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2019 Election: Okorocha Asks Oshiomhole To Prove His 'Integrity'
2019 Election: Nwosu Speaks On How He Was Dropped From Imo Guber Race
Buhari Again Appeals To Amosun, Okorocha, Yari, Others Not To Shelve Defection Plan

2019 Election: Okorocha Asks Oshiomhole To Prove His 'Integrity'

Posted: 01 Nov 2018 11:20 AM PDT

Comrade Adams Oshiomhole

Rochas Okorocha, Imo State Governor, has called on the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole to uphold the integrity and honesty for which he is known in resolving the controversy surrounding the party's governorship primary election in the state.

Oshiomhole had vowed that he will never mortgage his conscience to keep his job.

But the Imo Governor who noted with dismay that the party is contemplating undemocratic measures in determining the governorship candidate in his State, even after a candidate has been duly elected.

He enjoined the National Chairman to forward Nwosu's name as the governorship candidate and jettison sentiments promoted by those that do not mean well for the party.

Okorocha insisted that Oshiomhole and members of the National Working Committee of the party owe it as an obligation to defend the integrity of the party, which he said distinguishes it from other political parties.

According to him, Oshiomhole was elected as the National Chairman of the party as a result of his track record of honesty and integrity, which he adduced were and are still his highest selling points.

In his words, "We elected Oshiomhole because we felt that he is a man of integrity and we are only asking him to uphold that integrity for which we have priced him, he must prove that image which he has cut for himself as Oshiomhole prior to his being elected as the National Chairman, anything short of that will reduce his value completely in this country. He should do the right thing and be simple".

The Governor continued that, "I think people are trying to change the narratives, some people are trying to upturn the truth they want to cover the truth by leaving the main to discuss frivolities, the truth remains that a certain Ahmed Gulak with a sinister mission came here and disappeared with result sheet by 4am on the day of proposed election, the NWC of our party disbanded that Committee, despite the fact that eight members of the Committee including the Secretary stayed back and conducted the election and declared Uche Nwosu winner.

"Despite the fact that Uche Nwosu won the election, the National Working Committee disbanded that Committee and called for fresh election, this fact is known to everybody and the second election which they came to conduct on October 6, the same Uche Nwosu won. Now how could the man who is supposed to be facing charges of criminal conspiracy turn around and say that the election he disappeared with result sheet is genuine, it makes a mockery of this country.

Read Also: Oshiomole's campaign for political revival
"But one fact remains that President Muhammadu Buhari is known for justice and fairness, that is the image he has and let no one or the party destroy this image which has given us victory and that is why we are here today as APC members. So it is not a question of who is a good or bad loser, the issue is that people are trying to change the narrative to cover the truth, it is diversionary as far as I am concerned.

"How could you explain it for God's sake that somebody won in the first election, the results are clear and signed by the members of the Committee, same person won the second election signed by all the members, even when you cancelled the first election and then you have the Police and INEC reports confirming the election and you have a letter from the NWC disbanding that Gulak Committee and you also have a letter from the NWC confirming that Uche Nwosu is the candidate of the party and again you have forms given to him from INEC for his name to be submitted.

"I don't understand what is happening but I think this issue of semantics and sentiments being poured cannot cover the truth, the truth is that APC holds it as a point of duty and honour to declare winners of election and anything short of that will not go down well with the people and the history of APC in Nigeria and I beg to disagree with those who try to change the issue from what it is.

"I mean what can you say to the whole world that Gulak didn't disappear with result sheets or that election was not cancelled or that Uche Nwosu did not win I don't just understand what is happening, so people are trying to change the truth but that is not going to work. APC must remain APC and our party's NWC holds it as a point of duty to defend the integrity for which APC is known, anything short of that will amount to self-destruction of the party".

On the alleged plot against the National Chairman, "I think talking about Oshiomhole's removal is not an issue, it is not important, we elected Oshiomhole because we felt that he is a man of integrity and we are only asking him to uphold that integrity for which we have priced him, he must that image which he has cut for himself as Oshiomhole prior to his being elected as the National Chairman, anything short of that will reduce his value completely in this country, he should do the right thing and be simple, I mean we are democrats and this is our party, this is APC and the right thing must be done so when people try to change the narrative and to say Governors are bad losers, the governors want to impose people, excuse me, democracy is about the people, if the people have spoken, who are you to change what the people have said.

"Buhari is a President today because the people spoke and if Buhari can be a President because people spoke, then the party must respect that and allow the voice of the people to prevail in whatever election and avoid sentiments. The campaign they try to put forward is that Uche Nwosu can't go because he is Okorocha's son-in-law and I say to them, has Uche Nwosu gone contrary to any section of the Nigerian constitution, nobody has been able to give an answer to that, nobody has come forward to say that the young man is a criminal or that he is corrupt or does not have capacity.

"It is not just enough to sit back in Abuja and be talking, they should come to the state to understand the feelings of the people down home, that's the point am making so my advice to our party, is that our party should sit up and do the right thing and not allow the people get misled.

"And if you are talking about morals, what is the morality in somebody that joined the party in less than two weeks to be given the number one job by Abuja and not the people, how is he going to win, so I want to advice those behind this to stop forthwith and it is a directive that they should stop forthwith so that this party can enjoy that name that it is known for as a party of justice, equity and fairness if not there is no difference between this party and any other party in Nigeria.

"Ninety percent of those who have joined APC in the last two months are doing so not because they love APC, they can never go to an election without Federal might and per adventure President Buhari loses this election, the net day they will leave the party, so these set of people are simply called political opportunists who are not with the people but always want to grab victory through the use of gun but I think this has to stop, why should our party promote this and I warn they should stop this".

On the likelihood of leaving the party, the Governor noted that, "the option of leaving the party has not come to my mind, APC is my party, in 2011 when this party was called Boko Haram and Islamisation party, where were these people, nobody gave us a chance that APC was going to win the 2015 election, so what makes you think that we are going to leave the party for those that came through the back door and are being given a voice by the National Chairman of our party.

"All you hear is rumour everywhere that they are backed by the Presidency that Rochas should take one position and leave the other one as if we are sharing groundnut, but I tell them I have met President and he told me he never said to anybody to impose a wrong candidate or to remove the name of anybody and change it with another in whatever guise, I think they want to make Mr. President a liar. So what they are doing is wrong and unacceptable so they should stop".

Source: The Nation

Related Topics: #RochasOkorocha #Oshiomhole #APC

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2019 Election: Nwosu Speaks On How He Was Dropped From Imo Guber Race

Posted: 01 Nov 2018 10:01 AM PDT

Uche Nwosu

Uche Nwosu, Governor Rochas Son_inlaw, and one of the contenders for the All Progressives Congress, APC, governorship ticket, in Imo State, has insisted that he was still in the race.

This is despite reports that his name has been dropped by the National Working Committee, NWC, of the party.

Nwosu said reports making the rounds that his name had been dropped was not true.

There were reports that the party's NWC had substituted Nwosu's name with that of Sen. Hope Uzodinma.

But speaking with reporters in Owerri, the Imo State capital, Nwoso said, "Apart from available records, which showed that I am the authentic governorship candidate of our party, I also have a valid Court Order barring the party and INEC from substituting my name, Daily Post reports.

"So, the media house reporting that is obviously sponsored to do a hatchet job.

"There are no contentions to my victory at the Imo State governorship primary election.

"What we have in the records is that the governorship candidate of APC in Imo State is Uche Nwosu, not only that I have a valid Court Order barring the party and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) from receiving any other name that is not my name.

"There is no contention in that, the only primary that was upheld was that of Agbabiaka, which I won and everybody knew it was the authentic primary.

"The earlier primary that was to be conducted by Ahmed Gulak was cancelled and disbanded and a new Committee was reconstituted.

"So, Gulak never conducted any governorship primary, the only primary that was done in Imo State is the one conducted by Agbabiaka which I won."

Related Topics: #UcheNwosu #ImoStateAPC #2019Election

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Buhari Again Appeals To Amosun, Okorocha, Yari, Others Not To Shelve Defection Plan

Posted: 01 Nov 2018 08:00 AM PDT

President Muhammadu Buhari

The Commander in Chief, Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari, Wednesday continued his fire-fighting in the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), appealing, once again, to aggrieved members, who lost out during the recently concluded primary elections not to leave the party.

At least four governors of the party, Senator Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun State), Chief Rochas Okorocha (Imo State), Alhaji Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara State) and Chief Rotimi Akeredolu (Ondo State), and scores of senior members have been up in arms against the National Chairman, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, calling for his removal over the primaries.

The presidential appeal came three weeks after he asked those who failed in their bid to secure the party's ticket to emulate the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Akinwunmi Ambode, who lost his re-election bid but did not leave the ruling party.

Buhari pleaded with the aggrieved during a dinner with them at the Presidential Villa on Tuesday night, telling them he did his best to ensure that the primaries process was free and fair.

Those in attendance included gubernatorial, national and state assembly aspirants who failed to secure the party's tickets in the forthcoming general election.

Buhari urged them to be patient, remain with the party and work for its success during the 2019 elections.

While briefing State House correspondents after the dinner, Alhaji Aliyu Wadada, a gubernatorial aspirant from Nasarawa State, said the president assured the aspirants that justice would be done as their cases would be looked into.

"Beyond just eating at the dinner as a family, we had discussions over the various experiences that aspirants had during the APC primaries and the president pleaded and pacified the aggrieved aspirants to remain resolute and continue to be loyal and committed to Nigeria's unity which is the most important thing beyond party politics," he said.

He added, "The president told us his experiences from the military to civilian eras, adding that naturally it is never easy when your mandate is forcefully taken but whatever it is, we should remain as a family and the needful shall be done where necessary to ensure that those that genuinely won their primary elections are given their stolen mandate but cases that cannot be really proven will have to bear with the outcome; after all, you don't just divorce yourself from your family because you don't get what you want."

A senatorial aspirant from Kebbi State, Sule Sami, said those at the meeting resolved to work hard for Buhari's re-election in 2019.

"One important thing coming out of the meeting with our president is our resolve to ensure that the president wins next year; we will stay back and fight to ensure that he is returned next year because we are not going to be campaigning for any person other than our president," he said.

The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Ita Enang, also said the meeting went well, adding that the aspirants pledged to work for the success of the party.

Enang said the meeting was one of the greatest steps taken by Buhari and the APC to bring every aggrieved person together, thus paving way for the party's success at the polls next year.

The president had told his guests that he regularly met and called the Oshiomhole during the primaries to ensure that internal democracy was respected.

Buhari, according to a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Mr. Femi Adesina, told the aspirants that the primary motivation for election contest should be the desire to improve situations in the country, and not for pecuniary reasons.

It also said the president urged the aspirants who lost out in the primaries to remain faithful to the country and uphold the tenets of integrity, pleading that there would yet be more opportunities for them to serve along the way.

Adesina also said Buhari, who told the aspirants that "those who mismanaged the resources of the country are still very much around, with incredible wealth," warned them to be vigilant and circumspect in making choices, adding that the future would only be salvaged by those who love the country.

"I spoke with the APC party chairman almost every other day, at least for an hour during the primaries. And sometimes, we met for two and half hours on ensuring internal democracy during the primaries,'' the president was quoted.

Tinubu Backs Oshiomhole

Meanwhile, the National Leader of the APC, Senator Bola Tinubu, yesterday in Abuja threw his weight behind Oshiomhole, expressing opposition to the moves to remove him from office.

Saying every member had the responsibility to respect the supremacy of the party, Tinubu, who highlighted various stages the party went through before the primaries as well as the agreements reached, said those who lost out in the primaries should accept their fate instead of resorting to undermining the party supremacy.

He said, "We all have to respect the party supremacy. You were all here when we had the congress. We elected the new executives. The convention, we had it. The NEC was formed and we surrendered to avoid conflict, to avoid domination, to avoid abuses of power.

"We surrendered our rights, all rights to the National Working Committee headed by Adams Oshiomhole that the National Working Committee should set up electoral bodies to supervise various state congresses and elections.

"We signed off for it. So, if it is not in our individual favour, so be it. We gave three options – consensus, where there is no consensus because if you are more than two or three and you cannot agree to one candidate, you go to the next level.

"The next level is the stakeholders' delegate and you have to be supervised by the National Working Committee of the party, national election committee of the party. That shows party supremacy or the freest option. The less cumbersome is to open direct primary, line up and count the number, 1,2,3.

"If you win, you win and if you fail, go home. Then, appeal committee was set up to listen to all appeals – internal mechanism for conflict resolution. It was there. You cannot turn round against that. You cannot turn against all of that. No.

"Party is supreme. Party must be respected. Abuses will not do it and anger will not do it. It is party politics. Somebody will win and somebody will lose, too bad."

He dismissed the current stay of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, in Dubai for the perfection of his campaign strategy, saying Nigeria won't return to "the pit" the PDP led the country into for 16 years.

Tinubu who made these scathing remarks while answering questions from journalists after a meeting with Buhari in the State House, described PDP's 16-year reign in the country as an illusion which he said Nigerians would never return to.

"We don't fear, whether he's in the jungle, or he's in Dubai or in Abu Dhabi, people are free to meet and strategise in anyway they feel but we are not going back to the illusion of the PDP.

"It is not possible. Nigerians will not do that. They say slow and steady win the race. We inherited that from our forefathers and knowledgeable people. We can't go back to the pit that we inherited for 16 years. They can strategise from anywhere but a leopard cannot change its skin," he said.

Buhari Cautions Politicians on Divisive Utterances

Meanwhile, Buhari Wednesday in Abuja cautioned political actors to shun acts of incitement that could lead to the disintegration of Nigeria.

Speaking when he launched the 2019 Armed Forces Remembrance Day Celebration Emblem with N10 million for the welfare of Nigerian veterans and fallen heroes, the President reminded politicians that there would be no country to lead if Nigeria disintegrates.

At the launch which took place before the commencement of the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting in the State House, Buhari's media adviser, Mr. Femi Adesina, in a statement, said the president also appealed to political actors to be decorous in their conduct and utterances with a view to averting the plague of disunity.

''We would have no country to lead if our acts of deliberate incitement lead to the disintegration of our dear nation,'' he quoted him as saying, adding: "Let us put Nigeria first and realise that in every contest there must be one winner." According to him, Buhari reminded the nation that the celebration was a painful reminder of the perils of war and the need for the nation to avoid a recurrence.

''The celebration forcefully reminds us of the resolve of our citizens to remain in one united country, Nigeria.

''It also points out the fact that we had been through a bitter and unfortunate war that led to the loss of millions of our compatriots and the need to do all within our powers to avoid a reoccurrence of war,'' he was further quoted to have said.

The statement added that Buhari used the occasion to appreciate the gallantry and sacrifices of the Nigerian Armed Forces in the campaign against insurgency and other internal security operations.

It also said the president noted how the efforts of the armed forces had led to the return of normalcy in some flash points of the nation, adding that he regretted the recent murder of two young and promising aid workers – Saifura Khorsa and Hauwa Liman – by Boko Haram terrorists.

''It is painful that this happened despite all the efforts of government to effect release of the two victims.

''We condemn the callous and cowardly act in its entirety and call on all citizens and friends to forge a united front against this common enemy of our destiny.

''Once more, I extend the heartfelt condolences of the Government and people of Nigeria to the families and friends of these martyrs,'' the president added.

Adesina also said Buhari pledged to ensure the continuity of the resettlement and rehabilitation of citizens affected by the war on terror and commended Dangote Foundation for its partnership with government in the rebuilding process in Borno State.

Adesina added that the president was accompanied to the event by Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, members of the FEC, Chief of Defence Staff, General Abayomi Olonisakin, service chiefs and the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, senior officers and veterans.

…APC Considers Tinubu to Chair Campaign Council

Ahead of the launch of the All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential campaign proposed for the third week of this month, the party's leadership is considering its national leader, Senator Bola Tinubu, as the chairman of its campaign council.

The council is to serve as the coordinating organ of the campaign of the party's presidential candidate, President Muhammadu Buhari.

According to a reliable THISDAY source, Tinubu has been briefed on this proposal, and was one of the issues that was discussed during his meeting with Buhari yesterday at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The Minister of Transportation, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi, said the source, is, however, proposed to continue in his position as the director-general of the campaign.

By the time- table of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the ban on electioneering for presidential candidates would be lifted on November 18.

Tinubu, according to the source, is being proposed for that role because of his vast experience in electioneering, a talent he reportedly displayed during the 2015 campaign that brought Buhari to power.

"The president has so much confidence in Tinubu, and feels that he would be best suited to lead the campaign," the source told THISDAY.

Related Topics: #Buhari #APC #2019Election

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