The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: 2023

  • Nigeria Decides 2023: LP faults result collation process, says it will challenge election results in court

    Nigeria Decides 2023: LP faults result collation process, says it will challenge election results in court

    The Labour Party (LP) has faulted the process of collating the result of last Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly Elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), saying it will challenge the outcome in court.

    LP alleged that most of its members were deliberately disenfranchised through varied means across the country, but were more discerning in its strongholds.

    The party in a statement on Sunday issued by the National Secretary, Alhaji Umar Farouk Ibrahim said while the party made inroads with high votes in most parts of Northern Nigeria, LP members were deliberately prevented from voting, chased away violently from polling units, or had ballot papers and boxes destroyed and burnt in others.

    He cited Lagos, Rivers, Bayelsa, Kano, Yobe and Edo states among places where such acts were rampantly perpetrated in violation of the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.

    Umar said in some places, INEC staff and electoral materials were not deployed to areas that are known to be strongholds of Labour Party, or deployed late to frustrate the party supporters who, psychologically got tired of waiting and had to leave the polling units for the fear of the unknown.

    “The delay by INEC to upload and announce results, especially where Labour Party, is already known to have taken lead, is also worrisome and we feel it is deliberate to anger our party and our supporters” he said.

    Umar also alleged that intelligence from the fields revealed that across the Northern states, electorates identified as Labour Party supporters were tactically denied access to their polling units by some officials who connived with others to confuse the electorates by insisting their polling units are different and sending them to the wrongs ones. He said this frustrated the electorates, and reduced the votes polled by Labour Party, which would have more than doubled if the right things were done.

    LP called on INEC to checkmate and call its polling staff to order and also ensure punitive measures in line with the Electoral Act 2022 as amended.

    The Labour Party National Secretary assured that the party would definitely challenge the outcome and final result in court.

    He however called on the party members and supporters to be calm, remain law abiding, but be encouraged with their efforts so far, and mobilise even more for the next round of elections, as the party takes steps to right the wrong meted out to her in the Saturday Presidential and National Assembly Elections.

    (Vanguard)

  • Presidential Election: My people already know the candidate I’ll vote for – Wike

    Presidential Election: My people already know the candidate I’ll vote for – Wike

    GOVERNOR Nyesom Wike says Rivers state people already know the candidate he wants them to vote for in the 25 February 2023 presidential election, stressing that those expecting him to make public declaration on his choice candidate would wait in vain.

    Wike in Port Harcourt, Wednesday, for Rivers Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) campaign rally for Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, also accused Commissioner of Police, CP Okon Effiong of shying away from checking perceived infractions on elections campaigns by opposition parties in the state.

    Apparently responding to 2015 Rivers All Progressives Congress governorship candidate, Dakuku Peterside, who had dared him to declare his preferred presidential candidate, Governor Wike said he, at no point, promised to make public declaration on who to support for president.

    He said, “I never told anybody I will face cameras to announce to you this is who we will vote. I said I will tell Rivers people the candidate they will support. I did not state the method of telling it. I did not say I will hold live coverage to declare it.

    “And Rivers people know already. Are you no aware. So ‘mumu’ people who never win in politics are expecting me to make live declaration that we’re now going for Joseph (hypothetically).

    “Far from it. But you (Rivers people) are aware. Have we not said it? I’ve told people who don’t know. In G-5 we are fighting a guerilla warfare. The more you look the less you see.”

    On perceived indifference of the CP Rivers Police Command, to alleged infractions in campaigns by opposition parties in the state, Wike warned CP Okon that he would take over his job and unleash Neighborhood Watch, the state’s established community policing outfit on opposition parties.

    He said of the CP, “You are the one making them (opposition parties) to break the law. If you don’t do your work, we will take over your work from you. We will release our Neighborhood Watch. You cannot support people who are breaking the law.

    “You know the truth of the matter, you are scared so they won’t transfer you. You can be transfered anywhere, any day. So you are neither here nor there. Your fear of being transfered will not save you. Do your work. Nobody should intimidate you. Tell them not to push us to the wall.”

    (Vanguard)

  • Enugu 2023: Frank Nweke commits to turning Ugwu Onyeama waste dump to green wealth 

    Frank Nweke Jr, the gubernatorial candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance has revealed his plans to relocate the dumpsite at Ugwu Onyeama and turn Enugu’s waste into wealth.

    Lamenting the state of the dumpsite and its position at the entrance of the capital city, the governorship candidate highlighted the risks the open dump site posed for citizens in the State in a statement released to the Press on Monday, December 5, 2022.

    “The waste dump at Ugwu Onyeama is an open sore. It’s the shame of Enugu, that the first thing that confronts citizens and visitors into our beautiful state capital is this open waste dump, under perpetual incineration with smoke polluting the air, constituting a health hazard to all. 

    “It directly contaminates a river which flows through the location and the water is consumed downstream. This dump is a potent testimony to the visionless-ness and ineptitude of the current PDP administration in the state and underscores the importance of quality leadership in public governance.”

    Going further, he enumerated twelve key steps he would take to address the problem of sanitation in the State if elected as the governor in the 2023 elections.

    1. Immediately stopping the open incineration of waste at this site and reclaiming and remedying the already contaminated land.
    1. Resuscitate – ESWAMA by appointing competent management for the agency.
    1. Resuscitate the public waste collection system through the deployment of the appropriate modern equipment.
    1. Establish a modern waste management and transfer system and a sorting site – properly engineered to avoid pollution and soil contamination. Waste will not be dumped on our roads or their sides.
    1. Work with the private sector to establish waste to gas and power plants and recycling plants for waste that cannot be converted to power such as plastics.
    1. Embark on a massive public values orientation program to mobilize citizens to partner with the government to clean our state through a 3R campaign – Reduce, Reuse and Recycle.
    1. Establish an incentive reward system to encourage communities and neighborhoods to  compete to clean our communities.
    1. Emplace a deliberate policy to protect our environment and green our communities.
    1. Mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in our schools and communities, and a holistic Environmental Sustainability and Sanitation program into our education curriculum.
    1. Over the next four years, invest in a comprehensive WASH policy & programs to ensure that all 17 Local Government Areas in Enugu State are ODF certified (Open Defecation Free).
    1. Work with stakeholders and the State House of Assembly to enact and implement legislation on climate action, single use plastic, and overall environmental sustainability.
    1. Invest in a strategic and sustainable Tree planting campaign of economic trees to address deforestation and improve Enugu’s economy and environment. And make Enugu one of the top ten Green and Clean places in Africa.

  • 2023: Enugu East communities root for Mbah, appeal for more infrastructure

    Members of the different communities in Enugu East Local Government Area have appealed to the 2023 governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Dr. Peter Mbah, to consider building more infrastructure and maintaining the existing ones in the council area.

    This was even as they declared support for his gubernatorial ambition, assuring him of victory in the general election.

    They set the agenda for Mbah, Friday, during town hall meetings at Enugu East Central and Enugu East Development Centres where individuals and communities interacted with the gubernatorial candidate on their peculiar needs and expectations from his administration, if elected in 2023.

    Bemoaning the state of infrastructure in the area, a PDP House of Assembly candidate for Enugu East Urban constituency, Hon. Obinna Ogbu, called on Mbah to construct a new bridge that would link up the State Housing axis and Thinkers Corner, and another bridge that would connect Ugbo-Odogwu and Harmony Estate to ease movements in the area.

    On his part, the member representing Enugu East/Isi Uzo Federal Constituency, Hon. Cornelius Nnaji commended the initiative of the town hall meetings, saying Mbah had taken the right step in ensuring that everybody’s voice counted in the coming dispensation.

    He added: “The PDP has done well for us here, right from Dr Chimaroke Nnamani’s administration in 1999, Nike has benefited immensely from the PDP government in Enugu State. So, we have decided that we are with you and we are going to vote for you”.

    The lawmaker, however, said more still needed to be done in terms of constructing roads and other socio-economic amenities to encourage more investments.

    Corroborating the above, a former senator that represented the people of Enugu East Senatorial Zone, Senator Gilbert Nnaji, called for the construction of new hospitals in the communities making up the two development centres to enable their women and children have access to quality healthcare facilities.

    He further called for provision of water and construction of Obinagu – Liberty road to help their traders move their produce to the market.

    In their separate speeches, former PDP governorship aspirant, Pastor Beloved Dan-Anike, Prof. Ameachi Ngwu, and Lady Caroline Ogbu, who spoke for the women, lamented that only 3 out of the 24 communities in the council area, had access road.

    Expressing worry over the deplorable state of their healthcare facilities, the speakers, while commending Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi for his development strides despite paucity of finds since 2015, disclosed that Nike had about 10 hectares of land donated to the government to build a special hospital for women and children, urging Mbah to seize the opportunity the land afforded to give them a state-of-the-art hospital when elected.

    While also appealing to the governorship hopeful, the vice chairman of the Abakpa Market Association, Christian Eze, Igwe Emmanuel Ugwu of Ibagwa-Nike kingdom, Mrs. Andy Ndife, among other speakers, called for the establishment of industries that would empower the youths, reduce unemployment, encourage quality and robust education, and resolve the growing insecurity in the area.

    Reacting to the demands made by the development centres, Mbah assured that all the concerns and issues raised by them were captured in his manifesto, saying they should consider them done.

    He reiterated his commitment to launch an industrial revolution in the state through his well-thought-out development plan that would move the state economy from $4.4 billion to $30 billion.

    Insisting that his development economic plans were comprehensive and all-inclusive, Mbah promised unprecedented development in the state.

    “Our plan is to grow this economy in a proportion not witnessed before in the history of the our state. We will launch a quantum leap and exponential growth. Over the years , we have been growing incrementally, but we have a plan to grow exponentially through disruptive innovation.

    “We have several solutions to the challenges facing us. The manifesto presented by us contains our solutions to these challenges,” he said.

    Harping on his resolve to create more jobs for the youth, Mbah maintained that the construction of 10,000 kilometers of roads and establishment of industries through private-sector investments would turn the youth into productive and meaningful assets.

    While assuring that water scarcity would be a thing of the past in the state, the industrialist stressed that the challenges leading to low water supply had been identified and would be resolved once he comes to office.

    He promised that the existing cottage hospitals would be upgraded to General Hospitals, with community health workers that would make sure health centres are functional 24 hours daily.

    Speaking further, Mbah promised to end brain drain among the youth population, particularly in the health sector, by providing incentives that would discourage migration from the state, adding that a N100 billion intervention fund would be made available to farmers, traders and youth in addition to vocational skills.

  • US earmarks $50m to support 2023 elections

    US earmarks $50m to support 2023 elections

    The United States has allocated $50 million for 2023 general elections.

    The US Consul General, Mr Will Stevens made this disclosure on Monday in Ibadan capital of Oyo State during an open session of election reporting workshop for journalists organised by West Africa Broadcast & Media Academy (WABMA).

    According to Stevens, the budget will cover training of journalists, Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) and technical assistance among others to ensure transparent exercise.

    He noted that US government has been working closely with partners through US Agency for International Development(USAID) to ensure that every vote counts.

    According to him, “The US government has allocated over $50 million for technical assistance and support, trainings, for civil society organizations to support elections, transparency, elections processes, technical assistance, working on the IT systems among others.”

    Stevens stressed that US will continue to emphasise the value of voting and protecting a free press.

    He said, “We’re committed to initiatives here in Nigeria to build needed capacity. We funded training for hundreds of journalists on topics ranging from fact checking, health reporting, defense and national security reporting, investigative journalism, election reporting and media ethics.”

    Details shortly…

  • 2023 Presidential Election Amidst Crippling Inflation Crisis and Devaluation of the Naira

    2023 Presidential Election Amidst Crippling Inflation Crisis and Devaluation of the Naira

    By Ikenna Igwe

    For the most part in Nigerian politics, candidates have been known to play the identity politics game, where the focus is largely on ethnic affiliation, political parties and defacement of an opponent’s name and reputation. We hardly see election candidates debate on things in the line of a sustainable economic goal.

    In July 2009, Boko Haram stared its insurgency against the Federal Republic of Nigeria and since then, the major national issue has been the case of Insecurity and rightly so, but with the dollar at 450 as at 30th May 2022, inflation eating up the value of the Naira, poverty becoming the reality of many Nigerians and essential commodities becoming even harder for the average Nigerian to get, big economic questions have been asked of the government and as the general election is approaching, the majority of the populace have tossed out party affiliation and ethnic difference. Financial experts have cited the need for diversification of the economy. As things stand currently, the GROSS DOMESTIC PRODUCT(GDP) is too low for a country of the size and population of Nigeria. Exchange rate of the dollar and other foreign currencies have made the economy more volatile and the country almost at risk of another recession.

    And If there is anything Nigerians want to understand so badly, it is why and how exactly the same amount of money tends to be able to buy less and less than it used to be able to buy just few months ago. Prices of commodities keep rising without any corresponding rise in wages or income. The process and cause as to why a currency might lose its value and purchasing power is what majority of the populace don’t understand.

    Economists and Financial analysts always focus on inflation as the major reason why a currency over time tends to lose its value and purchasing power. In this piece, we will understand the basics as regards to inflation, the causes, the control measures and its impact on the whole economy.

    UNDERSTANDING INFLATION

    Inflation is the upward movement in the average price of general goods and commodities. A rise in inflation means an increase in the overall cost of living.

    Inflation affects your ability to purchase goods and services, making them costlier over time. For example, a crate of egg sold for 900 naira in March rose in May to 1350 naira, that is essentially a 50% increase in the cost. Similar prices rose across various other commodities such as milk, bread, oil, petrol etc .This simply means that people tend to spend more to buy for less. Inflation largely occurs when an economy grows due to increased spending without any accompanying increase in the production of goods and service.

    When this happens, prices rise and the currency within the economy loses its value and when it loses worth, its exchange rate weakens when compared to other currencies. However this depends on whether other countries are inflating less than yours; this is a key point because if they are inflating faster than your country, your currency will be strengthened against theirs.

    According to STATISTA, in 2022, Nigeria’s inflation rate reached 16.1%. As at March 2022, the inflation rate in the urban area of Nigeria grew by 16.44% compared to the prior year, while the rural inflation rate experienced an increase of 15.49%.

    Experts recorded Nigeria as one of the highest inflated economies in the world in 2020 and no wonder, for a country that relies heavily on importation, the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic affected the economy harshly because exporting countries were essentially on lockdown. As the economy was in recovery against the impact of the pandemic as at the end of 2021 and the beginning of 2022, the prices of petroleum products such as diesel increased sharply. Putting into account the Russia-Ukraine war, the stability of oil prices is a long way and experts around the world are alerting the public to prepare for more heavy hit on oil price.

    IMPACT OF INFLATION ON THE ECONOMY

    Human beings tend to see everything around it in twos-either good or bad. In most cases, this is not actually the whole truth. Something can be good and only becomes bad when it is out of control. That is the case with inflation.

    Sometimes, inflation is good for the economy. Mild inflation has a healthy side effect. Once people start to expect inflation, they spend now rather than later because they know prices will be higher in the future and you know that consumer spending is what drives economic growth. In fact the federal reserve sets an inflation target, they expect a healthy core inflation rate of at least 2% every year. The Central Bank wants a little inflation which also leads consumers to believe prices will continue rising and this triggers spending.

    For consumers, inflation means filling up gas cylinders, stocking up food stuffs and bucking up the cupboard with essentials.

    For businesses, it means making CAPITAL INVESTMENT that under different circumstances might be put off until later. For some it means to buy Gold and other precious stones in order to hedge them from inflation.

    Unfortunately, the urge to spend and invest in the face of inflation tends to boost inflation, in turn creating a potentially catastrophic feedback loop. As people and businesses spend more quickly in an effort to reduce the time they hold their depreciating currency, the economy finds itself awash in cash no one particularly wants. In other words, the supply of money outstrips the demand and the purchasing power of the currency falls at an even faster rate.

    The frequency at which this is happening is what results in a case of HYPERINFLATION, which was seen in Zimbabwe [2000s], where consumers were known to be hauling around wheelbarrow loads of millions and billons of “ZIM DOLLAR” notes. That is the same with Venezuela [2010s], where thieves were practically refusing to even steal their local currency, the “BOLIVARES”, and this is essentially what brought about the destabilization of Germany in the 1920s where the inflation rate rose up to 29,525% in one month.

    As the case of inflation is growing around the world and in Nigeria more so, it is paramount that the government and other regulatory bodies in the country put in place control measures on how to curb this trend.

    CONTROL MEASURES TO CURBING INFLATION

    It is the major responsibility of the government and different financial agencies to control and regulate inflation. There are two major ways governments regulate and curb inflation in its economy.

    -Contractionary Monetary Policy: This has to be the most popular method used to control inflation. The goal of this policy is to reduce the MONEY SUPPLY within an economy by decreasing the price of government ‘TREASURY BONDS’ and increasing the ‘INTEREST RATES’. Decreasing the price placed on Treasury Bonds is meant to encourage citizens to buy government bonds which helps in reducing the money in circulation. Removing as much money from the public hands is the goal of this control measure. Increasing the interest gain on bonds is meant to encourage more investors to buy.

    These are all ways employed to essentially reduce the liquid cash in the economy. Calling in debts that are owed to government are all geared towards collecting money from the public and give to government who tries to regulate the cash flow.

    Policies that mandate banks and other financial agencies to increase its interest on loans are all engineered towards ensuring that people borrow less and spend less. As the news of increasing price of commodities have been all over the news, we have seen several countries hike their interest rates in order to curb inflation.

    The Reserve Bank of India (RBI) raised their interest rate to as high as 4.4% for the first time in two years. With US inflation at a 40 year high, the US Federal Reserve raised its interest rate up by 1% and with the rate of inflation still soaring high, further hikes are expected. The Reserve Bank of Australia (RBA) announced on 4th May, 2022, that it had lifted its cash rate to 0.35%, a move designed to combat rising inflation, which is at a 21 year high.

    According to a report from the BBC, The Bank of England warned that inflation in the UK would be over 10% by the end of the year, something not seen since 1982.

    In Nigeria, the Central Bank of Nigeria, on 24th May, 2022, jacked up the bench market interest rate to 13% from 11%, the first change in almost a year and the first hike in six years.

    CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, at the Monetary Policy Committee’s (MPC) 142nd meeting said that the action of increasing interest rates was geared towards taming the rising inflation rate in the country.

    -Reserve Requirement: Another effective tool used is to increase the reserve requirement on the amount of money banks are legally required to keep on hand to cover withdrawals.

    The more money banks are required to hold back, the less they have to lend consumers, which will decrease spending and by a huge margin reduce the direct impact of inflation. The CBN by regulation mandates bank to deposit up to 30% of their total capital as CASH RESERVE REQUIREMENT(CRR). Funds deposited are not accessed by the banks for loans and advances. It is noteworthy that Nigeria has the highest reserve requirement in Sub Saharan Africa. South Africa, Kenya and Ghana all have CRRs of below 10% . The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, admitted that the high CRR was part of efforts to curb excess liquidity in the banking system and check inflationary pressure.

    CONCLUSION

    As the general election is fast approaching, the need for Nigerians to place issues regarding the sustainability of the economy at the forefront is so important, because we can’t get it wrong with another administration in power. Let’s do away with ethnic bias and party affiliation over everything else but rather look for competency and integrity.

    The importance of exporting more and having a larger stack in another country’s economy cannot be overemphasized because that is the most effective way to strengthen the Naira against inflation or devaluation. This is a call for the country’s central bank to enact a functioning monetary policy that will curb this growing rate of inflation.

  • 2023: Nwajiuba, Onu, Akpabio Resign Following Buhari’s Directive

    Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; Minister of Science, Technology and Innovations, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu; and Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, yesterday, resigned from their respective positions following the directive by President Muhammadu Buhari that ministers in his cabinet who were desirous of running for elective offices should resign forthwith.

    However, Minister of Labour and Employment, Senator Chris Ngige, said he would have to consult with his constituents and the president before resigning his appointment.

    Other ministers affected by the presidential directive, who were yet to resign included Minister of Transportation, Rt. Hon. Chibuike Amaechi, and Minister of State, Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, both of whom have joined the presidential race on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Others are Attorney General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, who is seeking to contest the governorship position in Kebbi State; Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Uche Ogah, who is running for governorship in Abia State, and Minister of Women Affairs, Paulline Tallen, who declared her ambition to contest for a senatorial seat in Plateau State.

    With few days to the party primaries ahead of the 2023 general election, Buhari yesterday ordered ministers in his cabinet who were nursing the intention to run for elective offices to resign.

    However, it was gathered that Nwajiuba had tendered his resignation letter on April 28, after the purchase of nomination and expression of interest forms for him by a group. On their part, Onu and Akpabio, it was also gathered, submitted their letters of resignation to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha.

    Briefing journalists after the Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting presided by Buhari, Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the president directed that ministers with political ambitions had up till Monday, May 16, 2022, to resign.

    But presidential spokesman, Mallam Garba Shehu, in another interview, said the president’s directive to the ministers was with immediate effect.

    Speaking with journalists after the cabinet meeting, the information minister said, “The mandate I have from the president is to announce that all members of the FEC contesting for elective office must resign their ministerial cabinet appointments on or before Monday, the 16th of May, 2022.”

    Asked if the directive affected the vice president, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, who had declared interest in the presidential race, Mohammed declared, “The vice president was elected, he was not appointed.”

    On the fate of other political appointees, like Central Bank Governor, Godwin Emefiele, who might also be contesting the presidential election, the minister explained that the directive was likely to be extended to non-cabinet members.

    He stated, “As of this moment, the mandate I have is for members of the Federal Executive Council. Subsequently, it might affect other political appointees, but that will be made known. If there is going to be any amendment or any inclusion, you will be informed in due course.”

    Commenting on the issue, the presidential spokesman said Buhari, at the FEC meeting, asked the ministers with political ambitions to toe the footsteps of Minister of State for Education, who had resigned before the FEC meeting.

    Shehu, who spoke in Hausa after the cabinet meeting, said, “The president has given a directive to ministers who purchased nomination forms to contest for the presidency.

    “He told them to follow the example of Minister of State for Education, Nwajiuba, who purchased form and tendered his resignation. The president said anybody who bought form to contest any elective position, excluding the vice president, should immediately resign and face his ambition. That is the directive he gave.

    “First of all, anyone aspiring for the presidency should not remain in position. What I want people to understand is that whether there is law or no law the president is the one who appoints and he has power to remove any appointee. He has asked them to immediately resign, so we are waiting to see what they will do.”

    He added that a circular would soon be issued by the Secretary to the Government of the Federation to explain the category of political appointees to be affected by the presidential directive.

    Shehu said, “I will advise that you wait for the circular that would be issued by the secretary to the government. The circular will explain in details those affected.”

    While reacting to the development, Ngige said the president gave a window for those that needed clarification on his pronouncement to meet him, adding that he would meet Buhari for explanation. He added that the ministerial position he occupied was held in trust for the government and his state, adding that he would consult them before taking any decision.

    Ngige said, “I have no reaction for now because the president said if anyone wants clarifications, the person should meet him.

    “So I have to consult him and consult my constituents, Anambra State, because I am holding the office for the government and my constituents.”

    Meanwhile, a coalition of civil society organisations (CSOs) commended Buhari’s instruction to the ministers with political ambitions to resign.

    The CSOs had on Tuesday asked the president to relieve the ministers with interest in vying for elective offices of their duties or face a mass action from Nigeria.

    A statement from the CSOs yesterday read, “The Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC), Transition Monitoring Group (TMG), and the Centre for Democracy and Development (CDD) commend Mr. President for taking this laudable step and listening to the call of Nigerians towards a free and fair election, following the issuance of his directives that all members of the Federal Executive Council (FEC) running for elective office must submit their letters of resignation on or before Monday, the 16th of May, 2022.”

    The statement added, “We hope that this directive takes full effect pending legislation on the Court of Appeal’s decision to void Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act 2022, which made it mandatory for political appointees to resign from office before they could vote as delegates or vie for any elective position.

    “It is worthy of note to mention that this action puts to bed worries of complicity in the impunity with which some political appointees have expressed their political interests ahead of the upcoming general election in total disregard for the provisions of the Electoral Act 2022 and the sensibilities of Nigerians whose collective resources have been diverted to satisfy personal political ambitions.

    “These illegalities have been well condemned by the public and the president’s decision at this time is, indeed, a welcome one and reflects a responsiveness to the yearnings of the citizenry.”

    The CSOs also called on all political parties to demonstrate ethical and moral standards that ensure a democratic election and avoid the commercialisation and proliferation of money politics, which disqualified patriotic Nigerians from partaking in the elections.

    (thisdaylive)

  • 2023 Presidency should go to S-East — Obasanjo, Falae

    2023 Presidency should go to S-East — Obasanjo, Falae

    ENUGU—FORMER president, Olusegun Obasanjo, has restated his position that the South-East should be allowed to produce Nigeria’s President in 2023, insisting that it would ensure peace, justice, fairness and sustainable national development in the country.

    Similarly, former secretary to the Government of the Federation, Olu Falae, also threw his weight behind a South-East presidency, noting that it is the only zone that has not produced the president in recent times.

    Obasanjo, who addressed members of Political Action Committee, PAC, of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, who visited him at his Olusegun Obasanjo Presidential Library, Abeokuta, to solicit his support for the quest for a Nigerian President of South-East extraction, said the minimum Nigerians would accept is that the next president should come from the South.

    Ime Obi Ohanaeze Ndigbo, at its meeting, last week, mandated its president general and the secretary to constitute a political committee to go around the country to solicit support for a president from the South-East.

    The Ohanaeze team consists of Ambassador George Obiozor, the President General; Ambassador Okey Emuchay, the Secretary-General; former president generals of Ohanaeze Ndigbo, Nnia Nwodo, and Gary Igariwey.

    Others are Professor Anya Anya, former Chairman, Police Service Commission, Simon Okeke, and Dr. Chiedozie Ogbonnia, the National Publicity Secretary of Ohanaeze Ndigbo.

    “The next president of Nigeria must come from the South East. The least acceptable minimum is a president from the Southern part of Nigeria”, Obasanjo was quoted by Ohanaeze Ndigbo’s spokesman, Alex Ogbonnia, as saying.

    The former President, who commended Ohanaeze Ndigbo for demanding their rights, told the delegation that what he “owes Nigeria is sincerity, objectivity and guidance.”

    He maintained the need for morality, equity and justice in a multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural country like Nigeria, warning that “it is inconceivable to have peace and progress in a country that is rooted in injustice.”

    Obasanjo said: “Federal character, rotation of power and such other measures are meant to help our nation-building process and more sure-footedly, move Nigeria forward” and warned that “riding over these measures rudely, shoddily and roughly cannot augur well for our nation-building process and progress.”

    In his remarks, Obiozor commended the former president for his unwavering commitment to peace and unity of Nigeria, saying that Obasanjo remains one of the strongest voices in Nigeria and one of the most respected Nigerians in the world because of his track records of accomplishments while his tenure lasted as the President of Nigeria.

    He commended him for his courage, sincerity, steadfastness and passion for justice, especially as it affects the Igbo and the future of Nigeria.

    For national unity, peace, it’s turn of S-East —Falae

    Also throwing his weight behind a South-East presidency, Falae, who spoke in an interview, said the region has not produced a president in recent times.

    The former Minister of Finance said: “I expect that the South East will have a fair chance to ask for the president of Nigeria because in recent times the president has not come from the South-East. I said in recent times.

    “For national unity and peace, yes, but the South East is not the only zone that has not produced the president in recent times. There are six zones now and in the recent past, the zones that have produced the president are the North-West, South-West and South-South.

    “The North-Central, North-East and South-East have not produced president in the recent times, so there are three that have equal rights to ask for it if we want to be fair

    “If we want to use North and South, then it’s two (North and South) I insist it must come from the South because the present president is from the North.

    “However, if we are talking of zones within the six geopolitical zones of Nigeria, then we cannot limit it. We must look at all the zones that have not produced the president.”

    Nigeria’s next President must be patriotic, detribalized — Onitiri

    On his part, a socio-political activist, Adesunbo Onitiri, has said that Nigerians must select with caution, a patriotic, young, highly educated, Godly, and de-tribalised president during next year’s general election.

    Onitiri, in a statement in Lagos, yesterday, said: “We democrats also urge all Nigerians to vote wisely, as this suffering and abject poverty must end. Our economy is at its lowest ebb. There is serious insecurity in the country.

    “We need a patriot, young, highly educated, healthy, internationally connected President, who has the capability and ability to govern. He must be honest, transparent, credible, and diligent with the quality of a world-class President. Not a moneybag.

    “Nigeria needs leaders like Mohammed bin Rashid of Dubai, President of Malaysia and President of Singapore Lee Kuan Yew. These people should be our role models. We desperately need leaders that can turn our economy around, turn our desert into a land flowing with honey and milk.”

    (Vanguard)

  • Igbo Presidency: Crucial to Nigeria’s survival beyond 2023 [Viewpoint]

    Igbo Presidency: Crucial to Nigeria’s survival beyond 2023 [Viewpoint]

    Igbo Presidency: Crucial to Nigeria’s survival beyond 2023 [Viewpoint]

    …Focus On The Return Of Democracy In Nigeria from 1999

    By Nnamani Arinze Darlington

    In 1998, PDP conducted her first presidential primary election which was held in Jos, Plateau State, North Central. During the primary election, Nigerians nominated former military leader, Olusegun Obasanjo who had just been released from detention as a political prisoner, to be the presidential candidate in the February 1999 general election, with Atiku Abubakar (the then Governor-Elect of Adamawa State and a former leading member of the SDP) as his running mate. The duo won the presidential election and were inaugurated on 29th May 1999. Subsequently, on 19th April 2003, Olusegun Obasanjo was re-elected with 61% of the votes.

    In December 2006, Late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was chosen as the Presidential candidate of the then ruling PDP for the April 2007 general election. Yar’Adua was eventually declared winner of the 2007 general election held on April 21, and was sworn in May 2007.

    In 2010, power shifted unexpectedly to Jonathan who assumed the role of Acting President following the doctrine of necessity after Yar’Adua fell ill; he was sworn into Presidency following Yar’Adua’s death in May of the same year.

    Jonathan announced in September, his intention to run in the 2011 Presidential election, which he later got after winning the PDP Presidential primaries.

    The South-south has no moral justification to contest now since the South easterners have not had its own share of the Presidential Pie.

    In the 2015 elections, then incumbent, President Jonathan and PDP Presidential nominee (from the South South), was defeated by General Muhammadu Buhari of the APC with 55% against 45% votes, losing by 2.6 million votes.

    Why the Southeast?

    From 1999 to 2007, Olusegun Obasanjo was the President and he hails from Ogun State in the South West geopolitical zone of Nigeria, while Atiku Abubakar who was the Vice President is from Adamawa, North East geopolitical zone. From 2007 to  2010, Late Umaru Musa Yar’Adua was the President and he hailed from Kastina State in the North West geopolitical zone of Nigeria, while Jonathan, his Vice, was from Bayelsa State in the South south geopolitical zone. Between 2010 and 2015, Goodluck Jonathan was the President and hails from Bayelsa State in the South south geopolitical zone, while his Vice, Namadi Sambo, hails from Kaduna State in the Northwest geopolitical zone.

    When the Southern Nigeria Governors Forum started a meeting, and were issuing communiques insisting and saying that the next President should come from the south, I initially thought that it was a good way of trying to narrow the Presidency to the South eastern Nigeria. I never knew that our brothers were just playing to the gallery, watering and making their ground fertile to contest against the South easterners when they are suppose to support us now than ever before, considering the political tension in the zone against marginalization and injustice.

    PDP Presidential aspirants of Southeast extraction

    Ohaneze and some of our Igbo political leaders who should be speaking up now like His Excellency Distinguished Senator Orji uzor Kalu, are silently observing table manners. Our silence in the face of ineptitude, our insincerity and acquaintances in the face of nepotism and favoritism, our complexity and “e no concern me” attitude  when things are going wrong is just something that is very appalling.

    In all the political parties, big and small, there are Igbos of considerable weight, who want to be president. They include, Mr. Peter Obi, Fmr. Governor of Anambra State, Chief Anyim Pius Anyim, Fmr. Senate President, David Umahi, Governor of Ebonyi State, Prof. Kingsley Moghalu, Fmr. Deputy Governor Of the Central Bank of Nigeria, among others. They all have the capacity to lead this nation, but Mr. Peter Obi is seen as the most sellable and acceptable candidate, judging from his antecedents and his present ideology about Politics and Governance.

    Mr. Peter Obi

    Aside the razzmatazz for Igbo Presidency by the South easterners, with the current security, political and economic state of the nation, Mr. Peter Obi is the one whom the presidential cap will fit best because he is a man with impeccable and exceptional character, finesse, incorruptible, panache, poise and astuteness with digital economic and political ideology that will salvage the current ugly situation of the Nigeria State.

    Politics they say is a zero sum game in which the winner takes everything and the loser loses everything. That is why the Igbos can only get the presidency by aligning with other zones and pushing hard by any means they can to convince the majority. This is where the role of Ohaneze and the Igbo leaders come in.

    One of the 68 Constitutional Amendment bills passed by the National Assembly recently was that which sought to allow for independent candidacy. If this bill scales through by 2/3 of the various States Houses of Assembly and the President finally assents to it, candidates like Mr. Peter Obi will never find it difficult to emerge and win elections, unlike the situation we have now where only those with bags of dollars are likely to win elections in Nigeria.

    Nigerians should also know that “IGBO PRESIDENCY” is crucial to the survival of Nigeria beyond 2023, because denying Igbos 2023 PRESIDENCY will worsen secession agitations considering the tempo already attained, but the next President of Igbo extraction will calm nerves, settle scores and make the people feel among. The major Political parties should zone their Presidential tickets to the South East to prove her doctrine of justice, equity and fairness.

    Nnamani Arinze Darlington writes from Enugu

  • 2023 Presidency: IBBN urges parties to zone presidential ticket to South.

     

    A group, the Initiative for a Better and Brighter Nigeria, IBBN, has urged political parties to zone their presidential ticket to the South in the spirit of fairness and equity.

    The organisation, which noted the creation of additional 56,872 Polling Units ahead of the 2023 general elections, said it had been mobilising Nigerians to collect their Permanent Voter Cards.

    Speaking to journalists in Abuja on Tuesday, the group’s President, Prophet Dr. Isah El-Buba, said the North has had its fair share of the nation’s leadership and should therefore yield the presidency to the South.

    He said, “As political activities hit the crescendo, we call for political actors in the country to play the game, putting Nigeria first over any parochial interest.

    “Among other things, for the purpose of advancing equity and putting the national interest first, we call on all Political parties to in all sense of fairness, zone their presidential tickets to the southern zone of the country, especially that the North will be concluding a full eight-year term by 2023.”

    According to El-Buba, fairness and equity were all that would be required to service and continue to make every union work.

    “Indeed fairness and equity are what it will take to keep the Nigerian union as one indivisible great country under God,” he submitted.

    The IBBN described as astronomical the National Assembly’s increase of campaign spending limits of political parties and their candidates by 300% in the recently passed Electoral Act Amendment Bill which is awaiting presidential assent.

    El-Buba said, “We call on the National Assembly to consider and review section 91 of the Electoral Act Bill, which dramatically and astronomically increased campaign spending limits by 300 percent, which suggests that the 9th National Assembly intends to entrench a heavily monetized and merchandising political system- and this has dire implications for elections violence, youths exclusion, good governance and the economy.”

    Meanwhile, the group noted that the nation was already overwhelmed by insecurity and other social and economic challenges, warning that any further delay in the deployment of the Super Tucano Fighter Jets in flushing out terrorists would compound the nation’s woes.

    Prophet El-Buba said, “Beyond preventing deepening attacks, we need reclaim forests and ungoverned spaces already occupied by terrorists, when will we deploy the much-celebrated Tucano jets and other Airforce platforms procured to extinguish these terrorists? It better not be when the terrorists are done with killing Nigerians. We call on Government to Deploy those Tucano jets to use, now.”

    On the abduction and murder of little Hanifa Abubakar in Kano State, the group lamented that any country devoid of safe spaces for children was is a society with a bleak future.

    “From wave of mass abductions for ransom at schools over the last year, carried out by terrorist elements nicknamed bandits, to the recent abduction and murder of this little promising 5-year-old Hanifa Abubakar by the Proprietor of her own school who demanded a ransom of six million naira ($14,500) last month only to later kill Hanifa with rat poison and bury her in a shallow grave in the city of Kano; there couldn’t be more endangerment of education and violation of the right to life in Northern Nigeria.

    “For the act of terrorism against children alone, Nigerian Government need not show mercy to domestic terrorists & terrorpreneurs alike. We must stand up to the active defence of the right to life in Nigeria because the life of Nigerians matter. May God comforts the family of little Hanifa and all others who have lost loved ones in the hands of terrorists and terropreneurs in Nigeria,” El-Buba said.

     

    (Vanguard)

  • I’ll convert our diversities into asset – Anyim

    I’ll convert our diversities into asset – Anyim

    I’ll convert our diversities into asset – Anyim

    Anyim Pius Anyim, former secretary to the government of the federation (SGF) and presidential aspirant of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has identified the inability of leaders to manage the country’s diversities as the major challenges bedeviling the nation.

    He told an online medium recently that his years of experience in governance in Nigeria, his deep knowledge of the country, would enable him to run an inclusive government that will build consensus, restore peace, refocus Nigeria and make the country a place that everyone will be proud of.

    He boasted that he will give every segment of this country comfort and “I will provide a leadership that will understand how to wield our diversities into an asset.”

    Anyim believes that management of the country diversities is actually central to the success of the country. His confidence in achieving this goal, he said, is buoyed by the fact that he has interacted with various segments of the country and participated in running government that affected every part of the country. With such background, he claims, that he knows the needs of our diverse groups and knows how to put it together for the utmost benefit of the people. The way to go, he explained is to create a policy thrust that will be all inclusive. According to him, “the actual problem of Nigeria is leadership failures to manage our diversities”. He therefore assured that if given the opportunity to rule the country, “I will fix the discordant feelings among various tribes, Regions and ethnic groupings and convert our diversities into assets”.

    Anyim faced similar challenges when he assumed the leadership of the national Assembly as president of the Senate.

    When the office of the president of the Senate was so slippery that successive leaders hardly lasted beyond certain limits, Anyim brought leadership paradigms that ensured the stability of the upper chambers of the parliament till date.

  • ‘Govs using N19.3bn bailout controversy to stop Bello’s 2023 bid’

    ‘Govs using N19.3bn bailout controversy to stop Bello’s 2023 bid’

    Kogi Government has described as mischievous and politically motivated, a statement by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) that it has returned N19.3 billion bail-out funds allegedly hidden by the state to the Central Bank of Nigeria and accused some governors of masterminding the incident.

    The state government gave the EFCC 48 hours ultimatum to retract the statement posted on its Facebook Account on November 19 or be prepared for court action.

    During a press conference in Lagos, yesterday, Commissioner for Information and Communications, Kingsley Fanwo, said the controversy is politically motivated to discredit the governor because of his political bid towards the 2023 general election.

    “Some governors want to use the agency to discredit some perceived contenders ahead of the 2023 general election. We are aware that they tried to use the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit in the past, which failed and also they attempted to use the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and that attempt failed. They also tried to use the Code of Conduct Tribunal which also failed and finally, they settled with the EFCC.

    “These people have no interest of the people at heart and they are trying to discredit the Kogi government and Governor Yahaya Bello.

    “Let it be known that the Kogi State government refutes every bit of these false allegations being peddled by the EFCC. The Kogi State government had disbursed its bailout loans for the purpose of which it was granted as of October 2019. There is, therefore, no hidden bailout funds/loan belonging to Kogi State that is capable of being returned to the CBN or frozen by an order of court. The EFCC knows this, the fear of exposure of its lies in court and the attendant sanctions informed its decision to hurriedly withdraw the sham suit it filed in court.

    “Consequently, the Kogi State government demands a retraction of this press release and of all allegations of crimes levied against the Kogi State government and its governor. We further demand an apology published within 48 hours from today in one national daily and on all EFCC official and social media platforms addressed to Governor Bello and the government and people of Kogi State,” he said.

    (sunnewsonline.com)