Author: oduduwanews

With about a week to its presidential primaries, commendations have continued to pour in from state governors, their deputies, and stakeholders of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, SAN, who is running for president.

On Sunday, in Kebbi and Kaduna respectively, where Prof Osinbajo visited in continuation of his consultations with APC stakeholders and delegates across the country, the VP was commended for his efforts in improving governance and dedication to the progress of the country, while stakeholders also canvassed for continuity in government.

During the Vice President’s meetings in the states, both Kaduna State Governor Nasir El-Rufai, and Kebbi State Deputy Governor, Samaila Yombe, spoke glowingly about the VP’s qualities, with a call for continuity.

Kebbi and Kaduna inclusive, the VP has now visited 28 states, and the FCT, in his nationwide interactions with the ruling party delegates and stakeholders.

According to Governor El-Rufai, Prof Osinbajo is “the number one confidante of the President (Muhammadu Buhari)”, and “has the respect of all the governors of Nigeria, across party lines, because of the way and manner he steers the affairs of the National Economic Council”.

Noting that the VP had visited the State on several occasions, Governor El-Rufai said the Vice President “is not just here because he is running for president.

He is here because he has a close affinity with the government and people of Kaduna. I want those that don’t know, our party leaders and delegates, to know that Prof Yemi Osinbajo has always shown uncommon love for the people of Kaduna State.”

Former President Olusegun Obasanjo, on Monday, held a closed-door meeting with three Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governors in Abeokuta, Ogun State.

Gen Obasanjo (rtd) met with Nyesom Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo), Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State and a former Cross River Governor, Donald Duke and the meeting lasted for about an hour.

Also in the entourage of governor Nyesom Wike during the visit were the former deputy speaker of House of Representatives, Rt Hon Chibudom Nwuche and former minister of transportation, Chief Abiye Sekibo.

Gov Wike said he led the PDP leaders to inform and seek the support of the former president on his presidential ambitioàa

Indications have emerged that President Muhammadu Buhari is set to meet with presidential aspirants of the All Progressives Congress (APC) ahead of the party’s primaries.
It was gathered that Buhari will use the opportunity of the meeting to help reduce the number of presidential hopefuls.

He is expected to ask them to accept the outcome of the primary as was done during the APC presidential primary in 2014.

“The President will meet with the aspirants a few days to the primary with a view to ensuring that there is unity and harmony. He will also meet with the governors separately. The date is not fixed yet, but it should be this week if INEC doesn’t extend the deadline for the primary as we are all hoping,” an APC chieftain who wished to remain anonymous revealed.

“The President has a candidate. How to present the idea to the likes of Tinubu will be the challenge,” he added.

When contacted on the telephone, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Garba Shehu, said he was not aware of such a meeting.

“I am not aware of any meeting as of now,” he said.

However, the report claims that all APC presidential aspirants are open to accepting a consensus except a former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

Other aspirants are willing to step down if President Buhari endorses one of them as his anointed candidate.

Based on the Electoral Act, any aspirant who agrees to step down must do so in writing.

According to The PUNCH, some major aspirants have started approaching the less popular aspirant to drop their ambition and support theirs with promises to refund the N100 million used to purchase the party’s form or promises of they will be given juicy appointments.

Following the recent riot in Sokoto State over alleged blasphemy, Nobel laureate, Professor Wole Soyinka, on Saturday called for the sacking of the Imam, National Mosque, Abuja, Professor Ibrahim Maqari, over a comment on the killing of Deborah Samuel.

Recall that Deborah, a 200-level student of the Shehu Shagari College of Education in Sokoto was killed by Muslim men who accused her of blasphemy against the Prophet Muhammad.

Reacting to the unfortunate incident, Mr Maqari stressed that the Muslims have some red lines which must not be crossed, saying if issues of blasphemy against the prophet are not addressed, the Muslims would address it themselves.

Speaking in Abuja on Saturday during the one-year remembrance of the late former Chief of Army Staff, Lt.-Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, Soyinka accused the Imam of directing followers to take laws into their hands.

Soyinka said, “Professor Maqari, however, insists, with a handful of others, including vocal serving policemen quite recently, that there is no remorse involved in the torture and lynching of a young student on this earth.

“Maqari has implicitly directed his followers to take the law into their own hands in the name of religion, and innovation. That is the message of a supposedly holy man to a nation embroiled in his madness of multiple incidences.”

The battle of who will clinch the APC Senatorial ticket of Oyo North Senatorial District between the duo of the member representing Iseyin/Itesiwaju/Iwajowa/Kajola Federal Constituency, Hon. Shina Peller and the serving Senator of the zone, Senator Fatai Buhari who is currently jostling to return to the upper chamber for the third term has taken a new dimension as loyalists believed to be supporting his third term agenda gathered yesterday in Saki Town Hall where a solidarity support was held to publicly announce their vote of confidence for him.

ODUDUWA NEWS gathered that a group of people under the aegis of Oke-Ogun Indigenous Youth Solidarity Forum also assembled in Saki where they held a summit to kick against what they termed as injustice to the zone should Ogbomosho indigene returns to the Senatorial seat for third term.

This newspaper reliably confirmed that the two camps almost clashed over the choice of venue of their meetings as Saki City Hall was chosen for the two different meetings. It was also learnt that the hotel accommodation booked by the loyalists of Shina Peller was also booked by Fatai Buhari camp and it led to disagreement.

It was learnt that Shina Peller had earlier made payment to the hotel to accommodate his people but loyalists of Fatai Buhari having had premonition on what the gathering of Shina Peller’s camp was all about made a swift move to foil their plan by booking the same hotel accommodation booked by the loyalists of his rival in the zone.

In the meeting held yesterday, the former Commissioner for Works, Alh. Wasiu Azuzu believed to be the arrowhead, championing the third term agenda of Fatai Buhari among several other APC leaders declared their vote of confidence and solidarity support for the return of Fatai Buhari for the third term.

In the meantime, the group of people under the aegis of Oke-Ogun Indigenous Youth Solidarity Forum in their summit held simultaneously with the declaration of support by Fatai Buhari’s group kicked against third term agenda of Senator Fatai Buhari and vowed that they would mobilize against any candidate vying for the Senatorial seat outside Oke-Ogun region. The group invited all Oke-Ogun indigenes contesting in the zone for meeting and had in attendance, the two leading senatorial aspirants under the platform of APC in attendance, Saheed Alaran and Shina Peller. They however called on all stakeholders in Oke-Ogun to ensure that the zone is not marginalized politically as it would be a total injustice should Ogbomosho with three local government councils lord themselves over a region with ten local government areas.