By  Emmanuel Mogbede

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied wooing former President Goodluck Jonathan for the 2023 presidential race on its platform.

Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe and Chairman, APC Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee, said this in a statement by Alhaji Mamman Mohammed, his Director-General, Press and Media Affairs on Thursday in Abuja.

“It is diversionary to start discussing 2023 election now; we have a sitting president, who is less than two years in his second term in office.

“We are concentrating on the success of his administration,” Buni said.

He said that the visit of some APC Governors to Jonathan was solely to congratulate him on his birthday and to honour him as a former Nigerian leader.

He added that it was on record that Buhari had in some instances delegated the former president for regional assignments, in spite of their political differences.

Buni said that the focus of the APC Caretaker Committee was to strengthen the party through a bottom-up approach and to carry all members on board.

He said that the committee had succeeded in building confidence among party members by reassuring them of a new hope in the party.

“Aggrieved members of the party have happily rejoined the fold, just as new ones have also joined.

“The caretaker committee has reconciled many aggrieved members and factions across the country, including the Zamfara factions among others,’’ he said.

He added that the committee has also attracted prominent politicians including Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi and many others into the APC.

Buni said that the APC membership registration/revalidation exercise was a constitutional provision which was part of strategies aimed at giving existing and new members a sense of belonging.

He said that the party had not been able to register new members nor update its membership records after the initial membership registration in 2014.

According to him, APC membership registration/revalidation exercise will give new members a sense of belonging and existing ones the opportunity to update their records.

He expressed optimism that the exercise would assist the APC to generate a valid, accurate and up to date data on its membership to enhance and support its planning process. (NAN)

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), on Wednesday, mourned a former Minister of Information and Culture, Chief Tony Momoh, who died on Monday at the age of 81.

The party, in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, described Momoh’s death as a huge loss the country.

He recalled Momoh’s roles in the development of the Nigerian media industry, especially as the editor of Daily Times Newspaper.

Ologbondiyan commiserated with the Momoh family as well as the government and people of Edo.

He prayed God to grant them the fortitude to bear the irreparable loss. (NAN)

By Emmanuel Oloniruha

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) says it plans to meet with stakeholders in a few weeks time to address the inadequacies of Polling Units (PUs) in Nigeria.

INEC disclosed this in a statement by its National Commissioner and Chairman, Information and Voter Education Committee, Mr Festus Okoye in Abuja on Tuesday.

Okoye said that the decision was reached at the end of its meeting on Tuesday in Abuja.

The stakeholders, according to him include political parties, civil society organisations, religious leaders, traditional institutions, labour unions, socio-cultural organizations, various arms of the federal government, and States Government.

“The Commission met today Feb. 2 and deliberated on a number of issues including the finalised arrangements for the upcoming engagements with stakeholders on expanding voter access to PUs in Nigeria.

“For several weeks, the Commission has been preparing for these national engagements to address the inadequacies of PUs in Nigeria and the challenges they pose to election management.

“Some of these challenges include overcrowding, numerous unserved populations and poor locations, which are potentially disenfranchising millions of Nigerians, and also pose health risks in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic.

“This is a national problem that calls for national consensus,” he said.

Okoye said that for several years INEC had tried to address this fundamental challenge to democratic consolidation and election administration with minimal success.

This, according to him, has been mainly due to inadequate engagement between the Commission and stakeholders.

“Consequently, he said that INEC resorted to interim measures such as creating Voting Points at Polling Units nationwide and establishing Voting Point Settlements in the Federal Capital Territory.

“These engagements will afford an opportunity for the Commission to consult with stakeholders in order to build a genuine national consensus to address the problem of declining voter access to polling units,” he said.

He appealed to stakeholders in the electoral process and Nigerians at large to work with INEC towards addressing the issue. (NAN)

By Rita Iliya

Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger says the APC membership registration/ revalidation exercise would further strengthen the party at various levels and urged members to adhere to the guidelines.

Bello, represented by his deputy, Alhaji Ahmed Ketso said this at APC stakeholders’ meeting in Niger aimed at sensitising members on the guidelines for the exercise on Tuesday in Minna.

He urged the state Registration, Revalidation and Update Committee to synergise to be able to address issues that might arise from the process.

Sen. Domingo Obende, the Chairman of the state Registration, Revalidation and Update Committee, explained that the essence of the exercise was to have an updated name of members of the party.

“This will also include revalidation to know who is a member of the party and who is not, as well as eliminate names of those who have left the party so that only real members will be taken care of,’’Obende said.

He said that the exercise would begin on Feb. 7 and end on Feb. 24, adding that it would be carried out in INEC registration centres across the state.

Obende added that each unit would be given 100 registration forms for a start, assuring that the exercise would be free and fair.

In his address, Alhaji Aliyu Sai’du, the state Caretaker Chairman of APC, assured of a free and fair process.

Sai’du, represented by Suleiman Abdullahi, the state APC caretaker Secretary, urged members of the party to take the exercise seriously. (NAN)

By Emmanuel Acha

Former Enugu State governor, Mr Sullivan Chime says he is proud to have joined the All Progressives Congress (APC) and has no plan to leave the party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Chime disclosed this on Monday in Enugu during a meeting between APC stalwarts and the Committee on APC Membership Registration and Revalidation Exercise.

The former governor said that he would continue to identify with the APC in spite of speculations that he had left the party.

He expressed joy that the various interests that hitherto contended for the structure of the APC in the state had finally closed ranks, a move which he said had restored peace and unity back to its fold.

“We have come together as one united family and this is the time to encourage our people to join the APC because Enugu State has no reason to be in the opposition,” he said.

Chime said that going forward, the party would work in the same direction of forming the next government in the state.

He said that in due time, the leadership of the party would meet to decide on the zone that would produce the governorship candidate of the party for the 2023 governorship election.

He assured that whoever would be chosen as the flag bearer of the APC for the 2023 governorship election would be supported by all.

He said it was time to redirect the affairs of the state and return it to the path of development and progress.

Chime attributed the success story of his administration as governor to his deliberate policy of social and political inclusion.

“We know how we succeeded in PDP for the eight years when we were in power. Everybody participated in governance and one did not need to have godfather to get something,” he said.

The former governor said that members of the APC in the state were committed to supporting President Muhammadu Buhari in his quest to revamp the economy.

Chime was governor in the state on the platform of the PDP from 2007 to 2015 but defected to the APC few years after his administration.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that among party stalwarts who attended the meeting were Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr Geoffrey Onyeama and former President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani.

Others are: the Representative of Enugu State in the Federal Character Commission, Mrs Ginika Tor, former National Vice Chairman of the party (South East), Chief Emma Enukwu, the Chairman of the APC Membership Registration and Revalidation Exercise Committee, Sen. Jonathan Zwingina among others. (NAN)

By Nefishetu Yakubu

Two lawmakers at the Edo House of Assembly have defected to Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) from All Progressives Congress (APC).

The lawmakers included Mr Yekini Idaiye representing Akoko-Edo 1 and Mr Nosayaba Okunbor representing Orhionmwon East Constituency.
Speaker Marcus Onobun read their letters of defection from APC on the floor of the House on Monday.

Onobun, while welcoming them to PDP, commended their desire to work with Gov. Godwin Obaseki in making the state great.

The defection of the two lawmakers has brought the number of PDP lawmakers in the House to nine, leaving the APC with only one lawmaker in the 10-man House.

The House also adopted a business calendar of 65 sitting days for the third quarter with the second session slated from Feb. 1 to April 30. (NAN)

By Amen Gajira
Dr Hadiza Balarabe, Deputy Governor, Kaduna State, has appealed to stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state to make financial commitment towards the registration exercise of the party.

Balarabe made the call on Sunday at the Southern Kaduna APC stakeholders’ engagement committee meeting in Kafanchan, Jema’a Local Government Area of the state.

She enjoined the stakeholders to make personal monetary contribution, saying that the financial implications of the exercise cannot be left to state government alone.

“I want to call on every stakeholder to make sacrifices financially and otherwise towards the success of this important exercise that we have coming up.

“When you make personal financial commitments to things like that, it gives you a real sense of belonging.

“Government alone cannot be left to cover the cost of this all important assignment, so we must individually do our bit for this party that we love so much,” she added.

According to her, APC is a great party with a great ideology and the registration exercise will reposition it for even greater exploits.

Also speaking, Bala Bantex, the immediate past Deputy Governor of the State, underscored the need for oneness and unity of purpose as the party planned to make inroad into Southern Kaduna.

Bantex implored the leadership of the APC in the state to work out modalities of ensuring that members are fully grounded in the ideology of the party.

In his remarks, the state Chairman of APC, retired Commodore Emmanuel Jekada, disclosed that the registration and revalidation exercise would start on Feb. 9.

Jekada noted that the state office had already taken delivery of all materials to be used for the exercise and called for full participation of members.

Other stakeholders who spoke offered strategic recommendations on the way forward for the APC in the zone and the state.

NAN reports that that the meeting was attended by both past and present elected and appointed government officials from Southern Kaduna.

President Donald Trump pardoned his former Chief Strategist, Steve Bannon, as part of a last-minute clemency spree before he leaves office.

The White House announced that Trump was pardoning Bannon and 72 others early Wednesday, just hours before president-elect Joe Biden’s inauguration ceremony was set to begin.

Trump also commuted the sentences of 70 people.

Bannon was arrested in the summer and is accused of defrauding people who donated to a campaign to privately build a wall on the U.S. border with Mexico.

He pleaded not guilty and was released on bail. A trial was planned for May.

“Prosecutors pursued Mr Bannon with charges related to fraud stemming from his involvement in a political project.

“Mr Bannon has been an important leader in the conservative movement and is known for his political acumen,” the statement issued on behalf of Trump said.

Bannon joined Trump’s team in 2016 and took charge of the campaign.

The 67-year-old is credited with playing a significant role in Trump’s surprising success at the time.

After winning the election, Bannon became Trump’s chief strategist, but only served for seven months.

In recent weeks he has already pardoned a slew of long-time associates and supporters, including his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort and Charles Kushner, the father of his son-in-law; his longtime friend.

Others are adviser Roger Stone and his former National Security Adviser Michael Flynn. (dpa/NAN)

By Oluwatope Lawanson/Funmilola Gboteku

Mr James Adeshina, Chairman, African Action Congress (AAC), was on Tuesday elected the new Chairman of Inter-Party Advisory Committee (IPAC), Lagos State Chapter.

Adeshina emerged the new IPAC chairman after defeating the National Chairman of Social Democratic Party, Femi Olaniyi in a keenly contested election.

With this election, Adeshina will now oversee the affairs of the Lagos chapter of IPAC, which is the umbrella body of registered political parties in Nigeria for the next one year.

Delegates from 14 registered political parties voted for candidates of their choice into various executive committee positions of IPAC during the election.

Mr Egbeola Martins, Deputy National Secretary of the Council and Co-Chairman of IPAC Election Committee, announced that Adeshina scored 10 votes to defeat his opponent, Olaniyi, who scored four votes.

Addressing journalists, Adeshina promised that IPAC under his leadership would provide adequate sensitisation to residents to address voter apathy in the state.

He implored all youths to be concerned and take ownership of the leadership of this great nation.

“We will use every legitimate means to mobilise and sensitise average Nigerian to be a partaker in future elections,” he said.

Earlier, Chairman of the Election Committee, Alhaji Yusuf Dantali, expressed IPAC readiness to forge ahead as one indivisible body.

Other newly elected executive members include; Rasaki Oyekanmi, Deputy Chairman; Jaiyeola Bolaji, Secretary; Temilola Akinade, Assistant Secretary; Adeyemo Bunmi, Organising Secretary; Mustapha Adekunle, Financial Secretary; Adewale Bolaji, Legal Adviser and Shola Omolola, Treasurer. (NAN)

By Lucy Osuizigbo-Okechukwu

The Anambra State House of Assembly, on Tuesday invited the state COVID-19 team to conduct compulsory COVID-19 test for members and staff.

The COVID-19 test for members and staff at the assembly followed the spike in the cases of COVID-19 in the state.

The speaker, Mr Uche Okafor, told journalists that the virus was spreading at an alarming rate in all communities in the state.

According to him, the test has become necessary to ensure that none of the members and workers is infected by the virus.

“We must all come to terms with the reality on the ground that COVID-19 is real, it is in our midst and it is killing people.

“This exercise is to show to our people that there is no harm in going for COVID-19 test because it is very important to know your status and take the necessary steps to stay safe and alive.

“The Gov. Willie Obiano administration is investing alot to contain the spread of the disease in the state and we need to support government’s efforts by adhering to the health guidelines,” he said.

Also speaking, Dr Vincent Okpala, the state Commissioner for Health, said COVID-19 testing was key to early detection and increased chances of survival.

According to him, not knowing one’s status can lead to death.

Okpala said that the number of COVID-19 positive cases had gone up since the beginning of the second wave compared to the first wave where the state recorded one of the least number of positive cases.

“Between Dec.7, 2020 and Jan.19, we have carried out about 5,000 tests, as at today we are at 14,600 tests and counting, out of which 515 are positive.

“We are glad that we have built a system to deal with this pandemic but what we don’t want is to overwhelm the system.

“This is why we have increased our ability of getting people tested on a daily basis and we have deepened sensitisation across the state urging people to go for test when they feel the signs and symptoms of this disease.

“The test and treatment are free, call our health lines to get tested. Because the earlier we detect the disease, the better chances of saving lives, ” he said.

While commending the legislators for showing leadership by wearing their facemasks and observing physical distancing, Okpala urged them to take the awareness to their constituencies. (NAN)