Politics

Shettima: APC PCC Reacts To N’East Youth Group Threat

Published

3 years ago

January 12, 2023

The Presidential Campaign Council PCC of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC has reacted to allegation of abandonment leveled against its vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima by the North East APC Youth Stakeholders Forum.

According to the PCC, Shettima has been working with all the groups and will not favoue anyone above the other.

Minister of State, Labour and Employment and Chief Spokesperson of the APC PCC, Mr Festus Keyamo SAN disclosed this in a chat with Vanguard Thursday night.

He said; “There are many groups in the North East working for the success of our party. Our Vice-Presidential candidate appreciates all the groups, including this one, and we need all the groups. We will sort it out internally. But the H.E Kashim Shettima will not treat one of these groups as more important than others, nor would he be blackmailed by any such group.

“It is also obvious that they are exaggerating the numbers here and may be overstating their influence. Glad to read that they still love the APC and remain within the Party”, said Keyamo.

The North East All Progressives Congress APC Youth Stakeholders Forum had on Thursday withdrawn its support for the vice presidential candidate of the party, Senator Kashim Shettima over what it described as the nonchalance of the former Borno state governor to issues afflicting the party in the zone.

The forum which prides itself as among those who advocated that Shettima be made the APC vice presidential candidate, lamented that his lackadaisical attitude has made it lose three out of eight million potential votes its members had galvanized for the party.

Acting Chairman of the Forum, Hon. Shaibu Baffa Tilde in a statement on Thursday in Abuja, however said they will continue to support the party’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

“We are saddened to be in the news for what others will interpret as a negative reason at this time, but we are also obligated by our love for our great party, the All Progressive Congress APC, to make this timely intervention before our party’s fortunes in the region sink”, said Tilde.

He expressed “deep regret and concern” about the fortunes of the party in the Northeast, adding that APC is on the verge of collapsing “due to the obstinate, careless, and exclusive leadership style of our Vice Presidential Candidate, Hon. Kashim Shettima”.

3m votes lost

“The Northeast APC Youth Forum has watched with tears as its many supporters continue to defect to the PDP. Unfortunately, the trend in the Northeast zone is worsening by the day, with Sen. Kashim seemingly turning a blind eye to these heinous developments in our party in the region.

“We the Youths in the Northeast have lost our Zonal Treasurer from his home state of Borno, Hon. Yusuf Shariff Banki, due to his failure to support youth in the region to launch massive mobilization. It is worth noting, gentlemen, that Sheriff led over 500,000 youth to the PDP. As if that wasn’t enough, our Zonal Organizing Secretary, Hon. Murtala Gamji of Taraba, led over 200,000 youth to the NNPP, and our Zonal Women Leader, Hon. Amina Manga of Bauchi, led one million women to the PDP.

“Of the 8 million youth votes we have already mobilized for Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, our Presidential Candidate for the Presidential Polls, Sen. Kashim Shettima has already plundered over 3 million through his actions with the wave of defections from our party. This is simply unacceptable!

“In light of this, we urge our party’s Vice Presidential Candidate, Hon. Kashim Shettima, to immediately reverse his steps and correct his error for the sake of the party, the region, and the teeming youth.

“It is on record that this group, then led by its Current Acting Chairman, Hon. Shaibu Baffa Tilde, threw their support behind Sen. Kashim Shettima and committed massive resources, both human and financial, to ensure he emerged as the APC’s Vice Presidential Candidate.

“We do not seek compensation from Sen. Shettima, but our resentment stems from Sen. Kashim’s failure to recognize a formidable Youth force of the party that stood by him through thick and thin after realizing his ambition to become reality as Vice Presidential Candidate from the northeast region.

“As a result, the Northeast APC Youth Forum wishes to withdraw its unequivocal support for Sen. Shettima. Our actions should not be misinterpreted, but rather judged by our affection for our dear party.

“While we intend to take our next steps regarding his candidacy in the coming days, we would like to express our unwavering support for our Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahemd Tinubu, and the APC. We will continue to work for the advancement and victory of our beloved party in the upcoming general elections”.

Earlier, Deputy Spokesperson for the All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council, Barr. Hannatu Musawa, who said she had not been briefed on such development, however added that there was no crisis in the APC.

She said it was normal for people to make their grievances known and that in a democracy, some could even decide to switch support.

Musawa said it is not true that APC has lost millions of followers, saying the opposition Peoples Democratic Party PDP has continued to lose more members daily, unlike the APC.

“If we are talking about movement from here to there, I think the one that has been affected most by this type of movement is the PDP which has invariably lost five state governors on the eve of a major election. So I think APC has not had anything of that magnitude. So, I think, with 42 days to the election, I think we are in good stead”, she stated.
VANGUARD

Politics

FLASHBACK: How Tinubu Blamed Jonathan For Killing Of Christians In 2014

Published

6 hours ago

November 1, 2025

Editor

As allegations of an ongoing ‘Christian genocide’ in Nigeria intensify, a 2014 statement from President Bola Tinubu condemning former President Goodluck Jonathan for failing to protect Christian worshippers has resurfaced, drawing sharp parallels to criticisms now leveled at Tinubu’s administration.

In January 2014, Tinubu, then an opposition leader, lambasted Jonathan over attacks by Boko Haram in Borno and Adamawa states that targeted Christian communities.

“The slaughtering of Christian worshippers is strongly condemnable. It calls into question the competence of Jonathan to protect Nigerians,” Tinubu stated at the time.

By April 2014, amid escalating violence including the Nyanya bombing in Abuja, Tinubu doubled down, emphasising the president’s non-negotiable duty to ensure citizen safety.

“My heart bleeds for our people and the country over the deaths in Nyanya. A government unable to protect its citizens deserves to be queried,” he said.

Eleven years on, Tinubu’s words are being repurposed by critics amid reports of widespread violence against Christians across northern and central Nigeria.

According to a recent report from the International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), at least 7,087 Christians were killed in the first 220 days of 2025 alone—an average of 32 deaths per day.

Advocacy groups like Open Doors and International Christian Concern describe the attacks by Islamist militants, including Boko Haram and Fulani extremists, as targeted persecution amounting to genocide, with over 7,000 Christian deaths recorded in 2025 and thousands more displaced or kidnapped.

The Nigerian government has denied claims of religious targeting, insisting the violence stems from broader security challenges affecting all communities.

The crisis gained fresh international spotlight on October 31, 2025, when U.S. President Donald Trump declared Nigeria a “Country of Particular Concern” over the “existential threat” to Christianity there. In a Truth Social post, Trump stated: “Thousands of Christians are being killed by radical Islamists in Nigeria… The United States cannot stand by while such atrocities are happening.”

He urged Congress to investigate and affirmed US readiness to protect global Christian populations, echoing calls from allies like Senator Ted Cruz, who has described the violence as a “religious genocide.”

Opposition figures and faith-based organisations in Nigeria have invoked Tinubu’s 2014 rhetoric to demand urgent action, arguing that the same standards of accountability he once applied to Jonathan now apply to his own leadership.

Security experts caution that while the violence has complex ethnic and resource dimensions, the failure to curb targeted attacks on Christians risks further eroding trust in federal institutions.

The Tinubu administration has not yet responded to the renewed scrutiny or Trump’s designation.

Source: Nigerian Tribune

Politics

Court Stops 2025 PDP National Convention

Published

16 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Editor

The Federal High Court in Abuja on Thursday halted the planned 2025 National Convention of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) until the party complied with the statutory requirements of the party, the Constitution and the Electoral Act.

The suit was filed by three aggrieved members of the party namely, Hon Austin Nwachukwu (Imo PDP chairman), Hon Amah Abraham Nnanna (Abia PDP chairman) and Turnah Alabh George (PDP Secretary, South-South) seeking to stop the convention on the ground of violation to the Electoral law.

Delivering the judgment, the Judge also restrained INEC from accepting report on the outcome of any national convention of the party without following the due process of the law as well as its guidelines and regulations.

The Judge held that INEC is not entitled to give effect to the convention a party not done in accordance with the Constitution, Electoral Act and the guidelines/regulations of political parties.

The plaintiffs instituted the suit seeking to stop the planned November 15 and 16, 2025 National Convention of the PDP scheduled for Ibadan in Oyo State where new National Officers are expected to be elected on the ground of breach of the party’s Constitution.

The nine defendants are, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC); PDP; Samuel Anyanwu, National Secretary of the party; Umar Bature, National Organizing Secretary of the party; National Working Committee (NWC); and National Executive Committee (NEC) of the party; Ambassador Umar Iliya Damagum; Ali Odefa; and Emmanuel Ogidi.

Politics

2027: Why Jonathan Can’t Run For President – Appeal Court Ex-President

Published

16 hours ago

October 31, 2025

Editor

Former President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Ayo Salami, has clarified why former President Goodluck Jonathan cannot contest the 2027 presidential election.

According to Salami, the Nigerian Constitution explicitly bars any individual from holding the office of President for more than eight years, making Jonathan ineligible to run again.

He explained that Jonathan had already completed the tenure of the late President Umaru Musa Yar’Adua before serving his own full term, which constitutionally disqualifies him from seeking another.

In an opinion piece, Salami argued that any attempt by Jonathan to contest and win in 2027 would amount to a violation of the law, stressing that such a victory would be nullified by the courts.

“It is painstakingly and dispassionately demonstrated that the ambition of Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to contest for the office of the president in the 2027 general election is effectively and undoubtedly shot down,” Salami stated.