₦airaland Forum

Kyase:
You next president is Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Kyase:
The better candidate is BAT
Obi is actually the worst closely followed by Atiku

Kyase:
I hate hearing
"Obi is a good candidate" shiit man

Ogbuefi2020:
Don't mistake Anambra for Zamfara. A governors support is meaningless in SE

shams040:
No they are not stingy when you are funded. You get 8000 + per term and full health insurance.

NigPatriot:
Yes you can and yes you should.

BIGSAM24:
Good afternoon everyone, please I want to know how will they write me an invitation from the USA for easy approval,knowing fully well that USA has there way of doing things. Have been denied before that's 2019. But right now am a staff with dangote and I want to use them for applications.just want to know how will the invitation letter be written to me. Thanks everyone for your advice.

The ruling All Progressives Congress APC has kicked against the decision of the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC to deploy the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System BVAS and the INEC Results Viewing Portal IReV, saying Nigeria is not ripe for the use of such technology.

This was as the electoral umpire insisted there was no going back on the deployment of the technology.

There had been allegations that the ruling party was sponsoring moves to oust the INEC Chairman because of his insistence to deploy greater technology to enhance the electoral process.

APC National Chairman, Senator Abdullahi Adamu stated this on Wednesday evening when he received a delegation from the Commonwealth Election Observation Mission.

He said; “First, I was privileged to serve as a senator. Our concern is how ready are we to deploy some of these technologies as regards transmission because we are taking a major step in transmitting election results in real time.

“To transmit results, every part of the nation Nigeria I’m not sure that the network covers it, I know that even in

parts of Abuja there is no network and we have from now till February when in substantial parts of the country there is no electricity.

“INEC must assure us 100 percent that as at when due in transmitting results they are ready because they spoke about recharging batteries but we had in previous elections when it says it can’t recharge”.

National Organizing Secretary of the party, Ambassador Suleiman Argungu also kicked against the technology.

He said; “As a rider to what the national chairman just said about INEC transmitting results directly during the coming election, apart from the issue of electricity that is unstable, a lot of the villages and communities bordering other countries for instance my state Kebbi that is bordering two nations during the previous elections the network of Nigeria for all the networks, Glo, MTN, Airtel you can’t get them. If you want to get them you have to use the number of the other countries to reach them. So, during election I don’t see how transmission of result will work. I see it coming”.

Leader of the Commonwealth delegation and Political Adviser at the Commonwealth Secretariat, Lindiwe Maleleka, said the team was on pre-election meeting to Nigeria.

“We are here on a pre-election assessment mission , a chance to meet with all major stakeholders involved in the election. We have interacted with civil society organizations, political parties, senior government officials and media representatives as well. It is an opportunity to understand the preparation for the election irrespective of what status . Based on these perspectives we will submit a report to the commonwealth secretary general who will then decide to deploy observers for the election on behalf of the Commonwealth secretariat. This is why we are here to interact with you, tap your perspective and the preparation for the election.

“We note the reforms that have been introduced in the lead up to this election: the electoral act, 2022, the new technologies which were introduced and I believe was tested in the Osun and Ekiti elections. We want to get your views about the new reforms in the build up to the next general elections because we are aware it will be rolled out for the election in February. Number two, what is your own preparation as a party . The primaries have already taken place and specifically in the Commonwealth we talk about political leadership being inclusive of women, youths and people with disabilities in the build up to the election”, said Maleleka.

Earlier, INEC Chairman, Prof. Mahmood Yakubu had stated at a meeting with the Civil Society Situation Room and the Commonwealth delegation that there was no going back on the use of the technology.

slivertongue:
Peter Obi: if any contractor can come with evidence that I did not pay them as Governor before I Left office for the work done, I will stop campaigning.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Abuja, on Friday, suspended the execution of its judgement that ordered the Federal Government to release the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, Nnamdi Kanu, from detention.

The appellate court, in a unanimous decision by a three-man panel led by Justice Haruna Tsanami, granted the application FG brought for stay of execution of the judgement pending the hearing and determination of the appeal it lodged before the Supreme Court.

However, the appellate court, ordered FG to within seven days, transmit the record of appeal as well as its verdict on the matter, to the apex court to enable speedy determination of the case.

It will be recalled that appellate court had last Monday, reserved its ruling on the application FG filed for the judgement that quashed the entire 15-count terrorism charge it preferred against Kanu not to be executed, pending the determination of an appeal it has lodged before the Supreme Court.

The Appeal Court sitting in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory, has upheld the judgment setting the leader of the proscribed Indigenous People of Biafra, Nnamdi Kanu, free.

According to the lawyer to Kanu, Chief Mike Ozekhome, (SAN), the court on Monday upheld the freedom of Kanu.

He maintained that the further detention of Kanu beyond October 13, 2022, was illegal.

Details later…

The All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is planning to include an additional 2,000 members in the newly constituted Presidential Campaign Council of the party.

This, The PUNCH gathered, was to pacify APC National Working Committee members and state governors who were dissatisfied with the 422-member campaign council.

The development came against the backdrop of a letter purportedly written by the National Chairman of the APC, Abdullahi Adamu, accusing Tinubu of running a one-man show over the selection of members of the PCC, among others.

Tinubu had last Friday unveiled a 422-man committee comprising political heavyweights and other notable members to pilot the various sub-committees of the campaign council.

The list of members released by Secretary of the Presidential Campaign Council, James Faleke, in Abuja, followed a series of postponements and conjectures about those who would be saddled with the task of leading the ruling party’s bid to retain power at the federal level.

The campaign council chaired by the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), has Tinubu and the APC national chairman, Adamu, as co-deputy chairman.

Also on the PCC are APC governors, ministers, lawmakers, ambassadors as well as serving and past public office holders.

Zonal and state coordinators, advisers, campaign patrons, directors, deputy directors and secretaries of directorates were also named.

The sub-committees include media and publicity; support group coordination; national youth mobilisation; parliamentarian; trade and economic; agriculturists/commodities; campaign planning; civil societies; Diaspora directorate; election planning and monitoring; finance; fundraising; and humanitarian/social.

Others on the list are ICT/data management; intelligence and security; labour; logistics and support service; medicals; policy research and strategy; protocol and events, and others.

However, the composition of the PCC did not reportedly go down well with some APC governors, especially Governors Ben Ayade of Cross River and AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq of Kwara State.

The governors were said to have expressed shock over the exclusion of their nominees after the painstaking efforts they took to identify potential candidates who could mobilise support and deliver votes for the party in the 2023 polls.

They were said to have tabled their grievances with the Chairman of the Progressive Governors Forum and Governor of Kebbi State, Atiku Bagudu and the national chairman of the APC, Adamu.

Members of the NWC also disowned the PCC list, saying the presidential candidate did not allow them to properly vet the names before he made the premature announcement.

While arguing that the composition of a presidential campaign council is something that ought to be done jointly by the candidate and the party, the aggrieved NWC members maintained that the list contains certain names that shouldn’t have been added because they have little or no electoral value.

New appointees underway
When contacted on steps the party and its candidate are taking to address the grievances, the spokesperson for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo, confirmed that the list released on Friday was inconclusive.

Keyamo disclosed that the earlier published list contained names of leaders in each directorate, adding that a supplementary list of over 2,000 ‘membership cadre’ is on the way.

He said, “All their nominees will be included. The list was released in two parts. The one we released was the first one. In the coming days, more than 2,000 additional names will be released.”

On the difference between the membership cadre and the first, he said the first list contained the heads of each directorate.

He stated, “For instance, in my directorate which is ‘public affairs’, you will see only three names. And, of course, you know only three persons cannot run my department for the whole country.

“Even under Bayo Onanuga in media and publicity, there are only three or four names there. That also cannot run a whole campaign.

“Now, what we are saying is that with the release of the membership cadre, we will now have more than 100 people under each directorate, including mine.

“That’s why I said there is absolutely nothing to fear. The 422-member list is not all the people nominated for our campaign. You know we are more organised than those other people who are falling every day. So, don’t worry.’’

On concerns raised by the APC NWC members that they were not permitted to properly vet the list before it was unveiled to the public, the Senior Advocate of Nigeria noted that there was no iota of truth in the report.

Keyamo added, “They were allowed to scrutinise it. There was a proper synergy between the candidate and the NWC. Beyond the second batch, we still have the governors and governorship candidates who will attend to their state campaign councils.’’

“We are to further review their names to be on the nominees’ list. I am talking about the campaign council members at the state level. That one is still coming. Here, we will have chairman, deputy chairman, media publicity for different states. You can see the first list is nothing compared to the remaining ones we have compiled. I am sure by the time we unveil all the membership lists, the other political parties will run away,” he noted.

Adamu accuses Tinubu
Meanwhile, a leaked letter allegedly written by the APC national chairman accusing Tinubu, who is still on vacation in London, of running a one-man show on Thursday caused a stir as party officials scrambled to douse the tension created by the allegations levelled against the party’s flag bearer.

Adamu in the letter alleged that Tinubu deliberately sidelined the NWC in the composition of his presidential campaign council.

The viral letter stated that the newly constituted council membership list was not a true representation of the three-man committee set up to harmonise it.

The three-member committee comprised the National Organising Secretary, National Legal Adviser and Deputy Women Leader of the party.

The letter read in part, “On behalf of the National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress, I present my compliments to Your Excellency, and have the honour to convey to you, in truth and respect, the committee’s opinion and position, regarding the above-mentioned subject matter, with a view to having a clear understanding about the respective roles and responsibilities of the principal organs of the party charged with the duties of conducting the campaigns in the forth-coming general elections.

“This correspondence has become necessary in view of developments that took place over the last few days around the purported appointments into the Presidential Campaign Council that was announced precipitately by officials of the council, without making recourse to the NWC for approval.’’

Continuing, it further said, ‘’All along, the NWC had been disposed towards the campaign in a cooperative spirit that is driven by the overall interest of the party and the singular desire of victory for our candidates, in the persons of your esteemed self and your running mate.

“It is against this background that the NWC received with astonishment and regret, the press release by the PCC on 23rd September 2022, in which a purported list of appointees was announced, which effectively served as the approved roster of participants in the party’s Presidential Campaign Council.

“The purported list not only came as a complete surprise to the NWC and the party’s leadership, but also contravened the principles and purposes of the arrangements that you and I had led towards the adoption of the organogram of the PCC, and its principal officials.

“Perhaps, it has become necessary owing to the passage of time, that I should draw Your Excellency’s attention to the agreements that we reached in principle around the final adoption of the PCC list, based on the understanding that it was a work in progress, until such a time that the Joint NWC/PCC Committee that was established to formalise the structure and populate the list, submits its report.

“Your Excellency will no doubt recall our meetings in my office and also at the NWC conference room at the party’s National Secretariat, on Wednesday, 7th September 2022, during which we discussed the details of the organogram of the PCC and its composition, as a collaborative project between the two entities.

‘’Our recollection of those meetings clearly leaves us in no doubt that a breach of agreement has occurred, and that a return to the principles of cooperation and respect for each other is required.’’

APC denies letter
Hours after it went viral, the party distanced itself from the scathing letter.

A statement issued in Abuja by the National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, stated that the letter did not emanate from the party.

The statement read, “Our attention has been drawn to a “Draft” letter in circulation purportedly written by His Excellency, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, the National Chairman of our great Party, addressed to His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the presidential candidate of our great party, expressing dissatisfaction over the recently released list of the Presidential Campaign Council.

“To be clear, the “Draft” letter did not emanate from the party. An unsigned letter that marks itself as a ‘DRAFT’ cannot and should not be attributed to its purported author.

“The National Chairman of our Party and our Presidential Candidate maintain cordial and effective communication channels, and enjoy full liberty of open and frank conversations on matters of interest to the party and our Presidential Campaign. As such, an unsigned “DRAFT” letter of the kind in circulation is patently unnecessary and of no qualitative value to engagement between the Party and the PCC.

“We will not be distracted by the wishes and actions of detractors that wait gleefully, but in vain for some kind of crisis to erupt between the party and the PCC.

“We stand united, as a party, in our resolve and commitment to execute a focused and issue-driven campaign to persuade Nigerians to renew our mandate in next year’s general election.”

When asked for reaction on Thursday, Director of Media and Communications for Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, stated that there was nothing to discuss since the party has dismissed it.

He said, “Number one, it is a draft. Two, it is not signed or dated. Besides, it is supposed to be a private letter from the party to the candidate.

“As far as I am concerned, that letter doesn’t exist. Anybody could have written that letter. After all, it is not signed.”

When reminded that the tone and context of the letter has further exposed the crack in the party over Tinubu’s handling of his campaign, Onanuga disagreed.

“As far as the APC is concerned, there is no rancour between the candidate and the party. The concerns that the NWC raised has been taken care of.

“That’s why the PCC list has been taken back to the drawing board to harmonise it to accommodate everybody. It is going to be a bulky list. But the truth remains that not everybody can be a member of the PCC,” he said.

Onanuga however disclosed that the October 8 earlier slated for the campaign inauguration was no longer feasible.

According to the PCC media director, all things have been put on hold until the presidential candidate returns from his vacation either on Sunday or Monday.

Tinubu to return
As the PCC list continues to raise dust, a source at the secretariat confirmed that until the presidential candidate gives the nod, the additional fresh nominations for the campaign council cannot be released.

Tinubu is expected to return from his vacation in London, United Kingdom, on October 3.

The source also fingered Adamu and another NWC member as the brain behind the aborted letter.

The official stated, “That draft or whatever name they call it was not the position of the entire NWC. Those who know Adamu well enough will confirm that the tone of that letter reflects his expression; always wanting to be in control of everything.

“Whether the APC denied the letter or not, Adamu has achieved his aim by indirectly using the media to pass his message. It is quite clear. Tinubu may however accept to dance to the new tune or call their bluff.’’

Shittu defend Tinubu
But the Director-General of Asiwaju Tinubu-Shettima Coalition for Good Governance, Adebayo Shittu, believed the matter is an internal issue that would soon be resolved by the candidate and relevant stakeholders in the party.

“I am confident that the issue will be sorted out. As I used to say, political parties are an association of free joiners and free leavers. To me, I don’t see it as a big deal. It will be sorted,” he said.

PCC membership alluring
The APC National Publicity Secretary, Felix Morka, averred that it is no secret that many party members are asking to be included in the campaign council.

Morka made the clarification when he appeared on ‘Politics Today’, a programme on Channels television on Thursday night.

The party’s image-maker noted that, unlike the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, the APC is striving to manage and keep the numbers within a good limit.

He said, “As for the presidential campaign council, we have a good problem which is that many of our members are eager to sell on the campaign council and they are asking to be included.”

Barely four days after armed herdsmen invaded Mchia and Mou communities in Logo Local Government Area, LGA, of Benue state where 14 persons were gruesomely murdered and close to 30 others sustained serious injuries, the marauders again invaded Ukemberagya/Tswarev council ward chasing away the inhabitants, burning their houses and harvesting their crops and livestock.

The armed herders who reportedly besieged the communities on Friday morning to chase the people away were said to have stormed the communities later at night to also loot the property and valuables of the fleeing inhabitants.

According to a community leader in the area, Chief Joseph Anawa, who raised the alarm weekend, the sacked villages includes Tse Ikyem, Tsav, Tse Ijoho, Tse Ikyaan as well as Anawah and Mou settlements.

Chief Anawa said “On Friday September 23, 2022 in the day time Fulani herdmen connived with Jukun military to drive away Tiv people of Ukemberagya/Tswarev ward in Logo LGA from their farms and harvested their yam.

“In the night of the same day they went on destruction spree burning and looting the properties of the Tiv people in the area. The affected communities are Anawah settlement, Tse Ikyem, Tsav, Tse Ijoho, Tse Ikyaan vullages and Mou settlement where they broke into people’s houses.

“The marauders looted food stuffs, animals, clothes and hundreds of sacks of groundnut while houses were burnt at Tse Ikyem near Anawah settlement.

“The Local Government Council Chairman confirmed to us that some of the miscreants have been arrested.”

While lamenting that the inhabitants of the communities had deserted their homes, Chief said “there is urgent need for security presence in the area to be stationed at Chembe village and Iorza settlement for quick response to this unfortunate development.”

Contacted, the Police Public Relations Officer, Superintendent, SP, Catherine Anene who confirmed the development said “I know of an attack at Logo but I don’t know who the attackers are yet.”

Following weeks of anxiety and serial postponements, the presidential campaign council list of the flagbearer of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, was released with several notable names of party chieftains missing.

The 422-man list has names of political heavyweights including APC governors, ministers, lawmakers, ambassadors as well as serving and past public office holders.

In the latest list released by the Presidential Campaign Council Secretary, James Faleke, in Abuja on Friday night, Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong, retained his position as Director-General just as Deputy Director-General (Operations), Adams Oshiomhole, and Director of Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga.

However, there are shocking omission of party stalwarts, many of whom have been at loggerheads or engaged in cold war with Tinubu over his preference for the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket.

They include Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, former Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara; former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba and one of Tinubu’s sweat merchant, Adebayo Shittu, who heads one of his biggest support groups — Asiwaju Tinubu-Shettima Coalition for Good Governance.

While the camp of Osinbajo had distanced itself from the former Lagos governor after his emergence as winner of the APC presidential ticket, the duo of Dogara and Lawal had remained a perennial thorn in Tinubu’s flesh for selecting ex-Borno Governor Senator Kashim Shettima, a fellow Muslim, as running mate.

Dogara had predicted on Tuesday that the adoption of a Muslim-Muslim ticket was a fruitless political effort that was “doomed to end in spectacular failure.”

The ex-speaker made the statement while delivering his keynote address at a summit tagged ‘Meet The Church,’ organised by the Nigeria National Christian Coalition.

Lawal, on the other hand, vowed that the introduction of a same-faith ticket by the APC was a deliberate plan to further create divisions in the north.

The disgruntled former SGF, who spoke during an interview on Arise Television, declared that he was working with about 40 Christian leaders in the north to ensure that the contentious APC ticket failed.

Despite defending his principal stoutly on all fronts including live political television programmes, Shittu’s sin remained largely unknown.

However, The PUNCH gathered that loyalists of the APC national leader have always seen the former Minister of Communications as an outsider because he “found his way into the party” through Congress for Progressive Change, one of the few political platforms that merged to form the current All Progressives Congress.

Shittu had told our correspondent in a recent interview that, “Why I think people often regard me as an outsider was probably because I was never a member of Alliance for Democracy, Action Congress or Action Congress of Nigeria. Besides, it has not been on record that I have a fight with Tinubu, even though critics who are jealous of my current achievements in the struggle to ensure success for him, out of pettiness and rivalry, have been trying to paint me black and blackmail me with the same slogan of ‘I am one of Tinubu’s enemies.’

“But I am happy and proud to say that Tinubu, as an experienced politician who knows his onions, has always maintained that Shittu is not an enemy. The fact that we never worked together in the past does not translate to being an enemy. In any case, he is also somebody who appreciates what I have been doing.”

The inclusion of former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi, and Minister of Interior, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola, who have been indicted of alleged anti-party activities in the last month has come as a surprise.

While Amaechi had subtly accused Tinubu of financially inducing delegates for votes at the last Convention, Aregbesola was believed to have worked for the victory of the governor-elect of Osun State , Ademola Adeleke, at the expense of the incumbent and fellow party member, Adegboyega Oyetola.

Faleke’s statement on Friday read, “We are pleased to announce the nominees of the leadership of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, as per enclosed. All nominees are kindly advised to pick their appointment letters from the undersigned on Monday, 26th September, 2022 at 12noon.

“The venue is Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council on Plot 781, Herbert Macaulay Way, Central Area Abuja. All other members will be contacted by the leaders of their respective directorates.”

Threebear:
Top 6 baby

Biggie is my sugar daddy.

Threebear:
Adekunle's people gave their best but he only ended up at 4th.

Congratulations to the top six :
Phyna
Bryann
Bella
Hermes
Daniella
Chi chi

The All Progressives Congress, Ebonyi State Chapter, on Friday, mocked the Supreme Court declaration of Ifeanyi Odii as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2023 governorship election in the state.

According to the ruling APC, the court action, which brought Odii as the PDP gubernatorial candidate, only succeeded in burying the opposition party in Ebonyi.

The APC Chairman, Stanley Okoro-Emegha, stated this while briefing journalists in Abakaliki on Friday morning. He said Ebonyi people will vote based on the principle of equity and credibility.

He said, “How can intelligent and ever-conscious Ebonyi people allow a man who hails from almost the same local government area as the present Governor, David Umahi, succeeds him in office? The people are wiser now.

“The judgement of the supreme court has again vindicated the governor who has continuously stressed the need for Ebonyi people to choose his successor based on the principle of equity and credibility.

“While throwing his weight behind the party’s choice of Francis Nwifuru as their governorship candidate, Chief Emegha noted that APC is already cruising to landslide victory as the electorate will not cast their ballots for a candidate who shares the same zone with the incumbent Governor hence the principle of power rotation must play out during the polls.

“The judgement is a nightmare and big blow to PDP stakeholders as they are seriously reaching out and begging for the chance to be carried along in the activities of my great party, the APC. Their defection will be a tsunami in the state. This is why I have been saying that Ebonyi is totally an APC state. Nevertheless, we will accept them because we cannot throw away the baby with the bathwater.

“We are deeply grateful because our strategy is perfectly and effectively working to our benefit. Anyichuks’ emergence is an added advantage to APC and Ebonyi people in general.

“It is indeed the turn of Ebonyi North and Right Honourable Francis Nwifuru is the incoming Governor of the people. The Supreme Court’s verdict of September 14th marks the final burial of the PDP in Ebonyi State.”

Chinonye2022:
did you read before commenting

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has released a list of members of its Presidential Campaign Council.

Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel was named the Director General of the Atiku Abubakar Campaign which has Governors Bala Mohammed and Seyi Makinde of Bauchi and Oyo States as Vice Chairmen, North and South respectively.

The campaign body also named Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwual as Director General of the National Campaign Management Committee.

This committee has four directorates headed by Deputy Directors General. They are: Sen. Liyel Imoke (Opperations), Prof. Adewale Oladipo (Admin), Raymond Dokpesi (Technical and Systems) and Okwesileze Nwodo (Research and Strategy).

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike whose name appeared as number 13 on the list, was named along with most of his associates as a member.

The list consists of the names of former Vice President Namadi Sambo, serving as well as former State Governors of the party, former Ministers, all former Senate Presidents of the party who are still members of the PDP, members of the Board of Trustees among otters.

Former Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekwerenmadu also made the list . Former National Chairmen of the party, Vincent Ogbulafor and Ahmadu Ali were also named as members.

Others whose name made the list included: former Army Chiefs, Generals Ishaya Bamaiyi, Martin Luther Agwai and Keneth Minima.

Curiously however, the name of former President GoodLuck Jonathan was not

sighted on the long list. The former President has avoided most of the party’s events since leaving office in 2015.

THE People’s Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, on Wednesday, gave conditions for the resignation of National Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, saying it must be done in accordance with the party’s constitution, rules, regulations and practice.

“We cannot do anything outside our constitution except if it is amended, we cannot do anything unless the laws are amended. Ayu must go through our constitution, rules, regulations, and our practice, otherwise, we cannot give the kind of leadership Nigerians want. It is possible, it is achievable, we have done it before and we have started doing it again.” He insisted.

Atiku disclosed this at the PDP Southwest stakeholders meeting held at the popular Theophilus Ogunlesi Hall, University Teaching Hospital, UCH, Ibadan. He was reacting to the decision of the region who called for the resignation of Ayu at the meeting.

Atiku therefore urged PDP members not to allow the issue to derail them from working hard to win the next general elections.

Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo state had earlier conveyed the message of the region to the party presidential candidate that Ayu must resign to give room for fairness and equity.

He said there were issues on the structural deficiency in the party to be addressed before the 2023 election.

“If we want to unify Nigeria, we must unify PDP first. If we want government of national unity, it must reflect in PDP. If we want to restructure in Nigeria, we must restructure PDP first.

“Our Presidential candidate is from Northeast, our National Chairman is from North Central, the Director General of Atiku campaign, Aminu Tambuwa is from the Northwest, so the PDP National Chairman should step down now for peace to reign.” He insisted.

“We cannot do anything outside our constitution except it is amended, we cannot do anything unless the laws are amended. Ayu must go through our constitution, rules, regulations, and our practice, otherwise, we cannot give the kind of leadership Nigerians want. It is possible, it is achievable, we have done it before and we have started doing it again.” He posited.

Speaking on behalf of the National Chairman, the PDP Deputy National Chairman, North, Umar Damagum, urged members to commit themselves and work assiduously for the victory of the party in the coming elections.

He noted that the choice of the venue for the meeting was deliberate because Ibadan was the capital of politics in Southwest and Nigeria at large.

In his remarks, the Chairman, PDP Governors’ Forum, Aminu Tambuwa said the meeting was a sign of good things to come, and Southwest would come back to PDP in 2023.

In the entourage of the presidential candidate of the party are; Governor of Bauchi State, Alhaji Bala Mohammed, Osun State Governor-elect, Senator Ademola Adeleke, PDP governorship candidates, ex Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, Ex Osun State governor, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, Ex Ekiti State governor, Ayodele Fayose, Ambassador Taofeek Arapaja and a host of others.

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, has stated that the demand by some political big wigs in his party, calling for the resignation of the National Chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, was achievable.

Atiku disclosed this when he met with PDP stalwarts in Ibadan, on Wednesday.

Wike had faulted the emergence of Atiku as the presidential flag bearer, Iyorchia Ayu, Chairman of the party, and Sen. Walid Jibrin, chairman of the Board of Trustees, BoT, all from the northern part of the country.

Wike accused the party of violating the principles of equity, fairness and balance, noting that the laws guiding the party has been trampled upon.

He insisted that Ayu should honorably do the right thing (resign), and allow a southerner become the party’s chairman.

Addressing the issue, the chairman of the Board of Trustees, Sen. Walid Jibrin tendered his resignation letter, paving way for a former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, (from South-East) to become the new BoT Chairman.

With Jibin’s resignation, Wike also insisted that the right thing must be done. He stated that Ayu must resign from his position.

However, supporting Wike today, Oyo state governor, Seyi Makinde said: “The truth is that we do not have any issue either with our party or our candidate. If there are challenges they must be tabled.

“We are supposed to give hope to our people, we want them to listen to us.

“Our party wants to rescue Nigeria and our candidate is a unifier. He wants to restructure Nigeria

“Eight years of the All Progressives Congress have left us sharply divided. The issue is we must practice what we preach. If we want to unify Nigeria, we must unify the PDP first.

“If we want to restructure Nigeria, we must have the willingness to bring inclusivity to the PDP. Do we have the capacity? The answer is resounding yes.

“The message from the South-West PDP is the South-West is asking that the National Working Committee of the PDP should be restructured.

“We are asking the National Chairman to step down so that the South will be fully included. That is the message.”

But reacting to Makinde’s statement, Atiku said that is Ayu’s resignation is achievable through the constitution guiding the party.

His words: “I have no problem about anywhere any party member comes from but it must be done in accordance to the party’s constitution or regulations and practices.

“What governor Seyi Makinde is calling for is achievable under the party’s Constitution under the party rules and regulations and procedures.

“This constitution must guide whatever changes we make, so that is why we cannot do anything outside that constitution unless it is amended.

“We do not say people should not have different views but all views must go through the party’s constitution, rules regulations and our practices”.

The Oyo State Governor, Seyi Makinde, has called for the resignation of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, for the people of the South to feel a sense of belonging in the party.

Makinde made this call at the South-West PDP stakeholders meeting with the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

The Oyo State Governor, together with the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has been tackling the PDP over the National Chairman of the party and the presidential candidate who are are from the North.

However, in his welcome address, he described Atiku as “the incoming President of Nigeria in 2023.”

Makinde’s description of Atiku elicited a loud applause from the PDP stakeholders at the venue of the meeting.

He said, “The truth is that we do not have any issue either with our party or our candidate. If there are challenges they must be tabled.

“We are supposed to give hope to our people, we want them to listen to us.

Our party wants to rescue Nigeria and our candidate is a unifier. He wants to restructure Nigeria

“Eight years of the All Progressives Congress have left us sharply divided. The issue is we must practice what we preach. If we want to unify Nigeria, we must unify the PDP first.

“If we want to restructure Nigeria, we must have the willingness to bring inclusivity to the PDP. Do we have the capacity? The answer is resounding yes.

“The message from the South-West PDP is the South-West is asking that the National Working Committee of the PDP should be restructured.

“We are asking the National Chairman to step down so that the South will be fully included. That is the message.”

The Court of Appeal in Abuja has reserved Judgment in the appeal filed by the leader of outlawed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) Nnamdi Kanu challenging the seven charges against him by the Federal Government.

Kanu had filed the appeal through his lawyer Mike Ozekhome. He is facing charges bordering on terrorism and treasonable felony.

More to follow…

The Christian Association of Nigeria has described as untrue, claims that it had changed its position regarding the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the All Progressives Congress after allegedly meeting its presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

The organisation also warned against polithcising the presence of Tinubu at the 70th birthday celebration of the Catholic Bishop of Sokoto Diocese, Rev. Matthew Kukah, in Abuja.

The President of CAN, Daniel Okoh, made this known in a statement by his Special Assistant (Media and Strategic Communication), Luminous Jannamike, titled, “Muslim-Muslim Ticket: CAN maintains its position.”

According to him, the event was public and the friends of the celebrant and other good-spirited Nigerians donated to the building of the Kukah Centre, which was designed to be a veritable platform to propagate and promote the ideals of democracy and responsible leadership through research and intellectualism.

The statement read, “The attention of the leadership of CAN has been drawn to a media report titled, ‘How Tinubu met, resolved Muslim-Muslim ticket with CAN’, which claimed that the apex Christian body had changed its position regarding the same-faith ticket.

“To say the least, the story is ridiculous, malicious, untrue and should be disregarded in its entirety by all reasonable members of the society. For the records, CAN took a position against the same-faith ticket imbroglio under the leadership of Rev. Samson Ayokunle, its immediate past National President, and as a matter of fact, His Eminence, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, stands on that same position.

“CAN may not agree with every decision taken by politicians and political parties, but it respects their right to reach conclusions on issues that affect their electoral fortunes so long as they accord with the provisions of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) and the Electoral Act (2022).

“For the umpteenth time, CAN reiterates that it is non-partisan, but remains willing to partner with all leaders and other relevant stakeholders towards achieving unity, peace and progress in our nation.

“Consequently, the umbrella Christian organisation cannot be antagonistic to any well-meaning political party or group as the nation warms up for a fresh round of elections in 2023 as claimed in the said report.

“In the same vein, it strongly condemns the attempt to make a mountain out of molehill with Tinubu’s presence at the 70th birthday celebration of Rev. Kukah in Abuja, the nation’s capital.

“The event was public and the friends of the celebrant and other good-spirited Nigerians donated to the building of The Kukah Centre, which is designed to be a veritable platform to propagate and promote the ideals of democracy and responsible leadership through research and intellectualism.

“The donations, which went directly to The Kukah Centre, have nothing to do with CAN. It is therefore mischievous to insinuate it was a sort of bribe money for Christian leaders to make a U-turn on its stance against same-faith ticket.

“As a faith-based organisation, CAN maintains that its conscience cannot be bought and its prophetic voice cannot be silenced with money.

“Finally, we call on political parties and their candidates to put the nation first in their considerations and prepare to serve the people with earnest and humility.”

Liz Truss will be the next United Kingdom Prime Minister after winning the party vote.

Truss of the Conservative Party is Britain’s Foreign Secretary and set to be the country’s next Prime Minister.

She will be replacing Boris Johnson.

Truss while speaking in London, said she would deliver.

Details later..

Founder of Centre for Values in Leadership, and one of the leaders of Labour Party (LP), Professor Pat Utomi on Sunday, revealed that the crowdfunding portals Nigerians in the Diaspora planned to launch for the presidential candidate of LP, Mr. Peter Obi, would be unveiled next week. Utomi revealed this during a television interview.

But some senior lawyers have expressed differing views on the legality of the election funding process.
THISDAY had exclusively reported that in a bid to bolster his chances in the 2023 presidential election, Nigerians in the diaspora had formed groups to launch crowdfunding initiatives for Obi. They planned to unveil crowdfunding portals with a target to raise $150 million from Obi’s supporters in the diaspora and N100 billion from those in Nigeria, THISDAY reliably gathered.

A dependable source close to one of Obi’s supporters leading the process had said they were targeting small amounts in contributions from supporters largely at the grassroots to help the LP set up more structures across the country and make the former Anambra State governor a formidable contender in the presidential race.
Crowdfunding is an online financing method that raises money by soliciting small individual investments or contributions from a large number of people. Political crowdfunding is widely considered an acceptable medium for raising funding from grassroots supporters. However, as with political party funding, generally, political parties that engage in crowdfunding have to take the legal framework into account. Most countries, including Nigeria, have regulations for donations and related privacy and transparency issues.

However, Utomi, a former presidential candidate, said he also got support from the diaspora when he contested for the presidency.
Utomi, who is currently in the US with Obi, explained, “When the time is right, the diaspora will give money; they have always given money to campaigns. I ran for president before and I got support from the diaspora in 2006 and 2007 and also in 2011.
“When the time is right, we are going to obviously solicit from Nigerians across the board. We are setting up portals where people can give money.

“The portals would be up next week or so and eventually we would solicit for funds from the diaspora. But right now, we are on a sensitisation tour about what makes democracy work. Right now, Nigeria’s democracy is not working because of the transaction cost that is involved and the trade-off that has to be made.”
Reminded that Section 225 of the Nigerian constitution as well as Section 85 of the amended Electoral Act forbad the sourcing of fund for campaign from abroad, Utomi said, “I am completely aware of what the law says. If we open a portal and say Nigerians who want to support can pay into it, are you saying Nigerians abroad can’t go to the portal and contribute a dollar, after you have prevented them from voting?
“Most African countries allow their diaspora to vote – Ghana, Kenya, and others. In Nigeria, they can’t vote and a lot of Nigerians are excluded from their democracy and now you say they can’t even give N100 to a candidate.

“If there is a law that opposes opening a portal to raise campaign fund, that law is fundamentally flawed and does not deserve the name of law. What we are doing is that we are building a movement that would change Nigeria.”

The former presidential candidate denied the story making the rounds that Obi was charging fees for his engagements with Nigerians in the diaspora, saying, “We are not involved in the fees, if at all there is any.”
Utomi also denied any rift between him and Obi or any LP official over campaign funds, describing the story as “fake news and that is absolutely nonsense.”
He said, “No such thing ever happened. We have never had a conversation around money in any shape or form.”

Meanwhile, some leading lawyers expressed concerns about the legality of the decision of the presidential candidate of LP to inaugurate the Diaspora Committee to raise $150 million from Nigerians in the diaspora and N100 billion from his supporters in Nigeria.
In separate interviews with THISDAY, some Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) argued that the law prohibited LP from retaining any contributions made for its election expenses from the diaspora.
Sections 224-225 of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, and Sections 85-88 of the Electoral Act, 2022, stipulate how much a political party can spend on presidential campaigns and where it can source funds.

While Section 225(4) of the constitution requires that funds or other assets be remitted or sent to a political party from outside Nigeria shall be paid over or transferred to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) within 21 days, Section 88(2) of the Electoral Act limits spending by a presidential candidate to N5 billion.
Ahead of the 2023 general election, National Chairman of LP, Mr. Julius Abure, had constituted an 11-man Diaspora Committee at the national headquarters of the party in Abuja to organise fund-raising activities, among others, for the party’s presidential campaign.
Section 225 of the 1999 Constitution prohibits all political parties and their candidates from holding or possessing funds or other assets outside Nigeria or being entitled to retain funds or assets remitted or sent to it from outside Nigeria.

Section 225(2) stipulates that every political party “shall submit to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) a detailed annual statement and analysis of its sources of funds and other assets together with a similar statement of its expenditure in such form as the commission may require.”
Section 85(1) of the Electoral Act states that any political party that holds or possesses, “Any fund outside Nigeria in contravention of Section 225 (3) (a) of the constitution, commits an offence and shall on conviction forfeit the funds or assets purchased with such funds to the commission and in addition may be liable to a fine of at least N5,000,000.”

The section further stipulates that any political party that retains any fund or other asset “remitted to it from outside Nigeria in contravention of section 225 (3) (a) of the constitution commits an offence and shall on conviction forfeit the funds or assets to the commission and in addition, may be liable to a fine of at least N5, 000,000.”
Reacting to LP’s plan to raise campaign funds from Nigerians living abroad, a human rights lawyer, Dr. Mike Ozekhome, argued that no political party shall be entitled to retain or keep funds sent to it from abroad, but shall, instead, transfer such funds to the INEC within 21 days of receiving such money.

He explained that the political party “is also obligated under this section to afford the INEC such information on the sources of the funds, their legitimacy, the individual or group donors, and how much was contributed by each individual or entity.
“This therefore will permit the commission to pierce the veil of the diasporans’ crowdfunding to determine those actually behind the funds, and determine their legitimacy, or if they contravene the Money Laundering Act and other anti-corruption laws. Be very sure that the EFCC and ICPC will come snooping around.”

Ozekhome, however, noted that all hope “is not lost, as the election expenses to be incurred by a political party for the management or the conduct of an election shall be determined by the commission in consultation with the political parties.

“This means that even when such diaspora funds are paid over to the INEC, the political party can engage it as to its peculiar electoral needs and why it may require the entire funds remitted to it from abroad.”

According to him, the penalty for violating this section, especially Subsection (3) thereof, which requires a political party to submit to INEC its audited returns within six months after an election, is a fine of N1million, and where the return is inaccurate, a court may impose a fine of N200,000 per day until the right thing is done.

Ozekhome suggested that one of the ways the would-be donors could scale the hurdle “is by paying the money directly to the candidate himself, rather than the political party. But, can they do this?”

In contributing money, Ozekhome urged diasporans to ensure that no individual or other entity shall donate to a candidate more than N50 million, as contravention would attract a fine of N500,000 upon conviction or imprisonment to a term of nine months or both.

Speaking to THISDAY on the issue, former President of the Nigerian Bar Association (NBA), Chief Joseph Daudu, did not foresee much constitutional logjam on the issue.

Daudu observed that the only law that affects any donor or contributor “is the one that limits the amounts a candidate can raise for an election in this case, Office of the President.”

Daudu noted that the provision that limits spending on electioneering “is directed at the recipients of the financial support and not on the contributors.”

Rather than debating whether a political party could raise funds through foreign contributors, Daudu noted that the emphasis should be on conducting a free, fair and credible election and not on who contributed what.

Also speaking, another senior lawyer, Mr. Dayo Akinlaja (SAN), said Section 225(3) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) is explicit and unambiguous in providing that no political party shall be entitled to retain any funds or assets remitted or sent to it outside Nigeria.

Akinlaja submitted that given a literal interpretation of the constitution and the Electoral Act, the LP would not be able to retain any funds sent from abroad by the diaspora committee. He explained that the import of this was, “Except it can be shown that the constitution of the LP recognises or makes provision for the Diaspora Committee as an organ of the party, in which case it would be open to contend that the Diaspora Committee as an organ of the party is synonymous with the LP, it would still not be constitutionally permissible for funds to be sent by the committee as a collective, which would make it to be an association.”

On his part, Mr. Ahmed Raji (SAN), told THISDAY that all Nigerians, irrespective of their locations, “have a stake in the Nigerian project.”

Raji argued that, irrespective of the apparent ban on funding from outside Nigeria, these Nigerians could find a way of funding campaigns for their desired candidates in the 2023 general election.

He stated, “All Nigerians, regardless of their location, have a stake in how the country is run. However, all Nigerians are enjoined to study the relevant laws and guidelines so that they don’t run foul of the extant laws.

“Nigerians in the diaspora should seek legal advice on the best way to go about the funds from abroad. I believe there are windows within the legal regime. Let them approach the correct legal clinic for appropriate guidance.”

However, former Chairman, Special Presidential Investigation Panel for Recovery of Public Property, Mr. Okoi Obono-Obla, expressed grave concern about LP’s diaspora funding scheme. He observed that the inauguration of such a diaspora committee “to raise funds from Nigerians living abroad to prosecute its presidential campaign is illegal.”

Citing Section 85 of the Electoral Act, Obono-Obla noted that the electoral law prohibited political parties from raising funds from abroad to use to finance their electioneering campaigns or elections.

Reinforcing Obono-Obla’s position, another lawyer, Dr. Daniel Ekpenyong, said the inauguration of diaspora committee, “is illegal, risky and contravenes the extant provisions enshrined in the 1999 Constitution and the Electoral Act, 2022.”