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Timi Frank To Appeal Court: Reject INEC’s Request To Reconfigure BIVAS

A political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Tuesday, called on the Appeal Court to reject a request by the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, seeking an order of court to reconfigure the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BIVAS) machines.

The court had issued the orders in the ruling it gave on Friday granting permission to Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi to inspect the sensitive materials used for the conduct of the Presidential election.

Yakubu in his motion before the court said the order needed variation to enable it deploy the machines for the Saturday March 11, 2023 Governorship and State Houses of Assembly election.

But Frank in a statement in Abuja, urged the Justices of the Appeal Court not to vary its orders nor grant INEC’s request to reconfigure the BIVAS machines.

He said that the request was a ploy to INEC tamper with evidence against the substantive order of the court that barred the Commission from tampering with the BIVAS and other sensitive election materials yet to be inspected by Atiku and Obi.

He insisted that if the request of INEC is approved by the Court, then all necessary data needed to prove the massive rigging in the just concluded Presidential election would be lost as they would fraudulently and deliberately be deleted by the Electoral umpire.

Frank who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, said:

“I hereby urge the Appeal Court not to vary its orders nor accede to the request of INEC to reconfigure the BIVAS machines.

“The request of INEC in all its ramifications is anti-people, ungodly, preposterous, jejune and beyond imagination.

“It is a poly by INEC to hide and bury germane evidence that would enable the various opposition parties to prove their election petition cases before the courts.

“The Appeal Court must realise that the outcome of this case would show whether it is on the side of the suffering and impoverished Nigerians or against them.

“This is a man who told the whole world that INEC was ready for the two elections and that the BIVAS was already configured for the two election, why this sudden change of mind and request for reconfiguration if not to destroy key evidence and hide the evil the commission perpetrated during the Presidential and National Assembly election forever?

“The Appeal Court justices should know that the outcome of the last Presidential election is most unfortunate and painful and Nigerians are still trying heal.

“Therefore, Nigerians believe they will do substantial justice by rejecting the request of INEC to tamper with the BIVAS.

“The court must not by any means add salt to the injury already inflicted on the people by INEC through a compromised election and manipulated results.

“We insist that there is absolutely no need for the Court of Appeal to vary its orders nor grant the request of INEC until after the BIVAS and other sensitive election materials used for the Presidential election have been digitally and forensically inspected by the aggrieved parties as already ordered by court.”

According to the Bayelsa-born political activist, “if there is anything that needs reconfiguration, it is Yakubu’s brain and the INEC he presides over that conducted the worst election in the history of Nigeria and not the BIVAS machines used for the last election which are yet to be inspected by aggrieved political parties as ordered by the Appeal Court.”

GUBER ELECTION: Pan Igbo Sociocultural Organisation Urges Voters To Turn Up

By Mikail Musa

ead of the March 11 governorship election, apex Igbo socio-cultural organization, Ohanaeze Ndigbo Youth Council Worldwide has urged Nigerians to keep faith with the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

The Igbo group spoke through a statement issued by its national President, Mazi Okwu Nnabuike.

He said with the Presidential and National Assembly elections concluded, the electoral umpire had learnt some lessons and would improve on the next round of polls.

The Igbo group said despite the shortcomings observed in the election, it was an improvement on the 2019 general elections.

According to him, “the Presidential and National Assembly elections were not completely flawed. There was a great improvement in the electoral process and this explains some of the shocking results, with even sitting governors losing elections.

“This goes to show that the Feb. 25 elections were not completely a flawed process as some people make it look.

“Preparatory to the March 11 polls, it has become expedient to urge Nigerians to come out en-masse and vote for candidates of their choice.

“The INEC would definitely improve upon what it did in the last election. There are many positives, many take-away from that exercise. The observed lapses would also be addressed.”

ENDS

GUBER ELECTION: CAN, JNI Tasks Journalists On Peaceful Reportage

As the March 11 governorship and legislative elections approaches, the leaderships of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) and Jama’atu Nasril Islam (JNI) have enjoined journalists in Kaduna State to avoid stories that are capable of triggering political violence.

The two religious bodies and other partners appealed at a one-day interactive session organised by Global Peace Foundation-Nigeria (GPFN) in collaboration with Big Minds Communications Consult (BMCC) and Corespondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna State Chapter.

Apart from being the third largest state after Lagos and Kano, Kaduna is one of the Northern states that has recorded the highest number of political violence that has claimed several lives and destruction of properties, especially during the 2011 post-election unrest.

Chairman of CAN in the State and Country Director, GPFN, Reverend Joseph Hayab while delivering his keynote address on “Peaceful Election in Kaduna State with Gubernatorial Candidates” from religious and political perspectives said, media and journalists are key in having peaceful elections in the State.

“To conduct credible, free, and fair elections that would usher in the kind of leaders that the Nigerian public desires, the role of the media is substantial and that leads me to appeal to journalists at this crucial moment, especially in Kaduna state, a state that has experienced devastation in the aftermath of elections in the past, to report in a manner that douses any rising tension than to add to the flames of an already a volatile situation with sensational reporting.

“As it stands, Saturday 11th March 2023 is the day slated for the next election and the governorship vote is considered closer to the people and may attract more attention than the presidential held on 25th February 2023.

“Given the sensitivity of Kaduna state and the resulting experiences of religious tensions in the past, GPFN is calling on Kaduna state people to make use of this election to unite and respect each other’s rights and freedom of choice”, Hayab said.

Also speaking, Secretary, JNI, Kaduna State Chapter, Ibrahim Kefena urged journalists not to create unnecessary political tension in the State because God already knows who will win no matter the circumstances that may play up.

He said, “already, God has decided who will be the governor of Kaduna State. So, why should we fight over an election that God has already concluded even before we go to the polls?

“Journalists should not create tension in the state. I hope whoever emerges the next governor on Saturday should be left to God to judge if he fails to do justice to all of us.

“We are hoping we will have peaceful elections. We hope this and other engagements that have been coming up we help us to have a peaceful election in the state”, he added.

Engaging colleagues on the revised media code for election coverage, a former Director General (Media) to a former governor, Alhaji Ahmed Maiyaki recounted how about 800 people lost their lives while about 65,000 others were displaced due to the 2011 post-election crisis in Northern Nigeria with Kaduna topping the list.

He urged media platforms to ensure equitable access to all contenders irrespective of whether they are contesting on a major or minor political party.

According to him, when access is given to a candidate and the same was not given to the other, “it is a breeding ground for conflict which media and journalists must avoid as captured in the first and most important portion of the revised code.

“Again, the media must practice social responsibility. As a journalist, you are first a Nigerian before you are a journalist and so, you must promote peace at all times because conflict doesn’t know who is a journalist and who is not. You must ensure fairness, balance, and accuracy in your report. You must not report an issue that will generate conflict”, he said.

Earlier, the Chairman, Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ), Kaduna State Council, Abdulgafar Alabelewe said, “this programme was put together to refresh our memories as journalists on the need to promote peace as we approach the 2023 governorship and state assembly elections.

“Though promotion of peace is entrenched in the journalism code of ethics and even in our formal training, we cannot underestimate the need for fora like this to remind ourselves of our roles as nation builders.

“Without wanting to preempt the guest speakers, I want to call on my colleagues in Kaduna state to be conscious of the volatility of our dear state and avoid reportage that is capable of setting the state ablaze”.

BAUCHI: AGAIN BALA WILL WIN

By Abdul-Azeez Suleiman

The 2023 governorship race in most states feels like the most intense and controversial election to have ever been seen. And there’s plenty of action in races down ballot, too. This however, may not be the case in Bauchi State where the contest could be a workover for incumbent Governor Bala Abdukadir Mohammed of the Peoples Democratic Party who is challenged by a weak All Progressives Congress candidate, Sadique Abubakar, a former Chief of Air Staff.It looks like voters in Bauchi will have two distinct choices for governorship on March 11, each with his own personal traits and his own take on things. The two may have certain views in common, but each candidate has his own unique style and character.Siddique for instance, will be going into the fight from the position of obvious weakness having been far removed from the reality of the ordinary people of the state for much too long. And this is the constituency from where bulk of the winning votes are extracted.Saddique Abubakar is already having an uphill task relating with, and canvassing for votes at the grassroots, something that Bala Mohammed has been doing for long, including passing nights in communities while on campaigns. He also needs to work to gain the lost confidence of Islamic groups in the state who are powerful deciders in the governorship elections of Bauchi, as well as the Christian communities both of which Bala Mohammed has effectively done already. The religious leaders and groups are influential in the politics of the state because they have the pulpits and platforms to reach a large audience and send messages within a short time. Yet the APC candidate has not sufficiently utilised this platform with his refusal to visit them and it will seriously count against him going into the polls. Another weakness for Siddique Abubakar is that the electorate lament that he does not have a single project to show apart from the Airforce base and school he influenced to be sighted in Bauchi. He will therefore have a Herculean task to prove to the people of Bauchi State how he can be reliable when he becomes governor. Another major hinderence to Siddique’s chances of becoming governor is the issue of his identity with many in the Katagum zone where he hailed from disputing the claim he is really their son.Bala Mohammed on the other hand, has established himself as an experienced politician since 2007 when he first burst into the limelight by defeating then-incumbent governor, Adamu Mu’azu to become a senator. Since then, he has fought and won many political battles including a failed recall by his constituents, before being appointed minister of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) by President Goodluck Jonathan. In 2019, he went into one of his toughest battles and defeated a sitting Governor. In the the current contest, Governor Mohammed, at the risk of overstating the obvious, has several strength factors going in his favour that are certain determinants to his success.In this regard, Bala will intimidate his challenger with the volumes of projects he has executed in the past three and a half years as governor. This is a major plus for the governor who has been widely praised for developing infrastructure across the state as has never been seen before within a short period of governance. Another area of advantage that Governor Mohammed will also bank on, is his excellent relationship with religious groups and traditional rulers in the state, which he established after his election in 2019. This cordial relationship with groups has been sustained by his administration as the 2023 general election draws closer. Recently, the Izala group came out to openly appreciate Governor Mohammed for doing a lot for them. The group said the governor built schools and mosques for them. The Christian Association of Nigeria also openly appreciated the governor for building churches for Christians in the state. The Christian body led its members in the state on December 26, Boxing Day to the Government House, to register appreciation to him, singing solidarity songs during the visit. The governor will reap immensely from this relationship with various groups in the state who won’t disappoint him when they cast their votes. Positively too, such groups would mobilise their members to vote for him.Beyond these obvious factors running in Bala’s favour, there are also a number of qualities or characteristics that make him a good candidate. Here’s a small sample of Bala’s personal characteristics that are relevant determinants in the contest for the Bauchi government house.According to experts on behavioural science, if we were to do a simple opinion poll, we will find that voters tend to often differentiate candidates in terms of their personal qualities. Why? Because character traits are deemed important. As is well known, a trait is an attribute associated with an individual. In other words, it’s the behavioural characteristics that can often be observed in a person.Most often, casual political conversations with neighbours and friends turn on the candidates’ personalities and believe it or not, when pressed to explain why someone supports Bala Mohammed, people often cite his personal attributes as a central reason.Some will say, “It is very simple, actually. He comes across as an honest and trustworthy person.” Another person may be more nuanced and say, “I don’t necessarily agree with him on all of the issues… I just want to see an honest candidate like him.”Fire in the bellyThis term, used in political circles to describe someone who has a desire to win and is willing to overcome obstacles, is one of Bala Mohammed’s major attributes.Someone who has “fire in the belly” always make a good candidate, especially if like Bala, he also has the courage to make unpopular decisions and demonstrate integrity and leadership in crisis management. At the same time, voters will expect stability and compassion from their chosen candidate which Bala possesses abundantly.Willingness to servePublic service, according to Bala’s perception, is about serving the needs of the people above the needs of one’s self which is why he shows compassion and inspires hope and is willing to serve and to lead. As a servant leader, Bala serves the better good of the people and the state, not the best interests and desires of himself.Hard workingRunning for the highest office in the land is not easy. A campaign will drain you of your energy and spare time, the realization that prepared Bala to always rise early and stay up late to get the job done. Bala Mohammed and his running mate have been doing exactly that for years. Ability to connect to votersBala has amply proven his ability to speak in public and be able to articulate a message, even in the face of adversity. He knows how to appeal to voters and rally them behind a common cause with a clear message. It is obvious that no candidate will be able to agree with all the voters. However, Bala happens to be willing at all times to listen to all sides of an issue, and is able to communicate effectively and connect with supporters and opponents.Knowledge of the issuesHe has proper understanding of national and local issues that are important to all groups in the society such as senior citizens, farmers, small businesses, worship centers, etc in addition to experience in running a campaign and knowing how to attract new and/or undecided voters. Hopefully, this will help the candidate and his political party to develop or formulate a strong vision of the Bauchi State’s future.On a separate and final note, it occurs to me that another simpler and more subjective set of criteria that you could apply well to both Bala and Siddique without bothering to look at which colour or party they each stand for, is ask yourself, which of them would be: more approachable, more experienced and more effective?Good luck, vote well and may the best person wins.

Suleiman, a journalist, wrote from Abuja

2023 Guber Polls: Uba Sani Is Our Candidate -AYCF.

• Gives INEC Boss Pass Mark

Rejoice Joseph

Ahead of the Saturday’s governorship polls, Sen Uba Sani’s ambition to succeed outgoing Governor Nasir El Rufai got a massive boost when foremost northern sociocultural group, Arewa Youth Consultative Forum, (AYCF) Kaduna state chapter endorsed him .

A statement signed by Sagir Umar, the Kaduna State Chairman of AYCF noted that Sen Sani have performed better than other Gubernatorial contenders hence the endorsement.

The statement of endorsement from Umar states,

“as a forum, we have closely studied the various antecedents of the Kaduna State Governorship candidates and have concluded to pitch our tent with distinguish Senator Uba Sani of the APC. Our stand is not because he is just an APC candidate but based on the following findings by our organization:

“on the scale of performance as a representative of the people in the.red chambers he has broken record with some 32 bills of relevance to the economic and social wellbeing of his constituents.

“he is the best friend of the poor people in Kaduna because he has provided portable drinking water, improved low level of literacy by investing heavily in education.

Umar futher explained how the Senator has impacted lives in the state,

“he has helped the Small Scale businesses with capital to boost their entrepreneurship. He has trained persons in their thousands, to be self-employed, thereby creating a reservoir of millionaires, using the financial inclusion policy of the CBN

“he has lent support to victims of banditry and remains the only politician in the current dispensation to share special financial, feeding and material support to the survivors of these attacks. He has also provided vehicles for the vigilante services, to compliment the efforts of security agents in Kaduna State.

“he is still leading, in supporting the orphans, disabled, widows and other underprivileged persons with food, clothing and other forms of support.

The AYCF chairman further highlighted the role of the APC flag bearer in promoting religious and tribal harmony in the state,

” Sena Sani is also leading in supporting the promotion of religious scholarship and provision of alternative power sources like solar panels to Mosques and churches in Kaduna as well as boreholes in rural communities, running into hundreds of millions off naira.

“our findings also showed that Senator Uba Sani has been an apostle of politics without bitterness, building bridges across religious and ethnic boundaries, just like the typical broadminded Northern politician.

He concluded by saying that Uba Sani is well ahead of all his rivals in terms of caring for the welfare of the masses of our people as a person and officially as a lawmaker. He has demonstrated passion, timelessness in the service of poor people for many years.

In a similar development, AYCF says the National Chairman of Nigeria’s electoral body, Prof Mahmud Yakubu have been able to conduct a free, fair and credible elections during the Presidential and legislative elections that held last on February 25.

Sagir Umar, Chairman of AYCF Kaduna state noted that though there were challenges, the INEC boss conducted credible polls, nonetheless .

Timi Frank Urges INEC Chairman, Yakubu To Resign

A political activist and former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Monday, called on the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC),Prof. Mahmood Yakubu to as a matter of urgency resign of his appointment or President Muhammadu Buhari should do the needful by relieving him of his position for conducting the worst ever rigged election in the history of Nigeria.

He called on President Buhari to be courageous enough to sack Professor Yakubu for bringing shame and opprobrium to the country by declaring highly compromised and heavily doctored results as an outcome for the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections

Frank who made this call in a statement in Abuja, said it is high time the INEC boss resigned because Nigerians have lost total confidence on him.

“We are supposed to be the light and example in Africa but with the dismal conduct of INEC and its officials during the last Presidential and National Assembly elections, other countries in the continent absolutely have nothing to learn from us because of what Yakubu and INEC have done,” he said.

He insisted that despite the avalanche of facts of rigging and manipulation that characterised the Presidential and National Assembly elections available in huge volume of videos, audios and documentary evidences yet Yakubu went ahead to declare the APC’s Presidential candidate, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, as winner.

He said:“Nigerians have lost confidence in Yakubu. His words and his promises mean nothing. He has started again by promising free and fair governorship and State Assembly elections but Nigerians are no fools because they know he will do exact the opposite.

“Prof. Yakubu has shown himself to be a practical disgrace to Nigeria and has brought shame, disgrace and embarrassment to Nigerians in the global community. Today, Nigeria is now a laughing stock among members of the international community.

“Even in 1993 without the use of technology, Nigeria conducted an election adjudged as the freest and fairest ever. But in an age of advanced technology like internet and BIVAS in 2023, Yakubu chosed to compromise the oath of his office and obviated every truth and betrayed the confidence reposed in him by Nigerian taxpayers.

“Even at that time, the then Chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, Prof. Humphrey Nwosu, was asked to stop announcing results by then Military President, General Ibrahim Babangida, but he continued because he stood on the platform of truth and living conscience.

“This is why he needs to urgently resign or President Buhari should show capacity to throw him out.”

He called on the academia to strip Prof. Yakubu of his professorship rank because he has brought shame to that highly revered and top echelon of the academic community and scholars.

Yakubu has failed to project the academia in good light through personal probity, integrity and fidelity to his promises and sacred trust of the people

Frank who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, also urged the International Community to review and reverse all his current VISA status.

He enjoined them to do the needful by canceling all visas he presently holds and never give him opportunity to visit any of the developed countries like United States, United Kingdom or any member countries of the European Union.

He said that the election conducted by Yakubu has failed to meet international threshold of transparency and credibility and all friends of Nigeria must of necessity denounce it.

For instance, the US Ambassador to Nigeria, Mary Beth Leonard in a statement on Sunday unequivocally stated that it is clear that the electoral process as a whole on February 25 failed to meet Nigerians’ expectations.”

She added that while “many citizens are angry and frustrated with the results, some others are celebrating victories, they believe were hard-fought and well-earned.”

He added: “We also use this opportunity to call on international community especially the US, UK, EU and other international institutions not to recognize the outcome of the rigged and fraudulent elections conducted on February 25, 2023.

“This is the time Nigerians expect the international community to prioritize the interest of Nigeria first before their own interest in order to save our democracy.

“In this wise, they must not recognize the APC’s purported President-elect until the final outcome of the cases in court.”

“We still use this opportunity to call on the judiciary to remove Nigeria from this shame through truthful, fact-based and unbiased judgement on the post election cases soon to be instituted before the Election Petition Tribunals and the appellate courts.”

Timi Frank hails judiciary for overruling Buhari On Legality Of Old Naira notes

*Urges them to save democracy by siding with the law in 2023 election petition cases

*Says Nigerians heartbroken, agitated, angry, frustrated because INEC raped, murdered democracy

A former Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Timi Frank, on Sunday, commended the Supreme Court for overriding President Muhammadu Buhari on the legality and validity of the old Naira notes of N200, N500 and N1,000.

Frank in a statement in Abuja, however called on the judiciary to leverage the same patriotic courage it demonstrated in reversing the ban on old Naira notes in dispensing substantial Justice in the several election petition cases to be brought before them soon.

He said Nigerians are heartbroken, agitated, angry and frustrated because INEC raped and murdered democracy in the country on February 25, 2023.

He lamented that some of the rulings emanating from the judiciary, especially the Supreme Court in recent times brought shame to the entire country.

According to him, “Some of the Supreme Court’s ruling in recent time have made Nigerians to lose hope in the judiciary especially the one that awarded Senatorial tickets to Akpabio and Lawan who never participated in senatorial primary in their respective constituencies.

“How can Senator Godswill Akpabio and Senate President Ahmad Lawan be made candidates overnight by the apex court and today they claim to have been elected as Senators?”

Frank who is the United Liberation Movement for West Papua (ULMWP) Ambassador to East Africa and Middle East, reminded the Judiciary that Nigerians have since lost hope on them as they believe they already know how the courts will rule on the various post election cases to be filed before them.

He called on the judiciary especially the Supreme Court to rise up from its ashes of partisanship and servile disposition to the APC and seize the opportunity by the present political conundrum to reset its image and do the needful courageously.

He urged the Judiciary to know that this is not the time to again sell justice to the highest bidder, saying, “they must redeem their image by ensuring that justice is done and seen to be done to the election petition cases now being brought before it.”

He urged the Judiciary to note that even the National Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, admitted that issues of logistics, election technology (BIVAS), the behaviour of some election personnel at different levels, marred the Presidential and National Assembly elections.

He insisted that this a clear indication that INEC failed woefully in its duty to deliver credible elections nor use the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) to conduct the elections in line with its guidelines.

He said: “This is the justice that Nigerians are asking for. INEC has failed and we urge the judiciary to so hold that INEC violated its own guidelines and did not comply with the Electoral Act and its guidelines.”

He insisted that the present case is unique in the sense that Nigerians have continued to cry out that their votes have been stolen and their mandate denied.

“Both international and local observers have agreed with them that the election was marred by massive irregularities and rigging. They equally berated and scored INEC low for not adhering to the law and its own guidelines.

“It is equally obvious that INEC failed to follow its guidelines and promise to transmit election results from the polling units to its server in real time.

“All over Nigeria, evidence abound in video, audio and hard copy formats showing how the results of the elections were falsified to favour the ruling APC.

“We believe that Nigerian Judges and Justices of the Appeal and Supreme Courts were in this country when the Presidential and National Assembly Election was conducted.

“Besides, we believe that Nigerian Judges and Justices read newspapers and listen to news on radio and television, therefore, they cannot claim to be unaware of Electoral heist that was perpetrated during the last election.

“It now behooves on the judiciary to review the facts that would be presented before them by aggrieved political parties, sift them to determine the truth and rule to uphold Justice, stability, peace and democracy in the country.

“Now that the cases will be coming before them, Nigerians are hopeful that they will use the same patriotic courage to rule in favour of the over 30 million Nigerians who voted during the last election in order to make their votes count.

“We saw how the Judiciary in Kenya rose up and sided with the yearnings and aspirations of the people when it annulled a rigged presidential election and ordered for a fresh one.

“We are calling on the Nigerian Judiciary to equally be courageous enough to declare the actual winners of the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections as duly elected.”

11 March 2023: As Fintiri prepares to sweep brooms out of Adamawa State

By Ibrahim Mada

From all intents and purposes, the incumbent governor of Adamawa State, Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri has concluded all finishing touches to sweep brooms out of Adamawa State in order to consolidate the grip of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in the state.

The near total victory of the PDP in the just concluded presidential and national assembly elections in Adamawa State is a pointer to the rising popularity of PDP under the able and committed leadership of governor Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri.

The governor through purporseful leadership coupled with the political wizardry and sagacity of the former vice president Atiku Abubakar who incidentally was the PDP’s presidential flagbearer have shown the world that Adamawa belongs to PDP and PDP belongs to Adamawa State.

Under the able leadership of the duo, PDP was able to capture the reins of power from APC which hitherto held sway as the ruling party in 2019. Since then the party has been waxing from strength to strength because of its ebbullience in carrying the people along in its programs and policies.

The good posture and purporseful leadership it has bequeathed to the people has warmed the party into the hearts of the people to the extent it has almost pulverized its major opposition political party the APC in the state.

A glimpse of the 2023 result will convince even the most ardent naysayer that Adamawa has become the base of the Peoples Democratic Party in Nigeria due to its meteoric rise, grip and influence on the lives of the masses of the state.

In 2019 when governor Fintiri recorded an overwhelming victory from the then ruling party, the APC, he made one categorical and critical promise to the effect that he will banish APC in the state and make Adamawa, a one party state.

Although his traducers and other elements dismissed that promise with the wave of the hand saying it was a tall dream, the valiant governor did not only walk his talk, he has done it forcefully through distinction and leadership excellence.

The reality of APC’s total extinction from Adamawa State polity should be gleaned from the fact that out of the positions contested in the last presidential and national assembly elections, PDP has made a mince meat of its rival and has supplanted it from the minds of the populace.

An insight into the massive failure of the APC should be seen from the failure of her Gubernatorial candidate Sen Aishatu Ahmed Dahiru Binani to make an atom of impact in the last election. The APC gubernatorial candidate was woefully trounced right from her own unit.

It is curious to note that despite her inflated popularity, Binani in a rather bizarre show of incapacity failed to deliver her Mbamoi polling unit to the presidential candidate of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Bola Ahmed Tinubu in the election.

That is not all, after her woeful failure to deliver her polling unit, the APC guvernorship candidate also conceded her Yola South local government to the presidential candidate of PDP, Atiku Abubakar.

That crass and shoddy performance is least expected from a woman with a feeling of self worth and an overrated popularity.

One of the dubious credentials she always flaunt to promote her self styled and undeserved promotion is the populist inclination under the borrowed garb of philanthropy.

But as it is now, the facade she is using to deceive the gullible minds has melted at the slightest litmus test. With such a very dubious and wobbly base, how can she think of supplanting a sitting governor who enjoys the trappings and perks of office and moreso an undiluted popularity and acceptance of the people like Ahmadu Umaru Fintiri?

With this overrated and hyped popularity, it would have been condescending for Binani to loss even her senatorial zone to the PDP especially considering the huge war chest the presidential candidate provided for her in the run up to the 2023 presidential polls.

With such a woeful showing, one can hazard a guess that Binani is not really at home with her people to deserve such humiliating snub at a time when they ought to have rallied round her.

Again one can say such mistreatment may be a function of her unforgiving and unreliable posture as she has been at daggers drawn with real and percieved enemies despite eyeing the most coveted job in the state.

Despite being the guvernorship flagbearer of APC, she has been spending considerable energy and man hour fighting needless wars against real and percieved enemies in her won party from her ward to the state level.

Such tendencies to pick quarrels with real and percieved enemies sometimes without any form of provocation made her to sideline a number of party officials from the ward to the state level without any justification.

She was said to be the brain behind the aborted suspension of Mutapha Atiku Ribadu, the organizing secretary of APC in Adamawa State and the zonal vice chairman of the APC in the north east, Comrade Mustapha Salihu.

Such quarrelsomeness and intolerance made a lot of people at various levels to loss confidence in her. It is also the major ingredient behind her suspension from the party. That is why everything seems to be falling apart for the touted most popular politician at the twilight of a general election.

But while his rival is fighting a needless war against her own party men and women, Fintiri was busy consolidating and uniting his party to become the most potent and strongest political force in Nigeria.

Such informed his overwhelming victory at the presidential and national assembly elections which made the presidential flagbearer to win the state by an unprecedented margin.

It is also responsible for the victory of the party in the senate and house of representatives election which led to the emergence of two senators and seven members of house of representatives out of eight slots from the state.

With this glaring facts, can anyone in his right state of mind doubt the overwhelming victory of PDP in the coming Gubernatorial and state House of assembly elections? Only the undiscerning political neophytes can hazard such a guess.

Mada, a political analyst writes from Kaduna

Pentecostals Felicitates with Tinubu, Asked Aggrieved Candidates To Approach Court

Calls For Calm

By Innocent Odumu

The Penticostal Bishops Forum, Kaduna State Chapter has congratulated the President elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and all other winners in the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly elections.

This is even as the clerics averred that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) needs to redeem her image of being an unbiased umpire by leaving up to expectations, sequel lots of concerns raised on the February 25th elections.

Addressing a press conference at the Seat of God ministries headquarters of the forum in Kaduna State, the Chairman of the forum, Bishop Ademola Idowu Tinuoye who read the text of the briefing and flanked by no fewer than 15 bishops called for peace and calmness in the face of the various concerns raised.

According to forum, “We acknowledge that the just concluded Presidential and National Assembly election could be conducted and managed better by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as there were avoidable errors and failed promises on the procedures. Imperfection is in nature of mortals, yet basic standards are expected to be met and surpassed in other for losers to be gallant in vanquish and winners to be humble in victory”.

The bishops however said, the uproar that followed after the collation and announcement of the final result as declared by the Electoral body,
INEC calls for deep concern.

“It is evident and crystal clear that tension has built or is rather building and emotion stirred for imaginable and unpredictable consequencesand revolt –a situation if not tamed and properly managed can easily split over into National chaos and calamity. God forbid.

“It is for this reason therefore, that we the Christian Leaders of this Forum as Spiritual fathers and mothers of the land,deemed it necessary and fit to issue a Communiqué to make our position known under the prevailing circumstances, especially considering the fact that Kaduna State is always pivotal and usually known to be a hot spot of crises in Nigeria, in thedistance and recent past”.

After extensive deliberations on the political state of the nation, the Forum
resolved as contained in a 7-point Communiqué signed by the Chairman of the forum Bishop Tinuoye , the forum appealed to the citizens particularly, the body of Christ to exercise restraints considering the delicate peace we have in our dear state.

“This is penultimate and necessitated by the peculiarities of our dear state, Kaduna; situation whereby protests no matter howintended to be peaceful were easily hijacked and mis-presented as sectarian and religious. We cannot afford to breach the peace we currently albeit delicately enjoy under any circumstance.

“That if peace has not brought about anygood, violence can definitely not be the solution.“violence is never a conquering virtue” The solution to a bad marriage is not a new marriage. In the wake of this reality therefore, we’re strongly appealing to the Body of Christ in Kaduna State, all our followers and teeming Christian Youths across denominational barriers, not to take laws into their hands, but to tow the path of wisdom and give peace a chance.

“We should not engage in any act of violence that will inflicton the fundamentalright of other citizens, thereby hampering the fortune and development of the state.That in the face of the present heat and perceived dissatisfaction of the outcome of the general election, we are of the position that legal redress should rather be sought in the court of competent jurisdiction, while we congratulate the President-elect, Senator Bola Ahmed Tinubu as declared by INEC.

“That, relegating the experience of the just concluded Presidential election to the background, we urge our followers, congregants, all and sundry to shunall forms of Voters apathy andtroop out enmassin the forth coming Gubernatorial and State House of Assembly Election on Saturday the 11th of March, 2023 to vote the candidates of their choice without fear and intimidation. This way, we shall be making a statement, not just locally but to the International Community that we are comingof age, on course toward getting it right (Politically) and for a better Nigeria.

“That as a Forum, we are calling on the State Government and its machineries to provide the enabling environment for peace to thrive in Kaduna State as we remain committed in our resolve to partner with the State and its leadership toward the accomplishment of this noble goal and objective across board.

“To this end, we will remain committed in our responsibilities and obligation as Clergies and Fathers of Faith in the land as bridge builders to uniting all ethnic groups and religious bodies for the common good and development of all. We are relentless in prayers to the Almighty God for His Grace and empowerment in this regard.

“At this juncture, the General Overseers, presiding Bishops, Pastors and Leaders
of Denominations, inter alia, are required to rise above personal feelings and guide members to be objective and proactive in electing leaders without parochial sentimentsas they go to vote in the Gubernatorial and State Assembly
elections.

Fear of God, competence and experience should be considered in making our choices asKaduna State needs leaders who will be fair to all without bias in governance and leadership.‘If there is government, there should be governance’. “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, those who love it shall prosper” (Psa. 122:6) in this context, Kaduna State and Nigeria at large”.

ENDS

Polls: Director Youth Mobilization PCC Congratulates Tinubu Over Victory

By: Philemon Markus

The Directorate of National Youth Mobilisation APC North West Barr.Bello Muhammad Goronyo has congratulated the President elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressive Congress (APC) over the well deserved victory at the presidential polls.

The Director said, the get out to vote initiative campiagn engaged by the directorate produced the required results which culminated into a resounding victory for the President elect, Senator Tinubu.

While acknowledging the efforts of the Northern Governors and APC leader H.E Senator Aliyu Magatakarda Wamakko for standing firm on their believe that power be returned to South on the principles of Unity, equity, fairness and justice, he said, the support for Asiwaju/Shetima which is sequel to their capacity, experience and commitment to the Nigerian project has yielded result.

He however urged all the North West State directors to embark on rigorous Campaign untill all the northern states Governors and State Houses of Assemblies are delivered to the APC.

” We must not go to sleep, let us get out to vote in all the nocks and crannies and ensure they reach the door step of all eligible voters for the Governorship and State Assembly elections on March 11th.

Barrister Goronyo also congratulated Nigerians for standing by the APC in the Presidential and national Assembly elections, urging them to do it again in the March 11th elections.

This is even as he said, with the Presidency of Tinubu as elected, Nigerians will enjoy a new phase of live.

“Without doubt, APC North-West has affirmed that North-West is APC and APC is North-West. We must remind Nigerians that the political history of Nigeria has shown that every Presidential candidate that wins the votes of North-West wins the Presidency.

“With APC youths united in North-West, supported by all party members and all candidates at all levels, insha Allah, APC will win again massively the March 11th elections.

” While congratulating the President elect Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his vice Senator Kashim Shettima, we wish them Allah’s guidance as they prepare to take this task of building a new Nigeria”.

Goronyo also commended the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) for conducting a free, fair, transparent and credible elections, trusting that such will be replicated in the Governorship and State Assembly elections come March 11th, 2023.

ENDS