Politics

BREAKING: Buhari Backs Southern Candidate For President

Published

3 years ago

June 4, 2022

Editor

President Muhammadu Buhari has backed the emergence of a southerner as a president in 2023.

He made this known at a dinner with All Progressives Congress presidential aspirants in Abuja.

A source privy to the meeting told our correspondent that the Buhari failed to name any consensus candidate.

He also said the president asked the southern aspirants to compete in the party’s primary.

At a meeting with governors on Tuesday, Buhari had called for reciprocity in choosing his successor.

“In keeping with the established internal policies of the party and as we approach the convention in a few days, therefore, I wish to solicit the reciprocity and support of the governors and other stakeholders in picking my successor, who would fly the flag of our party for election into the office of the Federal Republic of Nigeria in 2023.

“I wish to assure you that the consultation process shall continue to ensure that all aspirants and stakeholders would be brought on board right through to the convention.

” This would also ensure that any anxiety occasioned by different factors are effectively brought under control and that our party emerges stronger,” Buhari said.

Apart from Vice President Yemi Osinbajo and former Lagos State Governor, Bola Tinubu, other APC presidential aspirants are the Senate President Ahmad Lawan and former ministers Rotimi Amaechi, Ogbonnaya Onu, Godswill Akpabio, and Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba.

Serving governors who are also aspiring to be president are Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Yahaya Bello (Kogi), Dave Umahi (Ebonyi), and Ben Ayade (Cross River) .

Others are former Senate President Ken Nnamani, former House of Representatives Speaker, Dimeji Bankole, and serving senators Ibikunle Amosun, Ajayi Boroffice, and Rochas Okorocha.

President Muhammadu Buhari’s running mate in 2011, Pastor Tunde Bakare, Uju Ken-Ohanenye, Nicholas Felix, Ahmad Rufai Sani, Tein Jack-Rich, Ikeobasi Mokelu are also in the presidential race.

Ondo State Governor, Rotimi Akeredolu, also in May warned the All Progressives Congress against zoning the 2023 presidential slot to the northern part of the country, saying that would lead to a crisis.

According to him, it is the turn of the southern part of the country to produce the next president.

Akeredolu said the agreement reached when APC micro-zoned party’s offices during its National Convention must be adhered to.

The statement reads, “Our party, the All Progressives Congress, has started the process which will eventually culminate in the presentation of elected political leaders, who must steer the affairs of the country for another term. We have been able to hold the party’s Convention successfully. New officers of the party have emerged in a process that is widely acknowledged as rancour-free. The level of understanding and maturity displayed by all and sundry has been commendable. Known adversaries have been forced to accept the emerging fact that our party is formidable and ready for the next general elections.

“The current socio-economic crises are surmountable. It is commendable that the Government is addressing these issues without drama. The Federal Government and leadership of our great party will come out stronger. We cannot, therefore, afford any internal bickering which holds the potential promise of causing distrust and militating against cohesion, harmony and the zeal to achieve set objectives.

“The current democratic dispensation is anchored on the unwritten convention driven by a principle of Equity. Political expediency dictates, more appealingly, that while adhering to the spirit and letters of the laws guiding conduct of elections and succession to political offices, we must do nothing which is capable of tilting the delicate balance against the established arrangement which guarantees peace and promotes trust.

“Our party just elected officers on the established principle of giving every part of the country an important stake in the political calculus. The focus has now shifted to the process which will culminate in the participation of our party in the general elections scheduled for next year. All lovers of peace and freedom must do everything to eschew tendencies which may predispose them to taking decisions which promote distrust and lead to a crisis, the end of which nobody may be able to predict.

“The leadership of the party ensured that the principle of rotational representation guided its decision at the just-concluded Convention. The party Chairmanship position has gone to the North. All other offices have been filled on this understanding. This is the time the leaders of the party must make a categorical statement, devoid of equivocation, on the pattern of succession.

“The party Executive Committee has fixed a fee for the purchase of the nomination form for the office. It is expected, fervently, that it will proceed to complete the process by limiting the propensities for disagreement to a region for possible micro-management. It is very expedient that we avoid self-inflicted crises before the general elections.

“It is the turn of the Southern part of the country to produce the next President. The party leadership should have no difficulty in making pronouncements on this very important issue, just as it has fixed various fees for the purchase of forms. This must be done without delay. The principle of Federal Character is enshrined in the 1999 Constitution, as amended. It will be disingenuous for anyone to argue against rotation at this period.

“We must not keep our party men and women guessing about the position of the leadership of the party. This is the time to weigh in and take control of the process. No statement must suggest, even remotely, that the party harbours certain sentiments which may predispose it to consider throwing the contest open. This is certainly not the time for equivocation.”

Politics

Amaechi Slams Tinubu’s Policies In Fresh Outburst

Published

11 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Editor

Former Minister of Transportation and two-time governor of Rivers State, Rotimi Amaechi, has asked the coalition opposition to kick President Bola Tinubu out of office if Nigeria is to escape its deepening economic crisis.

In a no-holds-barred interview with the BBC, Amaechi, a founding member and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, lamented the country’s deteriorating condition and signalled his willingness to help forge a new opposition coalition to rescue the nation.

“People are dying. People are starving. I myself am feeling the effects of hunger,” he said, painting a grim picture of life under the current administration.

Amaechi’s statement comes in the wake of the APC’s recent endorsement of Tinubu as its sole presidential candidate for 2027, a move Amaechi openly questioned.

While reiterating his loyalty to the party, he warned that fidelity to a political platform should never come at the cost of national conscience.

“If the government is failing the country, you don’t just go along because you’re in the same party. You know that’s not right,” he stated emphatically.

Though he stopped short of confirming a 2027 presidential bid, the former minister said the option remained on the table.

“Certainly, I believe I can make a meaningful contribution,” he added, hinting that his political journey may not yet be over.

He spoke of widespread poverty, spiralling food insecurity, and daily tragedies that now dot the national landscape.

Reflecting on his years as Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum, Amaechi lamented that the number of out-of-school children then pegged at 10 million, had since ballooned.

The economic hardship, he said, had also deepened insecurity.

“The Boko Haram insurgency is not just a religious crisis. Many of those involved are driven by desperation and hunger,” he asserted, linking terrorism, banditry, and kidnapping to a broader socioeconomic collapse.

Amaechi’s declaration added momentum to an emerging political realignment.

Talks were already underway among key opposition figures, including Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party and Peter Obi of the Labour Party, as they explored the possibility of a unified front against Tinubu in 2027.

Even ex-Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and once a key Tinubu ally had signalled interest in backing an opposition alliance.

But as opposition forces stir, the ruling party continues to absorb defectors, prompting fears of Nigeria drifting toward a one-party state, a scenario Amaechi warned could undermine democracy and silence dissent.

“We’re thinking that if we come together and win the election, the country will certainly witness change,” he said, suggesting an urgent need for a credible alternative.

Politics

UNN Best Graduate Wins £33,000 Com

Published

12 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Editor

A student of the University of Nigeria, Nsukka’s with the overall best graduating CGPA of 4.98, Chizoba Ejiofor, has secured a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship.

Education advocate and tech entrepreneur Alex Onyia, who made this known on social media on Thursday, said he had taken responsibility for supporting Ejiofor after the university failed to award him the promised N50,000 prize for academic excellence.

“I have a good news. A very good news. You remember Chizoba Ejiofor, who graduated as UNN overall best graduating student with CGPA of 4.98, that UNN refused to fulfill the N50k price promised to him?

“I took him up as a full responsibility. We started working tirelessly together since last year to secure a fully funded scholarship, and today we have the good news,” Onyia wrote.

Onyia revealed that Ejiofor was awarded a fully funded Commonwealth scholarship, valued at over £33,000. The package includes tuition, flight tickets, and monthly stipends.

“This is fully funded scholarship from Commonwealth. Over 33 thousand pounds in scholarship, flight tickets and monthly stipends inclusive. No one can describe how happy and fulfilled I am today,” he added.

Politics

Nigeria No Longer A Democracy, Peter Obi Laments

Published

13 hours ago

June 12, 2025

Editor

Former presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, has lamented the state of Nigeria’s democracy, saying the country no longer qualifies to be regarded as a democratic nation.

Obi, in a speech commemorating Democracy Day on Thursday, said the core elements of democracy are absent in the current system of governance in Nigeria.

“Most unfortunately in our present state, our dear country Nigeria cannot be classified as a democratic country. Democracy is said to be a government of the people, by the people, and for the people. Yet, none of these three measures exist in our democracy today,” Obi said.

Obi criticised the electoral process, noting that rules and requirements for participation are routinely violated.

“People who are not qualified and ought to be disqualified are now holding public offices,” he said.

Reflecting on the symbolic significance of June 12 in Nigeria’s democratic struggle, Obi expressed concern that the country, under the current administration, has seen a broad erosion of democratic values in just two years.

“It is deeply troubling that under the present administration, in a short span of two years, our nation has witnessed a broad erosion of democratic principles,” he said.

He highlighted a corresponding deterioration in security, economic stability, and social services, including education and healthcare.

“We have traversed from rigged elections to collapsing social service, from soaring poverty to rising corruption, and from a seemingly stable economy to a parallel economy,” Obi stated.

Obi accused the federal government of manipulating public perception rather than addressing the challenges facing the nation.

“Rather than show genuine accountability and measure good progress, [the government] focuses on manipulating the narratives, gaslighting the public, shifting blame, and weaponising governance,” he said.

The former Anambra State governor also cited economic statistics to back his claims.

According to him, Nigeria’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) has fallen from $364 billion in May 2023 to $188 billion, while per capita income has dropped from $1,640 to $835.

“Nigerians living in poverty have increased from 38.9% to 54%. Within this period, 129 million Nigerians now live below poverty line,” he added.

He noted that a World Bank report showed that 75% of Nigerians in rural areas now live below the poverty line.

Obi also decried the state of education and healthcare.

“Today, we have 18.3 million children out of school, the highest in the world. Our children are now being taught science without science labs and computer without computers. They are now taking exams in darkness with candles,” he said.

On healthcare, he quoted the National Primary Health Care Development Agency as saying that less than 20% of over 30,000 primary health care centres across the country are functional.

“I recently visited some where there are delivery rooms without toilets,” Obi added.

He concluded that the country is “declining fast in all its facets,” warning that the rule of law has become virtually non-existent and that governance is failing to meet the basic needs of the people.