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Don’t Throw Nigeria Into Crisis, Okupe Warns APC

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• Says Jonathan Has Constitutional Right To Re-contest

IRKED by what he termed a do-or-die manner members of All Peoples Congress (APC) are conducting themselves ahead the 2015 elections, Special Assistant on Public Affairs to President Goodluck Jonathan, Dr. Doyin Okupe, has warned the opposition party against throwing the country into crisis.

   He also said the Constitution allows Jonathan to seek re-election in 2015.

  But, he admonished some top members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly some governors who are romancing with APC, to quickly retrace their steps.

   Okupe who was a guest of Kaduna-based Liberty Radio said yesterday, that it was unfortunate Governor of Rivers State, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, and some other PDP governors have allowed themselves to be used by opposition.”

  He described APC as “a house that was built on faulty foundation. This is a party that was put together not for the interest of the country but personal aggrandisement. When you build anything on premises that are evil, it will not stand the test of time.

   “If you come together just because we hate Jonathan, saying that we cannot allow this Niger Delta person to continue in government, it is wrong. 

  Secondly, APC members are united and brought themselves together not because they want to help Nigerians in any form but they just want power for personal aggrandisement. Bola Tinubu has seemingly conquered the South-west. Like Napoleon, he wants to expand frontiers. He wants to come to the National scale and expand his business empire.” 

“Buhari believes that Obasanjo has been a military President, he was later elected, therefore he wants to follow his steps, and then he also feels why would he not be able to get power under a democratic system. Where is Nigeria in the dreams of APC? Apart of what they say by mouth, We must have thought that a party that has for more than 3, 4, 5 even now7 years to come together, the first thing to show Nigeria is it’s manifesto”.

“ Up till tomorrow the party has no manifesto. They are just going around gallivanting and parading themselves like serious people. 70 percent of the membership of the APC are former PDP people who have expired. So what knew thing are they coming up with. In fact, many of them are PDP relegates, people that PDP has thrown away. They are people whose ideas have no bearing or relevance on where Nigeria intend to be in the nearest future”. 

“People who cannot contribute or redirect the ship of state, people who have ideology within themselves except hatred and ethnic chuvenism or personal aggrandizement. This is not the change Nigeria wants”. 

The Presidential spokesman on Public Affairs stressed further that “Jonathan is a man that means well for the country, but for some people because of where he comes from, because of his religion, and for others because he is still sitting on our time-table, we ought to have been there they are ganging up against him” . 

Said Okupe: “the challenge we have now were created by people with evil desires. And they are very powerful, they control the media and they make it more difficult. This President came under a circumstances of a controversy. The North felt that with the demise of late former President Umaru Year’adua , that region should continue to produce the leadership”. 

“So, anything that did not follow that course, they were not ready to deal with him. So that was a major problem. And then they looked down on Jonathan, who is this person that is coming and where is he coming from, we don’t even know him because he comes from the most remote part of the country. To some other people he was like an affront”. 

“They are saying that when we are contesting for power these are not the people that should be defeating us.  It is a very deep seated problem”, Okupe added. 

Though he explained that Jonathan has not made up his mind to vie for the Presidency in 2015, but pointed out that nothing could stop him to do so if he so desires to contest as an eligible Nigerian citizen.

Okupe said: “President Jonathan has not told me or anybody that he wants to run again. But, all the heat all over the country is because of the fear that he will run. But, in a normal circumstances nobody should stop anybody from exercising a right that is guaranteed by the constitution”. 

“It is either we want a democracy or not. If Jonathan decides to run and you are not happy about it, go to the poll and defeat him. See what happened in Mali. Mali fought a war, finished the war and in less than six months they had organised election. The election was indecisive, and decided to go into a runoff among two major contestants”. 

“One of the contenders said the election was marred with fraud. But when the results were announced the man went with his family to congratulate the winner, and now Mali is moving on. If we are not careful we would be there shouting that Jonathan must not be president in 2015 and a small country like Mali will overtake us”.

“So, Nigerians must wake up. What is 4 years in the life of a nation? Is it worth burning a country, is it worth destroying our democracy, or damaging the manifest destiny that is so rousy in this nation”.

On the crisis in Rivers State and the problem of some PDP governors joining the opposition against President Jonathan, Dr. Okupe said: “River state crisis is no crisis. It is an opportunity for people who are fighting Jonathan to hold on to something that seems real and use it against him”. 

He stressed further, “for instance, you had about 5 governor who said they were motivated to go around the country because of Rivers state crisis. Is that not amazing? What is the crisis in Rivers? Who is Amaechi and what is the issue about that the whole country is being disturbed because of something that happened at the Nigerian Governors Forum”? 

“What is the Governor’s Forum to the destiny of this country. The Rivers crisis was what some people cling on to in fanning anti-Jonathan emotion and continue to oil the hatred against Jonathan. And because of Amaechi’s riches he decided to offer himself to the opposition as a willing tool. What you are seeing is an over dramatization of the preparation for 2015”.

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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.

Source: Guardian Newspaper

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This Day

Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack

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•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

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Tribune

Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110

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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

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Premium Times

Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings

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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

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The Nation

UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal

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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

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