Some participants at a two hour interactive session organised by the Tinubu/Shettima and Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat Independent Campaign Council (ICC), Professional Women Directorate, Thursday in Lagos.

By Yemi Adeleye/Grace Alegba

The Directorate of Professional Women, Independent Campaign Council (ICC) of the APC Presidential Candidate Committee, Lagos State, on Thursday said technocrats were indispensable and should ensure credible elections.

Mr Tayo Ayinde, Director General, Tinubu/Shettima and Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat Independent Campaign Council (ICC), said this in Ikeja at a two-hour interactive session with 50 professional bodies.

The programme was organised by the TinubuShettima and Sanwo-Olu/Hamzat Independent Campaign Council (ICC), Professional Women Directorate.

Ayinde said before the first and second Republics, Nigeria’s founding fathers and nationalists like Late Herbert Macaulay, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Sir Tafawa Balewa , Sir Anthony Enahoro were technocrats.

He said the vacuum left by the experts gave room for charlatans in politics and appealed to technocrats to take back their place through active participation and leading campaign against voter apathy.

Ayinde, who is the Chief of Staff to Lagos State Governor, Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu, was represented at the meeting by Mr Tayo Orekoya, Director Lagos West 1, ICC.

He said the theme of the event, “Involvement of Professionals in Election and Electioneering Process” was apt.

Ayinde said that professionals, by their training, skills, exposure and expertise, were “positioned to play indispensable roles in the promotion of democratic ethos and furtherance of the democratic process”.

He said the Lagos State Government recognised their importance and had always engaged them positively.

Ayinde cited APC Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu as an example of first class technocrat and political master strategist who had never lost an election.

“He populated his cabinet as Governor of Lagos State from 1999 to 2007 with professionals otherwise known as technocrats,” he said.

He commended female professionals for creditable performance, adding that, over 40 per cent of the ICC Directorate was headed by Women Professionals as Directors.

Ayinde listed achieving female technocrats in APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) leading national campaigns, including Dr Betty Edu, National Women Leader, Mrs Alike Dabiri-Erewa and Sen. Oluremi Tinubu.

He urged technocrats to massively vote and seek votes for Sen. Bola Tinubu as President and Sanwo-Olu as governor of Lagos State.

Earlier, while making her opening speech, Director, TinubuShettima/Sanwo-OluHamzat, ICC, Dr Atinuke Owolabi, said professionals should stop being passive and sensitise more people towards making right choices in the forthcoming elections.

Owolabi, an award winning engineer, thanked ICC elders for the opportunity to showcase 50 professional bodies in Lagos who now have a platform beyond elections to interface between government and the grassroots.

She said the directorate’s goal was to ensure all eligible voters participate and are educated on basic voting processes, how to locate polling units and other important information on accurate voting procedures.

She also urged Nigerians to vote APC at all levels, particularly its Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu and Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu of Lagos State for renewed hope and a Greater Lagos that is rising.

“Our target in Lagos State is to get five million votes. This we can achieve, this we will achieve.
“It only takes us working together,” she said. (NAN)

Edited by Oluwole Sogunle

By Ruth Oketunde

A former Governor of Adamawa, Mr Boni Haruna, says that Christians in Nigeria have nothing to fear if Alhaji Atiku Abubakar gets elected as president of the country.

Haruna gave the assurance while fielding questions from newsmen late on Thursday in Abuja.

In a statement signed by Mr Ilemona Onoja, the head, New Media Department of the PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Haruna was quoted as saying that Christians were instrumental to the electoral success of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

Haruna noted that Christians were at liberty to take their destinies in their hands by voting massively for Atiku in the forthcoming elections.

“Atiku had exhibited remarkable affinity and respect for all segments of religious groups in Nigeria all through his career in government and in politics.

“With Atiku as president, Christians in Nigeria have nothing to fear, neither would any set or group.”

Haruna described the presidential candidate of the PDP as a special breed Nigerian, who had integrated himself, his business and family with every part of the country.

The former governor noted that religious tolerance and respect for the secular status of the constitution would become key focus of reintegration and unifying Nigerians in a federal government with Atiku as president. (NAN)(www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Silas Nwoha

By Oluwatope Lawanson

Ahead of Saturday’s Presidential and National Assembly Elections, 65 deregistered political parties under the Forum of Political Parties in Lagos State (FPP), have endorsed the APC Presidential Candidate, Sen. Bola Tinubu.

Chief Kolawole Ajayi, the Lagos State Chairman of the Forum and two-time Chairman of the Lagos State Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) disclosed this at a news conference on Thursday in Lagos.

Ajayi, who promised that the group would deliver over 400,000 votes for Tinubu, said that members of the forum had unanimously endorsed Tinubu for president of Nigeria.

He said that the choice and decision of the forum to pitch their tent and support Tinubu’s ambition was hinged on the candidate’s inspiring pedigree in both private and public life.

According to him, Tinubu has maintained the highest rectitude in leadership, with much interest in effective building and utilisation of human and material resources to attain unprecedented development, which he exemplified as a governor in Lagos State.

He said, “One of the leading roles of political parties is to checkmate political governance.

“And over the years, FPP have been doing that; ensuring that Lagos State and Nigerians get the best in leadership by blazing the trail in electing the right and people-centric political leadership across board.

“As major stakeholders in the democratic governance in our dear country Nigeria, the 2023 elections presents one-in-a-lifetime opportunity for Nigerians to truly get it right.

“That informed our decisions for over six months to periodically evaluate the presidential candidates of all political parties in the race for the forthcoming presidential elections.

“We have studied their manifestos. We have taken accounts of their public and private lives.

“After series of stakeholders and Board of Trustees meeting, we became unwaveringly convinced that only one person among all of the presidential candidates has the basic requisites and intimidating pedigree to consolidate Nigeria’s fledging democracy and deepen development.

“He can unite the country and redefine democracy as government of the people, by the people and for the people.

“That one man is Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress (APC).”

According to him, 65 members of the FPP are deregistered political parties, but still have all their full political structures on ground across all the 20 Local Government Areas of Lagos State.

“We are here today to endorse him for the top job, and to ensure that all the party leadership, members and supporters of the 65 Deregistered political parties here present at today’s event work to ensure victory for Asiwaju Tinubu at the presidential polls,” he added.

Ajayi recounted how Tinubu turned around Lagos infrastructure and economy as a governor between 1999 and 2007, and how he gave opportunity to people of different tribes in his government.

Corroborating the forum’s Chairman, Mr Idowu Oguntoyinbo, the Lagos State party Chairman of the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) said that only Tinubu had what it would take to revive Nigeria and consolidate on the humongous infrastructural achievements of President Buhari.

Oguntoyinbo, also a former Deputy Governorship Candidate of the PPA as well as a former Assistant Secretary of the Inter-Party Advisory Council (IPAC) in Lagos State, noted that Tinubu was one of the best brains in his days at the Mobil Nigeria Limited “where his footprints are still indelible till date”.

Also speaking, Mr Shola Omolola, the Lagos State Chairman of MAJA party and Secretary of the FPP, urged Nigerians to to go out en-mass to vote Tinubu because of his proven track records that set him apart from other.

Omolola said that Tinubu’s leadership would spell a new and ideal dawn in constitutional democracy, creation of opportunities and infusion of ideas that would be in tandem with the 21st century global democratic best practices. (NAN) (www.nanews.ng)

Edited by Vivian Ihechu

By Philomina Attah
A Non-Governmental Organisation (NGO), Speak Out Africa Initiative, has advised the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) to track all money transferred 48hrs to election day through the commercial banks.

The Executive Director of the NGO, Mr Kenneth Eze, gave the advice at a news briefing on Thursday, in Abuja.

Eze said this would help in possible identification of suspicious electronic money transfer from single source-to-multiple individuals as politicians had device new means of vote buying.

“While the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission (ICPC) handle the physical aspect of vote trading, CBN should track all money transfer.

“We equally call on the Inspector General of Police to configure Polling Units’ security agent encryption where each assigned security agent to polling unit will be held accountable for actions/inactions.

“Action such as vote buying and other vices, and such personnel details should be given to the INEC staff in the polling unit to avoid impersonation for recognition,” he said.

Eze said that the NGO had deployed about 1,405 election radar officers to monitor election across the 36 states and the Federal Capital Territory .

He further explained that those deployed would be indigenous voters of the assigned polling units for direct first-hand report from accreditation, voting and declaration of results.

“We have deployed radar officers across the country who will track, observe and report real-time incidences with accuracy as well as assess the overall mood of the citizens.

“They will also monitor movement of Independent Electoral Commission (INEC) materials so far in order to guarantee the credibility and fairness of the 2023 general elections,” he said.

He called on Nigerians to take their destiny by their hands and reject any attempt to arm-twist them through selling their votes for peanuts.

He equally advised Nigerians to come out en mass to go out and vote for candidates of their choice “as we birth a new Nigeria.”

“The daily upsurge of citizens trooping INEC designated centers to do Continue Voters Registration (CVR), collection of their Permanent voters card (PVC) or any electoral related activities is a litmus test that there is a great political awakening especially among the young people who constitute the largest voting population.

“The political landscape has taken leap and will not remain the same again after the general election”, he added.

The executive director, however, commended INEC for its overall performance, “which could be rated well, except for few challenges, which needed reinforcement and improvement.

“The truth is that, INEC has done appreciably well as some of her decision taken to the buildup of this election has consolidated faith in its determination and capacity to conduct free, fair and credible elections in Nigeria against all odds,” he said.(NAN)(www.nannews.ng)
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Edited by Isaac Aregbesola

By Angela Atabo

Amnesty International Nigeria (AIN) has called on security agencies to respect the rights of citizens and be professional in the discharge of their duties during the forthcoming elections.

Mr Auwal Rafsanjani, Chairman Board of Trustees AIN, made the appeal while commemorating the World Social Justice Day, and a farewell ceremony for the Country Director, AIN, Osai Ojigho in Abuja.

“I am calling on the security to ensure that they maintain professionalism, neutralism, courtesy, be unbiased, and ensure that they do not allow themselves to be bought by politicians,” he said.

According to him, the actions of security agents during the elections will be monitored by many organisations locally and globally.

Rafsanjani expressed concern about the activities of non-state actors threatening the conduct of the elections.

“The non state actors, particularly the IPOB who have declared that for three days they will totally lock down the South East, makes a lot of people to be afraid to go and vote.

“So clearly, there might be some absence of people coming to cast their votes.

“In other parts of the country, the way politicians are preaching violence is equally of great concern that peace loving Nigerians, especially Persons With Disabilities, may not be able to go and vote,” he observed.

Rafsanjani said there was need to nip these challenges in the bud to guarantee credible polls.

According to him, injustice remains the root cause of most problems in Nigeria.

“Injustice is a fundamental challenge that is affecting everything in the country.

“So, until we are able to deal with issues of social justice in this country, it will be difficult for Nigerians to realize their potential to compete favourably, participate in governance process,” he added.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the World Day of Social Justice is marked globally to highlight issues of poverty, exclusion, gender inequality, unemployment, human rights and social protection.(NAN)(nannews.ng)

Edited by Maharazu Ahmed

By Jessica Dogo

Mr Demola Olarewaju, Special Assistant on New Media Strategy to the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Atiku Abubakar, has called on Nigerians to avoid vote-splitting and vote massively for the party.

Olarewaju made the call in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Abuja.

He said it was very important for Nigerians to elect the former vice-president Atiku Abubakar and trust him with the future of the nation.

Olarewaju said: “As Nigerians go to the polls to decide who will lead the country in the next four years, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar will be a better candidate for all.

“We have to look back to see how we have come from a place of strength as a nation and consolidate on that.

“We have to vote wisely and it is our own civic responsibility to do so patriotically.

“While choosing who to vote on Saturday, we have to be deliberate. The PDP is the only choice we can depend on.”

He called on the youths to make the election a priority by voting PDP, adding that Atiku is a proven nationalist, who would accommodate the interests of all.

“I humbly appeal to young people to understand the priority is to recover our country. Atiku will accommodate the interests of all.

“This is not a time to take a gamble or focus on sentiments that misled us in the first place. We must be intentional about voting PDP,” he said. (NAN) (www.nannews.ng)

Edited by Bashir Rabe Mani