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BREAKING: Oyo state APC chairman is dead

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

The Chairman of the All Progressives Congress in Oyo State, Isaac Omodewu, has died in the United States of America.

Omodewu succumbed to death after close to a year, receiving treatment for an undisclosed ailment in the USA, where he was a citizen.

The APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Olawale Sadare, confirmed the development to Punch, saying: “Our chairman is dead.”

Omodewu served as a commissioner in the late former governor Abiola Ajimobi’s administration.

He was inaugurated alongside other 34 state chairmen by the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee in February 2022.

He emerged from the state congress conducted in October 2021.

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BREAKING: Ex-APC lawmaker, Cairo Ojougboh dies during Nigeria vs South-Africa match

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

Cairo Ojougboh, a former member of the House of Representatives who represented Ika federal constituency of Delta State, has been confirmed dead.

Ojougboh reportedly slumped as soon as a penalty was awarded against Nigeria at the Wednesday African Cup of Nations (AFCON) semi-final.

According to a source, Ojougboh, a former executive director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) collapsed and died immediately South Africa scored the equalizer.

Details shortly…

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NESG predicts, says Nigeria’s economy to grow stronger for rest of 2023

by Andrew Mailafia
written by Andrew Mailafia

The Nigerian Economic Summit Group (NESG) has made projection that Nigeria will experience stronger economic growth as business activities increase in the remaining part of the year.

Speaking at the third edition of the Mid-Year Review of 2023 Economic Outlook, organised by the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria Centre for Financial Studies (CIBNCFS) in Abuja, the chief executive officer (CEO) of NESG, Laoye Jaiyeola, said the private sector performance is notably responding favourably to the current policy posture of the new government amid the challenges.

Noting that the Purchasing Managers’ Index (PMI) is considered a perfect predictor of economic growth momentum in Nigeria and across the globe, he said that there is a likelihood for stronger than expected economic growth in the remaining part of 2023 as firms’ new orders, output growth rate, and inventory activities increase.

Explaining that the predicted initial policy shocks might increase inflationary pressure and worsen the cost of living crisis if not properly managed, he expressed that convergence of foreign exchange market rates would reduce currency risks adding that the new policy regime would stimulate investors’ confidence in the economy.

Jaiyeola however, added that the monetary policy interest rate would likely rise until the end of the year.

Emphasising on the socio-economic outcomes, Jaiyeola noted that the initial policy shocks from foreign exchange rates convergence and petroleum subsidy removal would heighten the cost of living.

He said the situation would push more people into the poverty bracket as higher inflationary pressure would erode purchasing power of many households.

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Leading Reporters APC’s dilemma on election eve
HeadlinesOpinion

APC’s dilemma on election eve

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

By Tonnie Iredia

Too many things have since shown that in truth, there is not much difference between our ruling party, the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its biggest rival, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP). Both parties have a few decent members but majority are political traders. When in power, the two parties behave exactly the same way. To start with, whereas both parties pretend that the welfare of the people matters to them, they do little or nothing to cover the pretence. Whenever an election is approaching, they create scenarios that automatically frustrate a credible contest thereby retaining office while claiming to have come in through the popular will of the people. But events have shown that the strategy has its limits. On its part, the PDP managed to hold-on for 16 years (1999-2007); but whether the APC will last beyond 8 years is becoming doubtful.

In 2015, everyone saw through the gimmicks of the ruling PDP as it struggled to postpone elections to make room for vote buying and other electoral manipulations when it became evident that it no longer enjoyed the confidence of voters. The change propaganda which thereafter brought the then opposition APC to power virtually waned even before its first term ended. First, the party showed its nervousness over the use of the Card Reader – a technological device which made rigging tedious. Hiding under the judicial ruling that the device was unknown to law, the APC made everyone to discountenance the amendment to the Electoral Act in 2015 which had recognised devices like Card Reader. From then on, the party ensured that a fresh amendment to regularize the situation was not signed into law for the 2019 elections. Although the party was declared winner of that year’s elections, some people had doubts that the victory was real following the server controversy that preceded the declaration of results.

Four years later, it has become quite clear that the APC is in trouble especially in its current atomistic state in which it is now at war with itself on a daily basis. Indeed, the party has become the greatest opposition to its own policies and leadership. Evidence that the APC was visibly scared about its chances of reelection in 2023 was mostly seen in its desperation to frustrate efforts at instituting the electronic transmission of election results – which had become a global reality. The attempt to procure officials of the National Communication Commission (NCC) to virtually commit perjury in their testimony before the legislature on the subject of electoral technology was ridiculed by the public. The electorate similarly rejected the legislature’s kangaroo voting against the innovation making it easy for the new Electoral Act 2022 to be passed along with a number of anti-rigging clauses. Apart from a few party members who remained popular in their constituencies, the ruling party has since been on edge moving from one error to another.

The new Electoral Act did well in the steps it took to sanitize party primaries, even though the ruling party turned out to be the leading culprit in electoral chicanery and the imposition of candidates. Luckily for them, for some inexplicable reasons such as the need to reduce cases in courts, the judiciary was arm twisted to allow for party supremacy in which a party’s nomination needn’t be controverted. Nigerians are however aware of the established canon that as administrative bodies, activities of political parties ought to be subjected to judicial review. This is more so as the Electoral Act had stipulated what must be done or not done to attain credible primaries. In the end, the APC subverted such guidelines only to return to the inglorious past in which a party can elect flag bearers from among party members who did not take part in the primaries and as such could not be described as aspirants. Based on the trend, can we pretend that we are on the way to free and fair elections?

In a democracy, it is the victorious party in an election that forms government; which makes the ruling party to be powerful. In Nigeria, they are not only powerful, they act quite often with impunity. The Goodluck Jonathan-led PDP government had attempted in its days in office to appoint politically tainted persons into the Electoral Commission that is world-wide known as non-partisan. Such nominees were however dropped as a result of public outcry, but the APC did not take cognizance of public outcry. So, with the recent appointment of suspected party loyalists into INEC that is supposed to be an impartial umpire, the public could not have been unaware that the objective was to use such officials to rig the 2023 general elections. This became yet another evidence that the ruling party had lost self confidence that it could win a free and fair contest. Put differently, the APC has inadvertently exposed its fear that it is at the verge of losing public support having failed to perform to public expectation. This has made the ruling party to be a suspect in every policy it enunciates towards the polls – a good example being the new naira programme.

But perhaps the best example of the dilemma of a ruling party on the eve election manifests in the unusual hostility of APC’s leading members towards President Muhammadu Buhari who was himself elected into office through the party’s banner. The severity of the attacks on Buhari’s new naira programme notwithstanding, Nigerians know that the president is the only APC member on ground today who believes in a free, fair and credible contest next Saturday. All others are locked up in schemes to gain political leverage and foreclose a level playing ground for the coming elections. Many Nigerians are persuaded that those engaged in court cases to stop the president’s plan are not doing so to alleviate public suffering as they claim, rather the goal is to buy votes – a popular method by which many elections were ‘won’ in Nigeria. Painfully, the Nigerian elites are grandstanding and eloquently displaying knowledge every evening on national television on the subject of the rule of law. Those media ‘shows’ are redundant because they have not changed the suffering of the people. If only the poor among us can get the N200 Buhari canvassed, the situation would drastically improve.

The on-going debate on the rule of law appears to have successfully diverted attention from the growing political violence in Lagos and some other cities in Nigeria. A few days ago, Usman Alkali Baba, the Inspector General of Police (IGP) did what his predecessors used to do close to elections. He rolled out law enforcement arrangements designed to curtail violence. He even listed all the newly procured modern arms and other facilities to upgrade the police. We must tell him and quickly too that the reading of such riot acts is not new and that we remain scared by daily reports of political attacks about which the police are usually silent. In Lagos, there was the report of a local leader in a community aided by another person described as SSG who allegedly summoned and threatened citizens with eviction if they failed to vote for a particular party. The promise by the police to organize what was described as a forensic analysis of the report is yet to see the light of day.

The week before, members of a political party that held a well-advertised rally at the Tafawa Balewa Square in Lagos were crudely attacked. Where was the police? If half of the people are attacked and scared away from voting which voters would the police guard on voting day with its advertised modern facilities and what evidence is there that the police are not unwittingly supporting one set of politicians against another? If so, what is all the fuss about some jaundiced rule of law principles? Somebody should help us tell our elites that as fundamental as the rule of law is, they are able to partake in the television see debates on it because it is Banks and not the Supreme Court that frustrated citizens attacked. Another well-meaning speaker should tell them that continued suffering of Nigerians cannot stop illegal contraptions such as the Interim National Government and Military rule that we all seem to deprecate

February 19, 2023

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Opinion

Arase as PSC Chairman and Babawale’s unfounded fear

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

At this time and season of our national development, to pay particular interest to a recent letter purportedly written by the Convener, The Think-Tinubu Initiative, 3TI and member of the Policy, Research and Strategy Committee of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, PCC, Omogbolahan L.A. Babawale cannot be a priority to genuine lovers of our beloved country and democracy.

In a manner suggesting that he must have written out of panic and unfounded fear, may be for partisan reasons, Babawale must have been so confused as to be lost to the difference between a call to national service as distinctly far from a call to serve overly partisan interest.

In the letter addressed to his Party’s National Chairman and titled: THERE MAY BE FIRE ON THE MOUNTAIN, LET EVERY LEG RUN, the writer insinuated that the appointment of former Inspector General of Police, Solomon Arase whom he alleged is a card carrying member of “the opposition PDP,” as Chairman of the Police Service Commission, PSC would undermine the stakes of the ruling APC in the forthcoming polls.

As laughable as it is too, Babawale, perhaps out of ignorance or deliberate mischief warned of a “possible plot of internal sabotage against the Party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima Mustapha” as the appointment of the new Chairman of the PSC will open the floodgate of posting and reposting of Police Commissioners to sooth his whims and caprices for some political gains.

Let’s put the matter straight to the rather diabolical position of Babawale and many of his cohorts.

Contrary to what Babawale will make his fellow ignoramuses believe, IGP Arase‘s father hails from Benin and his beloved mum is from Eme-Ora, both from Edo State and not Agenebode as told by Babawale.

Should the Babawales of this clime care to know, the mandate of the PSC is to ensure fairness, equity and justice in the appointment, promotion and discipline of officers in line with Federal Character principle.

Furthermore, Babawale must be told that the IGP is in charge of the operational arm of Nigeria Police Force and deployment of Commissioners of Police to various State Commands. 

Simply put, Babawale’s fear is misplaced as all relevant and extant laws of the land carefully  highlight the separation of powers between PSC, NPF and the Ministry of Police Affairs in line with the new Police Act 2020 for effective policing of the populace.

A very short recourse to the country’s political cum public service history would have informed the Babawales of this world that Nigeria’s former Director General of the Directorate of State Security, Lawal Daura was Director of Security, APCPCC in 2014. He was later appointed DGSS. Also, Mrs Lauretta Onochie is a renowned card carrying member of APC who was nominated as National Commissioner, INEC and Chairman, NDDC Board at various times, even though she was turned down by the Senate. There are many of such instances.

Most importantly, Babawale shot himself in the foot when he exposed the real real behind his panic letter when he stated inter alia: “The Presidency did not see any non-partisan retired police officer, if not anyone with soft spot for the APC to appoint except a known PDP bigwig. I thought President Muhammadu Buhari said he wanted to leave a lasting legacy on electoral process. Is it by appointing a PDP diehard this can be achieved? Fingers crossed!”

It is tragic that at a time progressive-minded Nigerians are exploring ways and means to jettison the politicisation of every aspect of our national life, Babawale chose to raise an alarm over nothing untoward. If anything at all, his panic letter to the APC Chairman which was copied to all APC PCC members is and remains a figment of his partisan political mindset and self-indicting. It underscores an obvious plot of his Party to employ some underhand tactics to rig their way at the polls. Unfortunately, our electoral process has been so improved upon that the BVAS will not allow for any such plot to succeed.

May be Babawale can reflect on the following worthy commendations by fellow Nigerians following the announcement and further clearance of Arase for the PSC job. The Civil Society Organisation in a statement saying why they must endorse Arase for the job said: “as IGP, he set up the Complaints Response Unit (CRU) which is an improvement on existing public complaints mechanisms by  introducing the use of technology and expanding the platforms through which members of the public could send complaints of police misconduct and receive timely feedback.

“Succeeding IGPs have not given the CRU the support it received under Arase which made it work effectively and efficiently then. The CRU has a committed and professional minded leadership but lacks police management support.

“Arase, upon assuming office as IGP, espoused the vision of modern and democratic policing that is transparent, responsible, accountable and respectful of human rights.

“He initiated the very first set of measures to check police brutality, especially the excesses of SARS. He split SARS into 2 units with one to handle arrest and the other to handle investigation.

“But most of his initiatives and efforts to entrench a culture of discipline and accountability were not sustained by his successors

“We are aware of how his efforts to rein in some notorious SARS commanders against whom were frequent and high numbers of complaints were frustrated by political interference.

Continuing, they said, “We will support Arase to succeed hoping that under him, the urgently needed reforms of the PSC which started last year with a bill to review the establishment Act will be pushed through under his leadership.

“These reforms revolve around leadership qualification and appointment procedure, strengthening the investigative powers and competences of the PSC and streamlining the mandate of the PSC with regards to police recruitment and appointment, discipline and promotion.”

In congratulating President Buhari for Arase’s appointment and consequent clearance by the Senate, the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF said: “given the sterling career profile, and wealth of experience, of the former Inspector General of Police, and his commitment to National stability and peace, it is certain that his appointment will be immensely beneficial to the Nigeria Police Force, in particular, and the Country, in general.

“PANDEF notes that Arase has, over the years, established himself as a diligent, dedicated, and patriotic Nigerian.

“While in the Police Service, Dr. Solomon Arase served in various capacities, including Commissioner of Police in Akwa Ibom State and was head of the topmost intelligence gathering unit of the Nigeria Police – the Criminal Intelligence and Investigation Bureau, as Assistant Inspector-General, and, later, DIG, before he was appointed Inspector-General of Police, in April 2015. 

“And, even after he retired from the Police Service, in 2016, Dr. Solomon Arase continued to bestow his knowledge and experience to the Force, and the Nation, in various capacities.

A final word to Babawale and his gang: let the partisan politicians face their politics and leave the new PSC Chairman alone. After all, President Muhammadu Buhari in all his wisdom and patriotic disposition nominated Arase, the Senate confirmed him as the PSC Chairman; and he is ready, able and willing to work for the greater glory of Nigeria.

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Tinubu & Obi: Reconsider your campaign posture
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Tinubu & Obi: Reconsider your campaign posture

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on September 28, 2022, formally gave an approval signal to all political parties and their candidates to embark on electioneering campaign for the 2023 general elections.

We are now in the seventh week of campaigns, but most political parties are yet to make any impact in explaining their manifestos to the public. The mundane scheme of renting a crowd for rallies is what appears to be occupying the attention of our politicians. Painfully, messages delivered at rallies and processions are characterized by merrymaking, acrobatic displays and political violence making it difficult for people to easily assimilate whatever is said at such venues.

While the abolition of rallies may not be directly advocated because they too produce unique results, rallies should not be used to discard other strategies particularly debates and public enlightenment. All candidates must spend ample time to explain their manifestos for voters to easily identify who can best represent them.

Although there have been interactive sessions with some interest groups, political broadcasts through radio and television that are designed to breakdown the promises of the candidates to the understanding of all and sundry using mass media organs ought to be prioritized in line with current global realities.

The preference for rallies is not surprising though because as history tells us, many  candidates seeking to be elected into political offices are either personally unfit or have no viable programmes to present to the public. Understandably therefore, it is getting clearer that debates which are the most potent of all political broadcasts may not hold in Nigeria this year.

Instead, our political parties are more comfortable with simple straight party talks which are never interrogated. This is because Nigerian politicians detest debates which clearly bring out visionary and knowledge-driven candidates. It has been so since 1999, as one candidate or the other gives some flimsy excuses for declining to participate.

For example, the nation waited in vain for the candidate of the then ruling Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP) in 1999, 2003, 2007 and 2011 to participate in organized Presidential debates. The 2011 edition, took the format of drama as 3 of the candidates appeared in one debate at one platform while the then President Goodluck Jonathan undertook a one-man debate in his preferred platform. In 2019, the candidates of the two major parties including the incumbent president did not show up.

Already, the Nigerian Economic Summit Group, organizers of this year’s debates have cancelled the event. The group in an official statement said it took the decision after “a critical assessment of events surrounding recent engagements with the presidential candidates as well as subsequent statements from political parties.”

The APC had indicated during the week that its flagbearer, Bola Ahmed Tinubu might not honour invitations for debates with other candidates. In reaction, the Labour Party said its candidate, Peter Obi will no longer show up for debates if his counterparts in the other parties are not forthcoming. Certainly, Nigeria should frown at the continuation of such a retrogressive disposition.

We cannot claim to be running the presidential system of government fashioned after the American type and be avoiding political debates which the same American system have shown to be the best way to compare contestants.

In fact, the United States of America has a long history of political broadcasts; the presidential debate serving as the most popular. The practice is that three days are set aside before any presidential election for the candidates contesting the election to engage one another in a series of debates.

The debates are usually broadcast LIVE to the nation on Radio and Television. As far back as 1960, when Nigeria was only just becoming an independent country, America could boast of exciting presidential debates.  Candidate John F. Kennedy who won the American election of that year, achieved the feat because of what was generally believed to be his superior performance over his rival, Richard Nixon during the debates. Some 62 years later, Nigeria is still unable to guarantee a presidential debate because some of the candidates are anxious to cover-up some deficiencies.

Of all the parties, the APC appears to be the greatest culprit in this game of dodging debates. This is surprising because from what I knew of Tinubu when I had cause to relate with him while I ran the NTA, he was quite proactive. Why is APC shielding him from the debates? One can only hope that some ‘eye-service’ officials are not as usual doing a disservice to the man.

I recall during the Jonathan years when I ran into a forum where his officials, aides etc. spent ample time convincing him to not attend the 2015 debate simply because they believed it would give an opportunity to all other contestants to rudely relate to the then president during a debate. From my experience as an election observer across jurisdictions, I can testify that each time a candidate is absent from a debate, the conclusion of the audience is that such candidate has something to hide. This is why I call on Tinubu today to listen to the voice of a few of his admirers who support debates and use the opportunity to engage with voters. The story out there that Tinubu intends to ignore his opponents who are said to be wasting their time discussing rumours about him is a puerile route.

I recommend to the APC candidate and indeed all his fellow presidential contestants that information is power and communication is empowerment. I also call on the PDP candidate Atiku Abubakar to take advantage of the presidential debates to dwell more on his lofty promises such as his plan to strengthen ECOMOG to effectively patrol Nigerian borders and promptly halt invaders who are the alleged champions of insurgency in Nigeria.

One successful political debate is better than 5 rallies and 5 chats with some interest groups combined. As a result, candidates should displace other engagements for the debate. After all, organizers are expected to find a convenient date for all before fixing it. PDP should desist from sending a representative to whatever is called a presidential media forum as it did to the Arise Town hall meeting. And because there would also be a vice presidential forum, the running mate cannot be at all events. In any case, Arise and partners should not have allowed the representation.

In the case of the Labour Party candidate, Peter Obi, many people appear to easily reason with his new stand of not attending debates where some of his colleagues are absent. But that protocol is only good for an office-holder and not for a candidate. Having used all the events, he attends to underscore his visible competence, it would be self-stabbing for him to shoot down his strength. It is for this reason that he too needs to revisit his decision to shun any debate.

Again, it is expedient to say to all candidates that some of us and our few friends and families will not in this modern age vote for anyone who does not see the importance of persuading and convincing us about his capacity to change Nigeria’s stunted growth. We dare say that lovers of issue-based campaigns and persuasive manifestos are not as few as is usually imagined in Nigeria. Of course, candidates who will not engage in issue-based campaigns will be the very first suspects wherever there are reports of political violence at rallies or cases of vote buying and rigging of elections.

In all that has been said above in favour of political debates, Nigeria still needs to depart from the obsolete order where party attack-dogs in the name of spokespersons attack their party’s opponents. Debates should no longer be venues for abuses and every form of intemperate language. Rather, everyone must be allowed to explain what he wants to do for the country. It is the failure of Nigerians to insist on decent political debates that has made it impossible over the years for the nation to pick visionary leaders who can implement viable programmes and remove Nigeria from underdevelopment.

By Tonnie Iredia

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APC Sunday Rally: A confirmation of evil agenda against the Church
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APC Sunday Rally: A confirmation of evil agenda against the Church

by Leading Reporters
written by Leading Reporters

While Nigerians continue to speak against same-faith ticket opted for by the All Progressive Congress (APC) for its 2023 presidential candidates, Nigerian Christian community wakes to another rude shock by the party following its planned rally slated for 9.am on the 9th October, 2023.

The party, of all days, chose Sunday, 9am for its 5million man march. A time many Christian faithful’s are expected to be in Church.

Some of the respondents said that APC insensitivity towards one of the major religious sects in Nigeria – Christianity has been taken to an all high and irresponsible level.

“For heaven’s sake, how can a party that flies Muslim-muslim ticket chose Sundays of all days for its rally. It foretells what lies ahead. If Tinubu and Shettima are allowed to mount that seat as President and Vice President, that would mean the end of Christianity in Nigeria. The signs are all here for us to see. They tested it in Kaduna and go and ask the Christian dominated Southern Kaduna people what their experience so far looks like. Bringing it to the Federal level will bring in total collapse of Christianity in Nigeria.

Another respondent who did not want his name mentioned described it as an insensitivity taken too far.

“First it was same-faith ticket. Now it is Sunday, 9am rally. The next thing they will request you is to donate your worship centers as party secretariats.

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APC Allegedly Impose Stickers On Lagos Keke Drivers

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

A viral video which showed the All Progressives Congress (APC) stickers being imposed on tricycle aka ‘keke napep’ riders in Lagos has gone viral.

On Wednesday, a video of Lagos State Park and Garages Management Committee (wrongly referred to as the Lagos chapter of the National Union of Road Transport Workers) agents imposing stickers of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on tricycle riders went viral.

According to the video, each sticker was being sold for N500, and money gathered from the sales would be used to support the campaign of Bola Ahmed-Tinubu, the presidential aspirant of the APC, and Babajide Sanwo-Olu, the incumbent Governor of Lagos State, who is seeking re-election.

The sticker contains notably the pictures of Tinubu and his running mate, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, and Musiliu Akinsanya, popularly known as MC Oluomo.

Reacting in a counter video, MC Oluomo, chairman, Lagos State Park and Garages Management Committee, said what was captured on camera was false and a ploy by the oppositions, especially the Igbo community, to blackmail the APC.

To ascertain the claims, FIJ visited Ajah Bus Stop, where the incident happened, to speak with tricycle riders who operate there.

A tricycle rider who plies the Ajah-Badore/Langbasa road told FIJ that the levying happened on Tuesday after the operators paid for their usual tickets for the day.

“Around noon on Wednesday, we were asked to pay for an APC sticker for N500. We were mandated to pay for it. There were no options, as the agberos themselves pasted the stickers on our tricycles,” he said.

“The purchase of the sticker was mandatory and the drivers who refused had their tricycles seized. Most of the operators who paid for it that day did so to avoid losing the day’s pay,” said another tricycle rider.

“They told us it was from the state union and there was nothing we could do about it. There was a revolt, but it didn’t last because we were compelled to do the bidding of the NURTW and the agberos, just like every other time.”

A driver brought the sticker and told FIJ he had bought it to avoid trouble from the state union.

“Not buying it would have been a terrible decision because they were on our necks. They would even mark your face should you insist, and do all they can to hinder your business,” he said.

“A lot of us here operate in fear.”

“The state union didn’t even give us the choice to accept or reject it. Some of their workers simply went ahead to paste it on my tricycle and I had to pay,” one driver said.

“Some drivers who refused the stickers were beaten and had their seats removed.

“As we speak now, about two drivers who stood their grounds against paying for the stickers were taken away by the state union workers. They were taken to their chairman’s office and they haven’t been seen since then.

“They said the sticker was to fund the state campaign and we had to pay.

“Imagine that they are trying to advertise their candidates to us and we have to pay for it. In saner climes, they would be the ones to give people money, but rather, people are paying to help them advertise their candidates.”

Reacting to Mc Oluomo’s claim that the Igbo were behind the stickers in a bid to blackmail the party, a driver said, “The claim is absolutely false. He is only making up these claims to blackmail the ethnic group.

“How did the Igbo get the printer? Why would they do such? What would they intend to achieve? All these are lies to distract people from their true acts.

“Besides, they are simply trying to spoil the names of the Igbo. Does it make any sense that the Igbo brought the idea while the Yoruba are selling it?

“More than 50 operators were made to collect the sticker in fear.

“Here in this park, there are now over 500 tricycles because of the okada ban. So it’s a good way for them to make money.”

source

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Yoruba Elders And APC Supporters Appeal Tinubu To Drop Shettima, Pick A Christian Running Mate

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

More than 5,000 Yoruba Elders majorly members of the ruling All Progressives Congress and supporters of Bola Ahmed Tinubu on Monday took to the streets of Lagos to protest the party’s Muslim-Muslim ticket, calling for a Christian to be incorporated.

The pro-Tinubu protesters, under the aegis of the Coalition of APC Stakeholders Network and Southwest Supporters of Tinubu, began their peaceful walk from Shoprite Ikeja to the State House, Alausa.

According to them, the only obstacle between the former Lagos State and the presidency in 2023 is his running mate, Senator Kassim Shettima.

In his address, the group’s President-General, Elder Arokoyo Samuel, described Tinubu as a “political colossus and astute political strategist” who has successfully built an enviable foundation for the party.

“He has also been crucial in the nation’s democracy being an important figure for almost four decades, hence his emergence as APC presidential candidate was perceived as a breadth of fresh air”.

Being known as a lover of peace, tolerance and exclusivity, he said it was, however, surprising that Tinubu opted for a fellow Muslim as the APC’s vice-presidential candidate.

Rejecting the combination, Samuel said “As a multi-religious and multi-ethnic country, any attempt for one religion to dominate the political structure could only widen the gap of mistrust and destroy the delicate sense of tolerance cultivated over the years.

“Hence, the choice of Shettima was not only ill-timed but also a total disregard for the diversity of the country, crushing the bridges built to connect the religious differences and promote ethnic harmonious co-existence”.

The Coalition of APC Stakeholders Network and Southwest Supporters of Tinubu said it is using peaceful protest to urge the party’s presidential candidate to drop Shettima.

“We want the best for the nation and the Muslim-Muslim ticket isn’t. This will set negative precedents for future generations. We must not fail our children.

“In place of Shettima, Tinubu should pick a Christian from the north-central. Doing so will assure the APC of a higher chance of gathering more votes from the North and across the country.

“The north-central dominated by Christians played a vital role in the 2015 and 2019 presidential elections. As popular as PMB is in the North, the only times he succeeded were when he won this zone, despite always dominating the Muslim-dominated North West and North East in his previous three attempts.

“There are a good number of Christian voters in the following northern states Kogi, Kwara, Plateau, Nasarawa, Benue, Taraba, Kaduna, Adamawa, Gombe, Borno, and the FCT, whose votes can be harvested to about 70% if we have a Northern Christian running mate on the ticket.

“Tinubu will write his name in gold should he make this bold decision. He will become the toast of Christians. Imagine the kind of momentum our leader will gather should he get the backing of almost 50 million Christians in Nigeria.

“It is our prayer that Tinubu will look beyond the surface and make this bold decision. We anticipate his timely action”.

Source: independent.ng

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Despite Debt Issues, APC National Chairman Says “Nigeria Can Borrow From Now Till Eternity”

by Folarin Kehinde
written by Folarin Kehinde

In spite of the nations huge national debt, Abdullahi Adamu, the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress has said in an interview that the federal government “can borrow from here to eternity”.

Adamu stated while speaking on a programme on Trust Television on Monday.

According to him, countries like the US and the UK borrow funds from international financial institutions to meet their needs.

President Muhammadu Buhari has been criticised for his administration’s borrowing to execute projects across the country.

“I remember a programme we had here, I told you and I thought you believed me that I have no quarrel, issues with government borrowing. Government can borrow from here to eternity. The American government borrows, the Canadian government borrows, the United Kingdom borrows, France borrows money from the World Bank and such other institutions,” he said.

“Nigeria is no exception, what I quarrel with is if the money is not used for a purpose and the infrastructure, we are developing across the country is from this source.

“You also have to appreciate the fact of the level of revenue accruing to the government, oil is the main thing… We want to see how best we can diversify. These issues affecting the revenue accruing to the government are not our making no matter how good we are, they happen.

“When some countries sneeze we catch a cold. The Ukrainian crisis with Russia is having an impact on our economy and even in bigger economies than our own so why do we limit ourselves in our thinking.”

Adamu said some senators in the APC are supporting the impeachment bid against Buhari because they did not win tickets to contest in the 2023 polls.

“When this was going on it was part of the heat of those who didn’t get what they wanted and they now capitalize on the pressure of the opposition to be hard,” he said.

“It was an opposition drive, they (those who lost tickets) supported it and they put the blame on the party and government.”

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