News / politics

I’ll step down if APC says so — Pastor Bakare at screening venue

A presidential aspirant on the platform of the All Progressives Congress, Pastor Tunde Bakare, has said he will step down from the 2023 race if his party so demands.

Bakare spoke on Monday with newsmen in Abuja at the venue of the screening of presidential aspirants of the APC.

On Monday, the screening committee, headed by former National Chairman of the party, John Odigie-Oyegun, screened former Lagos State Governor and National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu; former Governor of Ogun State, Senator Ibikunle Amosun; former Minister of Transportation, Chibuike Amaechi; Jigawa State Governor, Abubakar Badaru; and former Minister of State for Education, Chukwuemeka Nwajiuba. Others also screened were Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi; Felix Nicholas; Senator Ajayi Borroffice; former Senate President, Ken Nnamani; Uju Ken-Ohaneye; and former Governor of Zamfara State, Sani Yerima. Bakare told newsmen: “The party supremacy is the utmost essence.

“You cannot force your way through a party’s structure.

“The party has the final say.

“And when we get to that bridge, we will know how to cross it.

“The screening exercise is to check who is guilty and who is not.

“And it depends on the people, who are doing the screening.

“By God’s grace, we have complied with everything demanded for.

“We have supplied every information.

“And every information given is accurate and there is no miscommunication anywhere.

“Therefore, we will listen to what they have to say to us.

“And we trust God for accurate answers and deserving answers to all questions.”

On her part, the only female aspirant, Ken-Ohaneye, also said she would step down if the party asked her to do so, provided the party would be willing to carry on with her economic blueprints.

She said: “I want you to know that we are a family politically, and if I am asked by the party to step down, I will not challenge the party, because, like they say, charity begins at home.

“I will never see it as a problem to my party, because I am going to …

News / politics

Jonathan to APC, PDP: Your ongoing primaries a mess

Nigeria’s former President, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan, has castigated the country’s political parties for the mess they have made of their ongoing primaries for the 2023 elections.

The Peoples Democratic Party and All Progressives Congress are among the parties conducting their primaries now.

Jonathan, who spoke on Thursday in Abuja at the launch of a book titled: “Political Party Governance,” authored by Dr. Mohammed Wakil, a former Minister of State for Power, said: “These whole primaries going on across the country is a mess. “This is not a standard practice. “The process has failed.

“We cannot use the process to elect president, governors, senators and House of Representatives members and others.

“The process is already failed, which is not good for the country.

“But we will manage and move on.

“We pray that good people should come.

“I hope that what happened this year, 2022, will not happen again in this country.”…

News / politics

Abacha’s son wins Kano PDP governorship primaries

Alhaji Muhammad Abacha, son of former military leader, late General Sani Abacha, has emerged the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party for the 2023 general election in Kano State.

He polled 736 votes to defeat Jafar Sani-Bello, who scored 710 votes in the primaries, on Wednesday in Kano State.

Announcing the results, the Returning Officer, Hajiya Amina Garba, declared Abacha as the winner of the primaries having scored 736 votes.

The Chairman the Electoral Committee, Alhaji Mohammed Jamu, said the primaries were legally conducted with validly-elected delegates and supervised by the Independent National Electoral Commission, police and Department of State Services operatives.…

News / politics

APC primaries: I have reserved hotels with food for over 7,000 delegates — Osinbajo

The Prof. Yemi Osinbajo Campaign Organisation on Wednesday said that it would provide hotel accommodation for more than 7,000 All Progressives Congress delegates across the country during the party’s presidential primary election.

Senator Babafemi Ojudu, Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari, Office of the Vice-President, disclosed this.

Ojudu announced this to delegates in Minna, while wooing them to vote for Osinbajo during the party’s primaries.

He said: “Before you leave Minna to the national delegates conference, your hotel accommodations and other things will be provided for you to enable you to feel at home through out the delegates conference. “We have provided hotel accommodations for the more than 7,000 APC delegates to the presidential primary election.

“We don’t want a situation where more than one person will stay in a room.

“We want all of you to feel comfortable during the primary election.”

Ojudu said that there would be vehicles to convey the delegates to and fro the venue from their hotels and also a desk officer in each hotel to attend to the needs of the delegates.

“At the hotel, food will be provided and there will be a desk officer to attend to all your needs,” he said.

Ojudu said that the campaign organization would do everything possible to reward the delegates if Osinbajo is elected as the party’s candidate and by the grace of God emerges the president in the 2023 general election.

He said: “In the past our delegates have not been rewarded.

“Rather other people who did not contribute were rewarded with appointments and jobs.

“If Osinbajo is elected as promised, we are going to reward all of you with jobs and appointments.”

The News Agency of Nigeria reports that while Ojudu was briefing the delegates and newsmen, Osinbajo was having a closed door meeting with the state Governor, Alhaji Abubakar Sani Bello.

NAN also reports that after the meeting with Bello, Osinbajo met the delegates in a closed door before leaving Minna.…

News / politics

National Assembly to APC, Presidency, Governors: No going back on Direct Primaries

An extended tripartite committee of the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday met to discuss and resolve topical issues, particularly party primaries.

The meeting, held at the State House Banquet Hall, Abuja, was chaired by the Vice President, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN).

President Muhammadu Buhari had in August 2020 established a Tripartite Consultative Committee of the Executive, Legislature and Leadership of the APC with a view to fostering cordial and beneficial relationship among all.

The National Assembly, on Tuesday, passed the Electoral Act Amendment Bill 2021. Tuesday’s meeting had in addition to members of the tripartite committee representatives of APC governors and members of the National Assembly.

Governor Yayaha Bello Kogi State, who spoke with State House correspondents after the meeting, said the critical issues were resolved.

Bello said: “The takeaway is that the topical issues have been resolved.

“The legislature, the executive and our party.

“So it is a good resolution.

“I don’t think any legislator or anybody whatsoever as far as APC is concerned is afraid or has any reservation about any mode of primaries.

“The only concern is the implication of having only one option.

“In case an option fails, what happens?

“If for instance INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) sets a date for an election and say it is sacrosanct.

“For instance, today is September 9.

“If INEC is suppose to conduct election today and it says that day is sacrosanct, under no circumstance should it be shifted and a circumstance beyond your control arises, what do you do?

“It means there will be no election.

“Then, you are calling for anarchy.

“That is just the only concern of our people.

“And I think we are taking that head on and I think we are going to be good for whatever decision that will be taken at the end of the day.”

The governor said he belonged to the executive arm of the government and would not subscribe to meddling with the affairs of the legislature.

Bello said whatever decision the legislature had taken might have been …