call for his successor in 2023. He further said that all he wanted was continuity and sustainability against disruption and stagnation as well as to safeguard what they have already achieved. The governor, who made the remarks in his broadcast speech marking the 34th anniversary celebration of the state on Thursday in Uyo, the state capital, urged the people to pick a successor that would expand on his developmental strides, adding that the…
Dr Kayode Ajulo, a legal practitioner, has explained ex-Aviation Minister, Femi Fani-Kayode’s admission into the All Progressives Congress, APC, as a ‘symbolic presidential amnesty’, in view of his past attacks on President Muhammadu Buhari. Ajulo made this known in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, against the backdrop of Fani-Kayode’s recent defection to the APC. He said that the APC was magnanimous to have received Fani-Kayode, irrespective of the fact that some people including some party members might not be delighted with the development. ”FFK’s past attacks on President Buhari and the APC had unwittingly influenced passions in some quarters,…
When was trying to win the Vietnam War, Richard Nixon famously told his chief of staff that he wanted Communist leaders—in the Soviet Union, in North Vietnam—to think that the U.S. president was a mad man, that he was capable of doing pretty much anything up to and including the use of nuclear weapons. Fear of an unpredictable, erratic leader would bring the Communists to the negotiating table and render them more conciliatory. Nixon’s was, of course, a calculated craziness. “When the wind is southerly,” Tricky Dick certainly could distinguish “a hawk from a handsaw,” as Hamlet famously put it.…
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Thursday called for the immediate resignation and prosecution of the Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Godwin Emefiele, going by allegations by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that he superintended over massive looting of funds in the apex bank. The party made the demand in a statement by Kola Ologbondiyan, its National Publicity Secretary, on Thursday. It called on the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to immediately invite Godwin Emefiele for questioning over allegations by the National Secretary of the illegal APC National Caretaker Committee, Senator John Akpan Udoedehe, that the…
The Borno State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has brought to the notice of the public that materials meant for Saturday’s congress of the party have been hijacked by a group. The State PDP secretary, Yusuf Dikko disclosed this when he spoke with newsmen in Maiduguri on Wednesday. He disclosed that a complaint had already been sent to the party’s zonal and national headquarters on the matter. Dikko blamed the problem on the former governorship candidate of the party, Alhaji Mohammed Imam and the immediate past state PDP chairman, Alhaji Zannah Gaddama. “We have forwarded complaints to the…
The Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, has insisted that the Southern part of Nigeria has qualified people to rule the country. Afenifere’s National Publicity Secretary, Jare Ajayi, said power must shift to the Southern part of the country in 2023. Ajayi, who spoke exclusively to the media was reacting to a remark by the Northern Elders Forum, NEF, on the North producing President Muhammadu Buhari’s successor. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, NEF spokesperson had said the North was not ready to relinquish power in 2023. Baba-Ahmed had said the heavens would not fall if the North produces the next president, stressing that those against…
Members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) loyal to Governor Dapo Abiodun in Ijebu-Ode Local Government Area have taken to the street to protest the alleged substitution of their names as executive officers in the recent APC ward and local government congresses. The Abiodun loyalists on Wednesday besieged the Ijebu-Ode Local Government secretariat, chanting, “Say no to kangaroo exco.” InfoStride News reports that the APC faction lamented that their list of party executive officers elected during the congress had been substituted for another. With placards, the protesters from the 11 wards of Ijebu-Ode threatened not to accept any other party…
The United States has cancelled the plan of Including India or Japan to the recently created security partnership with Australia and the United Kingdom in the Indo-Pacific popular as AUKUS. On September 15, US President Joe Biden, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison and British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced the trilateral security alliance AUKUS under which Australia would get a fleet of nuclear-powered submarines. “The announcement of AUKUS last week was not meant to be an indication, and I think this is the message the President also sent to (French President Emmanuel) Macron, that there is no one else who…
A member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Musa Sarkin Adar, has hinted on what could happen to Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the party, if former President Goodluck Jonathan declares to join APC. Adar, who is a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) from Sokoto State, stated that Jonathan might grant Tinubu a good run for the APC presidential ticket if he joins the party. The APC chieftain, furthermore, pointed out that Tinubu stood a better chance to clinch the APC ticket because the party has the majority in the Southwest. Speaking on Arise Television, Adar said the…
The spokesman for the Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed has stated some conditions for a politician from the South to emerge as the next president of the country. Speaking on Arise TV on Tuesday, Baba-Ahmed beckoned on Nigerians to see beyond religious and ethnic sentiments during the 2023 general elections. He stated the demands by the southern governors that the region must produce the next president was not presented properly. “You cannot threaten us with violence and intimidation. We can read the constitution; we know what it takes to be the president. You have to score at least 25…