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APC chieftain urges party to adopt consensus to avoid dollar rain,

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APC chieftain urges party to adopt consensus to avoid dollar rain,

APC chieftain urges party to adopt consensus to avoid dollar rain,

A founding member of the All Progressives Congress and Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria, Osita Okechukwu, on Sunday, urged the governing APC to adopt the consensus route in electing its presidential candidate in its forthcoming primary election.

This, he said, would prevent what he described as the “dollar rain” allegedly witnessed at Saturday’s presidential primary of the Peoples Democratic Party and save the naira from further depreciation.

“…if that could happen in a party with about 731 (767) delegates, imagine what will happen if the APC with about 2,322 delegates is allowed to indulge in Dollar Rain,” he stated.

According to him, Atiku Abubakar’s “opportunistic victory” will have little or no impact on the APC’s election of a presidential candidate from the South-East.

Okechukwu made these known in a statement he signed on Sunday titled ‘Mr President, save Naira from obscene Dollar-monetised presidential primaries, Okechukwu pleads.’

The reports gathered that, ahead of the primaries of the governing party and the main opposition, aspirants engaged in a frantic dollar buy-out nationwide, leading to the further depreciation of the naira.

Citing the withdrawal speech of one of the PDP presidential aspirants, Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who said the primaries have been “obscenely monetised,” Okechukwu said the consensus route would ensure that the forthcoming APC presidential primary does not follow the PDP’s highest-bidder dollar rain.

In his speech before withdrawing from the PDP primary, the former banker, Hayatu-Deen, said, “it is, therefore, based on personal principles and with great humility that I have decided to withdraw from this contest, which has been obscenely monetised.”

According to Okechukwu: “Albeit, our sister opposition political party has every constitutional right to elect whoever they want as their flagbearer; the dollar rain is worrisome as noted by Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, who dubbed it obscenely monetised presidential primary.

“If the naira is already bleeding because of dollar rain on 731 (767) delegates; please, better imagine the degree of depreciation of the naira if another blitz of dollar rain is allowed to be splashed on 2,322 delegates.

He, therefore, called on the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), to consider the consensus option in the APC presidential primary.

He explained, “All the three (modes of primary) are democratic and are in our law books. Please, is it not paradoxical that the governors and ex-governors who oppose consensus had adopted the same consensus and even outright imposition to select their successors?

“To me, they have lost the moral high ground to oppose Mr President from adopting such a legal mode of primary election. One’s appeal is that a politically correct aspirant should be consensually presented.”

The party chieftain, who congratulated the newly elected PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, dismissed insinuations that with Atiku at the helm, the APC would not adhere to the rotation convention of electing a presidential candidate of the Igbo extraction or a southerner.

“Methinks His Excellency Atiku Abubakar’s opportunistic victory will have little or no impact on (the) APC’s election of a presidential candidate from among Ndigbo aspirants or by extension the southern belt aspirants. I don’t think Mr President I know even going by consensus will deny the south their turn.

“Most importantly, one, northern voters are sophisticated, having voted for Chiefs MKO Abiola and Olusegun Obasanjo, with all indicators they will vote southerner this time around so as to shame the PDP for breaching the rotation convention in their constitution.

“Second, there are a number of northern voters who are patriots, who believe sincerely in the ancient doctrine of equity, natural justice and the imperative of unity of our dear country. Going south is the best solution to smoothen the polarisation in the land.

“Thirdly, the dormant Igbo voters in Kano, Lagos and other towns plus core non-Igbo APC voters will be woken up to trounce Waziri Adamawa at the polls,” he said.

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AT SENEGAL’S 65TH INDEPENDENCE DAY:Nigeria Hails Strategic Relationship As Key To West African Stability, Economic Growth

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AT SENEGAL’S 65TH INDEPENDENCE DAY:
Nigeria Hails Strategic Relationship As Key To West African Stability, Economic Growth

** Seeks deeper cooperation in trade, security, democracy

By: Our Reporter

The Nigerian government has described its relationship with Senegal as a strategic partnership built on a foundation of shared history, democratic values and economic interdependence.

This followed Vice President Kashim Shettima’s presence at Senegal’s 65th Independence Day Anniversary held at the Place de la Nation in Dakar on Friday.

VP Shettima had represented President Bola Tinubu at the event where President Bassirou Diomaye Faye of Senegal played host to guests from across Africa and beyond.

Speaking on the sidelines of the event in Dakar, Nigerian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Ambassador Bianca Odumegwu-Ojukwu, said there were very strong bilateral ties between Nigeria and Senegal, noting that both countries achieved independence in 1960 and have maintained shared commitments to democratic governance and regional security.

Also on Nigeria’s delegation was Hon. Oluwole Oke, Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs.

“Senegal and Nigeria have very strong bilateral ties. This has been as a result of our shared history and circumstances—both countries attained independence at about the same time in 1960,” the Minister stated.

Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu emphasised the need for continued collaboration in democracy, trade, and security between the two countries.

She said, “Both countries have remained committed to deepening democratic governance, values, and constitutional governance in the African continent. We have also jointly remained committed in the fight against terrorism and building strong regional institutions.”

The Minister revealed that Senegal accounts for 68.7% of Nigeria’s exports within the ECOWAS market—an indicator of Nigeria’s central role in regional trade.

“Senegal takes 68.7% exports from Nigeria within the ECOWAS market,” she disclosed, describing the statistic as a reflection of “mutually beneficial economic cooperation.”

The Minister also pointed to sustained high-level engagement, noting that “the President of Senegal, Bassirou Diomaye Faye was in Nigeria last year to meet with our President, His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to talk about areas of collaboration and cooperation.”

Ambassador Odumegwu-Ojukwu expressed optimism about the future of the Nigeria-Senegal partnership, expressing hope that both nations will “continue deepening this economic relationship and enhance” their relationship across all sectors.

The event was attended by several foreign dignitaries, including Guinea-Bissau’s President Umaro Sissoco Embalo, The Gambia’s President Adama Barrow and Mauritania’s President Mohamed Ould Cheikh Ghazouani.

In his national address at the event, President Faye applauded Senegal’s democratic maturity, reaffirming his commitment to deeply transforming the country.

“Now more than ever, we must harness this driving force to correct what needs fixing and to give shape to the aspirations of our people and the hopes of our youth,” Faye said.

These reforms, he said, include optimizing local finances, ensuring budgetary transparency, rationalizing public spending, and managing debt efficiently to safeguard fiscal sustainability.

AT SENEGAL’S 65TH INDEPENDENCE DAY:
Nigeria Hails Strategic Relationship As Key To West African Stability, Economic Growth

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VP Shettima Departs Abuja For Dakar To Represent President Tinubu At Senegal’s 65th Independence Anniversary

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VP Shettima Departs Abuja For Dakar To Represent President Tinubu At Senegal’s 65th Independence Anniversary

By: Our Reporter

The Vice President, Senator Kashim Shettima, has departed Abuja for Dakar, Senegal, to represent President Bola Ahmed Tinubu at the country’s 65th Independence Day Anniversary celebrations.

Senegal celebrates its Independence Day on April 4 each year, commemorating its freedom from French colonial rule in 1960. The day is marked by national pride, with ceremonies, parades and cultural events.

The Vice President’s attendance at the annual event is in honour of an invitation extended to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu by the Senegalese President, Bassirou Diomaye Faye, following the strong mutual relationship between Nigeria and Senegal.

The independence Day celebrations will be held at the Place de la Nation in Dakar, with President Faye playing host to Vice President Shettima and other distinguished guests from across Africa and beyond.

The Vice President is expected to return to Nigeria tomorrow after the one-day event.

VP Shettima Departs Abuja For Dakar To Represent President Tinubu At Senegal’s 65th Independence Anniversary

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President Tinubu Laying Foundation For A Better Nigeria, Says Hajiya Nana Shettima

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President Tinubu Laying Foundation For A Better Nigeria, Says Hajiya Nana Shettima

  • Tasks Nigerians on constructive criticism of government actions, policies

By: Our Reporter

Wife of Nigeria’s Vice President, Hajiya Nana Shettima, has scored the administration of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu very high, saying the President is building a better Nigeria for Nigerians through his laudable economic policies, various empowerment initiatives and investments in key sectors of the economy.

And to help the President secure a better future for all Nigerians, the VP’s wife also encouraged the citizens not to relent in giving very useful advice to the government, urging them to be more constructive in their criticism of the administration instead of just attacking for political reasons.

Hajiya Nana Shettima spoke on Wednesday in Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, during the annual Ramadan feast, which had in attendance women groups and students

Emphasizing the determination of the Tinubu administration to leave a lasting legacy for generations to come, she said, “President Bola Ahmed Tinubu is baking a new cake for us that are alive today, and for the Nigerian children and grandchildren that are coming behind us. It is who he is ably supported by our lovely First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu.”

Hajiya Nana Shettima noted that the President means well for the people of Borno State as well as Nigerians in all parts of the country, even as she urged the citizens to always pray for President Tinubu and members of his cabinet.

“I can tell you that he (the President) means well, not only for Borno people but for the entire nation. We should not forget him and his subordinates in our prayers,” she added.

She further commended the First Lady of Nigeria, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for her contributions towards actualizing the agenda of the administration, especially through the Renewed Hope Initiative which she said has impacted many lives, including women, children and people with disabilities.

Also speaking at the event, the Director General of Maryam Babangida Centre for Women Development, Abuja, Dr Asabe Bashir, admonished women and the people of Borno State to imbibe the teachings of the just concluded Ramadan.

She also sought the people’s support and prayers for President Tinubu, thanking the President for picking his deputy from Borno State.

She said, “I always reiterate the importance of prayer because without prayers we can do nothing in life. We have just come out of Ramadan; let us imbibe that culture and lessons we received during the 29-day fast. We need to continue with the spiritual reflection.

“We should thank God and President Bola Tinubu for remembering the people of Borno State again by bringing the seat of the Vice President, not just to the North-East region but to Borno State after Ambassador Babagana Kingibe was elected along with the late Chief MKO Abiola so many years ago.

“We must continue to pray for the administration of President Bola Tinubu because if it succeeds, we succeed,” Dr Bashir added.

On his part, the Speaker, Youth Assembly of Nigeria, Tijjani Abubakar, thanked President Tinubu for his support to Nigerian youths through various youth empowerment initiatives.

Also, Dr Martins Ekunke, who spoke on behalf the South-South, Yoruba and Igbo communities residing in Borno State, commended the First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, for galvanizing support for people living with HIV/AIDS through her pet project, the Renewed Hope Initiative.

Among those that attended the annual Sallah feast hosted by Hajiya Shettima, were the wife of the Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Hajiya Maryam Lawan; wife of the Deputy Speaker of Borno State House of Assembly, Hajiya Laure Musa-Askira; female Commissioners and political appointees.

Also in attendance were women groups, members of the Borno State chapter of the Nationals Association of Nigerian Students, as well as the leaders of South-South, Igbo and Yoruba communities residing in Borno State, among others.

President Tinubu Laying Foundation For A Better Nigeria, Says Hajiya Nana Shettima

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