APC'S PRESIDENTIAL CAMPAIGN COUNCIL

Tinubu co-chairs APC presidential campaign council; Dangote, Otedola named advisers (FULL LIST)

The All Progressives Congress, APC, has released the names of members of its Presidential Campaign Council for the 2019 elections.
They are as follows: 
2019 Elections: APC Picks Tinubu As Co-Chairman Of Presidential Campaign Council
Updated December 28, 2018

Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been chosen as co-chair of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Campaign Council.
Tinubu is to join President Muhammadu Buhari who is the chairman.
This latest development is according to a statement by the party released on Friday, December 28.
The APC in its statement released the names of members of its Presidential Campaign Council for the 2019 elections.

Below is the full list as published by the ruling party.

CHAIRMAN
President Muhammadu Buhari

CO-CHAIRMAN
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

DEPUTY CHAIRMEN
1. The Vice President, Prof Yemi Osinbajo.

2. The APC National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomole

VICE CHAIRMAN NORTH
Senator George Akume

VICE CHAIRMAN SOUTH
Senator Ken Nnamani

DIRECTOR GENERAL
His Excellency, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi

DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL (OPERATIONS)
Senator A.O. Mamora

DEPUTY DIRECTOR GENERAL (COORDINATION)
Arch. Waziri Bulama

SECRETARY
1. Adamu Adamu

2. Dele Alake

ZONAL DIRECTORS
a. North West: Senator Aliyu M. Wamakko

b. North East: Senator Muh’d Ali Ndume

c. North Central: Senator Abdullahi Adamu

d. South West: Sola Oke, SAN

e. South East: Sharon Ikeazor

f. South-South: Senator Godswill Akpabio

DIRECTORATES
a. Director, Buhari Support Groups – Dr. Mahmoud Mohammed

b. Director, Strategic Communications – Festus Keyamo, SAN

a. Deputy Director- Abike Dabiri- Erewa

c. Director, Contact & Mobilization – Hadiza Bala Usman

a. Deputy Director South -Victor Eboigre

b. Deputy Director North- Senator Bashir Nalado

d. Director, Election Planning & Monitoring – Babatunde Raji Fashola, SAN

a. Deputy Director I- Baba Kura Abba Jato

b. Deputy Director II-Chief Emani Ayiri

e. Director, Logistics – Dr. Pius Odubu

a. Deputy Director- Senator Umanah Umanah

b. Deputy Director II- Nasiru Danu

f. Director, Policy Research & Strategy- Prof Abdulrahman Oba

a. Deputy Director- Prof. A.K. Usman

g. Director, Youth Mobilization- Hon. Tony Nwoye assisted by the APC Youth Leader Sadiq

a. Deputy Director North- Barrister Ismaeel Ahmed

b. Deputy Director South – Jasper Azuatalam

h. Director, Admin- Onari Brown

a. Deputy Director I- Chris Hassan

b. Deputy Director II- Abubakar Magaji Gasau

i. Director, Women Mobilization- Woman Leader Salamatu Baiwa

a. Deputy Director North – Binta Mu’azu

b. Deputy Director South – Adejoke Orelope Adefulire

j. Director Security – Gen. A. . Dambazzau

a. Deputy Directors – Brigadier General Gambo and Mr. U. Ukoma

k. Director Legal – Emeka Ngige, SAN

a. Deputy Director- Prof. Maman Lawan Yusufari

l. Director Field Operations- Mallam Nuhu Ribadu

M. Director Finance – Wale Edun

Deputy Director ….Alhaji Adamu Fadan

SPECIAL ADVISORY COMMITTEE TO MR. PRESIDENT
1. Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo.

2. Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

3. Senator Ahmed Lawan (Senate Leader)

4. Hon. Femi Gbajabiamila ( Leader of the House )

5. APC Party National Chairman Comrade Adams Oshiomole

6. Alhaji Aliko Dangote.

7. Mr. Femi Otedola

COUNCIL MEMBERS
1. Chief Bisi Akande

2. Chief John Oyegun

3. Senator Ita Enang

4. All APC serving Senators

5. All APC serving and former Governors

6. All APC Members of the House of Representatives

7. All members of the National Working Committee of the APC

8. All Zonal Women Leaders

STATE COORDINATORS
1. Governors are to serve as State Coordinators in their respective states

2. Gubernatorial Candidates in non-APC States will serve as State Coordinators in their respective states

OKOROCHA LOCKS OUT OSHIOMOLE, IMO APC CHIEFS FROM STAADIUM

SOURCE: THENATIONONLINENG.NET

NATIONAL Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State were yesterday locked in a fresh spat after the state government allegedly denied APC the use of Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri for the flag-off of its governorship election campaign.

Oshiomhole branded the governor’s action anti-party and derided his style of governance. Although Okorocha is an APC member, he is vehemently opposed to the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Hope Uzodinma, whose election he has threatened to work against. The governor, who is supporting his son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, for the governorship race on the platform of Action Alliance (AA), fired back at Oshiomhole, dismissing the allegation that he denied Uzodinma the use of the stadium as untrue, adding that only Oshiohole could believe it. Okorocha and members of the state cabinet boycotted yesterday’s campaign of APC.

Oshiomhole said: “For the workers who no longer know what a pay day looks like, I bring a message of hope. “When a governor will look at the face of his people and say there is money to do other things but no money to pay those who are working for the government. “I bring a message of hope that appointments into your government will be made on merit and not on family connection. “I bring a message of hope that when we talk of happiness, we will not domesticate it in the hands of a sister; that the happiness of the great people of Imo State will be the primary purpose of government under Senator Hope Uzodinma. “I bring you a message of hope that in constructing buildings and building roads, they will be based on due process. “One contract will not be awarded to three people. If it must be awarded, it must not be awarded to in-laws; it will be awarded to genuine business men and women of Imo State.

“I bring you hope that never again will your governor look at your leaders and abuse them because democracy is about people. “I bring you a message of hope that never again shall we govern on the basis of family connection: whether you know somebody or you don’t know somebody; you married from me, I didn’t marry from you; that shall not be the basis of winning the next election. “I bring you a message of hope that your money will be used to develop Imo land. “And through you, I bring a message of hope to the traditional rulers; that they will be able to preside over their domains without being intimidated by the governor. “I bring you a message of hope that from now on, we will govern in a way that will leave no man in doubt that democracy is government of the people by the people and for the people.

“I want to assure those workers who have been lamenting, those families whose husbands have not been paid for six months to nine months, and I want to assure those pensioners that the bailout money which President Buhari gave to governors, including the governor of Imo State, that was not used for the purpose, that money will be retrieved and our pensioners will smile again. “Never again will a governor of this state look at you in the face and say that your salary depends on when he wants and not when it is due. “Never again will someone use your money to print posters with a President Obama when he is doing the opposite of Obama. “I bring you assurances of hope that you are going to have a governor who will lead you by the power of personal example. “Let me say it without fear of contradiction that those who are printing President Muhammadu Buhari’s posters, putting his face and their own faces because their faces are unknown, their party is unknown and they will put Buhari’s face and put the logo of an unknown party, those ones are fake.

“President Muhammadu Buhari has APC as his party. He is our presidential candidate. President Muhammadu Buhari believes in and has adopted Senator Hope Uzodinma as the APC governorship candidate. “We want real democrats that will accept the will of the people. How can you explain that an APC governor will deny an APC candidate the use of the stadium that is built with tax payers’ money from Imo State?” Switching to pidgin English, Oshiomhole continued: “I hear say yesterday he talk am say he no wan give stadium because when he dey contest against (former governor Ikedi) Ohakim, he talk say Ohakim no give am stadium. So, he too go copy Ohakim. I say e good oh! If you copy who fail exam, you too you never fail? If you copy who fail exam, what will you get? He who copy failure will find failure awaiting him.”

In a swift reaction to Oshiomhole’s allegation, Okorocha, speaking through his Chief Press Secretary, Sam Onwuemeodo, said: “For those who know Chief Hope Uzodinma very well, they won’t be surprised that he could come up with this false claim on the issue. Only men like Adams Oshiomhole would believe him. “Since Governor Rochas Okorocha became governor in 2011, the Dan Anyiam Stadium has always been made available for all the political parties and candidates to use, not minding the political affiliations.

“The Stadium is the property of Imo people and Chief Uzodinma would not have been denied the opportunity of using the facility for the flag-off of his campaign if he had asked or applied for it. “He never applied to use the stadium, especially when a press release had been issued days before the flag-off of his campaign that the governor had directed that the stadium should be released free to political parties and candidates who would like to use it for their rallies or for other political activities. “As usual, Chief Uzodinma wanted to use the stadium issue to blackmail the governor and to continue to deceive men like Oshiomhole.

“The truth is that Chief Hope Uzodinma cannot raise up to one thousand people, talk more (sic) raising a crowd that would fill the stadium. “He does not have the capacity. He knows his handicaps. Where would Chief Uzodinma get the crowd to fill the Stadium? “Last time, he published a crowd of an event that took place in the north as the crowd that graced his rally when he was named the candidate of the party. And Senator Araraume’s men also used the picture of the same crowd. We exposed them on that. “Men and women of goodwill should ignore Chief Uzodinma’s claim for who he is.”

THENATIONONLINENG.NET

OKOROCHA locks out OSHIOMHOLE, Imo APC Chiefs from stadium

NATIONAL Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State w

PARADIGM SHIFT IN KWARA POLITICS?

It appears that the tight skin of the Saraki drum in Kwara politics has refused to yield to the harmattan effect of tightening. The drum has lapsed liked the retired breasts of an unrepentant harlot.
The great politician had allegedly said he spent #400 Million in 30 states for the victory of the current President  Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 general elections, when the duo were still sharing the same political hut in peace.
Why should Saraki's stronghold of Kwara State lose a parliamentary re-run elections to the opposition party (APC) in the State in the elections conducted recently? Is it that the money possibly shared didn't have the desired effect on Kwarans? Or has Lai Mohammed, the Minister of Information, also from Kwara State, was able plant in political lies that perfectly whittled down Saraki's enduring influence on the people of Kwara State? Or is there a paradigm shift on the side of the electorates against Saraki's Political dynasty?
No need for hurried answers. The reality will soon be dawn on us all. Let's watch as the politics and politicking unfold in the build up to the 2019 general elections.

EL CLASSICO ON CHANNELS TV by DR. UGO EGBUJO

Source: Frank Ofili.

I watched the El Classico on Channels TV
(Dr Ugo Egbujo)

I watched Atiku's man try to defend his integrity. I watched him try to parry Keyamo's corruption blows . I heard him say Atiku was not indicted by a congressional report. I heard him say it was something about 911.

911? What da ...

I have an advice for Atiku.

He needs to come clean on this issue. He needs forgiveness. Not just from one god in Ota but from the Nigerian people.

If Atiku starts denying the congressional and FBI reports then he will bog down his campaign.

His wife opened 30 bank accounts . She received 40 million dollars of slush funds into these accounts. She denied knowing the source of these funds. These funds came from her husband according to her. Yet her husband denies corrupt dealings.

Atiku needs to own up to these skeletons. If he doesn't then they will remain on the surface and haunt his campaign. And more will be exhumed.

America knows. America knows that part of the money used to set up the American university in Yola came from a dark source. America has convicted Siemens. Siemens has confessed paying bribes to Atiku.

Atiku needs a second chance. But he cant do that by confessing only to Obasanjo and pulling wool of the eyes of the rest of us.

Sheikh Gumi didnt tell him the importance of public confession? What then did Oyedepo and Kukah do there? How can these Bishops now sit and watch their new altar boy send people to national television to lie?

Obasanjo warned him. To proceed henceforth with a contrite heart.

That report is lucid. It's emblazoned on the website of Homeland security.

Na wa ooo . They want Atikulate.......Unfortunately those guys are not some Port Harcourt convention delegates.

THE STRUGGLE FOR BIAFRA REPUBLIC: AN END OR IN SUSPENSION? ...by SHABA Mafu.

The struggle for the actualization of the sovereign State of Biafra started decades ago based, among other reasons, on the perceived marginalization of the ethnic extraction by the government of the Federal Republic of Nigeria. The struggle culminated in a three-year enduring and bloody civil war in the mid-1960s. It was recorded that over a million people lost their lives from the two sides of the conflict. That struggle was eventually put to an end after the surrender of the main protagonist of the struggle, Dim Chukwuemeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, of blessed memory to the federal republic of Nigeria. After a long period of lull, the resurgence aimed at seceding from the country was again experienced in recent times.

In the days of the former president of Nigeria, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, the Biafran agitation was completely blotted out of memory at least for that period, possibly because of the political affiliation the agitators had with the former President. Shortly after the 2015 general elections, and the subsequent emergence of Muhammadu Buhari as the President of Nigeria, the agitations for the Biafran Sovereign Republic again resurfaced, this time around under the leadership of Nnamdi Kanu. He fronted the agitation under the caption of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB). It was usually a potent and aggressive, though non-violent protest in the bid to actualize their vision. Due to the tempo of the agitation, the federal government under the leadership of incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari, not only outlawed the group but also declared it a terrorist organization. The military, on its own side, conducted an operation code-named “Python Dance” in the region to nail the agitations. This exercise resulted in the inexplicable and continuous silence of the contemporary protagonist of the struggle, Nnamdi Kanu.

In a sudden political twist to the build-up to the 2019 general elections, the Vice-Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), the main opposition party to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), has been picked from the same geopolitical region, the South-East which has been agitating for sovereignty. The candidate is Dr. Peter Obi, the former Governor of Anambra State.

The issue this article wishes to raise are: is the desire of the South-Eastern part of Nigeria to secede from Nigeria merely politically-motivated and a deliberate deviation from the remote cause, as demonstrated in the life and times of the heroic Ojukwu? Does it mean that the agitators are easily swayed from their conviction of fighting for an independent State, based on its affiliation or otherwise, to the political party in the helms of the national government? Majority of the South-easterners currently support the Peoples Democratic Party and its presidential candidate for the 2019 elections, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. If Atiku wins the presidential election, will the secession bid be suspended for the period of his governance? If Buhari wins, will they resume the protests? I thought that if the secessionists were actually convinced about their reason for secession, which was the principal focus of the Biafran side of the civil war, the agitators could not be so fluidly ‘persuaded’ as to allow the politics of the Nigerian nation (their perceived oppressor to determine the tempo and the end-result of their secession bid.

If the agitation resumes in 2019 if Buhari wins the presidential election, it would then be robustly concluded that the agitations were politically-motivated and the Buhari-led federal government primarily targeted. It, therefore, becomes clearer that the federal government may not have been wrong, after all for responding to a perceived enemy of its administration.

Suggestively, I would think that instead of the South-Easterners dissipating their energies in intermittent struggles for a yet-to-be-realized vision, they would have put high-profile strategy on how to occupy the highest political position in the land – the Presidency. It is clear that the Ibos are still interested in Nigerian politics, hence Dr. Peter Obi being picked to represent them at the presidency come 2019. The struggle for the Biafran republic has smeared the minds of most Nigerians against the multi-focused agitators who. paradoxically, also show full interest in Nigeria and her politics. One can therefore safely conclude that it is either the Ibos are divided on the vision of secession or they are yet to actually reconcile on a collective focus.

It would pay the entire South-East region more if they are fully involved in the Nigerian project as they have the capacity to rule very well when they combine their hardworking, commercial and industrial lives, coupled with political power in ruling Nigeria. It would pay them more also if they jettison the secession attempts and join forces to build a prosperous Nigeria.

FESTUS KEYAMO (SAN) DROPS MOTHER OF ALL BOMBS.

I asked him when most of you were analyzing that heretic message that “Jonathan is fulfilling prophecy”. I asked a simple question: “Which prophecy is Ex- President Jonathan”? Pastor Bosun went ahead to say “even if the Islamic party (APC) presents a Christian Governor in Lagos, you must not vote for him, you must vote for the other party (PDP). Wait, who was using religion?

Ex- President Obasanjo removed Senate Presidents at will, removed any opposing voice, removed Fayose for a small insult, and removed Ladoja with thugs in Ibadan. Who are you calling “DICTATOR”? BUHARI.

Ex-President Obasanjo withheld Lagos State fund for 3 years, not minding how Lagosians would eat, Yaradua got there and released the fund.

NASS members were abusing President Buhari openly, messing up everything at will; Gov. Fayose has been abusing President Buhari for 4 years now. Not a single State in Nigeria has been denied their constitutional rights because of politics till date, all their funds, Paris fund and bail out, FAAC etc. But who is the DICTATOR? BUHARI.

Ex-President Jonathan ensured that NASS opposition members were locked out including Tambuwa the Speaker of the house. They had to climb gate to gain access.

Jonathan empowered OPCs in Lagos and they were destroying anything in Ikorodu to Ojota that looked like opposition party. Orga of DSS was used to invade APC secretariat, Journalist arrested and Newspapers siezed, we forgot all these….

Ekiti was militarised, Fayose was given power from Aso rock to order Military guys at will. Fayemi the incumbent at that moment was rendered powerless that he was shouting when Police commissioner was used by PDP and a guy was shot…All these videos and pictures are still here (google is your friend). But who is the dictator? BUHARI.

Ex-President Jonathan met FX+ECA at $62 billion+. He DEPLETED it to less than $30 Billion in 5 years Jonathan sold crude oil for 5 years at an average of $100 per barrel of 2.2 million daily (2010-2014). Did he add a DIME to Nigeria purse in 5 years? NO.

Buhari the ILLITERATE sold oil at an average of $50 of less than 700,000 barrel at some points because of militancy, yet had moved that FX to $47 Billion in 3 years.

Don’t say how much did he borrow if you don’t even have the figure borrowed between 2010-2015 without adding a dime to FX.

Who is the ILLITERATE? BUHARIIII. Jide Omokore, Aluko and oil goddess Alinson made an oil deal of N1 trillion and chose not to remit to Nigeria under GEJ. Did anyone raise eyebrow?

INTEL of Ex-Vice President Atiku refused to remit to Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), not until last year that “ordinary” Hadiza the NPA boss challenged INTEL and insisted the funds must be remitted.

A Christian Professor had been leading JAMB all through Obasanjo to Jonathan yet for 40 years of JAMB; only N52 Million was remitted to FG.

A Muslim Professor who was appointed just in two years of handling JAMB remitted over N15 Billion. FIFTEEN BILLION. So who is following after righteousness?

For five years of Okonjo Iweala was paying over 45,000 ghost workers unabated, yet just within 3 years, “ordinary” Kemi Adeosun removed such nonsense…I ask again who is more effective?

Ordinary Abuja metro lane took 11 years from OBJ period that he INITIATED it…Ordinary intra-city metro lane o, but President Buhari that finished is within 3 years is the failure abi?

“Which project did President Buhari INITIATE and COMPLETE in 3 years yen-yen-yen”.
Mention any major project INITIATED AND COMPLETED in 3 years of Ex-President Obasanjo, or Ex-President Yar’Adua or Ex-President Jonathan?

So on what parameters are you using to judge 3 years of President Buhari INITIATING AND COMPLETING? Even PDP can’t finish their own secretariat let alone that which belong to NIGERIA.

Lagos-Ibadan road since Ex-President Obasanjo era till Ex-President Jonathan could not be finished. In 3 years of President Buhari, the road is receiving serious attention. Ask those who ply that road and those who go for Holy Ghost Congress monthly about the difference in pace of work. Wait, even Otuoke road in Bayelsa had to wait till President Buhari now starts to do the road. Who is the failure? Can it be BUHARIIII.

What about “Almajiri School in the North? WHERE exactly are these Schools SITUATED in the North? OK, show us the picture.

Emm, 2nd Niger Bridge? Lol, they completed it on the MAP, yet Fashola is on it PHYSICALLY now.

Did Buhari fail on security issue in Benue? YES. Did others before him fail on the same security issue in Benue? YESSS. So where did you get all these noise of “Fulani President” is helping herdsmen?

Who was the President during Jos crisis, herdsmen killing people in Zamfara in 2013, Odi massacre, Kaduna crisis? You think death suddenly started because President Buhari was a Fulani man? That he failed in that is one thing, but that YOU are making a narrative of “Fulani President” is giving herdsmen power is funny.

January 1, 2018 in Omoku, Rivers State, Christians were coming from Church; cultists from the South South killed their own people. You know why there was no serious noise by CAN and you? You could not link it to President Buhari’s herdsmen or Fulani herdsmen. The same WIKE that did not drop a million to support the families of those bereaved in his constituency (State) went to Benue State to donate N20 Milliion and you hailed him

Kidnapping of School children in Lagos; Badoo issue in Lagos; Crisis in Kaduna. Who did you call on? Ambode the Governor of Lagos and El-Rufai of Kaduna. When crisis happened in River State and Benue State, who did you shout about? President Buhari the herdsmen. What about your Bishops, Pastors and Imans that made Aso Rock their abode between 2010-2015? What did they negotiate for the body of Christ or common citizens? Yes, they got their jets; they got waivers and Universities all PERSONAL. Now that the tap to fuel their jets and lifestyles had stopped, all they tell you from the pulpit is “LIES and Prophelying“. Your anointed ones keep saying ANNOYING THINGS, yet you can’t query their lies?

Wait, I remember again your problem with President Buhari fighting corruption selectively. So, mention ONE name among those in EFCC case without a case to defend. If your hero Presidents had fought corruption with one leg, by now shebi it is the second leg that President Buhari will be fighting.

So what is your problem with the corrupt facing the music? Oh, how about blablablabla. If President Buhari did not catch them, somebody else will. But stop crying in defence of the corrupt being asked to face the music. If your uncle is corrupt, tell him to face it, and stop shouting how about other thieves.

I know you lost your job because Ex- President Jonathan lost out and your job with Mama Patience was terminated. But stop using your personal loss as a yardstick for Buhari’s achievement.

Under your hero, several young Nigerians were SCAMMED by Boro collecting money from them for Job, in the process killing many young Nigerians. Ex-President Jonathan cannot even sack him. So what do you want the families of those who died when Ex-President Jonathan scammed them of Jobs to do? Stop crying and face life.

For your information, all those lies about “hidden agenda” can only fly on you because they know you are biblically illiterate. I even saw somebody hailing Femi-Fani Kayode for being the voice for the Church. Haaaaaa, abomination. Abeg make I stop, come dey collect your abuses in packs. After all your abuse, na President Buhari I go still vote for.

~ Festus Keyamo SAN.

REMARKS BY CHIEF OLUSEGUN OBASANJO ON THE VISIT OF PDP PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE, ATIKU ABUBAKAR TO ABEOKUTA ON OCTOBER 11, 2018.

...
I am happy to welcome the distinguished leaders of goodwill who have led the PDP Presidential Candidate and my former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, to my humble abode and I welcome the Presidential Candidate himself.
Let me start by congratulating President-to-be, Atiku Abubakar, for his success at the recent PDP Primary and I took note of his gracious remarks in his acceptance speech that it all started here.
Yes, when it started, it was meant for Atiku to succeed Obasanjo. In the presence of these distinguished leaders of goodwill today, let me say it openly that we have reviewed what went wrong on the side of Atiku. And in all honesty, my former Vice-President has re-discovered and re-positioned himself. As I have repeatedly said, it is not so much what you did against me that was the issue but what you did against the Party, the Government and the country.
I took the stand I had taken based on the character and attributes you exhibited in the position you found yourself. I strongly believe that I was right. It was in the overall interest of everyone and everything to take such a position.
From what transpired in the last couple of hours or so, you have shown remorse; you have asked for forgiveness and you have indicated that you have learnt some good lessons and you will mend fences and make amends as necessary and as desirable.
Whenever or wherever you might have offended me, as a Christian who asks for God’s forgiveness of my sins and inadequacies on daily basis, I forgive and I sincerely advise you to learn from the past and do what is right and it will be well with you. Obviously, you have mended fences with the Party and fully reconciled with the Party. That’s why today, you are the Presidential Candidate of the Party. In addition to appreciating all that the Party has done for you, may I advise you to work together with all those who contested for the Party’s flag with you as a team for your campaign.
There are still areas, nationally and internationally, where you have to mend fences and make amends. You will know how to handle what is already out and what may yet be put out by the opposition. But, I am convinced that if you continue with the attitude that brought you here with these distinguished leaders of goodwill, with remorse and contrite heart, the rest of the coast within and outside the country can be cleared. And if there is anything I can do and you want me to do in that respect, I will do.
I am sure with the right attitude for change where necessary, and by putting lessons learned by you to work, you will get the understanding, cooperation, support and mandate - all at the national level. With Nigerians voting for you, it will mean that you secure their forgiveness and regain their confidence. It will be with the hope or assurance of a Paul on the road to Damascus Conversion. After all, change and conversion are of man. I believe that with a contrite heart, change is possible in everybody’s life and situation.
For me, relatively and of all the aspirants in the PDP, you have the widest and greatest exposure, experience, outreach and possibly the best machinery and preparation for seeing the tough and likely dirty campaign ahead through. From what I personally know of you, you have capacity to perform better than the incumbent. You surely understand the economy better; you have business experience, which can make your administration business-friendly and boost the economy and provide jobs.
You have better outreach nationally and internationally and that can translate to better management of foreign affairs. You are more accessible and less inflexible and more open to all parts of the country in many ways. As Pastor Bakare, one-time running mate of the incumbent President said, “You are a wazobia man.” And that should help you in confronting the confrontable and shunning nepotism.
As you know, along the road to where you are today, many leaders and ordinary people cooperated and overtly and covertly worked hard. On your behalf, I thank them all. May their coast continue to be expanded. And when you become Nigerian President which, insha-Allah, you will be, remember what we did together in government – we ran an administration by Nigerians for all Nigerians where merit and performance count more than blood relationship, friendship or kith and kin. Although some time and ground have been lost, you should endeavour to start from where we stopped and recover some lost ground, if not time.
Please uphold truth, integrity, principles, morality and fight corruption, crimes and insurgency. The fundamental law of the land, our constitution must be scrupulously defended. I make one demand and one demand on you today, I need you to say before God and man that you will always remain irrevocably committed to upholding ALL the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the whole country will remain your single indivisible constituency.
Constitutionalism, popular participation and inclusiveness are pre-conditions for reversing the deficits of the past three and half years. They will ensure abiding faith in our indivisibility, oneness and faith in the survival of all against none.
The fundamentals for our development, economic growth and progress are hard and soft infrastructure. Remember to always give adequate places in your administration to our youth and women.
All the authorities involved with the preparation, all processes and conduct of the election must ensure that the election is free, fair and credible.
Once again, congratulations and I wish you well. My distinguished brothers and leaders of goodwill, thank you for making this happen. I will now count on you to encourage all hands to be on the deck to take Nigeria to the level God has created it to be – autopilot level.
God bless you all and God bless Nigeria.

KEMI ADEOSUN: INTERESTING PERSPECTIVE by Abdul Mahmud.

".......the citizenship by birth granted to Kemi under the 1960 and 1963 constitutions was nullified by section 26 (1) and (3) of the 1979 constitution- "Avoidance of dual citizenship". Recall that under both provisions of subsections 1 years and 3, and more particularly subsection 1 ( ..."a person shall forfeit forthwith his Nigerian citizenship if he acquires or retains the citizenship or nationality of a country other than Nigeria"), the constitution abrogated the right to dual citizenship. So as at 1 October 1979 when the constitution came into effect, Kemi was effectively no longer a citizen of Nigeria, nor was she a citizen when she turned 21 in 1988. Further, by the combined effect of Section 26 (1) and (3), Kemi was not a citizen of Nigeria when she graduated at 22 in 1989 and only became a citizen again in 1999 when her Nigerian citizenship was restored by section 28 of the 1999 constitution. Between the interregnum of 1 October 1979 and 29 May 1999, she was not a citizen, so she wasn't expected to offer herself for call up when she graduated at 22 in 1989 or offer herself for service in 1999 when she was already 32 years old- two years above the limiting age were she a Nigerian citizen by birth.

Some may argue that when the military promulgated The Constitution ( Suspension and Modification) Decree No 1, 1984, the 1979 Constitution was effectively suspended by the military decree. This is an erroneous argument. Decree No 1 of 1984 only suspended and modified parts of the 1979 Constitution, and not the entire Constitution. Chapter 3 which dealt with citizenship and Chapter 4 which dealt with Fundamental Rights were NEVER suspended or modified by Decree No 1, 1984. What this means in effect is that Section 26, which dealt with "avoidance of dual citizenship" was never touched by the decree. And if I recall correctly, our court in the case of the Military Governor of Ondo State v Victor Adegoke Adewunmi ( I will look for the citation later as I am typing extempore) addressed the effect of military decrees and edicts on the unsuspended parts of the 1979 constitution and held that the unsuspended parts had effective operations as if the 1979 constitution was not suspended in the first place. The point I am making here is that during the military interregnum - 1984 to 1999- Kemi was not a citizen of Nigeria by virtue of the unsuspended provisions of section 26 of the 1979 Constitution, so she was not constitutionally entitled to offer herself for service or be called up for service under the NYSC Act. In effect, she was a foreigner!

The purpose of this update is to open a new perspective into the Kemi NYSC imbroglio, while hoping that lawyers on my contact can engage this serious constitutional issue. My hope is that Kemi can approach the court for interpretation of the effect of section 26 of the 1979 constitution on her status as a citizen and her duty to serve under the NYSC Act.

My thoughts!"

(Extracted from Ayo Turton's wall)

L

BUHARI'S RIGHT TO VETO ELECTORAL ACT AMENDMENT BILL 2018 by Jide Ojo

“The card reader is not in danger of being discarded. It is a sine qua non for credible elections. We appeal to the National Assembly to reconvene as soon as possible to consider and approve the necessary corrections to the amended Electoral Act”

–Garba Shehu, Senior Special Assistant to President Muhammadu Buhari on Media and Publicity in a press statement on Sunday, September 9, 2018

Since President Muhammadu Buhari’s decision to withhold assent for the third time on the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2018 was made public on Monday, September 3, 2018, a lot of motives have been read into his action. Critics believe that the President does not want credible elections in 2019. They claim that the President is afraid of allowing the law to recognise the use of Smart Card Reader for voter accreditation. Not even the explanation of clerical errors, inelegant drafting and cross-referencing issues in the bill as advanced by the President’s aide on legislative matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, are tenable to the members of the opposition.

I was on the Nigerian Television Authority’s “Nigeria Today” on Tuesday, September 4, 2018 to discuss the President’s withholding of assent to the bill. I was on the programme with Enang. I have also had the privilege of discussing the matter on several media channels and even wrote my last week’s column on the matter. However, as of last week, I was discussing the bill from my earlier review of it in June 2018. Over the weekend, someone who read my last week’s article called me to ask if I had read the version that was sent to the President for assent. I said no. The person thereafter sent me a copy of the bill. Lo and behold, after digesting it, I commended President Buhari for not signing the bill.

Could you believe that as against the version sent to the President in June 2018 which had 41 amendments, the latest alterations passed by the National Assembly on July 24 and sent to the President for assent on August 3, 2018 had only 15 amended sections? Could you believe that the Smart Card Reader which was legalised by amendment to Section 49 of the previous amendment was not even mentioned in the current amendment? Yet, the critics who never read the bill are wrongfully accusing the President of not wanting the Independent National Electoral Commission to use the card reader.

Other notable provisions in the June amendment which are missing in the latest effort include Section 8 which attempts to make the Independent National Electoral Commission staff non-partisan; Section 31(6) which criminalises presentation of false affidavit by a candidate or political party which is supposed to lead to disqualification by the court; amendment to Section 52 which lifts ban on electronic voting; alteration to Section 65 (a) which paved the way for the creation of the National Electronic Register of Election Results; amendment to Section 78 (4) which would have given INEC 60 days instead of 30 days to respond to applications of political associations seeking to register as political parties.

Other omitted amendments are alteration of Section 91 subsection 2 – 7 which increased expenditure ceiling for candidates. The section increased the amount the following candidates can spend on their campaigns: President – N5bn from N1bn; Governor N1bn from N200m; Senate – N100m from N40m; House of Reps. N70m from N20m; State House of Assembly – N30m from N10m; Chairman Area Council – N30m from N10m and Councillorship N5m from N1m. Likewise, amendment to Section 91 (9) which increased individual donations from N1m to N10m while pegging the fine at one per cent of the ceiling or 12 months imprisonment (subsection 10) is also missing.

Similarly, attempt to amend Section 99 to increase the campaign period from 90 days to 150 days has been deleted while penalties for non-compliance with Section 100 subsections 3 and 4 which have to do with media coverage are no longer in the new amendment. Furthermore, amendment of Section140 which imposed stricter penalties of N2m fine or two years imprisonment for omission of party logos and name is no longer there.

In actual fact, only 13 sections of the current Electoral Act 2010 were amended in the bill sent to the President on August 3, 2018. Sections 1 and 15 are title and citation of the bill. The main sections of the law that were amended are sections 18, 30, 34, 36, 38, 44, 51A, 63, 67, 76, 87, 112 and 151. My personal observations, however, are as follows:

One of the glaring clerical errors in the bill is in Section 34 (2). It reads: “Any candidate who observes his name or that of his party missing on the distribution of ballot papers list published …”, This is wrong because Section 34 (1) refers to publishing statement of the full names and addresses of all candidates standing nominated and NOT distribution of ballot papers as alluded to in Section 34(2). In order to deal with the situation that arose in Kogi State during the last governorship election in 2015 where Prince Abubakar Audu, then candidate of the All Progressives Congress, died mid-way into the poll, Section 36 of the bill is asking INEC to suspend the election for a maximum of 21 days and asks the affected party to conduct fresh primary within seven days. Much as this is a good recommendation, it will be better to limit the suspension of the poll and replacement of the candidate to only the leading candidate in the election. This will save cost and other logistics. As we know, many candidates in an election are mere “also ran” or pretenders who have little or no electoral value.

In Section 51, the National Assembly rejected the proposal compelling those who were fraudulently elected into offices from being asked to pay back all they have earned while illegally occupying their usurped positions. Recall that the Supreme Court has on several occasions asked those who illegally occupy elective positions to refund all their emoluments. However, in Section 51(2), the lawmakers say apart from having the usurper remain in office while the appeals are going on, such persons “shall not be sanctioned for the benefits he derived while in office”. This is self-serving!

Another major error in the bill is the obvious cross-referencing error in Section 67 which refers to Section 49 (2) which was not altered by the National Assembly. In the current principal Act, s.49 (2) refers to issuance of ballot papers by the Presiding Officer while it is referenced in the context of electronic transmission of result in the amended bill. In Section 87 (12) of the bill, INEC is given the power to overrule any political party who alters the result of its primaries. However, there is no consequential amendment of Section 31 (1) which says INEC is duty bound to accept whatever list political parties present to it as their nominated candidates. Furthermore, Section 87 (14) gives only a window of 30 days for political parties to conduct their primaries including issuance of 21 days’ notice of the primaries to INEC. That leaves political parties nine days to conduct their primaries and for INEC to monitor them. This contradicts the extant Principal Act which in Section 31 (1) gives 60 days.

Given all the aforementioned, I am of the opinion that the President saved this country’s democracy by withholding assent to this badly drafted bill. I join all well-meaning compatriots to appeal to the National Assembly to cut short its annual recess to come and urgently address the issues raised by the President on this electoral amendment bill as well as approve the funding for the all-important 2019 general election.

(via Punch)

THE TRUMP VERBAL INDISCRETION by Frank ofili

Trumpism is okay but if it is inconsistent with state policy and established norm of statecraft and international conduct, you become a joke.

Our President was recuperating jejely (pardon the pidgin) in the UK when US President Donald Trump invited him to Washington. Buhari did not beg to be invited. Donald Trump invited him out of his own volition at a time he (Trump) was obviously seeking credible world leaders to line up behind his administration following the controversy surrounding the less-than-credible way he emerged as President of the United States.

Early this year, Buhari honoured the invitation. Trump received him. Both had a press world conference. During the press conference, Trump was effusive, enthusiastic and obviously impressed with Buhari. He even described Buhari as a true world leader.

Here his opening remark during the world press conference “Thank you very much. Thank you. Today, I’m honoured to host President Buhari of Nigeria at the White House, right here in the beautiful Rose Garden. President Buhari, I want to thank you very much for traveling to Washington for these important discussions. It’s a true pleasure to welcome you to our nation’s capital. Nigeria is the largest democracy in Africa……As I conveyed to President Buhari in our discussions, the United States deeply values and appreciates Nigeria’s role as a strong, democratic leader in the region…..”

Shortly after Trump hosted Buhari in the White House, the US President sent his former Secretary of State, Rex Tillerson, to Nigeria as a follow-up to earlier Trump-Buhari meet.

And now I hear the same Trump has made some uncomplimentary remark about not wanting to meet our President whom he allegedly described as “lifeless”.

One thing is clear. Buhari didn't beg to be invited to the US. Donald Trump invited him by his own free will - of all African leaders, he chose to invite Buhari, the "lifeless" one first.

Americans should genuinely be concerned about the insecurities and inconsistencies of their President. It is these twin-attributes that are responsible for why Russia president Putin has boxed him into a corner from where he is unable to extricate himself.

And if you are a Nigerian and you are not outraged at Trump's verbal indiscretion, then I question your patriotism.

When The Economist of London allegedly called our former President, Goodluck Jonathan, an ineffectual buffoon, I condemned it in strong terms in a Facebook post despite not being a great fan of Jonathan. I also urged the Federal Government to demand an apology from The Economist and if not given, to banish the international magazine from Nigeria.

Some things are beyond local politics. Our internal differences notwithstanding, I could not possibly stand anybody calling my president, past or present, an ineffectual buffoon, the same way I cannot stand US President Donald Trump describing our President, Muhammadu Buhari, as lifeless.

It is not about politics; it is about respect for our country and her people. We have leadership challenges, no doubt, but we deserve our respect, even from Donald Trump. The Federal Government should condemn in strong terms Trump's verbal indiscretion.

FRANKOFILI.NET

JUST LAYING OUT FACTS, An Article copied from Mike Osheku's ( a political Analyst) Write-ups

Let it be clear to everyone that if we use our pen to sow the seed of discord, our lives will surely harvest the fruit of conflict. We have no other country apart from Nigeria. If we set it on fire, we shall all be consumed by the flame of ignominy.
Rwandan crisis which later became a genocide started with the ink of some writers like or a so called "Ibrahim Bunu".
On what the writer put together, it is hypocritical not to mention that the Chief of Defense Staff (CDS) who supretends over the three major arms of the Nigerian Army, the Nigerian Navy and the Nigerian Air Force, General Gabriel Olonisakin is Xtian and a well known pastor in RCCG. The Chief of Naval Staff, Vice Admiral Ibok Ekwe Ibas is a Xtian too. Both of them appointed by Buhari are very senior members of the nation's security team.

There is no illusion about the race to 2019. The goats are gathering once again, spewing hatred and causing division just to regain access to the yam taken away from them. All of them, known criminals!!!

The team PMB/PYO based its campaign on the tripod of SEC. Security, Economy and Corruption. The wailers told us the lopsided composition of the National Security Team headed by Buhari as the Commander in Chief but they failed to make noise about the equally lopsided composition of the National Economic Team headed by Prof. Osinbajo because it doesn't support their narratives. Other members of the economic team include:
👉🏻 Udo Udoma- Minister for budget and planning.
👉🏻 Kemi Adeosun- Minister of Finance
👉🏻 Okechukwu Enalemah- Minister of Trade, Industry and Investment
👉🏻 Audu Ogbe- Minister for Agriculture and Rural Development
👉🏻 Godwin Emefiele- CBN Governor
👉🏻 Oluyemi Dipeolu- Special Adviser to the President on Economic Matters
👉🏻 Lai Mohammed- Minister of Information and Culture.
Expanded
👉🏻 Tunde Fowler- Chairman/CEO of FIRST
👉🏻 Uche Orji- MD/CEO, Nigerian Sovereign Investment Authority (NSIA)
👉🏻 Ben Akabueze- DG, Budget Office
👉🏻 Patience Oniha- DG, Debt Management Office
👉🏻 Ambassador Osakwe- Chief Trade Negotiator for the Nation
👉🏻 Yewande Sadiku- Executive Secretary, Nigeria Investment Promotion Commission (NIPC)

Aside from Lai Mohammed, the National Economic Team is made up of Christians and mainly from the South! We have not seen any Muslim crying over this not even the Northerners. What is important to well meaning Nigerians is to see a prosperous economy. Despite the comatose economy bequeathed by the immediate past administration, we have started seeing restoration leading to economic prosperity for all.

On the 3rd leg of the tripod, Buhari established a Presidential Advisory Committee on Corruption (PACAC). Membership of the Committee include:
👉🏻 Prof. Itse Sagay, SAN - Chairman
👉🏻 Prof. Femi Odekunle
👉🏻 Prof. Bolaji Owasanoye
👉🏻 Prof. Etannibi Alamika
👉🏻 Prof. Sadik Isah Radda

Of the lots, Prof. Sadik Isah is the only Northern/Muslim in the Committee yet we do not hear our Muslim and Northern brothers shouting at the president for marginalization. All they want is to see looters in jail and to never allow any goat near the National yam again.

Of the 39 members of the Federal Executive Council, 20 are Christians including SGF, Boss Mustapha and HOS, Winifred Eyo-Ita.

I decidedly come up with this write up to debunk the message and cry of marginalization of Christians/Southerners by Buhari administration and by extension the APC administration.

Nigeria returned to democratic rule in 1999. That's 19 years of uninterrupted democracy. Out of the 19 years, Christian/Southerner (Obasanjo & Jonathan) had been President of the nation for 14 years while Muslim/Northerner (Yar' Adua/Buhari) has been in the saddle of leadership for 5 years. Again, out of the 19 years, PDP was in power for 16 bountiful but wasteful years while APC has just completed 3 years in lean period with manifest prudent management. If Nigeria is in sorry state today, I think people should know where to beam their searchlight on.

The die is cast. 2019 is a choice between darkness and light, it is a choice between stealing is not corruption and stealing is corruption, it is a choice between retrogression and progress. Instead of putting forward their 1st eleven they are whipping up sentiment, causing ethnic and religious division, busy spewing hatred and hate messages across the land, lying over non-existent issue, making inflamatory statements in the media, posting and sharing genocidal videos of past years including events in foreign nations on social media platforms all because of their pathological hatred for our 1st eleven. We are not bothered, they employed similar tactics with greater ferocity and full financial weight of the state behind them in 2015. What happened? The will of God triumphed.

The battle has been declared, pitch your tent.

Author Unknown

THE DECEPTION CALLED DEFECTION by SHABA Mafu

Nigerian politics is replete with lots of abracadabra. In the Nigerian context, it is a business for the rich where the area of investment is primarily determined by the Returns on Investment. The politicians like the conventional businessman looks for the most fertile ground or opportunities of investment by deliberating undermining who they were actually meant to serve. The adage that says in politics, “there is no permanent friend but permanent interest” has derailed and destroyed the ‘evil’ concept called democracy as practiced in Nigeria.

Presently, the Nigeria polity is witnessing heavy traffic of defections from one political party to the other. Without intent to go into details, I will do a random illumination of the happenings in the Nigerian polity. In the build up to the 2015 general elections, the then opposition party (having formed an alliance with other political parties) and coming up finally to become the All Progressives Congress (APC), successfully wrestled power from the then ruling party, the Peoples Democratic Party. To form a legal basis upon which defections from the ruptured party (a party riddled by massive corruption and ineptitude by the then President Goodluck Jonathan-led administration), the “newPDP) was crafted. In order not to lose seats at all levels, those decampees quickly cited that there was a crack in the political party, and as result of that they had legitimate grounds to decamp from it. Thus, many quickly began to decamp to their supposedly new found fertile ground called the All Progressives Congress. There and then, they decamped in their droves. The APC was obviously happy that their party was headed for a breakthrough in the 2015 general elections. They indeed clinched their victory to become the party in gobernment and were actually set to effect their much touted CHANGE which was their mantra. They did not know that their party was only ballooned by political egrets that would lead it to regrets in the course of time.

As time flew, and basically as the 2019 elections draw near, a period to the end of the first tenure of the APC presidency, many of the decampees from the hitherto rubbished PDP began to migrate to their “Home” like the cattle egrets who have no permanent place of abode but only prostitutes with the most conducive atmosphere for purely personal gains. The basic reason for the political migration by these egrets was because they were not either “carried along in the line of their duties”, or they were treated with “high-handedness” by the ruling APC, therefore not having political fulfillment. But the underlying reason was that they do not have the platform to fulfill their political ambition in the APC, which like harlots they rushed into a relationship with. They were allegedly not given automatic tickets, therefore having their hopes seriously dashed.

To also bake an excuse that would have a legal backing for their decamping, they had to replicate a make-belief crisis-ridden All Progressives Congress. Like the newPDP (nPDP) formed in 2015, these schemers came up with the Reformed APC (rAPC) as a faction of the ruling party, thereby giving an impression that the party was factionalized. Upon this, they perfected their defection plan and they began to fly away one after the other. Sincerely speaking, the reason for the decamping of these political harlots is basically to pursue self interest. It is neither for the interest of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) nor for the nation as widely touted. Those who are migrating to the APC are not also doing so for the best interest of the nation. There is basically no difference between those in the PDP and in the APC both at the present, and in the future of Nigerian politics. They are the same of the same.

In the angle of some who defected to the PDP from the APC, among who included the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar,  Alhaji Rabiu Kwakwanso etc, are all struggling to win the presidential ticket of their political party, the PDP, at the least. Different reasons have been adduced for their decamping, but the truth remains that their selfishness overrides the window-dressed excuses. By the time some of them fail to realize their ambition, they may further shamelessly decamp to other political party or even return to the much-hated APC (that is, if APC eventually wins the 2019 general elections) or may even choose to stick to their new party – the PDP, not because they have an iota of integrity but because they may be ashamed of hopping from one party to the other. Their stay may also be influenced by the time-table drawn by the party to favour their political ambition in the process of time as long as they maintain a high degree of loyalty within an expected period of time.

If these political hypocrites were sincere to themselves and to the people they were meant to serve, why couldn’t they stick to the parties they belong to, resolve any knotty issues, build the party, and by implication move the country forward? But their greed and avarice blindfold them to decamping and hopping in search of greener pastures. By all measurable standards, I rank Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, and Alhaji Ahmed Bola Tinubu as men to be respected in terms of party loyalty, sagacity and political stability in the respective parties they belong to.. These political heavyweights can’t be compared with those who tore their membership cards and later turn around to seek for relevance in where they had once despised.

Democracy was said to be copied from America. In American politics, once election results are announced and the winner declared, political tension is downplayed while the interest of the nation and the citizens becomes sacrosanct. The major focus of all political parties, whether it is the party in government or the opposition party, remains the collective development of the American nation and its citizenry.

Until the level of political defections in Nigerian politics is grossly minimized and there are collaborative efforts to build Nigeria by the party in government and the opposition parties, we will continue to enjoy the proceeds of political hypocrisy and the gradual but sure death of a highly endowed nation like Nigeria. Let the electorates know that the current spate of defections is nothing but orchestrated deception. Let us tread with caution in the midst of these hoppers and egrets.