Politics

2023: ACF Chieftain Blasts Adebanjo, Clark, Others Over Zoning

Published

4 years ago

May 23, 2022

Immediate past Secretary-General of the Arewa Consultative Forum, ACF, Mr. Anthony Sani, Monday, counselled advocates of zoning to stop overheating the polity ahead of the 2023 general elections, noting that elective positions, particularly the office of the President can only be negotiated through lobby of the various ethnic nationalities that make up the country.

This is even as the elder statesman urged pro zoning individuals and groups to realize that political parties are at liberty to adopt any position they believe will win them votes, given that the primary motive for the establishment of political parties, particularly in third world countries like Nigeria, is to gain political power.

Vanguard reports that recently, eminent Nigerians including leader of Ijaw nation, Chief Edwin Clark and foremost Afenifere chieftain, Ayo Adebanjo warned of the dangerous consequences of jettisoning zoning of the Presidential ticket by the All Progressives Congress, APC and the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, PDP in the 2023 polls.

Responding to the communiqué signed by the Southern and Middle Belt Forum calling for the zoning of the exalted office to the South; Sani advised the elder statesmen to be guided by history in their public utterances.

He said: “When the socio-cultural groups in the Southern and the Middle Belt Forum repeatedly assert in their recent communiqué that any jettisoning of politics of identity symbolized by rotation of the Presidency between the North and the South-which they alleged is a tradition- would spell doom for the unity, harmony and stability of the country and feign ignorance of fact of history that in 2003, General Muhammadu Buhari from the North contested with President Olusegun Obasanjo from the South, and in 2011 and 2015, President Goodluck Jonathan from the South contested with Buhari from the North; one begins to wonder because if rotation of the Presidency between the North and the South is a tradition as alleged, situations where a Northerner would contest against a Southerner would not arise.

“When such groups who profess to be jaunty face of democratic values begin to rewrite history in furtherance of their preferences, it means such groups can redefine democracy premised on triple foundation of justice, liberty and common decency in furtherance of their preferences.

“I say this because if such groups regard themselves as embodiment of national ideals and moral values shared by most Nigerians, they are at liberty to cause their preferences of politics of identity to become national consensus which are binding on the political parties rather than rewriting history.

“In the absence of such national consensus, they should design their winning game plans and use it to canvass for the needed electoral mandate. After all, the constitution does not make it possible for any region’s vote alone to produce the President.

“This is because the President must not only get majority vote but meets the requirement of spread by getting at least 25 per cent of the votes in each of at least 25 states. The North has only 19 states and the South only 17 states, which means the two regions must necessarily come together to produce the President.”

The PDP has since thrown its Presidential ticket open in total negligence of calls to have it zoned to the South. Although, it appears the APC may go south; the Abdullahi Adamu-led National Working Committee of the party is yet to take a firm stand on the issue.

VANGUARD.

Related Topics:ACF Adebanjo Clark Zoning

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Politics

Tinubu Sends Ex-INEC Chair, Former Oyo First Lady, 30 Additional Ambassadorial Nominees To Senate

Published

2 days ago

November 29, 2025

Editor

President Bola Tinubu has forwarded 32 additional ambassadorial nominees to the Senate for confirmation, just days after submitting an initial batch of three names.

In two separate letters to Senate President Godswill Akpabio, the President urged the upper chamber to consider and swiftly confirm 15 career diplomats and 17 non-career nominees.

The list includes four women among the career nominees and six women among the non-career nominees.

Prominent names on the non-career list include Barrister Ogbonnaya Kalu from Abia State; former presidential aide, Reno Omokri (Delta); former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmud Yakubu; former Ekiti First Lady, Erelu Angela Adebayo; and former Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi.

Others are former Speaker of the Katsina State House of Assembly, Tasiu Musa Maigari; former Plateau State Commissioner, Yakubu N. Gambo; and former Deputy Executive Secretary of UBEC, Yakubu K. Musa.

Also nominated are former Plateau senator, Prof. Nora Ladi Daduut; former Lagos Deputy Governor, Otunba Femi Pedro; former Aviation Minister, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode; and Barrister Nkechi Linda Ufochukwu from Anambra State.

Additional nominees include former Oyo First Lady, Fatima Florence Ajimobi; former Lagos Commissioner, Lola Akande; former Adamawa senator, Grace Bent; former Abia governor, Victor Okezie Ikpeazu; Senator Jimoh Ibrahim of Ondo State; and former envoy to the Holy See, Ambassador Paul Oga Adikwu (Benue).

The career ambassadorial nominees are Enebechi Monica Okwuchukwu (Abia), Yakubu Nyaku Danladi (Taraba), Miamuna Ibrahim Besto (Adamawa), Musa Musa Abubakar (Kebbi), Syndoph Paebi Endoni (Bayelsa), Chima Geoffrey Lioma David (Ebonyi), and Mopelola Adeola-Ibrahim (Ogun).

Others include Abimbola Samuel Reuben (Ondo), Yvonne Ehinosen Odumah (Edo), Hamza Mohammed Salau (Niger), Ambassador Shehu Barde (Katsina), Ambassador Ahmed Mohammed Monguno (Borno), Ambassador Muhammad Saidu Dahiru (Kaduna), Ambassador Olatunji Ahmed Sulu Gambari (Kwara), and Ambassador Wahab Adekola Akande (Osun).

The new nominees are expected to be deployed to countries with which Nigeria maintains strong and strategic diplomatic relations, including China, India, South Korea, Canada, Mexico, the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, South Africa, and Kenya, as well as to Permanent Missions such as the United Nations, UNESCO, and the African Union.

Their specific postings will be determined after Senate confirmation.

Recall that President Tinubu, last week, forwarded three ambassadorial nominees, Ambassador Ayodele Oke (Oyo), Ambassador Amin Mohammed Dalhatu (Jigawa), and retired Colonel Lateef Kayode Are (Ogun), who are being considered for postings to the UK, USA, or France.

President Tinubu said additional ambassadorial nominations will be announced in due course.

Politics

Soludo Visits Tinubu, Goes Into Closed Door Session With President

Published

3 days ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

Anambra State Governor, Prof Chukwuma Charles Soludo, on Thursday, paid a courtesy visit to the President, Bola Tinubu, GCFR at the State House.

Report by the Chief Press Secretary to Governor Soludo, Mr Chris Aburime stated that President Tinubu received the Anambra State Governor with excitement, describing him as his long standing friend of over 22 years.

Aburime said, “The President used the occasion to further congratulate Governor Soludo on his landslide victory in the just concluded Anambra gubernatorial election.

“Recall that President Tinubu had earlier issued a congratulatory message to Governor Soludo immediately the governorship election was concluded.”

Governor Soludo was declared winner with 73% of the votes cast by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.
Other details of the meeting were, however, not disclosed as the press Secretary told DAILY POST that both men went into a closed door meeting after the reception.

Politics

2027: I Will Resign If Tinubu Loses In Edo – Governor Okpebholo

Published

3 days ago

November 28, 2025

Editor

Edo State Governor Monday Okpebholor has vowed that President Bola Tinubu will win the 2027 presidential election in Edo State.

Okpebholor in an interview captured in a viral video vowed to resign if the outcome of the 2027 election does not favour the president in Edo State.

According to him, the entire people in Edo State are ready to vote for the president, citing projects that his (Okpebholor) administration executed since the All Progressives Congress, APC took over the state.

He claimed that there is no opposition in the state, stressing that everyone is supporting the ruling party ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said, “There is no opposition here in Edo everybody is for Asiwaju in this state.

“Tinubu is more popular than me in Edo state. If he doesn’t win the presidential election in Edo in 2027, I will resign.”