The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that the claim by Atiku Abubakar, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate in the 2023 elections, that he did not lose the election but stolen, was most comical.

Mr Felix Morka, the party’s National Publicity Secretary said this, in a statement on Tuesday in Abuja, while reacting to comments made by Abubakar on the outcome of the election.

Abubakar, also a former vice president, on his X handle, stated that he did not lose the 2023 presidential election, claiming the election was stolen from him.

Morka, in his reaction, described Abubakar as Africa’s most infamous presidential election loser, noting that since serving as vice-president, he had lost election to every elected president.

“Six times in the last 17 years, Nigerians have declared their verdict of untrust and lack of sportsmanship on Abubakar’s presidential candidacy, and roundly rejected him at the polls.

“Abubakar’s long record of electoral defeat was serially certified by Nigeria’s highest courts, sealing his rejection by the electorate with judicial and constitutional finality.

“However, a clearly unabashed Abubakar continues to lay a bogus claim that he did not lose the 2023 presidential election. That is beyond comical,” the APC spokesman said.

He said that this was so as the former vice president probably believed that he was cheated out of all previous five presidential elections that he also lost.

Morka added that Abubakar’s inability to come to terms with the reality of his rejection cuts an ominous portrait of extreme and disturbing political desperation.

He added that Nigeria’s intelligent and discerning electorate would not act against their best interest by electing Abubakar into office.

According to Morka, the former vice president is a central and recurrent player in some of our country’s most vile roll call of corruption scandals perpetrated by the PDP administrations.

“He was the vice president in the government that created crooked and viscerally corrupt petrol subsidy hydra-headed dragon that has crippled our country’s economy,

“And laid the foundation for the endemic corruption and inefficiency that have undermined our power sector through the years.

“His desperation to be president can only be understood in the context of his determination to complete the full subversion of Nigeria’s economic life from where he left off as vice president.

“Nigerians will not entrust their country to someone who puts his selfish interest, and the interest of his cronies over and above the national interest,” Morka said.

He added that having demystified himself with his recent release of what he would have done differently if he was the president, showed that he had nothing to offer Nigerians.

Morka added that from Abubakar’s release, it was obvious that all he would had offered was his stale, tired, tested and failed economic ideas that were at polar relevance to the current existential economic challenges facing the country.

He added that the former vice president had a chance to execute whatever economic ideas he may have ever had, but failed to do so.

He further added that as vice president, Abubakar also failed to get his party, the PDP, to do so in all of its 16 years government.

“Abubakar thinks himself capable of fixing Nigeria but cannot fix the rot and hopeless dysfunction in his PDP,” the APC spokesman said.

He urged Nigerians to be steadfast in support of the APC-administration of President Bola Tinubu and valiant efforts to restore vitality to our economy for the good of all Nigerians.(NAN)

Gov. Abdullahi Sule of Nasarawa State, on Tuesday submitted N156.5 billion supplementary appropriation bill for 2024 fiscal year to the State House of Assembly for approval.Mr Danladi Jatau, the Speaker of the House, announced this during plenary in Lafia.He said that the supplementary appropriation bill would enable the state government to provide the much needed dividends of democracy to the people of the state.

Mr Suleiman Azara, the Majority Leader of the House, moved a motion for the bill to scale first reading which was seconded by the Deputy Minority Leader, Mr Onarigu Onah Kana. The Assembly read the bill and unanimously passed it through the first Daily Asset recalls that in Dec.2023, the House approved N199.8 billion budget the for 2024 fiscal year.The supplementary appropriation bill if approved, would take the Nasarawa State Government 2024 budget to N356.5 billion. ( NAN)

Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Economic and Financial Crimes commission (EFCC) to immediately release of former Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta.The party’s Deputy National Deputy Youth Leader, Timothy Osadolor, made the call at a news conference on Tuesday in Abuja.Operatives of the anti-graft agency had confirmed the arrest of Okowa, the PDP vice-presidential candidate in the 2023 general elections.

According to EFCC, Okowa was arrested when he reported at its Port Harcourt directorate. The former Delta governor was arrested for allegedly diverting N1.3 trillion being proceeds of 13 per cent derivation funds that accrued to the state during his tenureOsadolor described Okowa’s detention by EFCC as political witch-hunting, persecution and another method of silencing the opposition parties, saying that this was not good for democracy.He said Okowa had been working free until the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, started criticising government policies.“It is surprising that a man who came to the EFCC office himself was detained and till now, he is still in detention.“The man was not evading arrest. He is a global figure and he is being robed with humongous figures which is not true.“Delta state government has not said that its money is missing.“EFCC is playing the role of a litigant and that of the prosecution, and going to the media with an investigation that was purportedly ongoing.“The development is very dangerous and we must condemn it,” he said.Osadolor said that some former governors and leaders of the ruling party were having some financial management allegations against them and yet walking freely.“What is the difference with what has happened in the case of Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa if not mere politics.“Okowa should be released while media trials and embarrassment of opposition leaders must stop.“We should also know that there is a pattern, from the arrest of Okowa, by next week, EFCC may go after Gov. Godwin Obaseki of Edo.“This is a plan targetted at opposition leaders in the country.“We are not saying that political office leaders should not be called to account but it should be devoid of political sentiments,” he said.Osadolor advised the anti-graft agency not to see itself as an extension of the ruling party or the presidency, but a neutral, independent body that investigates financial crimes.“We are also calling for a total overhaul of the EFCC Act so that no president, no matter how powerful he is, can appoint directors for the commission.“Let the judiciary or the senate be the one that will appoint the chairman or board members of EFCC.“It should be removed from the exclusive control of the presidency,” he said.(NAN)