News
‘We Regret Voting Jonathan Out Of Office,’ Northern Elders Lament
The Northern Elders Forum has said that it regretted that it got rid of then President Goodluck Jonathan in the 2015 elections to vote in the incumbent, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.).
The group expressed disappointment that Buhari has let down millions of Nigerians including members of the All Progressives Congress who trusted in his leadership prior to the poll six years ago.
NEF, therefore, said that the next President of Nigeria should be one who would act in the “opposite direction” of Buhari, who hails from Katsina, North-West Nigeria.
NEF Director of Publicity and Advocacy, Dr. Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, spoke on Tuesday when he featured on Arise TV’s ‘The Morning Show’ breakfast programme monitored by The PUNCH.
READ ALSO: 2023: Northern Elders Give Condition For Southerner To Become Next President
He said, “Is there any Nigerian who is not disappointed in President Buhari including diehard APC people? Is there anybody who would not tell you he wished President Buhari had done much better?
“We raised huge expectations, we told people, ‘Get rid of Jonathan, put Buhari there, he would fix corruption, he would fix insecurity, he would fix the economy’ (but) look at where we are now.
“How can anybody say they are happy with the record of President Buhari, even the people very close to him would tell you that they wished he could have done much better and he could have done much better and he hasn’t.”
The group’s spokesman said Nigeria needs a President who would act in the “opposite direction” of Buhari in terms of economic policies, security, amongst others.
“So, what we need to do now is to get ready to elect another President who would go in the opposite direction, a President who has a vision and a clear idea of what governance involves rather than just being a President. So, I am disappointed and that is why today, I am actively involved in trying to see that a new leader emerges in getting Nigerians a new lease of life,” Baba-Ahmed noted.
With the 2023 elections fast approaching and the clamour for power shift to the South, Jonathan, who has the legal right to one more term as Nigeria’s President as the constitution permits all eligible Nigerians to be in office for two terms of eight years, has been receiving entreaties from the APC.
Many APC chieftains have visited him in recent time, raising the stakes in permutations for the 2023 general elections.
Of late, with the wave of defections swinging in the direction of the ruling party, the National Secretary, APC Caretaker, and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee, John Akpanudoedehe, said Jonathan would be given an opportunity to contest the 2023 presidency on APC platform if he chose to join the ruling party.
However, the former President has not declared any intention to contest in the forthcoming election.
Speaking further, Baba-Ahmed said the north had lived under Southern Presidents — Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan — since Nigeria’s return to democratic rule in 1999.
He, however, said Southern Governors should not make the 2023 Presidency a matter of disagreement amongst Nigerians, noting that they should negotiate rather than demand the number one seat. The 17 Southern Governors at their meetings in Lagos and Enugu lately had insisted that power must return to the South in 2023.
“We have lived under Southern Presidents because we recognise that Nigeria is made up of sections, ethnic groups and interests. We recognise that, we are northerners, pluralism is in our DNA, we accept that, we live with it.
“Don’t make the issue of Presidency a matter over which Nigerians would fight and threaten the country and the democratic process, that is very dangerous for this country,” the NEF spokesman stated.
Baba-Ahmed also insisted that the north has the numerical strength in any election, adding that those doubting the north’s voting power should check the last elections, claiming that millions of southerners voted for northern candidates during the elections.
READ ALSO: 2023: ‘Jonathan’ll Give Tinubu A Good Run For APC Presidential Ticket’ – Rep Member
He, however, said though the north has the numerical strength, neither the north nor the south can solely produce a President without the help of other parts of the country.
‘APC, PDP not answer for 2023’
Also, the NEF spokesman said that Nigeria needs a President who realises the need to rebuild the country, secure Nigerians and boost the economy from the downward slope.
“The nation needs a leader that would do the things that President (Muhammadu) Buhari hasn’t done, create inclusiveness, address resentment and frustration in other parts of the country and in the north and speak and act for everybody,” he added.
The elder statesman, however, regretted that both the ruling APC and the leading opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, have no answers to what Nigerians want in a candidate in 2023.
He noted that the “smaller parties” should be given the opportunity to field candidates with the character and capacity to lead Nigeria from all her current woes.
(PUNCH)
News
New Tax Laws: Suspend January 2026 Implementation — Senator Ndume Tells Tinubu
Former Senate Leader, Ali Ndume has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to suspend the January 1, 2026, implementation of the country’s new tax laws amid growing controversy.
The federal lawmaker made the appeal in a statement he issued on Wednesday in Abuja.
This comes as the Nigerian Bar Association demanded the suspension of the implementation.
Recall that a member of the House of Representatives, Abdussamad Dasuki, had last week called the Parliament’s attention to alleged alteration to the tax laws.
READ ALSO:FIRS Confirms NIN As Tax ID
Chairman of the Presidential Fiscal Policy and Tax Reforms Committee, Taiwo Oyedele, in an interview on Arise Television on Wednesday, called for calm over claims of alterations in tax laws and urged Nigerians to allow lawmakers to complete their investigation before drawing conclusions.
Speaking on the ongoing controversy about the tax laws, Ndume noted that proceeding with the implementation without getting to the root of the alleged forgery will create a legitimacy challenge for the tax laws.
His statement read, “With the controversy surrounding it, the President should constitute a team to verify the veracity of the claim and act accordingly.
“As the responsive leader that he has always been, he should look at it to find out if the copy that was signed and the claim of alterations are genuine so that he will do the needful to bring the controversy to rest.
READ ALSO:US Threatens To Sanction Countries That Vote For Shipping Carbon Tax
“If not, the controversy will continue.” That is to say, the tax law will not be implemented, because you can’t build on nothing.
“So, Mr. President should suspend the implementation until the issues are resolved because so many civil society organizations, the Arewa Community, and the Nigerian Bar Association are saying that he should withdraw the tax law and investigate the allegation of forgery.”
“Therefore, Mr President should get to the root of the allegation of forgery. The small committee that will be set up should look into it while the House of Representatives does its own.”
News
Tambuwal Engages Security Agencies As US Airstrikes Hit Own LG In Sokoto
Senator Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, representing Sokoto South, has called on residents of Sokoto State to remain calm following reports of United States airstrikes targeting ISIS-linked terrorists on Christmas Day.
In a statement posted on his personal X account, the former Sokoto State governor said he was aware of reports concerning the airstrikes, which marked a direct US military action in Nigeria based on intelligence about ISWAP threats, and urged citizens to remain law-abiding while authorities clarify the situation.
“I have noted the reports concerning an airstrike carried out as part of ongoing counterterrorism efforts through cooperation between the federal government of Nigeria and the United States,” Tambuwal said. “I urge our communities to remain calm and law abiding as relevant authorities clarify the circumstances surrounding the operation.”
READ ALSO:US Dept Of War Shares Video Of Air Strikes In Nigeria
Tambuwal assured constituents that he was engaging with relevant security agencies to obtain full details of the operation and to ensure that necessary things were in place to protect civilians.
“I wish to assure the people of Sokoto South that I am in active talks with relevant security authorities to obtain full details and ensure that all necessary safeguards are upheld,” he added.
The senator emphasised that counterterrorism operations were aimed strictly at criminal and terrorist elements threatening public safety, not innocent civilians who are often victims of insecurity. He stressed that the protection of civilian lives must remain central to all legitimate security actions.
He further called on community leaders, traditional institutions and residents to work closely with security agencies by sharing credible intelligence and resisting misinformation capable of causing fear or heightening tension.
News
Rep Moore Confirms 12 Tomahawk Missiles Launched In Sokoto
No fewer than 12 Tomahawk missiles were on December 25 launched against terrorists in Sokoto State by the United States military.
Rep Riley M. Moore, the lawmaker representing Virginia’s Second District in the Congress, confirmed this in an interview with Fox News.
The US military operated in Sokoto State on Christmas night, bombing terrorists killing innocent people in parts of Nigeria.
READ ALSO:Trump’s Airstrikes: Halt Military Cooperation With US Immediately – Sheikh Gumi Tells Tinubu Govt
Some security analysts claimed on Friday that the operation was unsuccessful and had no significant impacts on the targeted terrorists.
According to them, the airstrikes landed in safe places including farms where there was no history of terrorists’ hideout.
But details began to emerge on Friday night, indicating that several terrorists were killed during the joint operations between the US army and it’s Nigerian counterpart.
READ ALSO:Nigerian Ringleader Of Nationwide Bank Fraud, Money Laundering Jailed In US, Says FBI
Moore said: “This year, thanks to President Trump, Radical Islamic Terrorists were on the receiving end of 12 Tomahawk missiles as a present.
“The successful strikes on ISIS, in coordination with the Nigerian government, is just the first step to secure the country and end the slaughter of our brothers and sisters in Christ”.
DAILY POST reports that residents of Sokoto State have been panicking since the US military operation.
News5 days agoPHOTOS: New Era In Furupagha-Ebijaw As Okpururu 1 Receives Staff Of Office
- News4 days ago
UBTH CMD Marks 120 Days In Office, Expresses Commitment To Providing Conducive Working Environment
- News4 days ago
FIRS Confirms NIN As Tax ID
- News5 days ago
OPINION: Gumi And His Terrorists
- News5 days ago
FG Declares Public Holidays For Christmas, New Year Celebrations
- Metro4 days ago
Fintiri Pardons Man Sentenced To Death For ‘Killing Herdsman In Self-defence’, Others
- News5 days ago
OPINION: Christmas And A Motherless Child
- News3 days ago
JUST IN: Kano Lawmaker, Sarki Aliyu Daneji, Dies Hours After Colleague’s Passing
News4 days agoOPINION: My Man Of The Season
- News4 days ago
KWAM 1 Withdraws From Awujale Race, Ends Court Challenge
