POLITICS
PDP Guber Aspirants Thank Saraki for Zoning Slot to Kwara North
From Alfred Babs, Ilorin
The eight Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gubernatorial aspirants in Kwara State on Tuesday thanked the former Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki and the party stakeholders in Kwara Central and Kwara South for agreeing to zone the PDP gubernatorial ticket to Kwara North.
Rising from a meeting held at the residence of Alhaji Bio Ibrahim, former Minister of Works, the aspirants said in a letter of appreciation to Dr.
Bukola Sararki, that the party leaders in Kwara Central and South that thanked the PDP for considering the zone to produce the next governor of the state.The letter was signed by all the eight gubernatorial aspirants from the zone who included: Rt Hon.
Bio Ibrahim, Hon. Aliyu Ahman Patigi, Ambasador Gana Yisa, Hon. Isa Bawa, Alhaji Abubakar Musa, Alhaji Ndanusa Adam, Barrister Saadudeen Alikinla and Hon Zakari Mohammed.The Aspirants said; “We the under listed PDP gubernatorial aspirants from Kwara State wish to thank and appreciate the leadership of our party, the People’s Democratic Party and the entire members of our great party in the state and in particular, the critical stakeholders from Kwara Central and Kwara South for unanimously zoning the PDP gubernatorial slot to Kwara North.
“We are greatly indebted to our leader, Dr Bukola Saraki for his leadership role in ensuring that the zoning became a reality. This singular gesture of call for ensuring equity, fairness and justice will strengthen our party and undoubtedly will be a panacea for our victory in 2023.
“With this zoning, the entire people of Kwara North are committed to fully support-the candidate and party massively voting for the party in 2023 general elections”, they said.
In an earlier statement, the leading group for the agitation of governorship seat to Kwara North, Kwara North Stakeholders Consultative Forum (KNSCF) said it appreciated the former Senate President, Bukola Saraki, the Kwara Central and Kwara South leaders for unanimously conceding the governorship tickets for 2023 to Kwara North.
The Chairman of the group, Comrade Abdullahi Lade, said that, “the development is a confirmation that our unity as a people is non negotiable and our brothers from Kwara Central and South are truly men of honour.”
“It was with joy and happiness that we received the news of agreement between Kwara Central and Kwara South that Kwara North should be considered to produce the next governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party on the tenet of justice, equity and fairness, no doubt our brothers from the other two senatorial districts have proven to be men of their words, of honour and integrity.
“I want to categorically state here that, this development shall further strengthen our brotherhood bond and thereby work collectively to reclaim Kwara for prosperity. As the unity and love grows among us, so shall our socio-political and economic development grows.
“We are assuring our party leadership, stakeholders and the entire Kwarans that we are going to give you a Kwara State governor that will be for the entire state, a governor that will proffer solutions to economic, security, and social problems of the state.
“It is also pertinent to note that the journey has just began, our party leaders and the entire Kwarans should not relent in giving us useful advices, support and prayers that will make this Agenda a success. Kwara North cannot do it alone, together we can have a Governor for all and a prosperous Kwara.
“We appreciate our dear leader, the President of the 8th Senate, Federal Republic of Nigeria, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, CON, for providing an uncommon leadership and sustainability of the party both at the state and the national level. He has shown to us in all fronts what genuine and selfless leadership means,” Lade said.
The Abia Chapter of the INEC Staff Welfare Association (ISWA) has warned its members to uphold the integrity of the commission and guard against the culture of manipulating election results.
The Abia Chairman of the association, Mr Collins Eze, gave the advice at the group’s general meeting and end-of-year party in Umuahia.
Speaking in an interview with newsmen on the sideline of the ceremony, Eze said that the staff members were adequately aware of their enormous responsibility and should ensure free, fair and credible elections.
He said: “We have also told our colleagues that anywhere they find themselves they should make sure that they do the needful by ensuring transparency in the conduct of elections.
“We have always told them not to allow anybody to induce them with money to manipulate election results.
“I’m happy that they have been building the capacity of our colleagues on election processes.
“So, in the coming years, we won’t have any problem in ensuring free, fair and peaceful elections.”
He said that the end-of-year party was special as it afforded them the opportunity “to wine and dine together as well as thank God for sustaining them in 2024”.
Eze said that his leadership had introduced various means of assisting members in dire financial needs by providing platforms to solicit suppory for them.
He expressed gratitude to members for their support and cooperation, describing them as the “secret behind the success of this administration”.
He said that 34 of at least 350 staff members of the commission in the state retired from service in 2024.
According to him, the development has placed a huge financial burden on the association, in terms of their welfare and entitlement as members.
Report says that each member received a carton of tomato paste as Christmas gift from the association. (NAN)
A chieftain of All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has told the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to be thankful to God that its 16-year administration was not probed by the successive APC-led governments.Okechukwu stated this on Tuesday in Abuja, while reacting to a statement by PDP congratulating Ghanaians for the conduct of free, fair and transparent general elections.
Report says that PDP had, in a statement, said that the verdict of the people of Ghana in the presidential election was a signal to the APC that its days were numbered. The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, had said in the statement that the power of the people in Nigeria, just like in Ghana, would ‘surely prevail and end the APC’s oppressive rule’.This, he said, would “return Nigeria to the path of good governance, security, political stability and economic prosperity on the platform of the PDP in 2027.”However, in his reactions to Ologunagba’s statement, Okechukwu said that the PDP clan should thank God that former President Muhammadu Buhari and President Bola Tinubu, out of sheer statesmanship, had refused to probe ‘the 16 locus years of PDP administrations’.Okechukwu, a former Director-General of Voice of Nigeria (VON), described the 16 years of PDP administrations as ones full of squandering and lack of plan.He said that Nigeria had yet to recover from the humongous culture of impunity and trust deficit planted by PDP on the Nigerian soil.Okechukwu said corruption was among the culture of impunity, saying it governed the privatisation of Nigeria’s electricity value chain, a key element in the country’s industrialisation drive.“Another is the blatant rigging of the 2007 general elections which the foremost beneficiary, President Umaru Yar’Adua, out of good conscience and noble magnanimity, publicly acknowledged the malfeasance which characterised his victory,” he said.Okechukwu also mentioned what he called conscienceless sale of the legislative and ministerial quarters, the annual rentage of which, he said, was bleeding the country’s treasury.“Another one is the neglect of $23 billion Greenfield Refinery, which could have saved over $70 billion expended on importation of refined petroleum products and which simulated the economic hardship of today,” he said.On why, for nine years, the APC administration could not fix those challenges, he recalled the efforts made by the Buhari administration to reopen talks on the Greenfield Refinery which, according to him, the Chinese regrettably rebuffed.The former VON director-general said that Nigerians were not in a hurry to forget the deliberate breach of the rotational convention of president from the north to the south.He said that the country could not also forget the utter disregard for Section 7 of the PDP’s constitution which expressly mandated zoning.Okechukwu advised the PDP not to insult the sensibilities of Nigerians by assuming that citizens would easily forget how they were put in the harms way.He said that PDP should thank God that Buhari and Tinubu did not want to probe them, adding “that’s why Nigerians cannot decipher the difference between the two political parties.” (NAN)
Sen. Ned Nwoko (PDP-Delta) says that Local Government Administration is central to democracy in Nigeria as it ensures grassroots governance and service delivery at the local level.This is contained in a statement signed by Dr Michael Nwoko, the Chief of Staff to the lawmaker in Abuja on Monday.Nwoko said this on the occasion of the presentation of an award “Icon of Hope” to him by the Association of Local Government Vice Chairmen of Nigeria (ALGOVC).
He was represented by his Chief of Staff. He said that the importance of local government administration in the country could not be overemphasised, as it was the bedrock of democracy.According to him, local governments in Nigeria play key roles in the country’s democracy by promoting participatory democracy, providing services, and representing citizens.“Local Governments help determine local needs and how to meet them. They also act as a link between the centre, state, and local people.“They are created to decentralise power and bring the government closer to the people. They perform both mandatory and concurrent functions.“It is in view of this that I took it upon myself to enhance the viability of local governments through the Paris and London club loan refunds,”he said.Dr Folashade Olabanji-Oba, ALGOVC National Chairman, while presenting the award at its 7th Annual National Conference, said the award was in recognition of the lawmaker’s significant contributions to strengthening local government administration.She highlighted Nwoko’s critical role in ensuring the Paris and London Club loan refunds, a financial breakthrough she said enhanced the capacity of local governments nationwide.(NAN)
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