₦airaland Forum

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has chosen who will be his running mate in the 2019 general election.

Mr Abubakar popularly known as Atiku on Sunday defeated 11 presidential aspirants of the PDP to clinch the ticket of the opposition party.

The former vice president will have to slug it out with President Muhammadu Buhari of the All Progressive Congress, (APC). Mr Buhari is seeking a second term in office.

A source close to Mr Atiku who do not want his name published has told NGPOLITICS that the former vice president has settled for Senator Ben Murray-Bruce to be his running mate in the next year presidential election.

“Turaki has chosen to run with Senator Bruce,” the source told this reporter.

The source cited the recent withdrawal of the lawmaker from seeking to return to the Senate as a reference.

When reminded that Mr Bruce said he was stepping down based on the agreement of zoning in his senatorial zone, the source said politicians must always give reason(s) for their action.

“Don’t be deceived by what Bruce said, haven’t you noticed how he has been following the former vice president around?” the source queried.

“If he wants to return to the red chamber, he will, but he withdrew his participation because Atiku promised to run with him,” said the source.

The source added that former President, Goodluck Jonathan, recommended the lawmaker as running mate to the former number two citizen.

Ibrahim Babangida, former military ruler, has stated why he is now supporting the candidature of Atiku Abubakar, the 2019 presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).

Mr Babangida, fondly called IBB, declared his support for Mr Abubakar after the latter emerged victorious at the elective presidential primary of the PDP in Port Harcourt on Sunday.

Abubakar, popularly known as Atiku, defeated 11 aspirants of the party to clinch the ticket. He will then have to slug it out with incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari who is seeking a second term in office in the 2019 general elections.

Babangida who had earlier declared his support for Bukola Saraki, President of the 8th Senate, backed down when his preferred aspirant could not clinch the party’s ticket.



The former military ruler reacting to the victory of the former vice president at the primary, congratulated Atiku and has now declared his support for the PDP candidate.

He stated his reason for doing so.

“One of the few reasons I admire Atiku is because he is one of the very few politicians who has a lot of investments in Nigeria; for some of these reasons, he has my blessings,” Mr Babangida said in a statement on Sunday.

“We shall Atikulate together in 2019, my congratulations to him,” he added.

Already, Mr Saraki has congratulated the former number two citizen of the country.

“I congratulate our Presidential Candidate, Your Excellency, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, for your victory,” Mr Saraki said in a statement on Sunday.

“You have stayed on course over the years and truly, you deserve this victory.

“We always knew from Day 1 that only one candidate would emerge.

“On behalf of all the aspirants, I want to assure Alhaji Atiku Abubakar that we will work with you to ensure that come 2019, you emerge as Nigeria’s next President,” the top lawmaker added.

Atiku Abubakar, former vice president, has emerged the presidential flag bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the 2019 general election.

Mr Abubakar who recently returned to the party from the All Progressive Congress (APC) where he had, before the 2015 election, gone to actualize his political ambition defeated 11 other aspirants of the PDP at the party’s elective national convention held in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital.

Other aspirants are: Ahmed Makarfi, Aminu Tambuwal, Datti Baba-Ahmed, Attahiru Bafarawa, Sule Lamido, Bukola Saraki, Ibrahim Dankwambo, David Mark, Jonah Jang, Kabiru Turaki and Rabi Kwankwaso.

With his emergence, Abubakar will have to face President Muhammadu Buhari who is seeking re-election.

Atiku, as he is popularly known, scored 1,532 votes to come first in the presidential primary of the PDP. Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, trialed him with 639 votes to come second while Bukola Saraki, Nigeria's Senate President, came third with 317 votes.

Already, the PDP presidential candidate has congratulated the party for choosing him to stand as it candidate.

“@OfficialPDPNig, thank you for choosing me. This is a victory for all of us. The task to get Nigeria working again starts now. #NigeriaWillWork #LetsGetNigeriaWorkingAgain,” Mr Abubakar tweeted on Sunday.

Nasir El-rufai, the governor of Kaduna State has narrated how President Muhammadu Buhari directed him to initiate a recall process of Senator Shehu Sani.

Mr Sani who represents Kaduna Central at the Senate has not been in good terms with his state governor.

The vocal lawmaker who seeks to return to the upper legislative chamber under the platform of the All Progressive Congress (APC) has had Mr El-rufai to contend with. The governor wants to replace the lawmaker with his own candidate.

Sani, one of the lawmakers who was prevented from recently defecting from the APC, is among the three Senators from the State who are embattled with their state governor. While two others have left the party to pitch their tent with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the Kaduna Central lawmaker refused to join them on the basis that he will be returned to the red chamber by the national leadership of the APC.

An automatic ticket granted to him recently has been revoked due to the influence of his governor. He will then then have to battle it out in a primary if he will return to the upper legislative chamber on the platform of the APC even though his chances of coming out victorious are slim.

Narrating how the president ordered for the recall of the Senator, El-rufai said Mr Buhari gave him the mandate earlier this year but he decided to oust Sani through the ballot because a recall process initiated against a Senator, Dino Melaye, did not see the light of the day.

Mr Melaye’s recall was initiated by his state governor, Yahaya Bello. As at press time, NGPOLITICS could not independently verify if Mr Buhari ordered Mr Bello to initiate the recall process of Mr Melaye.

Just like Sani, Melaye has not had a pleasant relationship with his state governor. He recently defected to the PDP.

In a letter dated October 2 to the president, El-rufai compiled the sins committed by Sani against him, the president and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

“When your excellency traveled to London in April 2018 for medical consultation, Shehu Sani ridiculed it on Facebook as ‘Voyage to London, Season 3,” the letter read.

“In May 2018, he lamented what he said was Buhari’ s three years of failure to protect human lives.

“In the same month, he wrote that ‘Baba should protect his testicle from any man who always bends down to greet him.

“Your excellency will recall that earlier this year, you directed me to initiate processes to recall Shehu Sani from the senate to punish his repeated acts of contempt and disloyalty.



“Following your directive, our team in Kaduna studied what was being done in Kogi state regarding the recall of Dino Melaye and drew up a budget. Upon examination of the costs and loopholes in the recall process as brutally exposed in Dino Melaye’s case, and in recognition of the immense of preparations for the next elections, it was decided that it may be more prudent to oust him at the ballot.

“The party executives in his ward in Kaduna suspended him from APC in December 2015 for negative comments about your excellency. It was later extended to indefinite suspension in 2016.”

El-Rufai said it is clear that the APC does not need Sani but that the lawmaker needs the party urging the APC not to give the lawmaker the opportunity to misbehave again by choosing him as its Senatorial candidate.

Bokula Saraki, Senate President, has described the Police invitation extended to him for protesting against the outcome of the re-run of Osun State governorship election as laughable.

Mr Saraki also said the invitation was crude.

The top lawmaker had on Friday led members of his party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to peacefully protest against the Osun re-run election wherein the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) declared Gboyega Oyetola, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the winner of the election.

The re-run was marred by irregularities, with local and international observers condemning it as having failed to meet the minimum acceptable standards in election conduct.

The INEC pronouncement did not augur well with the PDP who went out to protest 24 hours to the date of its presidential primary election.

Notable among the protesters are: Aminu Tambuwal, Sokoto State Governor; Sule Lamido, former governor of Jigawa State; Uche Secondus, the national chairman of the opposition party; Senator Ben Murray-Bruce; Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso and Senator Dino Melaye.

Summoning the protesters to turn in themselves on Monday 8th of October 2018, the Police in a statement by its spokesman, Jimoh Moshood, alleged that the protesters attempted to break into the Force Headquarters in an unruly conduct to disturb the peace of Abuja residents.

Reacting, an aide of the top lawmaker, Olu Onemola, described the invitation as amusing.

“The statement issued by @PoliceNG on the PEACEFUL protest of @OfficialPDPNig leaders and Presidential aspirants is laughable and crude,” Mr Onemola tweeted late Friday.

“It also shows the Police’s intolerance for opposition and dissenting voices,” he added.

Already, Senator Bruce has reacted to the police invitation, querying how far the force has gone in its probe of the stolen mace saga at the Senate.

Also, the re-election presidential council of President Muhammadu Buhari, stated why the protesters were demonstrating.

The federal government has blamed Nigerians for Nigeria’s poor ranking on corruption.

Nigeria has been ranking low in fight against anti-graft practises since the President Muhammadu Buhari administration took over the affairs of the country. Several corruption allegations raised against its officials and allies has often been swept under the carpet with little or no action to deal with the alleged culprits.



Transparency International (TI), a global civil society organisation leading the fight against corruption, in its latest report said the country index position on its table dropped from 136 in 2016 to 148 in 2017.

For an administration that prides itself of fighting corruption, the ranking was seen as a blow to their efforts to get rid of graft practises in the country.



Blaming Nigerians for the poor rating, a presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina, said the rating is about how corrupt Nigerians were as the government do not deserve a fair share of the blame.

Exonerating his principal, Mr Adesina chided TI for the ranking, saying the country does not need it to verify whatever effort the current administration is making in anti-graft war.



“My position is that that ranking is not strictly about government, it is about Nigeria and her people. Some people want to make it seem as if it is a vote of no confidence in government or a lower mark for government, I don’t agree,” Adesina said on Monday while featuring in a programme on Channels Television.

“I think it is a lower mark for the people, because the people constitute the country. And I think if things do not seem to have worked as they should work, the people also have part of the brunt; they have part of the blame to bear.



“As much as I respect Transparency International, I don’t think we necessarily need them to authenticate what is going on in the country because we Nigerians know that there is a war against corruption ongoing and that war is succeeding. There are strides being taken. We may not be there yet but we are on our way there.

“So, let no agency from any part of the world come to think that whatever it says is the gospel to us. It can help, it can inform what is happening but it s not something that will be a milestone round the neck of government.”

The All Progressive Congress (APC) has again shifted its governorship primary for Lagos State.

The ruling party also postponed the party’s primaries for Enugu and Adamawa States.

This was announced in a statement by the acting Publicity Secretary of the APC, Yekini Nabena on Monday.

The Lagos primary earlier scheduled to hold today, Monday, October 1, 2018, was shifted to Tuesday, October 2, 2018.

“The National Working Committee (NWC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has rescheduled governorship primaries in the Lagos, Enugu and Adamawa states,” Mr Nabena said.

The ruling party spokesman said the shift in Enugu and Adamawa was because of the new mode of primaries adopted by both states.

He said the two states changed theirs from indirect primaries to direct primaries. The both states will now hold their primaries on Thursday, October 4, 2018, according to the Nabena.

Former Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) Babachir Lawal, has reeled out reasons why Nigerians should re-elect President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Lawal was expelled from office over his involvement in diverting funds meant for people displaced by the Boko Haram insurgency.

The Presidential Initiative for the North East (PINE) headed by Mr Lawal became a centre of corruption and rot with companies raking in, through fraudulent procurement process, billions of naira and paying kickbacks to the embattled cabinet secretary, according to bank documents and a report of the Senate Committee on the Mounting Humanitarian Crisis in the North-east.

Since he was last picked up and released by the Economic and Financial Crimes (EFCC) earlier this year nothing has been heard about when his trial will begin.



Addressing pressmen on Monday in Abuja, the former SGF said his former principal should be re-elected because he has performed beyond reasonable doubt.

He said the president had done so much for the country, adding that before he (Buhari) assumed office, the people of Adamawa were being held captive by Boko Haram sect.

“I know very well that President Buhari has done very well to be re-elected over and over again, I wonder whether those still in doubt have not seen infrastructure, construction and other things he has been doing,” Lawal said.

“I challenge those in doubt to come to Adamawa to see things for themselves.

“Before his coming into office, I could not go to my village, I could not go to my farm or to my local government, but the situation has changed.

“Now, I can drive to my house even at 2 a.m, I can visit the remotest corners of the village with my family. I go to my farm in the forest and come back safely.

“If you have never faced an unsecured situation, you may not appreciate what I am saying,” he said.

Lawal described his removal as a blessing.

“Let me shock you, before I came into government, I have been in business, I was a very successful businessman.

“I am a world renowned IT consultant and I have a very large farm, spanning over 1,000 hectares, which I abandoned to join governance.



“I was earning N930, 000 monthly as the SGF, now that I have returned to my farm and reactivated it after my sack, I now have 4,000 hectares under cultivation.

“Last year, I earned close to half a billion naira from my farm proceeds, I have a cattle ranch that I am developing gradually and I am back to IT consultancy, life is now good,” he said.

Lawal said everybody who saw him now, complimented him, saying he was looking good and healthy.

Bukola Saraki, President of the 8th Senate has opined why Nigerians are suffering under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Mr Buhari whose first term winds down next year is seeking re-election for a return to the Aso Villa in Abuja. He is expected to emerge the flagbearer of the All Progressive Congress (APC) to achieve such feat.

Under his watch, Nigerians has passed through untold hardship with over 11 million, according to the National Bureau of Statistics (NBS) loosing their jobs since the coming in of his government.

Mr Saraki who heads the National Assembly, is one of those aspiring to challenge the president in the forth coming general election in 2019. He recently dumped the APC returning to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in a bid to oust Buhari.

Addressing PDP members on Monday at a townhall meeting which held at Park Inn Hotels, Abeokuta, Ogun State, Saraki said there is a new order globally which encourages dynamic and energetic leaders, adding that he belongs in that category.

The top lawmaker said Nigerians want a leader who will unite them, noting that his fellow country men and woman were suffering under Buhari who he said cannot give what he doesn’t have because the President is not a visionary leader.

“Today in Nigeria, we are at a crossroads. There’s no sense of belonging in Nigeria again. We want a president that belongs to all Nigerians, that will unite Nigerians,” Saraki told his audience.

“There is a new order all over the world we have seen bringing in dynamic, youthful, energetic and digital presidents.

“Our people are suffering because you cannot give what you don’t have. We need a visionary leader. It is time not to vote for sentiments, but vote for someone that can perform.

“I believe I have the capacity, ability and track record, it is time we have a leader that stands for justice and I believe I represent such person.

“Our elders, I know many aspirants have come here, tell them your son has come out, they should mellow. On October 5 and 6, I want Ogun delegates to vote for me,” he added.

Senator Dino Melaye who accompanied the Senate President added a comic dimension to the meeting as he embarked on a series of political songs to seek support for Mr Saraki.

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Ayodele Fayose, incumbent governor of Ekiti State, has queried why former Finance Minister, Kemi Adeosun, was not been watchlisted and prevented from leaving the country.

Mr Fayose made the query in reaction to reports of his name been watchlisted by security agents in a bid to prevent him from escaping from prosecution of alleged abuse of office, money laundering, among others.

Mrs Adeosun who recently resigned after months of allegations questioning the genuineness of her credentials, admitted she was parading a fake certificate. She instantly flew out of the country few hours after she stepped down.

The governor who earlier described the development against him as political said he was not going to quit the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) despite the intimidation.

Fayose had earlier wrote the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) notifying the anti-graft agency of his intention to appear before it at the expiration of his tenure next month. But the anti-graft agency is said to be working on clues that the governor’s plan to appear before its team may be a decoy hence the need to watchlist him.

In a statement on Sunday, by Lere Olayinka, his Special Adviser on Communication and New Media, Fayose said the EFCC and the APC-led Federal Government were reckless.

“This is the same APC-led Federal Government that allowed Kemi Adeosun who forged her NYSC certificate to resign and leave the country immediately, but it is now placing alert on customs against Fayose. What happened to the alert that should have been placed on Kemi Adeosun? Mr Olayinka queried.

“Governor Fayose has written to the EFCC that he would appear at their office by 1pm on October 16. They should wait for him, he is not afraid and not a coward like them who are afraid of just anything. And we want to say that they should not waste their time and also not use the hushed up alert to customs to steal from the Federal Government coffers. Their case is like that of cow thieves running after fowl thieves.

“Governor Fayose is not afraid of any of them; he will appear as promised on October 16. They wrote a letter to the governor that he should appear on September 20 but by section 308 of the constitution, Governor Fayose still enjoys immunity against criminal prosecution until October 16, and when that garment of immunity is removed, Governor Fayose will present himself as promised on October 16 at 1pm,” he added.

Since 2007, Fayose has been having a running battle with the anti-graft agency. A new twist was however introduced to it in 2016, following the discovery that the governor, had allegedly benefitted from the alleged arms deal scandal, amounting to N1.3bn, which he was alleged to have received from the then minister of state for Defence, Senator Musiliu Obanikoro to prosecute his election in 2014. Obanikoro has since joined the All Progressive Congress, (APC).

Fayose’s party, the PDP, lost the July 2018 governorship election in Ekiti State, to the candidate of the APC, Dr. Kayode Fayemi. He defeated PDP’s candidate and outgoing deputy governor, Olusola Kolapo, to win the race.



Barely 24 hours after the election was won and lost, the EFCC, had in a tweet noted that with Fayose’s tenure ending in less than three months, he should be preparing to visit the Commission.

The Commission intimated that investigation into Fayose’s alleged N1.3 billion poultry project during his first term would be reopened so as to continue the prosecution.

“The parri (party) is over; the cloak of immunity torn apart and the staff broken. Ekiti Integrated Poultry Project/Biological concepts Limited N1.3bn fraud case file dusted off the shelves. See you soon,” the EFCC had tweeted.

OgogoroFreak:
Then resign to proove it

Bukola Saraki, Nigeria’s Senate President, has dismissed insinuations in some quarters that he has always placed his personal interests ahead those of the country.

Mr Saraki, made the remarks on Sunday in Minna, the Niger State capital. when he met with the members of the state’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The top lawmaker who is one of the presidential aspirants of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has been touring parts of the country to solicit for their support in order to actualize his presidential ambition.

Since his emergence as the President of the 8th Senate against the wish of his former party, the All Progressive Congress (APC) while he was still in its fold, Saraki has always been accused of protecting his personal interests above those of the country.



“One thing is clear, I will not sacrifice the interest of the country for my personal interest, and, in the last three years, as senate president, I have demonstrated that my interest is second to that of national interest,” Saraki said while addressing his audience.

Even before he returned to the PDP from the APC, several attempt to oust him from office have often met brick walls. On returning to the opposition party, the ruling party urged him to relinquish his position at the red chamber.

He has refused to heed the advise and has maintained that only those who elected him to lead the National Assembly could oust him.

Saraki addressing the members of the PDP described as unnecessary, calls for the senate to reconvene from its annual recess.

“We did not adjourn the senate in the dark; there was a procedure where, at the end of the session, there was a vote and it was seconded that we should go on annual recess.

“So, it wasn’t anything done in the secret; everybody was there. It is not that some few people met somewhere and took the decision.

“Everybody participated and everybody took the decision that we should adjourn for a normal, annual recess.

“The date that we agreed to resume was the same date we resumed last year and the year before, so, there is nothing abnormal about the senate adjournment.”



Saraki pointed out that all he wants for the country is a country rooted in the rule of law and a democratic process.

“I am happy that even they that started making the noise have now agreed that they will follow the rule of law and due process.

“What is important to me is to ensure the independence of the three arms of the government, to allow rule of law, to ensure that we respect the democratic process”.

The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Sunday denied it froze the account of Senator Ademola Adeleke, a governorship candidate in the coming Osun State gubernatorial election.

The lawmaker’s bank account was reportedly frozen alongside those of his family members, including singer, David Adeleke, popularly known as Davido.

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which made the allegation called on President Muhammadu Buhari to as a matter of urgency order the unfreezing the accounts.

The spokesman of the PDP Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement in Abuja on Saturday, said the freezing of the Adelekes’ accounts by an agency of the All Progressives Congress-led Federal Government, a week to the governorship election, underscored the fact that the APC “is mortally afraid of our candidate and has been seeking ways to undermine his electoral fortunes.”



“Such savage attack on innocent citizens confirms the viciousness of the Buhari-led APC administration to use any means whatsoever to subjugate Nigerians and appropriate power to itself at all cost.”

Reacting on Sunday, the anti-graft agency said there was no iota of truth in the allegation.

“The EFCC Did Not Freeze the account of Senator Ademola Adeleke, candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for Sept 22, 2018 Osun State governorship election,” the EFCC said through its twitter handle.

“None of his family members, including the musician, Davido was frozen as alleged in a number of news media,” the agency added.