Politics
JUST IN: Atiku Is North’s Candidate, Says ACF Chieftain
A chieftain of the Arewa Consultative Forum, Muhammad Yakubu, has said that the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, is the endorsed candidate of the north for Saturday’s presidential election.
The PUNCH reports that the ACF through its Secretary-General, Murtala Aliyu, had, in a statement on Sunday, urged northerners and Nigerians to vote the candidate of their choice in the Saturday election.
The ACF had urged Northern voters to look out for a presidential candidate with clear and objective party manifestos and the character and track records of the candidates.
However, while addressing a press conference at the 11A Sokoto road Secretariat of the ACF in Kaduna on Monday, Yakubu, who is the National Assistant Auditor of the Forum, said from recent statements by notable northern elders such as Alhaji Zango Daura, Prof. Ango Abdullahi among others, the region had settled for Atiku for the poll.
READ ALSO: JUST IN: APC, PDP, NNPP Deploy Over 1.5m Polling Unit Agents
The ACF chieftain, who is also the Convener, Atiku/Okowa Patriots, said the region was supporting Atiku not because he was a northerner but because he had the capacity and experience to take the country to the promised land.
He said, “The ACF came to be as a result of certain happenings in the country. The emergence of the ACF is to protect the northern interest and so far, so good, as we head to the polls in a couple of days, our elders, leaders in the likes of Alhaji Sani Zango Daura (the Danmasanin Daura), Prof. Ango Abdullahi, have given us a direction. Atiku is the candidate of the north and that is the direction we are going to follow.
“And that’s the candidate majority of northerners are going to vote for. So, this is one of the reasons that I called for the press conference and if there are other issues you guys want clarification, I am ready to give you answers. I am also the National Convener of Atiku/Okowa Patriots.”
Fielding questions on the reports yesterday by the ACF secretary-general that the Forum backed rotational presidency, Yakubu said, “It’s not true. That’s why I am holding this press conference. At no time did the ACF met to have taken that kind of decision. That kind of decision can either come from the National Executive Council or the National Working Committee. So, since none of these bodies had met, how would that kind of decision emerge. Either the press is misrepresenting the secretary-general or some […] people had concocted some stories.”
On whether the ACF is in support of his position, he said, “Of course, the ACF is established to protect the interest of the north and where is Atiku from? And let me give you a background story. If you have been following the ACF history, you will discover that at each point in time that the county is at crossroads, the ACF and the north usually come to stabilise the country.
READ ALSO: 2023 Presidency: Rivers PDP Reveals Amaechi’s Preferred Candidate
“The north supported Obasanjo and he won; the north supported former President Goodluck Jonathan and Jonathan won. Each time the north supports anybody, not because that person is from the north. The north usually considers capacity and competence and integrity. These are the factors the north used to consider.
“The north is supporting Atiku not because Atiku is from the north. No, it’s because at this point in time, among the candidates we have now, it’s Atiku that has the capacity, the competence and the integrity and the reach out across the country.”
Politics
PHOTO: Rivers Residents Throng Govt House To Welcome Fubara
Rivers State’s capital is a sea of jubilant supporters on Thursday as Governor Siminalayi Fubara is expected to triumphantly return to office following the end of the state’s six-month emergency rule.
Throngs of residents, politicians, and key stakeholders have converged on the Government House in Port Harcourt, eagerly awaiting the governor’s arrival.
The atmosphere is one of profound relief and celebration, with various groups dressed in their uniforms, standing outside the gates and anticipating the moment their leader will make his appearance.
READ ALSO:Suspected Cultists Invade Rivers Compound, Rob Students, Residents
The collective joy reflects the widespread satisfaction with the restoration of democratic governance.
Residents who spoke with Nigerian Television Authority expressed their delight, with many voicing hope that the state will now usher in a new era of development and progress.
As the governor prepares to resume his duties, all eyes are on the renewed promise of stability and accelerated development for the people of Rivers State.
“Although the governor has yet to arrive at the Government House, various groups clad in their uniforms are standing outside the gate, anticipating his arrival”, NTA report indicated.
Residents of the state who spoke with NTA News expressed satisfaction over the restoration of democratic rule in the state, expressing hope that the state would now witness more development.
Politics
Rivers: Supporters Disappointed As Fubara Fails To Show Up
Thousands of supporters who had thronged the Government House, Port Harcourt, on Thursday morning to welcome Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara, went home disappointed after waiting for hours.
Many of the supporters, who came as early as 6 a.m. from different parts of the state, including rural areas, started leaving the Government House entrance between 12 noon and 1 p.m.
Some of their leaders, including the immediate past local government chairmen loyal to Fubara, were seen making frantic calls as the whereabouts of the governor remained unknown as of 1 p.m.
Among the sacked LG chairmen who led their supporters to the Government House in anticipation of the governor’s return were the former chairman of Obio/Akpor, Chijoke Ihunwo, and his counterpart from Port Harcourt City, Ezebunwo Itche-Mati, among others.
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Meanwhile, none of the supporters of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, were seen at the Government House, including the newly elected LG chairmen.
Some of those seen leaving the Government House gate expressed frustration over the governor’s absence after waiting for several hours.
“We are going because we are hungry. Maybe when the governor comes, we will return,” one of them said.
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The development coincided with the expiration of the six-month emergency rule imposed on the state following the hostilities between the governor and the Assembly, which is largely controlled by loyalists of the Federal Capital Territory Minister, Nyesom Wike.
President Bola Tinubu in March declared an end to the State of Emergency in Rivers State, following months of political turmoil that paralysed governance and threatened security in the oil-rich state.
The President had appointed Ibas as administrator after dissolving political structures to restore order.
However, Tinubu, on Wednesday, formally declared an end to the State of Emergency in Rivers State, clearing the way for the return of full democratic governance in the state.
Politics
JUST IN: Rivers Assembly Resumes Sitting After Six-month Suspension
The Rivers State House of Assembly has resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Thursday.
President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara; his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.
The plenary is being presided by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule,at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.
READ ALSO:JUST IN: Rivers Administrator Ibas Bows Out, Hands Over To Governor Fubara
The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.
The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex.
On March 18, Tinubu declared emergency rule in the oil-rich state in the wake of a prolonged political crisis arising from the rift between Fubara and the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.
More to come…
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BREAKING: Tinubu Ends State Of Emergency In Rivers
