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| Daily Trust Newspaper | 30th November 2022 | Reactions Trail CJN Comments On PDP Govs, Insecurity | The recent political statements by the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, have continued to attract mixed reactions with some analysts describing them as partisan. The CJN had said he was happy that his state governor, Seyi Makinde of Oyo, was among the G-5 governors, also known as the Integrity Group, which is calling for the removal of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) national chairman, Iyorchia Ayu. Ariwoola spoke last week at the commissioning of two buildings to accommodate the Federal Judicial Service Commissioner’s South-South Liaison Office and the Justice Mary Peter-Odili Judicial Institute in Port Harcourt, Rivers State. Reacting to the statement on the Oyo State governor, Phrank Shuaibu, a media aide to the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, said Justice Ariwoola’s descent into political commentaries portends grave danger for the country’s judiciary. Shuaibu, in a statement, noted that the CJN had warned judges to remain neutral and impartial during this political season. He also warned politicians against trying to induce judges. Also, the spokesman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Management Committee, Senator Dino Melaye, said the CJN, by his pronouncement “has desecrated the dignity of the judiciary, demonstrated partiality, eroded public confidence, exposed the judiciary to political attacks and acted in a manner that is inconsistent with the character, colour, and calling of his exalted office.” Professor Kamilu Sani Fage of Bayero University Kano (BUK) said the position of a CJN is a very complex situation because a judge or the judiciary itself is supposed to be non-political and expected to be silent on issues that will mar its independent. Similarly, a professor of media studies, Farooq Kperogi, accused the CJN of “unabashed political partisanship” following his comments. However, the Director of Information of the Supreme Court, Dr Festus Akande, has denied any political affiliation or intention by the CJN through his comments. “Let it be noted that anything said, assumed, presumed, reported, or placed in the public domain outside the above facts, is simply a mere figment of the imagination of such authors and doesn’t in any way represent what the CJN said in Port Harcourt, as we are not ready to join issues with such purveyors of misinformation,” he said. Meanwhile, protesters demanding the resignation of the CJN were teargassed by the police on Tuesday at the Unity Fountain and the Federal Ministry of Justice where they sought to submit a petition to that effect. The protesters, under the aegis of the Coalition of Civil Societies of Nigeria (CCSN), said the alleged political posture by the CJN portends a great danger to the smooth dispensation of justice in case of electoral dispute before, during, and after the 2023 general elections. Addressing journalists and the protesters just before the police swooped on them, the spokesperson of the coalition, Comrade Olayinka Dada, called on the CJN to resign his appointment in the interest of democracy in the country. | Chief Justice of Nigeria, CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, Coalition of Civil Societies of Nigeria, CCSN | Page 30 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 30th November 2022 | INEC Won’t Be Cowed By Arsonists – Yakubu | The Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof Mahmood Yakubu, has said arsonists attacking the commission’s facilities nationwide cannot stop the 2023 elections. He stated this on Tuesday in Abeokuta, Ogun State capital, while briefing newsmen after assessing the INEC office set ablaze by hoodlums in Abeokuta South LGA. Over 65,000 uncollected Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) were destroyed. Hoodlums had also attacked INEC offices in Osun and Ebonyi states recently. The INEC chairman assured that the electoral body would not bow to acts of arson, saying efforts were on to replace the materials lost to the inferno. | Prof Mahmood Yakubu, INEC Chairman, Arson, Burning of INEC Offices | http://bit.ly/3ucQWMF | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 30th November 2022 | Grief as gunmen kill Kaduna LP women leader | Labour Party (LP) members in Kaduna have condemned the gruesome killing of the party’s Women Leader in Southern Kaduna, Mrs. Victoria Chimrex. Gunmen reportedly broke into her home in Manchok, Kaura Local Council, and shot her several times. Southern Kaduna (Zone 3) chapter of LP, while condemning the assassination, demanded thorough investigation of yesterday’s tragedy. According to a statement by Zone 3 Chairman of LP, Tanimu Gora, the woman’s husband, who was brutality shot in the leg, is receiving treatment in an undisclosed hospital. He stated: “The killers did not take any valuable in the house, suggesting assassination as the only mission of the wicked actors. “Chimtex was known for her ability to relate well with people, an endowment she used in bringing hundreds of resourceful new entrants into LP in Kaura. She was known for her relentless campaign for the Obi-dient cause and she made a lot of converts. It saddens our hearts that such an industrious, hard working and dedicated women leader was killed when LP families from the local council, zone and the state needed her the most, at this critical times that Nigerians are in quest for a new Nigeria through LP.” Gora stressed that the killing of Chimtex would remain sad in the hearts of LP faithful forever. He added: “But it shall not break our spirit or intimidate us from pursuing the election of the LP into all elective offices in 2023, because we truly believe that a new Nigeria is possible under Peter Obi as President of Nigeria. The deceased, The Guardian gathered, had six biological and three adopted children under her care. Condemning the gruesome murder, LP governorship flagbearer in Kaduna, Jonathan Asake, has called for probe of the incident. Asake stated, yesterday, that the killing of Chimtex was a clear case of assassination, due to her rising political profile in the area, while urging security agencies to bring the perpetrators to book in the shortest possible time. “I condemn, in strong terms, the gruesome murder of LP women leader in Kaura.” This is a clear case of assassination and I charge the security agencies to leave no stone unturned in unravelling the masterminds,” the immediate past president of Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) said. | Labour Party Women Leader in Southern Kaduna, Mrs. Victoria Chimrex, Kaduna State, Murder | Page 30 | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 30th November 2022 | Rivers: Surrender to EFCC, opposition parties tell Fubara | Opposition parties in Rivers State have urged the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)’s governorship candidate and immediate past Rivers State Accountant-General, Siminialayi Fubara, who has been declared wanted by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), to present himself to the anti-corruption agency, stating that he cannot be above the law. Spokesman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state, Darlinton Darwuju, said: “We think EFCC should be more proactive by going beyond making such declarations. Various social media platforms have been awash with a viral video of an attack on EFCC operatives who attempted to effect Fubara’s arrest. If this is a nation of laws, then, there is no way any law-abiding citizen should rather choose to unleash mayhem on law enforcement officers and still be walking the streets freely.” Darwuju said Fubara’s dilemma portends a red flag to the character of the PDP candidate in the state and the need for the voting public to be more circumspect and make informed choices. On his part, Publicity Secretary of the Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the state, Esedi Joe David, said: “We in SDP believe in the rule of law, whether rich or poor, justice should prevail. We have nothing against Fubara but if he has done something against the law, let the wrath of the law prevail completely.” A political analyst in the state and Chancellor, International Society for Social Justice and Human Rights, Dr Omenazu Jackson, tasked EFCC to be more proactive by going beyond making declarations to ensure that offenders of the law are punished. He said: “The PDP guber candidate having accepted to be a public servant should present himself to the anti-graft agency. There is nothing wrong for him to go and present himself to EFCC. Playing hide and sick game is not the best". | PDP Governorship Candidate, Siminialayi Fubara, EFCC Investigation | Page 6 | |
| Punch Online | 30th November 2022 | Obi mourns late LP Kaduna women leader, Chintex | The Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has expressed as shocking the death of the party’s Kaduna women leader, Mrs Victoria Chintex, who was gruesomely murdered by some yet-to-be-identified gunmen on Tuesday. Obi while expressing his condolence asserted that the killing of the woman and many other innocent Nigerians is the reason why he will prioritise war against insecurity as his first task in office if he emerges the president in the forthcoming 2023 general elections. Obi took to his verified social media handles on Tuesday evening to mourn the death of the woman leader and to condole with her family, saying, “I am shocked by the mindless killing of Mrs Victoria Chintex, the Labour Party’s women leader in Kaura, Kaduna State, by yet to be identified gunmen. Her death is a huge loss to her immediate and extended family, and to our Labour Party. She lives on in our hearts. May the soul of the late Mrs. Victoria Chintex rest in perfect peace. My sincere condolence to her family.” Speaking further, the LP presidential candidate, said, “Her killing, and the loss of many innocent lives across the nation to gunmen and terrorists, are the reason why I must prioritise the war against insecurity as my first task in the office. “We must not allow the waste of human lives in Nigeria under any guise,” he maintained. | Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, LP Kaduna women leader, Mrs Victoria Chintex | http://bit.ly/3OKy4OJ | |
| Vanguard Online | 30th November 2022 | 2023: Agbakoba lists challenges for next president, proffers solutions | Former President of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, has identified insecurity, poverty, unemployment, ailing economy, disunity, restructuring and legitimate constitution as some of the major challenges the next Nigerian president would have to tackle to move the nation forward. Speaking in Lagos during the presentation of Olisa Agbakoba Legal, OAL, “Policy Report 2022, Big Issues for the 2023 General Elections”, Agbakoba criticised the manifestoes of the various presidential candidates, noting that some of them lacked specific timelines and clear plan on how to solve the nation’s challenges. Agbakoba further stated that Nigeria has never been so divided and noted that to unite the country, ensure security and order, the next president must address the challenge of a legitimate constitution, restructuring and strengthen the local government system. He said: “The 2023 general election is a defining moment for Nigeria which raises the need for a thorough and insightful search for who will preside over the country’s affairs after President Buhari’s administration. Overall, we are happy to note that this is one of the first presidential elections that issues are coming to the fore, and that is how it should be. Speaking on how to tackle some of the issues, Agbakoba said: “A legitimate constitution is the most vital political framework. However, to succeed, four vital elements must exist and they include Inclusivity, Authority, Validity, and Legitimacy. Previous attempts at constitution-making have failed on the issue of legitimacy because the Constitution is generally perceived as imposed by the military. This issue ought to engage the attention of all the Presidential candidates. “On fiscal federalism, which is a core issue, it is suggested that arrangements around the raising, sharing, and spending of money are critically important to the functioning of a Federal system, as this evokes strong political tensions. “On devolution of powers, It is suggested that massive devolution of powers from the Federal to the State Governments is vital. There are two kinds of devolved power – Political and Technical. Technical devolution is easier to agree on than political. Nobody will argue that the States are better able to manage driver’s licenses, trade within States, prisons, marriage certificates, primary health, education, etc, than the Federal Government. State Police may be more difficult as it is perceived to mean the exercise of political control. Also important is empowering the local governments as the source of power at the base of the Federal structure. This can be achieved through the principle of subsidiarity which is ensuring that governance is delivered at the lowest level"". “Poverty is the single biggest issue confronting the Presidential candidates. 133 million Nigerians cannot be poor and there will be development. To address this challenge, a President needs to engage in critical thinking and develop a design that will ensure that funds are allocated to the most important sectors. Four sectors identified by MPI include Education, Health, Living Standards, and Employment. Funding for these key sectors must be sustained over a period of time.” | Former President of Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Dr. Olisa Agbakoba, SAN, major challenges for the next Nigerian president | http://bit.ly/3ENMWHl | |
| Vanguard Online | 30th November 2022 | Tinubu to PDP, LP: I’ve no plans to relocate FCT to Lagos, sell NNPC to my friends | The presidential candidate of ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has dismissed rumours that he planned to relocate the nation’s Federal Capital Territory, FCT, from Abuja to Lagos. He accused the opposition of launching a multi-pronged desperate campaign of falsehoods against him. Tinubu in a statement by the Director, Media and Publicity of the APC Presidential Campaign Council PCC, Mr Bayo Onanuga, yesterday, said unlike the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party PDP, Atiku Abubakar, he (Tinubu) had no intention of selling the Nigerian National Petroleum Company NNPC Limited to his friends. According to him, the latest insidious campaign in some parts of the country against him is the handiwork of the PDP and Labour Party. “After exhausting their arsenal of calumnies and character assassination against Tinubu, the opposition PDP and their surrogate Labour Party have begun a multi-pronged, desperate campaign of falsehoods. In one of the falsehoods being circulated, especially in the North West of the country, Tinubu is said to harbour plans to relocate the Federal Capital from Abuja to Lagos on succeeding President Muhammadu Buhari from May 29, 2023,” he stated. According to him, the misinformation campaign, based on field reports, is being given some traction by some elders on the payroll of the PDP. “We are shocked that some people could contrive such egregious lie, all in the name of politics, with the intention to confuse our burgeoning support base in that part of the country. Let us say with emphasis, that Asiwaju does not contemplate any such plan and will not do anything that is so ultra-unconstitutional.” | APC Presidential Candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Allegations | http://bit.ly/3GSijTY | |
| Punch Online | 29th November 2022 | 50% materials deployed, burnt offices threaten polls — INEC | The Independent National Electoral Commission on Monday lamented the incessant attacks on its local government offices across the country. The commission said the attacks might cause hitches in its operations. The INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu stated these during the visit of the African Union Special Pre-Electoral Political Mission to the commission. The PUNCH had reported that within the space of three weeks, three attacks were carried out on INEC facilities in Ogun, Osun and Ebonyi states. Yakubu, however, re-emphasised that the commission would not be deterred by the challenges, noting that it was ready to conduct free and fair elections.He said, “In the last three weeks, three of our local government offices were attacked in three different states across the country. The last attack happened yesterday (Sunday). Though there are no casualties, quite a number of the materials acquired and delivered for the election have been lost. “The good thing is that so far, we can recover from all the losses but it is a source of concern which should not be allowed to continue. I want to assure you that yes, we may suffer little hitches here and there, but overall, the commission is required to proceed with the election and in the manner that the law requires us to do, using the deployment of technology for the purpose of accreditation and uploading of polling units’ results.” The INEC chairman added that the commission had deployed 50% of non-sensitive materials ahead of the 2023 elections. Yakubu said, “We are confident to say at this point, three months to the election, about 50% of non-sensitive materials have been deployed to locations. We are making good progress indeed.” | INEC, Arson, Burning of INEC Offices, Threats to Polls | http://bit.ly/3VyPpw3 | |
| Punch Online | 29th November 2022 | APC, Assembly tackle Adeleke, governor sacks 12,000 workers | The All Progressives Congress and the Osun State House of Assembly have tackled the new Osun State Governor, Ademola Adeleke, over the six Executive Orders he signed on Monday. They condemned the new governor for reversing some appointments and job recruitments made by his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola. In his first official action as governor, Adeleke who was elected under the Peoples Democratic Party platform announced the sacking of alleged 12,000 workers employed by his predecessor. He also deposed three monarchs and allegedly ordered the withdrawal of the certificate of return of local council chairmen elected under the APC in the October 15 local government elections conducted by the State Independent Electoral Commission. The decision to withdraw their certificates of return was contained in a statement signed by the OSIEC Executive Secretary, Adedapo Adejumo, in Osogbo on Monday. Furthermore, the governor abolished the ‘State of Osun’ appellation, which was promulgated by one of his predecessors, Rauf Aregbesola, froze the state accounts, reversed the appointment of 30 permanent secretaries by Oyetola, while promising to correct past injustices, corrupt acts, and bad policies of the immediate past administration. Earlier, the Secretary to the State Government, Tesleem Igbalaye, announced the suspension of the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Segun Oladitan, alongside six members of the Commission with immediate effect. The suspension was said to have been based on several petitions bordering on financial impropriety, dereliction of duty, absenteeism and abuse of office against the said chairman and members of the commission. The statement read, “The Executive Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Jackson Nurudeen Adeleke has directed the immediate suspension of the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Segun Oladitan and the following members of the Commission; Mr. Yusuf Oyeniran; . Alhaja Suibat Adubi; Prince Yinka Ajiboye; Mrs. Abosede Omibeku; Mr. Dosu Gidigbi and Mr. Wahab Adewoyin. This suspension is sequel to several petitions bothering on financial impropriety, dereliction of duty, absenteeism and abuse of office against the said chairman and members of the commission. Pending the outcome of an investigation into the allegations against the suspended chairman and members of the commission, the Secretary to the commission shall hold forth in running the affairs of the commission.” But the National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the All Progressives Congress, Mr Isaac Kekemeke faulted Adeleke’s actions, noting that his predecessor’s tenure did not end with the new governor’s electoral victory on July 17. Kekemeke in a statement on Monday admonished Adeleke to exercise authority with sobriety in order to avoid endless litigation and distractions. He said, “Governor Adeleke shouldn’t be too excited; government is a continuum and is bound by contractual relationships duly entered into by competent authorities. One thing he, Adeleke has probably and sadly overlooked is that Oyetola’s administration did not end with the announcement of his victory by the Independent National Electoral commission. Oyetola and no other person was still governor between July 17th, and November 26th, 2022. The right to continuously review government programmes and activities must be exercised objectively and with sobriety; as to do otherwise will be courting distractions through endless litigation and agitation. | Governor Ademola Adeleke, Executive Orders, Sack of Workers, Suspension of the Chairman of the Osun State Independent Electoral Commission, Mr. Segun Oladitan | http://bit.ly/3GUm8Id | |
| This Day Live | 29th November 2022 | Police Arrest, Detain NNPP Financier in Kano | The Kano State Police Command, has arrested and detained the Kwankwasiyya major financier, Ambassador Yusuf Imam, popularly known as ‘Ogan Boye’. The influential NNPP chieftain was picked up at his Nasarawa residence Sunday night. His arrest came on the heels of a drumbeat of war by both leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress and the New Nigeria People’s Party ahead of the 2023 general election. Abdullahi Abbas, the Chairman, All Progressives Congress fired the first salvo at Gaya at the flag off the party governorship campaign last week where he boasted that the ruling APC would capture Kano “by hook or crook” during the forthcoming elections. It could not be established as at press time reasons for his arrest by the police as top senior officers connected to the arrest and detention of Ogan Boye maintained sealed lips. But the gubernatorial candidate of NNPP in Kano, Alhaji Abba Kabir Yusuf, has called for the immediate arrest and prosecution of Kano state APC chairman Abdullahi Abbas, for instigating and perpetrating political violence in the state, threatening to boycott peace accord entered into if this was not done. However, the chairman of NNPP in Kano, Umar Hudu Doguwa, has also responded to the development, saying, “We have accepted Abdullahi Abbas’ challenge, and wish to assure him that we are equal to the task.” Spokesperson of Kano NNPP gubernatorial candidate, Mr. Sanusi Bature, told reporters that “Ogan Boye’s arrest and detention was a calculated move by the ruling party in Kano to intimidate the NNPP. “ He however, assured their supporters that, “We will never succumb to cheap blackmail.” But Yusuf in a press statement by Sanusi Bature Dawakin Tofa, called on the security agencies in the state to swiftly swing into action to arrest Abbas to curtail the ever-increasing political violence as the election approaches to ensure the safety and security of lives and properties of Kano state citizens, residents, and visitors. According to the statement, the APC state chairman was publicly aiding and actively supporting violent attacks on NNPP supporters and campaign properties throughout the city. | Ambassador Yusuf Imam, NNPP Financier, Kano State, Police Arrest | http://bit.ly/3ELzjbN | |
| Daily Trust Online | 29th November 2022 | Nigeria In Perilous Times – CJN | The Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, has decried the increasing rate of crimes and hardship in the country, saying the nation is in perilous times. The CJN, who stated this on Monday during the inauguration of 62 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) in Abuja, noted that the crime wave has brought more cases to the courts. “The times we are in are perilous. All hands must be on deck to make the best out of the unpleasant situation. The rate of high-calibre crimes in the land is increasing by the day. Never in the history of Nigeria have we experienced such before. Security of lives and property can no longer be guaranteed and as this is happening, so are cases streaming freely into the courts for adjudication,” he said. He urged the new members of the Inner bar to stand up to the challenges staring the judiciary in the face. If the judiciary fails, there will certainly be no country to call Nigeria. “Always remember that the moment the food in the clean bowl is finished, the status of the bowl changes to ‘dirty’. Don’t allow anybody to use and dump you,” he said. | CJN, Justice Olukayode Ariwoola, inauguration of 62 new Senior Advocates of Nigeria (SANs) | http://bit.ly/3F9KvQJ | |
| This Day Live | 29th November 2022 | Emmanuel: No Candidate Matches Atiku’s Capacity | Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Presidential Campaign Council and Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, says there is no candidate in the race for presidency in 2023 with the kind of capacity and knowledge of national issues that the candidate of PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has. Emmanuel stated this in an exclusive interview with THISDAY. The governor said he was confident the main opposition party was going into the 2023 presidential election to win. He said, “I’m not boasting, but among those contesting today, there is no candidate with the same capacity, knowledge and understanding of the problem and what to do for Nigeria like Atiku. There is none, not even one. I’m not being biased at all; I’m giving you a very objective opinion. There is none. So, that is why you see me following, because I love my country. I love my people. I want this country to get better, and even in terms of the assemblage of good people with genuine intentions, give it to Atiku; he can put a square peg in a square hole and get the result.” Regarding his thought on the 2023 polls, Emmanuel said, “I say I’m not looking at any permutation. I’m going into this with optimism, because if I’m going with permutation, it means I shouldn’t be the chairman of the campaign council. I’m going with optimism. I would not have accepted been the chairman if I was not optimistic that I’m going to win. So, we are in the race to win. There’s no permutation in this case at all. We are trying to take the right step. That’s why you are asking about a few issues in our party, and I said, of course, we are making progress. We’ll resolve all issues. You can’t let anybody go in an election; every vote matters. Every single person is important in politics, not to talk of when you’re talking about very big men. Small men like us will go and prostrate ourselves before them: please oh, big men, don’t let us down. I’m into this game to win. I don’t think anybody will get to this point and be doing permutation. What kind of permutation?” Emmanuel spoke on the group of five aggrieved PDP governors, G-5, saying, “But they are not unhappy with me as Udom Emmanuel. Did they tell you they were unhappy with the party? Four of them are candidates of the party. They hold tickets of the party. They’re members of the party; you are getting it wrong. Even spoons and plates hit themselves and create a lot of noise; that doesn’t mean they’ve broken. It doesn’t mean they’ve broken. I think that is the situation here. For the fact that people are unhappy, it is inevitable, definitely inevitable, with a large party like PDP. It is the largest party in the whole of Africa. So, certainly, we all make mistakes. I must also confess as a party, we’ve made mistakes, and as individuals, we’ve made mistakes. But these mistakes, I can assure you, will not break us. We are trying to come back, review and then reappraise and see how we can move forward, and I can assure you, we’ll do that.” | Chairman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council and Governor of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, Atiku's Candidacy, Endorsement | http://bit.ly/3EDRQGY | |
| Daily Post Online | 29th November 2022 | Buhari’s in-law, Sha’aban dumps APC, slams Gov El-Rufai | Sani Mahmoud Sha’aban, an All Progressives Congress (APC) gubernatorial aspirant in Kaduna State in the 2023 election has finally dumped the ruling party. Sani, who is President Muhammadu Buhari’s in-law lost the governorship primary of the APC to Senator Uba Sani. He also lost a legal battle to seize the ticket at the Federal High Court. In his resignation letter addressed to the APC Chairman in Hanwa Ward, Sabon Gari Local Government, the governorship aspirant accused Governor Nasir El-Rufai-led government of failure to bring dividends of democracy to the citizens in every part of the State. Bar. Joshua Danladi Ephraim, the Director-General of his Campaign Organization, in the letter dated 28th November, 2022, lamented that the recent activities and events within the APC in Kaduna State, in particular, compelled him to reconsider his membership of the APC. According to Sha’aban, “Despite all our best efforts, admonitions and best intentions, it is disheartening to note that the APC has become more alienated from the masses, and rather than foster peace, social cohesion and integration in Kaduna State as we envisaged and worked for, the APC in Kaduna State is now seen as synonymous with hardship, division and with total disregard for human lives, communal and family values.” Furthermore, he noted that rather than work to bring the dividends of democracy closer to the masses, “some few elements in the APC in Kaduna State have hijacked the party structure and turned it into their personal estate to serve their personal greed and avarice, for the benefit of only their families, friends and cronies”, saying that they have no regards whatsoever for the feelings, yearnings and sensibilities of even the many members of the party who supported them, and the general populace of Kaduna State. As one who strongly believes in God, and in the belief that the commonwealth of the land is for the common benefit of all, the governorship aspirant explained that he has found himself unable in good conscience, to sit back and allow he called “this reign of impunity” to go on without a voice of dissent. He said that at various times, he has had cause to express his displeasure with the policies and actions of the APC in Kaduna State to the State leadership, stressing that his stance on good governance, rule of law, social justice and equity “has caused us to be treated with disdain, and to be seen as a Pariah to those who are personally benefiting from the skewed realities presently in the APC.” | Sani Mahmoud Sha’aban, APC gubernatorial aspirant, Kaduna State | http://bit.ly/3UesMMr | |
| Daily Post Online | 29th November 2022 | Osun: You’re resilient – Peter Obi reacts as Adeleke becomes gov | The Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, has described the newly inaugurated Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, as dogged and resilient. Obi made the remark while wishing Adeleke a fruitful and productive tenure as governor. He congratulated Adeleke on his victory and inauguration as the sixth governor of Osun State. Adeleke, an uncle to popular singer, Davido, was inaugurated as the governor of Osun State on Sunday. The Labour Party flagbearer urged Adeleke to serve the people of the State.In a series of tweets, Obi wrote: “I congratulate the Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke @AAdeleke_01, on his inauguration and formal commencement of the elected mandate of his people. I salute the doggedness and resilience of Governor Adeleke, and wish him a fruitful and productive tenure, in the service of his people. -PO” The newly inaugurated governor defeated his predecessor, Gboyega Oyetola, during the July 16 governorship election in the State. He won the election as a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, after losing out in the 2018 gubernatorial election. | Peter Obi, Congratulatory message, Governor of Osun State, Ademola Adeleke, #OsunDecides2022 | http://bit.ly/3VSinYf | |
| This Day Live | 28th November 2022 | Adeleke Assumes Office, Abolishes State of Osun, Reverses Oyetola’s Appointments | Senator Ademola Adeleke, yesterday, took the oath of office and assumed power as the sixth democratically elected governor of Osun State. Chief Judge of Osun State, Justice Adepele Ojo, administered the oath of allegiance and oath of office to Adeleke and his deputy, Kola Adewusi, at the Osogbo township stadium. In his first official acts as governor, Adeleke, a member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), announced changes on a broad range of policies and issues. He abolished the “State of Osun” appellation, which was promulgated by one of his predecessors, Rauf Aregbesola, froze all state accounts, reversed all appointments made by his predecessor, Adegboyega Oyetola, from July 17, when he was declared governor-elect, and promised to correct past injustices, corrupt acts, and bad policies of the immediate past administration. PDP Governors’ Forum (PGF), yesterday, congratulated Adeleke, on his inauguration as governor of Osun State and welcomed him to the forum. Adeleke had beaten then incumbent governor, Oyetola of All Progressives Congress (APC), to win the July 16 governorship election in Osun State. Oyetola, at the weekend, disclosed that his administration left behind for the new government a total of N14 billion cash in the state’s coffers. He also revealed that his government had successfully paid out some N97 billion from the total debt inherited in 2018, when he assumed office. The new governor alleged that appointments of several Obas were also hurriedly done without following due process, stressing that all efforts to get his predecessor to set up a transition committee and submit hand-over notes proved abortive. “It is, therefore, this administration’s desire to ask for people’s patience and understanding,” Adeleke said. He said his administration would in a few weeks review and sort out all actions and mischievous confusions the immediate past administration had created since July 17. He said those actions were vindictive measures against the people of Osun State for voting APC out of office. Adeleke issued directives, which would be backed by Executive Orders, freezing all Osun State government accounts in banks and other financial institutions, and establishing a panel to carry out an inventory and recover all government assets. He reverted to the constitutionally recognised name of Osun State, from the State of Osun, adding that all government insignia, correspondence, and signage should henceforth reflect Osun State rather than State of Osun, which he claimed was unknown to the Nigerian constitution. | Senator Ademola Adeleke, Osun State Governorship Inauguration | http://bit.ly/3VyVVDe | |
| Punch Online | 28th November 2022 | 2023: Tinubu will record landslide victory – APC chieftain | A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Jimoh Babafemi, has said the party will record a landslide victory, judging by Tinubu’s accomplishments and leadership capacity in the 2023 presidential election. Babafemi said this during a chat with journalists over the weekend in Lagos. According to him, the massive support being enjoyed by the party was a pointer to its victory in the 2023 general election. The presidential candidate of the party, Bola Tinubu, he noted had a track record of unprecedented accomplishments during his days as the Lagos State governor to show for his bid to succeed the President, Major General Muhamadu Buhari (retd.), stating that Tinubu was the most acceptable among the presidential candidates for 2023, having built bridges across the country’s geo-political zones as well as building people. “Tinubu has built an empire out of many Nigerians who crossed paths with him ever since his foray into public office and these accomplishments would count for him in 2023. He has paid his dues as a democrat and leader. Tinubu is running against Tinubu because these Nigerians and many others who believe in his vision for a better Nigeria, are today mostly his foot soldiers, campaigning for him across the federation,” Babafemi said. He lamented that all presidential aspirants and their supporters that contested and lost the party’s ticket to Bola Tinubu had gone cold except those that campaigned for the Senate President, Ahmad Lawan and his supporters. He listed the Lawan supporters to include the Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Orji Kalu, Governor Hope Uzodinma of Imo State, Senator Sani Musa, Senator Jubril Barau, and Femi Fani-Kayode among others. Babafemi expressed his displeasure over the attitudes of some party chieftains who he said are still not happy with Tinubu’s emergence at the presidential primary and commended Lawan and the group for their efforts in campaigning and mobilising for Tinubu. “They are working hard for Tinubu and the APC like they are doing it for Lawan. These people are patriotic chieftains of the APC. Others have suddenly gone cold after losing the primary. They are non-committal to the presidential ambition of Bola Ahmed Tinubu. The current Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, on national television even refused to openly endorse Tinubu. We have not heard from Amaechi’s people, Osinbajo’s team and so many others. They suddenly went cold without doing much. I sincerely commend distinguished Senator Ahmad Lawan and his group for showing and proving to be solid party chieftains by spearheading the campaign of Bola Ahmed Tinubu across Nigeria,” he said. | APC Chieftain, Jimoh Babafemi,, Bola Tinubu | http://bit.ly/3XxigCZ | |
| Vanguard Online | 28th November 2022 | Rampaging hoodlums in Osogbo on Gov Adeleke’s first day in office | Residents of Osogbo, Osun state capital, were on Monday morning thrown into apprehension as hoodlums launched indiscriminate attack on different motor parks across the town. It was gathered that the attacks were launched simultaneously around 8am at Oke-Baale, Old-Garage, Ilesa Garage and Aregbe Garage, attacking members of transport unions at the parks. The parks were dominated by leaders loyal to the All Progressives Congress, APC-led administration that just completed it tenure in the state. Union members at Old-Garage were chased from the park towards Ayetoro area of the town, raising apprehension as sounds of gunshots pervades the atmosphere. One of the union members escaped at Ayetoro with matchet cuts, but his car was set on fire. Traders hurriedly closed the shops, while school gates were locked to prevent spread of the attacks. Attacks were also launched on union members at Oke-Baale, Aregbe garage, and Ilesa garage. Meanwhile, Governor Ademola Adeleke, in a statement by his spokesperson, Olawale Rasheed, directed union leaders to maintain peace across parks, warning against violence. “The Governor, Senator Ademola Adeleke has warned against violence among transport workers’ unions in the State, directing security agencies to maintain status quo across the motor parks. ll union leaders and their supporters are, hereby, directed to remain calm and bring any grievances to the dtate government for resolution. Security agencies are consequently directly to maintain law and order,” it reads. Meanwhile policemen have been stationed at strategic areas in the state, including the motor parks. | Osogbo, Osun State, Governor Ademola Adeleke, Hoodlums | http://bit.ly/3inqwFe | |
| Vanguard Online | 28th November 2022 | Police arrest two for possessing 468 PVCs | Two persons in possession of 468 Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) have been arrested by the police. This was made known in a statement signed by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus Okoye, on Sunday. According to the statement, the offenders; Nasiru Idris, was found with 101 PVCs in Sokoto State, and another (name not mentioned) was caught with 367 PVCs in Kano State. Okoye stated that their offence was in contravention of Sections 117 and 145 of the Electoral Act 2022. The statement added that the offenders were currently receiving their due punishment. The statement read, “In the last couple of weeks, the Nigeria Police has arrested some individuals found to be in illegal possession of voter cards in some States of the Federation. In one case, the Police have concluded investigations and handed over the case file to the Commission, resulting in the successful prosecution of one Nasiru Idris at a Magistrate Court in Sokoto who was found to be in possession of 101 PVCs in contravention of Sections 117 and 145 of the Electoral Act 2022. He has been sentenced to a year in prison. Similarly, the Police in Kano State have arrested a man who was found to be in possession of 367 PVCs. The suspect has been charged to court and the Commission is pursuing his prosecution. The Commission wishes to reiterate that it will continue to pursue all violators of the Electoral Act and ensure their diligent prosecution.” Giving an update on the PVC collection, the commissioner explained, “Following the end of the statutory period for the display of the register of voters for claims and objections, the Commission is determined to make the collection of PVCs as seamless as possible. “A standard operating procedure has been developed. This will be among the issues to be discussed and finalised at a retreat holding in Lagos from 28th November to 2nd December 2022 involving all the Resident Electoral Commissioners. At the end of the retreat, the Commission will release the dates as well as the detailed procedure for the immediate collection of PVCs nationwide. The Commission appreciates the patience and understanding of Nigerians, especially those who registered as voters or applied for transfer/replacement of their cards from January to July 2022. In making the cards available for collection, the Commission is also working to ensure that the process is hitch-free.” | PVCs, Illegal Possession of PVCs in Sokoto and Kano States, INEC, Press Statement, Sections 117 and 145 of the Electoral Act 2022, prosecution | http://bit.ly/3Vfhrgp | |
| This Day Live | 28th November 2022 | Group Urges Women with Proven Integrity to Vie for Political Offices | A non-governmental organization(NGO), International Women Communication Centre in conjunction with McAthur Foundation, has called on women with proven integrity and character to contest for political offices to enhance gender inclusion in Nigeria electoral process. A communique issued in Ilorin, Kwara state capital at the end of a one-day workshop for journalists on national gender policy and gender equity and social inclusion stated that, the call became imperative so as to change the negative narrative about the women involvement in politics. According to the communique, such process will expand possibilities for credible women to be elected and promote good governance in the country, especially in the grassroots areas. “There should be a level playing field for both male and female and equal opportunities to acquire education. There should also be public sensitisation on the need to treat both sexes equally while female gender should be supported to vie for political offices. Political campaign should be devoid of campaign of calumny and hatred and women of proven integrity be encouraged to come out and vie for political positions. The media should give both gender equal opportunity to air there views and there should be the need to engage religious and cultural groups to support gender based policies”, it said. Speaking at the event, Executive Director of International Women Communication Centre, Hajia Nimota Goroso Giwa, said the programme was a media engagement to harvest input for domestication that will form the fulcrum of the national gender policy"". “We have collaborated with INEC, Ministries of Education and faith- based institutions all over the country to collect their input and what they think are the missing gaps or things that were not included to get it localised and gazetted before it is passed into law. We want gender mainstreaming to be applied in all aspect of our development”, she added. | International Women Communication Centre, Women Inclusion in Governance | http://bit.ly/3GWNZrr | |
| Daily Post Online | 28th November 2022 | Zamfara 2023: Prepare to leave govt house – PDP’s Dare to APC despite pending court case | The governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Zamfara State, Dr. Dauda Lawal Dare, has said that he is fully prepared to wrestle power from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state. Addressing his teeming supporters in Gusau, the state capital, on Sunday, Dare, who organized a rally from the border between Sokoto and Zamfara states to the Gusau metropolis, said that he was very optimistic that he will win the 2023 governorship election with or without posters. According to him, the state government has banned PDP posters in the state, pointing out that he was a law-abiding citizen of Nigeria and could not be intimidated. “I have warned my supporters not to take laws into their hands. I don’t subscribe to politics of bitterness,” he said. He lamented that the ruling APC government in the state believes that he would not contest the 2023 governorship election due to the nullification of his candidature, forgetting that the court has not decided the case. The PDP leader in the state explained that the court had declared that both parties should maintain the status quo pending the judgment of the case, saying that he was full of confidence that he would win on the judgment day. “I am advising members of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in the state not to rejoice yet because nobody knows where the pendulum will swing to. With today’s political rally, I have seen my political worth, and with the crowd I saw, there is no doubt that I will be running away with the victory in the 2023 governorship election in the state. You can never be a man until you have solved the problem much more larger than your life and that problem is to salvage and reposition Zamfara State,” he said. Dare further stated that politics is a game of numbers, urging his teeming supporters to protect their votes in the 2023 general elections. | Zamfara State PDP Governorship Candidate, Dr. Dauda Lawal Dare, Court Case | http://bit.ly/3VeVqhE | |
| Daily Post Online | 28th November 2022 | 2023: Tinubu only option of South-West Muslims – MURIC | The Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has said that Muslims in the South West zone have no other option than to support the candidature of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. MURIC Director, Professor Isiaq Akintola, made this disclosure while addressing journalists at the University of Ibadan, Oyo State at the weekend. Daily Post recalls that South West Muslims under the platform of Muslim Ummah of South West Nigeria (MUSWEN) through its President, Alhaji Rasaki Oladejo had last week endorsed the candidature of Tinubu. Akintola has now said that Muslims in the South West region have no choice than to support Tinubu. Akintola, who addressed journalists during a send-forth and book presentation organised by MUSWEN in honour of a former Executive Secretary of the organisation, Professor Daud Noibi, said that Yoruba Muslims have been suffering for decades. He added that those who have either been President or Vice President from the region are Christians. Akintola said, “MUSWEN endorsed the APC presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu and I want to affirm that MUSWEN has no other choice. They don’t have any other alternative. MURIC has said it earlier that we are supporting a Muslim presidential candidate from the South West because the Yoruba Muslims have suffered for decades. All those who have been either President or Vice President are Christians. From Obasanjo to Diya to Shonekan and now to the current Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, all of them have been Christians. At this time, we are supporting MUSWEN for endorsing Tinubu. MURIC has said it earlier that we want a Muslim presidential candidate and since Tinubu has emerged as the APC candidate, the South West Muslims has no other choice than to support him”. | Muslim Rights Concern, MURIC, Bola Tinubu, Endorsement, MUSWEN | http://bit.ly/3OG0CZA | |
| Vanguard Online | 18th November 2022 | 2023: Governors to blame for violence — IGP | The Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba, has said some state governors manifest traits of political intolerance which contributes to violence in the country’s electoral process. Speaking yesterday at a meeting with political parties and other stakeholders in preparation for the 2023 general elections at Force headquarters, the IGP said: “We have been receiving reports of some state governors who encourage political thugs and sub-national security outfits under their control to disrupt seamless and statutorily guaranteed campaign activities of parties or candidates with whom they hold opposing political views. “In so doing, they deploy their powers and influences to either prevent the mounting of campaign bill boards or pull them down, while also denying political opponents of spaces to undertake their campaigns or peaceful political congregations in contravention of the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 (As amended). Most of the recorded violent incidents or threats often result from political extremism, misinformation, intolerance, wrong political orientation, hate speeches, incitement, and, most importantly, the desperation of strategic actors within the political field who often place their parochial political ambitions over and above national security interests and our nation’s stable democratic order.” To checkmate this resort to violence, the IGP said: “INEC should take decisive actions against candidates and parties that violate the Electoral Act in the areas of conduct of political parties, candidates, and other actors in relation to hate speeches; campaign funding regulations; encouraging, supporting, or inciting violence; and depriving political opponents of basic electoral rights guaranteed under the Act”. On how the Nigerian Police Force and other security agencies planned to tackle electoral violence, IGP Alkali said: “We have resolved to enhance intelligence gathering, sharing and utilization of same to stem acts of political violence; upscale the deployment of security teams to all INEC assets and facilities nationwide, with teams drawn from the Police, Nigeria Army, Department of State Services (DSS), Nigeria Civil and Security Defence Corps, NSCDC, and the Federal Fire Service. | Nigeria Police, Electoral Violence, Governors, Inspector General of Police, Usman Alkali Baba | http://bit.ly/3THh9xi | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 18th November 2022 | Parties Fielded Only 10.1% Women Candidates — Report | The Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) has said the nation’s 18 registered political parties fielded only 10.1 per cent women as candidates for the 2023 elections. In a data analysis released by the centre on Thursday, there are only 1,552 women among the total of 15,307 contestants seeking elective positions in next year’s polls. According to the figures, this represents only 10.1 per cent of the women candidates. Of the 18 parties in the country, only Allied Peoples Movement (APM) fielded a female presidential candidate, while no single political party fielded a female vice-presidential candidate. For the gubernatorial election, out of 419 candidates vying for governorship, only 25 are women, representing six per cent. For the Senate, out of the 1,101 candidates gunning for the 109 senatorial seats, 92 are women, representing 8.35 per cent while 286 women are contesting for the House of Representatives out of a total of 3,107 candidates. In the State Houses of Assembly, only 1046 out of the 10,225 candidates are women. The regional analysis of the data shows that the South West nominated more women than the South East, which had the highest number in 2019. Among the 36 states of the federation and the FCT, Lagos State has the highest number of female candidates – APC (102) and PDP (72) – a total of 174 female candidates. | Centre for Democracy and Development, CDD, Percentage of Women candidates for 2023 General Elections | Page 30 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 18th November 2022 | 2023: US Threatens Visa Ban On Election Riggers | The United States has threatened to sanction anyone who interferes with the democratic process or instigates violence in the 2023 Nigeria general elections. The Political Counsellor at the U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Rolf Olson, gave the warning on Thursday in Abuja on behalf of the US Government at the Hubert Humphrey Fellowship Alumni Association Annual Seminar 2022. The event was themed, ‘Promoting Electoral Integrity in Nigeria: Prospects and Challenges’. While saying that the BVAS and the electronic transmission of vote results sheets were to ensure the integrity of Nigerian elections, Olson said that the US does not have a candidate in the upcoming elections. “It never ceases to amaze me how often we see comments, claims, and assertions from people in social and traditional media about what our supposed objectives are in the elections, which candidate or party we favour, how to interpret certain statements or actions of ours in terms of what it means about our intentions are perceptions. In reality, I think it is quite simple to interpret us, especially when it comes to the elections. We always try to be clear in our messages, so let me be clear here on several important points. The United States does not support any individual candidate or party in this election cycle (or for that matter, in any other upcoming election). Our interest is in supporting credible and transparent elections that reflect the will of Nigerian voters, in a process that is conducted peacefully"". Individuals seeking to undermine the democratic process, including through violence, may be found ineligible for visas to the United States. “We have imposed visa restrictions in the past against those responsible for, or complicit in, undermining the democratic process, and remain fully willing to do so again in the context of the upcoming elections,” he said. On his part, National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Festus, Okoye, said that 176, 846 BVAS will be deployed to all polling units (PUs) in the country. | US Visa Ban on Election Riggers, Political Counsellor, U.S. Embassy in Nigeria, Rolf Olson | Page 30 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 18th November 2022 | Utomi Tackles INEC over Alleged Non-distribution of PVCs | One of the leader of the National Coalition Front (NCFront), Convener of the Big Tent, a coalition of political parties, social movements and civil society organisations, Prof. Pat Utomi has protested against what he described as the non-distribution of Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). He alleged that at least 9.3 million of such cards were lying idle at the Commission’s offices across the country. Utomi made the allegation yesterday, when he, alongside the Chief Spokesman of the Peter Obi/Datti Ahmed (Labour Party) Presidential Campaign Council, Dr. Tanko Yusuf and others led an advocacy walk to the INEC headquarters under the aegis of the “Big Tent.” He urged INEC to decentralise the process of PVC collection and if possible, take the cards to the doorsteps of Nigerians. Utomi queried the necessity of even having the PVC as a requirement for voting, saying with biometrics authentication of a potential voter, there was no need to have a physical card. He said; “It is the duty of INEC to do everything possible to decentralise and take down to the people, their PVCs, to make sure that everybody who was registered gets his or her PVC. We even know that the process is biometric. So, it should not even matter if they don’t have it (PVCs). Once their faces and fingerprints are recognised, they should be able to vote. It is not acceptable for Nigerians to be disenfranchised. “We know that about 9.3 million voter cards are yet to be collected and are sitting idle at INEC offices. We want an explanation. If INEC needs help, we are ready to volunteer so that these cards can get to their rightful owners. We also want to discourage persons from further vandalising INEC offices and burning PVCs which is capable of disenfranchising Nigerians. There is urgent need for the dissemination of information regarding the PVCs,” he added. Utomi urged INEC to make extra efforts towards the distribution of PVCs to Nigerians, especially persons with disabilities. | Pat Utomi, Non-distribution of PVCs, INEC, National Coalition Front (NCFront), Convener of the Big Tent | Page 41 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 18th November 2022 | Court Frustrating Disqualification Suit Against Tinubu, AA Alleges | Action Alliance (AA) has accused the Federal High Court, Abuja, of deliberately delaying the suit seeking the disqualification of the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu. The opposition party, in a statement yesterday by its National Publicity Secretary, Rev. Dennis Ubani, said recent events had led it to the inevitable conclusion that there was a water tight conspiracy to ensure that the pre-election cases it filed before the court would never be heard until the expiration of the time within which the matters ought to be determined. The party stressed that by Section 285 (9) of the 1999 Constitution, pre-election cases must be filed within 14 days of the happening of the event and determined within 180 days of the filing. The party noted that the clear implication of this was that by the 15th day of December 2022, the court would have lost the requisite jurisdiction to hear the matters and the cases would be struck out without a determination on the merits. It said, “Our observation is that the judicature of the Federal High Court is not relenting in ensuring the frustration of the two cases. We are convinced that the conductor of the bizarre orchestra is doing the bidding of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu. However, we are determined to ensure the failure of this heinous scheme. ”Recent events in the portals of the Federal High Court, Abuja, have led us to the inevitable conclusion that there is water tight conspiracy to ensure that the pre-election cases of Action Alliance filed at the Federal High Court, Abuja, to ensure the disqualification of Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as a presidential candidate of the APC, will never be heard until the effluxion of the time within which the matters ought to be determined.” AA said the two cases it filed were Action Alliance vs. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC and Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with case number FHC/ABJ/CS/954/2022; and Action Alliance vs. Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), APC, Ibrahim Kabiru Masari and Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with suit number FHC/ABJ/CS/1097/2022. The party said it was on record that about three weeks ago, Chief Judge of the Federal High Court, against all known legal customs and practices, recalled the case files of the two cases for reassignment. The opposition party expressed shock over the alleged recall of the files, saying, “Expectedly, when we heard of the recall of the files, we knew that the serpent had slipped into the hallowed chambers of justice. Not surprisingly since then, the cases have been stalled. “Arising from all the foregoing, we hereby urge the Honourable Chief Judge of the Federal High Court to resist the temptation of aiding and abetting injustice by denying us our right to fair hearing. We have no hesitation in stating that what is happening is a personal agenda and cannot enjoy judicial immunity". | Action Alliance, AA, Court Suit against Bola Tinubu, Allegations | Page 42 | |
| Daily Post Online | 18th November 2022 | Ignore Uzodinma at your own peril – Tinubu to Igbo business community | The All Progressives Congress, APC, presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu has cautioned the South-East against ignoring the Imo State Governor, Hope Uzodinma. Tinubu told the “business and political leaders in the South-East to ignore Hope Uzodimma at their own peril.” He issued the caution at a town hall meeting with South-East private sector on Thursday in Owerri, NAN reports. Tinubu assured the region that he would serve them if elected president.The APC flagbearer urged Nigerians to vote for progress and to be part of the nation’s golden future and never to allow those who put the country backwards to come back again. He said: ”I am coming to serve the people and not to be their boss. I brought progressive governance and forward-looking government and not the type that will take Nigerians backwards.” He vowed to create an enabling environment for businesses to thrive if elected president. We will develop a code that when activated, will make their goods and services easy on the roads of Nigeria,” he said. | Bola Tinubu, Hope Uzodimma | http://bit.ly/3TPGNA1 | |
| Daily Post Online | 18th November 2022 | Jigawa 2023: Avoid thuggery, personal attacks, fake news – Police warn political parties | The Nigeria Police Force has warned political parties to avoid any thuggery, personal attacks, and spreading of fake news capable of inciting violence ahead of the 2023 general election. Commissioner of Police Jigawa State, Emmanuel Effiom Ekot, made the call at the signing of the peace accord by the gubernatorial candidates of the state held at the police headquarters in Dutse, the state capital. He said the aim is to ensure hitch-free campaigns/rallies and a secure environment for free, fair, credible, and non-violent elections. The commissioner, therefore, urged the political parties to support and work closely with police and other security agencies. According to him, “I am urging you and your supporters to shun incense and inciting statements, vandalization of opposition parties property, thuggery and personal attack. We will not relent to sanction anybody found wanting therefore, you have to organize training sessions for your members and educate them on electoral acts and rule engagement as specified in the 2022 Electoral Acts as amended.” Twelve gubernatorial candidates and their party leaders in Jigawa State signed the peace accord ahead of the 2023 general election. The gubernatorial candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC), New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and other political parties assured their determination to ensure a violence-free 2023 general election. | Nigeria Police Force, Warning to political parties, Commissioner of Police Jigawa State, Emmanuel Effiom Ekot | http://bit.ly/3tJkmC1 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 17th November 2022 | PDP Crisis: G-5 Demands Equity In Reconciliation Moves | "Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, has reiterated that the G-5 governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) will only be disposed to reconciliation based on equity, fairness and justice. Wike stated this at the inauguration of the Rumuepirikom Flyover, the eighth of such so far constructed and completed by his administration. Wike said, “I’m sure those of them in my party, before, they cannot say anything without mentioning Wike. But now, because I say let the right thing be done, let agreement be agreement, because I have said that, I have now become an enemy. These are people who were praising me morning, night and day. But because we said, look, we have an agreement, do this, do that, and some people believe that they will not and we said it must be done. We stand for equity, fairness and justice. That is what the G-5 will continue to preach. We have said we are not against reconciliation, but reconciliation must be based on equity, fairness and justice. Politics now is about interest. You must tell me what is the interest of Rivers State? You must tell me what is the interest of my community? I will not join anybody who does not want my state to benefit. I will not support anybody who does not like my state.” PDP will win presidency, 25 states – Ayu The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Dr Iyorchia Ayu, has expressed optimism that the party will win the presidency and at least 25 of the 36 states, including Lagos, in the 2023 general elections. Speaking at the PDP headquarters, Abuja, while receiving the report of a reconciliation committee for Lagos and Osun headed by Chief Eyitayo Jegede (SAN), Ayu said the party had put in place measures to dethrone the APC in Lagos. Ayu’s remarks were coming amid an intense crisis in the party, as the G-5 governors who are members of the party are insisting that He (Ayu) must step aside for a Southern stalwart to take over his office. He said, “Lagos was in very bad shape before now. But because of your excellent reconciliation work, our chances of taking Lagos State have been greatly enhanced. We are now sure of victory. We will take Alausa and clear the state and National Assembly seats. We won in Osun State and we will repeat the feat in Lagos. I am reiterating my often-stated position that the PDP will win the presidency and at least 25 governorships across the country. And those 25 states include Lagos. This is why we want all party members to work together.” | Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, PDP Crisis, G-5 Governors | Page 24 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 17th November 2022 | At Parley With Candidates: CAN Sets Agenda For Tinubu, Atiku, Others | The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has set agenda for the 18 candidates contesting the February 25, 2023, presidential election. The religious body began an interactive session with all the presidential candidates on Tuesday. The Presidential Candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, was the guest of the association on Wednesday. Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who was scheduled to meet the leadership of the association yesterday has not done so as of the time of this report. It was gathered that the Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi may meet the association next week. Asiwaju was accompanied to the session by his wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, Speaker Femi Gbajabiamila, Governors Hope Uzodinma (Imo), David Umahi (Ebonyi), Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano), AbdulRahman AbdulRasaq (Kwara), among others. At the event held at the National Christian Centre, CAN presented a strategic document tagged, “The Charter for Future Nigeria” to Tinubu for a prosperous and peaceful Nigeria founded on justice and freedom for all. Key demands in the charter include; state police or a decentralised policing system, devolution of power to states, equal rights for all religions and their adherents, right to self-determination by all ethnic groups, right to control natural resources by communities that bear them, no to open grazing and equitable electoral system that guarantees the right to vote and be voted for by all. Daily Trust reports that the issue of the Muslim-Muslim ticket was not mentioned by the leadership of the association but Tinubu explained to them why he picked Shettima as his running mate. The body had rejected the same faith ticket months ago. President of CAN, Archbishop Daniel Okoh, said the idea of the interaction was to come together to review their understanding of the Nigerian crisis of development and governance and collectively find a lasting solution. “We have consulted with Nigerians of diverse religious, ethnic and social identities on the problems of the country and the solutions to them have been articulated in the strategic document we call ‘The Charter for Future Nigeria.’ The Charter for Future Nigeria begins with a diagnosis of Nigeria’s problem and locates it primarily in an incoherent constitutional and institutional framework that defines governance and social and economic interactions in Nigeria. | Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN, CAN's Charter for Presidential Candidates | Page 4 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 17th November 2022 | Tinubu: I Can’t Islamise Nigeria If I Couldn’t Islamise My Home | Presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, yesterday, gave an undertaking that he would not pursue any religious or ethnic agenda if elected president of Nigeria. Speaking against the backdrop of criticisms that trailed his choice of a Muslim vice presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, Tinubu said his choice was based on capacity, cordiality, and one who could help him win the election. The former Lagos State governor spoke at an interactive session with the leadership of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN). He said if it was impossible for him to Islamise his home, then, he could not Islamise the country. He added that some of those opposed to his choice of running mate in APC had lobbied for the position but were rejected. Laying the template for his discussion with CAN, Tinubu said, “I did not choose Senator Shettima so that we could form a same faith ticket. The ticket was constructed as a same progressive and people-based ideology ticket.I offer a confession. I selected Senator Shettima thinking more about who would best help me govern. Picking a Christian running mate would have been politically easier. But the easy way is rarely the right one. The selection of a running mate is at once a very momentous yet very intimate decision.” Lashing out at his critics, especially, those from his party, who were against his choice of Muslim-Muslim ticket, Tinubu said some of them lobbied profusely for the vice presidential position but were rejected by him. While seeking to address the fears of Christians regarding threats to Nigeria’s secularity by the APC presidency, Tinubu said both his family background and track record as governor could bail him out as someone, who was not biased. He stated, “As governor of Lagos, I partnered the Christians to improve lives and foster education. For instance, I returned mission schools to their owners, most of who are Christians. I instituted yearly Christian Denomination Service at the governor’s residence as we approached the New Year. This tradition continues in Lagos. More importantly, we fostered an atmosphere of religious tolerance and inter-faith collaboration. My cabinet was diverse and talented. In the exercise of government, I did not give a thought to whether a team member was Christian or Muslim, Yoruba, Igbo or Arewa.” | Bola Tinubu, Campaign, CAN, Christian Association of Nigeria, Muslim-muslim ticket | Page 1 & 10 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 17th November 2022 | Atiku at NGE Forum, Vows to Continue Obasanjo’s Economic Policies | Presidential candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, promised to revive economic policies that were implemented during the tenure of former President Olusegun Obasanjo between 1999 and 2007, when he served as vice president, if elected president next year. Specifically, he said he would encourage increased private sector investment to stimulate economic activities, promote job creation, and give attention to poverty alleviation. The former vice president made the assertions in Lagos during an interactive session with members of the Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE). Atiku said his administration would work closely with the private sector to fix the country’s infrastructure deficit. He restated his favourable disposition to resource control by endowed sub-national units, and said he remained optimistic about reconciliation with fellow party man and governor of Rivers State, Nyesom Wike. Atiku stated, “The private sector is pivotal to my agenda to rejuvenate the economy and close our infrastructure deficit gaps. If I am elected president, I will work closely with the private sector by giving them incentives to create more jobs and also grant them tax holidays in order for them to intervene in our infrastructure development. It is obvious to all that government doesn’t have all the money and the debt burden has continued to weigh us down. Therefore, government has to be creative and engaging the private sector is one way of solving our infrastructure problems in a sustainable way.” The PDP candidate said his first job, as president if elected, would be restructuring. He restated his commitment to ensuring that necessary constitutional amendments that would cause a transfer of more powers and resources to other tiers of government were activated on his first day in office, if elected.He also pledged to form a government of national unity. | Atiku Abubakar, Campaign Promises, NGE Forum | 1 & 10 | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 17th November 2022 | CSOs seek sanctions against underage voting, duplication in INEC register | With less than 100 days to the 2023 general elections, claims of double registration and underage voters have trailed the preliminary voter register published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), despite repeated assurances by the Commission and President Muhammadu Buhari to deliver free, fair and credible polls. The preliminary register, containing 93,522,272 registrants, has the name, picture, date of birth and Voter Identification Number (VIN) of each registered voter. For data protection and security reasons, information such as biometric details, residential addresses, telephone numbers and email addresses of voters were not made public. The list was published after the Commission said it had carried out a rigorous clean-up of the data using the Automated Biometric Identification System (ABIS) and deleted 2.7 million cases of double registration during the last Continuous Voter Registration (CVR). Though INEC has urged Nigerians to raise objections against the inclusion of any person not qualified to vote or names of dead persons on the register, prominent among the irregularities is the revelation that the list has some registrants with the same name, personal information and photographs but different Voter Identification Numbers (VIN). Programme Director, Yiaga Africa, Cynthia Mbamalu, told The Guardian yesterday that names of persons clearly under-aged were present in the list. Mbamalu, who said the organisation deployed observers in the 36 states to monitor the display of voter register by INEC, said the development is a call on the electoral body to investigate the apparent cases of underage registration and do further follow-up to sanitise the list. She said: “One of the allegations in this process that has to do with the display of voter register is the registration of underaged persons. On the register, we are seeing people who are clearly underage to vote. But one of the things we want INEC to do is to confirm the validity of the age provided by those involved. We call on INEC to investigate these cases, especially those that seem very apparent. According to Okoye, the essence of the preliminary voter register is for Nigerians to make claims, raise objections and identify biodata errors. “The essence of putting out this is for Nigerians to help the Commission further clean up the voter register. We want people to look at the register and assist the Commission to check whether their names have been properly spelt; whether their personal particulars have been properly captured; whether some pictures are not upside down; whether there are still names of deceased persons on the register; whether there are obviously underage persons on the register so that we can correct them. We cannot claim, in all honesty, that the register does not have errors. If the lawmakers believe that the register should not have errors or challenges, they won’t have provided in section 19, subsection 1-3 that such a register should be displayed for people to make claims, objections or lay complaints,” he added. | Underage Voting, INEC, Preliminary Display of Voter Register | Page 1 & 6 | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 17th November 2022 | Crisis looms in Ekiti House of Assembly 24 hours after election of new Speaker | There was tension at the Ekiti State House of Assembly, yesterday, as aggrieved lawmakers were allegedly mobilising for a showdown over the choice of Speaker, Mr. Gboyega Aribisogan. Aribisogan was elected as the new Speaker of the Assembly on Tuesday after defeating Mrs. Olubunmi Adelugba from Emure-Ekiti in a keenly contested election. However, following an alleged intelligence report over a planned invasion by some unidentified thugs, the Commissioner of Police (CP), Adesina Moronkeji, reportedly ordered the Assembly to be shut, just as workers were ordered to return home. Armed policemen were stationed at strategic locations in the House to prevent the purported invasion and breakdown of law and order. When The Guardian visited the Assembly, workers of the House were also sighted trooping out of their offices to their respective homes. A source in the Assembly said that the aggrieved lawmakers were shocked that the idea of picking a consensus candidate as agreed with the leadership at a meeting in Ado-Ekiti on Sunday night was jettisoned. Some of the workers, who spoke with newsmen under the condition of anonymity, said there was an order from the police headquarters that workers should vacate the Assembly in the interest of peace, saying some people were planning to attack the House of Assembly. Meanwhile, the newly-elected Speaker, during a telephone chat with The Guardian, said there was no crisis in the Assembly. He said: “The leadership of the police command in Ekiti State informed us this morning that they had verifiable intelligence about some hoodlums coming to attack the Assembly complex and to avoid breakdown of law and order, hence the need for their (police) presence. “The police have promised us to conduct an investigation on the matter and report to us before the close of work today. I want to encourage my colleagues and workers of the Assembly to be patient and bear with us, as normalcy will soon return to the House.” Reacting on the development, the Police Public Relations Officer, Ekiti Command, DSP Sunday Abutu, said they took the prompt action by placing restriction to prevent breakdown of law and order. Abutu told members of the public not to entertain fear, saying the deployment was to safeguard the lives and government’s property over ominous signs that security was about to be breached at the Assembly’s complex. | Ekiti State House of Assembly | Page 5 | |
| Daily Post Newspaper | 17th November 2022 | Peter Obi: Soludo’s outburst driven by hatred, selfish interest – Labour Party | The Labour Party has reacted to the verbal attack on Peter Obi, the Labour Party presidential candidate by Governor Charles Soludo of Anambra State. Soludo drew the hornet’s nest when he declared that Obi knew he would not win the election but was merely playing drama. Several angry reactions have since trailed the outburst. In a statement made available to DAILY POST on Wednesday, signed by Chief Innocent Sunday Okeke (Duru Agumba), National Vice Chairman, South East, Labour Party, he said Soludo had allowed hatred and selfishness becloud his sense of reasoning. Okeke said the Anambra Governor, who was hitherto highly respected had now diminished himself owing to the tirade against Obi. “Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo is highly respected and adored by Ndi Igbo as one of the shining lights and great academia from the highly rich culture of the Igbo great kingdom. He achieved just like many Igbo great men of today coming from the background of nothing to becoming a human dynamo. He was neither born with a silver spoon nor did he descend from blue blood, but he broke the jinx of poverty. From his rustic village of Isuofia in Aguata LGA of Anambra state, he rose and flew across the world to live his dreams. With these, Ndi Igbo and the whole of Nigeria see him as one of the great Igbo leaders with dignity and respect. Soludo, an astute professor of high repute, allowed his narrow-minded nature to betray him,” he stated. He advised the Governor to watch it going forward and avoid creating serious embarrassment for himself and governance, considering that he also needs the support of the people to achieve. | Chief Innocent Sunday Okeke (Duru Agumba), National Vice Chairman, South East, Labour Party, Peter Obi, Anambra State Governor, Professor Charles Chukwuma Soludo | http://bit.ly/3GnV8k0 | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 16th November 2022 | Buhari, Adamu, Tinubu flag off APC presidential campaign in Jos | President Muhammadu Buhari and National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Abdullahi Adamu, yesterday, led governors of the party, ministers, National Working Committee members and other party leaders to Jos, Plateau State to flag off the presidential campaign rally of the party. During the rally, held at Jos Township Stadium, Buhari, assisted by Adamu, handed over the party’s flag to Asiwaju Tinubu. The President also reiterated his promise to lead the party’s campaign for the 2023 presidential election. The flag off had in attendance vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, Senate President Ahmed Lawan and Speaker of the House Representatives, Femi Gbajabiamila. In attendance were Governors Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara); Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano); Nasir el-Rufai (Kaduna); Abubakar Sani-Bello (Niger); Yahaya Bello (Kogi); Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa) and Ben Ayade (Cross Rivers). Others were: Governors Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi); Abdullahi Sule (Nasarawa); Lagos State Deputy Governor, Femi Hamzat; former Bauchi governor, Mohammed Abubakar; former Ekiti governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi; former governor of Borno, Modu Ali-Sheriff and former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi. Also present were: Senator Oluremi Tinubu, wife of the APC presidential candidate; Hajiya Nana Shettima, wife of the vice presidential candidate (both of who also addressed the rally) and Dr. Ibijoke Sanwo-Olu, wife of Governor Sanwo-Olu of Lagos. On his plans for the country, if elected president, Tinubu said, unlike other parties who are either dwelling on a fruitless past or a tomorrow of fantasies, his administration hopes to chart the course of progress already started by the Buhari administration. We, hereby, reaffirm our commitment to progressive good governance and to the fruits that such governance can bring to this nation". | APC Presidential Campaign flag-off in Jos, Bola Tinubu | Page 3 | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 16th November 2022 | Ahead of 2023, editors resolve to put political actors on toes | Nigerian Guild of Editors (NGE) has said the media has a greater stake in promoting the cause of democracy, since its survival, growth and development are intrinsically linked to its sustenance. It, therefore, has a huge responsibility to put political actors on their toes. In the face of growing divisive tendencies by state and non-state actors, the umbrella of all editors in Nigeria also advised the media to arrest this drift and prevent the nation from being torn to shreds. These were contained in a communique of the 18th All Nigeria Editors Conference (ANEC), with the theme: ‘Political Landscape, Credible Elections and the Role of Editors’, held in Owerri, Imo State, between November 9 and 13, 2022. The communique was signed by NGE President, Mustapha Isah, and General Secretary, Iyobosa Uwugiaren. A total of 320 editors, representing print, broadcast and online media across the country, attended the conference. Noting that the media has a responsibility to ensure political actors abide by issue-based campaigns, the editors said there is urgent need by the media to downplay reports that tend to exacerbate divisive tendencies, as part of the process of promoting integration of the different peoples of Nigeria. “The media should unequivocally set the agenda of discourse to prevent mischief makers from holding sway. Journalists must ensure that those who seek to lead the people, at different levels, are properly grilled, to present people with informed choices. The media, more than any other institutions in the country, is equipped to check the drift towards insanity. It has a responsibility to put political actors on their toes and ensure actors abide by issue-based campaigns,” the communique stated. The editors said because the media has always been at the heart of the struggle for sustainable democracy, it must ensure it raises the level of political discourse, and guide people to make informed choices as the 2023 general election draws near. On the security situation in the country, the conference noted that security agencies should see the media as partners and not adversaries in the anti-terror war; appreciate the work of journalists; and eschew intimidation, harassment and other acts that impede the work of the media. | Nigerian Guild of Editors, NGE, Role of Editors in the 2023 Elections | Page 3 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 16th November 2022 | Obi to Soludo: As Professor I Pray You Perform Better Than I Did as Governor | The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi yesterday reacted to Monday’s comments by Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra state on his performance when he was governor of the state. Obi, who spoke at the 2022 Lagos Business School (LBS) Alumni Conference in Lagos, prayed that as a professor, Soludo should perform better than him (Obi) when he governed the state. Obi said: “Soludo remains my elder brother, we are very close. I remain prayerful for him. For things which I didn’t succeed as governor, God has given him opportunity to do it and succeed. So, if there is anything pending, governance doesn’t finish, people are still in government in America. You stop where you will stop, other people will continue from there. I have done my little own as a trader, now the professor is there he will do his own as a professor, the schools I didn’t roof he will roof them, that’s how government goes.” Soludo had said the investment made by Obi on behalf of the state when he was governor are presently worth next to nothing. The comment attracted attacks from supporters of Obi on social media platforms, prompting Soludo to release a statement on Monday, in which he had among other issues, criticised the performance of the labour party presidential candidate when he was governor. Soludo in a lengthy write-up he personally authored titled: ‘History Beckons, and I will not be Silent (Part 1),” had said he would not succumb to bullies, adding that Obi would lose the 2023 presidential election. Commenting on the investments he made, Obi said: “The one that they said is worthless is that we invested $3.5 billion in International Breweries. International Breweries is part of Ab Inbev, which is the biggest brewery in the whole world. We had a policy when I was governor that any company, foreign investor who wants to invest in Anambra state, we will buy 10 percent of the company, and under the condition, we started an agreement that they will give Anambra people work to the minimum of not less than 40 percent. They built a facility in Anambra state. That facility is there today employing, directly and indirectly, over 10,000 Anambrarians. They bring one of the highest revenue source for the state. When you spread your investments, some will go up, some will go down. But overall, the company is still there, still doing well, and a part of a global chain. I needed to explain it because of the comment of my brother. My brother remains my brother". | Peter Obi's Reaction to Governor Chukwuma Soludo'S statement, Anambra State, 2023 Presidential Election | Page 40 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 16th November 2022 | Tinubu’s Prayer, ‘God Bless PD…’ Prophetic, Says Opposition Party | The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, declared that the prayer, which slipped out of the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, at yesterday’s campaign flag-off in Jos, “God Bless PD…”, confirmed his innermost conviction that PDP represented the hope and aspiration of majority of Nigerians for a secure and prosperous future under a united country PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the fact that Tinubu said the prayer during his “flopped presidential campaign flag-off” was a pointer that it was not a slip of tongue but a divine proclamation that the hope for Nigeria, which he harped on, could only come from PDP. PDP reiterated its stand that Tinubu was ineligible to stand for the 2023 election, saying it is instructive to note that the APC presidential candidate had earlier in his address admitted that Nigerians were “in distress” under his failed APC but that hope was on the way. PDP said in its statement, “Since Asiwaju Tinubu’s prophetic blessing on the PDP, our party has been receiving flurries of calls, solidarity messages and visits from key members of the APC, who believe that his prayer is a divine act of God to point the nation to the right direction". | PDP, Bola Tinubu, Lapsus Linguae, PDP National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba | Page 1 & 39 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 16th November 2022 | 2023: Hold Governors, Security Agencies Responsible For Electoral Violence — Ex-AIG | A retired Assistant Inspector General of Police, Ambrose Aisabor, has said that Nigerians should hold governors and security agencies responsible for electoral violence in the forthcoming 2023 election. Aisabor said this on Monday in Benin during an interview with Daily Trust. He noted that with less than three months to the election and the commencement of the campaign, electoral violence has been witnessed across the country. “The main people responsible for electoral violence in Nigeria are the state governors and the security agencies especially the police, as they look the other way when electoral violence is being perpetrated in order not to offend the governors”. He alleged that the governor most times deny opposition parties venues to conduct their campaigns and also instigate violence to muzzle the opposition parties for theirs to thrive. According to him, the governors used the police as willing tools being that ninety per cent of operational and logistical needs of the police are provided by state governors while the force headquarters only pay the salaries of the personnel. He said following the development, state commissioners of police have become vulnerable and have no courage to correct their governors when they are wrong so that the governors would not stop giving them logistics as well as calling for their redeployment once the governor perceived them as not dancing to their tune. “When there is electoral violence, the commissioners always look the other way and most times deny the existence of such violence in their commands as they are not ready to offend their governors in order to continue to receive assistance from them,” he said. Aisabor called on the federal government not to abdicate its responsibility to the security agencies since state police are not yet available. He called on the Inspector General of Police to withdraw men and officers of the police in the hands of private individuals to man INEC facilities across the country to guide against the burning down of INEC facilities. | Ambrose Aisabor, Electoral Violence, Nigeria Police | Page 25 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 16th November 2022 | Why We Increased Polling Units To 13, 325 In Lagos — INEC | The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said it increased the number of polling units in Lagos from 8000 to 13,325 to ensure there are no more than 700 voters at a polling unit. The Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, stated this during a media workshop organised by the Taipei Trade Office in Nigeria. He said after registering 585,000 new voters, the commission detected multiple registrations and 85 slots were expunged from the register. The state currently tops in the number of registered voters with 7,075, 192, followed by Kano. Represented by the Head of Voters’ Education in the state INEC, Mrs Adenike Tadese, the commissioner assured that the 2023 election is not going to be business as usual, saying INEC had put in place several measures to ensure free and fair election. The REC also tasked the media to assist INEC in curbing vote buying, noting that as the commission was curbing the menace of vote buying, “the political class is sabotaging us.” | INEC, Increase in the number of Lagos State polling units, Resident Electoral Commissioner in Lagos, Mr Olusegun Agbaje, Vote Buying | Page 25 | |
| The Cable | 16th November 2022 | Kukah to Nigerians: Don’t kill yourselves for any politician… they drink from same pool | Matthew Kukah, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, has asked Nigerians not to fight over politicians who are after pecuniary gains. Kukah, who spoke on Tuesday when he appeared on a television programme, said Nigerians should consider politicians as friends who should not be regarded seriously. The bishop’s advice comes a few days after Bola Tinubu, presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress (APC), and Atiku Abubakar, his political opponent, were seen in a video exchanging jokes at the private wing of the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport, in Abuja. The clergyman also expressed concern over the surge in violence by supporters of political candidates ahead of the 2023 presidential election. “These politicians are struggling and they’ve lived their lives struggling for the national cake which they will distribute amongst themselves. It is, therefore, in the interest of ordinary Nigerians to know that they have to vote to stay alive,” he said. “Supporters of candidates all over the country need to be a bit more restrained and wise. We ordinary people must figure out how to manage our passion when it comes to politics. Don’t take seriously the grandstanding of the politicians. All the things you see about them abusing themselves or quarrelling, you will think they will never shake hands. They are very good friends, and many of them drink from the same pool. So, don’t go and kill yourself for nothing. That is what that message is all about.” On September 29, the national peace committee led by Abdusalami Abubakar, chairman of NPC, and Kukah, had organised an event where all presidential candidates for the 2023 general elections signed an accord committing to peace during the polls. | Matthew Kukah, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Sokoto, 2023 General Elections | http://bit.ly/3OpRmZH | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 15th November 2022 | Make debate mandatory for presidential, guber candidates, CNPP tells FG | The conference of Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) has called on the Federal Government to make political debate mandatory for the presidential and governorship candidates of all political parties ahead of the 2023 general elections. The CNPP also called on the National Assembly to enact a law to make participation in the presidential and governorship debates mandatory part of the electoral process. In a statement, yesterday, the Secretary General, Chief Willy Ezugwu, noted: “In the history of election debates in the country, it is either that some candidates deliberately refused to attend the debates or they were excluded by the organisers based on prejudices.” According to CNPP, legalising the presidential and governorship debates will go a long way in helping the electorate to make informed decisions on the choice of leaders. CNPP believes that in order for election debates to achieve the intended purposes, there is need to make governorship and presidential debates mandatory for all candidates,” Ezugwu said. “The debates should be consciously made a veritable platform for the general public to screen persons seeking to represent them at any level in government through elections and as an avenue to increase political participation in the country,” CNPP stated. It, therefore, called on the National Assembly to immediately set up modalities for making it customary for candidates to engage in debates as part of the country’s electioneering process, especially at the presidential and governorship levels. This can be achieved by enacting a law for the establishment of a National Commission on Election Debates, with a mandate to organise debates for candidates. The commission should be empowered to appropriately sanction candidates that fail to participate. If it takes Nigeria a constitution amendment to achieve this, it will be a legacy achievement worth leaving by any administration, as the overall gain of establishing such a commission for the purposes of developing and deepening democracy cannot be quantified in monetary terms.” | Conference of Nigerian Political Parties, CNPP, Calls for Mandatory Debate | Page 9 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 15th November 2022 | Caution Your Spokesmen, Abdulsalami C’ttee Tells Presidential Candidates | The National Peace Committee (NPC) headed by a former Head of State, Gen. Abdulsalami A. Abubakar (retd), has urged the presidential candidates of the 2023 elections to caution their spokespersons over the rising tension and attacks during electioneering. This is contained in a statement on Monday jointly signed by Gen. Abdulsalami A. Abubakar (retd); Convener, NPC, Most Rev. Matthew Hassan Kukah; and Head of Secretariat, NPC, Fr. Atta Barkindo. According to them, the members of the NPC have watched with utter sadness and deep concern, the deterioration in the communication of fundamental issues among the politicians since INEC lifted the ban on political campaigns on September 28th, 2022. “A day after the ban was lifted and in response to a call by the NPC, the presidential candidates and their running mates met and participated in the signing of the Peace Accord at the International Conference Centre, Abuja. Since its successful outing preceding the 2015 Presidential Elections, the signing of the peace accord has become embedded in our electioneering campaigns. We call on all the candidates to rein in their spokespersons and those who claim to represent them and their parties in the public media. All candidates will be held responsible for what is said on their behalf or of their party. Aggressive and abusive language only diminishes the integrity of the individuals, their candidates and their parties. Nigerians should be ready to punish instigators of violence by isolating them or their candidates,” the NPC said. The NPC said that Nigerians are genuinely concerned, troubled and disappointed by the conduct and attitude of some of the political actors in the last few weeks. The NPC noted that security agencies have continued to do their best as they monitor security developments across the country. The NPC also urged the media to remain focused in managing information. | National Peace Committee, NPC, Calls for party campaign spokespersons to be cautioned, Joint Press Statement, Gen. Abdulsalami A. Abubakar | Page 33 | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 15th November 2022 | $460,000 forfeiture judgment: NBC imposes N2m fine on Arise News for alleged breach of broadcasting code | National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), yesterday, imposed a N2 million fine on Arise News for alleged violation of the Nigeria Broadcasting Code. In a statement in Abuja, the commission noted that on Saturday November 12, 2022, it monitored the use of a press release by Arise News, purportedly signed by Festus Okoye, National Commissioner and Chairman (Information and Voter Education Committee), Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). According to the NBC, the press release in question alleged that INEC was investigating the issue of forfeiture by a U.S. court against the presidential candidate of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, with a view to prosecuting him. NBC used the opportunity to warn all broadcasters to adhere to provisions of the broadcasting code, saying it will not hesitate to sanction any offender. Earlier, yesterday, the Presidential Campaign Council of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC PCC) had urged NBC to take punitive measures against Arise News and Channels TV. It alleged the media outfits defamed and assassinated the character of Tinubu over the controversial $460,000 forfeiture judgment. This was contained in a petition addressed to NBC Director General, Balarabe Shehu Ilelah, which accused the organisations of breaching broadcast codes by their actions on the matter. In the petition, APC PCC Special Adviser (Media, Communications and Public Affairs), Mr. Dele Alake, argued that the issue relating to Tinubu’s purported indictment had already been cleared in a correspondence between then Inspector General of Police, Tafa Balogun, and the U.S. government. | NBC Fine, Arise TV, Alleged Violation of NBC Code, INEC, Bola Tinubu | Page 3 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 15th November 2022 | A/Ibom: Court Sacks Akpabio As APC Senatorial Candidate | The Court of Appeal in Abuja has sacked Senator Godswill Akpabio as the candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District. A judgment of a three-member panel of justices, read by Justice Danlami Senchi on Monday, held that Akpabio failed to file proof of arguments within the time provided by the rules. The panel further ruled that Akpabio, being a presidential aspirant of the APC, did not participate in the primary of the party held on May 27 and monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), which produced Udom Ekpoudom as candidate. A Federal High Court in Abuja had on September 15 asked INEC to reinstate Senator Akpabio as APC’s candidate, being the candidate nominated by the party in the second primary of June 9. | Court Judgement, Senator Godswill Akpabio, APC Candidate for Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, Udom Ekpoudom | Page 33 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 15th November 2022 | Soludo: I Won’t Succumb to Bullies, Obi Knows He Can’t Win | Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has said he is sure the candidate of Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, would lose the 2023 presidential election. Soludo said he would not submit to the bullying of Obi’s supporters, who recently descended on him for addressing issues in the state. The governor made the comments in a lengthy write-up personally authored, with the title, “History Beckons, and I Will Not Be Silent (Part 1).” Soludo said Obi was inadvertently making the pathway to victory much easier for the presidential candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, and at the same time, toying with the destiny of millions of Ndigbo. But the chief spokesperson for the Labour Party Presidential Campaign, Yunusa Tanko, accused Soludo of being sponsored by some unknown persons to weaken the base of the party in the South-east. The former CBN governor had been under intense attack for close to a week for dismissing Obi’s investment in the state as amounting to nothing, during a television interview. Soludo said in the write-up, “My attention has been drawn to some of the tirades on social media following my frank response during an interview on Channels TV regarding the ‘investments’ Mr. Peter Obi claimed to have made with Anambra State revenues. Sadly, several of the comments left the issue of the interview to probe or suggest motives, inferred from my response on ‘investment’ that I am opposed to Peter Obi’s ambition and, therefore, committed a ‘crime’ for which the punishment is internecine abuse and harassment, even to my family. Everyone knows that I don’t follow the winds or one to succumb to bullies, or shy away from a good fight especially, when weighty matters of principles and future of the people are involved.” Soludo said he had urged Obi to return to his former party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), to actualise his presidential bid. He added that he had always told the LP candidate to his face that he was not capable of winning the 2023 presidential election, especially, under LP, which had neither a councillor nor a local government chairman. Soludo said Obi was not just his friend, but also his brother, but despite that, they have their political differences. He stated, “For full disclosure, let me state that Peter Obi and I are not just friends, we call ourselves ‘brothers’. But we have political differences: he left APGA for PDP after his tenure as governor, while I have remained in APGA since 2013. Arguing that Obi’s presidential bid would only work in favour of Tinubu, Soludo said, “Indeed, if I were Asiwaju Tinubu, I would even give Peter Obi money as someone heading one of the departments of his campaign, because Obi is making Tinubu’s pathway to victory much easier by indirectly pulling down PDP.” Obi, according to Soludo, would only deplete the votes of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and pave the path for an APC victory. “The emotions might run to heavens but politics-power is about cold calculations, organisation and building alliances for power. In a democracy, it is a game of numbers. So far, I don’t see any of these— and 2023 might again be a wasted opportunity for Ndigbo! What is our Plan B, when Peter Obi loses in February 2023? Some people prefer that we should play the Ostrich while Peter Obi toys with the collective destiny of over 60 million Igbos. Yes, you pray that he wins, but what if he fails, as he is certain to? The Bible says that my people perish for lack of knowledge. As the saying goes, only those who plan can control the future. Ndigbo, wake up and smell the coffee". | Peter Obi, Anambra State Governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, 2023 Presidential Election | http://bit.ly/3TIr31v | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 15th November 2022 | Court sacks Akwa Ibom APC guber candidate, orders fresh primary | The Federal High Court sitting in Uyo, yesterday, nullified the All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election that produced Obong Akanimo Udofia as the candidate of the party in Akwa Ibom State for next year’s general elections. The presiding judge, Justice Agatha Okeke, ordered that a fresh primary be conducted within 14 days of the judgment, to exclude Udofia. “Within 14 days only, the party (APC) should conduct fresh primary” the court ordered. One of the aspirants in Akwa Ibom APC governorship primary held on May 26, 2022, Senator Ita Enang, had sued Udofia, the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the first, second and third defendants respectively, challenging the legitimacy of the conduct of the primary. In determining the substantive suit, the judge noted that the APC Governorship Election Committee violated the laid down provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended. The court held that at the time Udofia emerged the candidate, he was not a member of the APC and his name did not appear on the party’s membership register, adding that the waiver document issued by National Secretariat of the party should have been signed by National Secretary of APC. The judge also noted that there was no evidence before the court that the procedures adopted by the second defendant (APC) was held. Justice Okeke also held that the aspirants were not given equal opportunity to campaign. She resolved that the weight of evidence before the court showed that no election was held and that the nomination of Obong Akanimo Udofia “was null and void and therefore set aside. Speaking with journalists at the court premises, the plaintiff’s counsel, Nsikak Akpan Esq, expressed satisfaction over the judgment. | Uyo Federal High Court, Court Judgement, Akwa Ibom State APC Governorship Candidate, Obong Akanimo Udofia, Senator Ita Enang, Calls for Fresh Governorship primary for APC in Akwa Ibom State | Page 8 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 15th November 2022 | NESG Sets Priorities for Atiku, Tinubu, Obi, Kwankwaso, Others | The Nigeria Economic Summit Group (NESG) has declared that any presidential candidate aspiring to lead the country next year must subscribe to eight consensus issues, saying those yet to attune themselves to such issues lack the capacity to head the country at this critical time. NESG chairman, Asue Ighodalo, itemised the priorities of the group for the next Nigerian president yesterday in Abuja at the on-going 28th Nigerian Economic Summit (NES#28), with the theme, “2023 and Beyond: Priorities for Shared Prosperity.” President Muhammadu Buhari, at the event, emphasised the urgent need to reduce inflation, saying it is “both a tax on the poor and disrupts long-term growth”. Ahmed spoke at the opening plenary titled, “The Nigeria We Want.” Ighodalo said the core issues for the incoming Nigerian president must centre on national job creation agenda, accelerated human capital development, social protection and development, and rebuilding and rejigging national institutions. Others are effective, efficient and coordinated macroeconomic policy management; new national security architecture; heightened infrastructure development agenda; as well as a clear, articulate and effective response to humanitarian issues. He said candidates seeking the offices of president and vice president without subscribing to those issues, did not understand the problems facing the country. He said such candidates lacked the capacity to lead the country, particularly, at this time. Ighodalo stated, “Anyone of our candidates who seeks the office of president and vice president, who does not subscribe to these consensus issues, does not clearly understand the problems facing us as a country, has not thought about how these problems must be dealt with, and cannot have the capacity and understanding to lead this country at this time. In addition to the difficulty of these times, in just over six months, a new federal government will be in place. The new government will most likely think differently, have a different approach and a different attitude to governance, and will certainly have different personnel. We must do everything within our power to ensure that the new government lands running, quickly identifying, determining and implementing economic and social policies that will set us firmly on the path of inclusive, shared and sustainable prosperity.” | Nigeria Economic Summit Group, NESG, Consensus issues for presidential candidates, 28th Nigerian Economic Summit | http://bit.ly/3UWz0RP | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 14th November 2022 | Sponsoring fake news won’t win elections, says APC PCC | The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council (APC PCC) has read the riot act to purveyors of fake news, aiming to undermine the chances of the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, in next year’s general elections. APC PCC Director, Media and Publicity, Mr. Bayo Onanuga, in a statement, notified all agents of disinformation and their collaborating media platforms that the campaign organisation stands ready to confront and fight all libellous and defamatory publications against Tinubu. This came as Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) disclosed, yesterday, that it might seek a court order to compel Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce a $460,000 forfeiture judgment given by a United States court. At a press conference in Abuja, National Publicity Secretary of the party, Debo Ologunagba, drew attention to the provision of Section 137 (1) (d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended), arguing that Tinubu is not eligible to contest the 2023 presidential election. The APC PCC statement reads: “The opposition PDP and its subsidiary, Labour Party (LP), having realised they have no sure path to victory in the February 2023 presidential election upped their campaign of calumny, disinformation and misinformation on Saturday by sponsoring fake news against the APC presidential candidate. “They did it by forging the letterhead of INEC and the signature of its National Commissioner, Festus Okoye. The forged statement purportedly issued by INEC was disseminated to deceive the gullible public that INEC was investigating allegations against Asiwaju Tinubu, which, they desperately hoped, will ultimately lead to the disqualification of the frontline APC presidential candidate. “We are not in any way surprised by the antics of the sinking opposition parties. What we found shocking was how quickly some compromised media organisations gulped the falsehood, hook, line and sinker, without attempting to verify. It is clear the opposition parties and purveyors of fake news have other negative ideas: they want to make this election cycle more about muckraking and mudslinging. While we want to stay above the fray and stand by our commitment to inspire our people and restore their faith and confidence in the immense goodness and greatness of our country, we want to serve notice to all the agents of disinformation and their collaborating media platforms, that our campaign organisation stands ready to confront and fight all libellous and defamatory publications against Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu. “We shall no longer allow the prevailing recklessness and utter disregard for professional judgment to continue unchallenged. We also call on the police to investigate the circulation of the forged INEC statement and serve justice to those responsible. | APC PCC, Fake News, APC PCC Director Media and Publicity, Bayo Onanuga, Accusation | Page 3 | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 14th November 2022 | Uduaghan declares support for Okowa, seeks unity in PDP | Immediate past governor of Delta State, Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, weekend, canvassed support for the Peoples Democratic Party’s Vice Presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa. He urged PDP in Delta State to work closely to deliver the party’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, and his running mate. Uduaghan’s declaration is a major shift from the pre-governorship primary era, in which he allegedly joined forces with his cousin, James Ibori, to declare support for Chief David Edevbie. Uduaghan spoke during the meeting of the party’s leaders in Delta South to flag off the ward-to-ward campaign for the 2023 general election at his residence in Warri. It’s the first time he would be attending a PDP activity since the party’s divisive governorship primary. In canvassing support for Okowa’s vice presidential ambition despite alleged political differences between the duo, Uduaghan may be signalling that the PDP leadership in the state is beginning to reconcile aggrieved parties ahead of the general elections next year. Uduaghan also called for unity in the party in the state towards delivering all party’s candidates in the 2023 election. The meeting was reportedly convened at Uduaghan’s behest by the Delta South PDP caucus to show that the party stakeholders were working to reconcile all parties. | Dr. Emmanuel Uduaghan, Endorsement, Ifeanyi Okowa | Page 8 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 14th November 2022 | Attacks on INEC Offices Threat to 2023 Elections, Says Obi Media Office | The media office of the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, Obi-Datti Media Organisation, has condemned the recent attacks on facilities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying it may affect the outcome of next year’s elections. But the leader of BigTent and LP member, Professor Pat Utomi, said the attacks on INEC offices, though condemnable, should not be reason for the commission to contemplate altering the schedule of next year’s general election, as being speculated in some quarters. In a statement signed by Head, Obi-Datti Media Organisation, Diran Onifade, the team described the news of the burning down of the Ogun and Osun states INEC offices as worrisome, as it was confirmed that materials needed for next year’s elections, especially permanent voters’ cards yet to be collected by their owners, were destroyed by the inferno. The statement said, “We condemn this arson in the strongest term possible because of the serious danger and threat it poses to the conduct of free, fair and credible elections next year. “Most of the newly registered voters, who showed unprecedented enthusiasm to participate in next year’s elections by trooping out en-masse to register, have not collected their PVCs and they would be the worst victims of this sabotage.” Diran said the incident would disenfranchise millions of those waiting to collect their PVCs. According to him, “There is a potent danger now that if this level of disenfranchisement occurs, the result of next year’s elections will not reflect the wishes of overwhelming majority of Nigerians.” Diran appealed to the Buhari government to back its promise to conduct free and credible elections in 2023 by protecting INEC staff, facilities, and materials from destruction. Utomi, on his part, said INEC must not consider shifting next year’s elections because of the attacks on its personnel and offices in some parts of the country. Utomi stated this at the weekend in Abuja during a meeting of the BigTent, an inter-party body made up of political parties, civil society organisations, and support groups. He outlined programmes and plans to fortify the chances of the third force movement, led by LP, in next year’s general election. Utomi accused the two major political parties in the country – PDP and APC – of creating a process that had “de-intelectualised the political culture” of the country. He warned that if “Nigeria does not manage to get it right and provide leadership for Africa, the Negro peoples of our planet, couldn’t be here for another five or 1000 years of servitude”. | Media office of the presidential candidate of Labour Party (LP), Peter Obi, Obi-Datti Media Organisation, Attacks on INEC Offices | Page 65 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 14th November 2022 | $460, 000 Forfeiture: PDP Considers Legal Actions to Stop Tinubu | The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, said it was considering legal options to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to enforce the ruling of a United States court in Illinois, Chicago, indicting the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu, of drug-related offences. National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, said this at a press conference in Abuja, stressing, “All options are on the table as we have done before.” According to the PDP, Section 137 of the 1999 Constitution barred Tinubu from contesting next year’s presidential election because he has been indicted for drug-related offences and Nigeria is signatory to international conventions on drugs and money laundering. Similarly, the Atiku/Okowa campaign group, has asked Tinubu to stop hiding and pointing fingers over his alleged involvements in drugs dealing but address the nation on what he knew as far as the matter is concerned. But Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) of APC described Tinubu as unstoppable ahead of next year’s election and challenged PDP to go to court if it felt strongly about the situation. This is as the presidential candidate of the PDP, Atiku Abubakar, has urged Nigerians to unite and recover Nigeria from the APC, because power belonged to the people. PDP, however, said it was considering all options, including legal action, to make INEC do the needful, as the party did in the cases of Ekiti and Osun states. In those two cases, PDP had challenged the governorship primaries and conventions conducted by the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC). Addressing a press conference, Ologunagba said Tinubu was complicit in the drug related conviction, because there would be no forfeiture of assets if he were not an accessory to the crime. PDP called on “INEC not to succumb to the blackmail of the APC but to be focused and carry out its duties in accordance with the constitution and the Electoral Act so as to engender confidence in the citizens with respect to the integrity of those seeking public office in our country.” “The APC must note that its schemes, denials, threats and resort to violence cannot help Asiwaju Tinubu. By the provision of Section 137 (1) (d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended), Asiwaju Tinubu is not eligible to contest the presidential election in Nigeria. “Section 137 (1) (d) of the 1999 Constitution (as amended) provides that: (1) A person shall not be qualified for election to the office of President if: (d) He is under a sentence of death imposed by any competent court of law or tribunal in Nigeria or a sentence of imprisonment or fine for any offence involving dishonesty or fraud (by whatever name called) or for any other offence, imposed on him by any court or tribunal or substituted by a competent authority for any other sentence imposed on him by such a court or tribunal. Having been sentenced and fined by way of criminal forfeiture of $460,000 drug money in a criminal suit filed pursuant to the United States Criminal Code, Asiwaju Tinubu cannot by virtue of Section 137 (1)(d) of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999 (as amended) seek office as President of Nigeria. “Nigerians now know that the APC presidential campaign announcement that its presidential candidate will not participate in media debates is to prevent Nigerians from seeking answers from Asiwaju Tinubu with respect the criminal forfeiture judgement as well as other burning issues to which Nigerians are entitled to know". | Bola Tinubu, Forfeiture, Drug related offences, National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Debo Ologunagba, Section 137 of the 1999 Nigerian Constitution | Page 1 & 5 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 14th November 2022 | Politicians Using Criminals To Disrupt 2023 Elections — Jega | "A former chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Professor Attahiru Jega, has said desperate politicians are using criminal elements to disrupt preparations for the 2023 general elections. Jega, a member of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), spoke at the weekend after the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) meeting and presentation of its manifesto in Abuja. He said the burning of INEC offices in some parts of the country was “very unfortunate”, adding that it portrayed “the desperation of politicians to use criminal elements to disrupt the preparations for the elections.” “This is something that all well-meaning Nigerians must oppose, must condemn. This is something that our security agencies must collaborate and work together, apprehend the culprits, and ensure that measures are put in place so that this does not happen again. The 2023 elections must hold, and they must hold in an atmosphere of peace without any apprehension by the voters so that we can have very good candidates elected,” Jega said. He, however, commended the INEC leadership, saying it has done its best under difficult circumstances to ensure that the elections are conducted with integrity and credibility. “But you know that our politicians are very desperate, so they try to do everything to throw spanners in the works. So our hope is that the INEC leadership will remain focused and resolute to ensure that elections are conducted with integrity in 2023,” he added." | Professor Attahiru Jega on burning of INEC offices | Page 39 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 14th November 2022 | No Political Party In Nigeria Has 15m Members — APGA Chair | The National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), Dr Victor Oye, has said that Nigerians should ignore some of the nation’s political parties’ claim of 15 million members. Oye said this at the weekend in Abuja during a press conference on the state of the nation and affairs of the party ahead of the 2023 elections. He said that such a claim was fallacious and that political parties claiming to have as many as 15 million card-carrying members was impossible. He noted that APGA had over 1.5 million registered members and that the party was made up of honest people who didn’t bandy figures about. He said, “I can tell you that no political party in Nigeria has 15 million members. Show me the evidence. It’s not possible. By the way, I have 1.5 million members. Do you know the admirers, the supporters of the party? That is how elections are won.” | APGA, Dr Victor Oye | https://bit.ly/3tp9p8y | |
| The Cable | 14th November 2022 | Kwankwaso: Security vote is a big way of stealing money — I’ll abolish it if elected | Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), says he will abolish the security vote system if he is elected. Kwankwaso said this on Sunday while speaking at a town hall series organised for presidential candidates by Channels Television. Security vote refers to a monthly allocation disbursed to states and other agencies for improved security. According to estimates on security vote by Transparency International, “these secretive, unaccounted-for, cash expenditures add up to over $670 million (N241.2 billion) annually”. Speaking on why the security vote system should be reviewed, Kwankwaso said it is a way of getting away with “stealing” state funds. “For the eight years I was governor, I never took one naira for the issue of security vote. It’s not even there,” he said. “I have inherited governments that were taking N10 million in a day, seven times. In fact, at a state, we had a record of 12 times because the governor can only approve N10 million. So, they would take N10 million, times whatever number they want. If the CP or director of SSS or anybody wants to do anything, we’ll listen to him. He should defend it. And once we are satisfied, anything above N10 million, I’ll take it to the council. The only thing that we did not publish for the eight years I was governor was the money given to the security agents, but we have the records. Security vote, in our own opinion, is a big way of stealing money. That is why I have never done it. And if I have the opportunity again, there will never be anything like security vote in the presidency. “We have seen cases where a lot of money is being siphoned in the name of security vote and nobody can defend it. In my opinion, that should be stopped using whatever means, because it’s only a good way of taking cash from the treasury.” | Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Security Votes, Manifesto, #ThePeoplesTownhall | https://bit.ly/3g5thdM | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 11th November 2022 | 2023: Vote Whomever You Like, Buhari Tells Nigerians | President Muhammadu Buhari says Nigerians should vote whomever they like from whichever political party during the 2023 general elections. He said nobody would be allowed to mobilise resources and thugs to intimidate people in any constituency. He spoke in London Wednesday evening after meeting with King Charles III at the Buckingham Palace. “My aim is to make sure that Nigerians believe that we respect them as an administration. “That’s what I want to go down in Nigerian history for as a leader,” the president said. He expressed confidence that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and its presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, would win the election. According to him, APC is lucky to have Tinubu as its presidential candidate. When asked the chances of the APC in the 2023 elections, Buhari said: We’re going to win the election. “Tinubu, the presidential candidate, a very well-known politician in the country, he was a two-term governor in Lagos State, the most resourceful state and the most visited state. So, I think the party was lucky to get him to be the candidate,” he said. The president said his meeting with King Charles focused on strengthening bilateral relationship with the United Kingdom. He said the British monarch was very interested in Nigeria “maybe because of Nigeria’s relationship with Britain for long, our economic strength, I think we’re still of great attachment to them.” Buhari said he told King Charles that he did not have a house in the UK. “He (King Charles III) asked me whether I have a house here (in the UK), I said no, I live in Nigeria alone, the only house I have are those I have before I got into government and I’m not very much interested in having houses all over the place. I feel much freer when I have nothing.” | President Muhammadu Buhari, Meeting with King Charles III, Presidential Election | Page 4 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 11th November 2022 | INEC Records 47 Attacks In 33 Months, Holds Emergency Meeting Today | The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) will hold an emergency security meeting in Abuja today over attacks on its facilities. It convened the meeting following the latest attacks on its offices in Ogun and Osun states on Thursday. With Thursday’s attacks, the INEC has suffered 47 attacks on its facilities and offices since February 2019. A source at the commission said that the attacks are deliberate attempts to stop them from carrying out their duties. Another source not from INEC but works with knowledge of the commission’s works, said the Yoruba Nation agitators are being fingered. “They recently attacked a military facility in Ogun State and carted away with some weapons. “Security forces have not yet commented on this allegation but sources said they are not ruling out any possibilities,” the source said. Hoodlums on Thursday set an office of INEC at Iyana Mortuary, Abeokuta, Ogun State, on fire leaving a total of 65,699 Permanent Voter’s Cards (PVCs) destroyed. Sources said the hoodlums, numbering about eight, scaled the fence to gain entry into the premises of the electoral body. A security guard at the facility, Azeez Hamzat, was said to have made a distress call to the police around 1 am on Thursday. Our correspondent gathered that the store, registration area and conference room were affected by the fire. In Osun, suspected hoodlums yesterday set on fire the INEC office in Ede South LGA of the State. The hoodlums, it was gathered left immediately after setting the office located at Oke Iresi in Ede ablaze. It was gathered that residents trooped out and put the fire out after the arsonist left the premises. Head of the Department of Public Education of the commission, Ayoola Balogun while confirming the incident told Daily Trust that the fire did not affect important documents. National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Committee (IVEC), Festus Okoye, said the emergency meeting was triggered by the attacks on the commission’s local government offices in Ogun and Osun states on Thursday. The meeting, which will be attended by heads of security agencies, who are members of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security (ICCES) including the National Security Adviser (NSA), will discuss the trend and fashion out ways of curbing the development ahead of the 2023 elections. “With just 106 days to the 2023 General Election, when the commission has commenced the movement of materials to our offices nationwide, these simultaneous attacks are very worrisome indeed, “he said. | INEC, Emergency Security Meeting, Attacks on INEC offices | Page 4 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 11th November 2022 | Shettima: Obi Has Nothing to Offer Except Dubious Statistics | Vice-Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima, has said the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi, has nothing to offer apart from dubious statistics. Shettima disclosed this yesterday in Abuja at an event organised by APC Professionals Forum with the theme: “Dissecting the Asiwaju Manifesto”. He said the trajectory of the world facing Africa and Nigeria would make or mar the 2023transition, adding that, if Nigeria failed, the black man has failed. According to him, while he was an incurable optimist, he was also a realist, saying the nation could not shield itself from the global realities and from the challenges in Ukraine. “We’re going to go through some rough waters in the coming months and years. This is why leadership is very crucial. 2023 will be a watershed election in the history of this country. “What are the options available? Our political space is filled with a lot of very careful snails. We have to provoke conversation without descending so low to engage in malicious concoction or dubious aspersions on personalities. So what are the options available? I don’t want to mention the whole incident, I will respect our convener. He is an elder statesman that I hold in the highest esteem, I will not question his nationality. No! He is a bonafide Nigerian. Peter “Gringori” Obi is my friend but “Gringori” has absolutely nothing to offer apart from dubious statistics. So, the choice before us, there is a difference between daylight and darkness.” The first lady, Aisha Buhari, said having gone through the manifesto of Tinubu, she had no doubt in her mind that given his experience in governance and passion to make a positive impact on national development, “we would be in safe hands.” The first lady, who was represented by the Director General of National Women Development Centre, Dr. Asabe Bashir, suggested that every idea and strategy for national security must factor women, because the world has accepted the reality that women are agents of peace, growth and development. | APC Vice-Presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima, Campaign, Peter Obi | Page 41 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 11th November 2022 | Atiku: APC Will Become Extinct After Their Defeat in 2023 | Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, predicted that the governing All Progressives Congress (APC) would cease to exist as a political party after losing the 2023 general election. Atiku spoke at the inauguration of the PDP Youth Campaign Council, where the party leadership cautioned members against reprisal attacks on opponents.Atiku also welcomed reports that the G-5 group of dissenting PDP governors, led by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, was willing to negotiate with the PDP leadership. The former vice president’s media adviser, Paul Ibe, disclosed this in a statement last night. Meanwhile, Director General of the Atiku campaign and Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, expressed appreciation to the Edo State chapter of the party for the impressive reception accorded the presidential campaign train during the campaign flag off in the state. The appreciation was contained in a letter signed by Tambuwal, and addressed to Edo State Chairman of PDP, Dr. Anthony Aziegbemi. Speaking at the inauguration of the Youth Campaign Council, Atiku said, “To be honest, PDP is the only political party, APC is not a political party; it is an alliance between the CPC and Tinubu’s party, and we have seen how alliances in this country have disappeared overnight. “I don’t think APC would survive after this election. We are going to vote them out and by the time we vote them out, they will be dead.” The PDP presidential candidate said his party would always withstand any storm. He stated, “We are 25 years now, so, we have succeeded in laying the foundation for a sustained democracy in our country. You have a legacy to be proud of by being a member of this political party. Let me, therefore, charge you with the responsibility of making sure that you carry the message of the PDP to the nooks and crannies of the country.” | Atiku Abubakar, PDP Presidential Candidate, Campaign | Page 1 & 5 | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 11th November 2022 | Labour, media tasked on 2023 general elections | "Ahead of the 2023 general elections, stakeholders have urged Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC) and Trade Union Congress (TUC) to work with the media in organising political debates for presidential and governorship candidates to hear their plans for workers. They equally charged media practitioners to shun sensational reportage and set agenda for credible and peaceful 2023 polls. Speaking at a workshop organised by Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES) for Labour Writers Association of Nigeria (LAWAN) in Lagos, Executive Director, International Press Centre, Lanre Arogundade, reminded journalists of the need to avoid being biased in their reports and holding politicians accountable to their electioneering campaign promises. He advised workers and labour unions against being used as cannon fodders by greedy politicians, warning that they must refrain from serving as foot soldiers of political parties or party thugs during the elections. Arogundade said reporters could assist the media in getting it right by engaging in civic and voter education, emphasising importance of Permanent Voter’s Card (PVC) collection and voting by workers. He urged them to work closely with political desks to ensure that workers’ issues are not relegated to the background, as the entire process beckons. Also, a former Labour Editor with Vanguard Media Limited, Funmi Komolafe, who delivered a lecture on “The role of the media in ensuring peaceful, credible, transparent and inclusive general elections in 2023,” stressed that journalists must report campaign activities without being carried away by activities of politicians. She, however, noted that as the elections approach, reporters needed to ask in whose interest he or she is reporting?“We must remember that we have a duty to ensure that the interest of our nation is our focus. We should desist from unnecessary sensationalism that promotes ethnicity and religious divide,” Komolafe added. | Election reportage, Meda, Labour Unions, NLC, TUC | Page 7 | |
| The Cable | 11th November 2022 | Tinubu most saleable among presidential candidates, says Ribadu | Nuhu Ribadu, a former chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), says Bola Tinubu, candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), is the most saleable presidential candidate. Ribadu spoke in Abuja at the inauguration of the APC stakeholders relations directorate for the 2023 poll. The former anti-graft boss described Tinubu as a good administrator with an extensive network across the country. “Luckily, our job is cut out for us. We have the most saleable product in the market today; there is no one candidate out there that is better than our own,” Ribadu said. Asiwaju Tinubu is an accomplished human being and a thorough-bred administrator and maverick politician. He has something to show from his glowing antecedents. “He will not learn on the job. He also has a wide network of friends and associates everywhere in Nigeria, which makes our job of outreach very much easier.”Ribadu said though the 2023 presidential election is literally a walk over for the APC, the party should not leave anything to chance. We should not under-rate our opponents. We should work assiduously to make the margin of winning too wide that the victory will be massive and sweet,” he added. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Bisi Akande, former interim chairman of the APC, inaugurated the directorate. Ribadu described Akande as an icon who is full of wise counsel and humility despite his accomplishments. “That progressive politicians came together and formed the APC, and for the party to be where it is today, owes a lot to the sagacity and leadership of Baba Akande,” Ribadu said. He is a dye in the wool progressive politician who has remained steadfast and has paid his full dues in nation-building through his principled politics. According to Ribadu, the inauguration of the leadership and members of the directorate signals the formal engagement to begin campaigns fully.“This is however not the beginning of the work. Some of us have burnt many midnight candles for a long time, even before the formal constitution of the directorate, working to build bridges between critical stakeholders,” he added. | Nuhu Ribadu, former EFCC chairman, Bola Tinubu, Endorsement, Campaign | https://bit.ly/3NVXxEg | |
| Leadership Online | 11th November 2022 | APC Campaign C’ttee Rules Out Kwankwaso, Says N’West Indebted To Tinubu | The Contact and Mobilisation committee for the North West zone of the Tinubu/Shettima presidential campaign council has ruled out the possibility of the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Musa Kwankwaso, winning the 2023 presidential poll in the zone. Instead, it said the zone, which is capable of determining the next president of Nigeria, is indebted to the presidential candidate of APC, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, and would vote for him. It noted that despite the presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) coming from the region, it will not affect the fortunes of Tinubu in 2023. Director of the committee, Hon Aminu Sani Jaji, said having supported President Buhari in the last seven and half years as president, the North West must mobilise support and deliver victory for the Tinubu/Shettima ticket in the forthcoming presidential election. Speaking on Thursday in Abuja during the inauguration of the campaign council’s Contact and Mobilisation Committee for the North-west, Jaji who heads the committee assured that Tinubu will succeed Buhari. According to him, the North West has one of the most populated states in the country (Kano) which is currently under the APC and looking at the 2015 and 2019 elections results, APC will definitely coast to victory in 2023. Urging the committee members to work assiduously to achieve victory at all levels for the APC candidates, the former chairman, House committee on Intelligence and internal security said the North West committee has a task to take Tinubu’s manifestos to the grassroots. | Contact and Mobilisation committee for the North West zone of the Tinubu/Shettima presidential campaign council, Director of the committee, Hon Aminu Sani Jaji, Bola Tinubu, NNPP Presidential Candidate | https://bit.ly/3UOIvmc | |
| The Cable | 10th November 2022 | Kwankwaso: We are happy that performers like Wike, Umahi didn’t get presidential tickets | Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), says he is happy that Nyesom Wike and Dave Umahi did not win presidential tickets of their parties. The former governor of Kano said this on Wednesday while speaking with journalists in Abakaliki, the Ebonyi capital. Wike, governor of Rivers and member of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), lost the ticket to Atiku Abubakar, while Umahi, Ebonyi governor, lost the All Progressives Congress (APC) ticket to Bola Tinubu. Speaking on Wednesday, Kwankwaso said the choice of candidates of the APC and PDP has given leverage for the NNPP to win the 2023 presidential election. “Of course, I would be very happy that people like Dave here, people like my friend, Wike, and many others, I would have been very happy with them as [presidential candidates],” he said.“But we didn’t want them as an opposition to go there, because we know these are people who have performed. You know that as an opposition, we want people who we can just easily walk on and win. And that is why we are so happy and comfortable now at the national level. In the north now, we are the party to beat. There is no APC. APC has failed the nation. That is why we left it. PDP has failed the nation. Eight years plus 16 years, which is 24 years, is what we are seeing here"". ""You will not understand what we are saying because you have a good governor. The security is solid; the economy is not as bad as elsewhere and so on and so forth. But those of us coming from the north, we know what is happening — and even in parts of the east and across the country. So, we are so happy that the strong ones could not get or buy the tickets during the primary elections.” | Rabiu Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP | https://bit.ly/3hxiqK5 | |
| Leadership Online | 10th November 2022 | 8 Nigerian-Americans Win In US Midterm Elections | Eight Nigerian-Americans in Georgia State in the United States (US) have won seats in the country’s midterm elections. The winners are Segun Adeyina, Gabe Okoye, Solomon Adesanya, Tish Naghise, and Phil Olaleye who won their legislative seats as state representatives in their districts. Similarly, Carol Kazeem won the Pennsylvania State Representative in District 159, Esther Agbaje was re-elected as Minnesota State Representative in District 59B, while Dr. Oye Owolewa was re-elected to the U.S. House of Representatives (Shadow Representative) in Washington D.C.Meanwhile, President Muhammadu Buhari has congratulated the winners in the polls. The president wished them a successful tenure in office. In a statement issued by his media aide, Femi Adesina, the president thanked them for their invaluable support and partnerships, over the years, with groups affiliated with the ideals and objectives of Nigerians in Diaspora associations in the United States. Also, the chairman of the Nigerians in the Diaspora Commission (NIDCOM) Abike Dabiri-Erewa congratulated the eight Nigerians for making country proud in the polls. The NIDCOM boss took to her Twitter handle yesterday to announce and celebrate the performance of the Nigerians attributing it to immense hard work. | US Midterm Elections, Nigerian-American win in Georgia State | https://bit.ly/3fUpC2c | |
| The Nation Online | 10th November 2022 | 193,000 PVCs yet-to-be collected in Kwara, says INEC | Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in Kwara State has decried poor response of the people to the collection of permanent voter cards (PVCs). The commission said from 2011 to 2019, it had 233, 856 uncollected PVCs, adding that “out of this, only 20,752 were collected as at October this year, leaving over 193,000 uncollected. “Of the 46,602 new PVCs received from the INEC headquarters, only 18,885 have been collected, with a balance of 27,602 awaiting collection. We are still having a lot of challenges in the state in terms of PVCs collection,” Resident Electoral Commission (REC) Attahiru Madami has said. He spoke yesterday in Ilorin at a stakeholders’ meeting ahead of the 2023 general election. On incident PVCs collection, Madami said the state had 20,506, adding that only 6,055 had so far been collected, with 14,451 yet to be collected. He said the state had 43,008 invalid registration figures, one of the least, according to him, in the country. | INEC, PVCs, Kwara State, Kwara State REC, Attahiru Madami | https://bit.ly/3UKBbYF | |
| Punch Online | 10th November 2022 | INEC to sanction 23 workers over illegal registration | The Independent National Electoral Commission Kwara Resident Electoral Commissioner, Attahiru Madami, has revealed that 23 staff members of the commission were caught illegally registering voters in Kwara State, adding that they will be prosecuted. Madami, who disclosed this at the INEC Stakeholders Forum in Ilorin refused to elaborate more on it on Wednesday. He said, “Twenty-three INEC staff members were involved in illegal registration and will be sanctioned.” Representatives from political parties, security agencies, and Civil society organisations attended the stakeholder meeting. The REC said that the forum became necessary as a first step to ensuring hitch-free elections next year. “I want to tell stakeholders that we are ready to protect the electoral process by conducting free, fair, transparent, peaceful, and credible elections that will be acceptable to Kwarans,” he said. Madami, on the other hand, bemoaned the state’s poor response to the collection of permanent voter cards, claiming that the commission had 233,856 uncollected PVCs between 2011 and 2019, adding that “out of this, only 20,752 were collected as of October this year, leaving over 193,000 uncollected.” “Of the 46,602 new PVCs received from the INEC headquarters in the state, only 18,885 had been collected, with a balance of 27,602 awaiting collection.” He also stated that the state had 43,008 invalid registration figures, one of the lowest in the country in his opinion. In his speech, the state’s Police Commissioner, Paul Odama, warned politicians not to “feed” their supporters with hard drugs. “Politicians should focus on issue-based campaigns rather than personality-based campaigns,” Odama said. They should ensure that their followers are civil in all their actions. They should avoid thuggery and causing damage to opposing party billboards. As enshrined in the Electoral Law, vote-buying and selling will not be allowed. On our part, we will do all that is within our power to support and collaborate with stakeholders to ensure that our democracy is firmly rooted in the country. Finally, the police and other security agents in the state have, at different times, strategised on how the elections will be free and credible.” | INEC, Kwara State, Kwara State REC, Attahiru Madami, Kwara State Police Commissioner, Paul Odama, PVC | https://bit.ly/3UL0iuw | |
| Punch Online | 10th November 2022 | Controversy surrounds Atiku convoy attack in Borno | The All Progressives Congress and the Peoples Democratic Party differed on Wednesday over attacks on the convoy of the PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, by suspected thugs in Maiduguri, Borno State. Several vehicles were vandalised during the attack which the PDP Presidential campaign spokesperson, Senator Dino Melaye, blamed on the APC. However, the Director of Media and Publicity for the APC Presidential Campaign Council, Bayo Onanuga, said the attack could be the result of the in-fighting in the Borno State chapter of the PDP, insisting that the APC had no hand in the violence. Though no loss of life was immediately reported, Melaye claimed that 70 persons were hospitalised and dozens of vehicles vandalised. Our correspondent reports that the miscreants stoned Atiku’s convoy while on its way to the palace of Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Garbai Alkanemi, to pay homage, sparking apprehension in the state. Scores of persons were reportedly injured when the hoodlums pelted the convoy with stones, sticks and other weapons. However, the state police command denied the attack, adding that it arrested one Danladi Abbas who attempted to disrupt the rally. The Borno State police spokesman, ASP Sani Muhammed, explained in a statement that the State Commissioner of Police, Abdul Umar was at the scene, adding that there was no incident. It read in part, ‘’The Commissioner of Police, Abdu Umar was physically present to supervise the place. The campaign rally was conducted successfully, as tight and adequate security coverage were emplaced throughout the activities. ‘’The candidate and his party were accompanied to the Shehu’s Palace by the police to pay a courtesy call on the Shehu of Borno, Alhaji Abubakar Ibn Umar Garbai Al-amin El-kanemi after which they were escorted until they departed the town. ’It is worth to note that one person, Danladi Musa Abbas, 32 years old, who attempted to disrupt the convoys along the airport road was arrested by the police inside a church after a hot chase in an attempt to escape. He is under the command’s custody with a stone which is an exhibit. The Commissioner of Police, Abdu Umar, is therefore calling the attention of the general public to avoid spreading rumours and fake news that may disrupt the peaceful coexistence and incite disturbance, particularly as the election is so forthcoming. Finally, the command is at top gear to ensure that Borno State is free from any conflict, before, during and even after the election.’’ Responding to the allegation that its supporters were behind the fracas, the APC Campaign Council warned the PDP not to link the APC to the attack on Atiku’s campaign. The Director of Media and Publicity for the APC campaign council, Onanuga, dismissed the insinuation that the attackers were sponsored by the ruling party, whose presidential candidate he claimed is solely focused on his engagement and tight campaign schedule at the moment. Condemning the attack, the PDP in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said the attack was carried out “by armed thugs sponsored by the disconcerted All Progressives Congress.” | APC, PDP, Atiku Abubakar's Convoy attack, Bornor State | https://bit.ly/3zYj3Th | |
| The Nation Online | 10th November 2022 | Tinubu’s election a done deal, says Abiodun | Ogun State Governor Dapo Abiodun, Senator Olamilekan Adeola (Lagos West); Abiodun Isiaq Akinlade, former Chief Staff to governor Abiodun Shuaib Salisu, yesterday led a solidarity walk for the victory of presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and the Vice Presidential candidate, Kashim Shetimma, as well as Abiodun’s re-election bid, in the 2023 general elections. The walk, comprising party faithful from the 20 local government areas, transport unions, as well as interest and support groups, started from the MKO Abiola stadium in Kuto, through Isabo, Nawarudeen, Ijaye, Abiola way before terminating at the NNPC junction on IBB Boulevard, Magbon. The crowd chanted solidarity songs for the APC, Tinubu, Abiodun and other party candidates. Abiodun said the walk and support attests to the fact that Tinubu remained the people’s choice. He was confident Tinubu’s election was a done deal. “This massive crowd is a sign to scare any opposition. The walk was planned just yesterday and it is intimidating. It is a show of love that you support Tinubu and Abiodun’s election victory in 2023. We are still going to hold a rally at the stadium and by February we cast our votes for all APC candidates.” Abiodun, however, appealed to those yet to collect their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) to do so before the election. Chairman of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN) Alhaji Titilayo Akibu said the walk was significant to them as it shows that Tinubu remains the choice of Ogun people in 2023. He also restated the union’s support for Abiodun’s re-election, saying the state had witnessed economic transformation in the last 42 months under Abiodun. Chairman of Riders and Owners of Motorcycle Organisation (ROMO) Alhaji Rasak Shotayo said Abiodun had performed well and deserved a second term. Shotayo also noted that Tinubu remained the best candidate for president in 2023, saying his members vote for Abiodun and Tinubu. | Ogun State Governor, Dapo Abiodun, Campaign, Bola Tinubu | https://bit.ly/3huEAfY | |
| The Guardian Online | 10th November 2022 | You can’t stop Okowa’s ambition, PDP tells Omo-Agege | The Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has chided Deputy Senate President and All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship candidate, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, over his threat to terminate Governor Ifeanyi Okowa’s vice presidential ambition. In a statement in Asaba, yesterday, by Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of its Governorship Campaign Council, Chief Emman Amgbaduba, the PDP said Omo-Agege lacked powers to stop Okowa’s bid. Amgbaduba, who is the state’s Commissioner for Oil and Gas, said Omo-Agege’s verbal attacks on Okowa were the last kick of a dying horse, adding that the PDP would retire him from politics in 2023. He said that it was numb for the APC candidate to have made allusions of a third-term agenda by Okowa, describing it as mischievous propagation. Amgbaduba stated further: “We have watched Omo-Agege boasting about terminating Okowa’s vice presidential ambition and also accusing him of having a third-term agenda. First, Okowa has no such agenda, as the PDP has a well respected governorship candidate in the Speaker of the state House of Assembly, Chief Sheriff Oborevwori. Instead of Omo-Agege to tell Deltans about his agenda for the development of the state, he goes about boasting about how he will terminate Okowa’s ambition to become vice president.” The last time I checked, Okowa was not in the ballot with him for the Delta gubernatorial race and let me make it clear to him that the PDP, with the support of the people, will teach him a political lesson in 2023"". The commissioner said Omo-Agege, who supported Senate President, Dr. Ahmed Lawan, for President during his party’s primary, could not do a volte-face to accuse Okowa of betraying the South, adding: “Okowa didn’t betray anybody; the party threw its ticket open and a northerner, Atiku Abubakar, won the ticket, and constitutionally, a vice presidential candidate must emerge from the South and Okowa was found worthy after careful evaluation by the candidate and the party. “Rather than rejoice with Okowa and put political sentiments aside to ensure that a Deltan emerged vice president in 2023, he is busy lying to Deltans about an alleged betrayal that never existed.” Amgbaduba, therefore, urged party faithful and Deltans to disregard Omo-Agege’s “lies” and support the PDP to rescue, reset and rebuild the country from the deep valley the APC had led it into. | Delta State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, Chairman, Media and Publicity Committee of its Governorship Campaign Council, Chief Emman Amgbaduba, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, Omo Agege | https://bit.ly/3fQIpvm | |
| Punch Online | 9th November 2022 | Subject presidential candidates, others to psychiatric test – NMA | The Nigerian Medical Association has called for psychiatric evaluation of governorship and presidential candidates ahead of the 2023 elections. The professional body also said medical tests of the candidates would provide a comprehensive view of the state of the body system of those aspiring to hold political offices in the country. There had been calls for medical screening of candidates to determine their state of health with many Nigerians arguing over the constitutionality or otherwise of such a move. The Chairman of the National Drug Law Enforcement Agency, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa (retd.), stoked the controversy in April when he asked political parties to include drug integrity tests as part of the screening processes for candidates. Speaking to The PUNCH in Abuja on Tuesday, the NMA President, Dr Uche Ojinmah listed the battery of tests that candidates should undergo to ascertain their state of health and fitness for office. He said, “Simple medical check-ups such as chest X-ray, cardiac echocardiography, abdominal ultrasound scan, urinalysis, kidney function test, liver function test, blood pressure and blood glucose assessment will give one a comprehensive view of the state of the body system. Sadly, people applying for top level jobs like Chief Medical Director or Medical Director in our public service are made to undergo these tests while those contesting for executive and legislative posts don’t.’’We also want them to undergo psychiatric evaluation. These shall exhaustively evaluate the people vying for the ultimate job in Nigeria,” the NMA president added. On how the tests should be done, Ojinmah said a professional body like the NMA could be charged with setting up an independent panel to carry out the medical and psychiatrist tests. The NMA President noted that the medical and psychiatrist tests should be made public. “If a mad man is about to be president, we should be told, that is just the truth. We see a lot of things going on with those in power, you will realise that there is imbalance. So, I think the results should be made public, we have a right to know"". Asked if any candidate who is not medically or mentally fit should be stopped from vying for any position, he said, “It is our position that if you have a mental problem or a neurological problem or you have any organ damaged that may not be treatable, or you are psychiatrically imbalanced, you should not be allowed to lead, you should be stopped. Will you make a mad man your traditional rulers? You will not.” | Nigerian Medical Association , Medical test for Presidential Candidates, NMA President, Dr Uche Ojinma | https://bit.ly/3UkEYfF | |
| The Guardian Online | 9th November 2022 | Insecurity: Nigerians worried over threat to 2023 polls despite assurances | Despite assurances from President Muhammadu Buhari and the service chiefs that there is no cause for alarm over security threats to the 2023 elections, Nigerians are still worried about the spate of insecurity in the country. This is heightened by the recent terror alerts from some foreign missions and high commissions, warning its citizens not to travel to Abuja and eight other states in the North. Yesterday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) disclosed that 242 polling units with 142,261 registered voters in 10 Councils of Katsina State were under serious security threat. The Commission’s Head of Department of Electoral Operations in the state, Husseni Jaafar, who revealed this at a stakeholders meeting in Katsina, said the polling units may be affected in the forthcoming general elections. He said the Commission has directed all electoral officers of the affected councils to liaise with security agencies, traditional and religious leaders to propose a safer place that would enable INEC to relocate the affected voters so that they can cast their vote. The recent security alert is not unsettling only Abuja residents, as over a dozen states have now been added to the ‘no travel zone’ following a renewed alert by the United Kingdom High Commission on Monday. The development has triggered fear that 2023 general elections may not hold. Members of the intelligence and security community in the country have also expressed fear that current security indices are not promising free and fair election. Lawmakers at the National Assembly have not bothered to cut short their recess in the wake of security challenges. Several calls put to some of the lawmakers yielded no result as they refused to comment on the matter. A lawmaker, who insisted that his name should not be mentioned, stated that though there have been several security reports of threats to the elections, such plans wouldn’t stop the general elections, assuring that democracy has come to stay. President of an umbrella body, Good Governance Initiative, Nnosike Nwanko, expressed reservations over the security alert, which is said to be a threat to the polls. According to Nwanko, “Nigerians have every reason to be apprehensive. The government must rise up to the occasion by ending all forms of insecurity now before the conduct of the elections.” Nwanko further put the President to task, urging him to use resources at his disposal to stem the tide of insecurity and rebuild confidence in the electorate as the nation draws closer to another round of elections. | Insecurity, 2023 General Elections, Security Concerns | https://bit.ly/3fRa0MU | |
| The Guardian Online | 9th November 2022 | PDP denies resignation of PCC chair as aide tips Atiku to win despite rift | Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, dismissed speculations that Akwa Ibom State Governor, Udom Emmanuel, has resigned his position as chairman of the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council (PCC). A statement released by the spokesperson of PDP PCC, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the report as fake. He said: “Our campaign assures Nigerians, as well as all pro-democracy and development partners, that such idea is not in the contemplation of the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel.” He added: “Emmanuel, this afternoon, at the flag-off of the PDP governorship campaign, which held at the Nest of Champions Stadium in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State capital, declared that the rumour is a lie ‘from the pit of hell’ and that he remains the chairman of the PDP PCC. “The appointment of Emmanuel as chairman was predicated on his belief and commitment to the PDP, the ideals of our founding fathers, as well as his unwavering confidence in our presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, as the leader that has the required capacity to lead the charge to rescue and rebuild our nation. Emmanuel is effectively and committedly leading a successful campaign that will take our party to victory and will not be distracted by the wishful thinking of the enemies of Nigeria.” Meanwhile, Special Adviser to PDP National Chairman, Simon Imobo-Tswam, expressed optimism that despite intra-party squabbles, Atiku Abubakar, would still win the 2023 general elections. | PDP PCC, Governor Udom Emmanuel, Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council | https://bit.ly/3UtEZOs | |
| This Day Live | 9th November 2022 | Again, Court Nullifies Zamfara PDP Governorship Primary | The Federal High Court sitting in Gusau, has again nullified the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election that produced Dr Dauda Lawal-Dare as the PDP governorship candidate in Zamfara State. Presiding judge, Justice Aminu Bappa, who delivered the judgement, said the PDP could not fill a governorship candidate for the 2023 general election as the party violated section 82 of the 2010 Electoral Act. This was the second time that the court would nullify the PDP governorship primary in Zamfara. In September, the court nullified the election of Lawal-Dare following a suit filed before the court by Ibrahim Shehu, and two other aspirants challenging the credibility of the primary. The court ordered a re-run election, where Lawal-Dare also re-emerged as a winner but his opponent, Ibrahim Shehu went to court again to challenge the election. Justice Bappa ruled that the re-election of Lawal-Dare was also characterised by a series of irregularities and as such, it was nullified while the PDP was disqualified from contesting the governorship election in 2023. Reacting to the yesterday judgement, Counsel to the Plaintiffs, Barrister Ibrahim Ali, said the judgement was apt as it would serve as a deterrent to other political parties and protect the nation’s democracy. He added that they filed the case challenging the legality of the PDP governorship primary election, because the 2022 Electoral Act required that all political parties must notify the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) about their primary election 21 days before the election and all aspirants notified 7 days before the election but none was fulfilled. But Counsel to the defendant, Ajiya A Shehu, said they would appeal the judgement as the PDP and its candidate were not satisfied with the judgement, noting that the Federal High Court, has superior courts on top. Shehu, however, added that their team of lawyers were studying the judgement and would take the next line of action in no distant time. | PDP Zamfara Governorship Primary, Court Ruling, Dauda Lawal-Dare, Ibrahim Shehu | https://bit.ly/3TgfxKR | |
| This Day Live | 9th November 2022 | Kwankwaso: I’m Not Desperate to Be President | Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Rabiu Kwankwaso, has said he was not running to be Nigeria’s president out of desperation but because he wanted to offer quality leadership to Nigerians. He, however, said Nigerians must elect the next president of the country on the basis of the competence and capacity of the individual and not on the basis of his religion or ethnicity. The NNPP candidate, who made this known in Enugu, yesterday, said the party was setting up its offices in the state ahead of the 2023 general election. He said that he was hopeful of emerging as the next president of Nigeria, having worked in the political space for over 30 years, adding that the party had already established a stronghold across the 19 states in the North. “All that is left now is making inroads to the South and that is what we have come to do, starting with Enugu in the Southeast,” he said, adding that those who thought they would get up to 25% in Kano State would not even get up to 5% when the time comes. He said Nigerians now have alternatives to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the All Progressives Congress (APC), which failed to deliver in the area of economy, security and education. “The APC has even proven to be worse than the PDP. All is not well in the Northeast, where the government claims it has defeated insurgency. The people cannot move about freely, even in the Southeast. Nowhere is safe again,” he said. He noted that the NNPP was bringing renewed hopes for Nigerians, adding that those who were aggrieved with the situation could change the narrative in 2023 by voting him as president. His words: “I am willing to step aside if the NNPP gets a better candidate but for now, I am the best there is and that is why I am working tirelessly to ensure that we win the elections and give Nigerians a better representation.” He said to ensure the security of lives and property, his administration would increase the number of soldiers from less than 250,000 to one million and the number of police, also from less than 230,000 to one million. According to him, under his watch, there would be no cases of oil theft, which have negatively impacted the growth of the nation’s economy. “I was the minister of defence under former president Obasanjo and within that period, we made sure that there were no cases of oil theft,” he explained, adding: “We were even looking for those, who wanted to engage in such activities.” | Presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party, NNPP, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Campaign Promises | https://bit.ly/3UngMsY | |
| Daily Post Online | 9th November 2022 | 2023: Why Yorubas will reject APC to vote Atiku – Akinlade | The deputy governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State, Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, has described Yorubas in the South West as very intelligent individuals who would not vote based on ethnic sentiments in 2023. Akinlade said the people of the South West would rather reject the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) that has “put them under extreme hunger and poverty.” He made this statement at an extended meeting of the PDP in Yewa South Local Government, held at the Engr. Tetede Hall, Ilaro, Ogun State. The 2019 governorship candidate said some individuals are already ‘dreaming’ that the South West votes are already in the kitty for the APC presidential candidate, Bola Tinubu; saying, however, that this is not true. According to Akinlade, the PDP is already in control of two out of the six states in the South West, expressing confidence that Ogun would join the list in 2023. “Atiku Abubakar will win in 2023. I am saying this based on available data. In 2019 when the APC had President Muhammadu Buhari as a returning candidate and with governors in all the six States of the South West, PDP won in two States. In the remaining four states, the margin of win was very slim. This was a time when there was no BVAS and other technologies introduced by INEC. That time, winners were decided at the collation centres. You all know what happened in 2019. That is no more possible. “The Osun election has shown us that rigging is no more possible. Your votes will count now. You just turn out en masse to vote for the PDP all through. Today in the South West, PDP has two states, Oyo and Osun and I know Ogun will join the list". | Hon. Adekunle Akinlade, Campaign | https://bit.ly/3WNIIHR | |
| Daily Post Online | 9th November 2022 | APGA crisis: Game over, hang up your boots – Njoku to Oye | The embattled national Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Edozie Njoku, has told Chief Victor Oye to shield his sword in the interest of the party. He declared that the game is over. This is following a letter which came out on November 7, from former Supreme Court justice Mary Odili, clarifying the true leadership of the party. Mrs. Odili, in the letter made a correction in her panel’s judgement of October 2021, wherein the name of Victor Oye was erroneously inserted instead of Edozie Njoku. Addressing a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday after the correction was made on Monday, Njoku begged everyone involved in the matter to put down their swords and allow peace to reign. “I beg everybody involved, particularly Chief Victor Oye to put down his sword because the game is up,” he said.He also asked the governor of Anambra State, Prof. Charles Soludo to rise to the occasion, insisting that failure to come together at this point would be catastrophic for the party in the coming elections. By virtue of his being the governor of Anambra State, I like to call on Chief Charles Soludo to rise to the occasion and let this crisis in APGA be buried once and for all, and let’s move forward,” he added. He warned that any attempt to shove aside a Supreme Court judgment would mean that the party wants to play with the 2023 elections, a risk, according to him, that is going to jeopardize the elections. Njoku described as ridiculous claims by the Oye’s camp that he had gone again to forge Mary Odili’s letter. He asked the people not to be deceived, daring anyone to come and arrest him for forgery. We should now say Chief Victor Oye, you’ve run a good race. Hang up your boots, please,” he maintained. | National Chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, Edozie Njoku, Chief Victor Oye, APGA | https://bit.ly/3zZjrRu | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 8th November 2022 | Stop 2023 elections, politics not solution to Nigeria’s problems, says Ogbimi | A professor of Technology Management at the Obafemi Awolowo University (OAU), Ile-Ife, Francis Ogbimi, yesterday, advocated stoppage of the 2023 general elections. He said that no nation had developed through politics. The don suggested that all Nigerians should be mobilised for knowledge and industrialisation from now till May, next year, adding that the nation will transform if attention is given to science and technology. Ogbimi stated these at the presentation of his eighth book in the series. Ogbimi said the conduct of the forthcoming polls would be a wasted effort and resources if the nation fails to urgently learn and industrialise. Ogbimi said no presidential candidate possesses requisite capacity to lead the country to prosperity, and advocated return of their campaign expenses. According to him, the country should conduct elections on geo-political zones so that power could be dissolved to the federating units. He urged the Federal Government to desist from funding capital investments at the detriment of learning that would catalyse industrial revolution. “No nation has made it because of politics. Politics won’t transform Nigeria. It won’t take us anywhere. All these presidential candidates lack capacity to transform Nigeria. Let’s pay them their money for campaigns so far. Most of them know they are not going to do anything and they have not even told us anything. Politicians know they are joking with us and this nation is fast failing. So, they should stop wasting our time and making us suffer. It’s a futile effort that our politicians are doing. It’s bad and unwise to do. The current campaigns about presidential election should be stopped and committee-type presidential system be adopted as from May 2023. Leaders should be elected at the geopolitical zones. The six geo-political zonal leaders would form the presidential committee. “Any nation that truly wishes to solve unemployment, poverty, insecurity and so on must strive to achieve industrialisation,” Ogbimi said. | Francis Ogbimi, Calls to stop 2023 General Election, Calls to refocus on Science and Technology | Page 5 | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 8th November 2022 | 2023: I won’t condone recklessness, abuse of public trust, CJN warns judges | Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, has cautioned judges billed to adjudicate on the 2023 general elections to do so with integrity, promising he would not “condone any act of recklessness, abuse of power and public trust.” The CJN issued the warning in Abuja, yesterday, while inaugurating members of Election Petition Tribunals. He told the members: “Trust is a burden, and you must discharge it with utmost sincerity, honesty and transparency, because conscience is an open wound healed only by truth. You must rise and operate above every sentiment that might play out in the course of your adjudication in the various tribunals.” Ariwoola admitted that while “temptations, tribulations, intimidations and even sheer blackmails may be unleashed,” the judicial officers, as thoroughbred, must guard their loins to rise above them and do what would earn them accolades from their Creator and the court of public opinion. He added: “Even though I rejoice with you on this very important appointment, I still sympathise with you for the many troubles, inconveniences, verbal assaults and all sorts of uncomplimentary remarks that will be made about you by various litigants in the course of your adjudication, especially if your conscience is not controlling your conduct. We are all humans, no doubt, but you display the humanism in you by doing those extraordinary things that people would ordinarily say you cannot do. That is what distinguishes those with integrity and passion for success from those with unenviable pedigree and dysfunctional moral compass.” In his remarks, Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, promised that the commission would continue to abide by court orders and urged the judiciary to be consistent in its judgments. Meanwhile, Human Rights Writers Association (HURIWA), yesterday, insisted on the need for INEC to deploy the Bimodal Voter Registration System (BVAS) for the 2023 elections. National Coordinator, Comrade Emmanuel Onwubiko, in a statement, also called for the establishment of an Electoral Offences Commission to punish rogue politicians and compromised electoral referees. | Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Olukayode Ariwoola, Inauguration of Election petition Tribunals members, INEC Chairman, Yakubu Mahmood, INEC, BVAS, HURIWA, 2023 General Election | Page 3 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 8th November 2022 | Armed Groups: Kwankwaso Joins Obi On Dialogue As Tinubu, Atiku Unveil Strategies | Presidential Candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has said he would dialogue with all groups with a view to restoring peace in all parts of the country. Kwankwaso’s statement came days after his Labour Party counterpart, Peter Obi, said if elected, he would dialogue with members of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) and other agitators across the country. In an exclusive interview with Daily Trust, Kwankwaso said he would raise the current number of police and military personnel from 230, 000 and 250, 000 respectively to one million each as part of measures to end insecurity in the country. He said he would also deploy technology in the fight against banditry, insurgency and secessionist militancy just as he would also embrace dialogue with the armed groups. He also said he was open to dialogue with armed militant groups and that he would partner with the international community to ensure there’s regional peace. On his part, Tinubu said he is also poised to adopting far-reaching measures to tackle the security challenges bedevilling the country if elected. The spokesman for the APC Presidential Campaign Council and Minister of State for Labour and Employment, Festus Keyamo (SAN) told Daily Trust that Tinubu would equally consider dialogue in ending insecurity where the need arises. “Asiwaju has provided details of his security plan in our action plan document. Besides that, all other options, including dialogue, are open to Asiwaju if and when the occasion warrants that,” he said. Contacted, Atiku Abubakar said he will tackle the various agitations across the country by putting together a government of national unity. Speaking through the spokesperson of his campaign, Senator Dino Melaye, the former Vice President said many of the agitations were caused by injustice, promising that Atiku will be fair to all if elected president in 2023. He blamed the present administration of President Muhammadu Buhari of nepotism and unfair appointments which led to some of the agitations. Obi had last week told this paper that he would dialogue with IPOB and other agitators to restore peace in the country. Obi, a former governor of Anambra State said, “ I have said it times without number, Nigeria does not have more agitation than Brazil, if you want I will show you countries that have had agitations in the past, whether it is Brazil, Mexico, whether it is this. ""In our South East, it is a simple thing, I will dialogue, I will discuss, it is democracy, in democracy you govern by consensus. If anybody says he is not happy, you call him and you sit him down and discuss with him.” In an interview with Daily Trust, a retired Assistant Inspector-General of Police, Austin Iwar, warned any of the presidential candidates who may finally emerge next year to preside over the country not to dialogue with any group from the position of weakness or equality. Iwar argued that if any new President after Buhari feels dialogue is the best way to put the situation under control, it should be from the position of strength, saying ordinarily, groups or individuals that have already been designated to be terrorists are not worthy of any dialogue. | Proposed dialogue with aggrieved groups, Rabiu Kwankwaso, Atiku Abubakar, Peter Obi, Assistant Inspector General of Police, Austin Iwar, Campaign Promises | Page 4 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 8th November 2022 | 2023 Elections: IGP Fortifies Officers With Bulletproof Vests, Ballistic Helmets | Ahead of 2023 general elections, the Inspector-General of Police, Usman Baba, on Monday ordered immediate distribution anti-riot equipment and kits to officers of the force nationwide. The police chief said the equipment should include bullet-proof vests with armored plates, ballistic helmets, long and short-range tear gas for civil disorder management and stun guns. Baba, who spoke through the Force spokesman, Muyiwa Adejobi, said the directive became imperative in order to ensure safety of the officers and other Nigerians during the next year’s exercise. The top cop also said apart from the equipment, additional batches of uniforms, kits and accoutrements should be handed over to the officers with immediate effect across the country. He, however, charged the officers to ensure that they appear in clean uniforms, and that they are well-suited to discharge policing services professionally before, during and after the 2023 general elections. Baba explained that the force will leave no stone unturned to ensure all sundry crimes and criminals are tamed, hence the welfare of officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force, saying preparations are already in top gear for the exercise. | Inspector General of Police, Usman Baba, Police prepartion for 2023 General Election, Deployment of Anti-riot equipment and kits | Page 6 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 8th November 2022 | PDP Crisis: I Won’t Support Atiku’s Presidential Bid, Says Ortom | Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom, has given reasons he would not support the Presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, saying he would not support a candidate, who saw nothing wrong in the killing of innocent Benue people by armed herdsmen. Ortom spoke in Makurdi during the banquet organised by the state for the visiting G-5 governors, including Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia) and Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Nyesom Wike of Rivers state. The G-5 governors, had come to inaugurate some projects in the state, including roads, while one of the roads leading to the residence of the PDP National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, was named after Wike. The Benue governor, however, lamented the recent killing of 18 persons in Guma, his local government area, where a young man in their 20s had his eyes plucked off and another had his hand chopped off by armed herdsmen as subliminal message to him, demanding the abrogation of the Benue grazing law. The governor said, “Some are threatening, my tenure ends in May and you can do whatever you want if you think you have the powers. I have written my will. When I gave it to my wife, she cried all night. If I die at 62, it will not be new. Many of my mates had gone long time ago and If I die today, Iwill be fulfilled but let it be on recorded that I died resisting the invasion and killing of my people. On his relationship with Wike, he said, “Many have wondered why I have chosen to swim with Wike. Many have wondered why I have chosen to walk with him in the midst of storms and threats and also fire and brimstone. Many have wondered, but I still remember that this is the man, who stood with us during our trying moments. “He came out and did not fear the threats about federal might and what have you. I will stand with him and I remain with him, because I am not a betrayer. He was very firm in condemning that attack. So, we appreciate him. Here is a man that did not keep quiet, when Benue State was in turmoil and Benue State was in travails"". Wike, in his remarks, said the G-5 Governors of the PDP, which he christened the ‘Integrity Governors’ were on a mission to rescue Nigeria, and not seeking personal aggrandisement or fight anybody but only asking for the right things to be done. He said it was incumbent on anyone, who entered into an agreement to respect it, saying, “All we are asking for is inclusivity, justice, equity and fairness in the PDP. The way we are, people are trying to see how they can break us, but they cannot. We are bonded to save Nigeria. | PDP Crisis, Governor Samuel Ortom, Benue State, Nyesom Wike, Atiku Abubakar | Page 33 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 8th November 2022 | PDP PCC: Why Tinubu is Running from National Debate | The Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation, yesterday, mocked the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, for running away from national debates over fear of probing questions from Nigerians. Spokesperson of the Atiku/Abubakar Campaign Organisation, Kola Ologbondiyan, said Tinubu had a record of avoiding debates and public interrogations for fear that Nigerians might take him to task on his alleged stinking corruption record, reported proxy treasury looting, obvious incompetence, ethnic bigotry, as well as his alleged masterminding of APC’s anti-people policies that wrecked Nigeria in the last seven and a half years. Ologbondiyan also said the APC presidential candidate and his running mate could not face debate for fear of having Tinubu’s claims of building Lagos State publicly exposed as a hoax. He said the former Lagos State governor could not point to any legacy development project he achieved in the state. Ologbondiyan stated, “Asiwaju Tinubu is also aware that he cannot face the public to answer questions bordering on his past, particularly, the question on his ancestry, the Alpha-Beta tax saga; as well as his alleged stranglehold on the business, politics and lives of Lagosians from 1999 till date. He is afraid of being exposed of fleecing Lagos State for eight years through multiple and harsh tax regimes with nothing to show other than rulership by brawl, breeding of touts and raising criminal street gangs, only to turn around now to attempt to claim the achievements of succeeding governors as his. While continuing to use Alpha-Beta to extort Lagosians for nearly 20 years. Alpha-Beta is the sole tax collecting agency in Lagos.” | Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation, Kola Ologbondiyan, National Debate, Bola Tinubu | Page 1 & 11 | |
| Punch Online | 8th November 2022 | Bauchi governor demands Atiku apology | The Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, has said the presidential standard bearer of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, is ‘sidelining’ him and has threatened to ‘teach him a lesson’ for contesting against him (Atiku) in the party’s presidential primaries in May. Mohammed had contested against Atiku in the May 28 primaries held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Abuja, where he alongside 12 other aspirants was defeated. Out of 767 accredited ballots at the election, Atiku polled 371 votes whereas Mohammed got 20 votes. Mohammed, who was recently named the vice-chairman of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, said this in a protest letter, with reference number, GH/OFF/09/V.I, and dated November 3, 2022. He claimed that he was “excluded from the activities of the PCC” as it relates to his office. In the letter, addressed to the party chair, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, and signed by Mohammed, his deputy, Senator Baba Tela; Speaker of the House of Assembly, Abubakar Suleiman; state Chairman of the PDP, Hamza Akuyam and 30 others, read in part, “I was deliberately sidelined from the reach-out campaign of the PCC in Kaduna, which interacted with major stakeholder groups and the northern political establishments such as the Arewa Consultative Forum, Northern Elders’ Forum, Sadauna Foundation, Arewa Research and Development Progress, etcetera.” He also alleged that he was targeted by some political gladiators purportedly endorsed “directly or indirectly by the presidential candidate of our party, Atiku Abubakar.” “While Alhaji Atiku Abubakar and his political cohorts insist that I must be “punished” for contesting against him during the presidential primaries of our party. The self-acclaimed ‘kingmakers’ around the Waziri Adamawa want a pound of flesh from me because I have refused to capitulate to their unbridled sense of entitlement which is pregnant with selfishness and dictatorial tendencies. The last group of the “Bala Must Go” campaigners are those whose egos have been bruised by my continued political relevance, rising national profile and the groundswell of public acclamation that have trailed unprecedented developmental strides of the PDP-led administration in the state,” he stated. | Bauchi State Governor, Senator Bala Mohammed, Atiku Abubakar, Allegations of sidelining | https://bit.ly/3taNOAr | |
| The Cable | 4th November 2022 | Atiku has secured commitment from US on sanctions for election riggers, says Omokri | Reno Omokri, a former presidential aide, says Atiku Abubakar has secured the commitment of the United States on issues concerning the 2023 elections. Omokri spoke on Thursday during an interview with Channels Television. TheCable had reported that Abubakar, PDP presidential candidate, travelled to the US for meetings tied to his presidential campaign. Speaking on the essence of the US meetings, Omokri said Atiku has secured the commitment of the US government about ensuring free and fair elections in Nigeria in 2023. “We didn’t go there for guidance at all. However, we did have an agenda and one of the agendas was that we should have free and fair elections, because you know that if you look at the history and the best predictor of future behaviour is past behaviour, elections in Nigeria, sometimes, have not been up to par,” he said. “Sometimes, we have challenges as we saw with the 2019 elections. One of the desires that we had was for the United States to ensure and give every support to INEC and security services to help them be ready for the elections; to also make a commitment right now that they will take actions against anybody promoting violence or anything that could affect free and fair elections, and they did make that commitment. “Like I told you, the commitments where they said President Biden was going to use peer pressure with President Muhammadu Buhari. It didn’t just come like that; it was after they finished briefing us. They said they are going to have political peer pressure from President Biden directly to President Muhammadu Buhari, and also, we are going to have a third audit of the election results. So, those were the commitments that we secured.” | Reno Omokri, Atiku Abubakar, US on Election Riggers | https://bit.ly/3zLovZv | |
| Daily Trust Online | 4th November 2022 | Sha’aban Vs Sani: Apprehension In Kaduna APC As Court Rules On Gov’ship Primary Today | Apprehension is growing among members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kaduna State as a Federal High Court sitting in the state adjourned its ruling on the party’s primary for the second time. Daily Trust reports that one of the aggrieved aspirants, Sani Sha’aban, is challenging the method used in the primary election that produced Senator Uba Sani as the party’s flag bearer. Sha’aban, a former House of Representatives member, is alleging that the list of the delegates was doctored. Daily Trust reports that the ruling on the matter was to be delivered on Monday, October 31, 2022, but was adjourned to Thursday. It was, however, adjourned again by one day because the judgement was said not to be ready. Daily Trust reports that the courtroom and its premises were filled to the brim with supporters as security agents tried to maintain law and order. Speaking to journalists outside the court, counsel to the APC, Barrister Suleiman Shuaib, said the court registrar had said the judgement would be delivered today. | Court Suit, Kaduna APC, Kaduna APC Governorship Primary, Sani Sha’aban, Senator Uba Sani | https://bit.ly/3Wt0jVv | |
| Sun News Online | 4th November 2022 | INEC bars new RECs from visiting govt houses | The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), yesterday, admitted that it would face daunting task conducting next year’s general elections, but pledged not to disappoint Nigerians in delivering a free, fair and credible poll. It equally reassured the electorate that only their votes would determine winners for the elections, reiterating that its loyalty and allegiance would be to Nigeria and Nigerians. INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, gave the promises in his remarks at the swearing in ceremony of 19 Resident Electoral Commissioners (RECs) in Abuja, yesterday. He specifically charged the new RECs to avoid any visit to Government Houses and or hold unofficial meetings with politicians, even after official working hours. The 19 RECs and their states of operation include Uzochukwu Chijioke, Abia, Nuhu Yunusa, Adamawa, Queen Elizabeth Agu, Anambra, Mohammed Bulama Nura, Bauchi, Samuel Egwu, Benue, Yomere Gabriel Oritsemolebi, Cross River, Onyeka Pauline Ugochi, Ebonyi, Obo O. Effanga, Edo, Ayobami Salami, Ekiti, Umar Ibrahim, Gombe, Sylvia Uchenna Agu, Imo, Muhammad L. Bashar, Jigawa, Abdu Abdussamadu Zango, Kano, Yahaya Makarfi Ibrahim, Katsina, Ahmed Yushau Garki, Niger, Agboke Mutiu Olaleke, Osun, Agundu Oliver Tersoo, Plateau, Nura Ali, Sokoto, and Ibrahim Abdullahi, Yobe. “I urge you to settle down quickly and familiarise yourselves with the demands of your new responsibilities, always bearing in mind our commitment to free, fair, credible, transparent and verifiable elections. With exactly 113 days to the 2023 general election, we are aware that the task ahead of us is not easy but we must never disappoint Nigerians. Our loyalty is to Nigeria and our allegiance is to Nigerians. Only their votes should determine winners in the 2023 general election. Nothing more, nothing less. There should be no deviation from this path of honour and integrity. Over the years, the commission has worked tirelessly to reform the electoral process and introduce many innovations that are generally acknowledged to have improved the electoral process. In doing so, we will continue to acknowledge the sacrifice and dedication of our hardworking staff,” he said. | INEC, RECs, INEC Chairman, Mahmood Yakubu, Swearing in of INEC RECs | https://bit.ly/3U5lcoh | |
| Punch Online | 4th November 2022 | Tinubu amends timetable, Jos to host first rally | The All Progressives Congress Presidential Campaign Council has announced that it’s presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, will commence his inaugural rally in Jos, the Plateau State capital on November 15. This was contained in a schedule of activities released on Thursday morning by the Chief Spokesman of the PCC, Festus Keyamo. The development is coming after the party initially settled for Ilorin, Kwara State capital three weeks ago after a series of postponements following negotiations and disagreement among the party chieftains including governors and party National Working Committee over exclusion of their nominees from the campaign list. The PUNCH reported that the campaign season officially kicked off on September 28, while Tinubu was away in London on vacation. While the presidential flag bearers of the People’s Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party, Peter Obi, have begun their campaigns in different regions, the ruling APC continued its consultation with stakeholders. A couple of hours after it went viral on Thursday, the APC campaign council released an amended schedule of activities and timetable. While the date of the presidential campaign rally, which officially flags off in Jos on November 15 remains intact, an arranged dinner with campaign patrons in Abuja was postponed from November 6 to 8. There will be an interfaith town hall meeting in Abuja on November 9 and another in Calabar three days later. According to the revised timetable, there will be series of rallies in Delta (19), Imo (21), Adamawa (24), Ogun (26), Enugu (29) and Sokoto (30), respectively. Between December 4 and 10, the campaign team will embark on international engagement with stakeholders in the Diaspora. When quizzed on why the timetable was amended again, Keyamo told our correspondent that the schedule of events and dates is a working draft that is still subject to further adjustment. | APC Campaign Timetable, Jos, Inaugural rally, Festus Keyamo | https://bit.ly/3hcByww | |
| The Guardian Online | 4th November 2022 | Fasoranti makes U-turn, says Adebanjo remains Afenifere leader | After days of chest-thumping, the patriarch of the Yoruba apex socio-political group, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, has declared that Chief Ayo Adebanjo remains the leader of the group. In a statement made available to journalists in Akure, yesterday, Personal Assistant to the patriarch, Adedapo Abiola, debunked as mere rumour reports that Adebanjo had been de-robed of his leadership position. On Wednesday, reports had been rife that Adebanjo, who is the acting leader of the group, had been suspended as a fall-out of the endorsement of All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, on Sunday. Recall that Tinubu was received by some Afenifere and Yoruba leaders at Fasoranti’s house in Akure, throwing their weight behind him ahead of the 2023 general elections. Days after, the supposed endorsement had caused divisions within the group, as it is divided into the Labour Party (LP) faction, led by Adebanjo, who was conspicuously absent in the Akure meeting; and the Fasoranti-led faction rooting for Tinubu. But in a retraction of recent developments, Abiola said: “It has come to Papa R.F. Fasoranti’s knowledge that some sections of the media, especially the social media, have been ascribing to him false statements designed to cause confusion and polarise Afenifere. “I have Papa’s permission to say that he has not said that Chief Adebanjo is no longer the acting leader of Afenifere or that all future Afenifere meetings should henceforth be held at his residence in Akure.” He explained that “Papa’s main concern is the interest of Yoruba in the complex political situation in Nigeria. It is also his concern that Afenifere should survive in dignity and remain a purveyor of the interest of the Yoruba race.” Following yesterday’s position of Fasoranti that his successor, Adebanjo, remained the leader of Afenifere, the chairman of the Lagos branch of the group, Chief Supo Sonibare, told The Guardian that the issue between the two elders has been resolved. Sonibare said: “It was unfortunate that the media handlers of Tinubu deliberately created unfounded misunderstanding between the two nonagenarians for wherever intention they aimed to achieve.” He also dismissed the allegation that Adebanjo unilaterally endorsed Obi. According to him, “I do not think it was right to intentionally demonise Pa Adebanjo. Majority of the people in the Afenifere executive endorsed Obi. The matter was taken to the General Assembly, where all state chairmen of the group were present and Obi was endorsed. The issue simply became aggravated due to politics and interest.” Sonibare said he could not understand why the endorsement of Obi by Afenifere suddenly became a controversy leading to an altercation between the two leaders. “This is not the first time the organisation would endorse a presidential candidate. There was a time it endorsed President Muhammadu Buhari, former President Goodluck Jonathan and even former Vice President Atiku Abubakar". | Pa Reuben Fasoranti, Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Endorsement, Bola Tinubu, Peter Obi | https://bit.ly/3NBQG2A | |
| Daily Trust Online | 4th November 2022 | Tinubu promises to give Kogi people sense of belonging | Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Tinubu, has assured the people of Kogi State that they will get all their due when he is elected as President of Nigeria. He sympathised with the government and people of Kogi over the recent flooding that ravaged the state and other parts of the country, assuring them that, as President, he would tackle the flood in the state. Appreciating the large crowd that trooped into Lokoja from all over the state to demonstrate support for him and his running mate, Kashim Shettima, the former Lagos State governor promised that the voice and demands of Kogi people would be heard loud and clear, not only in the campaign council but also in his administration, if he wins next year’s election. The APC flagbearer disclosed this, yesterday, in Lokoja, in a speech delivered on his behalf by Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi. According to him, building on the successes of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, he would work assiduously to confront security, revamp the economy by targeting double-digit Gross Domestic Product (GDP), increase electricity to power industries, businesses and homes, and empower the people through jobs, affordable loans and mortgages, among others. The crowd, led by Bello, ended the solidarity walk at the Kogi APC Campaign Secretariat. The speech, entitled ‘Message of Appreciation to Kogi State people, reads: “I extend my warmest greetings to you all. I appreciate this tumultuous crowd. Let me assure you that Kogi will occupy the right of place in our administration. You are the Confluence State. You are important to us in the APC and the country. Apart from the presence of your governor in the Presidential Campaign Council, one of your sons, James Faleke, is the Secretary of our Campaign Council. So you are ably and adequately represented.” He thanked all for their presence in large numbers, adding: “The Tinubu/Shettima presidency will not forget you. We will always remember this day.” | Bola Tinubu, Kogi State, Campaign Promises | https://bit.ly/3U948h2 | |
| Punch Online | 4th November 2022 | Wike revokes Atiku campaign chairman’s plot | The Rivers State Government has revoked the Certificate of Occupancy of land allocated to former Senator Lee Maeba at the Golf Course axis of GRA in Port Harcourt. Our correspondent reports that Senator Maeba, a staunch supporter of the People’s Democratic Party presidential candidate, is the chairman of the party’s presidential campaign council in Rivers State. Maeba, a former Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Austin Opara, former governor of the state (now de-recognised) Sir Celestine Omehia and a serving member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chinyere Igwe, whose filling station was sealed, fell out of favour with the governor after they visited Atiku soon after his emergence as the candidate. The revocation order was contained in a letter addressed to Senator Maeba on November 2, 2022.The letter was signed by Ochiagha Onyebuchi, the acting Director, Head of Department, Acquisition, Valuation and Compensation, Ministry of Lands and Survey, on behalf of the Permanent Secretary. The letter was titled “Re: Allocation of Plot 20A Golf Course Layout, Old GRA Port Harcourt.” It read, “I am directed to inform you that your allocation at Plot 20A Golf Course Layout, old GRA, Port Harcourt, has been cancelled as shown on the attached Rivers State Official Gazette No. 22 Vol. 58, dated September 20, 2022. “Please accept the warm regards of the Permanent Secretary.” However, when contacted, Maeba expressed surprise at the development in a terse message to our correspondent, saying, “How can a governor grant a certificate of occupancy and withdraw it six months later?” He said the land was allocated to him with a Certificate of Occupancy duly signed by Governor Wike himself. The former senator who represented the Rivers South-East District in the National Assembly in the said C of O made available to our correspondent on Thursday shows the certificate number as 2022/0009/A803005, with file number as RSL/64872. The certificate of occupancy was titled The Government of Rivers State of Nigeria — The Land Use Act Caps vol. 8 len, 2004 carried an embossed colour portrait photo of Senator Maeba. | Nyesom Wike, Atiku Abubakar's Campaign Chairman, Lee Maeba | https://bit.ly/3Tdxmu4 | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 3rd November 2022 | 2023: PDP asks court to sack all APC candidates, Adamu-led NWC | The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, attempted to throw the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) off balance, when it filed a suit before a Federal High Court in Abuja seeking the sack of all National Working Committee (NWC) members of APC. The Abdullahi Adamu-led NWC took over the affairs of APC after the party’s national convention in March this year. In a suit marked FHC/ABJ/CS/1864/2022, and filed through Ayo Kamaldeen Ajibade, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), PDP is contesting the legality of the process that produced the party’s national officers. The fresh suit is predicated on a recent judgment of a Federal High Court, which nullified the nomination of Osun State governor, Gboyega Oyetola and his deputy, Benedict Alabi, as APC candidates in the July governorship election. The presiding judge, Emeka Nwite, who delivered the ruling on September 30, in a suit marked: FHC/ABJ/CS/468/2022 held that the nomination of Oyetola and his deputy was unlawful. The court based its judgment on the grounds that Yobe State governor, Mai Mala Buni, who submitted their names to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), violated the provisions of Section 183 of the Constitution and Section 82(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022. Buni was then the acting chairman of the APC Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC). Consequently, the PDP is praying the court to void the APC NWC as well as all candidates produced by the party for the 2023 general elections on the claim that they were produced in breach of the 1999 Constitution, the party’s Constitution and Electoral Act 2022. The case file has been assigned to Inyang Ekwo, a federal high court judge. Ekwo has fixed November 22 for mention of the suit with an order that all the 53 persons listed by PDP as defendants be served with hearing notices in their respective locations. APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Kashim Shettima, as well as governorship candidates, their running mates, Senatorial and House of Representatives candidates were listed as defendants in the suit. Also, the Federal High Court of Nigeria has constituted a special task force of judges to swiftly hear and determine all pre-election cases before it. Chief Judge of the Federal Court, Justice John Terhemba Tsoho, who constituted the task force, said it became necessary to designate a team of judges following the large volume of pre-election suits that have flooded the court. | Court Suit, PDP Vs APC, AOC National Working Committee, Abdullahi Adamu | Page 6 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 3rd November 2022 | It’s Payback Time, Shettima Tells Hausa Community in Lagos | Vice-Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kashim Shettima, yesterday, told one of the Hausa communities in Lagos that it was payback time for the good they had enjoyed under the Bola Tinubu leadership in the state and to the north in general. Shettima, who visited the Hausa community in Alaba-Rago, Lagos, alongside Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu and their Kano State counterpart, Abdullahi Ganduje, told the people to vote for the party’s presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, saying the 2023 election was the time for the north to pay Tinubu back for his past support to the north. Shettima, who also had on his team, the Lagos APC Chairman, Cornelius Ojelabi, and all Arewa leaders in the state, said Tinubu made President Muhammadu Buhari President in 2015 by giving him Bloc votes from the South West, a feat he repeated in 2019. He also added that Tinubu provided the platform for Atiku to contest presidential election, when Atiku was chased out of PDP, same thing he did for Nuhu Ribadu. “We are people of honour, we should honour our pledge and promise. This is payback time for the north to support Tinubu,” Shettima said. Ganduje said as far as the north was concerned, “the issue of Tinubu is concluded. Kano State wants votes from you for Tinubu. You have to promise us you will surpass Kano in your votes for Tinubu.” He posited that, Tinubu appointed non-Yoruba Indigenes into government, when he was governor, describing him as “a real nationalist.” On his part, Sanwo-Olu urged the Hausa community “not to be deceived” and should vote for APC in the presidential and governorship elections. He said the meeting was part of consultation on his political discussions with non-indigene groups residing in the state, thanking the Hausa-Fulani community for supporting the efforts of his administration to scale up infrastructure and amenities in the LCDA. | Kashim Shettima, APC Vice Presidential Candidate, Hausa Communities in Lagos, Campaign, Bola Tinubu | Page 1 & 10 | |
| This Day Newspaper | 3rd November 2022 | Atiku: Shettima’s Statement Denigrates Business That Employs Thousands of Workers | The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, yesterday, replied the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Kashim Shettima, who had dismissed the former vice president as a mere ‘bottled water seller’ at a function in Lagos on Tuesday, saying it is shameful that the ex-Borno State governor would vilify a business that employs a large chunk of people in the North-east. Atiku said the statement directed at him was not only irresponsible but also disrespectful. In a statement by his media aide, Paul Ibe, Atiku told the former governor of Borno State and current senator for Borno Central that politics “does not confer the licence to be reckless” on anyone. He asked Shettima to apologise to Nigerians in the employ of Atiku. In another statement, Director of Strategic Communication, Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Council, Dele Momodu queried Shettima’s statement that Atiku could not unite Nigeria, when “he has not united his own political party. Momodu said Atiku remained one of the most important contributors to the Nigerian economy. Atiku said in the statement by Ibe, “Any business that produces products, creates jobs, and delivers dividends, especially, in this era of the APC administration, when the country is bleeding, is an asset and should not be mocked. “It is irrelevant if it is a small business or a big business. And for Shettima, it is more shameful that he will denigrate a going business that employs a large chunk of people in the North-east region. Even Atiku’s opponents have acknowledged his business resume that has seen him being engaged in businesses covering farming, animal feed, beverages, banking, logistics, polymer and plastics, education, among others, employing thousands directly and hundreds of thousands indirectly.” The former vice president, who was particularly irked by Shettima’s comments that he (Atiku) would soon be retired to Dubai, said from the statements, “It is indicative that the Tinubu-Shettima administration will be anti-entrepreneurship and business. It is with utter dismay that we listened to the presidential candidate of the APC, Bola Tinubu, and his running mate talk condescendingly about other presidential candidates at a gathering that they invited members of the private sector to on Tuesday. The remarks from the candidates of the APC show gross irresponsibility and disrespectfulness. One would have thought that the duo would use the advantage of such a gathering to talk about solutions that their party, APC, has foisted on the country. Rather, they went on the ultra-highway of political indecency.” | Atiku Abubakar, Campaign, Kashim Shettima | 1 & 10 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 3rd November 2022 | You’re On Your Own, Oyo PDP Leaders Slam Makinde Over Tinubu | Leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo State, on Wednesday, declared their support for the presidential candidate of the party, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, saying the governor of the state, Seyi Makinde, was only speaking for himself. Governor Makinde had on Saturday, during a radio programme, said he and other aggrieved PDP governors would not work for the presidential candidate of the party for some reasons. He said a northerner cannot complete eight years tenure and also return power to the North for Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to take over. But speaking at an emergency meeting of the leaders of the party from the 33 LGAs of the state, the former minister of Mines and Steel Development, Elder Wole Oyelese, said Makinde was not speaking for the party in the state but for himself. He said PDP leaders would work and deliver the state for Atiku in 2023. Oyelese said; “A good politician would not speak like that. For Makinde to say he would not work for Atiku doesn’t mean anything. He is on his own. It is an empty threat. “If he said we should not vote for Atiku, who are we voting for? We are too sophisticated for that in Oyo State. Makinde is a new comer in Oyo State politics but we shall continue to work for our party.” Also speaking, a foremost party leader, Engr. Femi Babalola, said the governor is also guilty of the points he raised against the presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar. Meanwhile, a former Deputy National Chairman of the PDP, Chief Olabode George, has said the South-West is now out of the equation in the current power sharing arrangement in the PDP. He stressed that rationality and respect for all tribes must prevail in the party’s march towards the 2023 elections. According to him, the earlier the National Chairman of the party, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu, did the needful by stepping down, the better for the party’s campaign to take shape. Speaking with Daily Trust, yesterday, George stated that as the Atona of Oodua of Yorubaland, he cannot keep quiet when the tribe was being cheated out of the political equation in the state. He said, “What do we tell our people in Yorubaland? The presidential candidate is from North East, the director general of the campaign is from North West, national chairman is from North-Central, let’s say acting chairman of the Board of Trustees which is nothing, is from South-East, vice-presidential candidate is from South-South. What are you bringing to Yorubaland?". | PDP Crisis, Governor Seyi Makinde, Elder Wole Oyelese | Page 31 | |
| The Guardian Newspaper | 3rd November 2022 | Afenifere: I remain leader, says Adebanjo as Fasoranti returns | The crisis in the apex body of Yoruba socio-political organisation, Afenifere, got messier, yesterday, when the incumbent acting leader of the group, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, lambasted his immediate past predecessor, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, saying, “he (Fasoranti) has no right to come back to assume the leadership of the organisation after he had written a letter to resign in which he stated categorically that I (Adebanjo) is now the leader.” Crisis had erupted after the two elder statesmen made public their different endorsements of presidential candidates between All Progressives Congress (APC)’s Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Peter Obi of the Labour Party (LP). Fasoranti said Obi has not been endorsed by the group. “We have not deviated from the same principle. We still stand for the good of the people,” he said. Adebanjo, in a telephone conversation with The Guardian, yesterday, said it was unfortunate that at Fasoranti’s age, he is allowing some younger elements to influence him with money and allowed himself to be dragged into this mess. He said: “Where is that done that someone would resign for almost two years now and suddenly come back to say he wants to assume leadership? I am sorry for him. Maybe old age is affecting him. Which Constitution approves that? I am the leader of the organisation. Pa Fasoranti has no right to take any decision on behalf of Afenifere.” Adebanjo’s outburst is coming on the heels of Fasoranti’s endorsement of Tinubu on behalf of Afenifere, in Akure on Sunday, which contradicted the earlier position of Adebanjo who had endorsed Obi. Adebanjo, who laughed at Fasoranti’s statement, said they are waiting to see who would attend any Afenifere meeting in Akure. Majority of the younger elements in Afenifere do not align with Adebanjo’s ‘unilateral’ decision of endorsing Obi. They confided in The Guardian yesterday that they were part of the decision that led to the endorsement of Tinubu by Fasoranti in Akure on Sunday. But when called for reaction, a former Senator that represented Ogun Central, Femi Okunrounmu, said he wouldn’t like to be joined in the disagreement between the two nonagenarians. The deputy national leader of Afenifere, Alaago of Kakola Ago, Oba Oladipupo Olaitan, when contacted, declined comment. He said there is a need for someone who is completely dispassionate to speak on the issue. “I will talk when it is appropriate.” In another comment, the retired Methodist Archbishop, Bishop Ayo Ladigbolu, said it was not a wrong assumption that Pa Fasoranti is currently more acceptable than Pa Adebanjo within the ranks and file of Yoruba people at the moment because of the circumstances on ground. He, however, said it was unfortunate that Yoruba are being forced to make a choice between the two nonagenarians, who have fought relentlessly and risked a lot for the sake of the nation. | Afenifere, Pa Ayo Adebanjo, Pa Reuben Fasoranti, Crisis, Endorsement | Page 1 & 6 | |
| Daily Trust Newspaper | 3rd November 2022 | EXCLUSIVE: I’ll Dialogue With IPOB, Other Agitators – Peter Obi | Presidential Candidate of the Labour Party (LP), Mr Peter Obi, has said he would dialogue with the members of the proscribed Indigenous Peoples of Biafra (IPOB) and other agitators to restore peace in the country if elected president come February 25, 2023. Obi, a former governor of Anambra State stated this while responding to questions on insecurity in the country at the corporate headquarters of the Media Trust Group (MTG), owners of Daily Trust titles and Trust TV in Abuja. Obi said, “I have said it times without number, Nigeria does not have more agitation than Brazil, if you want I will show you countries that have had agitations in the past, whether it is Brazil, Mexico, whether it is this. “In our South East, it is a simple thing, I will dialogue, I will discuss, it is a democracy, and in a democracy, you govern by consensus. If anybody says he is not happy, you call him and you sit him down and discuss with him. If elected, Obi said he would govern by consensus and listen to all for smooth administration of the country. “I will govern by listening to the people. I will visit every state in Nigeria. We have a huge land in the North that if properly invested and cultivated, will change Nigeria. The more I pull people out of poverty, the more I reduce agitation, the more I reduce criminality. What you are seeing in Nigeria today is a cumulative effect of leadership failure over the years and all I want to do is to be seen to be that man who changed this country called Nigeria,” he said. Asked whether he shares the federal government’s position in designating IPOB as a terrorist organisation, he said, “I don’t want to go into that place. I have told you, I will dialogue with anybody, anything they like let them call you, I will meet and we discuss. “I don’t like the way people were treated during the EndSARS, I will apologise. We must have a country of healing and love; that is what leadership in a democracy is. “I am going to meet people in the North, I am going to meet people everywhere and say come, let’s be a family. I want Nigerians to be proud that they are Nigerians. What we have now is we have a country called Nigeria but we don’t have Nigerians. I want to bring back Nigerians.” While urging Nigerians to vote for him, he said he is not an Igbo candidate but the most qualified candidate among the 18 flagbearers. “I am contesting as a Nigerian, I don’t want people to vote for me because I am an Igbo man or because I am from South East because people don’t buy bread cheaper because they are from that zone. “I don’t want anybody to vote for me because I am a Christian; I don’t want them to vote because it is my turn, it is not inheritance. It is the turn of Nigerians to take back their country. I want them to vote for me because of character and competence, I have the capacity, I have the commitment, I am qualified,” he said. | Peter Obi, Campaign Promises, Interview | Page 4 | |
| Nigerian Tribune Online | 3rd November 2022 | NIS Arrests 18 Foreigners in Oyo for Possessing PVCs | The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), Oyo State Command, says it has arrested and repatriated 18 foreigners for allegedly possessing Nigeria’s voter cards. The NIS Comptroller in the state, Isah Dansuleiman, made this known during a sensitisation programme on the 2023 general elections for stakeholders in Ibadan on Wednesday. According to the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), the theme of the sensitisation programme was ‘Credible Elections in Nigeria: What is expected of migrants before, during and after the Election’. Dansuleiman said that the migrants were arrested during a raid conducted in October by the command across the state. The Comptroller said that the foreigners violated the laws of the land and were instantly repatriated to their various countries of origin. “No migrant regardless of their status should participate in the 2023 general elections and any migrant caught in possession of voter card will face the full wrath of the law. Those using them know their status but use them for their selfish reasons to procure the cards,” he said. The Comptroller warned migrants residing in Oyo State not to involve themselves in the 2023 general elections, saying they are allowed to stay in Nigeria to carry out their legal activities provided they have the required documents. | NIS, Oyo State Nigeria Immigration Service, Foreigners with PVCs, Isah Dansuleiman, PVCs | https://bit.ly/3sRKlH0 | |
| The Cable | 2nd November 2022 | No plan to stop INEC from using BVAS during 2023 polls, says presidency | The presidency has dismissed speculations of a plan to stop the use of the bimodal voter registration system (BVAS) in the 2023 elections. Femi Adesina, presidential spokesperson, said there is also no plan to remove Mahmood Yakubu as chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Adesina spoke on Tuesday at a policy dialogue organised to mark the 2022 International Day to End Impunity for Crimes Against Journalists (IDEI). There have been reports claiming that a lawsuit has been instituted before the federal high court in Owerri, Imo state, seeking to stop INEC from using BVAS for the 2023 elections. Reacting, Adesina advised journalists not to give attention to people with intentions to disrupt the elections by spreading rumours. “Recently, there was one group that said the chairman of INEC was going to be removed because maybe they didn’t want BVAS,” he said.“How many times has the president spoken about the role of technology in getting him into office? He has spoken about it locally, internationally that three times he contested, three times he ended at the Supreme Court because the government of the day will just write results. Then he said until technology came and there was permanent voter cards and so it was difficult to write results. So, how and why can the same person have issues with BVAS? I saw that group on television, alleging that there was a plan to remove the INEC chairman and the media gave them that opportunity. Such things should be treated with contradictions because they don’t make sense, at least not under the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.” Adesina said on Monday, Buhari, at a meeting in Imo, gave a marching order to the police to ensure the elections are credible. “If you are going to rig elections, of course, the police will be critical in rigging it and here you hear the president saying at every opportunity that don’t rig election,” he said. Adesina said the media, the electoral management body and other stakeholders have critical roles to play to achieve credible elections. | INEC, BVAS, 2023 General Elections, Femi Adesina | https://bit.ly/3TTp6jQ | |
| The Cable | 2nd November 2022 | Shettima: Atiku is more of Raila Odinga — he’s no Abraham Lincoln | Kashim Shettima, former governor of Borno, has compared Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), to Raila Odinga, former prime minister of Kenya. Shettima, who is the vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), spoke on Tuesday at a town hall meeting with business leaders in Lagos. He said Abubakar cannot be likened to former United States President Abraham Lincoln. Lincoln, revered for helping to end slavery, served as US president from 1861 until his assassination in 1865. On the other hand, Odinga, who was prime minister from 2008 to 2013, has sought to be Kenya’s president multiple times, but he keeps coming up short, including in this year’s presidential poll won by William Ruto. Abubakar first sought to be Nigeria’s president in 1992. He also lost the presidential polls in 2007 and 2019. Shettima said Abubakar, who was vice-president from 1999 to 2007, does not have the capacity to rule Nigeria. “Leadership has got beyond the statesman… someone who cannot unite his party. I wonder how he is going to unite this nation,” he said. “The world is talking about artificial intelligence, big data, and nanotechnology. The training that the elder statesman got from the Kano school of hygiene was that of a ‘wole wole’. And believe me, the ability to sell bottled water doesn’t make one an expert on the economy. My parting short shot is that Atiku Abubakar is no Abraham Lincon, he is more of Raila Odinga and come next year, we are going to permanently retire the political tourist to Dubai.” In September, Shettima had also described Abubakar as a “political tourist” who is only in the country every election cycle. | Kashim Shettima, Vice Presidential Candidate of APC, Atiku Abubakar | https://bit.ly/3TZrHbY | |
| Punch Online | 2nd November 2022 | Why I’m better than Atiku, Obi on economy – Tinubu | The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima, on Tuesday, took a swipe at the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party, Peter Obi, whom they said lacked the antecedent and experience to lead the country. The duo spoke while presenting his action plan before the business community and the organised private sector in Lagos on Tuesday. The business community was fully represented by the President of Dangote Group, Aliko Dangote; Chairman of Zenith Bank, Jim Ovia; the Chairman of UBA, Tony Elumelu; former Chief Executive of Access Bank, Aigboje Aig-Imoukhuede; Group Chief Executive of Access Bank, Herbert Wigwe, and other business leaders representing sectoral groups such as agriculture, oil and gas, trade, manufacturing, creative sector, among others. The town hall session was attended by the APC vice presidential candidate, Senator Kashim Shettima; Governors Babajide Sanwo-Olu (Lagos); Simon Lalong (Plateau); Atiku Bagudu (Kebbi); Abdulrahman Abdulrasaq (Kwara), Abubakar Badaru (Jigawa); Dapo Abiodun (Ogun); Adegboyega Oyetola (Osun); Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna); and Abdullahi Ganduje (Kano) as well as other APC leaders and chieftains. Speaking at the meeting, the former governor of Lagos said if elected president in 2023, his administration will hit a double-figure gross domestic product. According to a statement by the Tinubu Media Office, signed by Tunde Rahman, the presidential candidate said attaining the feat was possible having achieved similar economic success when he governed Lagos State. He called for the support of the Lagos business community, stating that such was needed for a viable economy. Also, Tinubu and Shettima took a swipe at the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar and the Labour Party, Peter Obi, whom they said lacked the antecedent and experience to lead the country. In his remarks, Shettima said, “Leadership goes beyond glamourising poverty. We won’t glamourise poverty, we tackle poverty. I won’t tell you I have two pairs of shoes or I have a single wristwatch. Leadership goes beyond spewing dubious statistics or showcasing a mediocre performance as the governor of Anambra State. I respect Atiku Abubakar, but leadership goes beyond high-scale antics. A man who can’t unite his party, I wonder how he can unite a country"" However, the Chief Spokesperson of the Labour Party Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Yunusa Tanko, expressed disappointment at the statements credited to both Tinubu and his running mate. He said, “As far as the Labour Party is concerned, we cannot have a repetition of another eight years of an incapacitated president. We cannot afford to have somebody that will be going out of the country for a medical check-up every fortnight. It cannot be possible. We cannot afford to have someone full of lies and criminal records in power. Nigerians cannot afford to have the same Old Order again. They (APC) are just afraid that we have a capable, consistent, and hardworking individual on our side.” | Bola Tinubu, Kashim Shettima, Peter Obi, Atiku Abubakar, Campaign | https://bit.ly/3frsNON | |
| Nation Online | 2nd November 2022 | Ayu can’t lead PDP to victory, Wike insists | There is no end in sight to the protracted conflict between five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors and the embattled national chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu. Yesterday, Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike fired another salvo at Ayu, saying that he cannot lead the main opposition party to victory in next year’s presidential election. Also, his Benue State counterpart, Samuel Ortom, said PDP can only ignore the five governors at a great risk, insisting that Ayu should resign as chairman. Labour Party (LP) presidential candidate Peter Obi said he would seek alliance with the five aggrieved governors because they are patriots. But the PDP Presidential Campaign Council fired back, saying that there will not be a repeat of the 2015 scenario when the party was hit by defection to the All Progressives Congress (APC). Wike, Ortom and Governors Okezie Ikpeazu (Abia), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi (Enugu), have been protesting Ayu’s refusal to quit as chairman, following the emergence of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar as presidential candidate. They maintained that since the national chairman had promised to resign, he should fulfill his promise. Wike insisted that Ayu should vacate his office, adding that he lacks the capacity to lead the party to victory. The governor said no amount of blackmail and abuses against him and his colleagues will make them to back down on their demand that the chairmanship of the party should be ceded to the South before next year’s polls. The governor spoke at the Government House in Port Harcourt when the management of New Telegraph Newspaper, led by the Managing Director and Editor- in-Chief, Mr. Ayodele Aminu, presented its letter nominating him as the Political Icon of the Year, 2022. | PDP Crisis, Nyesom Wike, Senator Iyorchia Ayu | https://bit.ly/3DqZeop | |
| Daily Trust Online | 2nd November 2022 | How I Will End Insecurity, Create Jobs, Boost Economy — Kwankwaso | The presidential candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Senator Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has said he delayed unveiling his manifesto, christened RMK2023 Blueprint because he did not want candidates of other political parties to pick his ideas. He said his blueprint was organic and had original ideas, which he feared would have been picked by other candidates if it was released earlier. “We delayed so that other candidates would not pick our ideas. The manifesto is organic and has original ideas, and we urge Nigerians to read and digest it. And we want Nigerians to see the RMK 2023 Blueprint as a social contract between RMK/Idahosa and the people,” he said. Kwankwaso, who spoke during the unveiling of his manifesto in Abuja, Tuesday, said he would give priority attention to security, education, health, restructuring of the country and the environment, among others. The former governor of Kano State said he would replicate what he did in Kano by instituting an 11-member committee at the ward, local government and national levels, as a means of tackling security and other social problems bedevilling the grassroots. He also said his government would deploy technology to secure Nigeria, adding that there would be a complete overhaul of the security architecture to secure the country from internal and external aggression. He said hardworking Nigerians would be appointed into key positions to make all the sectors work efficiently. “For our administration, no Nigerian child shall be denied the opportunity to write WAEC, NECO, JAMB, etc., because of their inability to pay exorbitant registration/examination fees. These examinations shall be free, and all application forms for admission into tertiary education institutions (TEls) shall also be free. “These examination bodies will be adequately funded by the Kwankwaso administration. “The notion that matriculation examination in Nigeria expires after one year will be stopped forthwith. “JAMB results under the Kwankwaso government will have a moratorium of four years and tertiary institutions will be required to accept these results for the purposes of admission,” he added. Kwankwaso also promised to take care of the out-of-school children across the country through the construction of 500,000 classroom blocks across the country with a presence in all the 774 local government areas. He added that corruption will be exposed while civil servants and public servants will be made to be honest, transparent and accountable. | RMK 2023 Blueprint, NNPP Manifesto, Rabiu Kwankwaso, NNPP Presidential Candidate | https://bit.ly/3sRxftg | |
| Daily Trust Online | 2nd November 2022 | We’ll End Insurgency In Six Months – Shettima | Vice-Presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Senator Kashim Shettima, has said if elected in 2023, the Asiwaju Bola Tinubu-led government will end insurgency within six months and one year. He said this during a townhall meeting between Tinubu and the business community in Lagos. “Within six months and one year, my leader (Tinubu) will mobilise the leadership to end this madness,” he said. Meanwhile, Presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has said if elected in 2023, his administration will enlist more people in the armed forces, security services and the police as part of measures to tackle insecurity. He said his administration will continue the fight against insecurity by redefining the country’s counterinsurgency doctrine and practice. “We shall enlist more people in the armed forces, security services and the police. Our forces will be given better tactical communications, mobility as well as improved aerial and ground surveillance capacity. Through these and other measures, we shall better identify, monitor, track, and defeat these evil groups where they are. They shall have no respite until they surrender or are utterly defeated,” he added. In 2021, Tinubu’s speech calling for the recruitment of 50 million youths into the armed forces during his 69th birthday colloquial generated controversy. However his spokesperson, Tunde Rahman, said it was an “accidental verbal mistake,” disclosing that the former Lagos state governor meant 50,000 youths recruitment into the security architecture of the country. | Senator Kashim Shettima, APC Vice Presidential Candidate, Campaign Promises | https://bit.ly/3WmwGFi | |
| Daily Trust Online | 2nd November 2022 | Bank Fraud: Kogi Assembly Candidate Arrested With N326m, $610,500 Cash | The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has arrested a Kogi State House of Assembly candidate of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP), Ismaila Yusuf Atumeyi with N326million and $ 140,500 cash. Atumeyi, who is seeking to represent Ankpa 11 Constituency in the State Assembly, was arrested on Sunday. Spokesman of the anti-graft agency, Wilson Uwujaren, told Daily Trust that one Abdumalik Salau Femi, a former bank employee, was arrested in connection with the fraud alongside one Joshua Dominic, an alleged serial fraudster, in a sting operation at Macedonia Street, Queens Estate, Karsana, Gwarinpa, Abuja. According to Uwujaren, Femi supplied the inside information that facilitated the attack on a bank by the syndicate. He (Femi) was picked up Tuesday, November 1, 2022, at Radisson Blu Hotel in Lagos. Following his arrest, a search was conducted on his home in Morgan Estate, Ojodu where a total of $470,000 USD was recovered. ""The arrest of the suspects followed months of investigation into the hacking of one of the commercial banks by a syndicate of fraudsters who pulled off a heist of N1.4billion. The syndicate allegedly moved N887 million into the account of Fav Oil and Gas limited, from where the monies were paid to several Bureau de Change operators and some auto dealers for exchange into United States Dollars and purchase of high-end cars,” he said. | EFCC, Arrests, NNPP Kogi State House of Assembly candidate, Ismaila Yusuf Atumeyi, Bank Fraud | https://bit.ly/3DxcXKF | |
| Punch Online | 1st November 2022 | 2023 elections: Don’t be partisan, Buhari counsels Police | The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Monday in Owerri, charged the Nigeria Police Force to perfect operational plans that will guarantee a credible outcome in the 2023 general elections while remaining apolitical, firm, and loyal to democratic values. The President declared open the three-day conference and retreat for senior police officers and directed the police to review the current and evolving internal security threats as they may impact peaceful and successful elections. In a statement released by his senior special adviser on media and publicity, Garba Shehu, Buhari was quoted to have said, “As I have often observed, elections are local, and it is only when the votes truly count that the faith of the citizens in the democratic process can be demonstrated and government legitimacy assured. “This can best be guaranteed through well-policed election and security operations that are impartial, firm, and professional. This is what, on this day and occasion, I charge the Nigeria Police Force to deliver to the nation during the 2023 General Elections. I, therefore, task the Inspector General of Police to sustain his leadership standards that will guarantee a level playing field and secure public space for the citizens to freely exercise their franchise, and for the outcome of the elections to be a true reflection of the people’s choices,’’ he said. President Buhari also used the occasion to restate his commitment to entrenching a process of free, fair, transparent, and credible elections through which Nigerians elect leaders of their choice. Declaring that his administration has prioritised critical reforms in the NPF to reposition it to effectively fulfil its internal security and democratic governance mandates in conjunction with the Independent National Electoral Commission and other strategic agencies in the electoral process. He listed some achievements recorded towards entrenching an effective policing system and a credible electoral process. | President Muhammadu Buhari, Nigeria Police Force, Operational plans to guarantee credible elections | https://bit.ly/3TSCKnf | |
| Nation online | 1st November 2022 | Kebbi PDP set for presidential campaign | Ahead of the Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (PDP) presidential campaign tour of Kebbi State, the state chapter said all necessary arrangements have been made to welcome the party’s presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar to Kebbi. Speaking about Atiku’s visit, PDP chairman, Alhaji Usman Bello Suru distanced the state chapter from the claim by former Minister of Special Duties Alhaji Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, (SAN) that General Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd) was recently appointed as the party’s presidential campaign director general in the State. Suru made the clarification while speaking with reporters in Birnin Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital recently. He said the former minister had granted an interview where he disclosed that Bamaiyi has been appointed as the presidential campaign director-general for Kebbi State. Suru said: “We wish to state categorically that Kabiru Turaki’s claim that General Ishaya Bamaiyi (retd) has been appointed as the director-general of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in Kebbi State is not true.” | Atiku Abubakar's Campaign tour, Kebbi State, Campaigns | https://bit.ly/3Uh71w3 | |
| Nation online | 1st November 2022 | Tinubu: Adebanjo under fire over Southwest stand | Afenifere Acting Leader Chief Ayo Adebanjo yesterday came under criticisms for rejecting the endorsement of All Progressives Congress (APC), presidential candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, by Southwest leaders. The leaders, including chieftains of Afenifere, Yoruba Council of Elders (YCE) and other associations, said Adebanjo, who had in his private capacity endorsed Labour Party (LP) presidential Peter Obi, was on his own. They emphasised that Adebanjo’s personal opinion and unilateral decision cannot be superior to the collective decision of respected Yoruba leaders who were at the Akure meeting hosted by Afenifere leader, Pa Reuben Fasoranti. Also, prominent Afenifere chieftains said Fasoranti is still the leader of the group, adding that any decision made by Adebanjo without consultation with him cannot be sustained. A source in the group said Adebanjo may be removed as Acting Leader for his divisive position and dictatorial leadership style. Adebanjo and the Atiku Campaign Organisation had frowned at the Akure endorsement, saying that it will not stand. Adebanjo, who featured on Channels Television programme – Politics Today, said the group backed Obi, based on its commitment to equity, fairness and justice. At the Akure meeting, Fasoranti, who prayed for the APC standard bearer, said: “Tinubu will win the election.” However, Adebanjo, who denied that there was an endorsement, said Fasoranti only received Tinubu in his residence as an elder statesman. He said the visit was an attempt to split the group, saying that he did not need to consult Fasoranti before declaring Afenifere’s support for Obi. Also, the Atiku/Okowa Presidential Campaign Organisation, in a statement by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, described the endorsement of Tinubu by Southwest leaders as a “failed attempt to procure reputable Southwest leaders to support his presidential ambition.” But, Afenifere’s National Organising Secretary, Abagun Kole Omololu, declared that Fasoranti is still the leader of the pan-Yoruba socio-political group, maintaining that any endorsement without his approval was fake. He said Afenifere cannot have another leader when the leader is still alive, stressing that any decision collectively taken under his guardian is superior to the subjective decision unilaterally taken by the acting leader. | Afenifere Acting Leader ,Chief Ayo Adebanjo, Endorsement, Bola Tinubu, Pa Reuben Fasoranti | https://bit.ly/3DOz4gM | |
| Daily Post Online | 1st November 2022 | Presidency: You can’t buy South-West with dollars – Atiku to Tinubu over Afenifere meeting | The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has said his counterpart from the All Progressives Congress, APC, Bola Tinubu, can’t buy the Southwest with dollars. Atiku said Tinubu resorted to ethnic politics by visiting one of the leaders of the Yoruba socio-political organization, Afenifere, Pa Reuben Fasoranti. Fasoranti had prayed and given Tinubu his blessing during the meeting. But, the acting leader of Afenifere, Ayo Adebanjo had rubbished the meeting, stressing that Afenifere would not back Tinubu. Adebanjo accused Tinubu of attempting to bribe some Afenifere leaders and cause a division within the group. Also, Atiku while speaking through his campaign spokesman, Kola Ologbndiyan, said Tinubu opted for ethnic politics in an attempt to divert the attention of the public from his anti-people issues. A statement by Ologbondiyan said the Southwest are holding Tinubu responsible for the problems in the past seven years. “Tinubu ought to know that he cannot sway or buy the South West or any other part of the country the way he procured the APC Presidential ticket; a ticket that has been compared to the Zimbabwean dollar. The handlers of the APC Presidential candidate should know that the South West, like other sections of the country, are holding Tinubu directly responsible for the woes the nation have been passing through in the last seven and half years of the APC administration, an administration Asiwaju Tinubu confessed to have helped installed,” he said. | Atiku Abubakar, Bola Tinubu, Afenifere, Vote buying | https://bit.ly/3TSvCHN | |
| Daily Post Online | 1st November 2022 | Atiku: You can’t use me to gain relevance – Wike attacks Dele Momodu | Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State has criticized former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, presidential aspirant, Dele Momodu, over his recent utterances. Wike warned that he would not allow Momodu to use him to gain relevance. Momodu, who is the Director of Strategic Communications of PDP’s Presidential Campaign Council, had warned Wike against crossing the line by maligning the party’s flagbearer, Atiku Abubakar. He had urged the governor not to turn the fight for justice and equity into a personal vendetta. Reacting, Wike berated the veteran journalist for opting to be a presidential spokesman after contesting to be the party’s flagbearer. Addressing journalists in Port-Harcourt, Wike said: “I have also read where some people said we should not cross the lines. Ordinarily, I should not have responded to this. I read they said it is one Dele Momodu. These are the things I’m talking about. Ask him. When did he join the party? When you just want them to recognize you, from presidential aspirant to becoming spokesperson; somebody who wants to rule Nigeria has become a spokesperson of a presidential aspirant. “I’m not going to be a party to anybody using me to be relevant. If you don’t have a job, say you don’t have any job, I have a job and I will continue to do my job.” Wike and some PDP governors have been aggrieved with the party’s leadership since Atiku emerged as presidential candidate. Their grievance had led to much tension within the PDP. | Governor Nyesom Wike, Dele Momodu, Director of Strategic Communications of PDP’s Presidential Campaign Council | https://bit.ly/3fmfNtF | |
| Vanguard Online | 1st November 2022 | 2023 Elections: Our infrastructure obstructs rigging – INEC | The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has disclosed that the infrastructure it has put in place for the 2023 general election cannot allow rigging to take place during the elections. INEC named those infrastructure to include the INEC Voter Enrolment Device, IVED, which eliminates voting by identity theft through the use of another person’s Permanent Voters Card, PVC; the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System, BVAS, which does not allow for multiple voting and electronically transmit results from polling units and the INEC Result Viewing Portal, IREV, which makes ward collation result sheets available for people to see. INEC further said that the 2022 Electoral Act has strengthened its operations and gives the commission more confidence to deliver free and fair results to Nigerians. INEC Administrative Secretary in Enugu State, Engr. Chidi Nwafor made the disclosures at ‘Yiaga Africa RUN to WIN’ town hall meeting for young men and women in Enugu state contesting the 2023 general elections. Nwafor also gave credit to the young persons and women in Nigeria, whom he said scaled-up their electoral participation process through their voter registrations, restating the INEC Chairman’s disclosure that 7.2 million new registered voters or 76.5 percent were young people between 18- 34 years, while there is a slightly higher number of female (4.8 million or 50.82 percent) than male (4.6 million or 49.18 percent). He further explained that in terms of occupation, 3.8 million (40.8 percent) are students. In his goodwill message at the town hall meeting, Nwafor said: “IVED, BVAS, IREV are new innovations in the electoral process as well as Electoral Act 2022. The Electoral Act 2022 has further strengthened the conduct of General Election. It behoves on the Leadership of Political Parties to create an enabling environment/or Party Constitution to accommodate young people in vying for elective positions.” | INEC, IREV, BVAS, IVED, Electoral Act 2022, Measures put in place to prevent rigging | https://bit.ly/3TZUrkX | |
| Vanguard Online | 1st November 2022 | Labour Party flags off campaign in Enugu | Labour Party in Enugu State has flagged off its campaign in a bid to take over the governorship of the state in 2023, promising to create wealth and jobs for the youths and satellite towns across the state. The flag-off which was hosted by Enugu West Senatorial District witnessed a large turnout of party members and supporters. Addressing the rally, the governorship candidate of the party in Enugu State, Chijioke Edeoga thanked the people of Enugu West for their show of love as manifested in their turnout. He said his love and desire to bring Enugu West to the scheme of the state prompted him to pick his running mate from the zone. The Labour Party flag bearer promised that if elected, the Labour Party government in Enugu State will among other things, focus on job creation, wealth creation, provision of infrastructure such as roads, water, and electricity as well as the creation of satellite towns. He maintained that jobs and wealth will be created by investing heavily in agriculture and agricultural value chains as well as exploring technology, adding that his administration will also leverage on sports development and the entertainment industry to ensure that the youths develop their talents and become gainfully employed. | Labour Party, Enugu State, Campaign flag-off, Chijioke Edeoga, LP Governorship Candidate | https://bit.ly/3STeWyk | |