Politics

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

Published

1 year ago

January 12, 2023

Editor

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The North East All Progressives Congress APC Youth Stakeholders Forum had on Thursday withdrawn its support for the vice presidential candidate of the party, Senator Kashim Shettima over what it described as the nonchalance of the former Borno state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

JUST IN: Ex-PDP Deputy National Chair, Oyedokun Defects To APC

Published

9 hours ago

May 16, 2024

Editor

A former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Alhaji Shuaib Oyedokun, has resigned his membership of the party and announced defection to the All Progressives Congress.

Oyedokun, a notable personality within the political circle in Osun State and beyond, said he decided to dump the PDP after consultation with his loyalists.

He said he would be joining APC, where his experience, efforts, and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.

His resignation letter addressed to the National Chairman of the PDP through the ward, local government and state chairmen of the party obtained late Thursday further read, “As a functional member and leader of PDP (Ward 13, Jagun/ Osi-Bale Ode, Odo-Otin South Local Government, Osun State,) whose high electoral productivity and value have been credibly and positively acknowledged in my ward, across the local council, state and country-wide for the enhancement of the fortune of the PDP, I have the honour (though with pain) in announcing the renunciation of my membership of the party on principle, having observed that the ideals of we, founding members, had been sorely contaminated.

“In taking this step which is not even without due consultation with my teaming loyalists in the PDP, I have consequently decided to shift my allegiance to the All Progressives Congress (APC) where I believe my experience, efforts and leadership roles would be valued and appreciated.”

Oyedokun’s defection to the APC is coming at the time the aspirant he supported during the 2022 Osun governorship primary of PDP, Mr Dotun Babayemi is also moving to the national ruling party.

Osun APC said on Wednesday that Babayemi and his supporters would be dumping PDP and joining the party at a rally scheduled to be held in Osogbo on Friday.
PUNCH

Politics

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

Published

3 days 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

3 days 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.