Gist Coven

A group, under the aegis of Middle Belt Youth Forum, has advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to contest the 2019 Presidential election, following his inability to address herdsmen killings that has consumed several lives in the region. In a press statement signed by the National President, Comrade Pius Attah and Secretary, Dan Kadarko and made available to Daily Sun in Jos, the group said the Middle Belt is currently shopping for a credible candidate that will defend interest of the region in 2019. “President Buhari has not been able to addressed the insecurity ravaging the Middle Belt, particularly the recent killings by herdsmen in Benue state that claimed about 73 innocent lives. The Fulani has issued another threats that if Governor Samuel Ortom does not rescind on the implementation of the anti-grazing law, the state risk another attack and Federal Government has not called them to order. “It is based on this that we advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to contest th...

A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Adamawa State, Engr. Markus Gundiri, has expressed doubt over the loyalty of Governor Jibrilla Bindow to the party following the departure of former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. Gundiri was a 2015 governorship candidate of the Social Democratic Party, SDP, and also 2011 governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, ACN. He said this while insisting that no politician in Nigeria can defeat President Muhammadu Buhari. Gundiri said the ruling party was waxing stronger in his home state after the exit of Atiku Abubakar. He said this yesterday in Abuja while fielding questions from journalists, adding that Atiku’s return to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, did not have any destabilisation effect on the APC. He said, “Who else in this country today can stand election against Buhari and win? I don’t think there is anyone. “Look, you have to look at the achievements of this president in these few years...

Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, says Boko Haram will be subdued when the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, returns to power in 2019. The Senator stated this while speaking at the PDP convention holding presently at the Eagle Square Abuja. “The people of the north east were liberated from Boko Haram but they are now being afflicted. “There will be peace in the north east when PDP returns to power”, he said. Former Niger governor, Babangida Aliyu, also speaking on behalf of former governors assured Nigerians of jobs when PDP takes over in 2019. “Nigerians now know that PDP has done beautifully well. They now realise that there is no alternative to PDP in Nigeria. “After 2019 we will ensure qualitative and functional education. “The government of PDP will create employment for the millions of graduates that have no place to work now. “We will ensure that Agriculture is transformed. “The laws of corruption will be addressed. We will fight corruption by fighting pover...

THE CITY of Abuja the federal capital territory FCT is fully alive politically as Ninety-two aspirants gets ready to slug it out for 23 offices in the Saturday’s national convention of the Peoples Democratic Party PDP. The offices to be contested are National chairman, deputy national chairman (South), deputy national chairman (North), secretary, deputy national secretary, national legal adviser, deputy national legal adviser, national organising secretary, national youth leader, and national publicity secretary. Out of this number nine of the aspirants are running for the office of the national chairman. The contestants are Uche Secondus, Gbenga Daniel, Jimi Agbaje, Rashidi Ladoja, Taoheed Adedoja, Tunde Adeniran, Olabode George, Raymond Dokpesi and Aderemi Olusegun. All the chairmanship aspirants had been screened by a screening panel headed by a former governorship candidate of the party in Edo State, Mr. Osagie Ize-Iyamu. The screening took place at the Presidential Campaig...

Senator Magnus Abe representing Rivers South-East senatorial district in the National Assembly has outlined how the Minister of Transport, Rotimi Amaechi caused the current crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress, APC, in Rivers State. Abe also vowed that he will not leave the APC for another political party. The Senator traced the crisis to the March 4, 2017 meeting convened by the Minister of Transportation, Mr. Chibuike Amaechi, in Port Harcourt. The Senator spoke through his Spokesperson, Parry Saroh Benson in a statement in Port Harcourt on Wednesday. He said, “I will not leave the APC even in the face of needless provocation and unwarranted bitterness. “As I told the state Chairman of the party, last Sunday, every member of the party knows the cause and the reason for the present crisis in the APC in Rivers State and I will also state it here. “The Minister of Transportation made several shocking pronouncements that heralded the root of our present crisis. ...

AFTER several speculations, President Muhammadu Buhari has finally announced his willingness to seek re-election in 2019. The president had on Tuesday night explained the reason behind having the Governors of Akwa Ibom State, Udom Emmanuel, and that of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar, to be present when he (Buhari) addresses the Nigerian Community in Abidjan, Cote d’Ivoire. He specifically said the presence of the two governors during his interactive session with the Nigerian community will be another vote for him when the time comes. The president is in Abidjan for the fifth European Union-African Union, EU-AU, Summit and was accompanied by the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, who was instrumental to Buhari’s emergence in 2015 after three unsuccessful attempts to become a civilian president. While apologizing for keeping some members of the Nigerian community in Abidjan who had come for the interactive session waiting, President Buhari ex...

First son of the late Dim Emeka Odumegwu Ojukwu, Emeka Ojukwu Jnr, has noted that Ndigbo supported former Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Goodluck Jonathan, adding that now is the time to support President Buhari. He noted that the leadership of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, APGA, and the Anambra State Governor, Willie Obiano are loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari. Emeka explained that his decision to join the All Progressives Congress APC, is to ensure that similar ideals that informed his late father’s action are upheld. Ojukwu Jnr. who spoke with the Guardian, added that he was merely walking in his father’s steps. He recalled that shortly after his father’s return from exile in 1982, he joined the National Party of Nigeria, NPN, rather than the Nigeria Peoples Party, NPP. He said, “I can afford to stay back (in APGA) and wallow in sentimental politics that nkea bu nkeanyi (this is our own), but in the long run, what becomes of our tomorrow and place in the gre...

The National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, has ruled out  automatic ticket for President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election in the party. Tinubu said that the party would stick to  democratic process  in choosing who would fly the flag of the party. An online news platform, New Edition, reported that Tinubu spoke on Wednesday  when he spoke with journalists in Akure, Ondo State. The respected politician had earlier met with the leadership of the Yoruba socio-political group, Afenifere. His position position is line with that of the Chairman of APC governors forum, Chief Rochas Okoro acha, contradicts that of some state governors of the APC who said they had approved Buhari to run for the 2019 election. The meeting was held at the residence of the leader of the group, Chief Reuben Fasoranti. His words:  “No governors can appropriate the power of endorsement to themselves. Buhari is a believer in due p...

Governorship candidate of the Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in 2015, Prince Gboyega Isiaka, yesterday declared that he was the most qualified of all the gubernatorial aspirants for the 2019 election in the state. Isiaka, who stated that he was more experienced, having contested the governorship position twice, faulted endorsement of Senator Solomon Adeola as the consensus candidate of Ogun West senatorial district for the poll. Speaking in an interview with reporters in Abeokuta, Isiaka expressed hope that the Yewa-Awori extraction would produce the successor of the incumbent governor, Senator Ibikunle Amosun, pointing out that he had built more formidable political structures and consequently had an edge over other contenders. He said: “As far as I’m concerned, if we are going to have three strong candidates in 2019 for governorship, it means that the winner of that election may likely to have about 40-42 per cent and I know that on the ground of sympathy and all of...

Former President Goodluck Jonathan has said the only thing that will make him sleep well is if PDP returns to power in 2019. . Taking responsibility for the poor performance of the party in the last election, Jonathan said his focus now is to take the PDP to its former position. He spoke when he received Bode George, a chairmanship aspirant of the PDP, at his Otuoke residence in Bayelsa state. . “Whether I like it or not, I must take responsibility for the defeat because I led the party to the election,” the media team of George quoted Jonathan as saying. “My priority now is how to ensure that the PDP regains the presidency in 2019. The only thing that will make me sleep well is to ensure that the PDP comes back to power.”

Atiku Abubakar, former Vice President, has declared that he is currently a member of the All Progressives Congress, APC. The former Vice President spoke through his median aide, Paul Ibe when the Concerned Citizens For Atiku, CCA, paid him a visit on Friday. Following calls for Abubakar to return to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Ibe said people are free to express themselves as enshrined in the country’s constitution. According to Ibe, “Well, groups are free, like individuals are free to express their positions, it’s a country of law and there is freedom of expression as enshrined in our constitution. “Having said that, I probably would also remind that his excellency belongs to a political party as we speak.” This is coming at a time when a group known as the South West chapter of the Nigeria Youth Coalition, NYC, admonished the former Vice President to return to the PDP “as soon as possible”. NYC had said the Waziri of Adamawa stands a better chance to clinch the ...

Former Governor of Jigawa State and contender for the Peoples Democratic Party’s sole ticket for the 2019 Presidential election, Sule Lamido has declared that President Muhammadu Buhari has been dumped by ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Lagos State Governor, Ahmed Bola Tinubu. According to him, PDP was not afraid of Buhari, who is now left with his ‘tiny CPC members, having lost support of members of the other parties that merged to form APC in 2015. He noted that Buhari of today is no longer that of 2015 and can now be easily displaced from office. He told Sun, “That is my business if they endorse him or if he runs? Buhari came from a very small party called the CPC. Without the influence of the ACN and the governors who left the PDP, there was no way he would have won because he came from a very tiny party. If those who came together to make him what he is, are no longer in the party, then he has my sympathy for failing to understand this. Look here, Buhari is no ...

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has blasted ‘misguided politicians’ for the posters in Abuja positioning him for the vice president position in the 2019 presidential poll. The governor urged Nigerians to disregard the posters which he described as “handiwork of mischief makers” and has promptly distanced himself. In a statement by his Special Assistant… The post Nobody runs for the office of vice president – Wike appeared first on The Herald Nigeria Newspaper.