POLITICS
We Inherited APC that was Collapsed – Gov Buni
….As Buhari Claims to have Impacted every Region
By Jude Opara, Abuja
The chairman of All Progressives Congress (APC) Caretaker Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) and governor of Yobe state, Mai Mala Buni, yesterday said they inherited a political party that had collapsed and ravaged by crisis from every corner.
Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has also claimed that his administration has impacted on every region of the country with one infrastructure or the other, based on the needs and peculiarities of the regions.
Speaking at the first National Youth Conference of the APC with the theme; ‘The Future Is A Decision’, which took place at the International Conference Center (ICC) in Abuja, Buni said the conference was holding at an auspicious time especially as the ruling-party undergoes complete rebirth, recovery, rehabilitation, rejuvenation and repositioning.
According to Buni, the future of APC and Nigeria generally depends on the youths, for which reason he said the CECPC cannot afford to discard the young people in the scheme of affairs, saying that; “We must invest in the youth for a better future for the party and country. Therefore, this conference and theme are both strategic and timely for a prosperous future for the party and our beloved country.”
On how the internal crisis of APC gave birth to the Caretaker Committee, Buni said; “I am pleased to say that collectively, we have rescued a troubled party that was heading towards imminent collapse and disintegration, to a very strong, solid, reliable and ever growing political party.”
The governor of Yobe State also commended the APC youths for cooperating with the party by remaining united to its course during her turbulent times, which he noted has translated into the rebirth of a new APC that now gives every member a true sense of belonging and pride as the largest political party in Africa.
“This also explains why the Caretaker Committee under my leadership took a deliberate position of engaging the youth in every process. As part of our strategic approach to youth engagement, a committee on youth, women and people with special needs was constituted during the membership registration and revalidation exercise.
“I am glad to say that reports reaching my office indicated that the active roles played by the youth contributed massively to the success of the membership registration and revalidation exercise. The decision for the future of this party and country cannot be at any other time better than now when the corporate unity and security in the country are being challenged.
“You should therefore exploit all available opportunities to assiduously work towards promoting national unity, democracy and dialogue. I assure you of the support of the party in investing in the unity and future of Nigeria”, he said.
The Chairman of the CECPC also explained that efforts are being put in place to approach the proposed National Congresses and Conventions with a united front so as to produce a strong leadership that would enjoy the support, trust and confidence of all members.
Also in his intervention, President Buhari, represented by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, said the APC government places a premium on the development of Nigerian youths economically and politically. He said the signing into law, the #Not too young to run Bill, has removed all hindrance for the youths to contest any electoral position of their choice.
On the security situation, Buhari who admitted that there are some security challenges across the country, warned that no criminal who has taken arms against the country would be spared, even as he said that results of such aggressive moves against criminals have started manifesting.
To this end, he charged the youths on the need to put behind the bitter experiences of the past, and ensure with one another irrespective of tongue, tribe or religion and work towards moving the country forward.
Also speaking at the conference, the Senator representing Imo West, Rochas Okorocha, charged the Nigerian youths to stop procrastinating but to take action to wrest power from the ruling elites.
The immediate past governor of Imo State who emphasized the need for the youths to be focused and rise to take their rightful place in the political scheme of the country, also cautioned that power is always taken and not given, hence the need for the young ones who will assure the future of the country to assume leadership roles.
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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