Politics

Anglican Church Knocks APC Over Muslim-Muslim Ticket

Published

3 years ago

July 27, 2022

Editor

The Church of Nigeria (Anglican Communion), on Wednesday, gave serious knock on the All Progressives Congress for insisting on a Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket, despite general outcry.

The church said it was irresponsible of the APC to place its political survival over the stability and peace of Nigeria.

The Anglican Bishop of Kubwa Diocese, Rev. Dr. Duke Akamisoko, stated these in an interview with journalists during the 2022 Pre-Synod briefing which was held in Abuja.

He described the party’s same-faith ticket as totally unacceptable to the Anglican Communion; adding that it constituted “a gross abuse of our collective sensitivity as a nation.”

Akamisoko said, “Muslim-Muslim ticket at a time like this is a demonstration of insensitivity to the plurality of religion; the polarised nature of Nigeria; the plight of Christians in Nigeria and the feelings of Christians in Northern Nigeria etc.

“In fact, it is a direct insult on the entire Christendom. The APC has made a choice; it is left to Christians in Nigeria to also make their choice.

“There can never be a rational explanation for such a selfish, greedy and self-centered decision by the APC. It is irresponsible of the APC to take its political survival over the stability and peace of Nigeria.

“The party ought to have taken a cue from the opposition against his vice presidential ambition and how President Muhammadu Buhari opted for a Christian running mate in 2015 instead of the Muslim-Muslim ticket.

“A Muslim-Muslim ticket is the greatest insult on the Christian community, especially in the Northern region. Is APC saying that there is no Northern Christian who is intelligent enough to be its running mate? Is APC saying that there is no Northern Christian who has a political value to deliver victory to it? Definitely, the answer is NO.”

He also spoke on other burning issues of national interest such as the lingering industrial action by university lecturers, insecurity, anti-graft war, the 2023 general election among others.

ASUU Strike
On the five-month-old strike by varsity workers, the Anglican Bishop warned that any country that did not take the education of its youths seriously was already preparing for a dooms day.

“For several months, ASUU, NASU and ASUP have been on strike. This is a very bad omen for our country.

“An idle hand is the devil’s workshop. Youths that are out of school are prone to participate in any act that can breach the peace and security of the country.

“Abandoning our youths in the wilderness of ASUU strike for the past five months is a great disservice to the Nigerian youths and the nation in general.

“The Federal Government should place more premium on the education sector, if indeed we are hoping for a better tomorrow,” he said.

Insecurity
On the worsening spate of insecurity in the country, the Bishop said: “As it is, today, nowhere is safe again. Our roads are no longer safe, the rail is no longer safe. And it is so obvious that a larger percentage of Nigerians cannot afford to travel by air.

“To attend places of worship, to go to market, school, even to stay in one’s house is no longer safe in this country. There has never been a time in this country that insecurity has been at the peak like this.

“We hereby call on the government to be alive to her responsibility of protecting lives and properties of its citizens.”

Anti-graft war
According to him, the Federal Government had failed Nigerians in the fight against corruption.

Akamisoko stated, “The spate at which corruption is growing in the country is alarming. The rate at which public officers are squandering public funds is second to none.

“We call on all the anti-graft agencies to wake up from slumber, imbibe high professionalism.

“We strongly advocate that every corrupt leader be brought to book, as that will serve as a deterrent to others.”

2023 general election
He said, “As 2023 general election draws closer, we call on Nigerians who have attained age of voting to obtain their PVC and go all out to perform their civic responsibility on the day of election.

“Nigerians should know that we can take our destiny in our hands by voting out bad leaders and bringing in visionary leaders that can take Nigeria to its promise land.

“We challenge party candidates who have already started campaigning for our votes, to focus on issues that can make Nigeria better and not irrelevances.

“We want them to know that one day, they shall give accounts of their stewardship to God who is the greatest and final judge of all mankind.

“We call on the Electoral Body to carry out its assignment without favour, bias or sentiment.

“As the body conducts the 2023 election, it should ensure that same is free and fair. This is the only way that the confidence of Nigerians can be built in the nation.”

Poor governance
The Bishop identified bad leadership as the main cause of terrorism, banditry, kidnapping and other vices in the country.

“It is on this premise we challenge leaders at all tiers of government to provide social amenities which can make life comfortable for Nigerians,” Akamisoko stated.

He, however, stressed that as part of the Anglican Church’s social responsibility in Nigeria’s capital city, it has decided to invest heavily in the health and educational development of the nation through the provision of 250-bed state-of-the-art hospital and a comprehensive secondary school.

PUNCH

Politics

Atiku, El-Rufai Coalition Seeks INEC Registration For New Party

Published

8 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

The National Opposition Coalition Group, led by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and ex-Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has formally applied to the Independent National Electoral Commission for the registration of a new political party—the All Democratic Alliance.

The application, dated June 19, was acknowledged by INEC on Friday, signalling the coalition’s determination to float a new platform instead of aligning with any existing political party.

The formation of ADA, backed by some other key political heavyweights, including former Rivers State Governor, Rotimi Amaechi and Umar Ardo, convener of the League of Northern Democrats and former aide to President Olusegun Obasanjo, seeks to capitalise on mounting public dissatisfaction and political realignments to stop President Bola Tinubu at the next poll.

The application comes just a few days after INEC warned political groups that no amount of pressure or public sentiment would override the need for strict compliance with constitutional and electoral guidelines.

The commission reiterated that party registration remains a rigorous constitutional process—not merely a political declaration.

With Thursday’s application, the national opposition coalition has now put an end to weeks of speculation about whether it would revive a dormant political platform or launch a fresh one altogether.

A copy of the application letter, obtained by our correspondent in Abuja, was jointly signed by the association’s Protem National Chairman, Chief Akin A. Rickets, and Protem National Secretary, Abdullahi Elayo.

The letter partly read, “We respectfully write to the Independent National Electoral Commission, requesting the registration of our association, the All Democratic Alliance, as a political party.

“This is a sequel to the decision taken by the Nigerian National Coalition Group to sponsor our association for full registration.

“The name of the party shall be All Democratic Alliance with ADA as our acronym and ‘Justice for All’ as our slogan.”

The coalition also submitted relevant documents, including the party’s constitution, manifesto, logo, and minutes of its foundational meetings.

The party’s symbol prominently features a maize (corn), which the applicants say represents abundance, resilience, and sustenance—core ideals they hope to promote.

“We have further attached our manifesto encompassing details of our party ideology and our constitution providing the legal framework that defines our identity, structures, and organisation,” the letter continued.

Politics

Rivers LG Administrator Appointed By Ibas Resigns

Published

8 hours ago

June 21, 2025

Editor

The administrator of the Ahoada East Local Government Area of Rivers State, Goodluck Ihemnacho, has resigned.

Ihemnacho is one of the administrators appointed by the state Sole Administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (retd.), for the 23 LGAs of the state.

The resignation was contained in a letter dated June 20, 2025, addressed to the state sole administrator and obtained by our correspondent.

In the letter which has flooded the social media space, Ihemnacho said his resignation was informed by his desire to return to the private sector.

The resignation letter partly read, “I humbly write to your noble office to convey to you my resignation as the administrator, Ahoada East LGA.

“My sincere gratitude goes to the government of Rivers State and the good people of Ahoada East for finding me worthy to serve as Ahaoda East LGA from 11th day of April 2025 to 20th day of July 2025.”

Meanwhile there are speculations that Ihemnacho resigned to pave the way for him to contest the forth-coming LG elections in the state, though this has not been verified.

Politics

Why I left Tinubu’s Govt — Former Aide Aliyu Audu Declares

Published

5 days ago

June 16, 2025

Editor

A former Senior Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Public Affairs, Aliyu Audu, has revealed that he resigned from the administration in order to actively campaign against Tinubu’s re-election bid in 2027.

Speaking on Monday during an interview on Channels Television’s Sunrise Daily, Audu said his decision was driven by a matter of “principle and conscience,” as he accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of attempting to turn Nigeria into a one-party state.

“It confirmed it on one hand, and on the other hand, it strengthened my resolve to not work for him in 2027,” Audu said, referring to Tinubu’s Democracy Day speech where the president claimed to enjoy seeing the opposition in disarray.

“I couldn’t in all honesty and in my conscience be in his government knowing I’m plotting against removal in 2027, because I will, and by God, we will remove him. Collectively, Nigerians will install a leader that will be our chosen, not his chosen. Not emilokan (my turn), but awa lokan (our turn), in fact, gbogbo wa lokan (all of us).”

He also criticised the inclusion of Nyesom Wike, a PDP member and current Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, in the APC-led government, questioning his loyalty and the legitimacy of such a move.

“What is Wike doing in our government? If he’s going to leave the PDP, he should leave. If we’re doing a government of national unity, you deal with the party, not individuals. The party is what we vote for — not Bola Tinubu but APC; not Atiku but PDP; not Peter Obi but Labour Party.”

Audu’s resignation letter, dated June 8, criticised the APC’s political trajectory and warned against what he described as a deliberate silencing of opposition voices. In a follow-up statement, he clarified that while he does not support the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), he would not lend himself “as an instrument to reduce Nigeria to a one-party state.”

“If we now begin to silence or crush opposition simply because we have the upper hand, then we are no different from the very system we once criticised under Obasanjo in 2003,” he said.