Politics

Why I Want To Be President Of Nigeria – Tinubu [Full text]

Published

1 year ago

February 23, 2023

All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate Bola Tinubu on Thursday penned an open letter to Nigerians ahead of the Saturday’s election

The former Lagos governor and co-founder of the ruling party won the presidential ticket at the special convention June 2022.

Despite rumours about his health and fitness, Tinubu campaigned across the country, promising Nigerians a better life.

In his letter on Thursday, the former Senator hailed the “enthusiastic crowds” that trooped out to receive us him and other APC leaders.

Tinubu said from his interaction with the people all over the country, the APC despite challenges, “enjoys tremendous goodwill among the vast majority of our people”.

The full text below:

“In all the states we have visited, there are visible landmarks of the huge impact the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has made in terms of infrastructural development in the form of rural and urban roads and expressways, modern railway tracks, as well as improved airport facilities, among others.

“Millions of our poor and vulnerable people have benefitted from the various social intervention programmes of the Buhari administration. The amounts disbursed to these categories of our people are unprecedented in terms of the sheer transfer of resources to the less privileged sections of the population not only in our country but in Africa.

“It is remarkable and ironical that those who were in power for 16 years earned far higher revenues from petroleum than we did and yet were unable to effectively tackle neither infrastructure nor poverty. They now have the temerity to cast aspersions on the APC administration.

“Our campaign tours demonstrated clearly to us that you, our people, are not deceived. Of course, we are aware of the hardships suffered by our people and the challenges confronting our country. Some of these could have been mitigated by better conceptualized and articulated policies. The truth is that there can be no perfect government in any human community.

“Some of the problems are also of global origin such as the unanticipated COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted economies worldwide or the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war that has disrupted global food and fuel supply chains.

“It is clear to me that there is a lot that the Buhari administration has done that are laudable in the areas of infrastructure, agriculture and poverty alleviation. We must build upon these achievements. There are also some sectors where we must adopt new approaches and stress new priorities.

“What is clear is that the Office of the President of Nigeria is not one of pleasure. Rather, it will demand the highest standard of hard work, discipline, focus, determination and commitment on the part of the next President.

“I pledge solemnly that my Vice-President and I will dedicate ourselves wholeheartedly to working for the greatest good and happiness of the greatest number of Nigerians.

“Senator Shettima and I have outstanding records of high performance in public office as Governors of our states. In Lagos, where I served as Governor for 8 remarkable years, I led a team of talented, hardworking, creative, intelligent and purposeful people that recalibrated governance and set new standard in good governance that continues to propel the state to greater growth and development till date.

“That Lagos State is the 5th largest economy in Africa didn’t happen by chance. It is a product of consistent hardwork and creative leadership. We seek to demonstrate on national scale that energy and capacity that transformed our states to bring prosperity to all Nigerians.

“Our administration will work to ensure not just a farewell to poverty but also usher in an era of prosperity in our country. To achieve this, we will re-engineer our security architecture to enhance the capacity of our armed forces and security agencies to guarantee the safety of the lives and properties of our people.

“This will enable our farmers to return fully to their farms with the resultant increase in food production and affordability. We will initiate measures to boost the revenue earnings of our farmers and improve the standard of living in our rural areas, home to the vast majority of our people.

“We will task our ingenuity to drastically enhance the country’s revenue generating capacity so that we can adequately fund and fundamentally improve the quality of social services in education, healthcare and housing, among others.

“We are determined to ensure that incessant strikes by unions in our public universities become a thing of the past. We will make facilities and welfare packages in our health sector compare with the best in the world so that many of those health professionals who have migrated to other lands will be attracted back home. Ensuring adequate and uninterrupted electricity will be one of our cardinal priorities.

This will help boost the performance of the industrial sector and create jobs on a massive scale for our teeming youths. We shall put in place a robust and virile credit system so that more people can acquire the basics of life such as housing, cars and household equipment and pay gradually. That will have the immediate effect of reducing the motivation to resort to corrupt means of wealth accumulation.

“To fight corruption, we will also provide better welfare and motivation to the judiciary to perform its functions with integrity while we will also enhance the autonomy of the anti-graft agencies and provide them the necessary incentives to make them less vulnerable to corrupt inducement.

“We are of the firm belief that Nigeria is too endowed and blessed for any of our citizens to live in abject poverty. We are a hardworking and talented people destined for greatness. We are determined to offer the visionary and creative leadership to help actualize Nigeria’s immense potentials.

“We do not delude ourselves that we are supermen with the magic wand to miraculously solve all our country’s problems. But what I solemnly pledge is the determination to select the best and brightest talents in Nigeria to help our country achieve her manifest destiny for the good of her people and the glory and pride of the black man.

“To help actualize this, I urge you to turn out in large numbers on Saturday to vote for Kashim Shettima and I on the platform of the APC.”

Politics

Edo Poll: LP Group Hails Tinubu For Adhering To Zoning, Says Party Has Murdered Sleep In The State

Published

1 day ago

May 2, 2024

Editor

A pressure group known as Shine Your Eyes Group, ( SYEG), Thursday, commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the leaders of the All Progressive Congress, APC, in Edo State for adhering to the principle of fairness, equity in the choice of it governorship candidates and running mate.

The group in a statement signed by its Chairman, Comrade Jonah Ifada and Secretary Osagie Omoregie, and made available to INFO DAILY late Thursday night, said the LP has murdered sleep in the state when the leadership of the party decided to go against the core principle of fairness, equity and justice by throwing a candidate from Edo South in a skewed primary.

The group members who are members of the LP in the state, was apparently reacting to a news report by the Benin Youth Council, (BYC), on Wednesday where its appealed to Barrister Ken Imansuangbon to sheath his sword and join hands with Olumide Akpata in his governorship bid.

Shine Your Eyes Group said Akpata should rather step down to a more popular Imansuangbon to avoid embarrassment at the September 21st governorship election in the state, noting that it is not the turn of Edo South.

The group argued, “Look at what President Tinubu and the leadership of APC did in Edo State. They decided to abide by the principle of fairness, equity and justice which are fundamental to any development just like what the PDP did. The Labour party should have taken a cue from the APC.

“Are you saying Olumide Akpata is more popular than great and experienced politicians like Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Lucky Imansuen and others who decided to drop their ambition in support of zoning? Akpata should do the needful and step down for Imansuangbon now and save the Labour party from shame. Imansuagbon has vowed to fight his case to a logical conclusion”, SYEG noted.

Recall that Imansuangbon had gone to court to challenge the emergence of Olumide Akpata as the candidate of the Labour Party.

Imansuangbon, in his petition, stated that Mr Olumide Akpata committed offences ranging from giving false information to the acquisition of citizenship of another country, which is a grand departure from the Nigerian Constitution’s accepted norms

The educationist wanted the court to determine whether Akpata “has not supplied or otherwise given false information to the INEC within the meaning or contemplation of the provisions of section 29(5) of the Electoral Act 2022 read together with section 182(1) (a) and (j) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended), among other allegations.”

Politics

Edo Poll: Youth Leader Tackles Orbih, Shaibu Over Anti-Ighodalo Stance, Wants Them Suspended

Published

2 days ago

May 1, 2024

Editor

The Deputy National Youth Leader of the Peoples Democratic Party, Timothy Osadolo, has called on the leadership of the party to suspend the National Vice Chairman, South-South of the party, Dan Orbih, and other members of the Legacy Group, including former deputy governor, Philip Shaibu, who have vowed to work against the party in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.

Osadolo said the declaration by Orbih and the members of the Edo PDP Legacy Group was tantamount to anti-party activities, saying they should be sanctioned.

The Edo PDP Legacy Group had met in the three senatorial districts of the state with the latest on Sunday in Irrua, Esan Central Local Government Area of the Edo Central Senatorial District, where they declared their reservations on the way Governor Godwin Obaseki had treated them after they helped him to realise his second term ambition in 2020.

The group, which has the former deputy governor, Shaibu, former Speakers of the state House of Assembly, Kabiru Adjoto and Frank Okiye, in its ranks, vowed to work against the party and its candidate, Asue Ighodalo, if their grievances were not addressed.

Orhib said, “With all that is before us today, it is not about the PDP, APC or Labour Party. What is before us is the future of Edo State. Whoever will address the problems of our people and give our people a strong sense of belonging is the person we are going to vote for. Let us pray to God to give us the wisdom and direction we must go. We cannot be fooled a second time.

“About two days ago, I saw my name in a campaign council and I have come out clearly to decline to serve in the Edo state PDP Governorship Campaign Council. My decision rests on how I feel. The members of the PDP are badly treated after the reelection of Obaseki.”

However, in a statement on Tuesday, the PDP National Youth Leader said Orbih and his group should be suspended for anti-party activities.

Osadolor said: “A few days ago, what seemed unbelievable happened in Ogbona, the village of Dan Orbih and a few hours later in Edo Central, where members of a group that fancies itself as Legacy Group within the PDP, organised a show where they declared their resolve to work against the PDP in the forthcoming governorship election in Edo State.

“As odious as this inconsiderate and unfortunate statement of theirs was, it was nothing compared to the disappointment, when you noticed that the leader of the pack is Orbih.

“This is a man that despite all PDP has done for him, and given him, has not been able to say thank you to the PDP by assisting in even producing a councillor in his ward. It is on record, the most miserable years of the PDP in Edo State were under his over-a-decade chairmanship, wherein the PDP lost elections.

“At the last NEC of the PDP, a disciplinary committee was set up by NEC. Moreso, the NEC gave the NWC powers to act on its behalf, pending the next NEC. Having heard the unfortunate comments by Orbih, where he openly said he would not be voting or working for the PDP to win and also asking people to do the same, it is important that the NWC do the needful by wielding the big stick on Orbih and his co-travellers.”

Osadolor said he was not surprised at the conduct of Shaibu, given that he was recently removed as deputy governor.

“The case of Comrade Philip Shaibu, a newfound ally of Orbih, can be explained, after all he has put himself through in these last few weeks, being human, can make one act in a diverse way.

“This is the time for PDP NWC to show Nigerians that it is a serious party that wants power and believes in the principle of justice, fairness and discipline. The time to start sanitising the PDP is now and a first bold step in this direction is to suspend Orbih for open anti-party activities,” he said.

Politics

Why Candidate Who Needs Interpreter Can’t Be Edo Gov – Shaibu

Published

2 days ago

May 1, 2024

Editor

A former deputy governor of Edo State, Philip Shaibu, has said any governorship candidate who can not speak the Edo dialect cannot govern the state.

Speaking during the Edo Central PDP leaders and stakeholders meeting held in Irrua, the administrative headquarters of Esan Central Local Government Area of the state on Monday, Shaibu said he would support only a homeboy to become the governor of the state.

He added that a candidate who needed the help of an interpreter did not qualify as a homeboy because of his inability to speak the dialect of the Edo people.

He stated, “Today, we have decided that a homeboy that we know will become the governor of Edo State. You already know that Edo born in Lagos State is not a homeboy.

“Is somebody who comes here with an interpreter a homeboy? So, if that is a minus it means we will look for a homeboy.”

Although Shaibu didn’t mention the candidate he was referring to, the governorship candidate of the PDP, Asue Ighodalo, had been under fire after he hired an interpreter to announce his intention to his kinsmen at a ward in Ewohimi, Esan South East Local Government Area of the state earlier.

Ighodalo was seen in a video when he met with his kinsmen.

In the video, Ighodalo, who was vying for the PDP ticket then, addressed the crowd in English Language to seek their support while an interpreter translated his words into the Esan Language.

Also speaking, the party’s National Vice Chairman, South-South Zone, Dan Orbih, vowed not to campaign for the party if the crisis in the party is not solved.

Orbih said the re-election of Godwin Obaseki has only brought pain and anger to members of the party and the people of the state at large.

“In Edo State PDP, all is not well. Until I see concrete steps taken by the PDP government in the state to address all those issues that we have raised in the cause of our campaigns, until I see concrete steps to address the promises we made to the Edo people, I will not be able to face anybody to say vote the PDP at the next election.

“If they can treat you the way they treated you, you can imagine what it will be if we allow them to continue. I can see pain and anger in the faces of our people and members. I can not pretend to say all is well and I have come out clearly to decline to serve in the Edo State PDP governorship Campaign Council. My decision is based on how I feel. Members of the PDP were badly treated after the re-election of Godwin Obaseki,” he stated.

Prior to the PDP governorship primary election, Obaseki and Shaibu, along with their supporters have been in disagreement over who will be the PDP’s candidate.

Ighodalo, however, emerged as the winner of the PDP primary election with Shaibu being impeached as the deputy governor of the state.

This, however, deepens the division within the state chapter of the party as opposition gathers within the party against Obaseki and the party’s candidate.