Home Blog Page 1779

Tinubu: First Time Lucky

0
Bola Ahmed Tinubu At Arewa Joint Committee Forum

For Bola Ahmed Tinubu the President -elect of the February 25, 2023 presidential election, he did not miss his first shot at the presidency of Nigeria despite the booby traps set on his path by those who did not want him to become the commander- in- chief.

From the very time he informed President Muhammadu Buhari that he was running for the highest office in the country, to the time he contested the APC presidential primaries, and when he defeated other presidential aspirants of his party including Vice President Yemi Osinbajo to clinch the party’s ticket to contest against other aspirants, he waded through murky waters all the way.

The biggest opposition he faced, apparently came from some All Progressives Congress, APC, stalwarts and presidency officials who did not want him to succeed the incumbent President Muhammadu Buhari whose tenure expires on May 29 this year.

During one of his Campaign tour in Abeokuta, Ogun State, the distraught Tinubu accused some powerful persons in Aso Rock, Nigeria’s seat of power of trying to derail his presidential ambition.

For instance, he accused some officials of his party of ochetarting the controversial Naira Design Policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, and the fuel scarcity across the country to prevent voters from coming out to vote for him.

Tinubu stated, “We will use our PVCs to take over government from them. If they like let them create fuel crisis, even if they say there is no fuel, we will trek to vote. They are full of mischief; they could say there is no fuel. They have been scheming to create fuel crisis, but forget about it. Relax, I Asiwaju, have told you that the issue of fuel supply will be permanently addressed.

“Whoever wants to eat the honey embedded in a mountain won’t worry about the axe. Is that not so? And if you want to eat palm kernel, you would bring stone and use it to break it, then the kernel will come out.

“Let them increase the price of fuel, let them continue to hoard fuel, only them know where they have hoarded fuel, they hoarded money, they hoarded naira; we will go and vote and we will win. Even if they changed the ink on naira notes. Whatever their plans, it will come to naught. We are going to win. Those in the PDP will lose.”

The crisis in the ruling party was further exposed after Governor Nasir El Rufai of Kaduna State alleged that some presidency officials were trying to stop Tinubu from becoming president after Buhari.
Speaking in Kaduna few days before the election, El Rufai, a staunch supporter of Tinubu assured his people that te former governor of Lagos state will reverse the Godwin Emefiele CBN naira swap and redesign policy.

The biggest threat to Tinubu’s victory, however, came during the collation of the results when some prominent Nigerians, including former President Olusegun Obasanjo and the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Labour Party, LP called for the cancellation of the results for alleged irregularities.

Obasanjo, a strong supporter of Peter Obi, the LP presidential candidate had called on President Muhammadu Buhari to stop INEC from further announcing the results until the issue of alleged election malpractices in some parts of the country were fully addressed.

“Your Excellency, President Buhari Muhammadu, tension is building up and please let all elections that do not pass the credibility and transparency test be cancelled and be brought back with areas where elections were disrupted for next Saturday, March 4, 2023, and BVAS and Server officials be changed,” the former leader said.

In spite of the opposition, the Prof Mahmood Yakubu on Tuesday night said Tinubu has met the requirements of the constitution to be declared as the 5th democratically elected President and Commander-in-Chief of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

” I will give you my utmost as your next president and commander-in-chief. Peace, unity and prosperity shall be the cornerstones of the society we intend to build. When you gaze upon what we shall accomplish in the coming years, you shall speak with pride at being a Nigerian, “Tinubu said in his first statement after he had been declared winner.

Recall that President Buhari  tried only became president  after he had tried four times.

On his part, Atiku Abubakar, Tinubu’s  closest rival in the just concluded  presidential election will go down in the nation’s history as the only candidate to contest the presidency five times without  success.

Tinubu’s Victory: Afenifere Warns Military To Steer Clear Of Politics

0

The Afenifere Renewal Group, a pan Yoruba body has urged the military to steer clear of Nigeria’s politics, saying they should resist any call for them to take over power.

ARG made this disclosure following the declaration of Bola Tinubu as the winner of the February 25 presidential election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC declared Tinubu winner of the keenly contested election on Tuesday after beating Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and Peter Obi of the Labour Party.

Tinubu, a former Lagos State governor, was declared the president-elect by the electoral umpire after the 70-year-old polled 8,794,726 votes to win the 2023 presidential election.

Before he was declared winner, some Nigerians including former President Olusegun Obasanjo had called for the cancellation of the results, calling on INEC to conduct new elections in some parts of the country to give credibility to the elections.

The opposition PDP and LP had also called for the election to be cancelled over alleged irregularities.
But, ARG said agitation for the cancellation of the just concluded election could destabilise the country, adding that the country should not be plunged into anarchy.

The group particularly referenced Obasanjo’s letter, saying it viewed with great concern the former pesident ‘s call for the election to be cancelled.

The group’s position was contained in a statement signed by its Chairman, describing Obasanjo’s statement as ‘undue interference’ in the Constitutional duty of INEC.

Part of the statementbreads: “We would not join those who argued that former Military Head of government and later President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Olusegun Obasanjo be ignored, after his latest political tirade on the yet to be concluded 2023 Presidential elections. We would not, because, he had always postured as the only Nigerian patriot whose views must hold sway all the time.

“We in Yoruba land don’t deny him his respects but need to acknowledge that whether in his intervention in the 1993 Presidential elections that yielded MKO Abiola and in this particular instance of the yet to be concluded 2023 elections, Gen. Olusegun Obasanjo lacks the moral right to serve as a guiding beacon.

“First, he is as politically partisan as any other Nigerian, which is his right but cannot at the same time be pretending to be father of the Nation.

“We will be justified to impute motive and suggest that this 2023 attempt at wanting to render the elections inchoate as that of 1993 could just be that Gen. Obasanjo would want till his passing to remain the only Yorubaman to ever attain leadership of the country. Gen. Obasanjo’s hand was heavy in the institution of the failed 1993 Interim government, a process that ultimately led to the restoration of the Military and Gen. Sanni Abacha murderous regime and ultimately to the death of the President-elect, MKO Abiola; Obasanjo’s townsman.

“We, speaking for Yoruba people call for the completion of the 2023 electoral processes starting with the already held National elections and ending with the state executive and legislative elections. If Gen. Obasanjo succeeded in intervening in the elections held under him, he should at least grant the present President the full prerogative of wishing to bequeath a free and fair election in our country. We pray he is able to do that to the end.!

“We recognize however that more than ever before Nigeria is at a crossroad and that whoever emerged of the candidates, has a great responsibility to set the ship of nationhood on the right path.

“We, as a people call on the incoming government to set itself on the task of restoring unity of all the peoples of the country. This however has to be predicated on building a Nation where all the diverse people are equitable members in the country. This can only be precipitated with a wholesome reform and Restructure of the Constitution of the Country. We no longer can pretend that the 1999 Constitution can see or aid the peace, amity and development of the country. That Constitution cannot.

“For now let the 2023 electoral processes be completed and any Party or candidate can as provided for in the Electoral Laws seek justice in our Courts. Whoever emerges however has great unifying tasks ahead if Nigeria is to remain one.

“We also add that the Military should completely steer clear of whatever temporary impasse that could occur as this is not unusual in all democracies. The Military should also turn a deaf ear to any possible incitement be it from retired Generals or their rank and file.

“The world has moved on and the Yoruba people will resist with other Nigerians were any misguided intervention to take place in our polity.”

Meanwhile, Tinubu has thanked Nigerians for electing him president.

“I am profoundly humbled that you have elected me to serve as the 16th president of our beloved republic. This is a shining moment in the life of any man and affirmation of our democratic existence. From my heart, I say thank you,” the former governor said after INEC announced his victory.

Don’t Allow Nigeria’s Democracy To Be Truncated

0
Prince Olu Bajowa and Olusegun Obasanjo

By Olu Bajowa, Rtd General

It is very sad, most disheartening and grossly unexpected that  a man of the calibre of a former military Head of State and two-time civilian President, General Olusegun Obasanjo GCFR, could contemplate anything that could truncate Nigeria’s democratic process at this very crucial stage!

General Obasanjo was the one who gave me orders to go to the war front in 1967, to fight the legendary Ore Battle, “to keep Nigeria One”.

Without any attempt to undermine General Obasanjo, I believe that his intentions on the 2023 electoral process, are far from being sincere, given the fact that he openly endorsed a particular candidate who incidentally is not leading the polls, as already announced by INEC.

As the saying goes: “He who must come to equity; must come with clean hands”. Hence, It is obvious that having endorsed a candidate, General Obasanjo’s hands are not clean in this instance, and he lacks the moral right to come to equity.

I advise President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR, not to be deterred by the anti-democratic voices making the rounds and not be swayed, deceived, or persuaded to allow anyone to destroy his worthy legacy of excellent service to our great nation.

A quick glance at the results announced so far by INEC, paint a clear picture of the direction to which the voice of the people is tilted. There are several upsets which only a free and fair process could have produced.

For instance, the official release of results so far showed that, President Buhari lost Katsina, Bola Tinubu lost Lagos, El-Rufai lost Kaduna, Ganduje lost Kano, Lalong lost Plateau. All these states are strongholds of the Ruling Political Party! How else can a process be free, fair, and transparent?

I call on all well-meaning Nigerians across political parties, tribes, and religion to rise and condemn any attempt by any persons of sinister motives, to create problems for our country, leading to anarchy that could endanger peace, unity, and stability of Nigeria, and even the disintegration of the country.

Nigeria is not a lawless country. The constitution is clear on who should conduct elections, and there are provisions for review on irregularities, punishment for infractions, and aggrieved parties  to seek redress through the legal process! In fact, the law does not make any provision for unilateral cancellation or annulment of election results. Such move is totally wrong, undemocratic, unacceptable, and unconstitutional.

Long live the Federal Republic of Nigeria!!


Prince Bajowa, is a Retired General of the Nigerian Army

BREAKING: Tinubu Is Nigeria’s President! Wins Presidential Election; Declared Winner By INEC

0
Bola Ahmed Tinubu

By Akinwale Kasali

After a hotly and keenly contested Presidential Election, the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu has been declared winner of the 2023 Presidential Election.

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, announced Tinubu as the Winner of the February 25th, 2023, Election. He said Tinubu scored a total of 8,794,736 votes to emerge winner.

He defeated his closest rivals, the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, who polled 6,984,520, Labour Party, LP, Peter Gregory Obi who polled 6,101,533 and the New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP, Presidential Candidate, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso who garnered 1,496,687 Votes.

Tinubu, Atiku and Obi all won 12 States with Kwankwaso winning just a State.

But the former Lagos State Governor won the election with the 25 Percent Two-Third of the States including the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, won by his other contestants.

Details Later….

Jonathan, Mahama, Other West African Elders Sue For Calm, Urge INEC To Address Procedural Concerns, Comply With Electoral Laws

0
Jonathan and Mahama
  • Meet with Atiku, Kwankwaso, Obi and Tinubu in peace move●

    Former Nigeria President Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, Ex-Ghanaian President John
    Mahama and other members of the West African Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Mission to Nigeria have appealed for calm in the country while calling on the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to address the concerns and procedural questions raised so far by different stakeholders. The Elders  have also urged INEC to comply with the electoral law and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, as a means of retaining the confidence of Nigerians in the on-going collating of the February 25, 20233 election results.
    The Elders who stated this in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday also revealed that they have begun a process of consultations  with some of the presidential candidates and other key stakeholders, taking to them a message of peace in order to ensure that there is no breakdown of law and order in the country.
    The presidential candidates the Elders have met since the elections held on Saturday include Senator Bola Tinubu of All Progressives Congress, Mr. Peter Obi Of the Labour Party, Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso of the  New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
    In the statement jointly signed by Jonathan who is the convener of WAEF and Mahama, Head of WAEF’s Mission to Nigeria’s 2023 Elections, the Forum commended Nigerians for the calmness, patience and maturity they have continued to exhibit as they wait for the collation process to be concluded.
    The Mission further noted that Nigerians demonstrated faith and patriotism in their country, by defying the challenges of delay in arrival of electoral materials, voter suppression and incidents of violence to perform their civic duties of voting on election day.

    Below is the full text of the statement:

    STATEMENT BY WEST AFRICAN ELDERS FORUM (WAEF) ON NIGERIA’S FEBRUARY 25, 2023, 2023 ELECTIONS ISSUED IN ABUJA, NIGERIA, FEBRUARY 28, 2023

    The West Africa Elders Forum (WAEF) Election Mission to Nigeria, 2023,  wishes to commend Nigerians for the resilience and patriotism displayed during the Presidential and National Assembly election which held on Saturday February 25, 2023.

In December 2022, we deployed a pre-election mediation mission led by former Sierra Leonean President, His Excellency Ernest Bai Koroma to interface with key stakeholders. Our Election Mission led by former Ghana president, His Excellency John Dramani Mahama which has been in the country since last week, witnessed election day proceedings on February 25, 2023 and has continued to observe the unfolding developments, since the collation process began.

Other members of the Mission include former Beninoise President His Excellency Boni Yayi, former Nigerian President His Excellency Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, former Vice President of The Gambia, Her Excellency Fatoumata Jallo Tambajang, former Burkinabe Prime Minister and President of the Economic Community of West African States His Excellency Kadre Ouedraogo, and  former Deputy Chair of the African Union, Dr. Erastus Mwencha.
The Mission noted how Nigerians across the country demonstrated faith and patriotism in their country, defying many challenges to perform their civic duties. While the elections were peaceful in a number of places, challenges of delay in arrival of electoral materials, voter suppression, ballot box vandalization and incidents of violence in some states, created anxiety among citizens who were passionate to cast their ballots.

We commend Nigerians for the calmness, patience and maturity they have continued to exhibit as they wait for the collation process to be concluded.

The Mission notes that some political parties and concerned citizens have raised procedural questions and allegations of infractions of the electoral law in the process of collation of results. We call on all aggrieved parties to document and present their claims to INEC, in accordance with the Electoral Act 2022.

The Mission notes the imperative of retaining the confidence of Nigerians in the ongoing electoral process and, therefore, urges the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to thoroughly investigate those concerns and comply with the electoral law and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the process of collating the election results.
We reiterate that Nigeria is a major stakeholder in the sustainability of democracy in West Africa and the responsibility of maintaining the nation’s thriving democracy and the general peace of our sub-region rest on all our shoulders, especially on the integrity of INEC and other election management bodies in West Africa, during elections.  We therefore urge INEC to live up to its responsibility of delivering free, fair and credible elections, in accordance with the nation’s laws.

WAEF urges political parties, candidates and their supporters to remain calm and peaceful while awaiting the final outcome of the electoral process.

As former leaders who are committed to peace and stability in our sub-region, we have begun a round of consultations with some of the presidential candidates and other key stakeholders, taking to them our message of hope, understanding and peace.

So far, WAEF have held meetings with some of the presidential candidates including the Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party Dr. Rabiu Kwankwaso and the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar in Abuja.

This afternoon we also held consultations with the All Progressives Congress Presidential candidate Senator Bola Tinubu and the Labour Party Presidential candidate, Mr. Peter Obi, in an expanded meeting that included the Heads of Missions of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) and the African Union (AU), His Excellency Ernest Bai Koroma and His Excellency Uhuru Kenyatta, respectively, as well as the President of the ECOWAS Commission, His Excellency Dr. Omar Alieu Touray.

We have continued, in all of these meetings, to urge the candidates and their supporters to maintain peace and use all available legitimate means to sort out their concerns and grievances. We hope to sustain this Mission until the electoral processes are successfully concluded.

We, therefore, urge everyone to be circumspect in their actions and responsibilities, during this moment in order not to jeopardize the collective stability and peace of the nation.

Signed:
H.E. John Dramani Mahama                               H.E. Dr. Goodluck Ebele Jonathan
President of the Republic of Ghana                  President, Federal Republic
(2012-2017)                                                           of Nigeria (2010-2015)
Head of WAEF Mission                                         Convener, WAEF
to Nigeria’s 2023

Former Governor Obiano’s Wife Loses Senatorial Bid

0
Ebere Obiano

By Charles Igbo

The gas cylinders she shared to women in her Senatorial Zone, Anambra North, could not save Mrs Ebere Obiano, wife of the former Governor of Anambra State, Willie Obiano, from a humiliating defeat at the Senatorial Elections held nationwide on Saturday, February 25, 2023.

Her husband’s status as the immediate past Governor of the State, which Party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, controls the State, could not save her.

A couple of months to her husband’s exit as a two-term  Governor, he announced that  unlike some of his colleagues, he would not contest for any elective office but that his wife, Ebere,  would be the Senator to represent Anambra North.

He was so sure it would come to pass, especially, as he was instrumental to the victory of APGA’s Governor Charles Soludo. Perhaps, he expected a little push from the Governor.

But on Saturday, every expectation turned awry.

Ebere Obiano was given a humiliating defeat. She contested against incumbent Senator Stella Oduah, PDP, and Tony Nwoye, Labour Party.

The Peter Obi- effect in the State and nationwide swept both Oduah and Obiano away.

In addition to the Obi-effect, not a few people are of the opinion that her physical confrontation with Iyom Bianca Odumegwu Ojukwu, wife of the late Igbo leader, Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, on the day of Soludo’s inauguration as Governor, did not help her.

For the records, Obiano succeeded Obi as the Governor of Anambra State.

The Peter Obi-Effect Retires Uche Ekwunife, Stella Oduah From Senate

0
Stella Oduh and Uche Ekwunife

By Charles Igbo

The Peter Obi-effect in Anambra State has retired two glamorous, beautiful ladies from the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

The Senatorial Candidates of the Labour Party gave incumbent Senators Uche Ekwunife and Stella Oduah bloody noses. Both were of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. And, incidentally, both were political allies of Peter Obi, Ekwunife in particular.

But when Obi saw the gang- up against him in the PDP, and exited the Party for the Labour Party, both stayed back in the PDP since none of them gave Obi and Labour Party a chance.

But things suddenly changed. Obi gave LP life. It became like a wild fire during the hamattan. It became a rallying point for Nigerian youths and the oppressed.

In the Presidential and National Assembly Elections held on Saturday, 25th February, not only did Obi sweep the Presidential poll in the State, his Party swept the National Assembly seats.

Out of the three Senatorial seats, the candidates of the LP won two. Only Senator Ifeanyi Uba, the incumbent candidate of the Young Peoples Party, representing Anambra South survived the hurricane.

Oduah, a former Aviation Minister, two-term Senator, Anambra North, was routed by Chief Tony Nwoye while Ekwunife, also a ranking NASS member was routed by former National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance APGA, Victor Umeh.

In the announced result, Umeh polled 103,608 votes to Ekwunife’s 49,532 for the Anambra Central District.

Imo: It Is A Landslide Victory For LP’s Obi; Ihedioha Admits Defeat; Agbaso Rejoices

0
Peter Obi and Martin Agbaso and Emeka Ihedioha

By Charles Igbo

Inspite of the alleged manipulation of votes in Imo State, Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, emerged the winner in a landslide.

In the result announced by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC,  Obi polled a total number 352,904 votes to beat the candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, and that of the main opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Atiku Abubakar to a distant second and third places.

While Tinubu scored 66,171 votes, Atiku surprisingly scored 30,004 votes.

Acknowledging the massive victory of the LP, former Governor of the State, Rt. Hon. Emeka Ihedioha, said, before the announcement: “Everybody knows that the Labour Party won overwhelmingly in Imo. I would have loved PDP to win, but Labour won overwhelmingly and we accepted the result until they (apparently APC) began manipulations.:

Rejoicing over the victories of the Party, especially, in Imo, where he is the Leader of Obi’s Presidential Campaign, Chief Martin Agbaso said: “I rejoice with Imo people. I rejoice with our Party, and I rejoice with our Presidential Candidate, Peter Obi for the myths he has broken. It will never be the same in Nigeria’s political architecture”

An Interloping Former President Is A Present Danger To Democracy

0

(Full text of General Alani Akinrinade’s response to the statement by former President Olusegun  Obasanjo)

The recent statement by former President Olusegun Obasanjo over the recently concluded elections must be condemned in the strongest terms by democracy loving Nigerians and those who care about the unity of this country.

His statement coming at a time when the Independent National Electoral Commission was still busy with the conduct and release of the elections results is both unfortunate and a glaring and calculative attempt to game the system. Without any shred of evidence a former President is challenging the integrity of a national elections and calling a seating President to truncate it midway.

As a General who fought for the unity of this country and one that has witnessed the many twists and turns of our Democratic development, I am certain that Nigeria this time is on the right path. I find it most disturbing and objectionable that a former General and President will introduce such a diatribe into the body politic of Nigeria at such a delicate time as this.

Being not neutral, Obasanjo’s intervention falls short of patriotism and fits perfectly into meddling in the affairs of state that is already the constitutional responsibility of INEC.

Nigerians can easily recall the obasanjo years and his democratic antics and many bullish attempts at circumventing the political process.

I call on President Muhammadu Buhari to ignore Obasanjo’s recent interruptions and focus on supporting the lawful institution to do its job by allowing the process to run it’s full course.

The President Buhari i know will let the process run its full course and will not intervene in an undemocratic manner to truncate the ongoing political process.

Luckily, President Buhari is made of finer and more principled democratic stuff. He will not allow Obasanjo to lure him into tainting his democratic credentials in this regard. I recall that in his last trip to the United States, President Joe Biden praised Buhari’s commitment to democratic values and principles. Obasanjo has no such record to be applauded.

The world has not forgotten his fraudulent and undemocratic attempt at a third term agenda in violation of the letter and spirit of the Nigerian constitution.

In 2007, after his botched third term bid, Obasanjo conducted the worst election in the history of Nigeria. The beneficiary of that electoral heist, Late President Umaru Yar’Adua openly admitted that his presidency was a product of  a fraudulent election with a commitment to reform the electoral process.

Nigerians have voted. Their votes have counted.  Let no one disrupt the process.


General Alani Akinrinade CFR, GCON, served Nigeria as Chief of Army Staff and Chief of Defence Staff

National Peace Committee Sues For Patience As INEC Continues With Collation Of Results

0
National Peace Committee

By Ayodele Oni

The Gen Abdulsalami Abubakar led National Peace Committee, has applauded Nigerians for turning out enmasse to exercise their civic duty by voting in the February 25 elections.

A statement by Gen Abubakar stated that the committee noted the kind of patience, dignity and enthusiasm which Nigerians displayed in the conduct of the electoral process despite observable challenges in the polling units.

However the challenge now, it noted, lies with the collation of the results.

“The National Peace Committee has along with millions of other Nigerians and the International community, followed developments since the commencement and end of the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

“The Committee, however, is appealing to INEC to heed the grievances being expressed by voters and take the necessary steps to escalate investigations of all allegations of infractions and to ensure that Justice is clearly done to all citizens that went out to vote.

“The committee acknowledged the receipt of reports of a culture of voter suppression in some parts of the country through the application of targeted violence, disruption of processes, inducement of voters, intimidation, deliberate frustration of voters, and the challenges of the election itself.

“All presidential candidates must take responsibility for statements made by their Spokespersons and Agents and urged all citizens to remain calm while INEC sees the process to its conclusion.”