It’s time for North to pay Tinubu back, says Shettima – Newstrends
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It’s time for North to pay Tinubu back, says Shettima

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Senator Kashim Shettima and Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu

The vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Kashim Shettima, says it is now time for the north to repay the electoral support which the party’s flag bearer, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has given the region over the years.

Shettima, speaking yesterday in Abuja during the unveiling of the Tinubu/Shettima Door-To-Door grassroots mobilisation campaign vehicles donated by the Northern APC State Assembly Speakers, said the APC presidential candidate had always given his all to the North.

He cited Tinubu’s role in helping to provide platforms for the presidential ambitions of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar in 2007, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu in 2011 and President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

“In 2007 when the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) dehumanised and chased former Vice President Atiku Abubakar out of the party, it was Asiwaju Tinubu who offered him the platform of the Action Congress (AC) on which he contested the 2007 presidential election,” Shettima said.

He added: “Similarly, in 2011, Asiwaju offered Nuhu Ribadu the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) to contest for president.

“In 2014, if not that Asiwaju Tinubu mobilised the entire APC Southwest delegates for him, President Mohammadu Buhari would not have won the APC presidential ticket to contest in 2015.

“Tinubu stood firmly for justice, equity and fairness with his endorsement of Northern presidential candidates at various times in the past.

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“So the 2023 election provides the opportunity for Northern Nigeria to pay back the goodwill and support that Tinubu had extended to them at different election circles.”

Shettima also recalled how Tinubu played a key role in checking what he called PDP’s rigging machine in the Southwest states of Osun, Ekiti and Ondo states in the 2007 general election.

He said if voted into office in next year’s election, Tinubu would build a new Nigerian nation that every citizen would be proud of as he is endowed with the intellect, capacity and ability to deliver.

The former Borno State governor thanked the speakers for their gesture, which he said would go a long way in making the APC campaign easy.

He also took a swipe at the PDP, saying: “They spent 16 years forgetting what the railway can do for the country. I wonder how the PDP still exists as a political party.

“They are still fighting over the leadership of their party. We are not like them. We are smarter. We know the road better than the Poverty Development Party.

“We are a party of progressives. We are thinkers and doers. We have the courage, the determination, the perseverance and the foresight to identify Nigeria’s problems and tackle them for the benefit of our children’s tomorrow. The journey has started already.”

Tinubu enjoined the APC Northern state Speakers to co-opt their counterparts in the South in the campaign initiative.

Director General of the APC presidential campaign council and Plateau State Governor, Mr. Simeon Lalong, said as leaders of the legislative arms of government in APC controlled states in the North, the speakers and other legislators occupy a unique position to not only connect with the people at the grassroots but also mobilise the people for Tinubu’s election and educate them on what he stands for.

Lalong said: “Our Presidential Candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and his running mate Senator Kashim Shettima come along with wonderful records of achievement that are a clear signal to the journey towards a greater Nigeria.

“They are focused on building the economy, uniting the nation, tackling insecurity and addressing education and health challenges among others in a way that meets the yearning of Nigerians.

“As we get set to work for the success of our Presidential Candidate Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, I wish to remind you that there is so much that the APC has done at the federal, state and local government levels that will speak for us.

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“It is therefore our duty to highlight these achievements just to remind Nigerians that our party has done a lot to change Nigeria for good in various ways.”

Deputy Campaign DG North and Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru, praised the Speakers for coming together to deploy their grassroots structures towards delivering the Tinubu/Shettima ticket at the elections in 2023.

He advised them to carry along the councillors of their various constituencies to deepen their reach out and consultations across the North.

Chairman, Northern APC Speakers Forum and Speaker Kaduna State Yusuf Ibrahim Zailani assured Tinubu that they had resolved to ensure the success of the APC by reaching out to the grassroots.

Vehicles donated for the mobilisation and Campaign by the Northern Speakers Forum were unveiled and distributed to coordinators at the ceremony.

The parties are scheduled to commence their presidential campaigns on September 28 ahead of the February election.

Tinubu, best presidential candidate for Nigeria, says Kwara senator

Chairman, Senate Committee on Health, Dr. Ibrahim Oloriegbe, at a separate forum yesterday urged Kwarans to reciprocate Tinubu’s kind deeds to them in the past by voting for him in February.

He described the APC candidate as the best hand for the job.

Senator Oloriegbe, who failed in his bid to get the party’s ticket to represent Kwara Central for a second term in the National Assembly, expressed disappointment at the outcome of the state congress.

He labeled it a ‘selection’ process.

But Oloriegbe, who spoke on the sidelines of a prayer session organised by his family and supporters, said he remained a member of the APC because of Tinubu and the interest of the party.

He added that his support for Tinubu stemmed from the fact that the APC presidential candidate possesses the qualities lead the country aright.

He said: “In spite of all that happened to me at the primaries in the state, I remain a member of APC. Since 2010, my focus has been the progress of Kwara and I have been in that struggle.

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“I believe that I have to stay in APC to join forces together in correcting what is happening in the party in the state.

“More importantly, shortly after the primaries, I had a meeting with Asiwaju Tinubu and his running mate Senator Kashim Shettima. We analysed what happened at the primaries and we agreed to put that behind us.

“I am a stakeholder in the Nigerian project. At this particular time, if you look at capacity and ability to a change, Asiwaju Tinubu is the best candidate. As such, I along with my supporters will mobilise and work for Tinubu and Senator Shettima at the 2023 elections.

“Asiwaju Tinubu has been supporting our cause in Kwara. In 2011, I was an Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) senatorial candidate and Tinubu was our leader. In 2018/2019 he was a major supporter of the Oto ge movement and I am a beneficiary of the struggle. Why will I now say whatever has happened to me personally because of the primaries, I will leave Asiwaju because of selfish interest? Never.

“My support for Tinubu is based on his capacity and ability. I am also supporting him for the benefit of my state because if Nigeria is good, Kwara will be good. It is not borne out of ulterior motive.”

It’s sure ticket to Nigeria’s development – Group

Also yesterday the South-South Movement for Tinubu/Shettima (SSMTS) described the APC presidential candidate and his running mate as a sure ticket to massive development across Nigeria, particularly the South-South region.

A group, in a communiqué at the end of a meeting in Warri, enjoined Nigerians to shun campaigns of calumny by those it called desperate and drowning politicians.

It asked  stakeholders in the geopolitical zone to “embrace the ticket to guarantee a prosperous Nigeria,” adding that “sincere and concerted efforts should be made to return the region fully into mainstream national politics in order to ensure meaningful and accelerated development”.

It said the PDP which the region has been supporting since 1999 has failed to attract the much-needed development to the area, and expressed optimism  that the Tinubu/Shettima ticket would return the country and in particular, the oil-rich region, to the path of sustainable peace, socio-economic growth and development.

The  communiqué was signed by the National Coordinator, Besidone Samuel Eyengho; Dr. Emem Wilcox Wills, National Secretary; Chief ThankGod Deizigha, National Organising Secretary; Barr. Nwulu Charles Uche, National Publicity Secretary; George Ogaga, State Coordinator and Abu Momodu.

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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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