Connect with us

Politics

2019 General Elections: Atiku’s Not A Match For Buhari, Says APC Governors

Published

on

2019 General Elections: Atiku's Not A Match For Buhari, Says APC Governors

Governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC), on Wednesday declared that President Muhammadu Buhari and the party are not jittery over the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the main opposition Presidential candidate in 2019 election.

Atiku was elected by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) as its Presidential flag bearer during the party’s national convention in Port Harcourt, Rivers State on Sunday.

Speaking with State House correspondents after leading four governors of the party to a closed-door meeting with President Buhari over the just concluded party’s primaries, Chairman of the APC Governors Forum and Imo State governor, Rochas Okorocha, was optimistic that Buhari would be reelected in 2019.

Other governors at the meeting attended by the Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, included Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi); Abdullahi Gamduje (Kano); Kashim Shettima (Borno); and Akinwunmi Ambode (Lagos)

Also at the meeting was the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

Okorocha said that the party had no reason to lose sleep over Atiku’s emergence.

According to him, the party has concluded not to engage in any verbal attacks with any candidate in the forthcoming election.

He said that the APC governors were at the State House not only to congratulate Buhari for being elected as the party’s presidential candidate, but to also request for a date when they would bring all the party’s governorship candidates to him to show their readiness for the 2019 political battles.

He added “For the Governors to come together with our followers and supporters to further inform the world for our readiness to deliver him in 2019 election.

“This is just basically the message we have come and to say that Mr. President is more than ever ready for the entire exercise.

“Our election this time will not engage on castigations or talking. We will be taking on issues, Nigerians are tired of political abuses, what we want to be talking about is issues, the tract records of people involved in our elections.

“Nigerians are very wise now, before they elect anybody they will ask questions, what has been your tract records, who were you before, who are you now and everything about you. And for that reason we are confident that in 2019, APC will go through.

“We have also looked at the issues concerning our primaries, in every democracy, you should expect a kind of disagreement and we have kindly requested that something be done to bring warring factions together so that we can have a united party to face the challenges ahead and we are happy that will soon take place.

“Most of the problems have been resolved except for one or two states where we have issues and where it becomes more difficult, we ask for Mr. President’s intervention in the matter.

“We are talking about reconciliation, what is important to us is that we must never go into this battle, a divided family and we want to make sure that all governors are intact, all national assembly members are intact while going into this battle. We will never speak differently, we will speak as members of the party.” he said

On whether the controversy surrounding the Zamfara State APC primaries was part of the discussion, he said, “Zamfara is one of the issues that we have addressed also.”

Asked whether the APC was jittery because of the emergence of for Vice President Atiku Abubakar as the Presidential candidate of the PDP and his tough stance since he emerged, he said that the party was not jittery at all.

He said, “I don’t know about talking tough, we can’t be jittery and history is there to speak, history is very important and it is there to speak so like I said we are not going to engage in this verbal war with anybody, we will be talking about issues. If we say look, you are not good, we tell you what we can do and we cannot do and what others cannot do.

“APC is not going to join in those talk shop but right we are discussing issues of what our party can for our people.”

On what was the President’s response, he said, “The President is quite happy with the whole outing and he is looking for a date to invite the governors, in fact, he will give us a date to celebrate him and tell the world our joy and happiness that he emerged as our Presidential flag bearer which is victory assured 2019.”

The Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha described the APC governors meeting with the President as a welcome development.

He said, “It is a welcome development, we are one big family in a contest there is bound to be winners and losers but in the spirit of the game of politics which is like any other sports, after the game is over, whoever has emerged victorious must be magnanimous and gracious in his victory and whoever has lost out will also accept it in the spirit of sportsmanship.

“So, this is a welcome move, our governor who is the Chairman of Progressives Governors Forum, has spoken rightly all the things that are in motion to ensure that we quickly heal the wounds and bring the family together for a greater task ahead.

“We are a government that has credibly performed this morning I had the privilege of laying before the council a compendium of the policies, the programmes and the projects initiated and implemented by this government in two and half years. A total of one thousand and forty two page documents, not stories, facts of what we have been able to achieve.

“I think we are set to record, this campaign will be driven by issues, this campaign must be predicated on what you are able to bring to the table for the people of Nigeria. It is not going to be a noisy campaign, anybody that is preparing for noise should be prepared to receive defeat in February of 2019,” he said.

Loading

Politics

Stay in your lane or be sued – ADC threatens Abaribe

Published

on

The African Democratic Congress, ADC, in Abia State has threatened legal action against Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe (Abia South) over alleged interference in the party’s affairs.

The party accused Abaribe, who is not a member of the party, of convening unauthorized party meetings and sponsoring a parallel executive committee in opposition to the leadership of the ADC in Abia State.

Abaribe’s media aide, Mr Uche Awom, in reaction said his principal would not respond to the allegations.


The state’s Publicity Secretary of the party, Chiamaka Ohaka, in a statement stressed that Abaribe has been undermining the party’s leadership and warned him to desist from such actions or face legal consequences.

The ADC also demanded that the lawmaker immediately remove all affiliated agents and hire individuals posing as ADC members in the state within 48 hours.

“For clarity, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe is not a member of the African Democratic Congress (ADC) and is therefore not affiliated with any level of the party from the ward to the national level. He has never obtained a membership form, attended any meetings, or contributed financially to the growth of our party.

“Yet, in a brazen display of political impropriety, he has established fake parallel executives, improperly influenced vulnerable party officers, and propagated malicious falsehoods—all aimed at creating discontent and dismantling the legitimate structure of the ADC in Abia State.

“We hereby firmly warn Senator Abaribe to allow the ADC in Abia State to function without interference and to stop sowing discord with the intent to hijack the party for selfish interests,” the statement read in part.

Loading

Continue Reading

Politics

PDP crisis: “Nigeria’s democracy under threat” – Ex-presidential candidate

Published

on

Gbenga Olawepo-Hashim, a former presidential candidate and member of the Peoples Democratic Party has declared that Nigeria’s eemocracy is under threat.

A founding member of the PDP, Olawepo-Hashim said the nation’s democracy is currently being threatened by the lingering crisis within the hierarchy of the opposition party.

The crisis tearing party leaders apart took a fresh turn following the controversial PDP National Convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State.

A faction of the party members organised the event despite multiple conflicting court orders over the party convention.

Highlighting the need for the urgent resolution of the crisis, Olawepo-Hashim in a statement on Sunday said the PDP which is a merger between 13 different associations was built on dialogue, broad consultation, and a deep spirit of inclusion.

”The founding fathers of the PDP deliberately built a platform capable of preventing further military intervention in governance, safeguarding national unity, and strengthening federalism.

“This inclusive foundation gave the PDP an early advantage, enabling it to win nearly two-thirds of elective positions in the December 1998 local government elections, a milestone that helped stabilise Nigeria’s returning democratic order in 1999,” Olawepo-Hashim said.

He further called on all members of the PDP to invest their time and resources towards mending the fragmented party for the good of the nation.

“We must strive to bring all sides back to the table to save the PDP and save Nigeria’s democracy. We must not leave anyone behind,” he added.

Loading

Continue Reading

Headline

‘We’re Up To The Task,’ Turaki Assures Nigerians After Emerging As PDP Chairman

Published

on

…Mutfwang, Fintiri Fault Expulsion Of Wike, Fayose, Others

Following his election as Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) at the party’s National Convention in Ibadan on Saturday, Kabiru Turaki has promised to live up to the expectations of party faithful and Nigerians at large.

Turaki emerged as the new chairman at the convention held in Ibadan, Oyo State, where delegates from 17 states across the country cast their votes to choose national officers.

The former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs scored 1,516 votes at the exercise held at the Lekan Salami Stadium.

Senator Ben Obi, who supervised the election, announced that Senator Yakubu Danmarke came second with 275 votes.

In his acceptance speech, Turaki acknowledged that the task ahead is enormous but expressed confidence that the party’s new leadership is capable of delivering.

“The cross you have given us means that you watch us also take it to the Nigerian people, and that we shall do. We are not under any illusion that the task placed on us is a simple one. Our party is at a crossroads now, but we are up to the task; we are up to the challenge,” Turaki said.

He added, “Very soon, we shall be rolling out what our guiding principles will be and the modus operandi for achieving them. When we do that, we shall be hitting the ground running from day one.”

Turaki assured members and supporters of the party that the confidence they have reposed in him would not be taken for granted, promising to faithfully discharge the mandate given to him.

He said: “Today, as I talk to you, the only political party that has retained its name is the Peoples Democratic Party. This has been possible because this is the party of the Nigerian people. Make no mistake about it; we are returning the party to you, the people. There will be no more impunity.”

The convention, which drew over 3,000 delegates from across Nigeria’s 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory, commenced on November 15 and ran into the early hours of November 16.

Meanwhile, governor Caleb Mutfwang of Plateau State has formally distanced himself from the expulsion of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Nyesom Wike, by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

He also dissociated himself from the expulsion of a former governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, the national secretary, Samuel Anyanwu, and other leaders of the PDP.

The party unanimously voted to expel them for anti-party activities and fostering disunity with series of litigation against the interests of the party.

In a statement by his Director of Press and Public Affairs, Gyang Bere, the governor explained that the issue was neither discussed by the PDP Governors’ Forum nor the National Executive Committee (NEC) before the motion was presented.

He stated that the proposal did not reflect his position on the matter.

Governor Mutfwang further noted that expelling the party leaders at this crucial time was not a strategic step toward resolving the internal challenges currently confronting the PDP.

He said there was a need for unity, dialogue, and collective effort in rebuilding and repositioning the party.

Mutfwang is the second governor to distance himself from the expulsion of the PDP leaders at the national convention in Oyo.

The Plateau governor’s comment came shortly after his Adamawa State counterpart, Governor Ahmadu Fintiri, distanced himself from the expulsion of the former Rivers State governor, Fayose, and nine others.

In the same vein, Adamawa State Governor, Ahmadu Fintiri, has dissociated himself from the decision of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to expel the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, from the party.

This was contained in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Humwashi Wonosikou, on Saturday.

Fintiri, who is also the Chairman of the PDP 2025 Elective National Convention, noted that the decision was not in the best interest of the party.

He said he would not be party to any attempt that could further plunge the PDP into unending crisis.

“As a faithful party member, my position is clear: I stand for the peace and stability of the PDP, and I will not support anything that could lead to its disintegration.

“I believe that peace and reconciliation are the only ways forward for our great party,” the governor was quoted as saying.

Fintiri urged all stakeholders to work towards healing the divisions within the party and to strive for unity and cohesion.

He stated that as a party man, he remained committed to supporting efforts that promote peace, stability, and progress within the PDP.

The governor reiterated that his position was guided by the desire for peace and reconciliation and will continue to work towards achieving this goal.

Loading

Continue Reading

Recent Posts


<im




JOIN US ON FACEBOOK

Trending