APC beats PDP in Offa council re-run as confusion sets in over who declares winner

IN what appears to be a serious trouncing of the Peoples Democratic Party, the All Progressives Congress today defeated the PDP in the Offa Local Government Rerun local government election as the APC won 11 out of the 12 concluded wards in the council.

However, reports reaching the Nigeria Politics Online indicate attempts to manipulate results of the poll as no official of the State Independent Electoral Commission is ready to declare the APC candidate the winner of the poll.

Kwara state is controlled by the PDP with Government AbdulFatai Ahmed as the Governor.

Apart from Igboodun Ward won by the PDP, the APC cleared the votes with very wide margins. A breakdown of the result of the election shows that the APC defeated the PDP in the following wards in the exercise:

OFFA LGA Re-Run Election:

OFFA LGA Re-Run Election:

Councillor result, Balogun ward APC 706 and PDP 279
Shawo S – W ward APC 1176 and PDP 336
S – C ward APC 1132 and PDP 435
Shawo S – E ward APC 1054 to PDP 370
Eesa A ward APC 639 to PDP 363
Eesa B ward APC 644 to PDP 381
Eesa C ward APC 982 and PDP 404
ojomu N – W ward APC 1091 to PDP 353
Ojomu C 1 ward APC 253 to PDP 133
Ojomu C 2 ward APC 675 to PDP 290
Ojomu S – E ward APC 1374 to PDP 427
Ogbodun ward APC 277 to PDP 383

Chairmanship Election result APC 11,526 to PDP 4664.

No Renegotiation On ASUU’s Paltry N87bn, National Assembly Spent N1tn In 8 Years – APC

The Federal Government should honour its agreement with the Academic Staff Union of Universities (ASUU) in order to end the ongoing strike that has paralyzed academic activities in government-owned universities, the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said.

The party’s Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said in a statement issued in Abuja on Tuesday that no government can afford to play with education, because it is the path to national
development.

According to the party, ASUU was not making any fresh demands beyond the agreement it reached with the government in 2009, adding: “Agreements are meant to be honoured, and breaching them comes with some consequences.”

APC said the industrial action by the university lecturers which has kept students in public universities at home for many weeks is a further blow to the country’s education system which has deteriorated so much that no Nigerian university is currently listed in the top 100 universities in the world and only a few Nigerian universities have made the top 100 in Africa.

“The 87 billion naira that ASUU is demanding represents earned allowances hence cannot be renegotiated. In any case, this amount pales into insignificance when placed side by side with the 1 trillion naira that has been spent on federal legislators in the past 8 years; or the frivolity involved in a government minister travelling to China to negotiate a $1 billion loan in a chartered jet (with its attendant costs) and with a retinue of staffers who earned generous estacode in hard currency.

“It is an indication of the kind of priority that this Federal Government attaches to education that while it has refused to meet its own side of an agreement it reached with ASUU since 2009, it could pay out 3 trillion naira in non-existent fuel subsidies to fat cats, spend 10 billion naira annually to maintain the jets in the presidential fleet and do little or nothing to prevent the stealing of 400,000 barrels of crude oil per day, which translates to $120 million in a month, money that surely ends up in some people’s pockets!

“What we are saying is that if the Federal Government would reduce its profligacy and cut waste, there will be enough money to pay teachers in public universities, as well as fund research and upgrade infrastructure in such institutions. Hungry teachers can neither teach well nor carry out research. And poorly-taught students can neither excel nor propel their nation to great
heights,” the statement said.

The party also registered its disgust at the demonstrated nonchalance of those who should be working round the clock to resolve the crisis, especially the Minister of State for Education Nyeson Wike, who the party said has enough time on his hands “to be launching vigilance groups and dancing ‘palongo’ around town when the nation’s public universities are shut and students are languishing. This is shameful and totally unacceptable.”

“We are not surprised because most government officials have sent their children and wards to foreign universities, hence do not give a damn if the children of others are in school or not.

“Education is the key to national development. This is why UNESCO has recommended an allocation of at least 26% of national budgets to that critical sector. Therefore, talking about national growth and development without adequately funding education is a pipe dream!” APC said.

El-Rufai Is Stupid, He Says Whatever He Likes – Presidency

Following recent allegation by former FCT
Minister, Malam Nasir El-Rufai that
President Jonathan knows oil thieves, the
Presidency has taken a swipe at the interim
Deputy National Secretary of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), calling him a liar. The Presidency said it was stupid of El-
Rufai to condemn the President’s call on
the American and British governments to
help Nigeria stop oil theft, adding that “what
government had done was to check oil
thieves at our end and if they escape cautionary measures in the country and if
the US and Britain don’t buy from them,
they will stop.” The Presidency also described the new
alliance of the opposition political parties
under the aegis of the APC as “mega
nonsense, which cannot go anywhere”. Reacting on behalf of President Jonathan
on Liberty Radio, Kaduna Guest of the Week
programme yesterday, the Special Assistant
to the President on Public Affairs, Dr. Doyin
Okupe said, “the President did not just
wake up one day and say Britain and America should help us. It was just one of
the various internal steps that were taken.
There were funds given to the Navy to
acquire boats, and they are already
producing results. It is just like smuggling,
you make a law, you empower the Customs to impound goods at the point of entry, and
also ban sale of such products in the stores. “So, what government has done is it to stop
this oil theft at our end and if they escape
checks and balances that we put in place, if
those people don’t buy from them, then,
they will stop. So, why is El-Rufai pretending
to be stupid? “I just told you, it is right that you guys gave
a platform to El-Rufai, he is a free man, he
is a citizen of Nigeria, but he is not a man
that is worthy of any serious comment. He
just says whatever he likes. “It is a pity that you have chosen me to
respond to Malam El-Rufai’s statements. El-
Rufai is a name that is disgraceful in my
mouth, but I will try to respond. El-Rufai is a
liar, who went to the extent of writing a
book that is full of lies, similes, things that are untrue, half truth, he will now quote
three pages of discussions with people
when he did not record them, and these are
things that happened six to seven years
ago, so, when I say he is a liar, I mean it,”
Okupe stressed. On the emergence of the new opposition
party, the Presidential Spokesman said All
Progressive Congress (APC) was not a mega
party, but a ‘mega nonsense’, which would
collapse very soon. Okupe said, “Members of APC are united
and have been brought together not
because they want to help Nigeria in any
form. They have come together because
they just want power for personal
aggrandizement.”

2015: APC Vows to Pursue Issue-Based Politicking

The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said it will henceforth engage in enunciating core development issues that would steer the politics of the  nation away from meaningless attacks on personalities and attention-diverting tales which has become the pre-occupation of the People's Democratic Party (PDP).

In a statement issued by its interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also asked the presidency to tell Nigerians why its has defied INEC rules by continuing to campaign for the 2015 elections, adding that the recent women peace rally hosted by the First Lady was nothing but a campaign for President Jonathan ahead of 2015.

The newly registered opposition coalition party which had engaged in  war of words with the PDP,  said Sunday that it would be articulating in the days ahead, a summary of how it intends to rescue the long-suffering citizens of Nigeria.
  *Details to come later

APC: Tinubu, Buhari Are Big Liabilities, Says Abia PDP

Ibrahim Shuaibu

The owners of the Grand Central Hotel Kano, Broadfields Intermediaries Limited has said it spent bulk of the investments of over N1.6 billion on the re-furbishing of facilities under the phase one of the hotel’s development plans.

The Chairman of the hotel, Nasser Ahmed, said the investment which entails recovery of 113 rooms was to ensure that the hotel fully commences operations in line with the privatisation policy of the Federal Government.

Ahmed said it had so far invested about N3 billion in the turning around of the hotel, since assuming ownership of the business entity.

Conducting round the minister in charge of National Planning Commission (NPC), and member of National Council on Privatisation (NCP), Dr. Shamsudeen Usman, who is on assessment visit to the hotel, explaining the development profiles of the hotel that the company had completed the first phase of the re-furbishing of the hotel, and has put in place necessary mechanism for the execution of the second phase of the development plans.

Naseer said:  “We have finished the first phase of the re-furbishing of 113 in 2012, and now operating under the Grand Central Hotel brand. The second phase is commencing this year and will be finished by the end of 2014.

“The third phase of the post-acquisition plan will commence thereafter, and then we will have a private placement /public offer to increase the capital base to refinance the costs and spread ownership amongst desiring investors”.

The Grand central hotel chairman added that the plan of the new owner of the of the brand was to restore it to pride of place as the most preferred hotel in the Northern part of the country, and the nation at large.

“In order to make Kano a destination friendly town with the domino effect on the city, a redevelopment of Central Hotel of previous glory is the key. Kano with its glorious history of over 1000 years must simply be made one of the most sought after destination towns in Africa.

He appealed to the federal government to initiate a funding intervention for indigenous hotel brands in the country as a way of assisting them to bridge the challenges hampering the growth and development of the industry.

He added: “Our vision is that we would rebuild the hotel as a strong brand capable of generating income, sustainable growth, employment generation and growth to other cities of Nigeria. We also intend putting in place quality facilities that would compete with the best brands in the sector.”

On the challenges confronting hotel business in the country,  the chairman of the hotel said it included high cost of borrowing as well as the prevailing state of insecurity in the country.

Remarking, the Minister of National Planning, Dr. Shamsuddeen Usman, commended “Broad Field Intermediaries Limited”, for turning the fortune of the hotel around for better after its privatisation.

Usman expressed surprise that the Central Hotel which was left to be ground had been resuscitated by the new owners, while assured the hotel of the Federal Government support in addressing some of the issues raised in area of challenges confronting its operations and sustainable growth.

The minister also charged the hotel owner to continue with the good work being done in re-positioning it as well as ensure that it translated into more employment opportunities.

APC: Jonathan’ll Be Seeking 3rd Term if He Contests in 2015

Chief Bisi Akande

By Yinka kolawole in Osogbo                      
The Interim National Chairman of the newly-registered All Progressives Congress, Chief Bisi Akande, saturday cautioned President Goodluck Jonathan on his 2015 ambition, claiming the president is seeking a ‘third term’ in office.

Fielding questions from journalists on the state of the nation in his Ila-Orangun country home, Osun State, Akande also accused President Jonathan of treating some serious national issues with levity.

The APC chairman, who is a former governor of Osun State, said: “I do not see President Jonathan as a serious-minded person. Nigeria's problem today is Jonathan. I had written him twice when I was in office as National Chairman of ACN on issues bordering on the nation and till date he has not acknowledged the letters.

“He takes national issues with levity. All he is concerned about is his ‘third term’ ambition. He has reduced the totality of Nigeria to kindergarten governance. Jonathan today is the most powerful President in the world. He has all the powers arrogated to him and he’s still asking for more”.

The 1999 Constitution, as amended, states that any Nigerian that has not been elected to the office of President two times previously, among other qualifications, is eligible to contest for the presidency.
President Jonathan has been elected only once.

However, the constitution guarantees two terms of four years each for president and governor. If the president contests and wins in 2015 and spends another four years in office he may be spending a total of nine years in office altogether because he spent one year completing the tenure of the late President Umaru Musa Yar'Adua from 2010 to 2011.

This is as against two terms of four years each envisaged under the constitution. Whether there is an issue with that may be a matter for INEC and the court to decide.

The APC chairman also likened President Jonathan’s style of governance to that of former President Olusegun Obasanjo when he was in office, alleging that Obasanjo kept harassing anybody that stood on his way with the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, the Indepndent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission and security agencies.

Akande claimed the current crisis rocking Rivers State was a result of President Jonathan’s ambition to contest the 2015 poll. He said the APC would build a solid political structure and win power in 2015 to enhance the socio-economic and political development of the nation.

On the quality of the candidate that will carry the APC presidential flag in the 2015 election, Akande said, “We want a thinking leadership in this country, and not a kindergarten leader like President Jonathan.”

The APC chairman, however, refuted media reports that the opposition party was not keen on the 2015 presidential election, saying some newspapers misquoted him.