How El-Rufai’s Son Pushed Serving Rep Out Of APC – Newstrends
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How El-Rufai’s Son Pushed Serving Rep Out Of APC

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Bello El-Rufai

When the member representing Kaduna North Federal Constituency, Samaila Suleiman, resigned his membership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in March, 2022, he cited internal squabbles within the ruling party as his reason.

This, however, is far from the truth, as Daily Trust gathered that among other reasons, the young legislator was said to have left the party following an eagle-eye interest of Governor Nasir el-Rufai’s eldest son, Bello, on his seat at the green chamber.

Daily Trust reports that Suleiman, who is the Chairman, House Committee on Special Duties, in a letter dated March 8, 2022, addressed to the state’s APC Chairman, Emmanuel Jekada, stated that his decision followed the breakdown of internal democracy and factionalisation of the party at all levels, especially at the national level.

In the letter, attached with his APC membership card, which was copied to the APC chairman of Kaduna North Local Government Area and the ward chairman of Unguwan Sarki, Suleiman stated that his resignation was with immediate effect.

The APC Chairman of Kaduna North LGA, Suleiman Wada, confirmed that the letter had been received at the state secretariat.

However, weeks into his resignation, and having moved to the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it became glaring that Bello el-Rufai was the major obstacle to Suleiman’s retention of his seat at the national assembly come 2023.

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Tongues began to wag as to why Suleiman, a young and ambitious legislator, could leave the APC rather than slug it out with Bello.

Sources within the APC told our correspondent that Bello had been promised Suleiman’s seat.

Speaking with our correspondent, the state APC Publicity Secretary, Salisu Tanko Wusonu, however, said, “This is not true. The APC has not promised anyone the ticket. The ticket is with the delegates, and if you are serious and believe you are capable of contesting, then you have every right to canvas support from the delegates.

“Anyone who tells you that the ticket has been promised to someone is not telling the truth. The present member was elected under the APC twice. Should we say the ticket was promised to him at that time? Some people lost for him to win, and so that is just it. If you believe you are a vibrant politician and you know what you are doing, people will vote for you. There is nothing to fear.”

As a former Chairman of Kaduna North LGA who moved to the House of Representatives in 2015, Suleiman is said to be a grassroots mobiliser and popular among his constituents. He is of Kaduna’s old political dynasty as his father, Alhaji Abdu Suleiman, said to be one of the most influential political godfathers in the state.

Those in his camp say he is not afraid of taking risks.

A resident of Kaduna North said, “He is the only politician who won local government council election under President Muhammadu Buhari’s defunct Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) in 2008 given his grassroots antecedence and popularity among the downtrodden. Suleiman, if he had decided to slug it out with Bello he could have given both father and son a run for their money.”

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Even in the PDP, Suleiman will have to slug it out with an old rival, Shehu ABG who also defected from the APC after the 2015 elections. ABG, who was a member for Kaduna North Federal Constituency under the defunct CPC, had moved to the APC but lost his seat to Suleiman in 2015.

Meanwhile, supporters of Bello, who is in his 30s, say his years of experience as a former senior legislative aide and Chief of Staff to Sen Uba Sani (Kaduna Central), has exposed him to legislative matters that will make him an asset to the people of the state.

“He will perform wonders for his constituents. He is smart and passionate like his father,” a member of the Bello el-Rufai Awareness Forum said.

But like his father, Bello though courageous and not scared to pick a fight, can be very controversial. In 2020 he was enmeshed in a controversial sexual abuse tweet when he made a slur on a gang rape against the mother of a twitter user. He later apologised for his infamous conduct on social media, saying his tweets fell short of his family’s values of decency and tolerance.

To get the APC ticket may just be a tea party for the young El-Rufai given that his father is in control of the party at the state level. However, to get to the green chamber, Bello will have to bulldoze his way through Suleiman’s grassroots popularity. To do that, he will not only rely on his father’s political structure, but on friends such as Hon Muktar Baloni, the Chairman of Kaduna North LGA.

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Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

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Peter Obi and Omoyele Sowore

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

Omoyele Sowore, the African Action Congress (AAC) presidential candidate in the 2023 election, recently shared his reasons for not forming a coalition with Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s candidate in the same election.

In his appearance on the Honest Bunch podcast, Sowore asserted that, in his view, Obi is similar to other Nigerian politicians, describing him as “better at packaging.”

Sowore explained that his own journey in politics began long before Obi gained national recognition, emphasizing his dedication to advocating for systemic change in Nigeria.

During the podcast, co-hosted by Nedu, Husband Material, Deity Cole, and Ezinne, Sowore highlighted his belief in challenging the status quo, which he feels differs significantly from Obi’s approach.

Sowore said, “Before you discovered Peter Obi, I was already running for president. All these shouts about Peter Obi… He just knows how to package. Anyone can do it.

“If I form a coalition with Peter Obi, I will be going against what I have always stood for, which is that I will never support a Nigerian leader who has held any political office — whether at the federal, state, or local level — if I consider them non-performing.

“It’s the same reason I would never have joined hands with Atiku. And the Peter Obi you’re talking about was a vice-presidential candidate to Atiku when I was a presidential candidate in 2019.

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“So, what are we talking about? There is no lesser evil in my book. If you are evil, you are evil. If you are good, you are good. I have a general disdain for non-performance.”

He added that there is no such thing as “emotional attachment” in his dictionary.

“There was a friend of mine who kept saying, he doesn’t care if Peter Obi is Igbo, but that it is the turn of the Igbos. But it is beyond that; I have a natural disdain for poor performance,” he explained.

Sowore insisted that while many may not know it, he knew Obi before and during his time as governor, and he backed him.

“I had always known and supported him and stood against his removal when (Olusegun) Obasanjo wanted to use Andy Ubah to replace him—the twists and turns then.

“However, when Peter Obi finished his term in Anambra, the question I asked him was whether he could send his child to any university he had built in Anambra—he was mute and could not respond.

“I also asked him if he could enter any hospital he built in Anambra, which he governed for eight years, even if it was for the slightest headache—there was also no response.”

Sowore went on to challenge the four anchors or any other Nigerians, saying, “If they can pack their bags and head to Anambra for a vacation.”

PUNCH Online reports that President Bola Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress recorded 8,794,726 votes in the 2023 presidential election, followed by former Vice President Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party who secured 6,984,520 votes.

In third place, Labour Party’s Obi garnered 6,101,533 votes, and Rabiu Kwankwaso of the New Nigeria Peoples Party secured 1,496,687 votes.

Why I can’t form coalition with Peter Obi – Sowore

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Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

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Goodluck Ebele Jonathan

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

The Arewa Consensus for Jonathan, a political group in the North, has urged former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan to enter the 2027 presidential race.

Jonathan, who served as Nigeria’s president from 2010 to 2015, is widely regarded for his role in fostering democratic growth and his relatively peaceful exit from power after losing the 2015 election.
Despite his exit from politics, his name has remained a focal point in discussions about Nigeria’s future leadership.

The group’s leader, Munir Musa, who made the appeal during a press conference in Bauchi over the weekend, emphasised that Jonathan’s return to office was crucial to addressing Nigeria’s pressing economic and security challenges.

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He argued that Nigeria, grappling with severe economic downturns and rising security threats, needs a leader with Jonathan’s experience and competence to restore stability.

“The nation is at a crossroads, and we believe that Goodluck Jonathan is the right man to steer us out of the current malaise,” Musa told reporters.

He expressed confidence that Jonathan’s leadership could heal the country’s deepening wounds and usher in a new era of progress.

 

Why we want Jonathan to contest 2027 presidency – Northern group

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Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov

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Governor of Ondo State, Lucky Aiyedatiwa

Afenifere, Council of Obas back Aiyedatiwa for Ondo gov

Afenifere, the pan-Yoruba socio-political and cultural organization, has endorsed Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate for the November 16 governorship election in Ondo State.

Sehinde Arogbofa, a prominent Afenifere leader, announced the support at the Olubaka of Oka land palace, Oba Yusuf Adebori Adeleye.

Arogbofa expressed confidence in Aiyedatiwa’s leadership and encouraged him to follow the values and legacy of Chief Adekunle Ajasin, Ondo State’s first governor. “Afenifere stands firmly behind your mandate… Strive to make Ondo State great again,” Arogbofa said.

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Oba Adeleye, speaking on behalf of traditional rulers in Akoko South West Local Government Area, also endorsed Aiyedatiwa, citing his masses-focused policies and the governor’s initiative to allocate five percent of local government funds to traditional institutions as a demonstration of his commitment to their welfare.

“The Council of Obas has decided that Governor Aiyedatiwa is our candidate,” Oba Adeleye stated, pledging their support for Aiyedatiwa’s election campaign.

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