Politics

May 29: From Eagle Square, I’ll Fly Straight To Kaduna – Buhari

Published

12 months ago

May 26, 2023

Editor

Says opposition parties created impression that my govt was in a mess

President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday said that immediately he hands over to the next President on May 29, he will take off from the swearing-in venue to Kaduna before proceeding to Daura, his hometown.

He said he has been counting the days and was looking forward to Monday very desperately, adding that he would use the weekend to sign some of the papers so that from Eagles Square he will take off.

President Buhari also said that before the concluded general elections, the opposition political parties had created the impression outside the country that the All Progressives Congress-led administration was going into a mess because it has incompetent leadership

The outgoing President spoke at his Book launch with the title, “A promise kept, a compendium of significant achievements of Muhammadu Buhari Administration 2015-2023,” at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He said, “I think by my profession, I spent most of my time that is the military for 20 years, there wasn’t this surprise. If you allow yourself to be taken by surprise you will be virtually overwhelmed. I wasn’t expecting this honestly. Especially today when I need to sign a few papers because I know on Monday, from the swearing-in venue I will fly directly to Kaduna and then I will go to the other side of Nigeria.

Thank you for surprising me with your generosity and kindness. I think the achievement we wanted is to make we developed a firm political culture. I think I was expecting too much. When I was in Doha, meeting some heads of state, I was getting calls from Europe, America, and Nigeria, congratulating us on the success of the elections.

“The opposition has created the impression outside the country that we are going into a mess because we have incompetent leadership of the party. They were overwhelmed that the election came and went and both at the center and at the states, fantastic.”

He further said, “How can ten sitting governors of states lose their constituencies, this has been unprecedented. So I congratulate you the national working committee (of the APC) and others here, that we have really proved that democracy is worth defending.

“Nigerians have understood it now, otherwise how can they vote against their sitting governors stopping them from going to the senate to rest?

“So they were really overwhelmed and I congratulate our political development. Please congratulate your constituencies, it means that even though you have excess money, they will collect and put it in their pockets but they will elect the person they trust from any constituency, either House of Assembly, House of Representatives, or Senate until it comes to the president itself.

“Because it was so transparent, everything was done there in front of everybody. And committee by committee from various constituencies lined up and picked the candidate they want. So really, we have virtually politically arrived. I congratulate our party.

“Today, we prayed together with Asiwaju (Bola Tinubu) and I congratulated him and I said I am eager to go to the other side of Nigeria. I wish him the best of luck. I said his Vice President is experienced, a two-time governor in his state, and then the senate. And this is how we got the chairman of our party, two-time governor in his state and also he has been in the Senate.

“So they are people are really from the bottom of the system to the top. When you get experienced people to be in charge, taking important decisions, they will always reflect on their experiences and they can hardly go wrong. So I congratulate you and our party.

“I thank you very much for this major surprise, I think now when I go back I will have time to read some books not just about myself but about other issues. I assure you, I have been counting the days, I am looking forward to Monday very desperately. I will use the weekend to sign some of the papers so that from Eagles Square, I will fly to Kaduna and eventually go to Daura. Thank you very much.”

Related Topics:Buhari May 29 Inauguration

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Politics

Poll: APC Has No Sellable Candidate, Nothing To Campaign On – Edo Govt

Published

7 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

The Edo State Government claimed on Monday that the All Progressives Congress, APC, has no credible candidate for the September 21 governorship election.

This was an assertion made by the Edo State Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare, at a press conference in Benin City.

Nehikhare also alleged that the party is using lies and propaganda as its campaign strategy.

According to him: “The only APC strategy for the governorship election is to resort to lies and propaganda. When a party takes lies and propaganda as an election strategy, it means it has nothing to offer the people. The party lacks people with character, capacity, and intellect.”

The commissioner who took journalists through a screened shot WhatsApp chat said: “What we have here is the official APC WhatsApp platform, their own people screenshot their discussion. One of them who has a conscience asks, is this the only thing we have?”

Nehikhare, who said APC is ashamed to campaign for its candidate, noted that, as of today, nobody had heard of what the party has for the state.

“All we heard is how they are going to help their paymaster, lies and propaganda that will not help the state,” he added.

He opined that lies and propaganda are not strategies the opposition party, like APC, can use to win the September 21 governorship election.

The commissioner, who warned against misinformation and fake news ahead of the governorship election, urged media practitioners to be neutral in matters concerning lies and propaganda.

He, however, noted that Governor Godwin Obaseki’s administration has a lot of achievements to market and sell its candidate for the election.

Politics

Defection: Edo Govt, Ex-PDP BoT Member, Idahosa In Verbal War

Published

9 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

Edo State government and a former member of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Board of Trustees, Charles Idahosa, on Monday traded words over the latter defection to the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Recall that Idahosa resigned
formally resigned who had last month resigned from PDP, rejoined the APC on Monday in Benin City.

Speaking during his formal presentation to the APC in Benin City, he noted that he left the party four years ago due to internal crisis.

Idahosa added that he dumped the PDP because of what he described as the “damning deeds of the Obaseki-led administration in the last four years”.

He took a swipe at Obaseki for saying that PDP would win the forthcoming September governorship election with 80 per cent of votes.

“I thank God, four years later we all are wiser now. Like the Secretary said, I was a founding member of ACD, ACN and APC. The damage we did four years ago, the APC never remained the same.

“But I am glad we are back to the family. I was nominated to the Board of the Railway when I was in the APC. When I moved to the PDP, I wrote to resign my membership but it was rejected and showed my wide acceptance.

“At 71, I am not here to contest position with anybody, I am here to work. I want to urge APC to keep their eyes on the ball. It is not over until it is over.”

While lambasting Governor Obaseki for his comment that those leaving PDP have been given money, he noted that his greatest regret was not allowing the governor to resign after his first four years in office.

“When he came to beg me like a weather beaten chicken, how much did he give to me? Anytime he goes religious gathering he would say those leaving PDP have been given money.

“He came to me three times in my house to say he wants to resign, that he was tired of being governor but I appealed to him, telling him it was not about him but Benin interest.”

But in a swift reaction, the state Commissioner for Communication and Orientation, Chris Nehikhare alleged that Idahosa was never a PDP member.

Nehikhare noted that Idahosa was also never a BOT member of the party, because the party in the state rejected his nomination.

He alleged that it was as a result of the rejection that he found his way back to APC.

“I heard that he claimed to be a member of BOT of PDP but I want to challenge him to tell us when he was sworn in as a member of PDP BOT. He was not a fit and proper person. Even though he was nominated he was shunned by the party.

“It was this that drove him back to APC which he never left in the first place. He was holding on to the board appointment which was offered him while in APC prior to 2020 governorship election.

“He has reached the end of his political career. He has nothing to offer any political party or any group he joins because he believes in bread and butter politics,” Nehikhare said.

Politics

Edo Guber: Ex-PDP BoT Member Joins APC, Says ‘I Regret Supporting Obaseki

Published

13 hours ago

May 13, 2024

Editor

A former member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Edo State, Charles Idahosa on Monday defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying he regretted supporting Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki four-year ago.

Idahosa said his greatest regret is stopping Governor Godwin Obaseki from resigning in 2020 after he was frustrated out of the APC in his bid to seek reelection on the party’s platform.

Speaking to newsmen shortly after his declaration for the APC at his residence in Benin City, with leaders of the APC in attendance, Idahosa said his return to the APC is homecoming.

The former Information Commissioner in Edo State said in 2020, the governor had cried to him over the ill -treatment meted on him by his predecessor and National chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole and was considering resigning.

Idahosa noted that Obaseki was at the verge of giving up to allow the APC to pick another governorship candidate, but he (Idahosa) encouraged him to keep hope alive and he personally fought the battle for the governor to win his reelection .

Idahosa, however, lamented that Obaseki utterances during the inauguration of the PDP Campaign Council for the 2024 election was heartless and uncomplimentary when he accused the defectors from PDP as having received huge sums of money before their defection.

The former BoT member of the PDP, while urging the Edo APC leadership to work in synergy ahead of the governorship election, said that the greatest misfortune to befall the APC is for Godwin Obaseki to install a successor.

Idahosa who pledged his support for the governorship candidate of the APC, Senator Monday Okphebholo, said street survival instinct not doctoral degrees (PhD) or big grammar is needed as a criteria for the next governor that will succeed Obaseki.

He urged Edo people and the APC to put the damning deeds of the Obaseki-led government of 4 years ago in the past and unite to stop the governor and the PDP governorship candidate from taking over the governance of the state in the September 21st governorship election.

He said, “Four years later, we are all wiser. I am back to the APC, which is my family. It is homecoming for me and I am very comfortable. At 71 , I am not going to be a threat to anybody. I am joing the APC to work. Nobody should be afraid or scared that Charles Idahosa is joining the APC because I won’t be contesting any position. “

Earlier, the APC state secretary, Lawrence Okah, while receiving Idahosa into the party, said the former member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Charles Idahosa is a man of honour and a foundation member of the APC.