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2023: Lukman backs 2022 com’tt, insists on emergence of credible leaders

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Former Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) and a chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) Salihu Moh Lukman, has called on all patriotic Nigerians to support a new group of eminent Nigerians working to ensure credible leaders emerge in 2023 general elections.

An association of ‘about one hundred eminent businessmen, political, media and civil society leaders, including 14 current governors, 13 former governors as well as three former senate presidents’ under the aegis of The 2022 Committee, recently announced their presence in Nigerian politics.

Reacting to the development through a statement released to newsmen on Thursday in Abuja, Lukman said the emergence of the ‘association’ presents an opportunity to critically assess the capacity of political parties to serve as effective and competent negotiating platforms for the emergence of ‘quality leadership’ in Nigeria.

According to Lukman, the capacity of our parties to produce the kind of leadership Nigerians aspire is weak. Left alone, individuals with strong financial muscles, whose vision may be narrow, hardly going beyond access to public resources would have advantage.

The former PGF boss said a situation whereby politicians reduce issues of national development targets to partisan rivalries must be discouraged.

“Every patriotic Nigerian should commend the initiatives of the ‘association.’ In addition, Nigerians should encourage members of the ‘association’ to do everything possible to force internal negotiations, which should lead to agreements within political parties leading to the emergence of ‘quality leadership’ in 2023 at all levels in Nigeria. A stitch in time saves nine!

“Therefore, the new political value potentially being created by a group such as the ‘association’ is the possibility of opening the political spaces in the country, including within the current big parties (APC and PDP) to produce higher quality leaders that what would have ordinarily been the case in 2023. It will require some superior organising to produce such a higher quality desired different outcome, which is why such an initiative require the support of all patriotic Nigerians.

“The other dynamic is also the question of providing level playing field for candidates from all parts of the country. There are many leaders across the country and in both PDP and APC who could have qualified to emerge as candidates with all the ‘quality leadership’ credentials being envisioned with reference to any leadership qualification.

“But absence of level playing field in our parties is discouraging these individuals from presenting themselves for consideration. This is partly responsible for why across every part of the country, and in virtually all our political parties, the most qualified candidates for ‘quality leadership’ are hardly in the race for 2023 contests. How is the ‘association’ going to open up the space within our major political parties to ensure that the best and most qualified ‘quality leaders’ are in the race for 2023 electoral contests?”

The APC chieftain said both APC and PDP leaders, and indeed every politician, across all political parties must be made to organise their campaigns based on honesty.

“Requirement for honesty during campaigns should ensure that all candidates who merit being recognised as ‘quality leaders’ must accept challenges, take responsibility and in cases where they fail, accept their shortcomings. No politician should be allowed to take advantage of the frustration of Nigerians as a strategy for winning election.

“If a group such as the ‘association’ want to reposition the country, it needs to take all the difficult steps to compel some degree of honesty among politicians. As a member of APC, I have no difficulty expecting that APC leaders will accept challenges, take responsibility and accept shortcomings. At least, President Buhari is providing leadership in this respect.

“There are also very difficult issues around fair representation in the country, which is producing all manner of agitations. The easiest manifestation of this is the clamour for power shift to the Southern part of the country. Many party leaders across the major parties – APC and PDP are clamouring for this without corresponding initiative to open internal party negotiations based on strategy to achieve agreement.

“In fact, in the case of PDP, it is almost conclusive that no negotiation is being considered on this matter. It can be said without fear of any contradiction that if internal primary election is to take place in PDP today, a Northern candidate will emerge. The potential that PDP will produce a Northern candidate present a very strong challenge to the APC, which will affect the emergence of a ‘quality leader’ as the Presidential candidate of APC. How is the ‘association’ going to manage complex issues such as this to produce the desired outcome of creating a new Nigeria out of 2023 electoral contests?”

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Ondo Governorship Primaries: APC commends Ododo over peaceful conduct

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The All Progressives Congress (APC) has commended Kogi State Governor, Ahmed Usman Ododo for his impressive performance in the just concluded Ondo State Governorship primary election where he served as chairman of the committee.
Special adviser on media to the Governor Ismai Isah in a statement indicated that Governor Ododo received the commendation while presenting the report of the Ondo state APC primary election committee to the party’s national chairman, Dr Abdullahi Umar Ganduje at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja on Tuesday.

Receiving the committee’s report from Governor Ododo, Dr. Ganduje congratulated the Governor for a job well done and noted that the party is proud of the performance of the Kogi State Governor for the conduct of the Ondo State Governorship primary election which he noted was the first national assignment of the Governor.

The APC national chairman praised the extraordinary leadership skill and impeccable manner the Kogi State Governor managed the Ondo State APC Governorship primary election, adding that the Collation of results from the 203 wards and the 18 Local Government areas of the state that was viewed live on national television was a rare display of transparency and integrity of the entire election process.

Earlier in his presentation, Governor Ododo thanked the APC National Working Committee for finding him and his committee members worthy of the all important national assignment.

The Governor stated that the committee’s report took cognizance of everything that transpired during the primary election and it contains recommendations that will enable the party to deal with the aftermath of the Ondo State Primary election and ensure that the APC goes into the November governorship election as a united party ready to retain power in Ondo State.

Governor Ododo was accompanied to the presentation of the report by the Secretary to the Committee, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Kogi State APC Chairman, Honourable Abdullahi Bello, House of Representative Member Representing Ajaokuta Federal Constituency, Honourable Abdulrahim Egidi and the Commissioner for Local Government and Chieftaincy Affairs, Barr. Deedat Ozigi Salami, and some of his senior aides.

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Ondo 2024: Emami admonishes Aiyedatiwa to Seek support of aggrieved aspirants

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***Says APC stands to win
with genuine reconciliation

Seek for genuine reconciliation with all the aggrieved aspirants who contested the All Progressives Congress (APC) primary election Chief Ayirimi Emami, has admonished the Ondo State Governor and winner of the party’s ticket in last weekend governorship primary, Lucky Aiyedatiwa,

In the primary election conducted by a team led by Kogi State Governor, Usman Ododo, his colleague, Governor Aiyedatiwa was declared winner having polled 48, 569 in the Direct Primary exercise to defeat all the other 15 aspirants.
Some of the aspirants have since kicked against the outcome of the election, alleging that the Governor Ododo team did not follow the party’s guidelines and laid down procedure
The APC chieftain who congratulated Governor Aiyedatiwa, described his victory at the primary as testament of his impactful governance for the few months he has taken over as governor of Ondo state.
He urged him to broker peace with the aggrieved aspirants, accomodate them in the course of his campaigns for the overall interest of the APC and development of the oil producing state.
While he maintained that Governor Aiyedatiwa posture should be a no victor, no vanquished towards the other aspirants on the outcome of the primary, Chief Emami, said the cooperation of other aspirants would make the Party victory seamless and accelerate the developmental strides being witnessed in the state.
He equally appealed to other aspirants that contested the APC governorship primary to sheathe their sword and support the candidacy of Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa.
Some of the contenders for the ticket won by Governor Aiyedatiwa included
senator representing Ondo South Senatorial District, Jimoh Ibrahim; Olusola Oke SAN, former President of Nigerian Medical Association, Prof. Francis Faduyile, a mechanical engineer, Dr Funmilayo Waheed-Adekojo and the National Vice Chairman of the APC (South APC (South West), Isaac Kekemeke.

Others were Dr Soji Ehinlanwo, Akinfolarin Samuel, Okunjimi Odimayo, Adewale Akinterinwa, Olugbenga Edema and Brig. Gen. Ohunyeye Olamide (retd), Morayo Lebi, Oladiran Iyatan and Engnr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele.

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Concerned Kano Progressives throw weight behind Ganduje

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***Alerts President Tinubu over Kwankwaso’s scheming to destabilize APC

From Mohammed Abubakar Minjibir

A Kano-based political think-tank, the CONCERNED KANO PROGRESSIVES, {CKP} has vowed to do everything humanly possible to support ongoing efforts of the national Chairman of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Alhaji Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, to reposition the party and encourage all elected representatives on the platform of the APC to manage the gains of their respective, electoral successes.
Similarly, the KCP, have also vowed to checkmate, what its members, have described as , “the infantile and highly dysfunctional thought-processes being elicited by one-time civilian Governor of Kano State, Alhaji Kwankwaso, in his drift towards political mischief-making against the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu “.
These views, were contained in a Media statement issued to newsmen on Sunday, by the National Coordinator of CKP Alhaji Mohammed Z. Abubakar.
The CKP stated that, “Anybody who knows Alhaji Kwankwaso and his conditioned behaviour towards matters of political socialization processes and mentorship, can attest to his high affinity for not only being domineering, high-handed, self-opinionated but abnormally dictatorial in the way and manner he relates with his peers, eminent political leadership figures and sundry loyal party members.”
The statement explained further that, “Alhaji Kwankwaso, is believing that he has the nationwide capacity to swing the sociology of the voter-behaviour of the larger Nigerian voting electorate come 2027, to actualize his animated ambition of becoming the President of Nigeria.”
The CKP, said that Alhaji Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso’s self-inflated ego, is what is perhaps, leading him into nursing the faulty impression-formation disposition that, apart from the entire northern electorate, “voting” massively for him under the NNPP, the social and political rating which President Tinubu presently enjoys, is far below his self-proclaimed social and political stratification rating, which, has given him the pseudo courage to embark on his ongoing secret plans to destabilize the All Progressives Congress by using his NNPP political party platform to achieve his ambition of becoming president of Nigeria in 2027.
According to the CKP spokesman, Alhaji Mohammed Z. Abubakar, “Alhaji Kwankwaso’s hope of executing his plan of action is largely reliant and premised on the funding from his political stooge, the current Governor of Kano State, who will never dare defy the directives of Alhaji Kwankwaso, his father in-law and mentor.
Alhaji Kwankwaso, according to the Progressives, “uses the Kano State Executive Governor, Alhaji Abba Yusuf, as a willing instrument to prosecute his current thinly disguised agenda to blackmail and demonise the APC National Chairman, Alhaji Ganduje, and his party in such a way as to destroy the APC brand before the next general elections in 2027.
The Progressives, have therefore humbly advised President Tinubu and APC members nationwide to be on the alert about the scheming of Alhaji Kwankwaso.

The organisation indicated that, “the unfolding pockets of mischief-making ploys, antics and deviant behavioural traits being orchestrated by the former Governor of Kano State, Dr Kwankwaso and the current NNPP government led by Alhaji Abba Yusuf, to tarnish the good image and reputation of both the ruling APC and its National Chairman, Dr. Ganduje, will fail. “We stand resolutely in solidarity with Dr. Ganduje”, the statement concludes.

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