Senator Uche Ekwunife (Anambra Central) has said it is laughable for former Anambra Governor Peter Obi to run for president on the Labour Party platform (LP).
The two-term senator, who is running for re-election on the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) ticket, declared that her party is still as strong as a rock in Anambra State.
Addressing PDP stakeholders at her event Centre in Awka at the weekend, Ekwunife, said it would be a pipe dream for Obi to beat PDP or any other party in Anambra with Labour party.
Though stakeholders cautioned her at the event to shun talking ill of Obi and LP in her campaigns to avoid a backlash, she insisted PDP remained a formidable party in Nigeria.
She said the PDP remained a party to beat in the next general elections, adding that her antecedents and track record placed her above other candidates.
Ekwunife restated her commitment to bringing further development to the Senatorial District, adding that the president would not be won on social media
According to her, the forthcoming election would afford her the opportunity to consolidate on her achievements in the Senate.
Former Anambra PDP chairman, Sir Ndubuisi Nwobu urged party men and women to remain steadfast and work assiduously for the overall victory of the candidates in the next elections.
A former member of the House of Representatives, Hon Charles Odedo, eulogized Senator Ekwunife for her giant strides in governance.
He said that the Senator had been a performer from their days in the House of Representatives .
Odedo narrated how Ekwunife defended the interest of the entire members while serving as their caucus leader.
PDP’s Senatorial candidates in the three zones in the State are: Uche Ekwunife (Central); Senator Stella Oduah (North) and Chief Chris Uba (South).
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Gloria Young, a veteran actress, believes that women who undergo cosmetic surgery to achieve a curvy appearance do so to impress others.
“They’re trying to impress others,” she said in an interview with Saturday Beats. I’m not sure what they mean by ‘they’re doing it for themselves.’ A woman who loves herself will stick to what God has given her and make the best of it. Put on appropriate clothing.
I have actually prevented a few of my coworkers from “going under the knife.” It is completely incorrect. It will become a habit that will be difficult to break. Furthermore, money is being squandered that could be used for something else. There are many hungry people out there, but these women are spending their money on themselves. That is their prerogative.”
Responding to a question on actresses who ‘work’ on their bodies to boost their careers, Young said, “I have always been a big person and it has never stopped me from working. I am still working on my weight because of my health. I may be getting more elderly women’s roles now but it is because I am not a small girl. In this day and age, people must realise that there are roles for everybody. But, we are in the glamour age where everyone wants to look slim.
“The camera has to like the actress, including the producers and directors. So, it may seem like they prefer slimmer people. However, one also needs to be talented to stay up there (in their career). It is not just about looks but also what one can deliver.”
Speaking on the criticisms that some entertainers have got for campaigning for politicians in the forthcoming elections, the actress said, “I really don’t want to talk about politics. I feel if I veer towards a particular side, I have a social responsibility to my fans. The only thing I can say to people who watch me and love my work is that they should get their permanent voter’s cards, and be sure of who they are voting for.”
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
The Lagos State Police Commissioner’s Special Squad has arrested five police officers associated with singer Damini Ogulu, aka Burna Boy, for attempted murder after they shot two revelers—Irebami Lawrence and another identified simply as Tolu—at Club Cubana on Victoria Island in Lagos on Wednesday.
According to a preliminary report by the Bar Beach Police Division, trouble started when the singer and five police escorts visited the nightclub around 4am on June 8.
About four policemen waited outside while one of the policemen, identified as Inspector Ibrahim, who was in mufti, accompanied the Grammy-Award-winning artiste into the club.
According to multiple witness statements, the singer was in the VIP section with three women when he spotted another woman.
He was reported to have told Ibrahim to invite the woman to join him.
However, the lady’s husband was said to have lambasted the singer, insisting that it was disrespectful for any man to make advances at his wife.
After some minutes, Burna Boy reportedly made fresh advances at the woman.
This infuriated her husband further and his friends who had gathered at the club.
“As things were getting heated, Ibrahim brought out his service pistol and shot multiple times while Burna Boy was laughing,” said a senior policeman.
In the process, 27-year-old Lawrence was shot in the thigh while his friend, Tolu, was hit in the head by a bullet. This caused a commotion in the club.
It was learnt that Burna Boy and his crew then drove off to one of his properties at the Elegushi end of the Lekki-Epe Expressway before leaving for Lekki Phase 1.
“Aware of what he had done, Burna Boy took the next flight out without even informing the policemen. He only made a video call to them to inform them that he had travelled to Spain. All his police escorts have been arrested and are currently at the Command headquarters,” said a top source at the office of the Lagos State Commissioner of Police.
Sources close to the victims said the police were already making attempts to protect Burna Boy because of his status while the victims were treating their wounds at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.
Jide added that Irebami, who is based in the United States of America, arrived in Nigeria a week ago for a wedding.
He also berated the management of Club Cubana for not doing enough to forestall the situation, adding that the club management had not even reached out to the family since the incident occurred.
He also berated the management of Club Cubana for not doing enough to forestall the situation, adding that the club management had not even reached out to the family since the incident occurred.
Attempts to get a response from Burna Boy’s manager, Mrs Bose Ogulu, who is also his mother, proved abortive as she neither responded to calls nor a text message on Saturday.
Similarly, Chioma Nwachukwu, a media consultant for Cubana, did not respond to calls on Saturday.
But the Spokesman for the Lagos State Police command, Benjamin Hundeyin, said the focus of the investigation was the policemen.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Yesterday, a high-ranking and respected official from the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) came to see me and expressed concern about my preference for a Muslim/Muslim ticket.
He informed me of CAN’s adamant opposition to such a ticket and stated that the organization’s leadership had watched my interview on Channel’s Television, in which it appeared that I was not on all fours with them.
They thought this was unusual for me because they know how much I value my faith, how much I admire CAN and its leadership, and how I usually agree with them on all issues.
It meant a lot to me that they thought I was important enough to send someone to get an explanation, and I thanked him for that, we spoke for no less than two hours.
At the end of it all, I believe the person understood my position better and promised to convey it to the leadership of CAN.
Permit me to share some of the points I made to him here for the record.
The first was as follows.
It is perceived by many in the APC that a Muslim/Muslim ticket may be the winning formula in the coming election. They believe that it would be politically expedient to take advantage of that and present such a ticket.
It is perceived by others in the APC that a Muslim/Muslim ticket will be a direct challenge to the Christian community in Nigeria and it may jeopardise the chances of our party in the coming election.
I hold the latter view but I have said that if our candidate, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, insists on a Muslim/Muslim ticket, I and many others shall stand by him and attempt to defend it as long as his running mate is not an extremist who will undermine the interests of the Christian community.
In this matter we must not allow ourselves to be guided by emotion but rather by our obligation to support our candidate and party, the quest and desire to win the coming presidential election at all costs, political expediency and by what the British call ‘real politik’.
And neither is it in any way a betrayal of our values or our Christian faith to take this position because Muslim/Muslim ticket or no Muslim/Muslim ticket we will not sit by idly and allow ANYONE or any GOVERNMENT to undermine our faith or our people.
If Asiwaju decides on a Muslim/Muslim ticket we shall either swim with him or sink with him and, whichever way, given the experience of Atiku Abubakar and the certainty that the PDP will give its Vice Presidential ticket to a Christian, it will be a hard fight.
I say this because there are over 100 million Christians in this country who feel passionately about their faith and who believe that they MUST be protected and represented at the highest level.
Those that wish them away, dismiss their concerns and say they do not care about how they feel do so at their own peril.
No matter what the candidate decides he must allay their fears and carry them along because the fear and concerns about islamisation, rightly or wrongly, are very real.
The second point is as follows.
The success or lack of it of a Muslim/Muslim ticket will depend largely on WHO the Muslim Vice Presidential candidate will be.
If it is a Muslim that has a track record of killing, persecuting, denigrating, hating, undermining, marginalizing or working against Christians in ANY shape or form, I and millions of Christians all over this country will oppose it decisively and aggressively regardless of the consequences because we will not allow anyone to destroy the Church, intimidate or persecute our people or mess with our faith .
However, if it is a Muslim that has shown love and displayed sensitivity to the Christian community over the years and who we believe we can trust, I and millions of other Christians will support it.
It is left to those of us that are Christians to let the faithful know who is who and who they can trust amongst the Muslims in the knowledge that not all Muslims are bad and not all Christians are good.
There are indeed good and bad people on both sides of the religious divide.
The truth is that in ideal world religion and faith should not determine who our candidates and their running mates ought to be and when it comes to matters of governance I agree with those that say that in this day and age we should not bring religion into it.
Yet sadly this is not an ideal world and in the Nigerian context, we must recognize the fact that given our history and our bitter experiences over the last few years, religion IS a factor that cannot be ignored or wished away and this is more so today than at any other time in our history.
In all that we do, we must factor in the fears of both Muslims and Christians when it comes to presidential tickets and elections and we must allay those fears.
For example, if you insist on a Christian/Christian ticket for whatever reason at least give me Christians that will protect the Muslims and if you insist on a Muslim/Muslim ticket at least give me Muslims that will protect Christians.
Apart from that, you must also commit to giving the leadership of the Senate and the House of Reps and the position of the Secretary to the Federal Government (SGF) to members of the faith that do not enjoy representation at the Presidential or Vice Presidential level.
These are just some of the things that can allay our fears.
And interestingly, that is what is practised in Lebanon and what is known as the “Lebanese model”.
They rotate the positions of power and leadership on the basis of religious faith and between Christians and Muslims and this has led to a certain degree of peace and harmony since the end of their civil war which lasted from 1975 to 1990.
Whichever way, we must tread with caution and care about the issue of religion and we must not act as if it is no big deal because it will play a decisive role in the outcome of the election and in the running of the campaign.
We must also endeavour to put Nigeria first and not toy with anything that will divide us on religious or ethnic grounds.
If the APC comes up with a Muslim/Muslim ticket, as long as it is a Muslim that has a track record of religious tolerance, kindness and sensitivity towards the Christian community and one that places our nation and the Nigerian people, regardless of their religious affiliation, before his faith, I will gladly support such a candidate and such a ticket.
However, if the Muslim/Muslim ticket produces a Muslim running mate that secretly despises Christians or that has a track record of treating Christians with contempt in his state or constituency or of endangering and wasting Christian lives I will oppose that ticket, that candidate and indeed that party.
We know who is who. We know who the liberals and moderates amongst them are, and we know who the extremists and hardliners are.
We know those who allow Christians to be slaughtered with impunity under their watch and in their backyards, and we know those who built Churches for Christians where churches were never built before.
We know those who publicly mocked our faith, committed blasphemy and made references to our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ in denigrating and disrespectful tones, and we know those that have always treated His precious name with love, decency and respect.
We know those who have publicly likened the Virgin Mary to a street prostitute, and we know those who respect our God, rever our faith and that see us as equals.
We know those that are malevolent and that see Christians as inferior beings and mortal enemies, and we know those that are benign and that see us as brothers and compatriots.
I agree that we must do whatever it takes to win but we must also be wary of our choices.
You bring the wrong Muslim who is hostile to Christians as your running mate and that will not only be the end of your ambition but will also polarise our country in a very significant and dramatic way.
You bring the right one, and we may just be able to push it through and overcome the challenge that our collective detractors and adversaries will pose.
The truth is that it is not one’s faith that matters, but what is in one’s heart.
Whether Christian or Muslim, if we have a heart filled with light, compassion, kindness, love and the fear of God we give nothing but goodness and love but if we have a heart filled with darkness, prejudice, hate, bitterness, evil and contempt and disdain for God we have nothing to give but evil and hate.
More important than anything else is the condition of the heart: whether Christian or Muslim, that is what counts.
Again, we must always remember that whether Christian or Muslim or whether Southerner or Northerner, we are first and foremost Nigerians and that WE ARE ONE!
Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s choice of a running mate will make or mar our parties’ chances at the election.
May God lead and guide him to make the right one.
May the Lord grant him the spirit if discernment to do the right thing, and may He grant him the courage to stand firm in this great and epic struggle to move our nation forward.
In 1999, Atiku Abubakar was appointed chairman of the National Council of Privatization by then-President Olusegun Obasanjo. The government had decided to sell various state-owned assets to private companies in exchange for bonds and equity in certain international brands. Then came the worst privatisation sales in human history. Multibillion-dollar public investments were sold to his and Obasanjo’s cronies at pitiful prices. As President of the National Council on Privatization (NCP) since 1999, Atiku has dug Nigeria’s economic grave, resulting in extreme poverty and unemployment today.
There were over 600 federal assets when NCP began auctioning sales. To name but a few:
NEPA
Nafcon
Eleme Petrochemical
Daily Times
Ughelli Power
Egbin Power
NICON Insurance
ALSCON
Transcorp Hilton Hotel
NICON Luxury Hotel
Sunti Sugar Ltd
NetCom House
Bacita Sugar Ltd
MM2
To those marketing Atiku, let me remind you of the senate public hearing of August 2011 which succinctly captured how Atiku through a retinue of cohorts, fronts, and shell companies, ringfenced over 70% of the Federal government’s assets through brazen daylight robbery he supervised in the name of privatization.
In 2007, Onigbolo Cement operating at 500,000 tonnes per annum was sold to Dangote at N1.7BnIn 2007, Onigbolo Cement operating at 500,000 tonnes per annum was sold to Dangote at N1.7Bn
ALSCON which Nigeria built with $3.2 billion, was sold to a Russian firm, Russal, for $130million. As of the time of sale, ALSCON had received $120million for the dredging of Imo River, but was never done.
ALSCON had been given $120million for the dredging of the Imo River, but this was never carried out. Russal and Atiku disappeared with the money.
The Igbos are complaining about the dredging of the River Niger, but only a few remember that the ALSCON deal was supposed to dredge the Imo river, which is easier and more economically viable than the Niger River because it flows into the Forcados river which is a major tributary of the River Niger. Atiku and Russal disappeared with the money till date. Some persons are now campaigning for Atiku.
When the Senate Seating of August 2011 asked the Russian company the whereabouts of the $120million meant for dredging, the company’s Deputy Managing Director, Vitaly Kuzrestov, alleged that the money had been used for “Environment Impact Assessment.” In order, if the $120m is taken into account, it’s safe to say that a $3.2 billion-dollar company was sold for $10 million!
FG’s Five per cent share in Eleme Petrochemical worth $27 million was never presented to the National Council on Privatization before the company was sold to Indorama.
Under Atiku’s watch, the Vaswanis Brothers ‘cheated’ Nigeria by short-circuiting due process, under a company called Avolon, to acquire Germany’s 51 percent in Volkswagen. According to presidency sources, it was a breach of the pre-emptive rights of the federal government of Nigeria stated in section 151 of the Companies and Allied Matters Act 1990.
Atiku liquidated NAFCON in 2005 for the sole purpose of selling it to O’Secul Nigeria Limited, owned by his James Ibori for $153m.
Delta Steel which was set up in 2005, at a cost of $1.5billion, was sold to Global Infrastructure for just $30million without entertaining any bidding as stipulated by the law, Atiku claimed that it is in the best interest of Nigerians. He ignored all recommendations from BPE and due process to sell Delta Steel Company to Global Infrastructure instead of the winner of the bidding process, BUA Group.
In fact, Oby Ezekwesili attained celebrity status when she insisted due process must be followed to curb Atiku and Obasanjo’s excesses, in a move that later earned her the nickname “Madam Due Process”.
Atiku literally dashed the DAILY TIMES of Nigeria, to the Anosike brothers (Noel and Fidelis Anosike). According to court records, Atiku did not privatize Daily Times in the true sense of the word. Daily times’ assets worth over $3b were used to secure a mortgage that paid for the takeover. In other words, Atiku packaged Daily times to sell and buy itself. Once the assets were stripped, Atiku took off with the Anosike brothers to the next unlucky company
Nigeria’s Assets fell into the sinister hands of waiting carnivores who devoured our collective destinies for 5yrs, under Atiku’s reign as NCP chairman, Nigeria was held hostage, thoroughly stripped, beaten and milked dry of its fortunes in a once-in-a-lifetime scam called Privatization and concessions.
Kaduna refinery was concessioned to Blue Star under Atiku’s privatization. The CBN governor as at that time swore an affidavit that the $250m paid by the consortium never got into the federation account. An asset of the state is sold while the money just vanishes, just like that.
In 2010, the US Senate Permanent Sub-Committee on Investigation released a detailed report of how Atiku wired $40 million from offshore companies to US accounts allegedly controlled by him and his wife, Jennifer Douglas.
Atiku was also implicated in the Halliburton scandal that led to the imprisonment of American congressman, William Jefferson.
In 2007, the then president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, forwarded charges made by Nigeria’s anti-corruption body Atiku to the senate. He had helped divert $145m from Nigeria government accounts to banks. Some of the money was then “fraudulently converted as loans” for three companies connected to the vice-president.
Today, Atiku, whose task among numerous others was to oversee the privatization of the National Electric Power Authority (NEPA) to ensure that Nigeria overcame her epileptic power supply problem which was the biggest threat to economic growth, now owns one of the biggest industrial-sized generator manufacturing company in Nigeria, MIKANO. What an irony I must say.
This is who the PDP would rather have us believe is coming to rescue, uplift and unify Nigeria.
.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
Anthony-Claret is a software Engineer, entrepreneur and the founder of Codewit INC. Mr. Claret publishes and manages the content on Codewit Word News website and associated websites. He's a writer, IT Expert, great administrator, technology enthusiast, social media lover and all around digital guy.
I honestly do not think Mr Peter Obi has to win the 2023 presidential election to prove anything to anybody because he has won already. Those making their comments and analysis on the basis of who will be sworn in as President in 2023 actually don’t get it: Mr Obi has won the election in the minds of millions of young Nigerians, whose future you seek to manage.
Given the obtuse geopolitical configuration of Nigeria, it will be near impossible for Obi to win the plurality of votes even if all the enlightened young people (who constitute the bulk of his support base) vote for him. We know where the deciding votes will come from, and it is sad for me to admit that in those places there ain’t enough enlightened youths that can reason about the present and future of the country without being remotely controlled by same politicians who have conspired to steal their present and future without blinking an eye.
Those youths whose future Mazi Peter Obi is worried about have either been deliberately denied the emancipation that comes with a good education or pauperized to the extent of accepting today’s meal in exchange for supporting the “old and decaying” politicians of yesterday, (apologies to Tunde Bakare), who clearly intend to continue to eat their future.
Whether you like Mr Obi or not, you must accept that his brand of politics has won the hearts of the hitherto dormant youths. He has introduced millions of them into the electoral mix the same way Obama did in USA even as a disadvantaged minority. Unfortunately, Nigeria is not the USA and the old order will still conspire to have its way at the end of the day.
The problem I see in the future is that while Obi might likely not benefit from his efforts, unlike Obama, he is about to unleash something that will ultimately take down the old order. With millions of those PVCs in the hands of those young people and armed with a youthful energy that can disrupt at any time, I pity whoever wins the 2023 presidential election. He will certainly be at the mercy of Peter Obi’s army of angry liberated youths. It’s only a matter of time before they take everything down their own way.
As a pragmatist, I pray that when the electoral conspiracy of the old manifests, it will be Atiku Abubakar that will benefit. He is obviously the lesser evil to afflict Nigeria at this time. The other option is too scary to imagine given where we are today as a nation.
One thing is certain, only those old politicians that understand the youths will survive the coming political conflagration across the nation. In case you don’t know, a politician in his 70s can still be seen as a “youth” whereas a 35-year-old politician will be seen as an aged and decaying fellow. It is all about how you connect with the critical youth demography.
Bring on the youthful energy that is behind the Obi movement…
onye gba oso…
-Nwandugbom is resting. Please, do not disturb him
I love Igbos, but I have to tell them the truth because I love them.
It is now a law to transmit votes electronically, which means the rigging of elections has been reduced drastically.
Igbos are the only tribe that has 99% of voters in the South East and the second-highest voters in other regions in Nigeria.
In the South West, after Yoruba votes, Igbo votes come second. Lagos has the highest number of voters in Nigeria, and Igbos are competing with Yorubas for voting power in Lagos.
In the South-South, we have indigenous Igbos in the South-South and all the major cities in the South-South are occupied by Igbos. Go to Port Harcourt, you will understand what I mean.
In the North Central, go to Jos and all the state capital in the North Central, Igbos are the second-largest population after the indigenous people.
In the North West, go to Kano and Kaduna and you will know that Igbos are the second-largest population after indigenous people.
In the North East, go to Maiduguri and all the state capitals, Igbos are the second-largest tribe after the indigenous people.
Go to federal capital territory Abuja, Igbos are the largest population in Abuja today.
If Igbos truly want to determine who will rule this country today, they will, but they only sit back and lament without any action.
Peter Obi is the most qualified candidate to rule this country, but Igbos are not with their voter’s card.
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