POLITICS

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POLITICS

Atiku’s Suit Lacks Merit And Bound To Fail – BMO

Abubakar Atiku’s suit challenging the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari is one that is bound to fail, as it lacks merit and is a waste of time of the Judiciary, according to the Buhari Media Organisation (BMO).

The group in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, stated that Atiku knew that he had no chance of victory even before the elections and is only attempting this suit to hoodwink Nigerians and ultimately waste the time of the country’s judiciary.

“The loser of the 2019 Presidential Elections, Atiku Abubakar has yet to wake up from his hallucination that he can steal a chance to defeat President Buhari in an election. Mr Atiku never had a chance at victory and would never.”

“If the Presidential elections were to hold ten times, Atiku would lose ten times to President Muhammadu Buhari.

“Atiku knew it, even before the elections were held, that he never stood a chance at beating President Buhari at the polls. He continues to allow marabouts and his paid praise-singers to sing him tunes of chances which he never had.”

BMO noted that Atiku’s loss at the 2019 Presidential Polls was evidence of Nigerians rejecting the former Vice President. 

“The majority of Nigerians have rejected Atiku. And he must come to terms with that. While we are not against his exercise of his constitutional right to seek justice in a court of law, we are insisting that Nigerians are aware that his claim to seeking a mandate in the court is only a pipe-dream as the entirety of his observations lack merit, are false and only a waste of time.”

The group noted that what the courts would eventually do, would be to stamp the authority of victory on President Buhari at the end of the day, adding that Atiku’s loss started at his polling unit where President Buhari beat him.

“The signs were very clear before the elections, during the elections, and with the eventual victory that President Buhari was the victor and had the popular appeal across the country. 

“Atiku’s rejection by Nigerians started with his own household.”

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POLITICS

Rivers AAC Deputy Governorship Candidate Withdraws From Race, Defects To PDP

The Deputy Governorship Candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) in Rivers State, Chief Akpo Bomba Yeeh has withdrawn from the ongoing 2019 Governorship Election in the state and announced his defection to the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP).

Addressing journalists at his home in Port Harcourt on Monday, Chief Yeeh said the reason for his decision is for him to support the state Governor and candidate of the PDP, Chief Nyesom Wike to move Rivers State forward.

In a three-page letter, Chief Yeeh alleged the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Ameachi of plotting to drag the state backwards and demanding monies for himself and the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission, Prof Mahmud Yakubu.

He wrote, “After due consultations with my immediate family, friends and supporters, I Chief Akpo Bomba Yeeh, the Deputy Governorship of the AAC for the 2019 Governorship election hereby resign my membership of the AAC and announce my defection to the PDP to join hands with Governor Wike to move the state forward “.

“I was the Deputy Governorship Candidate of the AAC in Rivers State up till today 25th March, 2019 , when I decided to withdraw my candidature and resign from the party with immediate effect.

“The March 9 , Governorship election in Rivers State has been lost and won; lost by my party, African Action Congress (AAC) and its Candidate, Engineer Biokpomabo Awara and undoubtedly and overwhelmingly won by the Governor of Rivers State, the candidate of PDP, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike “.

He said that despite the interference of the security agencies, Rivers people stood their ground and voted for Governor Wike.

He said: “The collated results further showed that contrary to the false claim of fictitious lead by the AAC/APC alliance, the PDP overwhelmingly won all the elections in 18 out of the 19 LGAs, culminating in the declaration and return of the party 26 House of Assembly Constituencies by the Constituency Returning Officers.

“This fact was confirmed on the 13th of March 2019, when INEC stated, as a matter of fact, that it had in it’s safe custody collated results for 17 Local Government Areas as well as the declaration of the PDP Candidates for 21 State Constituencies.

“The outcome of the elections on March 9, 2019 clearly showed the preference of the people of Rivers State. Even the blind can see and the deaf can hear the echo that Rivers people overwhelmingly voted to stick with Governor Wike for the next four years to encourage him to continue with the good works”.

The Former Deputy Governorship Candidate of the AAC informed that the Minister of Transportation forced him to sign a post-dated letter of resignation to be effective after their expected inauguration.

“I was forced to sign an un-dated letter of resignation as the Deputy Governor of Rivers State to pave way for Rotimi Amaechi to nominate another person as Deputy Governor.

“These were slavish conditions for any rational politician worth his name to accept, but I pretended to play along because doing otherwise at that time would have been too dangerous for the safety of my life, given Rotimi Amaechi’s desperation to remove Governor Wike from office and install his stooge in the person of Engr Awara against all odds”.

He said that though the AAC Campaign was never serious and never campaigned for the office of the position of Governor of Rivers State, Amaechi during the adoption of the party, said that he would fund the elections and do everything under the sun to give AAC victory at the polls.

He said: “Amaechi disclosed to us that he had already assembled security personnel drawn from the Nigerian Army, the Police, DSS and FSARS to provide adequate security cover and enablement for members of the AAC and APC to effectively rig the Governorship election and have us declared as winners on March 9 , 2019”.

He stated that the adoption and promise to deliver AAC was with conditions that conferred de facto governance on the Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi.

Chief Yeeh outlined the conditions: “First, he (Amaechi) must be the one to appoint 90 percent of all political office holders, including commissioners, Special Advisers, and chairmen and members of Government Agencies and parastatals.

“Second, he must be the one to nominate and produce all the 23 Local Government Council Chairmen and other principal officers of the councils.

“We, that is, Engr Awara and my humble self must consult and take instructions from him on all financial, policy and fiscal matters, as well as award and payment of all contracts and other financial transactions upon inauguration as Governor and Deputy Governor of the state”.

He added: “As a practicing Christian, I have come to the conclusion that the actions and desperate attempts by Amaechi and the AAC/APC alliance to rig the Governorship and State Assembly elections in Rivers State are both morally and legally wrong, reprehensible and inimical to the collective interest of the people of Rivers State.

“The Almighty God will not forgive me if I continue to lend my support to Rotimi Amaechi’s perfidy against the democratic rights of the people of Rivers State to freely elect their own leaders “.

He condemned the Minister of Transportation for unleashing violence on Rivers people in his failed attempt to rig the 2019 Rivers Governorship election.

In a swift reaction, Mr Martins Ibitamulo, a strong ally of the Ameachi-led caucus of the APC said the allegations of the former Deputy Governorship candidate are baseless and far from reality.

Speaking with InsightMedia on phone, he said Chief Yeeh withdrew from the race after being bribed by Wike.

“It’s true, he has resigned. He’s just doing the job of the money he received. He has been bribed by Wike and party of the agreement he has is to tarnish the image of Ameachi”, he said.

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POLITICS

El-Rufai: Atiku Could Only Win Kaduna In His Dreams

Kaduna State Governor Nasir el-Rufai on Friday said the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar’s claim that he won the presidential election in Kaduna State, could only happen in his dreams.

He spoke with State House correspondents after meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa to show that he was alive against the rumour of his involvement in car accident.

Reacting to the PDP’s claims of winning election in his state, he said: “Well, I heard about that. Initially, I thought it was a joke and when I checked I saw clearly that he said he won Kaduna. It must be in his dreams.

“Let me say this without any fear of contradiction, since President Buhari started contesting for the presidency since 2003, he has never lost Kaduna.

“So, PDP has never won elections in Kaduna from 2003, even with a sitting governor in 2003, 2007, 2011 and 2015.

“It has never happened. I don’t know what will happen that Atiku will win Kaduna in this election this time.

“He lost Kaduna, he lost very badly, even though about 100,000 votes he claimed to have got were added because elections conducted without card reader in some parts of the state, that’s how he even got up to the 400,000 that he got.

“He has lost Kaduna, he will always lose Kaduna. He will lose Kaduna 10 more times because he has never won Kaduna in any presidential elections.”

When reminded the results were said to have come from the INEC server, he said: “Well, I don’t know about INEC server, it must be Atiku’s server.

“I don’t know about INEC server, we don’t know how they had access to it. They will tell us during the tribunal proceedings what is this server and how they got access to it and how they got their numbers.

“You do not go to court in an election petition by quoting INEC server or any other server. Anyone can create a server, I can go and buy it, it is a piece of equipment and call it INEC server.

“But that does not mean that it amounts to anything, we are guided by the electoral act and the evidence act and other enabling legislation and he has to proof his case.

“But anyone can make claims, we live in the age of fake news and fake claims. Anyone can make claims but you have to proof it,” he said

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POLITICS

Just In: Tribunal Declares Ademola Adeleke Winner Of Osun Governorship Election

The Osun State Governorship Election Tribunal has declared the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ademola Adeleke, as the winner of the poll.

The tribunal, in its ruling, declared the Osun governorship election re-run illegal.

It stated that the exercise was borne out of an illegal cancellation of results in the polling units during the September 22, 2018 original poll.

The Returning Officers who declared the results cancelled, according to the Tribunal, lakced the power to do it.

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POLITICS

Supplementary Polls: I Am Confident Of Victory, Says Lalong

Executive Governor of Plateau State, Simon Lalong, has said he is confident of securing a second tenure ahead of the supplementary election slated for Saturday, March 23.

Lalong told newsmen on Thursday in Jos that the c oast was very clear for him because he needed “just 2,000 votes, out of 49,000, to secure victory”.

“We have 49,000 registered voters in the places that the election will be conducted and I am already ahead with more than 44,000 votes.

“I don’t see anything stopping my victory,” he said

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POLITICS

INEC To Hold Supplementary Election In Ibeju Lekki

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Lagos state says it has concluded arrangements for the conduct of the supplementary election in nine polling units of Ibeju-Lekki constituency 1.

The elections were declared inconclusive due to over voting in nine polling units covering two registration areas of the constituency.

In a statement on Thursday, the commission said it has met with all relevant stakeholders in the area including the political parties and affected candidates, Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) for the local government and other interested groups.

The statement noted that only voters with valid Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs within the constituency will be allowed into the polling units to vote.

The training of ad-hoc staff for the supplementary election has also commenced at the Registration Area Centres (RAC).

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POLITICS

Election Petition: 400 Witnesses To Testify For Atiku, Says PDP

National Legal Adviser of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Mr. Emmanuel Enoidem, has said that the party has assembled a powerful legal team that will challenge the victory of President Muhamadu Buhari at February 23rd presidential election.

This is just as the PDP’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, filed his petition before the election tribunal.

Alleged massive riggings, malpractices, and noncompliance substantially with the electoral laws are the grounds put forward by Atiku and the PDP as reasons for challenging President Buhari’s victory.

In the petition filed, Atiku and the PDP are praying that they be declared winner of the February 23 presidential election.

In the alternative, the two petitioners prayed the Presidential Election Petition Tribunal nullify the poll and order for a fresh election that will be conducted in lines with provisions of the electoral laws.

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POLITICS

Guber Re-run: Buhari Building A Legacy Of Political Correctness – BMO

President Muhammadu Buhari’s non-partisan stance on the forthcoming supplementary elections in some States is a clear departure from what Nigerians had experienced between 1999 and 2014.

The Buhari Media Organisation (BMO) said in a statement signed by its Chairman Niyi Akinsiju and Secretary Cassidy Madueke, that this is unprecedented and yet another reminder of the President’s vow to leave a legacy of a robust and credible electoral process.

“It is unthinkable that a sitting President would issue a public warning to members of his own political party that they should not expect him to arm-twist the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to favour the ruling party in the March 23 supplementary election.

“Ironically, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had been vocal in accusing President Buhari of interfering with the Commission’s independence with a view to conferring undue advantage on the All Progressives Congress (APC).
“This is because the political class is used to the PDP-era situation where one man sits in the comfort of the Presidential villa and determines the fate of politicians across the divide with the active support of the INEC leadership.

“Only recently, a former Vice President who flew the party’s flag in the 2019 President election boasted on national television how he used his privileged position to stop the re-election bid of former Anambra State governor Chinwoke Mbadinuju, regardless of the wishes of the electorate!”

The pro-Buhari group also noted that it was embarrassing that any APC leader or member would expect the President to manipulate the process to ensure victory for the ruling party in any of the States where gubernatorial re-run elections are slated to hold on Saturday.

It said: “There is no party member who could have forgotten so soon that President Buhari had in the course of the political campaigns, told Nigerians to vote according to their conscience.

“And his advice to APC leaders in States where supplementary elections are holding to work hard to earn the peoples votes, shows that the President is a statesman who would not trade his integrity for partisan consideration.

“It would be ideal for them to heed the advice and go the extra mile to earn their victory on March 23, rather than expect the President to force INEC to allocate imaginary votes for them”.

BMO also urged members of the opposition to desist from heating up the polity with unsubstantiated allegations against President Buhari in the run-up to the supplementary election.

This, it said, is because the President has no reason to now go back on his pledge that INEC would be completely independent and be free from any interference throughout the elections.

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POLITICS

I’ve Forgiven Theodore Orji, Says Kalu

Senator-elect for Abia North and former state governor, Chief Orji Kalu, said on Thursday that he had put his political enmity with his successor, Sen. Theodore Orji, behind him and was prepared to work harmoniously with him in the Senate.

Kalu said this in a telephone interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) correspondent in Umuahia, shortly after receiving his Certificate of Return from the Independent National Election Commission in Abuja.

He said: “I have forgiven him (Orji) for the benefit of Abia people and we are going to work as one family in the Senate in the interest of Abia and Nigeria.

“We are going to have a robust relationship in the Senate because the interest of Abia and Abians is uppermost to me.”

NAN reports that Kalu and Orji, who succeeded him in 2007 as Abia governor, had been arch- enemies for almost a decade due to political differences.

Kalu, who won the March 9 National Assembly polls, after two consecutive attempts, said that he would work assiduously to re-write the history of representation in his senatorial district.

“There is a lot of work to do for my constituency and we shall work to support the programmes of the Federal Government to ensure they succeed,” he said.

Kalu, who was a member of the House of Representatives in the aborted Third Republic, promised that the ninth Senate would reverse the unnecessary delay in the passage of the annual budget.

He said that the Senate would ensure that the Appropriation Bills received expeditious considerations, once they were presented by the president.

“The consideration and passage of budget estimates would not exceed three months. Once the president presents the bill in September, by December we would have concluded the consideration.

“By so doing, the budget would be ready by January for the president’s assent,” Kalu said.

He said that during the consideration of the budget, the ministers would be restrained from embarking on overseas trips.

“They must be available during the budget defence. They would not be allowed to travel overseas until the budget is ready,” Kalu said.

He said that his membership of the Senate would be remarkable, saying that he would strive to build harmonious relationship among all the ethnic nationalities in the National Assembly.

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POLITICS

INEC Fixes March 23 For Bayelsa Assembly Supplementary Poll

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), says it would hold House of Assembly supplementary election on March 23 in Bayelsa State, in areas where election was declared inconclusive in Feb. 23, poll.

Mr Wilfred Ifogah, Head of INEC Voter Education and Publicity in the state, disclosed this in a statement issued on behalf of the state’s Resident Electoral Commissioner, Mr Monday on Thursday in Yenagoa.

“The election will hold in five wards in Ogbia Local Government Area(LGA).

“It will also take place in two wards in Southern Ijaw LGA and one ward in Brass LGA,” he said.

According to him, the places where election will hold are: Otuokpoti, Ologi, Ayama and Okodi polling units in Ogbia constituency II, Ukube and Koluama units in Southern Ijaw constituency IV and some units in Cape Farmoso in Brass constituency I.

“INEC wishes to inform the people of the state, especially the critical stakeholders of the date for the conduct of supplementary election in the constituencies were election was declared inconclusive,” he stated.

NAN

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POLITICS

Oyo Gov-Elect Promises Inclusiveness

The Oyo State Governor, Senator Abiola Ajimobi has admonished the newly elected governor of the state, Mr Seyi Makinde to be wary of praise singers to have a productive tenure.

Governor Ajimobi gave the advice while receiving Mr Makinde and his entourage at the government house, Agodi, Ibadan.

The Governor urged the governor-elect to select quality people into his cabinet drive meaningful development to the state.

In a remark, the elect-governor, Mr Makinde explained that it was imperative for him to visit the sitting governor to tap from his wealth of experience.

He said that governor Ajimobi had done his best for the state.

Mr Makinde, who will be taking over the mantle of leadership in the state on the 29th of may this year, promised to run an all inclusive government to make Oyo state better.

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POLITICS

El-Rufai, Fayemi, Others Meet President Buhari over Inconclusive Elections

Six All Progressives Congress (APC) governors – Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna), Kayode Fayemi (Ekiti), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara), Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi), Yahaya Bello (Kogi) and Badaru Abubakar (Jigawa) Tuesday in Abuja held a closed-door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari over inconclusive governorship elections declared by INEC in six states.

The meeting was aimed at mapping out strategies to save four APC governors and two governorship candidates following the declarations of inconclusive elections in their respective states.

The affected governors are Bindowo Jubrilla (Adamawa), Ibrahim Ganduje (Kano), Mohammed Abubakar (Bauchi) and Simon Lalong (Plateau).

The two other states are Sokoto and Benue, whose Governors, Aminu Tambuwal and Samuel Ortom, had dumped the APC for opposition PDP last year.

The elections in these states were declared inconclusive by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) because the number of cancelled votes at the polls exceeded the margin between the winner and the runner-up.

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