Nigerian Newspapers
APC registration threatens ACN govs’ 2nd term bids
•Ajimobi, Aregbesola, Fayemi affected
FromYINKA FABOWALE, Ibadan, BAMIGBOLA
GBOLAGUNTE, Osogbo, MOSHOOD ADEBAYO, Abeokuta and CHARLES ADEGBITE, Ado Ekiti
With its registration midweek, the All Progressives Congress (APC) may have entered another phase of challenge that may test its stability, cohesiveness and capability to wrest power from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) amid jostling by elective office aspirants in the fraternizing parties for the mega opposition party’s tickets for the 2015 elections in the states in the South West.
Expectedly, the most prized ticket is that of the governorship, which has become a major issue of contention in Oyo, Osun and Ekiti states, where gubernatorial aspirants have emerged in other parties in the partnership of which the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) is dominant.
The tussles are coming amid an alleged understanding and agreement that respective parties be allowed to produce candidates for elections in areas, where they are known to be strong as reached at the national level during the merger talks.
But informed stakeholders denied the existence of any such agreement, which they noted, conflicts with the provisions of the new party’s constitution that upholds primary election as the only due process through which candidates must emerge.
Aside the ACN, the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) are the two major parties in the merger, with a faction of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA) led by Imo State Governor, Rochas Okworocha and Democratic Party of Nigeria (DPN) being also members.
Although it is an open secret that some of the incumbent ACN governors are interested in second term, Saturday Sun investigations revealed that challengers have emerged among aspirants in the party’s counterparts, who would not accept the party, which currently controls five of the six states in the geo-political zone lord it over them. The indignation is fuelled by the perceived culture of hand picking candidates for which the ACN was notorious.
In Oyo for instance, a former Commissioner for justice and Attorney General in the state, Mr. Adebayo Shittu, has signalled his intention to contest the 2015 governorship. Shittu, who contested, but lost governorship election in the state on the platform of CPC is believed to have activated campaign machinery for a 2015 bid. He told Saturday Sun in Ibadan yesterday that: “By the grace of God I will contest the governorship in 2015. The question of one party and another dictating is out of the question. We are now one party and determined to ensure sustenance and strengthening of internal democracy. That implies that rather than imposition of candidates for governmental elections, the APC has made adequate provision in its constitution to ensure that candidates emerge only through primary elections.”
However, the recent registration of the APC poses serious challenge to the second term ambition of the Osun State Governor, Mr Rauf Aregbesola, as indications emerged that other political parties that merged with the ACN to form the mega party may also present governorship aspirants for the election which holds next year.
Already, Aregbesola has been endorsed for a second term and has emerged the candidate of his party, the ACN before the registration of the new party.
With the present development in the political system in the state, it is not certain whether or not Aregbesola would enjoy similar gesture he enjoyed in the ACN as some members of the other two parties that form the party have also signified interest in his position.
Before the registration of the APC, the CPC and ANPP had declared that they would contest the election next year and had been moving round the state to canvass for support for their flag bearers ahead of the 2014 Governorship election before the merger and subsequent registration of the APC, with the candidates of the party also soliciting for support.
Governorship candidate of the CPC, Mr. Olalekan Banjo, who had started his campaign for the governorship election since last year said he was still in the race on the platform of the APC. He said he had made consultations with the leadership of the party in the state and held meetings with various interest groups in the state on his ambition to rule the state, declaring that he would not step down for Aregbesola for any reason. Mr. Banjo, a lawyer maintained: “We have met with those that matter in the state and within the APC in particular and I have been directed to go on with my ambition. Therefore, I will contest the election at the primary level if Aregbesola also signifies intention to contest”. He expressed his preparedness to unseat Aregbesola next year, stressing that he has all it takes to take over from him.
Also, the governorship candidate of the ANPP, Mr. Fowowe Oladimeji, who spoke through a member of his campaign organisation, Mr. Olugbenga Babalola said he would continue with his campaign, despite the endorsement of Aregbesola by the ACN. According to him, “the APC is different from ACN, the APC is a new political party and we shall not compromise our stand on truth and justice in this party. So, we are ready for the governorship race and every other person interested in the post can also signify”.
But, the Director of Publicity, Research and Strategy of the ACN before the registration of APC, Mr. Kunle Oyatomi said the newly registered party would not make a mistake of changing Aregbesola as the party’s governorship flag bearer. He said: “As far as the political tempo and tenor of Osun State is concerned, the government of Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola is the rallying point for APC. You don’t change the winning team. If APC wants to win in Osun State, there is no way it won’t present Aregbesola for governorship election because he is the man of the moment.”
In Ekiti, Dr Muyiwa Kayode, a former CPC governorship candidate has joined the vanguard of contenders giving Dr. Kayode Fayemi, the incumbent governor, a run for his money. A financial analyst and economist, he was the gubernatorial candidate of the CPC in 2011, who joined active politics about five years ago under the Labour Party, but left for CPC later due to what he regarded as dirty politics being played by some key players.
Another major contender is within the ruling party itself and is Hon. Michael Opeyemi Bamidele (MOB), the Chairman, House of Representatives Committee on Legislative Budgets.
However, the ANPP, according to its Ekiti State Chairman, Alhaji Azeez Awolokun, was still studying the situation in Ekiti and has no candidate yet.
The story is, however, different in Ogun State, where the chances of Governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun for another term in office seem to have been brightened by the coming of the mega party.
The governor, it was learnt, has had the second term ticket conceded to him by aspirants in the ANPP and CPC due to what one of them, Comrade ‘Wale Okunniyi, who ran for the last governorship election under CPC, said were the laudable achievements of the state government, particularly in the urban renewal programme.
Sources told Saturday Sun that many of the CPC chieftains, who would have opposed the governor were, in fact, his points men and who worked assiduously for him to become governor in 2011. Okuniyi said if APC must win the next gubernatorial elections in the state, it must get its act together and its members must close ranks with one another and rally round the governor for the party to win the 2015 election.
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Source: The Sun Newspaper
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Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.
The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.
According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.
This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.
Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.
Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
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