POLITICS
Fulani Groups Pick APC Presidential Forms for Jonathan
.Promise him block 14m Votes
. Say it’s Payback for his pro-herders and Almajiri Programmes in Govt
Senate President, Sylva Join Race Too
By Jude Opara, Abuja
The rush for the presidential nomination forms of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the 2023 general elections continued on Monday with a northern group, buying the form for former President, Dr.
Goodluck Jonathan. This happened even as the former president is not known to be a member of the ruling party. Jonathan ruled the country for six years on the platform of the current main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP)On the same day, the Senate President, Dr.
Ahmed Lawan and the Minister of State for Petroleum, Chief Timipre Silver also got their own Expression of Interest and Nomination forms.Jonathan who has been speculated to join the presidential race had his nomination forms obtained for him by a Fulani group which said they are Almajiris and Fulani elders.
Leader of the group, Ibrahim Abdulahi told newsmen that they decided to buy the forms for the former president because of his outstanding leadership qualities and most importantly, the good gesture he showed to them while in office.
“I represent two of the most vulnerable communities in our country, the Nomadic Pastoralists and the Almajiri communities who have decided to purchase this form for our former president, Dr. Goodluck Ebelle Jonathan, to come back and rule this country and continue with good work he has started.
“You may recall that during the Goodluck Jonathan era, he is the first president since Independence of Nigeria, who found it expedient and magnanimous enough to remember some of the vulnerable communities in this country, including the Almajiri community.
“He brought a comprehensive policy of reformation and integration of Almajiri into the mainstream educational system in Nigeria.
“It was the dream and the vision of President Goodluck Jonathan, that if that programme has continued would one day, produce from the Almajiri system of education, doctors, engineers, unlike what obtains today.
“Unfortunately, that programme was kept aside as soon as he left.
“The other part of the vulnerable community that Goodluck Jonathan wanted to really, you know, give a sense of belonging was the Fulani community and Nomadic Pastoralists.
“Recall that he set aside N60 billion in the coffers of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) which was to be used to develop livestock in Nigeria. I believe that if government has continued with that programme, today, we will have been like Denmark, the Sweden, the whole of the entire Africa we could have been what Denmark is in Europe, in terms of livestock production, in terms of milk, in terms of beef, and so on.
“Now looking at this, you know the situation and of course the problems Nigeria is facing today. We believe that only a leader with that kind of, you know that kind of patriotism, a leader with that kind of fairness, a leader who is ready to give every Nigerian a sense of belonging can be able to rule this country. And that leader is Dr. Goodluck Jonathan.
Abdulahi added that they will not only stop at purchasing his nomination forms, but to also go ahead and campaign for him to win.
We are ready not only to purchase this form for President Goodluck Jonathan, but I want to assure you that our communities, the Nomadic Pastoralists have the voting power of about nine million votes plus the advisory who also can produce about five million, about 14 million, all we are asking other Nigerians is to give us at least two million and we are home and dry”.
When asked if Jonathan has agreed to run, the Fulani leader said; “As you may have heard, a lot of you know that interest groups have been coming out to urge him to come and contest but we felt that because of the deadline that was given whether he agrees or not, we need to purchase this form. Goodluck, Jonathan is not for himself, he is for all Nigerians.
“As a Nigerian whom we believe has the interest of this country at heart, he will accept us. You can see that we are almost late, you know coming to buy this form was not easy, we sol our cows. We were able to raise this fund just yesterday and we decided to come and purchase this one.
“We call on Nigerians to support this project, if you are talking about Goodluck Jonathan, I don’t think there is any aspirant so far that we have seen that can be compared in any way with him, unless if Nigerians are not serious or if we don’t want to reintegrate and unite in this country, unless if you want to continue playing the politics of religion and tribalism. You can see I’m a Fulani man coming from the far North, but I tell you, there is no Nigerian today that I can cast my vote for, there is no Nigerian today that I can campaign for except Goodluck Jonathan. He is the best candidate among all the candidates irrespective of where you come from, irrespective of your faith and irrespective of your region”.
Abdullahi further urged all the other aspirants to show patriotism and step down for Jonathan to “heal the country” in 2023.
Also, the Senate President, Ahmed Lawan who obtained his forms through his friends and associates including senators and members of the House of Representatives led by Sam Nkire said the APC decided to jettison zoning because the rival Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have refused to zone its ticket to the South.
Speaking after collecting the documents, Nkire who is a foundation member of the APC in Abia state said they decided to come and pick the forms because they are convinced that Nigerians are in need of a new president who can deliver the dividends of democracy to them.
“We are here you can see beside and behind me Senators and senior members businessmen and politicians who are members of the APC and some other Nigerians who want a new president.
“And that new president they are seeking is Alhaji Ahmed Lawan, the current president of the Senate of Nigeria.
“We want the Senate President to be the president of Nigeria for national stability one, and a president that we are bringing for the Nigerian people is a Nigerian president, not an Igbo president, not a Fulani president, not a Yoruba president. But a Nigerian president who we have watched and see that there would be no other candidate that will be so level-headed and someone who has the feeling of the poor Nigerians”.
When asked to react to the clamour for the presidency to be zoned to the South, Nkire said; “Let me tell you, every politician is in politics to win. It is PDP that is driving us to do this. We have to say so. But we don’t want PDP to take the government from us. If you give the position to a southerner and PDP gives to a northerner, APC will go into the wilderness and we are not ready to go into the wilderness”.
Meanwhile, Chief Sylva who addressed the media after his forms were presented to him by his supporters said, “I feel very honoured and humbled for the show of love and this show of commitment not to me, but to Nigeria. I have tried my best since I was appointed by Mr. President to this office to do my service to Nigeria. But to realize that my efforts have been noticed by you Nigerians and that you Nigerians by yourself will go and take the trouble of obtaining the nomination and the expression of interest forms for me is very humbling. And I must also say that it is very shocking at the same time.
“But I’m very happy and pleased by this gesture. So what I will do now, I will not give you a straight answer right now. But I’m really thankful for what you have done because I need to consult I need to consult my constituency and consult leaders of this country and then I’ll come back to you to let you know if I have taken the position also to run for this office. I thank you very much. So you’ll give me a very short time. I will start right away with the consultation. I will go to my leader, for example the Ijaw Leader Sir SK Clark, I will talk to him. I will also consult other leaders of the country and I will get back to you.”
Suleiman Abdullahi, spokesman of Northern Solidarity group for Timipre Sylva who presented the form to the Minister of State for Petroleum said, “We picked this presidential nomination forms to surprise the former governor of Bayelsa state, Chief Timipre Sylva, to contest for the presidency of this country, which we found him capable to do. We are his fans from the Northern part of Nigeria.
“Nigerians can see from his antecedents from the state level to the federal level that he has garnered necessary experience and well acceptable across the country. So we know that his chances of withe ticket of the APC is brighter.”
So far, some of the aspirants that have picked their forms include: Sen. Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Prof. Yemi Osibanjo, Rotimi Amaechi, Sen. Godswill Akpabio, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu, Sen. Chris Ngige and Sen. Rochas Okorocha.
Others include; Gov Mohammed Badaru, Prof. Ben Ayade, Gov. Dave Umahi, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, Emeka Nwajiuba, Sen. Ken Nnamani, Yahaya Bello, Godwin Emefiele, Ahmed Sani Yerima, Ajayi Borriface, Mrs Uju Ohnenye, Pastor Nicholas Felix Nwagbo, Dimeji Bankole and Aishat Alubankudi, Sen. Ibikunle Amosu, Pst. Tunde Bakare and Com. Adams Oshiomole.
From Joseph Amedu, Lokoja
A Youth Advocate on grassroots advancement, Andrew Ochika has urged the newly elected chairman of Dekina Local Government Area in Kogi state, John Ura Ikani to key into Governor Usman Ododo’s development agenda.Ochika in an interview with Our Correspondent, said that the call has become necessary to boost accelerated development down to rural communities in Dekina Local Government Area.
Ochika, a member of Okoyi Community Youth Development, lamented lack of basic infrastructure in Dekina Local Government Area saying that the new Chairman has all it takes to deliver on his mandate and correct the anomaly. The Youth Advocate, who described the overwhelming victory of the Chairman in the just concluded council polls as well deserved, called on him to strive to justify the confidence reposed in him through the provision of democracy dividends to all communities in the local government area.According to him “the new Chairman, John Ura Ikani was a tested leader who performed excellently as Care-taker Chairman. I believe that now that he is elected as executive chairman, he has the capacity to deliver better than before”He urged the Chairman to sustain his tempo in grading of rural roads, provision of health facilities, rural electrification and drilling of bore-holes to ensure potable water supply in the area.He called on the people of the local government to cooperate with the Chairman in his efforts to uplift their living standards.
Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, National Chairman, Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC) has appealed to political parties, candidates, and supporters to maintain peace during the governorship election in Ondo State.
Yakubu made the appeal while monitoring the 2024 Ondo State Mock Accreditation held on Wednesday across the three senatorial district of the state.
Report says that INEC is scheduled to conduct the Ondo State Governorship Election on Nov.
16, 2024, with 18 political parties to participate in the election.The INEC chairman, who said that the exercise was part of the commission’s preparation, said the maintenance of peace would enable the commission to conduct a free and fair election.
He also said that the mock accreditation was to further test the functionality of their system.
“In the last election, our machines performed optimally but we can not take that for granted.
“We will ensure that all the polling units open on time so that voters will not come and wait for INEC officials and materials.
“And we have tested the integrity of the machines, it is not the matter of early deployment, but also early accreditation.
“We are doing our best as an electoral commission and others should also do their best, particularly political parties and their candidates.
“I want to appeal to political parties, candidates and their supporters to ensure that they maintain the peace that will enable us to deploy and conclude the process in good time.
“And also to announce the candidate people of Ondo State are choosing as their governor on Saturday,” he said.
Earlier, Mr Usman Isiaka Taiwo, who was accredited at the Ijapo High School, Akure, Ward 4 Unit 41, applauded INEC for the conduct.
“There is no delay in the exercise, and I will come along with my family to cast our votes for the candidate of our choice,” he said.
Also, Mrs Adebimpe Bankole, who was accredited at Alagbaka Primary School, Akure, Ward 5 Unit 18, scored INEC 80 per cent for the mock exercise.
“I am satisfied with the process because I did not waste any time before I did my accreditation.
“I would have given them 100 per cent but I can’t, rather I will give them 80 per cent because they have done well.
“By Gods grace, I will come out on Saturday, Nov. 16 for the election proper to cast my vote,” she said.
The INEC national chairman visited Ijapo High School, Akure, Ward 4 Unit 41; and Alagbaka Primary School, Akure, Ward 5 Unit 18.
Ward 10 Unit 12 in Owena, and Ward 10, Unit 1, Aiyetoro/ Owena, Idanre Local Government Area in Ondo Central Senatorial District, were also visited.
Yakubu also visited two Local Government Area offices of the commission including Ile-Oluji/ Okeigbo in Ondo North Senatorial District. (NAN)
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)
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