Politics

The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, has called on President Muhammadu Buhari to resign for admitting on Friday that the nation’s economy was in bad shape.

Buhari reportedly made the confession during his meeting with the 36 governors at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Friday.

In a statement by his Special Assistant on Public Communication, Mr Phrank Shaibu,  on Sunday,  Atiku said the President’s confession that the economy was in bad shape was not only a  ploy to attract the sympathy of Nigerians but also aimed at getting a soft landing.

He said,  “The result, of course, is his confession of failure on the eve of our general elections in the hope that millions of Nigerians, whom he has condemned to poverty and hardship, will give him a clap for failing abysmally.

I dare say that President Buhari has miscalculated badly on this matter because Nigerians are simply fed up with him.

“The economy has collapsed under his watch and he has by this frank remark admitted that he has no idea on how to fix it and that is why he summoned the governors to help him.

This is really very sad because President Buhari has run out of time and what Nigerians need now is leadership which has the political will, administrative experience and sound economic acumen to get Nigeria working again.”

The former Vice-President expressed his disappointment that Buhari had continued to blame the PDP for the country’s bad economy, saying the President had reportedly confirmed that he was incapable of fixing the economy.

Atiku said Buhari should step down from his position since the economy was in bad shape.

He said Buhari’s admission had confirmed the British multinational bank HSBC’s prediction that re-electing him in 2019 could plunge Nigeria into a deeper economic hardship.

Atiku said, “Unless those in charge of the APC and the party’s supporters are, as usual, suffering from some form of self-delusion, it just does not make any sense for them to say that the All Progressives Congress’ Federal Government has  brought succour to ordinary Nigerians when President Buhari himself has admitted to  the governors that the economy has gone beyond his control.

Or do we need a prophet to tell us that the President’s admission is a vindication of our long-held position,  and indeed the forecast by HSBC recently cited by the Nigerian media where the bank said a second term for Buhari would greatly affect the economy of the country?”

He added, “The exchange rate of the naira to the US dollar when the APC assumed office in 2015 was about N170 (official rate) to $1. Today it is N360 to $1. Today millions of Nigerians, most of them youths, are unemployed, forcing them to become professional beggars who wait for the  FG’s monthly N5,000 handout and N10,000 Tradermoni aimed at bribing them to re-elect the party in the forthcoming elections.

“Power generation has actually dipped from 4,949 megawatts, which the PDP left in 2015 to less than 3,500 megawatts even though Buhari’s managers consistently claim that 7,000 megawatts are what the country is currently generating. What more evidence do we need to know that the APC has been a curse rather than a blessing to our country?”

Atiku lamented that the President had failed to apply new methods in addressing the challenges facing the country.

He said, “Our  President is still living in the Paleolithic age of blame game and buck-passing as responsible for his failures.

“What this simply means is that President Buhari was not really prepared for governance and did not even understand the simplest intricacies of running a national economy as big as Nigeria.

Presidential spokesman, Femi Adesina said he wouldn’t comment on the statement.

Adesina said, “I don’t respond to PDP issues. Whenever it is the PDP, talk to the APC. Journalists should know this.”

When reminded that the question was on Atiku’s call for  Buhari to resign for admitting that the economy was in bad shape, Adesina said he would not talk.

Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo says he is not a spare tyre to the president, emphasising that his roles as the number two citizen are spelt out in the constitution.

Osinbajo said this during the vice-presidential debate organised by the Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON).

He said this differs from the constitution of other countries.

Asked how taking the job of the vice-president has been since he assumed office over three years, Osinbajo said the demand of the role has since increased his grey hair.

He, however, said despite the herculean nature of his job, it has also been rewarding.

“I am sure that those who know me quite well know that my hair was not this grey when I started out in 2015. So really, it has been tasking,” Osinbajo said.

“And it has also been an incredibly rewarding experience especially looking at it from the point of view of the ability to do the things that one wanted to do all along as an individual.

“The role is one where you are in many senses the chief adviser to the president of the country and possibly the one person that would represent him when when he is absent for a meeting and even when he is absent for a longer period.

“So there is a sense in which the role of the vice president is one that very closely mirrors the role of the president in very profound ways.

“But our vice-presidency is different from that of other countries. Because unlike other countries, even countries that have similar constitutions, our own constitution actually specifies role for the vice president. The vice president is the chairman of the national economic council…that is a constitutional role.

“In some senses, those who say the role of the vice president is like a spare tyre have it wrong because they are probably looking at other jurisdictions. In our jurisdiction, there are specific roles that the vice-president is entitled by law to perform.

“The vice president is also the chairman of the NCP, that is the national council of privatisation , the vice president is also statutory chairman over 22 parastatals and agencies and these are defined by law.

“That role is one that a good degree of trust is required between the president and the vice president. The role of the vice-president is one which also requires, I think, a great deal of patience because you may not always agree with the policies.”

Dapo Abiodun, governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun state, is enmeshed in allegations of perjury over his post-secondary school qualifications, The Cable is reporting.

According to documents filed, Abiodun declared only his West African School Certificate (1978) in the Form CF001 that he submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on October 23, 2018, ahead of the 2019 general election.

However, when he ran as the APC senatorial candidate (Ogun east) in 2015, he claimed to have attended the University of Ife, Ile-Ife (1986) and Kennesaw State University, Atlanta Georgia, US (1989) in his INEC form CF001, backed by an affidavit he swore to at the high court, Abeokuta, Ogun state.

Curiously, while he listed B.B.A. (hons) accounting as the degree he got in 1986 as at then 2015, he was silent on what he studied at Kennesaw State University.

However, in his official curriculum vitae, he claimed to possess another degree, B.Eng (hons) in civil engineering, presumably received in 1989 from the American university.

Also, on the website of Heyden Petroleum Limited where Abiodun is MD/CEO, underneath his name were listed B.Sc Civil Engineering and BBA Accounting.

If he preceded immediately to Kennesaw after his graduating from Ife in 1986, he would not have finished before 1990 as civil engineering is a four-year course in the university.

There are strong suspicions that he did not do the compulsory national youth service, even though he finished his first degree in 1986 — going by the INEC form CF001 he filled head of the 2015 election, supported by an affidavit.

Abiodun was born on May 29, 1960 and was 26 in 1986 when he claimed to have finished his first degree. The age limit for national service is 30.

Apart from the possibility of having committed perjury either in 2014 or 2018, there is also the possibility that he skipped the compulsory national service, which is punishable under the law.

Section 13 of the NYSC Act states:

• (1)Any person (b) who refuses to make himself available for service in the service corps continuously for the period specified in subsection (2) of this section, is guilty of an offence and liable on conviction to a fine of N2,000 or to imprisonment for a term of twelve months or to both such fine and imprisonment.

A criminal conviction will also mean the offender is barred from holding public office.

Section 182 of the 1999 constitution states:

• 182. (1) No person shall be qualified for election to the office of Governor of a State if – (e) within a period of less than ten years before the date of election to the office of Governor of a State he has been convicted and sentenced for an offence involving dishonesty or he has been found guilty of the contravention of the code of Conduct.

Earlier this year, he was appointed chairman of the Corporate Affairs Commission (CAC) by President Muhammadu Buhari.

In 2012, he was appointed chairman of the Depot and Petroleum Product Marketers Association (DAPPMA), a position he still holds.

Abiodun has been in a running battle with Ibikunle Amosun, governor of the state, and the state working committee of the APC over his endorsement by the national body of the party for the 2019 governorship election, instead of Adekunle Akinlade, the governor’s choice.

The APC candidate had accused Amosun of plotting to upturn the decision of national working committee (NWC) of the ruling party to recognise him as the guber candidate of the state, while accusing the governor of being “desperate to install” Akinlade at all cost.

Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), says he cannot wait for the 2019 presidential debate.

Atiku said this shortly after his running mate took on Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo at the debate organised by the Nigerian Elections Debate Group (NEDG) and the Broadcasting Organisations of Nigeria (BON).

The PDP candidate commended Obi for “laying out our vision to get Nigeria working again”.

“I watched with pride as @PeterObi laid out our vision to get Nigeria working again. Can’t wait for the presidential debate,” he tweeted.

Five parties participated in the vice-presidential debate. They are Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), Alliance for New Nigeria (ANN), All Progressives Congress (APC), Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Young Progressives Party (YPP).

The presidential debate is scheduled for January 19.

The threat of Minister of Communication Adebayo Shittu not to support Oyo State All Progressives Congress(APC) governorship candidate in 2019 is empty, the party stated on Friday.

The APC said it has decided to only watch the various utterances of the Minister instead of joining issues with him.

The Minister told reporters recently he was shortchanged by Governor Abiola Ajimobi and denied the governorship ticket despite paying huge amount to purchase the expression of interest form.

He threatened not to campaign for the party’s flag bearer or work for its success in the election.

But the APC, in a statement by its Director of Media, Research and Strategies and Publicity Secretary, Dr AbdulAzeez Olatunde, described the minister for making ‘an empty threat.’

Titled, “Rejoinder to Barr. Adebayo Shittu’s gaffe”, the statement challenged the minister to release the results of his polling unit, ward and local government in 2007 and 2011 for the public to know whether he is an asset or liability to the party.

The APC said: “The Party believed that, Barr Shittu’s contribution to the electoral victory of APC and the emergence of President Muhammadu Buhari in 2015 is not traceable beyond 30 minutes cameo appearance in the the public rally in ancient Mapo Hall, yet he is the greatest beneficiary by becoming a Minister.

“It is common knowledge that his two elections are colossal failures so this threat not to support Adelabu lacks condiments of substance and its infact an empty threat.

“A translated Yoruba adage has it that, A tree which one rest upon but could not support one, if such a tree decides otherwise, it’s impact would obviously be minimally felt.

“However, Barr Adebayo Shittu is expected to know that, Oyo state chapter of APC did not screen him as such we are aghast at his transferred aggression.

“Honestly, as a self acclaimed Islamic cleric, we thought he would live an exemplary live and be a role model, going by Quran 3:26 where it was explicitly stated that “Allah giveth Power to whom thou pleaseth…. “

Gov. Abiola Ajimobi has said that the National Leader of the ruling All Progressive Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu did not impose the party governorship flagbearer in the 2019 election, Adebayo Adelabu,on him or the state.

Reiterating that it was God’s guidance and leading that resulted in the emergence of the party’s choice, Governor Ajimobi said the opposition party’s flagbearer making the insinuation should be more worried about a non-Yoruba in the person of the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who chooses and determined the party’s choice for the election.

This is coming even after the governor also debunked media reports alleging that he got a whopping sum of $10million from the APC governorship candidate as gratis before handing him the party ticket.

The governor spoke at flag-off of the governorship campaign rally at an event which held at the Oke Ado state party secretariat, Ibadan.

The event was largely attended by party leaders, elders, party faithful and candidates for all elective positions, including the governorship flagbearer and his running mate, the three senatorial candidates, 14 House of Representatives candidates and the 33 House of Assembly candidates. The governor also handed over the party’svflag to Adelabu and his running mate, Samuel Egunjobi.

While explaining how the choice of Adelabu was made, the governor insisted that it was God who already predestined the former CBN deputy governor to succeed him but only used him (Ajimobi) and the party leaders to achieve it.

He called on the people to give him the needed support to ensure his emergence, noting that the party’s choice has the required knowledge and wherewithal to take the state to the next level of development.

He also appealed to all other aspirants, who jostled for the ticket with the flagbearer to forgive him and embrace him to achieve success at the polls. He assured them that the party’s flagbearer will deliver and take the state higher.

The governor also stressed that one of the signs that worked in favour of the choice is God’s directive for him to go for the youngest of all the aspirants when he was in dilemma about who to support for the ticket.

“Before I said Adelabu would be the governor, God spoke to me. And some people said it was Tinubu who told me. Please is Tinubu living in Ibadan with us? Even if Tinubu had even told me, is it not better than Secondus, who is an Igbo man, to tell them who should be their flagbearer?

“You all should know that with all these that we are doing, God is really with us because when we started, what we asked God was that if we will do well, God should help us to get there and if we won’t do well, he shouldn’t allow us to get there. How many politicians can say that? It is almost eight years and you all can see how well we have done.

“Before we came into power, when they tell you someone is an NURTW member, do you stay close to him? How well do you pass through Iwo road and other places around town? Is it not in fear and anxiety? But the story has changed. There is peace and even the NURTW members are now peaceful and gentle people.

“God sees my heart. It is God who made us choose Adelabu. All those who aspired for the ticket, there was nobody among them who was not qualified. We had people with first class and second class in various fields, but the scripture must be fulfilled.

“Among all those who contested for the ticket, God told me that I should pick the youngest person in age and when you look at the bible for the story of David, you will understand better.

“Please, the remaining of you that you contested for the post, I beg you to forgive me. Adelabu did not put himself there, God put him there. He only used us to get there and I assure you, he will not misuse it.”

While assuring on the party’s victory at the forthcoming polls, Governor Ajimobi said the signs had been there for all to see.

Earlier in his address, the state party chairman, Chief Akin Oke, said the party had begun another journey, like “we began in 2011 and at the end of the journey, it was a victory for all our candidates. Today, we are beginning another journey for all our candidates and this journey will also end in victory for all our candidates in 2019. We are sure we will win.”