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2023: Zone presidential tickets to the south, IBBN urges political parties

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The Initiative for a Better and Brighter Nigeria, IBBN, Tuesday, in Abuja called on all political parties to zone their presidential tickets to the Southern part of the country.

The IBBN stated that the need for the zoning is to ensure fairness and equity in Nigeria’s leadership, explaining that the North will be concluding a full eight-year term by 2023.

The President of the IBBN, Dr. Isah Sadiq, delivering a speech at the press conference said, “Morestill, as political activities hit the crescendo, we call on political actors in the country to play the game, putting Nigeria first over any parochial interest. Among other things, national interest first. “We call on all Political parties to in all sense of fairness, to zone their presidential tickets to the southern zone of the country, especially since the North will be concluding a full eight-year term by 2023.

“Fairness and equity is all it takes to service and continue to make every union work and indeed fairness and equity is what it will take to keep the Nigerian union as one indivisible great country under God.“

Sadiq speaking on the Abduction and Murder of Little Hanifa in Kano State, expressed fears that from the wave of mass abductions for ransom at schools over the last year, carried out by terrorists elements nicknamed bandits, there could not be any more endangerment of education

He said the recent abduction and murder of little promising 5 year old Hanifa Abubakar by the Proprietor of her own school, who demanded for a ransom of six million naira ($14,500) last month, only to later kill Hanifa with rat poison and bury her in a shallow grave in the city of Kano; there couldn’t violation of the right to life in Northern Nigeria.

“Truth is, a society perpetually void of safe spaces for children is a society with a bleak future, if it has any at all. For the act of terrorism against children alone, Nigerian Government need not show mercy to domestic terrorists and terrorpreneurs alike.

“We must stand up to the active defence of the right to life in Nigeria because the life of Nigerians matter!

“May God comfort the family of little Hanifa and all others who have lost loved ones in the hands of terrorists and terropreneurs in Nigeria,” he said

He further stated that the IBBN in alignment with Civil Society Coalition and well meaning Nigerians called on President Muhammadu Buhari, to authorise a new progressive electoral act for Nigerians that will make elections free, fair, transparent, peaceful and inclusive; especially that Mr President rode to the Presidency with a promise of electoral reforms to Nigerians.

“While we commend the 9th National Assembly for their efforts in advancing progressive clauses in the Electoral Act Repeal and Re-enactment Bill 2020, the Initiative for a Better and Brighter Nigeria however wishes to call on the National Assembly to consider and review section 91 of the Electoral Act Bill which dramatically and astronomically increased campaign spending limits by 300 percent, which suggests that the 9th National Assembly intends to entrench a heavily monetized and merchandising political system, and this has dire implications for election violence, youths exclusion, good governance and the economy, ” the IBBN added.

Still on the electoral process, IBBN recalled that INEC had in June last year, expanded voter access to polling units for the first time in 25 years since the initial delimitation in 1996 by creation of additional 56,872 Polling Units nation wide bringing the total number of polling units in the country to 176,846. A feat he said, should ordinarily improve voter turnout and ease the management of polling units and crowds during elections.

“What we have however, noticed from the recently concluded Anambra State elections and from the recent INEC Consultative meeting with Civil-society Organisations, is that both old and new voters are either not fully aware of this expansion of voter access and or failed to take advantage of it to transfer to these new Polling Units which has the potential to defeat the intended objective of the expansion and even entrench voter disenfranchisement.

“The Initiative for a Better and Brighter Nigeria (IBBN) therefore wishes to call on Nigerians, Civil Society Organisations and serious grassroot stakeholders and Politicians to take inventory of those new polling units in their constituencies, organise townhalls, educate the people and facilitate the even distribution of voters in those areas between the old overpopulated polling units and the new polling units closest to the old ones, by simply applying to transfer those affected voters’ polling units, as well as leveraging on the ongoing CVR for the regular recruitment and registration of new voters to locations where they would be during elections by visiting the INEC website.

“We all must turn to community organisers in our localities if we must make democracy work for Nigeria.”

He further expressed worries that the number of men and Officers of security agencies are obviously inadequate to secure Nigeria’s rural communities and forests which need security as well. “It’s obvious that if we don’t secure forests in Nigeria, terrorist elements will always take refuge in those forests and use them as a launching board for their terrorist attacks.

“Government is not oblivious of this, because we have adequate security deployments securing the forest within the villa area through Mambilla Barracks, through the Gwarinpa expressway and down to the AYA area here in the nation’s capital.”

According to him, “the expediency of experimenting with state police to complement the overstretched central Nigerian Police Force stares us in the face at this time of our national history. Beyond preventing deepening attacks, we need reclaim forests and ungoverned spaces already occupied by terrorists. When will we deploy the much celebrated tucano jets and other Airforce platforms procured to extinguish these terrorists? Is it better when the terrorists are done with killing Nigerians? We call on Government to Deploy those tucano jets to use now!”

The Initiative for a Better and Brighter Nigeria commended the gallantry of Men of the Armed Forces, assuring that it will continue to stand with them, while expressing hope that Nigeria will surmount her security challenges, “we however call on Nigeria policy makers and President Muhammadu Buhari’s led Federal Government to be more innovative and proactive in securing the precious lives of and defending the inalienable right to life of Nigerians,” Sadiq added.

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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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