Below are the headlines found on The Daily Sun Online Newspaper for today, Saturday, 4 November, 2017.
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2019: I'm ready for Atiku, others- Buhari
Sat, 04 Nov 2017
President Muhammadu Buhari has thrown an open challenge to his All Progressives Congress, APC, to free the space for other leaders of the ruling party who are eyeing his seat in the 2019 contest. Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar leads the pack of APC chieftains who have shown interest in the next presidential election.

Exclusive details of discussions at the Tuesday’s National Executive Committee, NEC, meeting of APC obtained by Saturday Sun from three prominent members of the party’s National Working Committee, NWC, who attended the meeting, show that the President threw the challenge soon after the well attended NEC meeting kicked off and motions were being moved for consideration by party leaders.





According to the details, the motion seeking an automatic second term ticket for Buhari was the first at the meeting and it was moved by a party chieftain from the North, simply identified as Alhaji Nosiru. Former Zamfara state governor, Senator Ahmad Sani Yerima, seconded the motion. At that point, it was gathered, some state party chairmen at the back of the hall were shouting ‘No vacancy in Aso Rock.’ President Buhari then raised his two hands and pleaded that the motion be stepped down to avoid closing the space for other aspirants who may be nursing presidential ambition on the platform of the party. “President Buhari intervened after the motion was moved and seconded. He said there will be no need for that because he didn’t want the democratic space closed. He said ‘let’s allow others to contest, that’s the beauty of democracy.’

“It was after the President’s intervention that Imo state governor, Owelle Rochas Okorocha in his capacity as the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum moved the second motion seeking to pass a vote of confidence on Buhari and the party’s leadership. Okorocha assured the President that while moving his motion that all the APC governors were ready to go to any length with Buhari and that he can rest assured they will give his aspiration full support and en-bloc”, a party leader from the Northwest who is also a member of national caucus of the APC stated.
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My worry for Nigeria's democracy ' Wike
Sat, 04 Nov 2017
Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, yesterday, led a delegation of top government functionaries to the Financial Times of London for business negotiation. During the visit, Governor Wike opened talks and secured the partnership of the world’s leading business publication in both promoting the State’s brand and its investment opportunities on the global stage. He was received on arrival at Financial Times’ headquarters in London by Mr. Mark Carwardine, Commercial Director, Africa and the Middle East and Larry Kenny, Sales Manager for Africa and the Middle East. Governor Wike sought and received the partnership of the Financial Times of London in driving business opportunities in Rivers. He also used the opportunity of the visit to ask for greater spotlight on Nigeria, due to the failing nature of her democracy, which, according to him, was undermining development and investment opportunities in the country. The governor stated that: “Another area of our interest has to do with the survival of democracy in Nigeria. We can’t talk about investment when we don’t have democracy. “Investments can only thrive when institutions are strengthened and not weakened. We believe that with what is happening in Nigeria today, if people don’t speak out, democracy may not survive”



In his response, Mr. Carwardine acknowledged the political challenges in Nigeria and thanked the governor for his visit and assured him of Financial Times’ collaboration with the State Government in promoting its investment opportunities and brand.

Governor Wike and the visiting delegation, after their meeting, were led on a tour of the corporate headquarters of the organization in Southwark Bridge, London. Members of the governor’s delegation were an elder statesman, Chief Emma Anyanwu, members of the House of Representatives, Ken Chikere and Betty Apiafi, former Minister of Sports, Dr. Tammy Danagogo, State Commissioner of Information and Communications, Barr. Emma Okah, Dr. A. J. Beredugo, Executive Assistant to the Governor and Mrs. Dornu Kobara.
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WHY IGBO FEEL MARGINALISED 'Ex-Minister Odom
Sat, 04 Nov 2017
Chief Chuka Odom is a lawyer and former Minister of State for the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Abuja. The Imo State-born politician in this interview with FRED EZEH opens up on a wide range of national issues.

You are a critical stakeholder in South East politics, what is your take on the recent military operation in the region, with regard to IPOB?

Let me preface my response by stating that I am an Igbo man, thus my response could be misinterpreted by some people as ethnic sentiment. But that, I could not help. I am opposed to the idea of a separate state of Biafra or any other sovereign seeking entity within the Nigerian state. A lot has been said on how Nigeria is not a state but mere “geographical expression”. However, no state was created and named by God. What it means is that all sovereign states emerged through some form of amalgamation, fusion or consensual union. Some developed countries like the United States no longer have sizeable indigenous population. So there is nothing unusual or extraordinary about the way we came into being as a nation. We have managed to live together for 57 years; we have survived civil war, military dictatorship, failed and corrupt civil governance. I believe we could overcome current challenges with time. That will pave the way for the emergence of new crop of leaders and efficient institutions. However, we must be patient with ourselves. Now to your question; Nnamdi Kanu and his co-agitators are by-products of failed, inept and corrupt leadership of the last 17 years. It is unfortunate that these youths revolt over the meaningless lives and future the Nigerian state has condemned them to. The Kanu phenomenon is more like the Nigerian youths giving the political class the “middle finger”. The response, mirrors the dysfunction of a system rooted in ethnic politics, and thus, we lost an opportunity to open a conversation with the youths, with a view to pulling them in, comforting and carrying them along in spite of their harsh rhetoric. They were the victims here. If not, how do you explain a situation where soldiers will shoot kids whose average age is 25, and whose crimes were protesting with Biafran flag? We have driven these youths further off from a buy-in to Nigeria state, and left deep psychological wound in their psyche. The military has achieved no feat by killing unarmed youths just to silence their voice. The ease with which this was done gives a lie to all the allegation that they had stockpiled arms ready to fight the Nigerian state. The security agencies knew these youths had no arm other than sticks and Biafran flags. But we could still get it right if we so desire. All we need is to open up a conversation with them. They deserve good and quality life as Nigerians. It is obviously not too late to invite the IPOB leader and other youth activists from other parts of Nigeria to a room and hear their complaints. The effort at dividing these youths who are united in their suffering, along ethnic and tribal lines is shameful.

What about South East governors and other political leaders, do you think they did enough?
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SOURCE: http://www.naijanewspapers.com.ng/2017/11/naija-newspapers-todays-daily-sun_3.html