Archive for the ‘Progressives’ Category

I went abroad to rest, says Buhari

All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari (second right) on arrival in Nigeria from the United Kingdom at the Nnamdi Azikwe International Airport in Abuja... on Friday. | credits: Olatunji Obasa

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Maj.Gen Mohammadu Buhari on Friday returned to the country after spending two weeks abroad.

Buhari returned in company of his family members, members of the APC Presidential campaign team led by the Deputy Director-General of the campaign, Senator Olorunimbe Mamora.

The retired General, who arrived the Nnamdi Azikiwe International Airport aboard a British Airways flight at about 5:40am dressed in a black flowing gown, dismissed speculations about the state of his health.

Responding to news making the rounds that he went abroad to seek medical attention for an undisclosed ailment, Buhari said, I just went off for a couple of weeks to rest. Thats all I did.

Asked whether he visited any hospital during the trip to the UK, he replied, What is wrong for me to go to the hospital? Am I not here now? Arent you seeing me? Are you seeing a sick man?

Addressing his Chatham House visit also, the APC presidential candidate said, I went to Chatham House to deliver an address and there was a question and answer session. Thats all.

He took no further questions as he joined a waiting vehicle while waving to several of his supporters who were on hand to welcome him.

Entry into and exit out of the airport was chaotic as a long convoy of vehicles belonging to his supporters who wanted to catch a glimpse of their hero blocked the major entry and exit point at the airport.

Ongoing rehabilitation work within the facility added to the chaos.

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I went abroad to rest, says Buhari

APC plans campaigns against our leaders PDP

The Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Organisation on Friday alleged that the opposition All Progressives Congress was planning to assassinate the characters of its leaders ahead of the March 28 and April 11 general elections.

The Director of Media and Publicity of the campaign organisation, Chief Femi Fani-Kayode, made the allegation while addressing newsmen in Abuja.

He said his party was in possession of credible information about the alleged APCs plan to procure the services of some disgruntled persons within and outside the country to carry out the attacks.

Fani-Kayode said, They have offered huge sums of money to the former staff of numerous PDP leaders, including the President, the Vice President, the National Chairman, the DG of the Presidential Campaign Organisation, the Chairman of the PDP Board of Trustees, the National Security Adviser, two Directors of the Presidential Campaign Organisation, including my good self, and numerous other key government and party leaders and functionaries to fabricate the most unbelievable, salacious, chilling and macabre tales about their former principals in an attempt to discredit us.

While condemning the planned Lagosians March for Change, being organised by the Buhari/Osinbajo Campaign Organisation on Saturday, he argued that if there should be any rally or protest in Lagos, such should be directed against some national leaders of the party.

Meanwhile, a group, operating under the auspices of the PDP Integrity Vanguard, has expressed fears that the database of the Independent National Electoral Commission would have been compromised by some unscrupulous persons, and therefore raised anxiety over the outcome of the results of the general elections.

Addressing newsmen in Abuja, the Leader of the Group, Senator Aniete Okon, said recent discoveries by the PDP Integrity Vanguard appeared to provide sufficient proof that the allegations of cloning of INEC database could have been true after all.

Okon, who called for the immediate forensic examination of the INEC database, revealed how the Permanent Voter Card of Mrs. Effiong, who registered in Gwarimpa, in FCT, was cloned in Akwa Ibom State.

He expressed doubt if the electoral empire was ready to conduct a transparent election, following the myriad of defects and failings apparent in the process.

Okon said, The entire gamut of INECs logistics and the technologies it has deployed so far have generated public anxiety in recent times.

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APC plans campaigns against our leaders PDP

APC urges Jega to sanction Enugu REC for misconduct

March 6, 2015 by Ihuoma Chiedozie, Enugu 8 Comments

INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega

The All Progressives Congress in Enugu State has asked the Chairman of Independent National Electoral Commission, Professor Atahiru Jega, to sanction the Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Professor Chukwuemeka Onukaogu, for alleged misconduct.

The request followed the RECs visit to the chairman of Enugu North Local Government Area, Mr. Emeka Ede, a Peoples Democratic Party member, an action which the APC said amounted to misconduct on the part of the INEC official.

The call was contained in a statement by the Director of Media and Publicity, Enugu State APC Gubernatorial Campaign Organisation, Emeka Okafor, titled The Visit of Resident Electoral Commissioner, for Enugu State to the Office of the Enugu North LG Council Chairman, Unwarranted.

The APC noted that, against the backdrop of challenges faced by INEC in the build up to the 2015 general elections, including the inaccessibility and inadequacy of Permanent Voter Cards and concerns over the reliability of the electronic card reader machine, the Commissions officials should avoid any action that would cast doubt on their readiness to conduct free and fair polls.

He stressed that INEC must prove to Nigerians and the international community that it is capable of independently conducting free, fair and credible elections.

The Enugu APC campaign spokesman further stressed that INECs ability to live up to expectation depends on the credibility of its principal officers as persons of unquestionable integrity, as stipulated in the provisions of section 14, third schedule, part 1 of the 1999 Constitution.

The Enugu APC accused the REC of hobnobbing with politicians by his visit to the local council chairman.

Okafor said, To sustain this integrity, INEC staff, especially principal officers must shun the tendency to hobnob with desperate politicians who are determined to scuttle the democratic process by shortchanging the due process of power transfer.

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APC urges Jega to sanction Enugu REC for misconduct

APC holds Lagos mega rally, as Jonathan, others jog in Abuja

All Progressives Congress presidential candidate, Maj. Gen. Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) (left); and Borno State Governor, Kashim Shettima, during the APC presidential rally in Borno State. | credits: Borno State Government House

The All Progressives Congress is today holding a one-million-man march.

The march, which kicks off from the Maryland area of Lagos at 8am to Teslim Balogun Stadium, Surulere in the city.

The march is expected to be led by stalwarts of the APC like the national leader, Bola Tinubu and the Lagos State Governor, Babatunde Fashola, in an attempt to psyche supporters ahead of the March 28 and April 11 presidential and governorship elections respectively.

The Coordinator of the APC Campaign Organisation in Lagos, Mr. James Faleke, had told journalists that the one-million-man march was to prepare the minds of supporters of the party for victory ahead of the polls.

He said, In order to psychologically prepare the minds of our voters and give a psychological defeat to the opposition, we are planning a one-million-man march for Saturday (today) by 8a.m. It will commence at Maryland through Allen Avenue and will end behind Shoprite, Alausa.

The walk will be inaugurated by Asiwaju Bola Tinubu. It will be led by Governor Fashola, Osun State Governor, Mr. Rauf Aregbesola, the Lagos State APC governorship candidate, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, and our vice-presidential candidate, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), he said.

In the same vein, President Goodluck Jonathan will today lead government officials as well as sportsmen and women on an out-door physical training exercise in Abuja, the nations capital and seat of power.

The exercise, aimed at promoting sports and fitness in Nigeria, according to the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity, Dr. Reuben Abati, will also see Jonathan leading others to jog from the Presidential Villa in Aso Rock to the Eagle Square in the heart of the Federal Capital Territory where a rally for the Peoples Democratic Party will hold.

Abati, in a statement on Friday said the training exercise, which would commence at 7:00am, would see top government officials including presidential aides, political associates, leading sports personalities and enthusiasts partake in the exercise.

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APC holds Lagos mega rally, as Jonathan, others jog in Abuja

Well accept defeat if election is free, fair Osinbajo

Prof. Yemi Osinbajo

The vice presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Prof Yemi Osinbajo (SAN), on Friday evening in Abuja said his party would only accept the outcome of the March 28 presidential election, provided the election is free, fair and credible.

According to him, the party is not bothered by the threats by 15 political parties to pull out of the election over the use of card readers.

He spoke with journalists after being a guest at the Catholic Social Forum with the theme: Promoting the Culture of Violence-Free Elections in Nigeria.

He said the use of card readers by the Independent National Electoral Commission was not electronic voting as being painted by some people.

Osinbajo maintained that APC was not afraid of threat from any quarter, adding that the party was interested in the use of card readers to ensure credible election.

He stated that the party would not accept the outcome of anything short of free, fair and credible polls.

He said, We (APC) are not bordered by the threat to pull out of the election by any party, it is their choice to participate. We want credible election. We want to ensure that all PVCs are genuine, we dont want rigging.

We have confidence in God, we are ready to accept the outcome of the election provided it is free and fair; we expect that this election must be free and fair and that is why we are taking all these troubles, as we are educating our people.

Dont forget that under the same INEC that is now being feared by PDP, our party lost election in Ekiti and Anambra. In 2011, it was the same gentleman (Attahiru Jega) that conducted election, we went to court, contested it, but all of a sudden the same PDP said they are jittery. If the election is not free and fair, we know the right and constitutional thing to do.

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Well accept defeat if election is free, fair Osinbajo