Group gives President Buhari two weeks ultimatum to return to the country

<div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <strong>An advocacy group, Concerned Nigerians, has given Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari a two weeks ultimatum to return to Nigeria and resume his office as the president.</strong></div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> The group said the president should come back to continue the mandate given to him by Nigerians during the 2015 elections failure of which it would storm the streets of Nigeria on peaceful protest.</div> <div class="article-image" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Ubuntu, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px auto 0.75em; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative;"> <img alt="Group gives Buhari two weeks ultimatum to return to Nigeria" class="article-image__picture" src="https://i.onthe.io/vllkyt58ecn6gtmeb.bc1c4df0.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" title="Group gives Buhari two weeks ultimatum to return to Nigeria" /></div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> In a statement signed by its convener, Prince Deji Adeyanju and made available to newsmen on Saturday, March 4, the group alleged that although President Buhari handed-over presidential powers to his vice and now Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, he still on two occasions performed two Presidential functions even while abroad on medical vacation, a development the group said constitutes a constitutional dilemma.</div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <strong>PAY ATTENTION:</strong> <a href="https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.naij.android&referrer=af_tranid%3DkToCi1POXh0cpwxyfG30MQ%26pid%3Dcrosspromoweb%26c%3Dlinkarticle" rel="nofollow" style="color: #00ad5d; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">Get the latest News on NAIJ.com News App</a></div> <div class="adv" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Ubuntu, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;"> <div data-slot-id="/12437143/naij_universal_intext" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div data-google-query-id="CNbdpuexvdICFZOVdwodGGAFUw" id="div-gpt-ad-1479220725670-0" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div id="google_ads_iframe_/12437143/naij_universal_intext_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none; margin: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"> <iframe frameborder="0" height="90" id="google_ads_iframe_/12437143/naij_universal_intext_0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="google_ads_iframe_/12437143/naij_universal_intext_0" scrolling="no" style="border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="3rd party ad content" width="728"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> The group however said President Buhari must return to Nigeria since even the circumstances surrounding his actual health status have been kept secret from Nigerians who ought to know the situation concerning their president.</div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> Read the statement below:</div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <i>“Today – March 4th, 2017 marks 45 days of President Muhammadu Buhari’s absence from his office as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and from the country as a whole on a medical vacation in the United Kingdom.”</i></div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <i>“During this period, he has not made any public appearances and has only clandestinely “communicated” with very few people. Furthermore, details of President Buhari’s health status have been kept away from the generality of Nigerians while his media team and other members of his cabinet/party make conflicting comments regarding his health.”</i></div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <i>“We acknowledge that during this period, President Buhari has satisfied constitutional requirements by transmitting letters to the National Assembly handing power over to his Vice President, Professor Yemi Osinbajo, on an acting capacity.”</i></div> <div class="adv" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Ubuntu, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;"> <div data-slot-id="/12437143/naij_universal_intext_02" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div data-google-query-id="CMv7q-exvdICFdGo7QodAN8NYQ" id="div-gpt-ad-1480510592967-0" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div id="google_ads_iframe_/12437143/naij_universal_intext_02_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none; height: 90px; margin: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 728px;"> <iframe data-is-safeframe="true" frameborder="0" height="90" id="google_ads_iframe_/12437143/naij_universal_intext_02_0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="" scrolling="no" src="https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-6/html/container.html" style="border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="3rd party ad content" width="728"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <i>“However, during this period, President Buhari has created a constitutional dilemma by carrying out official functions. On February 13, 2018 in a capacity as President of Nigeria, he spoke to President Donald Trump of the United States with respect to bilateral relations between the two countries.”</i></div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <i>“On Thursday March 2nd, 2017 again in a capacity as President of Nigeria President Buhari spoke to the King of Morocco with respect to bilateral relations between the two countries as well as Morocco’s application to become a member of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS).”</i></div>

Group gives President Buhari two weeks ultimatum to return to the country

An advocacy group, Concerned Nigerians, has given Nigeria’s President Muhammadu Buhari a two weeks ultimatum to return to Nigeria and resum...

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FG Sacks All NCAA Directors

<span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Federal Government has approved the sack of all the directors in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) with immediate effect.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">All nine directors were dismissed by the Minister of State for Aviation, Senator Hadi Sirika.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Those affected are: Alhaji Salawu Ozigi (Director of Finance and Accounts), Dr. Joyce Nkemakolam (Director of Aerodrome and Airspace Standards), Barr. Aba Ejembi (Director of Administration) and Mr. Emmanuel Ogunbami (Director of Licensing).</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The others are: Engr. Benedict Adeyileka (Director of Airworthiness), Mr. Justus Wariya (Director of Air Transport Regulation), Alhaji Adamu Abdullahi (Director of Consumer Protection), Capt. Ayodele Sasegbon (Director of General Aviation) and Mr. Austin-Amadi Ifeanyi (Director of Human Resources).</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">They have been ordered to hand over to the next in command in their various directorates.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Sam Adurogboye, the General Manager, Public Affairs, NCAA, confirmed the development.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">“It is true that all the directors have been disengaged, but I don’t have details of their disengagement,” he said.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><img src="http://www.premiumgist.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/02/ncaa1.jpg" /></span>

FG Sacks All NCAA Directors

The Federal Government has approved the sack of all the directors in the Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) with immediate effect. A...

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PDP Crisis: Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Under Fire

<br /> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The leadership crisis tearing the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) apart is now being linked to the failure of the party to field a Northerner as its presidential flag bearer in the 2015 elections.</span></div> <span style="background-color: white;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYC), factional leader of the PDP, Senator  Ahmed Makarfi, former national chairman, Dr. Mohammed Haliru and several other party chieftains  believe the story would have been different today for the PDP if it had given its ticket to  a Northerner in that election.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Dr. Goodluck Jonathan from the Southsouth who completed  the  first term of the late President Umaru Yar’Adua and went on to win re-election in 2011 was the party’s candidate in 2015 but lost to President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The party has not known peace since then with Makarfi and former Borno State governor Ali Modu Sheriff locked in a fierce battle for the chairmanship.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Reviewing the situation in an interview yesterday, Makarfi was confident that the party would have won the 2015 presidential election had it fielded a northern candidate.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Makarfi opined that the ‘gang up’ against the PDP in the North would not have arisen if the party had presented a northern candidate.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">He said, the party also became too comfortable that it no longer communicated well with the people to know what they wanted, which he said made it easier for propaganda to be used against it.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The PDP, he said, “ would have won the 2015 presidential election straight away with a northern candidate.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“The reason is that, it would have been impossible to make an issue out of this North, South thing. We would have broken the North’s gang up, so to say, against the PDP.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Again, we became too comfortable. A little bit of arrogance sometimes. We were not communicating well with the people. Because we were not communicating well, we failed to get what the people were saying, and of course, that made it easier for propaganda to be used against us. And that propaganda went deep that we couldn’t do anything again.”</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Yes, we lost the presidential election but that doesn’t diminish us. Every other party still knows that PDP is a leading party,” Jonathan told party leaders who went to present him with the report of the Strategy Review and Inter-Party Affairs Committee of the PDP.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Losing the presidency is something temporary. We should be able to get that position back as long as we are able to get our acts together. I am happy that you people are working towards that,” he said.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">However, Haliru  told The Nation that the North felt shortchanged in 2015 when the party put Jonathan forward as its candidate for the election.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Haliru said that the unfinished first term of the late President Umaru Yar’ Adua was rightly completed by Dr. Jonathan, as specified by the 1999 Constitution, “but since the two terms were meant for the North, the party ought to have fielded a northern candidate to complete the second term (from 2011-2015).”</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">He said:”Yar’ Adua was not there to contest for second term, so you cannot say the second term was a Yar’ Adua/Jonathan ticket. It was only the first term that was Yar’Adua/ Jonathan, which the constitution provided for.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Out of arrogance, the leadership abandoned principles and the people feeling abandoned, reacted the way they reacted. So, I am not surprised. It was the abandonment of the principle of zoning that led the people to abandon the party”.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The ex-party chair, who also served as Defence Minister under Jonathan, admitted that part of the contributing factors to Jonathan’s defeat was nostalgia among majority of Nigerians for what they viewed as the performance of the Buhari military government of 1984.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">His words: “We cannot deny the fact that because President Buhari’s military government of 1984 was interrupted after a short period of 20 months, people were nostalgic that may be if Buahri was allowed to continue, he would have done better.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“But they forgot that the times were not the same. The problems of Nigeria in 1984 have not remained static and the people that Buhari is working with have not remained static.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“For instance, Gen. Tunde Idiagbon is no longer here. He was the backbone of that government and a number of other people that served in that government are either dead or now too old to serve.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“The nostalgia was for that government of 1984 headed by Buhari but also assisted by others, including Gen. Ibrahim Babangida who had clouts then.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“It was a period where the Head of State was the Alpha and Omega. Even if Gen. Idiagbon were to be alive and serving in this government, he may not have the same influence he had back then because the powers of the leader of government under the military were different from the powers enjoyed by a president under an elected government.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“So all these are factors we cannot forget. They felt that if Buhari could come back in 2015, he would correct everything. But the unfortunate thing is that people did not pray aright.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Instead of praying to God to right the wrongs, they were saying let Buhari come and right the wrongs. If you take the position of God and give it to a person, God will test that person to make sure that nobody is omnipotent but God Himself”.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Reminded that he was the one that moved a motion at the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting shortly before the election,that paved the way for Jonathan to contest the 2015 presidential election, Dr. Haliru clarified his position.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">According to him, the motion he moved was to allow Jonathan contest the election, but not to make him the sole candidate for the election, as decided by the party leadership at the time.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“That motion was not my motion. I saw the motion on the floor of the house. What people were saying was that Jonathan could not contest. It was not a convention.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“It was a NEC meeting and we realized that if you rule out a sitting president, it could damage the party. But if you allow him to contest, you could defeat him at the convention.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“So I moved the motion that he should be allowed to contest, but not as sole candidate. Sule Lamido (immediate past Jigawa State Governor) seconded the motion.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“If you see the content of that motion, you won’t see anything like sole candidate there. Even though I saw the motion on the floor and I was asked to move it.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“If I had seen sole candidate in it, I would not move the motion. Jonathan was allowed to contest as an aspirant. The people did not deny anyone of the right to contest.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“There were other people that wanted to contest but the then National Working Committee of the party restricted sale of forms to other aspirants.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“I was not one of the people who felt that Jonathan should not contest. I did not move the motion for a sole candidate because there is no provision for sole candidate in the PDP constitution.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Even when it is zoned to the south, northerners are allowed to contest. Even when zoned to the north, southerners are allowed to contest.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Remember our first convention when the presidential ticket was zoned to the south in which Chief Olusegun Obasanjo emerged, the late Abubakar Rimi also contested and he was allowed. The following one, which was also zoned to the south for Obasanjo’s second term, Rimi and some other people still contested. So PDP has no provision for sole candidate”.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Dr. Haliru however, restated Jonathan’s position that the PDP could win the 2019 presidential election if the party could put its acts together.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">He said that many PDP members that defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC) shortly before the 2015 election are now disappointed by the poor performance of the ruling party in government.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The Kebbi State born party chief hinted that majority of the high profile defectors have already been discussing with the PDP, seeking to return to the PDP.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">He continued: “The same people that defected from the PDP and voted for the APC in 2015 to make them win, are now thoroughly disappointed. They have been coming to us.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“They are not likely to vote for the APC ticket again. And then if you look at the election figures, if you remove the five PDP states where their governors defected to the APC, you find that the APC would not have been anywhere near winning the election.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“If you remove the two million votes that Buhari got from Kano. He only defeated Jonathan with about two million votes. So remove votes from Kano, Sokoto, Kwara and Adamawa which used to be PDP states from the votes given to Buhari.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“But now they are all disappointed by the APC. So you can say that it’s PDP that made Buhari win in 2015 because we alienated our people. Now we are reorganising and we are inviting our people back.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Even the claim that APC won because of merger is not true. If you look at the Southwest, it was 50/50 for the PDP and the APC. Jonathan was almost 50/50 with Buhari in the Southwest.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“And PDP owns the Southsouth and the Southeast. So looking at these figures, one can predict that we will come back to power in 2019.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“The only thing is that if a third party merges, as some people are talking about a mega party. But we will do our best to ensure that PDP is repositioned to offer credible alternative, rather than forcing people to go for a third party.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">In a separate interview, Senator Grace Bent, who represented Adamawa South in the Sixth Senate, said: “In all fairness, Jonathan should not have had the ticket, especially when you see the need to go by our zoning policy,” she said.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“With adherence to our zoning formula, we would have been able to look around for a credible candidate from the northern part of the county, to contest for that office.”</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Bent said: “With the way things are going in the party now, I am afraid that the issue of zoning is going to be rubbished. Everybody now wants to give it a shot; Igbos are beginning to agitate for it, the North is insisting that they must do their own second term and there is so much agitation.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“For executive office, believe me, I am completely for zoning; it is a must that zoning or rotation must be practiced for executive office.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“For executive office, it is compulsory that we must maintain zoning policy and adhere strictly to it, especially when we consider the complexity of our mosaic nature – our multi-ethnic, multi-religious setting. With such, we do not have a choice.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“That was one of the reasons why president Obasanjo insisted that a South-South person should have a shot at the presidency and that is why he and other party people supported Goodluck Jonathan so that the Ijaws could feel a sense of belonging.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“The country belongs to all of us and no  particular group  can  claim  its  leadership  as  an  exclusive  right.   No!   We   must   stand   by zoning policy always, otherwise, we are going to create unnecessary chaos in the country”.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The national leader of Arewa Youth Consultative Forum (AYC) Comrade Shetima Yerima, also  blamed ex-President Jonathan for the present crisis rocking PDP.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Speaking by phone Shetima said:  “The party wouldn’t have been in the crisis it is currently enmeshed in if Jonathan had allowed a northerner to run in 2015.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“On moral ground, Jonathan should have stepped down and allowed a northern to run based on agreement within the party and other stakeholders. He should have allowed a northerner to contest to respect the agreement. But on constitutional ground that supersedes every other interest, he had the right to contest.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“What is happening in the party shows that they don’t have the love of the people and the country at heart. They are only trying to satisfy some interests in the party. This is what brought us to the state we are today.  For me, it is destined that Buhari must be the president of Nigeria. it was destined that Jonathan must disappoint people and go ahead to contest, it was destined that the PDP must make that blunder for Buhari to come in.”</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Mr. Austine Medaiyedu, Special adviser to former Governor Idris Wada of Kogi state said :”The truth of the matter is that GEJ was no longer sellable for the Presidential election in 2015.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“He surrounded himself with sycophants who could not tell him the truth. Don’t forget also the accusations of the purported single term  agreement he signed and vowed not to run again.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“More importantly, the parallel campaign organisation floated by his wife was one of his undoings. The climax of his failure was the unresolved internal crisis in PDP. Five sitting governors defected to APC and we went into the election without considering the implications. Zoning was another factor for his failure. The PDP refused to zone presidency to the North as widely requested for.”</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">A chieftain of the party in Ondo State and former media aide to Governor Olusegun Mimiko,Mr Sunday Menukuro maintained that former President Goodluck Jonathan committed a blunder by contesting the 2015 presidential election.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">He noted that the people had been fed up with his administration and should have allowed a Northerner to run for the office.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“He  should have allowed natural justice to take place by not re-contesting the election. It was out of picking the better devil out of two that the eminent academic, Prof Wole Soyinka supported the incumbent President,Muhammadu Buhari because the people had no choice,” Menukuro said.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Menukuro however expressed optimism that the PDP crisis would soon be over and would get back to power in 2019.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Factional chairman of the party in Kwara state Prince Sunday Fagbemi said the Jonathan candidacy in the 2015 election was responsible for the defeat of the party.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Prince Fagbemi who is loyal to Ahmed Makarfi PDP said: “Candidly speaking the fortune of PDP would have been enhanced if Dr Goodluck Jonathan had not contested the last presidential elections.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“If PDP had fielded a northern candidate all retired military officers would have voted against Buhari because many of them know his background.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“The outcome of the elections showed that many northern PDP members, even in states that we had super ministers mobilised for APC or were unconcerned.”</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">A former youth leader and state chairmanship aspirant of the PDP in Enugu State, Sir Tony Nwachukwu said the failure of PDP in the 2015 presidential election was caused by making Jonathan the flagbearer.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">His words: “ýFormer President Goodluck Jonathan should not have featured as PDP Presidential Candidate in 2015.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> “His resolve to contest destabilized PDP and the divide sustains to date. It is unfortunate and regrettable.”</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;"> Ntufam John Okon, immediate past chairman, PDP, Cross River State, said: “Those things are past issues, but we felt that we should give him (Jonathan) an opportunity to run, but like you noticed he was not acceptable to  the nation and that is why he lost the election.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“So it is already a gone matter. I was part of his delegates, to give him opportunity to rule. I believe we would have done better if Jonathan had nominated somebody from the north.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“But then, what if a candidate came from the North and Jonathan did not support him? It wouldn’t have been better too because he was the sitting president. And normally in our experience you give the president a second term to be able to do it. Just like I said, he was not well received by the nation and that is why we lost the election. So we have learnt.”</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">However, the Ijaw Youth Council (IYC) Worldwide said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) lost the 2015 Presidential election because the party’s decisions at the state levels were unpopular and selfish.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The foremost Ijaw group said the party breached the principles of internal democracy during their various primaries in states.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The President of IYC, Mr. Udengs Eradiri, said the party imposed candidates at various electoral positions in the state including the governorship level compelling its members to vote against the party at the general elections.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">He insisted that former President Goodluck Jonathan despite his popularity was a victim of protest votes caused by the greed and insensitivity of PDP cabals.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">He said: “The PDP was busy imposing candidates while the opposition, the All Progressives Congress (APC) was getting stronger. When you see that the opposition was getting stronger as a party you should have come up with a strategy of making sure that the will of the people in your primaries prevailed.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“But almost all their primaries had issues and APC was clever to wait for them. Anywhere the PDP failed, the APC took advantage and that was what happened.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“If Jonathan breached the party’s zoning principle, how come he got over 12 million votes? Jonathan lost narrowly because the party failed to allow internal democracy prevailed when they were carrying out primaries.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“They were imposing unpopular candidates. In a lot of places the APC won, the candidates didn’t even spend money. They benefitted from protest votes”.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">The party’s publicity secretary in Bayelsa State,Jonathan’s home state, Mr. Osom Macbere,is also of the view that the PDP  lost the election because its members especially from the North betrayed Jonathan.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">Macbere, a lawyer, insisted that it would be foolhardy to blame Jonathan for PDP’s misfortunes, when it was an open secret that almost all the structures of the party in the north supported President Muhammadu Buhari because of their tribal loyalty.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">He described the current crisis rocking the party as the Karma resulting from the betrayal against Jonathan and advised the party to deal with its self-inflicted injuries instead trading blames.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">He said: “Overtime, the people of the north have been known to be lacking in real party loyalty. They are only loyal to their tribe and during that period, their loyalty swayed from Jonathan to Buhari because they wanted to support their kith and kin.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Their actions were guided by ethnicity and tribalism because Jonathan was not their own. How would they have though that any President would not have to run in an election where he was the first candidate.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“The man was a sitting President and wouldn’t it have been abnormality for a sitting President to have chickened out running to protect his office simply because of any consideration other than his qualification?</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“So, they were just being ethnic, parochial and tribalistic in their thinking that he ought not to have run. If Jonathan were a northerner, that line of reasoning wouldn’t have been pertinent.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Jonathan was not a northerner of their own extraction that was why they betrayed him. They wanted him to concede his right to run to one of their own and because he didn’t do that he was betrayed.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“So, Jonathan didn’t lose because Jonathan was not a popular candidate. He lost by dint of high level betrayal from his own party men and women from the north.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“The crisis is PDP is still the crisis of the betrayal that they had done to Jonathan and the karma that follows every situation where propriety is never the order of the day.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Had they not betrayed Jonathan, all that we are enmeshed in now wouldn’t have been there. So, the betrayal, the treachery and the tribalistic and ethnic thinking of the northern cabal was the reason Jonathan failed and remains the reason the party has been in crisis up till now.</span></div> </span><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></div> <span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">“Their primordial thinking that everything that has to do with political power is the exclusive reserve of the north has not been helping matters in our polity.”</span></div> </span></span>

PDP Crisis: Goodluck Ebele Jonathan Under Fire

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Osinbajo Faces Tough Times In Aso Rock..

<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Indications have emerged that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo is facing pressure with loaded activities resulting from the continued absence of President Muhammadu Buhari. President Buhari left Nigeria over a month ago for the United Kingdom (UK) where he is currently receiving medical attention.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Buhari had in separate letters to the leadership of the Senate and the House of Representatives, transmitted power to Osinbajo to perform the duties of the President in acting capacity until he returns.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The President on February 6, dispatched another letter expressing his desire to extend the vacation in order to undergo a series of medical tests as recommended by London doctors.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Saturday Telegraph gathered that since President Buhari’s departure, the traffic of activities in Aso Rock has shifted to the Vice- President’s office wing with a series of events and meetings engaging the acting President attention.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Osinbajo, who heads the President’s Economic Management Team (EMT), also presides over the National Economic Council (NEC).</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">This comprises the governors of the 36 states of the federation, governor of the Central Bank if Nigeria (CBN) and other top government officials. With the absence of President Buhari, the acting President has also been presiding over the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC).</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Investigations of his weekly schedule show that the Acting President holds about 15 meetings ranging from security, economic to political issues.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">A senior aide to the Acting President, who spoke to our correspondent yesterday on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to do so, confirmed that the absence of President Buhari was telling on Osinbajo. “It’s really tough for the acting President.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Everyone with a problem, from the ministers, the state governors, the leadership of the National Assembly, the diplomatic community, security agencies and many others, want his attention.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">“He has to attend to these officials and other consultations from the private sector as well as other organised sectors. You can understand the pressure this is exerting on the acting President unlike when both leaders were around,” the source noted.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Our correspondent also gathered that following the official transfer of power to the Vice President, the atmosphere in Aso Rock is not tense as compared to the crisis created during the days of late President Umaru Yar’Adua and Goodluck Jonathan.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">“Every government official including the President’s men are loyal to the Acting President who is performing all functions of the President.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">“You can see that both the Chief of Staff to the President Abba Kyari, the Special Adviser to the President on Media and Publicity Femi Adesina and Garba Shehu who are the three closest aides to Buhari here have been coming to work. It’s one presidency,” another aide to the Acting President noted yesterday.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">This week, Osinbajo met with the Presidential Enabling Business Environment Council (PEBEC), the Presidential Task Force on Wheat and Rice Production and the management of South African Telecommunication firm, MTN. Osinbajo was also in Lagos on Thursday where he flagged off the GreenBond as well as inspect facilities at the Murtala Muhammed International Airport. He also visited The Gambia.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Senior Special Assistant on Media and Publicity to the Acting President, Mr. Laolu Akande, who confirmed that work load for his principal had increased, however, said he was equal to the task. Akande in an interview with our correspondent said “The Acting President is doing very well.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Even before the transmission of power to him through the letter to the National Assembly, he had been hardworking.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">“Let me tell you that the acting President became a law teacher at 23, a Professor at 33. Not many people become professors so quick, that’s a sign of hard work.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">“He coordinated a lot of work as Commissioner of Justice in Lagos State and did that job with all seriousness and a great sense of commitment.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">“He has always been hardworking. Hard work for him is an important value and that is why he works round the clock. In fact, the Acting President has told me that Mr. President inspires him a great deal,” Akande noted</span></span>

Osinbajo Faces Tough Times In Aso Rock..

Indications have emerged that Acting President Yemi Osinbajo is facing pressure with loaded activities resulting from the continued absence ...

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I’ll Rather Remain In My House Than Have Sheriff As PDP Chairman

<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Hours after the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt gave its decision to vest legitimacy to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as national chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Chief Olabode George, a former Deputy National Chairman of the party poured out his lamentations.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">He spoke about the consequences of the ruling government decimating the opposition and his decision to stay back in his house. He also commented on the defection of six of the eight PDP members of the Lagos State House of Assembly to the All Progressives Congress, APC.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Excerpts:</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">The Court of Appeal sitting in Port- Harcourt has delivered a judgment in the PDP crisis, pronouncing Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as the authentic chairman of PDP, what do you have to say on this?</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">I was shocked. To use the word shock is mild. It is worse than being shocked. My immediate conclusion was haaa! This is the voice of Jacob and the hand of Esau asking that our National Convention be set aside.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Bode George</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">My spirit has never been this low as it is today. Whither Nigeria, where do we go from here? A lot of people expected a vibrant opposition, now they have taken the opposition vibrancy to an appendage to the ruling party. I cry for our beloved country. I weep for my country. When President Buhari comes back, we would continue to pray for his good health, those who are masquerading and manipulating all these things should hands off and allow the system to run. Don’t kill the goose that has laid the golden egg of political activities in this country, don’t do that.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">We must be full of prayers. For me as a Christian, I go on my knees, I pray to God. Every country experiences darker side once a while, the last day I can recall was the day Baba Awolowo was sent to prisons. He came back triumphantly, contributed his quota and I thought we would never be back to those days, but here we are again.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Out of the eight members lawmakers your party has in the Lagos House of Assembly, six of them have defected to the APC. What is your reaction?</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">I am extremely disappointed in them. A Rolling Stone gathers no moss. Those who tried that in the past, where are they today? If you bite the fingers that fed you, you are heading straight to perfidy. Can the people they are going to join in that political party trust them? It was through our sweat, through our hard work that they got there. We sat down, we worked, spent time and money and resources to convince the people. What they have done now is that they have disappointed the constituencies that put them there. Would they have the nerves except they are shameless to go back to their constituencies? Did they consult them before they jumped ship? It is the most irresponsible behaviour ever.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">It is shameful. Most of them are young, what would they want their names to be in the future? You got a mandate based on your constituencies, they decided the people to represent them and fight on their behalf, they have been there for almost two years but they decided without consulting their leaders at the constituencies and in the party before they jumped ship. Anybody who goes through a window into a house is called a thief.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">But the lawmakers attributed their defection to the crisis in the party.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Which crisis? Now, there is no crisis because the court had given it to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, let them stay where they are.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">As a follow up to your lamentations about the state of the PDP, are you saying that the case of the PDP is beyond redemption?</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">I have grown in the party and I know the nooks and cranny of the party. I have worked so hard because I spent ten years as one of the managers of the party. We did our best building it up. It is a political colossus, it is not something you can wish away.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Any decision taken at the national convention is sacrosanct and it is only another convention that can change the decision of that convention.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Now the judiciary has said they change the decision for the party, I wish our nation the very best. We need prayers. During the 16 years of the PDP, we never went on that channel to decimate any political party. We never did. Rather, our approach was to use the powers of government to woo the hearts and minds of the people to the party.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">That is what is done in a civilized world. But this is logic, what did we flout before you set it aside and gave it to Ali Modu Sheriff?</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Was there an agreement among the factions that the Court of Appeal judgment should not be appealed?</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">I wish them the best of luck, I will never be part of that. One needs to be steadfast on his mind, flip floppers don’t achieve anything. That is not the concept for which those Babas who established this party set. If anybody wants to join, you know it is a voluntary thing. I will remain a public commentator, I will be vocal when there is the need for it and I will be objective. Now I am happy also that our Babas in the Afeniferes, you know there was a time Afenifere was associated with a political party. Now with good conscience and the situation in the country, they have decided that Afenifere will no longer have political wing, Afenifere will be a cultural voice of Oduduwa people as the ACF is in the north or Ohaneze in the South East .</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">I will be part of anything for the good of our society, but this ball that they are kicking like a tennis ball, today it is this, tomorrow it is that, you don’t need to be a rocket scientist to know that it is heading into perfidy. I will never be part of it. Never!</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Are you saying you are relinquishing the membership of your party?</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">I will sit in my house. You can still be a member and be watching and by the time it is settled, you will know where they are going.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">But you can still go to the Supreme Court?</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">That will be the decision of those administering the party. You know even at the Supreme Court, Oga is there to take his full seat.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">This year is critical for politics, because by the middle of this year, towards the last quarter, critical activities will start. No matter how small, it will start and if you don’t have a definitive direction it will be too late. You are running a 100 meter dash, some people have started running and then you are still on the starting block, can you meet them on the way? I am also a retired General, I don’t need to waste my time. I will take my back seat, the party will now meet and if they say they want to go to court, fine. You see very quickly now, the police will open the National party Secretariat for Sheriff to move in, when they do that, I wish the others best of luck.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">We can see like I told you, this is not the first time , go back into history , the decimation of the Action Group, AG where did it lead Nigeria?</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">With the local government elections in Lagos near, what are the prospects for the PDP?</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">You know the sad thing there is this, we have a party that is with Makarfi and they are the bigger membership, we have the tiny strength who are members of the Sheriff camp, they will now say they are the authentic. If you see the communiqué issued in Ijebu Igbo, I saw some names state by state in South West , their own chairmen, they have one in Ogun, one in Lagos , Oyo, Osun, in Ekiti and they have in Ondo, that is the Sheriff Group, they will now go and conduct election, the court has recognized them. Unless the Supreme Court reverses the Appeal Court judgment and I can’t see that happen before the local government election. So wait for the result of the election, the bigger side now is being sidelined. Of course, you will find people who are professional political jobbers who served the moment, they are not committed to anything.</span></span>

I’ll Rather Remain In My House Than Have Sheriff As PDP Chairman

Hours after the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt gave its decision to vest legitimacy to Senator Ali Modu Sheriff as national chairman of th...

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There will be no election in 2019 - Fani Kayode

<div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <strong>Chief Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), a former aviation minister, has said there will be no general election in Nigeria, come 2019.</strong></div> <div class="article-image" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Ubuntu, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px auto 0.75em; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative;"> <img alt="There will be no election in 2019 - Fani Kayode" class="article-image__picture" src="https://i.onthe.io/vllkyt7p6761t6qsu.2b4f5433.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" title="There will be no election in 2019 - Fani Kayode" /><div class="article-image__caption" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(194, 208, 213); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 0.75em 0px;"> There will be no election in 2019 - Fani Kayode</div> </div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> The ex-presidential campaign spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), stressed that Nigeria was in dire need of deliverance which he believes will take the place of 2019 elections.</div> <div class="adv" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Ubuntu, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;"> <div data-slot-id="/12437143/naij_universal_intext" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </div> </div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> According to FFK, the country is possessed with some evil spirits brought in by the current government, and Nigerians must pray to flush same out in 2019.</div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <strong>READ ALSO: </strong>Biafra Agitation: IPOB are righteous people fighting noble cause - FFK reveals</div> <div class="adv" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Ubuntu, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;"> <div data-slot-id="/12437143/naij_universal_intext_02" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </div> </div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <strong>Chief Femi Fani Kayode (FFK) says the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB) are righteous</strong></div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <strong>- Fani-Kayode says the drive for the actualization of a Biafra Republic, is a just one</strong></div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <strong>- FFK says he is a friend of the IPOB</strong></div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <strong>- The IPOB recently described the former aviation minister as a fearless intellectual</strong></div> <div class="adv" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Ubuntu, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;"> <div data-slot-id="/12437143/naij_universal_intext" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div data-google-query-id="CMSar7zsqNICFcaP7QodWg0HkA" id="div-gpt-ad-1479220725670-0" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> <div id="google_ads_iframe_/12437143/naij_universal_intext_0__container__" style="border: 0pt none; height: 90px; margin: auto; padding: 0px; text-align: center; width: 728px;"> <iframe data-is-safeframe="true" frameborder="0" height="90" id="google_ads_iframe_/12437143/naij_universal_intext_0" marginheight="0" marginwidth="0" name="" scrolling="no" src="https://tpc.googlesyndication.com/safeframe/1-0-6/html/container.html" style="border-style: initial; border-width: 0px; margin: 0px; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; vertical-align: bottom;" title="3rd party ad content" width="728"></iframe></div> </div> </div> </div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> <strong>- The pro-Biafra group further says that FFK is the conscience of the West</strong></div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> Former Minister of Aviation, Femi Fani-Kayode, on Thursday, February 9, commended the Indigenous People of Biafra, IPOB, saying the group is fighting a noble cause.</div> <div class="article-image" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Ubuntu, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px auto 0.75em; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px; position: relative;"> <img alt="Biafra Agitation: IPOB are righteous people fighting noble cause - FFK reveals" class="article-image__picture" src="https://i.onthe.io/vllkyt3ce627jsdbs.bb05e3ef.jpg" style="border: 0px; display: block; height: auto; margin: 0px auto; max-width: 100%; padding: 0px;" title="Biafra Agitation: IPOB are righteous people fighting noble cause - FFK reveals" /><div class="article-image__caption" style="border-bottom-color: rgb(194, 208, 213); border-bottom-style: solid; border-image: initial; border-left-color: initial; border-left-style: initial; border-right-color: initial; border-right-style: initial; border-top-color: initial; border-top-style: initial; border-width: 0px 0px 1px; font-size: 0.75em; line-height: 1.4em; padding: 0.75em 0px;"> Biafra Agitation: IPOB are righteous people fighting noble cause - FFK reveals</div> </div> <div class="adv" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: Roboto, Helvetica, Ubuntu, Arial, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em; overflow: hidden; padding: 0px;"> <div data-slot-id="/12437143/naij_universal_intext_02" style="border: 0px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"> </div> </div> <div class="align-left" style="background-color: white; border: 0px; color: #212121; font-family: "Roboto Slab", Roboto, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: 18px; margin-bottom: 0.75em; padding: 0px;"> He made the remark in reaction to a statement credited to the pro-Biafra group describing him as a fearless intellectual and the conscience of the West.</div>

There will be no election in 2019 - Fani Kayode

Chief Femi Fani-Kayode (FFK), a former aviation minister, has said there will be no general election in Nigeria, come 2019. There will b...

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Action:Igbos Support Osinbajo

<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Osinbajo must be given full executive powers so that we can move on from the nightmare of the past two years. </span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Buhari and his lying spokespeople spent everyday blaming the last administration as the nation slid deeper into poo, without a rudder. Nigerians literarily went through hell, not knowing which disaster a new day would bring.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Osinbajo, with the little authority he has is making things happen.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Shame on all the educated zombies who were buying Buhari's lame blame game and defending his gross incompetence, nepotism and and vengefulness. </span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">When a sane intelligent person is in charge, change is inevitable. As we are witnessing bit by bit.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">We must now all join together and demand full executive powers for Osinbajo.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">He may not be the best person for the job but anyone would be better than Buhari.</span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Let us also pray for Buhari to enjoy his rest, we are fine without him. </span><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;">Wriiten by Charles Kay</span></span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></span> <span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif;"><span style="font-size: 13.3333px;">SEE THIS ALSO:</span></span></span><br /> <h2 style="color: #220000; font-family: tahoma, verdana, sans-serif; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;"> <span style="background-color: white;"> We Won’t Allow Anyone Hold Nigeria To Ransom</span></h2> <span style="background-color: white;"><img src="https://www.nairaland.com/attachments/4902302_osinbajok_jpegd37d43b41b4479569eafb8ff6e067a72" /></span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></span> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></span> <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><br /></span></span> </span><br /> <div class="s" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #555518; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 8.5pt; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 6px 0px 0px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b id="lpt53942053"></b><b id="shb53942053"></b></span></div> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <div class="narrow" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: black; font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: normal; margin: 0px auto 0px 0px; max-width: 976px; orphans: 2; padding: 0px; text-align: left; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: none; white-space: normal; widows: 2; word-spacing: 0px;"> <span style="background-color: white;">Acting President Yemi Osinbajo, who said this, added that the government was intensifying dialogue with stakeholders in the Niger Delta with a view to addressing security challenges in the region.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;">He restated the government’s commitment to making the business environment more conducive for local businesses to thrive by speeding up the process of formulation and implementation of strategies.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;">Osinbajo, who spoke at the 16th edition of the National Productivity Day and conferment of National Productivity Order of Merit Award on some individuals and corporate bodies, said the government was committed to its promise on the fight against terrorism, anti-corruption and the development of the economy to create jobs.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;">His words: “Boko Haram has been defeated and its members are only resorting to cowardly attacks on soft targets, killing innocent men, women and children. Despite this, the residents of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa states, including several neighbouring states, are now going about their daily business in relative safety.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;">“Besides Boko Haram, a new insurgency has arisen in the form of blowing up gas and oil pipelines by groups of Niger Delta militants. This administration will not allow them to hold the country to ransom. While security is being beefed up in the areas, we shall intensify our on-going dialogue with the various stakeholders in the region.”</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;">Restating the Muhammadu Buhari administration’s commitment to the country and the citizenry, Osinbajo said: “We are working tirelessly and will continue to do so with hard work, diligence and honesty. Delivery may be a bit slow, but the promised change will come in no distant time.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;">“Our economy is no doubt currently facing serious challenges. Before now, the economy had been purely monolithic having relied solely on oil as its major source of revenue.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;">“The dwindling oil prices and the disruption in supply occasioned by the insecurity in the Niger Delta made us to realise the urgent need for diversification of our economy with emphasis on sectors that will improve employment prospects for our young people.”</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;">Osinbajo urged entrepreneurs to take advantage of the new opportunities to grow businesses, create jobs and wealth for themselves and the nation.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;">He said: “Nigeria’s current youth unemployment crisis has been attributed to lack of job, skills and experience. I am happy to note that the inclusion of entrepreneurship education in the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) programme enables the corps members to acquire skills in specific areas of interest.</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;">“This not only makes them self-reliant and employers of labour; but also prepares them for value added work life. The Federal Government through the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) is providing N2.5 billion facility for the Youth Entrepreneurship Development Programme (YEDP).</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;">“Specifically, Corps members with good business ideas and entrepreneurial skills will have access to the loan at single digit interest. It is my expectation that this programme, in addition to other ongoing interventionist programmes, will help to combat youth unemployment.”</span><br /> <span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span> <span style="background-color: white;">He listed the payment of the N5, 000 monthly allowance to one million poorest and most vulnerable citizens, the recruitment of 500,000 unemployed graduates and the proposed training for 375,000 others without degrees, as some efforts of the government to reduce unemployment.</span></div>

Action:Igbos Support Osinbajo

Osinbajo must be given full executive powers so that we can move on from the nightmare of the past two years.  Buhari and his lying spokespe...

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Don’t Abandon Buhari, CAN Begs Christians

<div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN)</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>has once again asked Christians to continue</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>praying for President Muhammadu Buhari</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>until he returns to the country hale and</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>hearty.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>This is contained in a statement signed by</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Pastor Adebayo Oladeji, Special Assistant</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Media and made available to newsmen on</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Thursday in Abuja.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><img class="img" src="https://d19lga30codh7.cloudfront.net/wp-content/uploads/2017/01/CAN-.png" style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px; margin: 0px; max-width: 976px; padding: 0px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>The Special Adviser on Media and Publicity</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>to the President, Femi Adesina, on Tuesday</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>in Abuja said the results of President’s</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>medical tests suggested further rest.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>The CAN President, Rev Samson Olasupo</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Ayokunle, urged Nigerians especially</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Christians not to cease praying for the</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>President, the acting President and the</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>country until he returns in good health and</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>sound mind.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Ayokunle, reminded Christians that it is</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>their responsibility to pray for the country</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>and her leaders in season and out of</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>season.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>“I call on all well meaning Nigerians,</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>especially Christians not to cease praying</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>for President Muhammadu Buhari as he</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>takes further rest as advised by his doctors.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>“It is needless reminding you that as</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Christians, our responsibilities include but</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>not limited to making supplications,</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>prayers, and intercessions, for all that are</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>in the position of authority. `That we may</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>lead a quiet and peaceable life in all</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>godliness and honesty.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>For this is good and acceptable in the sight</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>of God our Saviour…’” (1 Timothy 2:1-2)></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>He also allayed fears being expressed in</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>some quarters that the prolonged absence of</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Buhari has created a vacuum in the</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Presidency cited the transfer of power to</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>the Vice President.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>“We don’t see the need for any hue and cry</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>being made by some people that his</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>unprecedented absence could create a</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>vacuum in the Presidency.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>“President Buhari has done what is needful</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>by transferring power to the Vice-President,</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Professor Yemi Osinbajo who is up to the</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>task.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>“The Church should also continue praying</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>for him for divine wisdom, knowledge and</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>understanding as he discharges his</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>constitutional responsibilities.”</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Ayokunle called on the security agencies to</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>rise up to the security challenges in the</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Southern Kaduna by flushing out the</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>hoodlums who are still killing innocent</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>people.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>“We call on the security agencies in the</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>country to stop the killings in Kafanchan</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>despite the presence of policemen and</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>soldiers in the area.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>“We heard of recent attacks in Atakar and</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Kaninkon villages of Kaura and Jema’a</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Local Government Areas in the state.</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white;"><b><br style="font-family: verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;" /></b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>“All hands should be on deck to flush out</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>those criminals from their hideouts in order</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>to restore a permanent peace to the</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>Southern Kaduna communities once and for</b></span></div> <div style="text-align: justify;"> <span style="background-color: white; font-family: "verdana" , sans-serif; font-size: 13.3333px;"><b>all,’’ Ayokunle said. </b></span></div>

Don’t Abandon Buhari, CAN Begs Christians

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) has once again asked Christians to continue praying for President Muhammadu Buhari until h...

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