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Agunloye Resigns As National Chairman Of SDP, Now To Serve As Secretary

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Ayodele Oni
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Olu Agunloye

By Ayodele Oni

National Chairman of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Dr Olu Agunloye, has announced his resignation. He is now to serve as Acting National Secretary of the Party.

Dr Agunloye had earlier been suspended on March 28 by his Ward Executives in his native Ondo State over alleged anti-party activities.

He explained that his resignation was not prompted by the purported suspension but the need to strengthen the party’s chances of winning in the next general elections.

The former Minister of Power and Steel conveyed his decision to reporters on Wednesday in Akure.

He said the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party met on March 22 and announced that all positions that are zoned to the South are now zoned to the North.

“So, there is no big deal about swapping in the party because the Presidential aspirant is coming from the South.

“In fact one of the leading aspirants is coming from Ondo State.

“It is not politically expedient to allow the presidential candidate to come from the South and the national Chairman also from Ondo State, which is part of the South.”

Ondo State chapter in the suspension letter had accused Mr Agunloye of bringing non-party members into the party to cause confusion and disturb the functions of the party executives at both state and Local Government levels.

The Party stated that Agunloye was suspended from his ward (ward 10) in Akoko North-West Local Government area of the state, following a resolution of the Ward Executives.

But Agunloye described his suspension as “mischievous and an action of some people that had no locus”, saying they were doing so “because he was making waves in Nigeria.

“They are frustrated people and we will not provoke them the more, but if they take it away from political rascality to crime, we would curtail them.”

Presidency: I am Not Coming To Learn On The Job, Anyim Tells Former PDP Ministers

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The Source
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Anyim Pius Anyim with Ministers

For Senator Anyim Pius Anyim, former Senate President, it was homecoming of sorts when he met with ministers who served in the 16 years that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) was in power under the auspices of ‘Forum of Former PDP Ministers.’

The meeting which held on Tuesday night in Abuja was in continuation of Anyim’s interface with critical stakeholders in the party as he takes his presidential aspiration to the finishing line.

Anyim, who was also Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), told the former ministers, most of who worked with him in government, that he has the singular advantage of not coming to learn on the job when he is elected President in 2023.

Anyim reminded the former ministers that they have come a long way together.

“There is one thing I have which other aspirants don’t. There is no minister here who didn’t serve in government with me. None! It is either you served with me when I was President of the Senate or SGF. So, for me, this is truly homecoming.”

While admitting that the challenges facing the country today are enormous and urging every member of the opposition party, particularly the leadership cadre, to think for the country and its citizens, Anyim, nevertheless, reiterated his belief that the country can be salvaged.

“I believe that Nigeria can be great again and I believe that together we can do that,” he told the former ministers who came in their numbers to listen to him.

Anyim who said he has clear economic, political and social integration agenda said the 2023 elections will be critical to the survival of Nigeria.

Harping on his unique advantage, the former Senate President said he is not coming to Abuja to learn on the job.

“There is one thing that I have which many do not have. I have lived in Abuja for 33 years. And I have spent all my life working around the presidency. When I worked as a civil servant, it was in two parastatals in the presidency. As President of the Senate, I worked along with the President of the country. When I worked as SGF, that was the engine room of the presidency where all of you served, providing the fire,” he told the former ministers led by Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, former Minister of Special Duties and Intergovernmental Affairs and former supervising Minister, Ministry of Labour.

“My experiences are cognate. I am not going to learn on the job, I am going to continue from where we stopped. I understand Nigeria. I don’t need to come to Abuja to know you, I have worked with all of you. I don’t need to come to Abuja to understand how many tribes we have in Nigeria. There is no part of the country that I have not been to. I am not coming to Abuja to learn how to enter the Villa or navigate through the streets of Abuja. I have been here for 33 years. I am good to go. That is my special advantage.”

Urging the former Ministers to provide the leadership that will ensure free and fair primary elections, Anyim reminded them of what is at stake.

“When the Chairman of this Forum, Turaki, said that you have resolved to take more than a passing interest in the affairs of the party in general and the upcoming 2023 elections, in particular, that is the way it should be. A voice of reason must arise from this Forum, a voice of conscience must arise from here, a voice of patriotism must arise from here and I say this with all sense of responsibility.

“Yes, though I held office as the SGF which is the engine room of government, the ministers are the throttle that fires that engine and you all were able to fire our government from the beginning to the end, stabilized the nation and delivered an economy, political environment that served Nigeria well.”

Anyim, who emphasized the theme of his campaign as ‘Greater Nigeria 2023,’ segmented the challenges facing the country into three – political, social and economic. Of the three, he said the most fundamental was political because “it is the political process that recruits leaders and the problem of Nigeria is leadership.

“Today, people wake up and talk about 2023 elections. But what we are talking about is the process of recruiting a new leader for Nigeria.  If we recruit the wrong leader, we will sink further, but if we recruit the right leader, the country will be rescued.

“In 1999, PDP recruited Olusegun Obasanjo, and he recovered Nigeria from a pariah status, he salvaged Nigeria’s indebtedness, and the result was that the economy boomed, Nigeria took its rightful place in the comity of nations and Foreign Direct Investment flowed into Nigeria and the country regained the march to growth and prosperity.

“After Obasanjo, PDP recruited Umaru Musa YarÁdua and he extinguished the militancy in the Niger Delta at a time when that militancy was a serious threat to the economic wellbeing of the country. Normalcy returned to Niger Delta, our crude oil production returned to the appropriate quota we have from OPEC, our economy was stabilized and social cohesion was restored.

“Thereafter, PDP recruited Goodluck Jonathan and he stabilized the nation and rebased the economy and it became one of the fastest growing in the world and the largest economy in Africa. The Jonathan administration ran an inclusive government. There was cohesion and peace co-existence, everybody was happy and confident and Nigeria made progress.

“And in 2015, APC recruited the current administration and we are where we are today.

“If we make the same mistake we made in 2015, it will be worse. The process we are in today is a process of leadership recruitment and I will emphasise that if we get it right and recruit the right leadership, it will lead the country back to the path of growth, prosperity, progress, peace and stability.

“Today in Nigeria, there are concerns about insecurity, economic downturn and things are not going well generally and people are making promises on what they will do to revamp the economy, solve the insecurity problem, but I want to emphasise that if we don’t have the right leadership, the economy cannot be revived.”

Anyim said if he is elected President in 2023, he will refocus and rebuild the country.

“The major assignment, in fact the first commitment I want to offer Nigerians, is to stand on the framework of consensus and reunite Nigerians and reduce mutual suspicion. When we are able to redirect the nation on the path of unity and eliminate mutual suspicion, all of us will come together to pick the right hands based on competence and capacity and work together to refocus the country and rebuild our society.”

Anyim said he did the same when he became the President of the Senate at a time of turbulence in the Upper Legislative Chamber.

“I am not saying anything strange. It is something we have done before together and something we can still do again. If I stabilize the polity, and Nigerians have confidence in me, the country will move forward once again. It will be just like what I did in the Senate when I became President. When I came to the Senate at the peak of the crisis, the leadership I offered gave everybody confidence that I had no hidden agenda. If the solutions I put on the table will address everybody’s problems, everybody joined hand with me to advance the institution. We will do same for the country.”

Speaking earlier, the chairman of the Forum, Turaki, said as people who had served at the highest levels of government in the country and having examined the situation of things in the country today, they were resolved to take more than a passing interest in what was happening in the country today.

Said he: “It is because of this reason therefore that we said we must have interactive discussions between us and some of the serious presidential aspirants within our party. Let us discuss and analyse where we are coming from, let us look carefully at the state of things today, and then together we can draw a road map on where we intend to go.

“The greatest problem we have in this country is leadership failure. Because, leadership has failed in this country, and if the head of the fish is rotten, and so invariably and quite unfortunately, the body of the fish will also be rotten.

“You (Anyim) are one of the few Nigerians that have been given unimaginable opportunities. You have headed the legislative arm of government in this country, at a time when the legislature was in serious trouble, you have had also the singular opportunity of managing the executive arm of government, again in situations that were not rosy. And so, between the experiences you have gathered from both the legislative and executive arms of government and of course, while you never had the opportunity of playing a pivotal role in the judiciary, your qualification as a lawyer, and a senior one, fills that gap. That makes you one person that has served in all arms of government in this country.

“It is a fact today that no Nigerian is safe. Our properties are not secured, Nigerians are not secured, in their homes, on the streets, and we are not secured even when we go to our places of business.

“Nigerians are hungry and because they are hungry, Nigerians are angry and because they are angry, anything can happen at any time. Never in our political history have we been so divided along different unimaginable lines and it is important that we choose somebody who can build serious bridges of friendship along the various divides. We need a person who is not very old but has sufficient experience and maturity.

“We need somebody that has the courage to take decisive decisions because Nigeria needs a strong and powerful president.

“We need a man of integrity. We need a person that will listen, we need a person that will be compassionate, and we need a person that will show sympathy and empathy to Nigerians.

“Above all, we need a person that has the fear of God at heart. So, for us, knowing that you are one of us, your being in our midst today is homecoming. It is homecoming for you and for, it is reunion.

“We have resolved to take special interest in what happens in our party in the build-up to the 2023 elections. We will play a very active role, we will liaise with the leadership of the party in selecting a credible candidate that will win elections for us and for Nigeria and in the process salvage the country.

“Today, there is helplessness, there is hopelessness, we need a person that has experience, we need a person that understands the nuances of governance, someone that when he stands up, Nigerians will have that hope that their Moses has come.”

Some of the former ministers who attended the meeting included Olusegun Mimiko, Osita Chidoka, Iyom Josephine Anenih, Prof. Viola Onwuliri, Boni Haruna, Dubem Onyia, Kenneth Gbagi, Becky Ketembu, Godsday Orubebe, Mohammed Wakil, Damishi Sango, Muktar Shagari, Architect Gabriel Aduku, Labaran Maku, Solomon Ewuga, Musa Mohammed Sada, Isa Ibrahim, Sanusi Daggash.

Blind Dating Goes Awry as Two Friends Disappear after Visiting a Facebook Girl Friend in Calabar

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The Source
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Two Friends in Calabar

By Stanley Ekpenyong, Calabar

The Police in Calabar, the Cross River State Capital is yet to unravel the mystery behind the disappearance of two young men after visiting an unnamed lady they met on Social network, Facebook.

Though the Police is yet to make a statement on the development, this magazine gathered that the two young men identified as Henry Agbo and Wisdom Ofri, are both staff of a logistic company located along the Murtala Mohammed highway in Calabar, the Cross River state capital.

It was gathered that after a series of chats, the lady invited the duo to her place at Ekorinim phase2 area of the capital for a physical meeting and familiarization.

That was, however, the last time anyone heard or saw the two young men.

A friend of theirs who gave his name as Uforo said he was lucky not to have gone with them to meet the online lady.

“They have been chatting through Facebook messenger with the girl and that day I was supposed to follow them to Ekorinim phase 2, where the girl asked us to come and see her, but they left before I could come out.

“They then took a tricycle to meet with the said lady.That was the last time we heard about them because after awhile, we kept trying their numbers, but it has remained switched off.They have also not returned home since then”, Uforo who hailed from Akwa Ibom state said.

Both Henry and Wisdom are from Ikom local government area of Cross River State respectively.

Former Gov Amosun Announces Presidential Ambition

By
Ayodele Oni
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Ibikunle Amosu

By Ayodele Oni

Former two-term Governor of Ogun state, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, has joined the league of Presidential aspirants from the South- west.

He will be the second Indigene of Ogun state to be in the race after Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.

Already, the Ogun State Government has pledged its full support to Osinbajo. Amount, therefore, would run without any strong support from his home base. He is, however, a strong loyalist of President Muhammadu Buhari.

Senator Amosun has fixed his official declaration date for May 5, 2022,  in Abuja.

The forme Ogun state Governor writes “I bring you warm greetings from my family, my constituents, the entire people of Ogun State, and my support groups across Nigeria.

“It is with the greatest respect that I write to notify you and my Distinguished Colleagues of my intention to contest for the Office of President of our dear country, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to respectfully invite you and my Distinguished Colleagues to the formal declaration ceremony.

“I have been blessed by God to serve as Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria between 2003 and 2007 and as a two-term Governor of Ogun State between 2011 and 2019.

“I have also had the privilege to be elected a second time to the Senate of the Federal Republic in 2019 where I currently serve the good people of Ogun Central Senatorial District.

“My varied experience in private and public life has imbued me with requisite insights, experiences and network of relationships adequate to provide a leadership that will galvanize our dear country to achieve her manifest destiny as leader in Africa and of the black race.

“I will be honoured with your esteemed presence and that of my Distinguished Colleagues at the Declaration event which is scheduled as follows:

“Date: Thursday 05 May, 2022.       Time:11.00 A.M.

Venue: Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, CBD, Abuja, FCT.

“I seek the prayers of all of you for a successful declaration ceremony, victory at the party primaries and the 2023 presidential election. Please accept the assurances of my highest regard.”

2023 Presidency: IPOB Bars Wike From Igboland

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The Source
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Nyesom Wike

By Charles Igbo

A stern warning has gone out to Presidential aspirant, Nyesom Wike, from the Indigenous Peoples of Biafra, IPOB.

IPOB, which leader Mazi Nnamdi Kanu, is on detention has barred Wike from campaigning in the South-east.

IPOB’s grouse with Wike stemmed from Wike’s continous vehement denial of being an Igbo.

The Governor is from Rivers State, but he hails from the Ikwerre, an Igbo speaking area of the State. However, he has consistently denied being Igbo even though his name is Igbo, and that of his wife, Eberechi, is Igbo.

In a statement Wednesday, signed by its Spokesperson, Emma Powerful, IPOB said having denied being Igbo, he had no business campaigning in Igboland. IPOB said it would deal with any Igbo who hosts Wike during his Presidential aspiration Campaign. It condemned the recent hosting of Wike by the Obi of Onitsha, Igwe Alfred Achebe, during Wike’s Campaign trip to Onitsha, Anambra State.

The statement reads in part:

“We, the global family of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), ably led by our great leader, Mazi Nnamdi KANU condemn the recent visit by Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State to Obi of Onitsha Igwe Alfred Achebe in Anambra State.

“The visit is part of the reasons the youths are not happy with Igbo leaders.

“IPOB will not take it lightly on any person who intends to host Nyesom Wike in the hinterland after the genocide he committed in #Obigbo, and he declared that he is not an Igboman.

“Wike is a genocidist and should not be forgiven. His father took over Igbo property in the name of abandoned property and he trained Wike with the money he accumulated from abandoned property he collected from Igbo people in Igweocha after the war of genocide against the Igbo people in 1970, which moved Wike to hate anything associated with Igbo but he should not come for Igbo vote. We are warning him.

“Gov, Nyesom Wike committed genocide against the people in his state claiming he is not Igbo man, and today he became an Igbo man because of political interest and votes he needs from Igbo land.

“Wike refused to understand that a time like this will come in his life. Wike should be ashamed of himself because he could openly beg Igbo people for one vote in the election.”

“Is Wike coming to urinate on the graves of the Igbo youths he slaughtered in Obigbo during the #EndSARS protests?

“His visits to any Igbo state is highly provocative because some of the Igbo youths taken into several security cells in the Northern States are yet to return.

“Wike and his advisers should stop daring IPOB and Igbo youths. Wike’s family, friends and associates should advise him to stay off any state in Igbo land because it may consume him, anybody who knows him should let him know that.

“We are equally warning any traditional ruler, PG, Chief, elder, Governor or anybody who will invite Wike in any part of Igbo land to tread with caution because that amounts to challenging Igbo youths and IPOB members.

“Those hosting Wike now, where were they when Wike was ordering the killing of Igbo youths at Obigbo? They all maintained criminal silence then. Are they now rewarding him for killing Igbo youths? Love for money has enslaved elders and traditional rulers who should know better but we won’t tolerate that anymore.

“Wike cannot be going about celebrating in Igbo States which he denied having any links with after ordering the execution of Igbo youths and suspected IPOB members. This is iniquity against the innocent victims of his wicked actions.

“Wike said he was not Igbo and we have taken him by his words that he is not Igbo and can never become Igbo man because he hates Igbo with passion.

“We respect Igwe Achebe because he is a respected traditional ruler in Igbo land but we want him and others to keep a distance from Wike because Wike hates Igbo if they don’t know and if they don’t retrace their steps let the public never blame us.

“Those Wike arrested and handed over to Fulani controlled Federal Government in Abuja are still there till today languishing in different security detentions. We managed to release more than a thousand (1000) innocent citizens both men and women most of whom were raped at these security detentions and dungeons.

“Considering all his wickedness to the Igbo youths at Obigbo in Rivers State, we declare that Wike has no moral ground to even contemplate not of the temerity to want to visit any part of Igbo land. He is, therefore, not welcome to any Igbo State. Wike cannot be coming to Igbo land to spit and dance on the graves of those he unjustly slaughtered and we all know that he is a demented fellow.”

Emeka Nwajiuba Pays N100m, Picks 2023 Presidential Form

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The Source
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Emeka Nwajiuba

By Charles Igbo

The list of Presidential aspirants angling to succeed  President Muhammadu Buhari keeps increasing.

On Wednesday, April 27, a surprise aspirant sneaked-in without much noise. He is Imo State-born Emeka Nwajiuba.

Nwajiuba, a lawyer, is the Minister for State, Education.

It is not known who, or what,  pushed him to aspire to the highest office in the land, but Nwajiuba has always moved  within high profile circles beginning from the era of former Head of State, the late General Sani Abacha.

Nwajiuba, a one-time, one-term member of the House of Representatives, had since his exit from the House, contested for a couple of positions every four years, including to the office of the Governor of Imo State. Sadly, he had not been successful.

However, mother-luck shone on him, and President Buhari appointed him Minister for State, Education. Even though a junior Minister, Nwajiuba is known, in Abuja political circles, as being quite close to the President. He is in the inner circle, and allegedly, a member of the “faceless Aso Rock Cabal”, and well connected in circles where it matters most.

On Wednesday, April 27, 24 hours after the All Progressives Congress, APC, started selling its elective offices’ forms, Nwajiuba became the second aspirant to purchase both the Expression of Interest and Nomination forms at the cost of N100m.

The first to buy was Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.

Earlier on Tuesday, April 26, 2022, Nwajiuba had said he was still consulting, but revealed that his friends and those pressurising him to run had collected the sum of N100m to purchase the forms for him.

Nwajiuba is the first Imo son to aspire to the office of the President against 2023, and has added to the list of Igbo sons aspiring to the office. They include Senator Pius Anyim, Peter Obi, Dave Umahi, Rochas Okorocha, Sam Ohuabunwa, Chris Ngige, etc.

Ekiti Gov Election: APC Candidate, Oyebanji, Halts Government’s Activities

By
Ayodele Oni
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Biodun Oyebanji Campaign

By Ayodele Oni

Government activities in Ekiti state were halted as the Governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji (BAO), unveiled his manifesto encapsulating his development agenda, as campaigns begin ahead of the June 18, governorship election.

Political office holders, civil servants and other top government officials shunned their offices as they all trooped to the venue of the event to listen to the Governor’s annoited candidate of APC in June election.

Even, the wife of the Governor, Erelu Bisi Fayemi who was billed to commission some projects at Ilejemeje Local Government and lay the foundation of the new Council Secretariat turned her back to attend the ceremony.

The event which held at the Adetiloye Hall of the state-owned Fountain Hotel, Ado-Ekiti, also featured a road show in mobilisation drive to create awareness to drum support for Oyebanji’s policies and programmes.

In his speech entitled “Together With You, Let’s Keep Ekiti Working” Oyebanji said the confidence reposed in him through APC’s party’s primaries on January 27 was one he held with a sense of responsibility and humility.

“I do not take for granted the over 100,000 party members who voted for me at the primary, and have continued to support our campaign in the last few months with dedication and passion. With your support, our victory at the polls is assured.

“I would like to assure you that your labour of love will never be in vain. As we commence our campaign journey today, I am sharing the ideas that have been carefully designed to keep our state working with you.

“These ideas have come from my interactions with various categories of Ekiti citizens at home and abroad.

“I have listened carefully to all that have been said to me, and I am deeply convinced that the task ahead is possible by God’s grace and with us working together.

“There is no magic wand to build our state, and the sustainable progress we want will not happen overnight. We have been on a long journey to reclaim our land and restore our values, it is now time to hunker down and sustain all our gains.

“That was why it is important that we encourage policies that keep the state working in partnership with our people.”

In his Six-Point development agenda, he listed youth development and job creation through micro, small and medium rnterprises (MSME) financing and support, digital skills, vocational skills, Ekiti Knowledge Zone and sports development, as important components of his agenda, while human capital development will also be given a priority, explaining that education, healthcare, water, sanitation and hygiene (WASH) and social investment were the foundation for a productive workforce.

Other priority areas are  education, water, sanitation and hygiene, healthcare, social investment, agriculture and rural development,  infrastructure and industrialisation, arts, culture and tourism and governance, while he would ensure completion of the ongoing projects.

A proper scrutiny of the blueprint shows that it was similar to the one presented by Governor Kayode Fayemi in 2018 to the people of the state, confirming Oyebanji’s promise to step into the shoe of his godfather.

Your Performance Will Determine Your Fate – Gov Akeredolu Tells APC Aspirants

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State
Rotimi Akeredolu

By Ayodele Oni

Ondo State Governor, Mr Rotimi Akeredolu, has told elected officials that have failed to perform not to bother themselves to recontest.

The Governor specifically warned serving lawmakers who have not performed in their Constituencies and Senatorial Districts to reassess themselves before contesting for the party’s tickets again.

“Self assessment is key. Go and assess yourselves. I have come here to appeal to all of you that we don’t all have to run into this election with a huge number.

“I know people have resigned. I am not filling those positions until after the election. Don’t close any option. Leave all options open. The party has a stake.”

Governor Akeredolu, at a meeting in Akure with aspirants on the ticket of the All Progressives Party, (APC) pointed out that the party in the State is presently sailing smoothly, and urged the aspirants not to heat up the polity.

Of recent, there have been some members of the state House of Assembly that were chased out of their Constituencies by the people for non performance.

A third term Senator in the state is equally being accused by his Constituent that he has failed to deliver dividend of democracy to the people.

Governor Akeredoku declared that “I can assure you that we will give a level playing field. But assess yourselves.

“Sit down and think. What have you attracted to your Constituency or Senatorial District as a Senator or House of Representatives member? If you have not attracted anything, the people will be your judge.”

Although, Ondo State is not due for Governorship election until 2025, the Senate, House of Representatives and House of Assembly elections will be held in 2023.

Governor Akeredolu, who met with the aspirants at the Cocoa Conference Hall of the Governor’s office, assured the aspirants of a level-playing ground.

He harped on the need to promote unity within the party, calling on the aspirants to allow the leadership of the party to drive the process.

Chairman of the APC in the State, Ade Adetimehin, told the aspirants that the Party is guided by principles and discipline.

“This Party believes in leadership and we will not joke with the tickets of the APC. No individual can win the election without the contribution of the party. I want to appeal that we must take it easy. Allow the leadership to drive this Party.”

2023 Presidency: Uzor-Kalu Makes U-turn

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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0

By Tosin Olatokunbo

Senate Chief Whip Orji Uzor-Kalu has rejoined the presidential race barely 24 hours after he said he would no longer run for the highest office in the country.

Uzor-Kalu, a former Governor of Abia state had on Tuesday disclosed that he has dropped out from contesting for president, citing the refusal of the APC and PDP to zone the presidency to the south east.

His critics had cited Kalu’s case with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC as a major reason which pushed him out of the presidential race.

The two major political parties are still dilly-dallying on whether to chose their presidential candidates from the zone which has not produced the president for the country since the return to democracy in 1999.

He said the North will determine who emerges president in 2023 as the single highest political block in the country, insisting that the office must be zoned to the south east.

The senator said in statement that, “The situation in Nigeria is that without the support of other regions, it would amount to a shadow chase for a South Easterner to be President.

“This is the reason I have been in the frontline of the call that the two major political parties, the All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party should zone their presidential tickets to the South East as they did for the South West in 1999.

“In the absence of this zoning, I shall return to the Senate and stay away from the presidential contest. The reality is that the North is more advantageous to win elections in this democratic setting.

“I am even shocked with the number of aspirants coming from the South West and the South South. It is embarrassing that these aspirants (APC and PDP) have no single respect and concern for the South East. I had thought they would think about the South East; I thought they would support us.”

He added, “The two regions that are yet to produce a President are South East and North East. If this means anything to Nigerians, the APC and PDP should be fair enough to prioritize these regions. If power should come to the South and not the South East or North and not the North East, the essence for which the six geopolitical zones were created is long dead.”

But in what many have described as double speak, the Senator said he’s still in the contest. He said he was quoted out of contest, insisting that “my stand is very clear, I didn’t drop my presidential ambition and I will never drop it.”

According to him, “I only urged our brothers from the South-South and South-West geo-political zones who came out en masse to contest for the office of the president to drop their ambition and support us because of equity.

“If we are talking about equity, the presidential ticket should be zoned to the South-East being the only zone that has not tested power since 1999.We can’t have people from South- South and South-West running when we are talking about equity.

“Former president Goodluck Jonathan, was vice, and later president for six years. Former president Olusegun Obasanjo was president for eight years and Prof Yemi Osibanjo is going to be vice president for eight years again.

“So if there is anything called equity and justice, it should be support for the South-East and unless that support is given to us, every other zone in the country should contest for presidency in 2023 including people from Buhari’s village.

“We are negotiating for them to support us, because I know there’s no single aspirant that the president, Buhari, has told to run for presidency. I know him and his antecedent, Buhari can never tell anybody that he would make him president.

“He will always tell people who go to him to consult with their people. I have not told him that I want to run for presidency because it has not been zoned to the South East,” the former governor said.

Meanwhile, the APC on Tuesday commenced the sale of nomination and expression of interest forms. The presidential form will be purchased for N100 million, the ruling party said last week.

 

 

 

CBN’s Cashless Policy Suffers As Cash In Economy Rises Above N3trn

By
Tosin Olatokunbo
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0

By Tsoin Olatoknbo

Nigeria’s currency in circulation rose to N3.25 trillion in March 2022, representing the highest since December 2021.Currency in circulation, CIC is the amount of cash in paper notes or coins issued by the apex bank to conduct transactions.

The development came barely one month after the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN increased CIC by N418 billion. The apex bank said in March that increase in CIC is due to Nigerians preference for cash in settling transactions, adding that higher denominations have dominated currency in circulation.

The CBN said in its report on currency operations that, “the growth in CIC reflected the continued dominance of cash in the economy. Analysis of the CIC shows that a greater proportion was in higher denomination banknotes (N100, N200, N500 and N1000). The higher denomination banknotes together accounted for 63.47 per cent and 98.08 per cent of the total CIC, in terms of volume and value, respectively.

“The volume of lower denomination banknotes (N5, N10, N20, N50) accounted for 28.43 per cent of the total CIC and 1.92 per cent, in terms of value as at end-December 2020.”

The Cable reports that the latest data from the Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN indicates that the figure rose by 16 per cent from N2.79 trillion in April 2021 to N3.25 trillion in March 2022.

In May 2021, currency in circulation stood at N2.79 trillion, N2.74 trillion in June and up to N2.81 trillion in July.

In August, September and October 2021, it was N2.78 trillion, N2.84 trillion, and N2.97 trillion, respectively.

Currency in circulation hits the historical N3trillion mark in November 2021 as banks customers withdraw physical cash amid the festive period.

In November, it crossed the N3 trillion mark ahead of the festive season in December. By December, it peaked at a record N3.33 trillion.

In 2022, it amounted to N3.29 trillion in January and N3.25 trillion in February.

Last year, the apex bank said its clean note policy and banknote fitness guidelines provide that every newly printed and existing banknote should measure up to predefined standards before circulation and re-circulation in the economy.

The CBN said it used the “accounting/statistical/withdrawals and deposits approach” to compute the currency in circulation in the country.

It said this approach involved tracking the fluctuations in currency in circulation on a transaction-by-transaction basis.

According to the CBN, for every withdrawal made by a deposit money bank, DMB at any CBN branch, an increase in currency in circulation, CIC is recorded; and for every deposit made by a DMB at one of CBN’s branches, a decrease in CIC is recorded.

The transactions are all recorded in the CBN’s CIC account, and the balance on the account at any point in time represented the country’s currency in circulation.

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