Politics
Presidential aspirant, Prof Imumolen, to open campaign by subsidising food prices
…condemns lecturers’ strike as archaic
A presidential aspirant, Prof. Chris Imumolen, says he will commence his political campaign next month with a practical demonstration of what he would do when elected by subsidising prices of essential food items in different parts of the country.
Imumolen, who spoke on the state of the nation at a press conference held in Lagos, also condemned the use of strike actions by workers including lecturers as a way to get government to accede to their demands.
He said, “From next month, my campaign team will start subsidising the cost of food for Nigerians in Nigeria. We will start selling a bag of rice for as low as N19,000; bread that is sold for N200 will go to N50 to show Nigerians what we want to do if I emerge as the president.”
The educationist, who owns three universities in Africa, South America and North America, said he would not waste his time on the traditional campaign method run of point agenda, saying it only made politicians to say what they would not do.
He said, “How many presidential candidates who became president fulfilled those points? We need to start doing things differently, and we should not follow that traditional way of those people who tell you what they are going to do and in the end they never fulfil it. We are not following that trend.”
He also lamented the rise in crime rate and insecurity in the country, noting that school pupils, college students and other young people had been lured into secret cults in many schools and on their streets, freely using lethal weapons open fights.
“We are going to combat it (crime) and it is so easy but we cannot reveal the strategy openly. We know what we are going to do, and within one year, you will begin to live safely without anything happening to you,” he said.
On how he plans to finance his campaign, he said, “We would privately do it and we have a lot of Nigerians, and individuals who are supporting this course.
“We don’t have the godfather we are looking up to for instructions or people we have signed a contract with. We have the willpower. And again, knowing that we are coming from a sphere that is not political; we have not been on the political scene. We are plain and pure. You should understand that coming outside the politics into politics means we have a lot we are going to do. So we have that will; we need a leader that has a will, who can do something without looking at people’s faces because what you are doing is in the interest of general Nigerians.”
Imumolen said Nigerians should entrust the leadership of the country to selfless leader who are genuine and had done things privately for the benefit of the society.
For him, he said, “In education, I have three universities that have given scholarships to over 500,000 Nigerians, who again have such an experience. So from agriculture to security, we have been doing this privately and we can do it when we get the top job. That is part of the confidence we have that when we get there, we will change the narrative.”
Politics
Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election
Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has said that he does not know if he will contest the presidency in 2027.
Atiku made the remark in a yet-to-be-aired interview for a television show, Untold Stories, with Adesuwa Giwa-Osagie, scheduled for broadcast today but exclusively obtained by Daily Trust.
The former presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) recently announced the formation of a coalition of opposition leaders to wrest power from President Bola Ahmed Tinubu in 2027.
However, there has been widespread speculation about who will lead the coalition and emerge as its presidential candidate, with former Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi and former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, being considered among its key figures.
When asked if he would be running for the presidency in 2027, Atiku said: “I don’t know because there has to be, first of all, a viable platform, more than any other time in the political history of this country, particularly since the return of democracy.”
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Atiku, who has run for the presidency a record six times, did not rule out the possibility of contesting again in 2027.
“I have not seen Nigeria in dire need of, you know, an experienced and credible leadership than this time.
“We had a similar, you know, what would I say, merger in 2014. About four of us or is it three? We all ran for president and one of us emerged, and we all supported the one who emerged, and he won,” he said.
He agreed with former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s assertion that Nigeria’s democracy is deteriorating, saying the situation is “very dire.”
“No doubt about that,” he said.
Atiku also expressed his disappointment with the country’s political leadership.
“The next generation after me, many of them had been governors, had been senators. Instead of me to see an improvement in the level of governance at the state level and so on and so forth, I don’t see it. So I feel a little bit distressed.”
Atiku also questioned the credibility of the current legislative leadership, especially as it relates to the National Assembly’s ratification of the state of emergency in Rivers State
“I am not surprised,” he said, alleging that they are corrupt.
Atiku says he’s not sure about contesting 2027 presidential election
Politics
Africa’s democracy is govt by small for small number of people – Obasanjo
Africa’s democracy is govt by small for small number of people – Obasanjo
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has advanced reasons for what he called abysmal failure of democracy in Africa.
According to him, African presidents work with a clique and wield enormous powers with little or no resistance from perpetuating illegalities and abuse of office.
The ex-President said the democracy being practised in Africa does not aligned with the people’s values, culture, and way of life.
Obasanjo said spoke on Monday at a colloquium in Abuja to mark the 60th birthday of Emeka Ihedioha, a former governor of Imo State.
The former Nigerian leader, who chaired the event, referencing Abraham Lincoln’s definition of democracy as “government of the people, by the people, for the people,” said the system should work for all citizens rather than a privileged few.
He however wondered if African countries are practising true democracy or only adopting Western Liberal democracy.
He said, “If you are talking about democracy failing in Africa, democracy in Africa has failed. And why has it failed?
“Because in context and in content, it is not Africa. It does not have any aspect of our culture, our way of life, what we stand for, what we believe.
“Today, we have democracy, which is the government of a small number of people, by a small number of people over a large number of people who are deprived of what they need to have in life. That is not democracy that will endure.
“It is ‘I am because I can grab.’ What sort of democracy brings you, and you grab everything and then illegally, corruptly, and you say go to court? When you know that even in the court, you cannot get justice.
“It’s not that democracy is failing, democracy is dying and if we are going to make democracy not to die, we have to look at democracy in the context and in the content of Africa. I hope that we will get to that stage so that democracy which will deliver will be the democracy that we will have in Africa.”
Obasanjo was Nigeria’s military ruler from 1976 to 1979 and democratically elected president from 1999 to 2007.
Politics
Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau
Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau
Former Kano State Governor, Ibrahim Shekarau, has cast doubt on the ability of a newly formed opposition coalition to unseat President Bola Tinubu and the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in the 2027 elections.
Shekarau described the alliance, which includes former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, Labour Party’s 2023 presidential candidate Peter Obi, and ex-Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, as a gathering of individuals with personal political ambitions rather than a structured and unified opposition front.
His remarks came just two days after the coalition’s formation was announced, with the stated goal of challenging Tinubu’s administration.
In a statement by his spokesperson, Dr. Sule Yau, Shekarau remarked, “This is just a gathering of certain individuals with political ambitions; none of them has officially consulted their party leadership.”
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He further argued that a coalition featuring prominent figures does not necessarily equate to an effective political alliance.
“The coalition of opposition figures is a good development, as seen in their recent meeting under what they call an opposition alliance. However, none of the key figures involved represents their party leadership,” Shekarau stated.
Emphasizing the legal framework for political mergers, he pointed out that only registered parties could formally unite, making the recent gathering an informal arrangement rather than an officially recognized coalition.
Atiku, Obi, El-Rufai’s coalition can’t unseat Tinubu – Shekarau
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