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Exclusive: Lagos 2023: Fmr. Gov. Ambode’s Deputy, Idiat Adebule To Return As Sanwo-Olu’s Running Mate

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Idiat Adebule and Babajide Sanwoolu

By Akinwale Kasali

Former Lagos State Deputy Governor, Dr. Oluranti Idiat Adebule, has been tipped by the Governor Advisory Council, GAC, to return as Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s running mate.

The GAC is the de facto body that runs the affairs of the State politically for the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC. It has unanimously agreed that the former Deputy Governor who was also the Commissioner for Education during former Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode’s administration return as the Deputy to the incumbent. Sanwo-Olu already has the endorsement of the GAC to run for a second term.

Political observers have said that the antecedents of Adebule may have paved the way for her coming back as the number two citizen in the State.

There is speculation that the present Deputy Governor in the State, Obafemi Hamzat, is being tipped to run for the Senatorial Seat. In a matter of weeks, Adebule will be presented to Lagosians as the next Deputy Governor of the State.

Adebule famously, during the Governorship Primary in 2019, stood on the queue for Sanwo-Olu against his then boss, Ambode, in one of the most celebrated political  betrayals in the State.

Alleged Fraud: Governor Abiodun In Trouble; Petitions May Mar His Second Term Ambition

By
Akinwale Kasali
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By Akinwale Kasali

Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun’s second term ambition seems to be in jeopardy following his arrest, in 1986, in the United States of America for credit card fraud and forgery.

The duo of All Progressives Congress, APC, members, Ayodele Oludiran and Oluwatobi Sofela of Ogun Bibire Unity Forum, petitioned the APC National Chairman, Abdullahi Adamu, calling asking for the disqualification of Governor Abiodun from the 2023 Governorship race.

Sofela had warned that the party might lose the Governorship seat in Ogun due to Abiodun’s criminal history and its concealment from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) despite swearing to an oath.

They also cautioned that the discrepancies in the Governor’s  educational qualifications might also cause opposition parties to question his eligibility for re-election, and could sway the electorate to the opposition side.

“If action is not taken, the chances of our great party, the APC, retaining the Governorship seat in Ogun State shall be in jeopardy as previously seen in Bayelsa and Zamfara states,” Sofela said.

Following this development, Governor Abiodun has said that the allegations are not sufficient enough to call for his disqualification.

He added that his arrest was not a conviction, and so, he was not answerable to the laws that applied to criminals.

He added that even if he was convicted in 1986, the Nigerian constitution only disqualifies ex-felons from contesting political offices if their sentence was less than 10 years before the election date.

“An aspirant or candidate will only be disqualified by the court if the false information he gives relates to a constitutional requirement of eligibility.

“APC is not a court of law. Accordingly, it cannot disqualify our client,” the Governor’s lawyer, Afe Babalola, wrote in a letter to Adamu, citing section 29(6) of the Electoral Act 2022.

“In any event, assuming but not conceding, that our client was even convicted in 1986, he would still not be affected or caught by Section 182 (1) (e) of the CFRN because the CFRN requires that the conviction which would disqualify a person from the position of the Governor must have occurred ten years before the date of election to the office.”

It would be recalled that SaharaReporters had earlier published the criminal record of how Abiodun was jailed in 1986 for credit card fraud offences in Miami, Dade Florida, USA, where he allegedly used a pseudo name (Shawn Michael Davids) with the aim of concealing his criminal identity.

The record revealed that Abiodun was jailed for committing criminal offences which bordered on credit card fraud, petty theft and check forgery.

He was arrested on November 7, 1986, for fighting and injuring a Police officer in an attempt to resist arrest.

While being processed at the station, his fingerprint was run through the crime database and it was discovered that the Adedapo Oluseun Abiodun being processed for detention was the same as Shawn Michael Davids.

His criminal record and history were thus cemented and he was jailed.

It was gathered that Abiodun’s jail number was 8600B9436.

The late Kashamu Buruji had in 2015, while contesting for the Ogun East Senatorial seat against Abiodun, applied for the redaction of his criminal records in Miami Dade, Florida.

This act of concealment meant he could lie on his Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) forms that he had no prior criminal records; a perjury offence that could have disqualified him from ever holding an appointive or elective office in Nigeria.

How $75,000 Vanished From APC Secretariat

By
Uche Mbah
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Tonye Cole DG Resign

By Uche Mbah

An envelop containing $75,000 was stolen from a yet to be named person, by a yet to be identified thief at the All Progressives Congress, APC, National Secretariat Abuja. This happened during the rush at the party registration venue.

Although canopies were used outside the Secretariat for the purpose of party faithfuls picking up their nomination and expression of interest forms, the money was not part of monies paid for forms.

Such monies were paid into dedicated Party accounts.

Eye witness account says that due to the congestion at the gate, people were squeezing themselves through the gate when someone shouted he has lost an envelop containing some money.

“Before Security Agents could be alerted, the money could not be found” said the source.

$75,000 roughly translates to about N44 million in today’s exchange exchange rate.

The questions everybody has been asking are: Why would anybody carry such a sum to the Secretariat? And for what purpose?

NDLEA: Fear Grips Presidential Aspirants Over Marwa’s Request For Drug Tests On Them

By
Adesina Soyooye
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By Adesina Soyooye

Fear has gripped a number of 2023 Presidential Aspirants over the request by the Chairman/Chief Executive Officer of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, NDLEA, Brigadier-General Mohammed Marwa, that they be tested for Drug use before they are allowed to contest.

If the request on Political Parties by Marwa is granted,  there are fears that not all of them will scale through. This has sent chills down the spine of a couple of Aspirants, who not a few Nigerians suspect are on drugs or are alcoholics because of their behaviours, carriage and manner of speaking. Marwa said he would begin the advocacy with a visit to the Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, who he said he had already written to.

If the idea is bought, it means that high profile Aspirants like Vice President  Yemi Osinbajo, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, APC chieftain, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, former Senate Presidents Pius Anyim and Bukola Saraki, Peter Obi, Chibuike Amaechi, Nyesom Wike, etc, will undergo the test.

In a Press Release signed by Femi Babafemi, NDLEA’s Director of Media and Advocacy, Marwa made the request while responding to questions from journalists at the 2022 First Quarter Best Performing Commands Awards ceremony at the Agency’s National Headquarters in Abuja on Wednesday 27th 2022.

According to Marwa, “for politicians, we have long advocated, and I take the opportunity again to repeat the advocacy that when they run for public office it demands a lot of responsibility from the person and we need to be certain if he’s a person that is already a drug addict/user who will spend all the money he’s given for public service to consume cocaine and his head will not be in a stable condition to handle the affairs he has been entrusted with. For this reason, we have advocated, and will continue to advocate, that drug test be conducted for politicians; some state governments like Kano state is already doing this.

“Not just politicians, but Government appointees, and I’ve just sent a letter this morning to the National Chairman of APC, who will be the first of the National Working Committee I wish to pay an advocacy visit on this issue. I recommended that drug tests be incorporated in the screening process for all those interested in running for public office; we’ll do the same to the PDP and other important parties.”

While addressing officers and men of the Agency present at the event, Gen. Marwa said the ceremony “has become part and parcel of our corporate culture. Recognizing and rewarding hard work and excellence has always been a pragmatic way of stimulating productivity and enhancing the attainment of organisational goals; making it a tradition for the Agency is our way of enshrining meritocracy in the system.

“Statistics from the first quarter (Q1) report, indicated that our performance level has not dropped off. Indeed, achieving 3, 539 arrests, 677 convictions and seizures of 65, 916 kg of drugs in three months is no mean feat. Little wonder our performance continually earns the Agency deserved accolades from the right quarters within the country as well as from abroad, especially from international partners and peers. While we have not yet achieved the utopia of a drug-free society, the results showed that we are getting it right.”

He told the officers that the awrds and commendations are expected to will spur them to surpass their current feats at the next awards ceremony.

“The ceremony should be a poignant reminder for us not to forget where we are coming from. And there is no better way to say it other than for us to be mindful of the saying that success has a hundred fathers, but failure is always an orphan. No organisation would understand this adage better than NDLEA in the light of our past rock bottom experience. Therefore, we should all be mindful that we hold the fate of NDLEA in our hands, and that fate will be determined by our patriotism and dedication to duty, as well as our collective resolve to work towards the attainment of the Agency’s mandate.

“Let me also seize this occasion to remind you about the importance of propagating the War Against Drug Abuse (WADA) programme in your various commands. There is much we can achieve when our communities are working hand-in-hand with us. That is why our roadmap, the NDCMP 2021-2025, strongly emphasises collaboration with all the stakeholders in society. We have to woo members of society to work with us on this very important assignment.

“Therefore, I charge you to ensure that WADA is correctly and deeply entrenched in the spheres of operation of your respective commands”, he stated.

While assuring the officers that the Agency is proud of them, he said “the sacrifice of a narcotic officer cannot be quantified in gold or silver, for he is fulfilling a higher calling. As we go about our duty of securing our society against the corrosion of illicit drugs, we should be aware that we are the direct beneficiaries of our work because for every kilo of drugs seized, we are making our streets and society safer for our children, family and kinsmen.

“NDLEA is proud of its workforce; the Agency treasures the effort of its officers and men; the management shall continue to look out for their best interest. We shall continue to reward hard work and excellence.”

2023: Reactions Trail The Purchase Of N100m Presidential Forms By Minister Nwajiuba

By
Akinwale Kasali
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Emeka Nwajiuba

By Akinwale Kasali

Reactions  have trailed the purchase of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Presidential forms, for N100m, by the Minister for State, Education, Emeka Nwajiuba, a Lawyer.

A cross section of Nigerians, Activists and Political Analysts queried his source of wealth which enabled him to purchase the form at such exorbitant price.

Reacting, Popular Nigerian Human Rights Activist, Deji Adeyanju, queried the source of his wealth to have picked up Expression of Interest and Nomination forms of the All Progressive Congress, APC.

Adeyanju was particularly unhappy that the Minister coughed out a whopping N100 million to obtain the APC Presidential form.

Taking to his Twitter handle where he posted a copy of the receipt of the form he wrote:

”The Minister of State for Education just bought N100m APC Presidential nomination form and ASUU is still on strike. Today is day 72 since students have been home. These are the clowns that deceived Nigerians with CHANGE in 2015.”

In the same vein, Veteran Journalist, Chidi Levi, said that the APC-led Federal Government is a big scam and corrupt-enabling party.

He said the Party promoted corruption as it is surprising how Nwajiuba, a Junior Minister, amassed such wealth to purchase the APC Nomination form.

Bernard Sunday, a political analysts said that Nwajiuba and his likes in the APC Government have become stupendously rich under a President Muhammadu Buhari administration that promised to fight corruption.

“If a Minister in the very ‘poor’ Ministry of Education could afford N100m to buy Presidential form, only God knows how much those in lucrative Ministries must have stolen. Buhari, indeed is a mistake”, he said.

In an earlier report in this medium, Charles Igbo, our reporter had noted: “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, fortunes smiled 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.”

However, those who know Nwajiuba say he was very rich before he became a Minister, and could easily afford the sum of N100m, Minister or no Minister.

On Tuesday, April 26, 24 hours before he purchased the forms, Nwajiuba had said those pressurising him to run for the Presidential office in 2023, had already contributed the sum of N100m for the forms. He neither mentioned any group or any name.

Uzodinma To Amaechi: South-east In The Presidential Race To Win

By
The Source
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Hope Uzodimma and Rotimi Amaechi

Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodimma has told the Minister of  Transportation and an All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential aspirant,  Chibuike Rotomi Amaechi, that there is a new spirit in the South East zone of the Party which will make winning an election in 2023 easy.

Governor Uzodimma made the disclosure on Tuesday at the Imo State APC Secretariat on Okigwe Road Owerri when Amaechi came to interface with the Party’s delegates from the five States of the South East ahead of the presidential primaries.

Addressing the APC faithfull and delegates who converged to join the Governor receive Amaechi, Governor Uzodimma said: “There is a new spirit in the South East of APC which is the product of serious efforts in political engineering to make the party what it is today.”

The Governor noted that APC in the South East is now united and  determined to win all the coming elections.

Governor Uzodimma said the message to Nigerians from the South-east APC is: “We want to win because we are already doing well and we will win because we cannot afford not to win.”

The Governor told Amaechi and the APC faithful that South East will continue to show Nigerians that they are united.

He reminded Amaechi that the APC in the South-east has no problem with him as a brother contesting the Presidential election even though there are other aspirants from the zone who are also members of the Party.

Governor Uzodimma said what is obvious is that President Muhammadu Buhari is a leader with conscience and will not dissappoint Ndigbo.

He wished Amaechi well and prayed  God to give them the courage to know how to go about their winnings, noting that the South-east is determined to go into the Presidential election and win.

Addressing the APC delegates, Amaechi said he was in the South East with his entourage to seek for the members support to his aspiration to become  the President of Nigeria, noting that once he is given the opportunity, he will “honestly use it for the good of all Nigerians.”

He said he is not an Igbo, Yoruba, Ikwere, Hausa-Fulani or any sectional aspirant  rather “a Nigerian aspirant” who, if he wins “will be sincere to the people” and will do his best to “protect the Igbos, Hausa-Fulanis,  Yorubas or any other ethnic group in Nigeria.”

He said his Government will be “the Government of every Nigerian.”

Speaker after speaker welcomed Amaechi and described him as a strong and committed member of the Party and assured him that they will not disappoint his expectations if he emerges the Presidential candidate.

The occasion was graced by the APC leadership from Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo States.

U.S. Support For Documentation Of Osun Osogbo Sacred Groove Completed

By
The Source
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Busanyin Shrine in the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove

Demonstrating leadership and respect for Nigeria’s cultural heritage, today, April 27, 2022, the U.S. Embassy and its implementing partner, CyArk, presented the results of its project to document and help protect the Busanyin Shrine in the Osun Osogbo Sacred Grove.

The Director General of the National Commission for Museums and Monuments, Professor Abba Tijani, received the results and praised CyArk’s efforts.

CyArk is a California-based nonprofit organization that specializes in the digital documentation of culture sites.  In 2020, the U.S. Department of State awarded CyArk a $125,000 grant to undertake the Busanyin Shrine project in partnership with the Adunni Olorisa Trust (AOT) and the National Commission for Museums and Monuments.

One of eight monuments within the grove, the Busanyin Shrine was damaged by  seasonal flooding in 2019.  CyArk trained NCMM staff in the use of three-dimensional laser scanning technology to document the Busanyin Shrine.  A principal focus was on using the process of photogrammetry to create a digital model from images combined from multiple sources.  The model offers a unique and precise digital record for use in planning future projects and preservation initiatives, including an engineering plan to protect the monument against future flooding.  In support of future plans, he project team also conducted depth readings in the area of historical flooding to better understand the hydrology of the Osun River.

CyArk also conducted personal interviews project partners and local community members to document the importance of the shrine for educational purposes.  These interviews, along with images and videos of the site, will be merged to generate interactive digital stories and project videos in order to raise public awareness of the site as a cultural treasure.

The United States and Nigeria share a strong commitment to preserve and protect cultural heritage and artifacts, including those in museum collections.  In January 2022, the two countries signed a bilateral agreement to prohibit the illegal trafficking of artifacts, return objects forfeited to the U.S. government, share information on protected objects, and expand cooperation in the areas of technical assistance and educational exchange.

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

By
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

By
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

By
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.

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