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2023: What Nigerians Should Consider Before Voting – MSSN

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The female wing of the Muslim Students’ Society of Nigeria, Lagos State Area Unit, has listed criteria that women and Nigerians should consider before voting for any candidate in the 2023 general election.

They said this during the 2022 Sisters’ Engligtenment Programme organised by MSSNLagos’ Sisters Circle held in Lagos and themed, ‘Blooming Mettle’, according to a statement on Wednesday by the association’s Public Relations Officer, Mu’Sodiq Adekunle.

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During the programme, female Muslims were encouraged to explore opportunities in tech and be role models in society.

According to them, records of the candidate, ability to uphold the constitution and obedience to court orders, character and leadership ability, and ability to transform Nigeria among others would be major criteria for them to vote for a candidate.

The Naibatul Amirah (Deputy female head) of MSSNLagos, Azeezah Gidigbi, urged Muslim women to participate actively in the forthcoming election.

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Gidigbih, who delivered the welcome address on behalf of MSSNLagos Amirah, Basheeroh Majekodunmi, said, “I want to use this medium to initiate talks on our role in the forthcoming general elections. Not all persons can participate actively in politics but we to elect leaders who will make informed decisions to better the lives of youths, create enabling environment for businesses to thrive, and also important is to assure the security of rights of Muslim students in secondary schools and at all levels.

“We need a government that will ensure we are safe to use the hijab in schools, workplaces and society without fear of molestation or harassment. It is important to sensitise our parents, and guardians on the need to elect credible leaders and as youths, ensure we participate in the electioneering process.”

Speaking on the sideline of the event, the Executive Director of Hijab Rights Advocacy Initiative, Mutiat Orolu-Balogun, stated that anyone to be voted must be ready to uphold the constitution and the right to wear hijab.

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“These will be some of the major criteria for Muslim women going to vote. The role of Muslim women starts with education at home. Ensure that everyone that can vote where you live and beyond has a voter card.

READ ALSO: 2023: INEC Makes New Revelations About BVAS

“Women should also encourage other women to vote. Women should be at the table when decisions are made. This will enable us to play our roles as mothers and bring things affecting us directly forward.

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“We should inform the politicians of the problems facing the gender and hold politicians accountable for their promises,” she added.

On her part, a former Amirah (female head) of MSSNLagos, Hafsah Badru, emphasised that respecting the right to wear hijab by any candidate is not a favour.

“We will only be considering a candidate that will respect the law and court ruling, including declaring support and issuing an official circular on the use of hijab. This is not a personal issue but something backed by the Constitution. After this, we will begin to look at the track records, integrity, and plans of the candidates,” she said.
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Politics

APC Now Mourns Buhari After Blaming Him For Failures—ADC

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African Democratic Congress, ADC, has accused APC and the federal government of hypocrisy over their sudden display of grief, following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

The ADC said the ruling party, which had spent the last two years blaming Buhari for Nigeria’s challenges, was now seeking to portray itself as the chief mourner.

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In a statement signed by Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, the ADC’s Interim National Publicity Secretary and spokesperson for the opposition coalition, the party reaffirmed its declaration of a three-day mourning period across all its chapters and structures, beginning today.

READ ALSO:Why I Support ADC’s Coalition But Remain In PDP — Lamido

’During this period, the ADC will suspend all political activities and public statements in honour of Buhari’s contributions to the country.

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“Regardless of political affiliations, what cannot be denied is that President Buhari served this country with a fierce sense of duty, personal discipline, and conviction,” the statement read.

The party also highlighted Buhari’s popularity among ordinary Nigerians, especially the poor, who, it said, ‘stuck with him throughout his political sojourn and thereafter.’

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

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However, the ADC expressed disappointment over what it called APC’s sudden shift in tone, saying “we note with regrets that his own political party and the government, which had done everything in the last two years to tarnish his records, dismantle his legacies, and blame him for every one of their failings, are now posturing as the chief mourners at his burial.’’

The party described this behaviour as ‘sheer hypocrisy’ and a ‘brazen move to harvest political gains from a national tragedy.’

It further urged Buhari’s family and loyalists to be cautious of what it called political opportunism during this mourning period, and encouraged Nigerians to reflect on Buhari’s enduring qualities.

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Let his memory be a mirror that reflects the personal ethics we must continue to demand from leadership for generations to come,” Abdullahi added.
(VANGUARD)

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Why I Support ADC’s Coalition But Remain In PDP — Lamido

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Former Jigawa State governor, Alhaji Sule Lamido, has said while his support for the Senator David Mark-led adopted party, African Democratic Congress, ADC, remained, his loyalty to Peoples Democratic Party PDP, was unquestionable.

This came on a day African Democratic Congress, ADC, accused the All Progressives Congress, APC, and the federal government of hypocrisy over their sudden display of grief, following the death of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

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Lamido spoke to a crowd of his loyalists at an empowerment event organised by Senator Mustapha Khabeeb (PDP, Jigawa South West), in Dutse, the Jigawa State capital, over the weekend.

The former governor, who is one of the founding fathers of the PDP, said the coalition of opposition parties was put together to salvage Nigerians from the misrule of the ruling All Progressives Congress in order to rebuild Nigeria.

READ ALSO: ADC Unveiled In Benue, Woo Gov Alia

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Lamido said: “Yes, I support the coming together of the opposition under the ADC, but let it be known I will never leave the PDP. I built this house with my sweat and soul. My role now is to offer guidance and ensure Nigeria finds her way back.”

He blasted the APC-led administration at both the state and federal levels for failing the people in every sphere of governance.

The three PDP federal lawmakers from Jigawa are serving the people. APC lawmakers? They’re serving only themselves. Let the people judge.” He declared.

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In a symbolic gesture to signal unity among opposition parties in the state, Lamido introduced Kabiru Hussaini, the state ADC chairman to the PDP crowd.

Senator Mustapha Khabeeb, the host of the event, echoed Lamido’s sentiments, reminding the audience of the PDP’s legacy of progress, especially during Lamido’s time as governor.

He said: “From 1999 to 2015, and especially under Sule Lamido, Jigawa knew what development looked like—roads, schools, hospitals, real change. What do we have now? APC has brought nothing but hunger and hopelessness.”

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Khabeeb equally showcased his efforts to continue the PDP legacy through massive empowerment drives.

According to him, this year alone, over 3,000 people were lifted by distribution of equipment, including 600 irrigation machines,100 solar-powered irrigation units,100 paddy rice threshers, sewing and grinding machines and 750 sprayers and 3,000 litres of herbicide

We’re not waiting for miracles, we’re working. Just like we did last year, and in 2023, we’re lifting our people out of poverty one tool, one machine at a time.

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“Compare for yourself—under PDP and Lamido, there was progress. Under APC? Na talauci kawai suka kawo (they only brought poverty),’’ the lawmaker said.

The rally ended with chants of PDP solidarity, as supporters vowed to defend the party’s legacy and prepare for what many are calling a grand opposition comeback in 2027.
(VANGUARD)

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Obaseki: Leader, I Know How Pained You Are,’ Wike Apologises To Oshiomhole

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Minister of Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike, has apologised to Sen. Adams Oshiomhole, a former governor of the state, for humiliating him over Godwin Obaseki.

INFO DAILY recalls that Wike, who was the chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) National Council for Edo 2020 gubernatorial election (Obaseki Re-election), had, during his appearance on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, November 4, 2020, edition said the governor (Obaseki) has “resolved to quash acts of violence by the APC, its sacked National Chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, and the party’s gubernatorial candidate, Osagie Ize-Iyamu.”

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He added during the show: “Four years ago, the former national chairman of the APC said that Obaseki was his brain box and the person behind everything he achieved; it is clear, he said so. The same man said the PDP candidate in the 2016 election was not electable.

READ ALSO: I Don’t Owe Anybody Explanation On Truce With Fubara – Wike

“Why was he not electable? According to Oshiomhole, Ize-Iyamu can’t be trusted with money. The same man who you could not give an appointment or entrust with money is the same man you are telling Edo people to now vote for.

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“You wake up in the morning and you tell Edo people something, and in the night you call the same Edo people and say, what I said in the morning, I didn’t mean it; how do we now know the one that you meant?” Wike queried.

But Wike, who has been in a political romance with the All Progressives Congress (APC) and its leader in recent time, profuriously apologized to Comrade Oshiomhole in a statement made available to newsmen by his spokesman, Mr Lere Olayinka.

READ ALSO: ‘Peace Has Returned To Rivers’ — Wike, Fubara Speak After Meeting Tinubu

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Wike said: “Leader, I know how pained you are and what you passed through; I know it was like a humiliation to you.

“I was part of it because I humiliated you while supporting Obaseki. I apologised to you on national TV and I am still saying sorry for what I did to you.”

Wike was in Edo to inaugurate the newly constructed Edo Line Terminal in Benin, which is the second phase of the Benin Central Bus Terminal.

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The event was, however, cancelled following the demise of former President Muhammadu Buhari.

 

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