Nigeria Times

The All Progressives Congress (APC) Integrity Group has accused Governor Nasir El-Rufai of misleading party faithful and laying false claims against the embattled chairman, Caretaker/Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mala Buni.

The group said the governor is orchestrating a well-thought plot to sabotage Governor Buni’s efforts for his vice-presidential ambition.

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Secretary-General, Patriot Adams Abel, described the Kaduna State Governor as a dictator who is all about his selfish interest and can go to any length to accomplish his mission.

Abel rubbished El-Rufai’s claims that “President Buhari and 19 out of 23 APC Governors are in support of Governor Abubakar Sani Bello to boot out Buni and the CEPCC scribe”.

The group also countered El-Rufai’s statement that Buni had been removed from his office.

Abel said “El-Rufai should be sufficiently schooled to accept that the APC is not Kaduna state that he governs by fiat. APC has organs that have layers of responsibility and at no time was the power to hire and fire a caretaker chairman outsourced to El-Rufai”.

The APC Integrity Group said the governor’s assertion that his Yobe State counterpart declined to swear in state executives were also not valid.

“El-Rufai claimed that Governors and President (Buhari) directed Governor Buni to swear in state Excos elected months ago and that he never followed the order; that the Progressive Governors’ Forum (PGF) asked him to brief them, but he did not,” Abel added.

“He further claimed that PGF did not know anything about the party. As usual, El-Rufai lied. He should have explained how Buni is supposed to swear in state excos when as many as 14 state chapters were bogged down by court cases that resulted from the kind of autocratic tendencies of the PGF. It also showed an absolute disregard for the other arms of government since the Kaduna State Governor was practically expecting his Yobe state counterpart to disregard extant court orders that forbade the swearing-in of some of the state excos he was referring to.

“He also forgot that PGF is not known to law. It is at best a cartel, a criminal one for that matter, and is in no way superior to APC stakeholders, whose wishes Buni rather implemented over that of the vicious minority that the governors are”.

The group, however, expressed surprise that “El-Rufai is denying knowledge of a lawsuit he instigated and financed against Buni when the CECPC chairman was insisting on due process in the scheduling of the convention.

Abel added that “Buni could not have hidden a bomb manufactured by El-Rufai”.

The APC Integrity Group, therefore, warned El-Rufai to stop his blackmail and leave Buni alone to run the CECPC in the fashion he ran it to reduce the crisis in the state chapters of the party.

The group, therefore, challenged El-Rufai to, in concrete terms, prove that the APC governors are opposed to Buni as chairman of CECPC.

….Vows to mobilize 50 million votes

The Grassroot Women Support has vowed to mobilize about 50 million votes for Funmi Ayinke in the 2023 general elections.

The women who bore their minds at a “One million woman rally” in Abuja today said women as a significant stakeholder in the development project of any society needs to be involved in the development of the economy.

They said globally the issues of women marginalization and low participation in political leadership and decision-making have attracted much attention from stakeholders. 

Etuk Patricia who led the women said although women and men have different biological and physiological makeup, they may share common features with men regarding educational qualifications, socio-economic status, and occupation, among others. Yet, they are marginalized in virtually all spheres of public life. In many African countries, such as Nigeria, obnoxious social norms, political exclusion, and economic lopsidedness dictate the presence and voice of women in public life.

“We wish to highlight the undeniable fact that in the annals of the country, women have not had the privilege of leading this country despite their numerous contributions to the sustenance of democracy.  

“This is not to say women in the country are not qualified to lead the country, but rather the enabling environment has not been created as the history of Nigeria is replete with heroic exploits of women that are pacesetters, energetic, industrious and policy experts in governance and development. 

She said the Nigerian Women Coalition for Good Governance has looked wide and far in consultation and concluded that Ambassador Funmi Ayinke, whose penchant for the country’s development, has been noteworthy. 

“Her antecedent speaks volumes of a woman who is industrious, energetic and with the requisite experience and qualifications to turn around the fortunes of the country if allowed to lead this country in 2023. 

“Our endorsement of Ambassador Funmi Ayinke is hinged on the undeniable fact that she has proven herself the amazon of our time through her numerous exploits in her career and philanthropic activities. 

“Her development model has also elicited commendations from near and far in ways too numerous to mention. This much has been attributed to her leadership attributes that indicate a woman of substance whose penchant for thinking outside the box is legendary and what is required in addressing the myriads of challenges confronting the country. 

“Therefore, our firm conviction is that Ambassador Funmi Ayinke is well-positioned to lead the country to greater heights. We, therefore, call on all well-meaning Nigerians to roll out the drums in support of this amazon of our time in her quest to lead this country come 2023. 

“She is young, experienced, and an entrepreneur of repute who built a conglomerate from scratch by dint of hard work and resilience. Today, we wish to state that Ambassador Funmi Ayinke is the messiah Nigeria is waiting for. It behoves on all and sundry to work assiduously towards the actualization of a dream centred on the country’s collective good. 

“The Nigerian Women Coalition for Good Governance wishes to inform the generality of the Nigeria people that the time is indeed now for a paradigm shift in governance in the country and Ambassador Funmi Ayinke is that credible choice come 2023” the group said.

A group, the Buhari Core Supporters Network (BCSN) has alleged that Governor Nasir el- Rufai of Kaduna state is out to tarnish the image of President Muhammadu Buhari.

The group also alleged that Governor is behind the leaked All Progressive Congress (APC) zoning documents making the rounds and therefore, urge that he must be punished for his indiscretion.  

President of the group, Badamosi Luqman in a statement issued in Abuja said it is callous that documents with President Muhammadu Buhari’s signature were released under such questionable circumstances especially when the matter the documents related to is one that is controversial and has consequences for the sustenance of Nigeria’s democracy. 

He said since the documents surfaced, President Buhari has come under unwarranted abuses and criticism from within and outside the party, including people labeling him a dictator who has hijacked his party members’ right to elect those to lead the party.

“We have consulted those that are familiar with the circumstances behind the leaked documents and have found out that only El-Rufai had custody of the original documents and is consequently the only person that could have leaked them, which we now have cause to believe he did to further his own agenda.

“As a state governor and a public office holder who took the statutory oaths to assume office, El-Rufai should have known the error in releasing such sensitive documents to the public when he was not authorized to do so. It is doubtful that he would take it lightly for any of his aides or subordinates to commit the same crime he has committed.

“We are worried that the same El-Rufai who is acting behind the name of President Buhari and leveraging Nigeria’s first citizen’s name to destroy the APC while at the same time keeping up the pretext of being on the President’s side” he said 

Luqman said t is even more irksome that Governor El- Rufai is justifying his action to his associates as purportedly acting to promote a northwest agenda, which we know to be a pack of lies as he has now proven that his intention is to actualize his cabal’s selfish dreams and ambitions while destroying everything that President Buhari has worked and lived for over the years. 

“BCSN categorically warns El- Rufai that he has done enough damage to the image of President Muhammadu Buhari and should in the name of God and everything he holds dear to his heart allow the President to end his service to Nigerians without further tarnish from people like him.

“We urge President Buhari to order an investigation into the leakage of the documents with a view to confirming the person(s) behind the leak, their motives, and determining the befitting sanctions to discourage such irresponsible behavior in the future.  

“BCSN further urge the leadership of the APC, irrespective of what President Buhari does in this matter, to separately punish the Kaduna State governor, who has effectively pitched party members against each other with the leak. The party must send a strong message by ensuring that all those he got President Buhari to endorse are voted against at the party’s national convention for being part of the maligning the President’s reputation” he added

As the 2023 presidential election edges closer, the clamour for Nigeria’s first female president has continued to gather momentum.

Further pushing this agenda are a group of concerned women across the country who have tipped renowned philanthropist, Amb Funmi Ayinke for the job.

Led by its convener Princess Uju Chukwu, the group have pledged to hold a one-million-woman rally in solidarity with their fellow woman.

According to a statement signed by Princess Uju, as the name implies, women in their numbers from the 36 States of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory will participate in the mass action.

She said the women are united in a common course; a female presidency and Ayinke as their preferred choice.

Uju said Ayinke was selected from a strong list that consisted of nine other distinguished women who have not only excelled in their professional careers but shown competence, capacity and capability to govern.

Of the 10, she noted that Ayinke had an edge due to her philanthropy, humanitarian and selfless services.

“If it has happened in Liberia, Malawi and Tanzania, we believe Nigeria is ripe for a female president. Now is the perfect time,” Uju said.

“Women are no longer begging to be included anymore, no. Rather they want to take over the helms of affairs.

“Ayinke is our choice. She ticks all the boxes; young, visionary and selfless. She is an accomplished professional who has carved a niche for herself in the engineering sector and would definitely transform the nation if she emerges president.

“Yes, she wasn’t the only choice. There were over 50. We narrowed the list to 10 and ultimately Ayinke was picked by the overwhelming majority of our selection committee members.

“At the last polls, it was gathered that over 40 per cent of the actual voters were women. However, this isn’t reflected in the representation that we get”.

Uju, therefore, urged other women to join the movement, noting that this is for the future of their daughters.

She added that if these over 40 per cent of the country’s voters can settle for a fellow woman, then Ayinke can emerge.

Uju, however, appealed to Ayinke to publicly declare her interest in the presidency.

She also urged females from all works of life to join the one-million-woman rally.