Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has called on Nigerian youths to confront the challenges facing the country’s electoral process, including the manual collation of election results.Atiku stated this at the inauguration and conference of a political movement, Nigerian Youths for Atiku (NYFA) on Friday in Abuja.

The 2023 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate urged the youth to pressurise the National Assembly to amend the electoral law to allow for electoral collation of election result. According to him, it is doubtful if the current National Assembly will facilitate a new Electoral Act that allows for electronic collation of election results to be successful.He said that political leaders always did not want to improve the electoral process because they wanted to explore the loopholes in the process for their own advantage.He said that such would only continue if the youth allowed it.“I remember the last Turkish presidential elections. I was sitting and watching the results coming electronically.“By the Turkish constitution, you must score 50 per cent to be elected as a president.“The current president scored 49.5 per cent. There was no manual collation but they said he didn’t score 50 per cent,” he said.He further said: “We all know that in our arithmetic or mathematics we say if you get 49.5 you round it up to 50, not so?“That was what we were taught in school. They didn’t round it up to 50. Instead they ordered another round of election.“The guy who came third with about 4 per cent now endorsed the first candidate, and when the results were ccounted it came out exactly 49.5 plus 4 per cent and Erdogan was declared winner.”The former vice president noted that the collation was done all electronically, with no room for a manual coalition at the ward, at the local government, at the state.“No INEC chairman, commissioners writing result. There was absolutely nothing like manual collation. So, we really have a long way to go.“There are challenges but you must dedicate yourselves to confronting those challenges. If you don’t dedicate yourself to confronting those challenges you have no future,’’ he said.Abubakar, who said he had been in politics since his student days because he wanted a better future for Nigerian youth, urged them to rise up and defend their future.He emphasised that the youth must rise up and protect their future, saying their future was now in their hands.“At my time, what we wanted to see was a return to democracy. We fought the military. I was nearly killed. I went on exile. There is nothing they did not do to me.“What I wanted to see was a return to democracy. We have seen a return to democracy. But has democracy provided us what we were expecting it to provide us? No.“That now becomes your own responsibility. Ours is to guide you and give you the necessary leadership,’’ he said.Abubakar commended the leadership and members of NYFA for the honour done him, adding that the association was not just about him, but the advancement of Nigeria’s democracy.He urged the association to continue to contribute to the development of Nigeria’s democracy, particularly improving Nigeria’s electoral process.“This organisation is dedicated to the development of our youth, who are the future leaders of our country.“Don’t just see yourselves as youths but see yourselves as the leaders of this country in the future.“Commit and dedicate yourselves to the promotion and advancement of our democratic processes that will lead us to a much more united and prosperous country,’’ he said.In her remarks, NYFA President, Prof. Gold Emmanuel, described the NYFA, which birthed in 2024 after the 2023 general elections, as a way forward to shaping the future of the youth and generations to come.The Guest Speaker, Prof. Kolapo Eleka, a former Deputy Governor of Ekiti State, urged Nigerian youth to push for electoral reforms now, not after election malpractices had occurred.“For example, we must push for direct transmission of resources at polling units to curb and prevalent, dubious conditions at higher levels,’’ Eleka said.He also stressed the need for statutory backing for technology introduced to improve the Nigerian election process, especially electronic transmission of election result.Emmanuel, a Senior Special Assistant to Abubakar on Communications and Intelligence, pledged the association’s commitment to supporting the vision of Abubakar.“Today marks a significant milestone in our journey to mobilise, empower and amplify the voices of Nigerian youths in the political process.“We gather at a time when our nation is at the crossroads, facing numerous challenges that require the energy, creativity and idealism of our generation.“As NYFA, we are committed to supporting the vision of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.“He is a leader who has consistently demonstrated leadership, provide the necessary platform for us to realize our aspiration and build a better future for ourselves and our nation,’’ she said.Emmanuel urged NYFA members to remain committed to their core values of inclusivity, social justice, and democratic participation.She also urged them to work together to build a movement that was truly representative of the diversity, talent, and resilience of Nigerian youths.Also, NYFA Director of Communications, Mr Dare Dada, described Atiku Abubakar as a lover of youth worthy of emulation.Dare said the aim of NYFA movement was to galvanise Nigerian youth and make them to see that the future belonged to them.“What we are doing in NYFA is to bring the youth together, orientate them on their political strengthens, the need for them to come together and take the future in their hands in 2027,’’ Dare said.The highlight of the event was the inauguration of NYFA executives and state coordinators. (NAN)

President Bola Tinubu says the Federal Government plans to complete the 284 kilometre Kano-Jigawa-Katsina-Maradi rail project by 2026.Tinubu stated this on Friday in Katsina, at the inauguration of the Katsina State Agricultural Mechanisation Centre and a 24-kilometre Eastern Bypass, all established by the state government.

“Federal Government plans to complete the 284 kilometre Kano-Jigawa-Katsina-Maradi rail project by 2026. “When finished, the project will ease the transportation of persons and goods, thereby relieving the pressure on our roads,” he said.Tinubu also said that the government has awarded contract for the total rehabilitation of the Marabar Kankara-Dutsinma-Katsina Road.“Zaria-Hunkuyi-Dabai-Kafur-Malumfashi-Dayi-Gidan mutumdaya Road has also been awarded.“We are determined to deliver these roads on schedule,” the president vowed.He also assured the people of the state that the Federal Government would complete the remaining second phase of Katsina-Kano Road.“We have resolved the previous technical and bureaucratic challenges, work is ongoing,” Tinubu said.The president commended Gov. Dikko Radda for the giant strides in the agriculture and infrastructure development in the state.Radda thanked the Federal Government for providing for providing over 6,000 water pumping machines to irrigation farmers.He said that the state had spent over N2 billion on the purchase of 448,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser for farmers in 2024.Radda added that the government would on Monday launch the distribution of about 400,000 metric tonnes of fertiliser to the farmers for 2025.He also said that the government had increased the number of extension workers from 72 to over 778.(NAN)

A group of legal practitioners, under the auspices of Public Interest Lawyers (PIL), has called on United States of America to support the state of emergency in Rivers, declared by President Bola Tinubu.The group, led by Mr Beeior Orpin, made the call on Friday in a petition submitted to the U.

S Embassy in Abuja after a peaceful walk. Daily Asset recalls that Tinubu had declared a state of emergency in the state and suspended Gov. Siminalayi Fubara, Deputy Gov. Ngozi Odu and all members of the Rivers State House of Assembly for six months.Consequently, he announced the appointment of Retired Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas as the sole administrator of the state. Report also says that the emergency rule was declared following the face-off between the Fubara and the state assembly, resulting in threats of violence and protest by some stakeholders in the state.Orpin said that under Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution (as amended), the president had discretionary powers to proclaim a state of emergency if public safety and public order were in danger.He said that Tinubu had to wade in because Rivers, under the suspended governor, was on the verge of anarchy, following the demolishment of the legislative arm of government in the state.Orpin said that Nigeria and the United States shared similar democratic principles, saying that there was the need for shared support at a time like this.“Lives and property were in grave danger in Rivers before the president’s intervention. Since then, calm has returned and the process of enduring peace, law and order is in progress.“We thank the president for his timely action and request that the United States, as the bastion of democracy, support him to entrench law and order in our country,” he said.Also speaking, Ms Sandra Ezeoke, a member of the group, explained the rationale behind their decision to draw the attention of the American government to the proclamation of emergency rule in Rivers.Ezeoke said they were at the embassy because there had been lots of misconception about the action taken by Tinubu and the National Assembly.“The law is trite that any administrative action taken is valid until set aside by a court of law.“Right now, the administrative action that has been taken is the state of emergency declared by Tinubu and it remains valid until it is set aside by the court.“That matter is in court and it is not out of place, as members of the public, to start deciding upon it. We chose the US embassy because as we know, the father of democracy is a former president of the U.S.“We feel that if there is any country that is going to guide us properly because democracy is not an indigenous idea of Nigeria, it is going to be the U.S.,” she said.Report says that the inscriptions on some of the placards carried by the legal practitioners read: “Emergency rule in Rivers constitutional”, “Section 305 provides for emergency rule”, “Emergency rule in Rivers State is legal” and “Fubara demolished the legislature, it is a danger to democracy.” (NAN)