2023 poll: Tinubu is the right man for the job-Moruf Akinderu-Fatai – Newstrends
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2023 poll: Tinubu is the right man for the job-Moruf Akinderu-Fatai

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Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu

Many often assume that the aspiration of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu to become the President of Nigeria is new. He has nursed this hope to serve our fatherland for a while if one cares to look deeply through the lens of his passion and involvement in governance and power in the last two decades. No one, who is as passionate as he is about the nation, will see the situation we are in today and stay away from making his contribution except he is incapable.

Asiwaju is skilled, knowledgeable and fit to navigate the nation out of the murky waters that we find ourselves in today. The rebirth of this great nation can only be masterminded by a proven doer with the legendary power of vision and wizardry ability to turn things around. This is a man that wanted to run with Mr. President in 2015. Why did he want to be the Vice President? His aim is to run the economic agenda of President Muhammadu Buhari. No agenda is good enough, if it cannot be translated to real improvement in people’s lives. This requires exceptional competence and clear-cut vision. Not many can achieve the desired turnaround. Only a few can boast of the testimonial of this great man.

Power peddlers, who knew his exceptional capacity and did not want Buhari’s regime to succeed, were vehemently against this ticket. They proclaimed change but were against the people who can make it happen. This is the hypocrisy damaging our nation, keeping us chained to the forces of stagnation. What did they do next? They started attacking all his business and political interests in 2015. They have bought over many of his allies and turned them against him. They believe that if they can destroy his support system, they can quench his passion.

However, time and recent events have proved them wrong. I am not a spiritual person. But I can see it well. I am sure that all those who claimed spirituality should have seen that this man remains not only constant but also resolute as a progressive force that could bring the solutions that we all yearn for. My support for him is not based on sentiment but founded on his capability for smart visioning and his unique style of bringing solutions and, of course, his financial wizardry.

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I am totally convinced that this is the man for this moment. This is a moment when a lot is at stake in this nation. It is our make or mar moment. A lot is hanging in the balance. We all know that a leadership error at this moment will be a die-cast for the fragmentation of all that makes this nation tick. In all my years of studying Tinubu, I have been awed by his capacity to generate solutions to seemingly complex challenges. His ability to think clearly brought about the idea of Independent Power Plants (IPPs) at a time when the power supply in Lagos State was very bad. He was the first to do this in Nigeria via Enron with 270 megawatts.

The private sector keyed into it and they are still ready to buy into it. The strategy was to be able to release the 100 megawatts from the grid to the public while the private sector pays higher rates for the IPP. By 2004, the Lagos State Government planned to add another 570 megawatts in Morogbo, Badagry. But the federal government, then under the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), made nonsense of the project. It gave Ibadan 90 megawatts and was removing over N250 million monthly from the allocation of Lagos State. Till today, Lagos is yet to get constant electricity in Nigeria despite the fact that the idea was hijacked at the federal level. Also, Asiwaju brought up the idea of 1,000 Lagos Free Trade Zone (LFZ) in the Ibeju-Lekki Local Government Area. Today, the zone has over 40 multi-billion-dollar investors including Dangote Refinery Ltd, Dangote Petrochemical & Fertilizer Plant and Lekki Deep Sea Port.

Nigerians should be berated for their inability to elect the right leaders to steer Africa’s biggest economy currently valued at $440.78 billion. The examples of Chief Obafemi Awolowo and Chief Moshood Abiola are pungent examples of our costly errors in the past. Shall we continue this ruinous trend? Shall we keep cutting our noses to spite our faces? You want Nigeria to progress. Yet, you cannot see that there is a candidate who is very ready, willing and qualified for the job. There is no gainsaying that Asiwaju’s sound background in public policy and finance is needed at a time like this.

The foundation that he laid by initiating a development plan for Lagos State over two decades ago is the singular reason for the sustained prosperity of this megacity, which according to the Lagos State Bureau of Statistics, today accounts for 26.7 per cent of Nigeria’s total GDP and more than 50 per cent of non-oil GDP. The physical development, social growth and economic prosperity of the state are distinct in sub-Saharan Africa. With the solid foundation Asiwaju laid, Lagos should soon be matching Johannesburg (South Africa, $276 billion GDP), Cape Town (South Africa, $155 billion), and Cairo (Egypt, $140 billion).

The major distraction, which is now being escalated, is this controversy about religion. As a people, we have always looked forward to everything or anything that could take our eyes off our challenges. That is our nature, and thus is how we allow sentiment to continue to govern our lives and derail us from the sure path of progress. But I want us to know that this is a distraction that we cannot afford at a critical time like this. The debate is a game plan to scuttle the rescue plan that we need so badly.

What has being a Muslim or Christian got to do with having a clear mind and sound ideas to move Nigeria forward? Has religion contributed greatly to our national development? Which of the past leaders performed creditably as a result of his religious affiliation? Asiwaju is a detribalised and liberalised leader in all ramifications. He was the one who even gave the Easterners the best platform to grow their business in Lagos State. They feel so free to come to Lagos with the assurance that they will return home in prosperity. Under his guidance, governance opportunities are extended to all who live in Lagos without allusion to tribe or religion.

I have observed that the old generation churches understand the dynamics. The new generation of churches should please audit themselves. Vice President Yemi Osinbajo happens to be a Senior Pastor in one of Nigeria’s biggest churches. He has been the second in command for seven years. He is in charge of the economy and he has been very active in the church all over the country. He has been within the setup. Yet, they talk of the Islamisation of Nigeria. The last time I checked, the majority of the people that work with him are Christians, with many pastors among them. I have never seen a delegation of Christians go officially protest to him that Christians are being maltreated. They now complain about persecution in the United States and the United Kingdom. What an irony? What is their deep-seated intention? Is it to trouble this nation further?

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President Buhari, like any other man, has his faults. But in their hatred for the man, they have not seen that the man is a clear-headed Muslim with only one wife and shakes hands with ladies. I do know he attended church services when necessary to honour his Christian associates when the needs arise. He is a man that works easily with a pastor as his deputy and has another pastor friend as a former vice presidential candidate (Pastor Tunde Bakare). Can this man be said to be against Christianity?

Here we are again. Tinubu’s choice of Kashim Shettima is a boil in the nose of detractors. This is a man with a sound educational background and exposure locally and globally. He is a detribalised Nigerian with landmark achievements during his stint as Borno State Governor.  A serving senator and a banker by profession, Shettima is well loved by both Muslims and Christians in Borno State. It was said that he made funds available for the re-building of churches destroyed by terrorists. He launched attacks against various terrorist groups in the state. No wonder he is top on the hit list of the terrorists. But they will never get him. He committed a lot of resources to fighting insurgents and resettling the victims of terror attacks.

Obviously, the enemies of Nigeria see this Tinubu-Shettima as another powerful combination that can open the doors of progress. As a result, they don’t want it to fly. I will tell you that this arrangement will bring a guarantee of defeat for Boko Haram. We have two individuals who are thinkers and doers. Shettima will bring in the ground knowledge on situations of insurgency, and it will be tackled headlong. We should spend more time thinking of Shettima’s competencies and how capable he is to give us the kind of peculiar leadership at a time like this. Not his religion.

Asiwaju too is undoubtedly a man who dictates to challenges. Challenges do not control him. He is a civilian with the heart of a gallant soldier who faces issues headlong without a thought of retreating until victory is achieved. Let us all support this man. Electricity will no longer be a nightmare and insecurity will become history. Once security and power issues are tackled, our diasporas will surely come back to contribute to our journey to greatness.

While others without a meaningful agenda are dancing to a piece of music they think could bring acceptance, Asiwaju is looking beyond the rhythm of their music. He sees capacity. He does not see religion or ethnicity. He wants to solve problems all the time and bequeath a virile nation to posterity. He has evidence of his capacity all over. Take a look at the Civic Centre on Victoria Island. You will recall that stretch was a refuse dump. It was Asiwaju’s vision that changed the landscape of that entire space opposite the Nigerian Law School, Victoria Island.

I plead all Nigerians of good conscience to desist from religion and ethnicity to divide us. These are the two weapons the so-called owners of Nigeria have been deploying to divide us. If they succeed, they will ultimately destroy Nigeria. God forbid! The tumours of religious and tribal division must be removed. I think Asiwaju has taken it upon himself to tackle these ills before bringing himself before the electorate. I am indeed very excited waiting for Asiwaju’s presidency. I am eager to see new and novel approaches to solving problems in a manner that turns challenges and concerns to positivity. He will draw up and implement development plans and build a legacy that leaders after him will build upon.

I plead again that anyone, who is very upset by this choice, should look at the man again and whatever he stood for in his years on earth and check if he indeed does not care about the other faith. His wife, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, is a Pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). The concerns are duly noted. I am sure there will be a lot of engagement as we move towards the elections, and the fears will be trashed out. The issues facing Nigeria can only be resolved by a man of strong political will, a resolute man with a lot of courage.

I am sure his era will bring prosperity to all, irrespective of our religious biases – Christians, Muslims and those of other faiths. Asiwaju is the best amongst the presidential candidates now. Please, for the sake of our posterity, let’s focus on what will lead us back to the path of prosperity.  Nigeria needs this kind of leader now: a courageous, dynamic and resolute solution strategist: Asiwaju is a man for a moment like this.

THE NATION

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PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

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Umar Iliya Damagum, Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

Two former Presidents of the Senate, Chief David Mark and Dr Bukola Saraki are leading a fresh charge aimed at removing Amb. Umar Damagum as the Acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The push by Mark and Saraki has received the backing of prominent stakeholders, including the Plateau State Governor, Caleb Muftwang and other political office holders elected on the platform of the PDP.

Similarly, former governors from the Northcentral zone who served on the party’s platform have also aligned forces with the group.

Rising from a stakeholders’ meeting in Abuja on Thursday night, the party chieftains resolved to produce a candidate from the zone early 2025 to replace Damagum.

According to them, the move to replace Damagum with a substantive chairman from the Northcentral, has received the endorsement of key party stakeholders from the Northwest and the Northeast zones.

Among those being projected as potential candidates to take Damagum’s seat include Mark; a former Benue State Governor, Gabriel Suswam; and a former House of Representatives member from Nasarawa State, David
David Ombugadu.

A communique issued after the meeting, said the stakeholders
reviewed the festering crisis in the party following the exit of the erstwhile National Chairman, Dr. Iyorchia Ayu.

Ayu lost his seat to the crisis triggered by disagreements over the emergency of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as the presidential candidate of the PDP in the 2023 general election.

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The crisis has continued to deepen with the apparent overbearing influence of the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Nyesom Wike on the Damagum-led national leadership.

The Northcentral stakeholders argued that Damagum’s continued occupation of the office breached provisions of the PDP constitution.

The communique states in part, “The PDP’s constitution clearly states that succession of offices in the party at all levels is largely to the extent that any vacant position can be replaced by appointment from the zone, as per Section 47 (6) of the party.

“The party is guided by its constitution at all times. Therefore, the leadership of the party needs to rise up to the occasion to restore goodwill and cohesion in the party by making necessary sacrifices and compromises to restore confidence and cohesion in the party.

“It is in the light of this that the stakeholders of the Northcentral Zone appeal to the conscience and goodwill of our compatriots in other zones of the Northern region to restore the seat of the chairmanship of the party back to the Northcentral Zone to serve out its tenure.

“That the stakeholders must strive to build consensus to get the buy-in to the position of Northcentral zone.

“The Northcentral is united and will strive to preserve the PDP as a veritable platform for good governance in Nigeria.”

The meeting, which was attended by Governor Muftwang, also had former Governors Jonah Jang (Plateau), Babangida Aliyu (Niger), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Idris Wada (Kogi) in attendance.

Others at the meeting included the Senate Minority Leader, Senator Abba Moro; incumbent PDP National Legal Adviser, Kamaldeen Ajibade (SAN); and a former Information Minister, Prof Jerry Gana.

Also at the meeting were former senators Tunde Ogbeha, Philip Aduda, Suleiman Adokwe, Dino Melaye, Mohammed Onawo and Peter Jiya.

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Similarly, former Ministers, Labaran Maku and Sarah Ochekpe also attended the meeting. Other stakeholders like Simon Mwadkwon, Mrs. Margaret Icheen, Mr. Raymond Dabo, Maika Jiba, and Isa Dobi were also present.

Damagum, who is from Yobe State in the Northeast zone, emerged Acting National Chairman in March 2023 following the exit of Ayu who is from Benue State in the Northcentral zone.

Damagum was the PDP Deputy National Chairman (North) before his appointment as Acting National Chairman.

By virtue of Section 47 (6) of the party’s constitution, he ought to have relinquished the seat for a substantive National Chairman from the Northcentral zone where Ayu hailed from.

The Section reads: “Where a vacancy occurs in any of the offices of the party, the Executive Committee at the appropriate level shall appoint another person from the area or zone where the officer originated from to serve out the tenure of the officer.”

Ayu was elected chairman in 2022 for a four-year tenure that should expire in 2026 before his tenure got truncated in 2023.

Several moves by critical organs of the party, including the PDP Governors Forum, the Board of Trustees (BoT) and the National Caucus to replace Damagum have been thwarted by the Acting National Chairman, allegedly with the backing of Wike.

Miffed by the development, the PDP Governors Forum, led by Governor Bala Mohammed of Bauchi State, had, a few weeks ago, directed the Damagum-led leadership to convene the National Executive Council (NEC) meeting latest by February 2025.

The NEC meeting has suffered four postponements between August and November 2024, as Damagum, who is supposed to convene the meeting has been evasive.

The power to ratify any candidate chosen by the Northcentral zone to replace Damagum is vested only in the NEC.

 

PDP crisis: Two ex-Senate presidents lead fresh plot to oust Damagum

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PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

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PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oguduokwor Ward, Onicha Local Government Area of Ebonyi State, has officially expelled Ali Odefa, the suspended National Vice Chairperson of the party in the South-East, following allegations of anti-party activities.

Odefa had been suspended on September 11, 2024, by the ward executives, a move that was later upheld by the Federal High Court in Abakaliki. In its ruling on November 29, 2024, under suit number FHC/AI/CS/182/2024, the court affirmed the legitimacy of his suspension.

On Wednesday, Onyeka Ovuta, the Acting Chairperson of the PDP in Oguduokwor, announced Odefa’s expulsion in a statement. Ovuta explained that the decision followed recommendations from the party’s disciplinary committee, which confirmed the allegations against Odefa.

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The party announced that Mr Odefa by the virtue of his expulsion, “ceases to be a member of the party.”

Reacting, Mr Odefa laughed off the expulsion, stating that those who announced it were “frustrated charlatans”.

He said the expulsion cannot stand because “it did not take place in the ward but in Abuja”. He said those who made the announcement against him were not ward executives of the party.

“Let them come home come and announce it. Or is our ward now located in Abuja?”

 

PDP expels South-East national vice chairperson over anti-party activities

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INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

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APGA National Chairman, Sylvester Ezeokenwa

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

Sylvester Ezeokenwa has been reinstated as the national chairman of the All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA).

Ezeokenwa was reinstated by the leadership of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Tuesday, December 17.

According to Sam Olumekun, the National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee of INEC, the commission had been served with the judgement of the Supreme Court.

The apex court judgement with the Appeal No. SC/CV/824/2024 APGA & ANOR vs OYE & ORS was delivered on November 27, 2024.

The court ruled that Ezeokenwa should be recognised as the national chairman of the party.

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“In compliance with the judgement of the apex court, the Commission has restored Barr. Ezeokenwa as the Chairman of APGA and restored his name on our website accordingly,” the INEC commissioner said.

He also stated that the reisnstatmemt of the new chairman would automatically lead to the withdrawal of the recognition of Njoku as the national chairman of the party.

The court also upheld an earlier judgement of the appeal which did not confer any enforceable rights on Njoku.

If also awarded N20 million each against the appellaants.

INEC recognises Sylvester Ezeokenwa as APGA national chairman

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