Connect with us

Politics

2023: APC Northern Christian Leaders Begin Search For Alternative Candidate

Published

on

The All Progressives Congress, APC, Northern Christian leaders have set up a committee with a mandate to provide political direction ahead of the 2023 general election.

A communique issued after the APC Northern Christian leaders’ summit, on Saturday, in Abuja and jointly signed by Doknan Sheni (Plateau) North Central, Ishaya Bauka (Taraba) North East and Saidu Ibrahim (Jigawa) North West, made the declaration.

Advertisement

According to the communique, the committee would arrive at the best platform towards collectively building a united multi-religious, multi-ethnic society.

The leaders explained that after careful considerations and deliberations, the summit resolved that the adoption of a Muslim–Muslim ticket by their party was divisive, unjust and insensitive to the overall interest of Nigerians.

According to the communique, “We resolved that we will set up a committee within us with a mandate to go round Nigeria and consult with both Christians and Muslim stakeholders, including other stakeholders.”

Advertisement

The faith-based religion leaders said that they also resolved to summon an interfaith summit in no distant future after consultations were concluded across religious divides towards finding a better solution on the best way Nigerians especially from the northern states which political party to support.

READ ALSO: Don’t Vote Muslim-Muslim Ticket, Northern APC Christians Tell Nigerians 

The communiqué believed that after the consultations, the Muslim and Christian leaders will announce the best Pan Nigerian platform that will better serve the collective interest of the people beyond 2023.

Advertisement

It stated that all delegates would return to their communities and disseminate the resolutions and await the convocation of the next summit where a final decision would be taken on the ticket that they will collectively vote for in 2023.

Advertisement

Politics

Ex-Tinubu Campaign Coordinator Resigns From APC

Published

on

The former Tinubu/Shettima 2023 Presidential Campaign Coordinator in Zamfara State, Senator Kabiru Marafa has confirmed his resignation from the All Progressives Congress.

Marafa, who confirmed his registration to Channels Television via text message on Sunday, left the ruling party after a meeting with his political structure last Wednesday and Thursday.

Advertisement

In a communiqué issued at the end of the meeting, the leaders of the group unanimously resolved to dump the APC over what they described as injustice, neglect, and worsening insecurity in Zamfara State.

READ ALSO:Tinubu Signs Direct Flight, Other Agreements With Brazil

They expressed grave concern over the deteriorating security situation, citing recent statistics that placed Zamfara as the state with the highest number of kidnapping cases in the country.

Advertisement

The group also accused the Federal Government of politicising insecurity during the recent Kaura Namoda bye-election, alleging that security forces were deployed to secure the APC’s electoral victory rather than protect lives.

The entire structure with all its supporters hereby formally resigns from the All Progressives Congress in protest against the sustained injustice, mistrust, marginalisation, and deliberate neglect of Zamfara State and its people. We shall, in due course, announce our next political direction, guided by the collective interest of the good people of Zamfara State,” the communiqué, issued on Friday, partly read.

READ ALSO:Tinubu Subsidises Kidney Dialysis Cost By 76% In Federal Hospitals

Advertisement

On political appointments, Marafa’s loyalists faulted what they termed the deliberate marginalisation of Zamfara, despite the state’s contribution to the APC’s 2023 presidential victory.

They noted that while other states in the North-West secured multiple ministerial slots, Zamfara got only one, and communities devastated by banditry attacks have received little or no federal intervention.

The statement, signed by Comrade Bashir Muhammad Mafara (Chairman) and Dr. Mannir Bature Tsafe (Secretary), added that the group will soon announce its next political direction in line with the aspirations of the Zamfara people.

Advertisement

Continue Reading

Politics

Wike Gives Update On Rivers Emergency Rule Expires Date

Published

on

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, on Saturday said he was optimistic that the state of emergency declared in Rivers State would expire on September 18.

He disclosed this after casting his vote in the ongoing local government election in the state.

Advertisement

Wike noted that the expiration would pave the way for the state House of Assembly to resume its legislative duties.

READ ALSO:He’s Always Leaving, Wike’s Aide Mocks Atiku Over PDP Exit

As far as we are concerned, this election is peaceful, people are trooping out and at the end of the day the election has been conducted successfully and peacefully.

Advertisement

“I do know that by September 18, the state of emergency will expire and the state assembly will come back to their job and we will have a government at the grassroots level,” Wike said.

The minister said the conditions were right for lifting the state of emergency since both state and local governments now had representation.

READ ALSO:Amaechi: I Will Resign As FCT Minister If… Wike

Advertisement

He added, “The coast is clear for the state of emergency to be lifted, being that the state government has its representative and the local government has its representatives, so we are good to go.”

President Bola Tinubu had earlier imposed emergency rule in Rivers to prevent a political crisis, suspending Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, and the State House of Assembly for six months.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Politics

APC Mocks Jonathan As ADC Woos Him For 2027 Race

Published

on

There were reports on Friday that a powerful group within the African Democratic Congress (ADC) is wooing ex-President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2027 presidential race.

A source close to both the former president and the ADC told Saturday Tribune on Friday that the former president is seriously considering running in the coming presidential polls.

Advertisement

The source confirmed that key figures in the ADC were comfortable with having Jonathan as their presidential candidate and had, in fact, reached out to him.

He, however, said the former president was torn between his loyalty to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) “which made him” and the ADC which, he said, had the potential of winning the election if it gets the right candidate.

“Former President Goodluck Jonathan is worried that certain persons with strong links to the Villa may still be in control of the PDP and may mess him up if he seeks the ticket of that party,” the source said.

Advertisement

READ ALSO:ADC: Why INEC Has Not Recognised David Mark, Others

He added that Jonathan’s only issue with the ADC is that “he does not want to contest against Peter Obi because he believes that the Igbo people supported him in 2015 even more than his own Ijaw people.”

While saying emphatically that Jonathan would run except he could not find a platform, the source added that “if he chooses our party (ADC), we will zone the presidency to the South. If he does not come to us, we will have no option than to go to the North because politics is about numbers and winning.”

Advertisement

Jonathan can’t defeat Tinubu —APC

Meanwhile, the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that former President Goodluck Jonathan cannot defeat its candidate, Bola Tinubu, in the presidential election coming up in 2027.

The Lagos State chapter of the party said on Friday that it had observed with keen interest the growing speculations surrounding the possible return of former President Jonathan to the 2027 presidential race, and therefore made the submission.

Advertisement

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Jonathan, who lost his re-election bid in 2015 to the late President Muhammadu Buhari, is being persuaded by supporters to seek reelection in 2027 general elections.

READ ALSO:ADC Slams Tinubu Over Mounting Debts, Demands Audit

NAN reported APC’s spokesman in Lagos State, Mr Seye Oladejo, in a statement on Friday as noting that the former president’s political relevance to unseat President Bola Tinubu, remained in doubt.

Advertisement

While we acknowledge the former president’s role in the peaceful democratic transition of 2015, an act that rightly earned him praise at home and abroad, we must state, in clear terms, that Nigeria has since moved beyond the politics of sentiment, nostalgia, and symbolism.

“The challenges of today and the future require bold, capable, and forward-thinking leadership, not a return to the comfort of a past that was far from perfect.

“Let it be clear: good luck alone is not a governance strategy,” he said.

Advertisement

Oladejo alleged that the Jonathan administration, from 2010 to 2015, left behind a country grappling with severe structural weaknesses, from unchecked corruption to alarming insecurity and economic inertia.

READ ALSO:Oyegun Blames APC For Hunger Starvation, Oyegun Gets ADC Party’s Card

While some may look back on those years with rose-tinted glasses, we must remind ourselves that nostalgia is not a policy platform.

Advertisement

“Emotion cannot drive economic reform, and sentimentality will not fix power generation, insecurity, youth unemployment, or education sector decay,” the APC chieftain said.

Oladejo said that the party also noted the constitutional and political complications of a potential Jonathan candidacy.

According to him, having completed more than one term in office, any return bid will inevitably trigger legal contention and political instability — distractions Nigeria cannot afford in a time when decisive action is needed across all sectors of national life.

Advertisement

Moreover, the former president’s political relevance has been complicated by his recent engagements across party lines.

READ ALSO:97 Lawyers Line Up To Defend ADC, Mark, Aregbesola Against APC’s ‘Fake Lawsuit’

His flirtation with the APC and absence from PDP’s strategic rebuilding efforts raise questions about his loyalty, clarity of vision, and political intentions,” he said.

Advertisement

According to him, the APC remains focused on consolidating progress, implementing reforms, and engaging the Nigerian electorate with fresh ideas and credible candidates who reflect the aspirations of a dynamic, youthful population.

We believe the future of Nigeria does not lie in recycled leadership but in visionary governance rooted in integrity, innovation, and resilience.

“Former President Jonathan remains a respected elder statesman. His legacy as a peaceful democrat is assured. But legacies are not manifestoes, and nostalgia is not governance.

Advertisement

“We urge Nigerians to reject emotional shortcuts and stay focused on the need for capable, accountable and transformative leadership.

“As 2027 approaches, let us not reach backwards in desperation, but move forward with courage and clarity,” Oladejo said.

Advertisement
Continue Reading

Trending