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Ekiti APC Gov Primary: Six Aspirants Withdraw Over Allegation Of Favouritism

By
Ayodele Oni
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0
APC Party
APC Party

By Ayodele Oni

Six Governorship Aspirants of the All Progressive Congress, (APC), in Ekiti State, announced their withdrawal from the contest on Thursday, just as the Primary Election was about to commence.

Apart from their sudden pull out, early morning, unconfirmed reports say that the election has been shifted but the Secretary of the Committee handling the exercise, Mr Victor Olabimtan, doused the rumour.

Those that withdrew from the contest include former Minister of Works, Senator Dayo Adeyeye, former Commissioner of Information in Lagos State, Senator Opeyemi Bamidele and five others.

Their withdrawal may pave the way for the emergence of the former Secretary to the State Government, Mr Biodun Oyebanji as winner of the poll.

According to a statement on Thursday, others who withdrew are a former Governorship Aspirant, Kayode Ojo; Demola Popoola; Femi Bamisile; former House of Representatives member, Bamidele Faparusi; and Afolabi Oluwasola.

They claimed that the Governor is attempting to impose former Secretary to the State Government, Biodun Oyebanji, as the Ekiti APC governorship candidate.

They also alleged that the Primary Election Committee consisted of loyalists of Governor Kayode Fayemi of Ekiti State, who before now, rooted for Oyebanji.

Also some members of the party staged  protests against the process of the Governorship Primary which they said has been compromised.

A statement from them reads, “The seven aspirants herein received with rude shock and dismay the purported list of local government election committee and ward election committee made up solely by party members and political appointees that had before now openly endorsed the candidacy of Biodun Oyebanji the immediate past secretary to the state government.

“It is on record that the government of Governor Kayode Fayemi has given its unwavering support to the candidacy of Biodun Oyebanji, it is common knowledge that the Governor and most appointees of the governor are openly rooting for and supporting Biodun Oyebanji’s aspiration to become the flag bearer of our great party.

“What is more disturbing is the fact that a simple glance at the names of the persons appointed as members of both committees would reveal that it is made up of appointees of government, who are all supporters of a candidate in the primary election they are appointed to superintend on.

“The seven candidates herein are loyal, faithful and committed party members who are sincerely concerned about the chances of the party in the forthcoming 2022 governorship election where an imposition is allowed to override a democratic primary election for determining its flag bearer.

“We request that both the Local Government Election Committee and Ward Election Committee that were constituted on the list already in circulation be disbanded and replaced with names that would reinforce internal democracy and uphold the aims and objectives of the party.”

In a statement by the Secretary of Election Committee, Mr Olabimtan stated “The Governorship Primary election of Ekiti State fixed by the National body of the APC slated for today, Thursday January 27, 2022 will hold as scheduled in all the 177 wards of Ekiti State.

“The Ekiti State APC Governorship Primary Election Committee wishes to assure the general public that a level playing field that will guarantee fairness, openness and transparency has been adopted by the Committee.

“It is an incontrovertible fact that every member of the appointed Electoral Officers for today’s primary election is a bonafide member of Ekiti State APC.

“You will recall that during the stakeholders’ meeting between the Committee, aspirants and others yesterday, this issue was raised and exhaustively discussed, and to reinforce confidence in the process, it was agreed that each aspirant should nominate 20 people each to be part of the process.

“All the aspirants took advantage of this window of opportunity and submitted the list of their nominated electoral officers.

“All the submitted lists have been added to the existing arrangement, assigned into various wards and local governments. They have all been incorporated.

“We hereby call on all well-meaning APC members in Ekiti State to go to their respective wards to fully exercise their voting right without fear or intimidation. The adopted option A4 is the most transparent form of election.”

More Parties Likely To Participate In Ekiti Gov Election – Survey

By
Ayodele Oni
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Independent National Electoral Commission

By Ayodele Oni

There are indications that the number of political parties that will participate in the June Governorship election of Ekiti State may increase.

This follows anticipated defection of some Governorship aspirants to other parties after their failure to secure their party tickets.

The People’s Democratic Party, (PDP),had held its Primary Election on Wednesday, January 22, while that of the All Progressive Congress, (APC) is expected to be concluded on Thursday.

Those that are being rumours say  may likely decamp include Chief Segun Oni who lost his bid to former Governor Ayo Fayose annoited candidate, Bisi Kolawole.

Already, two former aspirants on the ticket of APC, Dr Oluyede has defected to  African Democratic Congress, (ADC) where he is now the sole candidate and Otunba Reuben Famuyibo, is now sole contestant on the ticket of Accord Party, (AP).

Investigations at Ado Ekiti, the state capital, revealed that several other political parties which hitherto have no offices or presence, have started renting available apartments to make their presence felt.

Early this month, the Independent National Electoral Commission,(INEC) announced that only eight political parties have notified the Commission of their intentions to conduct primaries.

INEC National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Dr Festus Okoye, disclosed that the parties are the Peoples Democratic Party,(PDP), All Progressives Congress,(APC), Action Alliance,(AA), African Democratic Congress,(ADC) and All Progressives Grand Alliance,(APGA).

Others were Allied People’s Movement,(APM), Peoples Redemption Party, (PRP) and African Action Congress,(AAC).

According to him, “So far, as at afternoon January 7, eight political parties have given the commission the statutory notice of their intention to conduct primaries for the purpose of nominating candidates for the Ekiti governorship election scheduled for June 16.

First Bank Holdco: Okonkwo Assumes GMD Role Amidst High Expectations

By
Bayo Bernard
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By Bayo Bernard, Business Editor

The group managing director of First Bank Nigeria, FBN Holdings Plc Nnamdi Okonkwo did not have to wait for too long after he retired from his former position as managing director/ chief executive of Fidelity Bank Plc, to pick up another appointment in Nigeria’s oldest bank.

Okonkwo retired from his former job in December 2020 after a successful career with the new generation bank, transforming a once regional bank to a financial behemoth with a national outlook.

His achievements of transforming Fidelity from ‘Igbo’ bank to a booming bank with a national outlook, as it seems, may have worked for him considering that many of his contemporaries and former managing directors of banks in the country were not so lucky; while some were disgraced out of office for one reason or that other, those that escaped the hammer of disgraceful termination of appointment were either prosecuted over crime they committed while in office.

Others remain irrelevant for the rest of their lives as soon as they left their plum job as chief executives.

But that obviously was not the case with the Anambra state born banker and financial guru, who never had the unfortunate experience of becoming irrelevant in the banking and financial sector of the economy where he has put in at least three decades of his working life: as soon as he ceremoniously left  his former job, he was quickly employed by First Bank less than a year after he retired.

For FBN Holdings Plc, Okonkwo fits right in following the voluntary retirement of UK Eke. His appointment also confirms First Bank’s mantra of choosing the best in the industry to occupy sensitive positions in the oldest financial institution in the country.

For instance, the magazine learnt that picking Okonkwo out of the long list of A-list candidates did not come as an easy job, particularly considering serious pressure that piled on the management by prominent Nigerians who wanted their own candidate to land the premium job.

“The magic that worked for Okonkwo is the fact that he’s still very young, despite putting in decades in the industry in some of Nigeria’s top banks, capping it up as the chief executive. For us, we think he still has more to offer the sector, having performed excellently, with good records to show that he’s a high performer, particularly the manner he engineered the transformation of a one-time regional bank to a national bank with a solid capital base within a short time.

“Apart from this, Okonkwo has a solid clientele of high-profile Nigerians and foreign investors which he can bring to the fore in his new job. This, for us, is the most important selling point” a top source in the bank said.

Another investor in the country informed the magazine that he’s happy with Okonkwo’s appointment, because according to him, he keeps his word with people no matter the circumstances.

The ebullient banker has come a long way

Okonkwo started his banking career in the financial sector in 1990 at Merchant Bank of Africa. In 1993, he moved to Guarantee Trust Bank (GTBank) and rose to become a branch manager before he joined United Bank for Africa (UBA) Plc.

While at UBA, he held various managerial and leadership positions. First as Regional Bank Head in Lagos; Regional Director, Federal Capital, Nigeria; Project Director, and Head of Corporate Banking and Multinational Corporates Division; Managing Director/CEO of UBA Ghana; and finally, Regional CEO of the bank’s West Africa Monetary Zone covering Ghana, Liberia and Sierra Leone.

In 2012, Nnamdi Okonkwo left UBA and joined Fidelity Bank Plc as the Executive Director in charge of the Bank’s businesses in Southern Nigeria. He was tasked with the responsibility of overseeing the bank’s entire business across Southern Nigeria excluding Lagos and West.

He held the Executive Director position until January 1 2014, when he was appointed the Managing Director/ chief executive officer, CEO of the bank, where he eventually retired on December 31, 2020 having set the commercial bank on a solid track.

Many stakeholders have high expectations that Okonkwo will not fail in bringing his expertise to fore in his new role as Group Managing Director, GMD First Bank Holdings, FBN Plc.

OPINION: A Defeat Foretold?

By
The Source
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Azu Ishiekwene

By Azu Ishiekwene

Loving Nigeria’s national soccer team, the Super Eagles, is like being in a bad marriage. Your heart is broken many times, yet it’s hard to walk away. There’s a lingering, almost redemptive feeling that just one more try, and it’s going to be alright. But it never is – or has not been for nearly a decade.

It happened again. Hearts were broken on Sunday and millions of fans are still trying to pick up the pieces after Nigeria was beaten 1-0 by Tunisia in the ongoing African Cup of Nations (AFCON) in Cameroun.

It was an unlikely outcome. Nigeria had started on a very good footing, winning all three-group stage matches and posting perhaps one of the best overall performances among the 24 countries, which included Algeria and Senegal, the continent’s best FIFA-rated countries.

Nigeria’s opening games were so good, and a few of its players like Moses Simon, Joe Aribo and Wilfred Nididi, so outstanding that political campaign-minded strategists of Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, improvised a skit from the performance in which Osinbajo sounded like Peter Drury rendering the English Premier League.

Before Sunday’s match, over-the-moon Super Eagles fans had, in fact, started forecasting that the team would not only reach the finals, it could potentially win the cup. The catastrophic exit of perennial rivals, the Black Stars of Ghana, at the group stage, sweetened the triumph of the Super Eagles, provoking disparaging memes and beggar-thy-neighbour comparisons.

After nine years, it seems, the Nations Cup would return to Nigeria for the fourth time, not only improving the country’s FIFA ranking, but also cementing its hopes for a place in the World Cup in Qatar in November.

Now, all of that is up in smoke and like forlorn lovers, millions of fans who decided to believe again, to give the Super Eagles another chance, are nursing broken hearts. Not only are the Super Eagles out of the Nations Cup, the chances that they would defeat Ghana in March to secure the World Cup ticket, are even in doubt.

And typical of what happens when love sours, angry fans are throwing everything, including the kitchen sink, at the grounded Super Eagles. Some are blaming President Muhammadu Buhari’s pep talk with the team on Sunday before their Tunisia game for the defeat.

In Buhari’s seven years in office (his first incarnation 1985 being an exception of course when Nigeria won the FIFA under 16 soccer championship), Nigeria has not won a soccer medal of any description — gold, silver, bronze or wood. He has no business, they say, calling the team before a crucial game and spreading bad luck.

The more charitable among the unhappy fans, especially the religious minded, have quickly modified their position, inventing a moral lesson about the Super Eagles defeat. Comparing them with the Tunisians who started poorly but have advanced to the knockout stages, these fans have reminded us that starting well is not as important as finishing well and strong – a lesson they conveniently forgot when the Super Eagles won all first three group stage matches.

There’s a version of the explanation for the Super Eagles’ defeat that I find irresistible: it’s the political economy of soccer which activist lawyer, Chidi Odinkalu, extracted from a book and shared like an olive branch to soothe combatants and broken-hearted soccer fans alike.

The book, by Franklin Foer, is entitled, “How soccer explains the world: An unlikely theory of globalisation.”

In its afterword, the book says, “If a nation heavily exports oil – Nigeria, Russia, Mexico, Norway, the Gulf States, Iran – it is doomed to underachieve. When an economy can generate wealth so easily, even if that wealth only flows to a small oligarchy, a country can get lazy, thinking that riches will forever flow naturally to it.

“Political scientists call this the ‘paradox of plenty.’ And on the pitch these countries lack a winning temperament and an innovative mind-set. No oil-rich state has made it to the semifinals.”

You can quarrel with Foer all day, but the 92-year-old history of the World Cup is on his side as is the history, to a large extent, of the African Nations Cup. The top two record winners are Egypt (seven times) and Cameroon (five times).

Ghana is next with four wins – and then, oil happened. In fact, as if in a homage to Foer about oil’s debilitating effect on the brain, out of the 14 previous AFCON winners only two – Nigeria and Algeria – are major oil exporting countries.

While the superstitious are blaming Buhari’s call for the Super Eagles defeat and the religious minded are improvising moral lessons from it and a large tribe of fans are simply angry at a missed opportunity to escape their current economic misery, this might just be a good time to begin to ask for and do what needs to be done if we want a different outcome in future.

The Cameroun outing was a defeat foretold, but Nigeria does not have to be an eternal hostage to the paradox of plenty.  And Brazil, a major producer, resource-rich and record five times winner of the World Cup (though not a heavy oil exporter), has demonstrated it is possible to beat the paradox of plenty.

A good place to start remaking the story would be to revamp the domestic league. Nations that do well in soccer – and indeed in other competitive sports – tend to have a fairly well organised and managed domestic league, which attracts talents from home and abroad. In its current form, Nigeria’s domestic league is a confluence of government’s inefficiency and a playground for desperate, raw talents.

Seventeen out of the 20 clubs in Nigeria’s Premier League, for example, are owned by state governments. This is a reversal of the trend in the heyday of soccer when leading clubs such as Stationery Stores, Bendel Insurance, IICC Shooting Stars, Abiola Babes, Ranchers Bees, BCC Lions, Mighty Jets, were private concerns, with Rangers International of Enugu being the notable exception.

Over the years, the corrupt hands of government and politics have infiltrated the game, creating a cesspool of patronage and corruption. It’s time to free the space.

The national team has benefited from the infusion of talents playing in foreign leagues, especially in Europe, staving off what could have been a more rapid decline of the game. But without a largely privately managed and truly professional domestic league, the pipeline for talent supply would continue to shrivel and the growth of the game stunted.

Soccer is a tribal game, but even tribes bend to market rules. As things are today, local conditions are not only hostile to these rules, entrenched state interests abhor them.

Unless something is done immediately, Cameroun won’t be the last heartbreak story.

Ishiekwene is Editor-In-Chief LEADERSHIP

FG Sources For N3trn For Petrol Subsidy

By
Bayo Bernard
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0
Zainab Shamsuna Ahmed,minister of finance

By Fola James

A whopping N3 trillion would be required for petrol subsidy in 2022, the federal government has said. Zainab Ahmed, the minister of Finance, Budget and National Planning disclosed this on Wednesday while speaking to State House Correspondents after the weekly Federal Executive Council, FEC meeting held at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

She spoke barely 48 hours after the Buhari administration said it has rescinded its earlier decision to end the fuel subsidy regime. With the new development, it’s estimated that N270 billion will be spent monthly on petrol subsidy for the next 18 months after which the government will now decide on the final decision to take on the issue.

The minister said the government’s decision to put the removal on hold is based on prevailing situation.

For instance, the Nigerian Labour Congress, NLC had warned that its members will embark on strike if the federal government went ahead to remove petrol subsidy.

The magazine also learnt that the failures by government officials to reach a decision on the removal forced the administration to change its mind after it earlier said the regime will end by July this year.

While President Buhari is said to have disagreed with his cabinet to remove subsidy, the National Assembly is said not to be in support of removing subsidy.

Recall that Senate President Ahmed Lawal said last week after meeting President Buhari in Aso Rock Villa, Abuja that subsidy removal will make life unbearable for many Nigerians.

But speaking on Wednesday, Ahmed said the federal government has decided to allow for enough time to be able to reach a final decision on the matter with other stakeholders.

Ahmed said, “having taken into account the current realities, increased hardship on the population, heightened inflation, and that the measures that needed to be taken to enable a smoother exit from the fuel subsidy are not yet in place, it was agreed by Council that it is undesirable to exit fuel subsidy now.

“The NNPC has presented to the ministry a request for N3 trillion as fuel subsidy for 2022.

“What this means is that we have to make an incremental provision of N2.557 trillion to be able to meet the subsidy requirement, which is averaging about N270 billion per month.

“In 2021, the actual under-recovery that has been charged to the Federation was N1.2 trillion, which means an average of N100 billion.”

She explained that the implication for not removing subsidy is that the government will require N3 trillion to continue to subsidize petrol for Nigerians this year alone.

According to her, “in 2022, because of the increased crude oil price per barrel in the global market, now at $80 per barrel, and also because NNPC assesses that the country is consuming 65.7 million litres per day, now we’ll end up with the incremental cost of N3 trillion in 2022.”

“So, this has been considered by Council and we’ve also been asked to approach the National Assembly for an amendment to the fiscal framework as well as the Budget, to also further discuss with NNPC on how to make provisions for this and also how to rationalise this expenditure.”

She said the huge task before government now is how to reduce the N3 trillion subsidy.

Zainab said, “how do we fund it? We’ll have to reduce it from that N3 trillion. Secondly, we have several reconciliations with NNPC and NNPC itself is owing (the government) in some cases. We want to be able to settle some of the subsidy costs through this reconciliation process.

“When we’re done with that, whatever is left that we’re not able to apply to what an NNPC is owing the Federation will not be increasing the deficit, That means increased domestic borrowing. But we haven’t finished the reconciliation,” the minister said.

Olujimi: Hope Dims For Female Governor As Kolawole Clinches Ekiti PDP Ticket

By
The Source
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0
Senator Biodun Olujimi

By Gideon Njoku

The hope that there could be a first Nigerian elected female State Governor between 2022 and 2023 finally dimmed on Wednesday, January 26 2022.

Senator Biodun Olujimi, who many thought could pick the ticket and, perhaps, go ahead to win the upcoming Governorship election in Ekiti State lost it.

Aspiring under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Olujimi gave up even before the voting at the Primary Election began.

In the morning of the Primary to choose a candidate who will fly PDP’s flag, Olujimi threw in the towel. She cited an alleged corrupted Delegates’ list, and threw in the towel.

Not a few people were disappointed when she did. A former Deputy Governor of the State under the first coming of former Governor Ayo Fayose as a Governor, Olujimi is a grassroots politician. He is a good mixer, and a great mobiliser.

She had the opportunity of becoming a Governor on a platter of Gold when Fayose was impeached from office under President Olusegun Obasanjo’s Presidency. But according to the story, she refused to betray her then boss. She let that opportunity slide.

However, Fayose has not reciprocated that sacrifice. He has not quite backed her. Against all odds, it is said, Olujimi became a Senator during Fayose’s second coming as Governor. Yet, not a few people said it was with support from Fayose, a claim some other people dispute.  But, perhaps, it’s true. In Nigeria, not many people become Senators without the support of their Governors, particularly, when they are of the same political party. But soon, her relationship with Fayose went awry.

In 2019, again, Olujimi prevailed against all odds. He snatched victory from the lion’s mouth, thanks to the Court who saw merit in her claim that she, and not Senator Adeyeye, won the Senatorial election in her Zone.

In 2022/2023, Olujimi upped the ante. Even though protocol-wise, Senators come first before Governors, she set her eyes on becoming the Governor of the State. She wanted executive powers. Olujimi has the poise and the confidence to get it. More important, she is popular.

But in politics, one plus one hardly add up to two. At times, it is minus two, or even four.

Olujimi did her homework. But she never had the support of Fayose, the man who seem to want to be in charge all the time. He is in control of Ekiti State’s political structure. Fayose backed another aspirant, Bisi Kolawole. Not Olujimi.  Not  even, as many had expected him to do, the former Governor of the State, Segun Oni, who was defeated after a one term in office. Fayose backed Bisi Kolawole.

Signs that things had gone awry for Olujimi, inspite of the confidence she was exuding, began after the earlier Primary which was won by Kolawole. Olujimi led the other aspirants to protest vehemently to the National Leadership of the party. They said the list of delegates was hijacked and corrupted. They accused the Governor of the Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, who was the Chairman of the Primary Election Committee, of colluding with Fayose to rubbish the Primary. They asked for a cancelation.

A couple of days ago, the PDP Leadership listened to them, canceled that Primary, and rescheduled it for Wednesday, January 26.

There was no difference in the result.

Just before the voting began, Olujimi pulled out. She insisted the delegates’ list was still corrupted.  Then, she flaunted her gender, and the disadvantages that go with it. She said even her delegates were denied her.

Finally, when voting ended, after a physical fight, and results released, she was insulted by the announcement that she scored only two votes. Even though she had pulled out earlier, her name was still left on the ballot.

Olujimi’s failure to clinch victory is a minus for women in politics. The time for any woman to be elected  Governor still seem far.

With the result, Kolawole, Fayose’s choice, who polled a total of 671 votes will fly PDP’s flag.  Former Governor Oni came a distant second with a total of 330 votes.

It is not known what the reaction of the defeated aspirants will be.  Oni, for example, will be very disappointed.

He was a Governor on the ticket of the PDP. When he failed for a second term, and felt he had become irrelevant in the party, he defected to the All Progressives Congress, APC. He  later dumped the APC and went back to his vomit – the PDP – when his desires in the APC were not met.

He felt he could pick the PDP ticket, a reason many adduced for his re-defection to the PDP. For sometime, it seemed it would work. He was in same camp with Fayose, and the talk in town was that Fayose was backing him. But they soon fell apart.

Now, any hope of his completing a second term is dashed, just as the hope of Olujimi becoming the first female elected Governor has been dashed.

For the PDP, the problem will be how to reconcile all the aspirants for the task ahead. For now, all the aspirants, but Kolawole, holds Fayose responsible for their fate.

Update: Police Arrest Wife Of Hotelier Who Murdered Him Over Another Woman

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0
Alaba Bakare and his wife

By Akinwale Kasali

Alaba Bakare, Proprietor of the popular Bama Hotel and Suites in Abule Egba, Lagos State,  never had the premonition of his own death.

He never knew death was lurking around him and that its agent was right beside him, his better half.

Bakare was murdered by his wife, Motunrayo,  for allegedly impregnating another woman.

Prior to carrying the wicked and dastardly act, Bakare, his wife and their three children had gone to Dubai  and had just returned. They had gone for a holiday.

Motunrayo had, allegedly, got information that her husband had impregnated another lady, an information she got shortly after their holiday in Dubai.

Pushed by devilish hatred and jealousy, he decided to teach her husband a lesson.

And she went about it in a most ghoulish manner. Very horrifyingly meticulous.

First, she reportedly drugged her husband on  Monday night. Then she did the unprecedented. She had an iron heat-up. And then, placed the hot iron on parts of his body until he died.

Confirming her arrest, Lagos State Police Public Relations Officer, CSP Ade Ajisebutu, said: “The body has been deposited at the Yaba Mainland Hospital’s morgue for autopsy.

“The deceased’s wife and three others have been arrested in connection with the suspected murder case.”

Ajisebutu added that the Commissioner of Police, CP Abiodun Alabi, instructed that the case be transferred immediately to the State Criminal Investigation Department, Yaba, for diligent investigation.

Motunrayo, however, has a different story on the murder of her husband. She said she had an argument with him because he refused to sack a worker.

She added that during a fight that ensued, she used a hot iron to burn Alaba’s chest.

“After the attack on Sunday, she said, her husband and her junior brother left the house to relax at a bar before returning home later in the day. When he returned, she said they gisted and went to sleep

“She said she advised her husband to apply something on his chest, but he said she should not worry because it was a small thing and it would heal.

“She later said that they were having fun the following day when her husband suddenly started gasping for breath. They wore clothes and rushed him to a hospital where he died on that same day. She never said she drugged her husband.

But another source said:

“We also heard the story of her husband impregnating someone and it led to a quarrel between them. But investigation is still ongoing,” the source added.

According to CSP Ajisebutu: “His body has been deposited at the Yaba Mainland Hospital’s morgue for an autopsy.

The deceased’s wife and three others have been arrested in connection with the suspected murder case.”

The deceased and his wife were married for Eight years.

No More Endorsements of Candidates, ACF; To Meet Southern Counterparts

By
Uche Mbah
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0

By Uche Mbah

The Arewa Consultative Forum, (ACF),  has said its members should not endorse any political aspirant or candidate ahead of the 2023 presidential election.

In a communique it issued at end of the Forum’s National Executive Council meeting in Kaduna State, signed by its  National Chairman  a former Minister of Agriculture, Audu Ogbeh,  the forum said it  is not a political party that endorses candidates.

According to it, the forum is only interested in what programs the candidates have for the North.

“We should desist from endorsing any candidate for the 2023 presidency. If anybody asks you about the endorsement, tell such person that we are not a political party”, the communique read in part.

“Even for 2023, we do not know yet who the candidate is. We are not a political party. We do not participate in political activities except where it becomes necessary.

“May God help us with a good candidate. It is only the Almighty God that can solve our problems,” he added.

But the ACF plans to meet with their Southern counterparts- South-South people’s congress, Afenifere, and Ohanaeze Ndigbo with a view to dousing political tension in the country.

“We have always complained of late of the security situation in the north. We are still worried about this. The security conditions in the north are far from satisfactory. We urge the Federal and state government to embark on measures that will improve the situation”.

We Have Not Zoned Any Office To Anywhere, Says Buni

By
Uche Mbah
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0

By Uche Mbah

The All Progressives Congress, (APC), has denied zoning its Presidential ticket and other Principal Offices, including the National Working Committee (NWC), to any region or zones, National Chairman of the party’s caretaker committee,Mai Mala Buni, has said.

A list, circulated late Tuesday, said to be from the Chairman, listed the zoning of Principal Officers of the party.

The list was of the effect that the APC has finally zoned its Presidential ticket to the South.

But in a statement Wednesday, an aide to Buni, Mamman Mohammed, said the list was not authorised by his Principal. He, dismissed it as fake.

“His Excellency has, in clear and unambiguous terms, denied the said list, saying it is false, baseless, unfounded, misleading and has nothing to do with him,” he said.

“The Chairman of the Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Committee, said the party has not taken any decision at any fora on anything relating to zoning of offices.

“The publication is just a figment of the author’s imagination that has nothing to do with the Chairman and the party”, Mohamed concluded.

Afro-Pop Sensation, Deeroy Drops ‘LAVIDALOCAL’

By
Akinwale Kasali
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0
Deeroy

By Akinwale Kasali

Rave of the moment and Afro Pop artiste, Deeroy, has given his teeming fans something to savour and cheer about with his new melodious single and video, ‘LAVIDALOCAL’, that has hit the airwaves.

Having released his debut single, ‘JAYE’, where he featured Juniorboy in 2019, there was need to up the ante, birthing the release of his sophomore, ‘LAVIDALOCAL’.

Deeroy’s Afro Pop tunes genre of music has distinguished him among his peers and contemporaries in the industry with his sereneous lyrics that stands him out.

Born Aroyewun Fawaz Oluwaseun on 20th of January 1998, the Abeokuta, Ogun State  artiste is a graduate from Crescent University where he  studied Economics and Operation Research.

He has been able to juxtapose his education with his musical career, in turn making himself a shinning star in the industry.

From obscurity, Deeroy came into prominence with his style and lyrical composition that has made him the rave of the moment.

Deeroy usually gets inspiration for his songs with things happening around him and nature. His philosophy about life is always Keeping it simple and Real.

His aspiration is to be at the Top of his game and go international in his musical career, carving a niche for himself and also making a name locally and internationally.

Deeroy has not rule out the possibility of collaborating with A-List artiste in Nigeria and internationally as he is working on it and would grab the opportunity with both hands when the situation arises.

He has promised his fans to continue to expect the best from him as he is not resting on his oars in dishing out sumptuous Afro Pop songs to his teeming fans

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