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Kashim Shettima: When the Vice President-Elect Votes in Maiduguri

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Kashim Shettima: When the Vice President-Elect Votes in Maiduguri

By: James Bwala

There was so much crowd, young and old with beaming faces that welcomes the Vice President elect, Senator Kashim Shettima when he casts his vote at the Kukawa Polling Unit – PU 23 as a demonstration of his franchise in the gubernatorial and state assembly elections in Maiduguri. The VP elect, who drove himself to the polling unit became centre of attraction along the routes he took as people realizing it was the vice president elect rushed to block the road to cheer and celebrate him. 

Shettima will go into history book as the first to break the jinx to become vice president elect in Borno state. At Kukawa unit, it took the strength and tactical monuever by the security operatives to clear the road from people who wants to catch a glimpse of the vice president elect. Indeed, as the people say it was different Shettima from the governor and senator they know. This is the vice president elect of the federal republic.

Some youths celebrating Kashim Shettima in Maiduguri

After the vice president elect voted at his unit, he took time to go round on assessment of the election generally in the state, which he described as satisfying during a chat with the media. Shettima expresses confident that votes cast from the results coming in will return APC to clinching the state Governorship and state assembly. He told journalists that APC administration will continue to ensure good governance as it’s watch word.

Speaking on the election, a leading observer group, the Transition Monitoring Group (TMG) lauded the peaceful and orderly conduct in which the exercise was carried throughout the period with the team coordinate, Mr. Ibrahim Muhammad describing the manner in which the exercise was conducted as impressive excerpt for the low turnout of voters, who perhaps have traveled to their villages to vote in displaying their rights as citizens to do so. 

Women and girls celebrating Kashim Shettima in Maiduguri

“The exercise is generally peaceful, the low turnout we saw is in Bulumkuttu ward of Maiduguri. So far there is no case of violence, intimidation or harassment. We have deployed our members across local governments to monitor the governorship and House of Assembly election.” He said.

Also residents who came out to vote said officials of the INEC have come out in time. “We have our voters card and the election officials are also on ground but we are still hanging out still checking the situation around to see whether there is the possibility of having our chance to vote again. We believe that this time around Borno people would not waste their time and energy to wait in queues for hours for accreditation. From all indication they are getting it right and we will not loose our franchise.” Ibrahim Usman, a resident of Bullumkuttu Abuja said.

Residents of Lawan Bukar celebrating Kashim Shettima

Another resident of Maiduguri, Mohammed Kaloi said he is hopeful that the election will end peacefully in Maiduguri and the people will demonstrate their rights in picking a leader for another four years. ” I pray for anyone that may emerge to continue in the steps of development that we are witnessing in the state. I also hope that with the state having the vice president elect, we can have the eyes and ears of the federal government here to speed up development.”

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It was also observed that the elections officials and security are available even earlier before voters started casting their votes. An adyhoc staff of INEC at the Bulumkutu Kasuwa Area polling unit said: “We actually don’t have any problem here for now. We have all our election materials ready and collected. We have the BVAS machine and security. We also have our back up configuration facilities. The internet service is also ok and available unlike during the last election.

Vice President-Elect in Government House Maiduguri

While expressing confidence in INEC and the general outcome of the election during an interview with journalists in Maiduguri, the vice president elect reiterated commitment of his party and government in ensuring that the game is played according to the rules. And when asked to assess the accomplishment of the administration on the winning scale he said if by measurements and evaluation the Borno state governor has been placed far above any other governor in the country. He therefore said he is confident that Zulum is returning to continue with the good work he started in the last four years of his administration in Borno.

Speaking on the victory of the APC in the February 25 general elections, Kashim Shettima judged the 2023 presidential elections as the best in the history of Nigeria. He stated that, it would remain a point of reference that Benue state, which is a Christian dominated state gave APC a distancing numbers ahead of other parties to clinched the presidential ticket. 

Vice President-Elect after casting his votes at PU 23 in Lamisula ward

According to Shettima, in a game where the president lost the elections in his state and the presidential candidate of the APC also lost the elections at his doorsteps there can never be a fair game as it is. “We have beaten religious and regional politics on a level playing field. We are going to hit the ground running as representative of the Nigerian people by ensuring fairness and justice to all.”

Kashim Shettima: When the Vice President-Elect Votes in Maiduguri

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Mass defection hits Gombe State NNPP, SDP, LP as over 1, 000 leaders join APC

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Mass defection hits Gombe State NNPP, SDP, LP as over 1, 000 leaders join APC

Ahead of the 2027 general election, the camp of the ruling APC in Gombe State received a boost as over 1, 000 opposition political leaders and members from Yamaltu/Deba Local Government Area of the state, on Monday defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The opposition leaders and members are from the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Social Democratic Party (SDP) and Labour Party (LP).

They were received by Mr Inuwa Garba, member representing Yamaltu Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives in company of Mr Adamu Lambam, APC chairman, Yamaltu Deba LG.

Speaking during the ceremony in Lubo community in Yamaltu Deba LG, Malam Tasiu Isa, the Chairman of Social Democratic Party (SDP) in the council said joining APC was to strengthen the good governance being delivered by the party.

Isa said that Gov. Inuwa Yahaya of Gombe State and President Bola Tinubu have done well for the people through the execution of live-changing projects.

“We, the executives of the SDP from this LG and all the ward executives are joining the APC today and we are more than 500 officials.
“If we join our supporters and members, then we will be talking of thousands of SDP members; we are convinced that APC is the party to be because the party has good governance as evidence,” he said.

Isa commended Rep member Garba for his people-centric approach to representation, saying that Garba’s leadership style was complementing that of Gov. Yahaya.

For Mohammed Hinna, Labour Party chairman, Yamaltu Deba LG, joining APC remained the best option for any patriotic Nigeria who wants to see a better future for the country.

Hinna said with the efforts of President Tinubu and Gov. Yahaya, it would be difficult to remain in opposition, “if you truly a political leader that has the love of the people at heart.”

Mr Adamu Lambam, the APC chairman for Yamaltu Deba said more opposition leaders and members have been joining the APC at the council because of the good governance being delivered by Yahaya in their LG.

Lambam said that the party would continue to welcome anyone who wants to join the APC, adding that “APC is the people’s party because of the developmental strides of Tinubu, Inuwa and Garba.”

Reps member Garba said with the defection, the structure of opposition parties in the council has been weakened and “this is good for APC ahead of 2027.”

Garba said that the performance of Tinubu and Yahaya would make campaigning for APC ahead of 2027 election easier for them when the ban on campaign is lifted in August.

He appealed to members of the APC to remain united while mobilising more members at the grassroots by informing them of the many good things that Mr President and Yahaya have done.

Mass defection hits Gombe State NNPP, SDP, LP as over 1, 000 leaders join APC

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Bayelsa: APC Chieftain Condemns Marginalized Congresses, Alleges Diri’s Plan To Use Isowo As State Party Chairman

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Bayelsa: APC Chieftain Condemns Marginalized Congresses, Alleges Diri's Plan To Use Isowo As State Party Chairman

Bayelsa: APC Chieftain Condemns Marginalized Congresses, Alleges Diri’s Plan To Use Isowo As State Party Chairman

Faults Akpe’s Nomination, Says Governance Now A Family Enterprise

A chieftain and founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Barr. David Perebo has expressed deep dissatisfaction over Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri segregational, sidelining mode of conduct of the party ward and local government congresses.

Condemning in strong terms of the segregational mode of conduct of the APC ward and local government congresses across the state, the chieftain described the congresses as witch-hunt of a selected group of stakeholders, leaders in the party.

The APC member condemned the governor deliberate segregation of key stakeholders in various wards and local government areas are geared towards generating division.

Pursuant to the marginalized mode of conduct of the congresses, ward and local government executives of APC in Sagbama addressing the press, expressed dissatisfaction over non-inclusion of critical stakeholders who stood firmly as an opposition in building the party in Bayelsa state.

The party executives said Senator Diri inability to conduct all inclusive congresses in various wards, local governments across the state, has proven beyond shadow of doubt of the governor incapability to manage affairs of the party in Bayelsa state.

Governor Diri who couldn’t manage insignificant affairs of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP leading to Mr George Turnah factional leadership in Bayelsa, has transferred the same attitude from the PDP to the APC barely four months of defection.

The statesmen said the governor has deceptively taken total control of the APC leadership structure in various wards and local government areas across the state, by installing his followers who defected to the APC from the PDP, while excluding old APC members who built the party.

Diri who preach all-inclusiveness in leadership, has deceptively taken over the leadership structures of Brass, Nembe, Yenagoa, Sagbama, Kolokuma-Opokuma, while allowing Sen. Heineken Lokpobiri, Dr. Samuel Ogbuku and David Lyon to nominate the Chairmen of Ekeremor, Ogbia and Southern-Ijaw as compensation.

Furthermore, the governor whose intentions failed woefully to use his relative, Mr Gesiye Isowo as at then Bayelsa PDP Secretary, as Bayelsa APC Caretaker Chairman before any official defection to the APC, has perfected preparations to use him as Chairman of APC in Bayelsa State.

Senator Douye Diri has perfected preparations to produce the Bayelsa APC Chairman, Secretary, including other relevant positions to take total control of the party structure in the state, as deliberate steps towards producing a governorship candidate in the next gubernatorial election.

Unknown to Lokpobiri, Ogbuku who are rumoured to have governorship ambitions in 2027, Governor Douye Diri will never support any of them as successor, rather he is nurturing a relative from Nembe extraction whose father is from Sampou to succeed him as Bayelsa Governor.

In the same vein, the APC chieftain has condemned the decision of the Bayelsa Governor, Senator Douye Diri over nomination of his maternal relative from Ayamasa town, Pastor Peter Pereotubo Akpe as Deputy Governor with motives to revolve the government as a family enterprise.

The chieftain who that stands for justice, fairness, and transparency in governance, has expressed intense dissatisfaction over Governor Douye Diri’s nomination of his relative as deputy governor against Bayelsans.

The sudden passing of the Bayelsa Deputy Governor, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo whose cause of sudden death still uncertain, created room for timely replacement of the office of the deputy governor according to Section 191 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

He said the governor has privatized governance of Bayelsa as a family enterprise with Akpe nomination as deputy when expected to choose from other competent Bayelsans.

Senator Diri has virtually privatized governance of Bayelsa by appointing only relatives in sensitive positions: Chief of Staff now Deputy Governor, Deputy Chief of Staff, Director of Domestic, Director of Transport, and other government house appointees.

The aggrieved party stakeholder said successive administrations since 1999 has credibly and transparently distributed political appointments across the three senatorial district, but the reverse has been the record in Senator Douye Diri administration.

The governor take decisions without putting into consideration of those who consciously built his political reputation. He defected to the APC without considering the feelings of leaders working closely with him.

Bayelsans has witnessed that the governor has no conscience and empathy, enveloped with greed and ingratitude against those who helped in building his political career and reputation; such as former President Goodluck Ebele Jonathan, Dr. Timi Alaibe, Senator Seriake Dickson.

Senator Diri political trajectory has been driven by pettiness, rumours, propaganda, capitalizing on illiteracy, poverty and stomach infrastructure syndrome of some Bayelsans, while privatizing and managing resources of the state as a family enterprise.

In self-delusional, deceptive pretense of building peace, unity, he brought in opposition members to replace those who fought (some lost their lives) for his emergence, instead of acknowledging, and compensating them for their support and sacrifices.

Douye was very selfish to abandon Jonathan, Alaibe in PDP, especially Dickson who believed and trusted him as successor. Yet, he embraced the people who fought against those who worked for him in the election.

The way and manner the governor had shown ingratitude to Jonathan, Dickson, Alaibe, and others, same thing he will do to Lokpobiri, Ogbuku, Lyon, and other leaders in the APC.

Douye doesn’t understand that those who are praising him, are doing so for political patronage (monetary terms), and desert him after office.

Signed:

Barr. David Perebo
APC Chieftain Writes From Yenagoa

Bayelsa: APC Chieftain Condemns Marginalized Congresses, Alleges Diri’s Plan To Use Isowo As State Party Chairman

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National Progressive Hub (NPH) Urges Support for President Tinubu’s Second Tenure

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National Progressive Hub (NPH) Urges Support for President Tinubu's Second Tenure

National Progressive Hub (NPH) Urges Support for President Tinubu’s Second Tenure

By Comrade Philip Ikodor

The National Progressive Hub (NPH), a leading support group for the All Progressives Congress (APC), has called on all Nigerians to rally behind President Ahmed Bola Tinubu GCFR for a successful second term in office come 2027.

In a statement, National Coordinator/Convener, Honorable Bukie Okangbe, praised the APC administration for its efforts towards nation-building and economic stability. Okangbe highlighted the NPH’s previous support for President Tinubu, including a National Security and Endorsement event in 2022 that contributed to the party’s successful general election outcome.

The NPH is gearing up for a Grand Endorsement event for President Tinubu’s second term, scheduled to hold on February 26th at the Musa Yaradua Center, CBD, Abuja. The event will also feature the inauguration of 36 state coordinators, including the FCT, and address critical national issues.

“We invite everyone to join us at this significant event,” Okangbe said. “Your presence will be a testament to our collective commitment to Nigeria’s progress and the APC’s vision for a better future.”

The event promises to be a landmark occasion, showcasing the NPH’s dedication to the APC and President Tinubu’s leadership.

National Progressive Hub (NPH) Urges Support for President Tinubu’s Second Tenure

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