₦airaland Forum

Kwara Must Change raises alarm over influx of suspected political assassins in Kwara
https://mrrightsng..com/

Leading pro-Democracy group in Kwara State, Kwara Must Change (KMC) has raised an alarm over the influx of suspected political assassins into Kwara ahead of the 2019 general election.

In a statement signed by its state coordinator Comrade Yusuf Olatunji, Kwara Must Change stated that some concerned citizens, who witnessed the strange and unprecedented influx of unknown aliens into their communities, alerted the organization about the presence of the suspected men of the under-world and it called on security agencies to act promptly to avert possible security breaches.

According to the group, ‘’the suspected political assassins were camped in a community known as Olohunda in Asa local government and Eyenkorin in Ilorin West local government’’.

‘’While such aliens might also be in other communities yet to be identified, our sources confirmed that these unknown people were sighted in the above mentioned communities’’ the group said

Kwara Must Change maintained that, the importation of political assassins for the purpose of violence ahead of the 2019 general election shall not be tolerated in the state, as the upcoming election is not a war between enemies, but a friendly exercise to freely elect leaders that will take the state to the next level.

We therefore urge all strong hearted politicians to thread with caution and avoid toeing the path of do or die politics, adding that all Kwarans are members of the same family and election should not turn friends into enemy.
END

https://mrrightsng..com/

Hum

Watch how Olawepo Hashim mocked President Buhari with ''Za Oza Room''

During the PT's flag off of its presidential campaign in Abuja, The Presidential Candidate, Mr Olawepo Hashim while delivering his speech took a moment to mock President Muhammadu Buhari, by stating that, his government would empower women with the capital they need to take their place in the society, not just in ''za oza room''

The over 10,000 audience burst into laughter


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cz8Ujkm8r14

2019 polls: Olawepo-Hashim says he'll achieve $4trillion economy in 10 years

- Gbenga Hashim-Olawepo has assured Nigerians that he would achieve for the $4 trillion economy in 10 years if elected

- The presidential candidate of the People's Trust also said he will deliver 24th century economy that will be secured, prosperous and modern

- An international businessman of repute, Olawepo-Hashim said he wants to build economy that will guarantee jobs and empower our women

The presidential candidate of the People's Trust (PT), Gbenga Hashim-Olawepo has assured Nigerians that the party, if voted into power in the forthcoming general elections, will deliver 24th century economy that will be secured, prosperous and modern. He made the pledge at the presidential campaign flag off of the party on Saturday, January 12, held at the Old Parade ground in Abuja.

An international businessman of repute, Olawepo-Hashim is the adopted candidate of the Third Force Movement. He was also recently adopted by the Middle Belt Forum as the choice of the region in the forthcoming elections.

His words: “Let me assure you that by the time we are elected, we will build a united Nigeria. Many states, as it is, are dominated by the agents of destruction. They have been overtaken by kidnappers, thugs, and other social vices. And it's a pity that youth unemployment has risen to a point that we can no longer tolerate.

“We want to build economy that will guarantee jobs and empower our women. We will achieve 4 trillion dollar economy in ten years. We will empower the states to have their police so that internal security can be enhanced. We will build a Nigeria where every Nigerian will be proud of their passports because of foreign policy. “While emphasizing that the PT is determined to put an end to poverty and squalor in the country, Olawepo-Hashim said: You cannot fight corruption efficiently with a low minimum wage. As a party ready to build a new nation, we will raise the minimum wage to 50,000.” He added further that Nigeria has no relationship with poverty with the amount of resources the country has. "We are not making empty promises. You can trust us for democracy, security, jobs and a new Nigeria. For 27 years, I have been creating jobs. “I will be a commander in chief for all Nigerians not some Nigerians. That is the Nigeria the PT will take back. We will create a knowledge-based economy. We will deliver a 24th century economy that will be secured, prosperous and modern,” he added. Also speaking at the event, the former chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association and leader of the Third Force movement, Dr Olisa Agbakoba, said: “We took a resolute decision to form this movement we are seeing today.

We have reunited under a broad platform called Third Force and by God's grace and power, we will win. Let us go together.” On his part, the director-general of the party's campaign organisation, Alhaji Aliu Abufari, lamented that, “our country has become a community of poor people but today marks a new beginning. We have been devastated by insecurity from the north-east extended to every part of the country but we want a turn around.” He added that the menace of militancy, internet fraud, kidnappers have become the order of the day in the country while the young people have become social nuisance to the communities. Chairmen of the states under the platform of the party who were in attendance include: Ogun, Oyo, Lagos, Ekiti, Adamawa, Nasarawa, Kogi, Imo, Plateaue, Taraba, Jigawa, Benue. Barrister Anthony Akigha, who spoke on behalf of the state chairmen said: “We are ready to go and win this elections across the states. Our people are fully mobilised and will deliver. Nigerians are tired of the two bad coins leading this country and that is why we are craving for a new leadership.” Also, 10 presidential candidates have dropped their ambition to support Olawepo-Hashim.

Olawepo-Hashim recently called on politicians to rise above partisan fray in their reactions to the recent killings of Nigeria troops in the northeast region. Instead of politicizing the sad event, Olawepo-Hashim, rather called for a cross-party, consensual approach in dealing with the national scourge, according to a statement signed by his spokesman, Hassan Ibrahim. He stressed that it was time politicians desist from matters that could affect national security.

Read more: https://www.legit.ng/1215374-2019-polls-olawepo-hashim-ll-achieve-4trillion-economy-10-years.html

Endorsement from Groups Boost PT’s Presidential Candidate’s Ambition

Presidential candidate of the People’s Trust (PT), Mr. Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim has said that the series of institutional and regional endorsement from interest groups, political parties and civil society groups was big boost to his aspiration to win the presidential election.

He said, “I have a lot of goodwill in the civil society. That is what a lot of the other contestants don’t have, except Sowore (Presidential cnaidiate of the African Action Congress-AAC), who was one of our juniors in those days, many years after I left the university as a student union leader. Not many of them have the type of reach and network that we have in the civil society in Nigeria and outside Nigeria. This is very critical. You are not looking at a candidate who is strictly depending on his party.”



Olawepo-Hashim described his quest to lead Nigeria as an enduring struggle that will be sustained beyond the national elections. “It is a struggle to build a modern economy, expand the GDP of the country, have a new mindset about the possibility and opportunity that Nigeria presents to the world and to our own people, to unite Nigeria. There is no candidate that can inspire comfort across ethnic lines like my candidature, right now. It is what I have worked for throughout my younger years; building bridges as a student union leader, as a business leader, playing in many organisations. I have tentacles all over the country. There is virtually no state or local government, where I cannot call somebody and say, ‘help me’ because of what I have done in the past. It is not just because I am running for presidency. I have been an activist. I have also done a lot of philanthropy all over the country. I have been a national officer of a ruling party. I have visited many states as a result of that.”

Emphasising the importance of a political third force, he said the PT was a movement of political leaders who are statesmen and desire to build a modern state. “There is a difference between politicians and statesmen; politicians think about office and power. Statesmen think about not just office and power, but they also think about enduring institutions and values can make states endue. Sometimes they are called upon to make sacrifices beyond them; sacrifices that may demand them giving up their own personal comfort. That is what statesmen are made of and the time in question that Nigeria has stepped into now requires statesmen not politicians. It requires leaders that will rise above ethnicity. That will rise above their religious faith.”

https://www.thisdaylive.com/index.php/2019/01/16/endorsement-from-groups-boost-pts-presidential-candidates-ambition/

Dreaming of a February surprise
By Minabere Ibelema

I had a dream that when the result of the February 16 presidential election was announced, the winner was neither incumbent Muhammadu Buhari nor contender Atiku Abubakar. Rather it was a presidential candidate who hardly anyone has heard about.

Okay, it was actually a daydream, a flight of fancy. Yet, it is not beyond the realm of possibility. Blame the daydream on the widespread dissatisfaction among Nigerian voters regarding the binary choice before them. To many of Buhari’s 2015 supporters, he has been a disappointment. For reasons within and beyond his control — mostly the latter — there has been no discernible improvement in the plight of the masses. Moreover, he has done much to vindicate critics who said in 2015 that he is too ethnocentric to lead Nigeria.



On the other hand, many voters see Atiku as another of the old brigade, another recycling of political leadership. That’s why Atiku has not been able to ignite the fuse of enthusiasm that Buhari did in 2015. Besides, Atiku comes with his own political baggage, dogged as he is by allegations of corruption. It is in this context that one’s imagination has to be excused for conjuring up a scenario for a February surprise.

Of the 91 registered political parties, most are parties only by name, having membership that might not fill up a small classroom. But numbers add up, and there is strength in numbers. Just ask Jonathan Swift — Ah!!! He bemusingly illustrated this in one of his tales in Gulliver’s Travels, the travel to Lilliput. Though the Lilliputians were so tiny that Gulliver could fit several in his palm, they nonetheless bound him and compelled him to do their will.

Nigeria’s Lilliputian parties can do something similar. I imagined them starting with a web-based joint convention facilitated with social media. In the course of the convention, they would fuse their various lofty platforms and form a Congress of Micro-Parties (CMP). The convention will then choose a presidential candidate from among the attendees, most likely the presidential candidate of one of the mini-parties.

CMP could then rev up enthusiasm through social media. Given that a most of the mini-parties were formed by young people and given their superior social media savvy, they could distance the APC and PDP in galvanising interest via digital media.

I also envision these young people lobbying their parents, uncles and aunts to give change a chance. They would lay out their plans for reform in concrete terms, not just rhetoric.

All this will happen so rapidly that it will catch the establishment parties and politicians unprepared for counter measures — not even rigging. And so, before we know it, there is a new political order in Nigeria, a concrete demonstration that the electoral process is a powerful means of change.

This will be a different kind of revolution. Unlike the Tunisia-inspired Arab Spring, for example, it would entail no upheaval. And rather than bringing about democratic rule, it will deepen an existing democracy. Above all, it will wrest political power from those who have long dominated it mostly because of their wealth and scheming. As daydreams go, this seems within reach.

Who’s afraid of the people’s will?



A major reason Nigeria’s democracy has been precarious over the years is that many politicians are unwilling to abide by the people’s will. And so — through vote-buying, rigging, intimidation and even assassinations — they subvert whatever process is put in place to ensure fair elections.

It is not surprising, therefore, that some schemers are now seeking to get around the safeguards of the Permanent Voter Cards and Voter Identification Numbers. INEC Chairman Mahmood Yakubu recently announced the agency’s discovery that partisans are buying the cards and numbers with the goal of skewing the ballot. The fraudsters also collect the sellers’ phone and bank account numbers.

Yakubu speculates that the goal could be to keep voters from voting at all. Or “they may be acting on the mistaken notion that our system can be hacked and the card readers somehow preloaded ahead of the election and compromised,” Yakubu said. “We want to reassure Nigerians that we are aware of the new tricks. It is a futile effort.”

One hopes so. It is difficult to stop desperate people. And desperate politicians do desperate things.

Talking of desperate people, some of them saw it fit to disrupt the All Progressives Congress’ inaugural campaign rally at Ikeja on Tuesday. The violence was apparently perpetrated by rival factions of the National Union of Road Transport Workers, some of whose leaders were participating in the rally.

As The PUNCH reported, “Confusion thereafter ensued as the hoodlums, suspected to be supporters of MC Oluomo and Mustapha Adekunle, aka Seigo, another union leader, invaded the arena with guns, daggers, cutlasses and other weapons, leading to a free-for-all.”

Question is why would rival union members use the occasion of a party rally to engage in warfare? Despite the sustained gunshots, no fatalities were indicated in the initial reports. That suggests that the goal of the sustained shooting wasn’t so much to kill, but to disrupt the campaign. It is evidence that the next five weeks may not merely be raucous, they will be tumultuous.

The question of who is afraid of the people’s will mustn’t be disposed of here without comment on the attempted coup in Gabon. Of particular interest is President Muhammadu Buhari’s reaction to it.

“The military officers in Gabon should understand that the era of military coups and governments in Africa and indeed worldwide, is long gone,” Buhari is quoted as saying on Tuesday through a media assistant. “Democracy is supreme and the constitutional stipulations on the peaceful change of administration must be respected. That is the only way we can ensure peace and stability not only within the country but also in the region.”

“Amen” — and the equivalent in Islam — I can hear people chorus. It has to be very assuring to hear that view from someone who, as an army officer, overthrow an elected government and installed himself the head of state. We can now see why Buhari pleaded and got the press to stop referring to him as a general.

Even more assuring with this extolment of democracy is Buhari’s implicit pledge to ensure fair electionsnext month. After all, democracy based on compromised elections is much like a house built on sinking sand. That couldn’t possibly be the democracy he has in mind.Do I hear some more “Amen” to that?

https://punchng.com/dreaming-of-a-february-surprise/

Kwara Must Change

Kwara Must Change

HOW APC GOVERNORSHIP CANDIDATE ESCAPE ASSASSINATION WHEN SARAKI THUGS STRIKES

THEY KILLED ONE PERSON
WOUNDED 50
VANDALISED 30 VEHICLES

Gentlemen of the Press,

It is with gratitude to God that I welcome you all to this occasion with the intention of putting the record straight in relation to the unwarranted hostility and attack on the person of our gubernatorial candidate, Alhaji Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq one of the APC House of Assembly candidates of Ilorin west, Barrister Gafar Ayinla Ayinlara and our teaming supporters on Sunday 13th January, 2019.

The ugly incident perpetrated by well-known marauders and agents of Senator Bukola Saraki occurred at about 12 noon while APC members from Ilorin west and their friends from other parts of ilorin metropolis gathered for their party rally with a view to sensitize APC members on the forth coming general elections.

The unfortunate incident happened in the presence of law enforcement agents invited to provide security cover for the event.

But, the security agents became helpless when well armed thugs numbering about 50 invaded the venue of the programme, Ode Alfa Nda, Pakata Road, Ilorin and unleashed terror on innocent APC members and supporters.

The gubernatorial candidate and the House of Assembly candidate were only lucky to have escaped unhurt because of the tight security around them.

Many members of our great party had to run away to save their dear lives because of the ensued pandemonium while some other members of APC were not that lucky.

They sustained various degrees of injuries. In short the hoodlums had their way as they succeeded in disrupting the programme.

Those injured include: Yusuf Alagbede and Adepoju Shola among others.

All of them are now receiving treatment at different hospitals in Ilorin.

Even our House of Assembly candidate Barrister Ayilara had his Mercedes benz car and his branded vehicle esmashed together with several other cars belonging to our party members and supporters parked along the road near the venue of the programme.

The well-known hatchet men of Saraki who unleashed terror and maimed some of our people include one Abayomi Olayeri (Alfa Nda area) Dauda Ijaomode (Okelele area) and Sule Olola (Omoda Area).Others are Stubborn Wopa (Agbaji area) and Lati Olododo (Agbaji area), Abdullahi Afotileto (Adangba area) and Musa Abdullahi Ore (Agbaji area).

It is sad to report that several hours after the programme was disrupted, the hoodlums were still not done. They still went after one of our party members, by name Abdulrasheed Oloduowo and killed the innocent man in cold blood. His only offence was his being a member of APC. May Allah grant him Aljanat fridaos and give his family the fortitude to bear the great loss.

The sad incident was the second within four days. The first was on Thursday 12th January while our gubernatorial candidate was leading a peaceful rally around Ilorin town. They were attacked at various points Adeta,Omoda and Pakata Areas. Unfortunately after hearing the report Saraki went and turn the truth on its head by saying that his supporters were attacked. Already arrests have been made and the truth will come out.

He did the same thing yesterday as he visited Agbaji area only to give out money for repairs of some damage property. He also went to visit the injured ones in the hospital. We ask him who disrupted the APC rally at Ode Afa Nda?

Who vandalized vehicles parked at the venue of the programme? We submit here that, the visit of Bukola to both Agbaji area and the hospital were deliberate attempt to cover up the heinous deed of his hatchment.

This was not the first time Bukola Saraki will employ such satanic tactics. In 2003, Saraki after getting his Newspaper National Pilot Office cited along stadium road, Ilorin burnt, hurriedly arranged a press conference to establish the complicity of the ten state government. But, the investigation panel report and security report later exonerate the government of any complicity in the matter.

This is surely his trade in stock. However, we are worried because of the incessant attack on the person of our gubernatorial candidate, as his life is being constantly threatened.

We call on the police to bring to book all the aforementioned names and many others still at large.

A few months back, precisely in November 2018 Saraki’s thugs attacked the convoy of our gubernatorial candidate during the campaign for the bye-election in Ekiti, Oke-ero, Irepodun and Isin federal constituency which APC won convincingly.

Again, some years back, several women died at his residence and he quickly linked the incident to poor ventilation. In the same way, when several of his supporters died at his mandate office, he addressed press and blamed it too on poor ventilation even though the sad incident occurred in an open field.

Even as a new entrance into politics in 2003, Saraki used similar methods of intimidation, harassment, maiming and killings when he was to become Governor. We can still recall how Ganiyu Lasiele (Akalambi area) Alhaji Issa Zaria (Otte town) were killed during 2003 elections campaign period. Himself and his team were the first to condole the family of the deceased persons. He bought vests, cutlasses and guns with the inscriptions of “Up Lawal” to create an impression that the then Governor, Mohammed Lawal was the one that sponsored the miscreants.

Gentlemen of the press, let it be known that our preference for APC is a legitimate and democratic expression of our rights to vote for a party, choose our leaders, associate with whosoever we like and to ventilate our views to say NO to deceit, injustice, inequality and wanton disregard for rule of law. It is also worthy of note that the support APC is enjoying across the state today is God’s making. And when God says, YES, who will say NO? I ask. Therefore, Saraki and his other dishonourable band of adulators including pimps and thugs who desperately want to hold on to power against the wishes of the electorates will fail woefully this time around, Inshallah.

We call on the police and indeed other law enforcement agencies to please go into this untoward development, especially as it involves loss of lives and destruction of property of innocent people with a view to bring the perpetrators of this heinous crime to book, so as to avoid a repeat.

We implore our party members and supporters throughout the state not to be dissuaded by the unfortunate incidents. The plan of Saraki and his cohorts is to intimidate and scare all of us into submission so that, we will not be able to come out and exercise and our franchise on the day of the elections. We shall not allow this to happen.

I also want to thank our members for their patience and understanding while I also pray that those who were wounded will be okay soonest.

Finally, I thank the gentlemen of the press. I hope they will help us ventilate our views as expressed so that, the whole world can know who is desperate to disturb the peace of our noble state.

Thanks, God bless.

https://mrrightsng..com/2019/01/how-kwara-apc-gober-candidate-escape.html?m=1

People’s Trust Hashim Condemns Violence in Kwara, calls for peace

As the 2019 general election approaches, People’s Trust (PT) presidential candidate, Mr.Gbenga Olawepo Hashim has condemned all forms of violence ahead of the election and urged political leaders in Kwara state to remain peace and law abiding.

The 3rd force presidential candidate who expressed worry over reoccurring reports of political violence in Kwara State,called on politicians to desist from inciting and empowering political thugs in
the state.

In a statement issued by his Chief Press secretary, Hassan Ibrahim over the
weekend, Olawepo Hashim noted that Kwara is known as the state of harmony and the peaceful nature of the state should not be jeopardized over the quest for political power.

According to him, ‘’the struggle for power is not worth the life of any Kwaran or Nigerian,” adding that, Kwarans have suffered enough and do not deserve to be subjected to unnecessary violence.

‘’2019 election is not a war of guns and bullet, but an opportunity to choose leaders that would lead the people from poverty to prosperity’’. He said

Hashim advised political parties in Kwara State to conduct their campaigns strictly based on issues to avoid needless waste of lives and destruction of properties.

https://mrrightsng..com/2019/01/peoples-trust-hashim-condemns-violence.html?m=1

Olawepo Hashim is in prime position to challenge the dou of President Muhammadu Buhari and Atiku

Kwara Must Change

dinocy:
I like this man but the race is between APC AND PDP.

The race is a 3 horce race

Freshman54:
Have been hearing all this....

Hearing all what?

TVC special report on People's Trust Olawepo Hashim presidential flag off

Television Continental (TVC) featured a special report on the flag off of rally of People's Trust (PT) Presidential candidate, Mr Olawepo Hashim, which took place yesterday in Abuja.

Watch


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qsYW9m1hOHU

Kwara State Government responsible for political violence, KMC allege
…..Calls on FG to pay more attention

The leading Pro-Democracy group in Kwara State, Kwara Must Change
(KMC) has accused the Kwara State government of being behind the
political violence in the state, as it called on the Federal
Government to pay more attention to the happenings in Kwara before the
situation goes out of hand.

Kwara Must Change, in a statement by its state coordinator, Mr Yusuf
Olatunji stated that, the increasing political violence in the state
calls for concern, as it condemned all forms of state sponsored
violence that has become reoccurring in the state.

According to Mr Yusuf, ‘’political violence in the state started
immediately after the All Progressive Congress APC) won the
By-election in Kwara South’’.

Mr Yusuf recalled that after the victory of Honourable Abdulraheem
Ajulo Opin during the by election in Irepodun, Ekiti, Oke-Ero and Isin
Federal constituency, violence was unleashed on the APC Governorship
candidate, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq and his entourage while on their way
back to Ilorin.

According to him, the failure of government to bring to book, those
who carried out such dastardly act has encouraged other forms of
violence against members of the general public.

Kwara Must Change also noted that, when the state government, without
any justifiable reason, attempted to stop the opposition from using
its legitimate slogan ‘’O TO GE’’, which literally mean, ‘’Enough is
Enough’’, it started another round of political violence, which should
not have been so.

Mr Yusuf explained that, ‘’the government went as far claiming that
the Emir of Ilorin wrote a petition against the slogan, a claim
promptly disputed by the revered emir and till this day, Kwara State
government has not relented on its efforts to unduly exploit its power
over law abiding citizens, who are members of the opposition party ’’.

Additionally, ‘’Having failed to stop the use of the ‘’otoge’’ slogan,
political thugs allegedly loyal to the state government destroyed all
opposition billboards across the state and those responsible for this
are yet to be apprehended’

’’Even after the opposition erected new billboards, the new billboards
were also burnt across the state, adding that all these predates the
violent attacks that occurred today, in which some lives were
reportedly lost’’, it said.

The group condemned all these attacks and called on the federal
government to quickly pay attention to what is happening in Kwara
State before the situation goes out of hand.

END

https://m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1108799939281721&id=932061520288898

Mikora:
You can't just type Kwara must change without providing a link to where they said it. Anyway, I have confirmed from other sources myself

Kwara Must Change is a platform and you can verify from the group's handle

Mikora:
But this your source get as e be o, who be the Mod wey move this story to op without confirmation from credible source?

Which source can be more credible than Kwara Must Change that has been at the forefront of advocacy in the state?