POLITICS

Sunday, 03 October 2021 06:09

They are called ‘landlords of Nigeria’. Here are the top politicians who have remained in public offices since 1999

For 22 years, 22 top politicians have remained in government since the country returned to democracy in 1999, moving from one position to another – elective and appointive. Because they have remained in circulation, manning government positions for over two decades, they are being regarded as ‘’landlords of Nigeria.” Some of them started as governors, local government chairmen, commissioners, ministers and members of the parliament. There are others who, after retiring from the civil service, military and paramilitary organisations, among others, crossed over to the political terrain. Analysts and university dons are divided on their long stay in government. To…

Friday, 01 October 2021 06:15

PDP govs have zoned chairmanship of their party to the north. Here’s how the govs voted

Governors elected on the platform of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have voted for the zoning of the party chairmanship to the north — an early indication that the presidential ticket may go to the south. The meeting of the PDP governors held on Wednesday at Akwa Ibom governor’s residence in Abuja, with the governors voting 9-3 in favour of the north. Three northern governors —Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Adamu Fintiri (Adamawa) and Darius Ishaku (Taraba) — voted for the chairmanship to be zoned to the south. Mohammed has announced his intention to run for president in 2023. Only one northern governor,…

Thursday, 30 September 2021 06:05

Middle Belt Forum to Northern govs: Power should rotate to Northcentral or Southern Nigeria

PRESS RELEASE The attention of the Middle Belt Forum (MBF) has been drawn to the statement credited to the Northern Governors' Forum and Traditional Rulers on Monday that it was totally opposed to power rotation on account of the fact that the Nigerian constitution does not provide for it. Resorting to the constitutional provisions as basis for rejecting power shift, the Northern Governors and Traditional Rulers are simply being clever by half as they are only attempting to hide behind a finger. Lest we forget, the reason behind the zoning arrangement that emphasised the need for power rotation between the…

Thursday, 30 September 2021 06:02

Sitting in Lagos or Port Harcourt and asking for shift to the South is foolish, El Rufai blasts Southern govs

Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna has clarified the position of Northern Governors Forum on power shift. At a meeting in Kaduna on Monday, the governors had said rotational presidency was against Nigeria’s constitution. They said this in reaction to the demand of their Southern counterparts who have demanded that their region must produce Nigeria’s next president. In a chat with select journalists, El-Rufai said no one should assume that they can sit in Lagos or Port Harcourt and decide what the North should do or who the North should vote for. He said if the South wants power, it should…

Monday, 27 September 2021 06:02

Social Democrats beat Merkel's bloc in German elections

The center-left Social Democrats have won the biggest share of the vote in Germany’s national election, beating outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel’s center-right Union bloc in a closely fought race. Election officials said early Monday that a count of all 299 constituencies showed the Social Democrats won 25.9% of the vote, ahead of 24.1% for the Union bloc. The environmentalist Greens came third with 14.8% followed by the pro-business Free Democrats with 11.5%. The two parties have already signaled that they are willing to discuss forging a three-way alliance with either of their two bigger rivals to form a government. The…

Thursday, 23 September 2021 05:50

In leaked document, PDP zones national chairmanship slot to Southwest for this one reason

Peoples Democratic Party may zone its national chairmanship position to the Southwest, The PUNCH has learnt. The recommendation to zone the position to the Southwest was contained in a leaked working document prepared by the party’s 44-member National Convention Committee on Zoning. The committee recommended the position of secretary for the North in the document was sighted by our correspondent on Wednesday. The committee chaired by the Enugu State Governor, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, will meet on Thursday (today). According to the document, the main consideration is that the zone has not produced the party’s national chairman since inception. In zeroing in…

Thursday, 23 September 2021 05:50

APC postpones state congresses, fixes new date

All Progressives Congress (APC) has announced postponement of its state congresses. In a notice issued on Wednesday, John Akpanudoedehe, national secretary of the APC caretaker committee, said state congresses will now be held on October 16. “APC has rescheduled nationwide State congresses to Saturday, 16th October, 2021,” the secretary said. “An updated timetable/schedule of activities and guidelines for the conduct of the state congresses will be released to the public in due course.” No reason was given for why the congresses were shifted. The ruling party had earlier fixed October 2 for the state congresses. The party held its LGA…

Tuesday, 21 September 2021 05:53

Trudeau's Liberals win Canada election, but miss majority

Canadians gave Prime Minister Justin Trudeau’s Liberal Party a victory in Monday’s parliamentary elections, but his gamble to win a majority of seats failed. The Liberals were on track to win the most seats of any party. The 49-year-old Trudeau channeled the star power of his father, the Liberal icon and late Prime Minister Pierre Trudeau, when he first won election in 2015 and now appeared to have led his party to the top finish in two elections since. The Liberals were leading in 156 districts, the Conservatives in 123, the Quebec-based Bloc Québécois in 29, the leftist New Democratic…

Monday, 20 September 2021 05:54

‘Anyone who does not want a northerner as President can leave the country if another one emerges’ in 2023 - Northern elders

Spokesman of Northern Elders Forum (NEF), Hakeem Baba-Ahmed, has said heaven will not fall if a northerner is elected the next Nigerian President. Maintaining that northerners are not second-class citizens, he said the north would not accept to serve as a second fiddle in 2023, when the region has the population to go to clinch the first position. He said this while delivering a keynote address at the maiden Maitama Sule Leadership Lecture Series organised by the students wing of Coalition of Northern Groups (CNG) at the Ahmadu Bello University (ABU), Zaria, at the weekend. He said, “The North is…

Thursday, 02 September 2021 05:54

APC LG Congresses hold nationwide on Saturday - Official

All Progressive Congress (APC) Caretaker and Extra-ordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) says the party’s local government congresses will hold on Saturday nationwide as scheduled. APC CECPC National Secretary, John Akpanudoedehe, disclosed this in a statement on Wednesday in Abuja. Akpanudoedehe said the decision to hold the congresses, as scheduled, was part of resolutions reached at the 16th meeting of the APC CECPC held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja. He said the CECPC also ratified and adopted results of the party’s ward congresses held on July 31 at the meeting. “Accordingly, CECPC approves the immediate inauguration of Ward Executives…

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Monday, 16 August 2021 06:01

Otedola recounts how IBB encouraged Jonathan to ‘seize’ power from Yar’adua

Billionaire businessman Femi Otedola on Sunday joined Nigerians felicitating with ex-military president Ibrahim Babangida who turns 80 on Tuesday, August 17. Wishing the retired general more rewarding years, Otedola thanked Babangida for the role he played during the political logjam caused by the prolonged illness of President Umaru Yar’Adua in 2010. Quoting from his forthcoming book on business lessons (scheduled for release in November), Mr Otedola revealed that Mr Babangida sent a message through him to then Vice-President Goodluck Jonathan to sit on the empty seat of the President in the next Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting. With Yar’Adua failing…

Monday, 16 August 2021 05:58

3 APC govs ride in vehicles provided by PDP’s Makinde to Ladoja’s home to ‘persuade’ ex-gov to join APC

Governors Mai Mala Buni of Yobe, Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa and Atiku Bagudu of Kebbi, on Sunday held a closed-door meeting with former Governor Rashidi Ladoja of Oyo State in Ibadan. The trio arrived the Ondo Street residence of the former governor in company of Dimeji Bankole, a former Speaker, House of Representatives. Buni is the Chairman, APC National Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC). Ladoja of Zenith Labour Party was the leader of the coalition which supported Governor Seyi Makinde in 2019 to win the election for the PDP in the state. The coalition brought together the African Democratic Congress…

Monday, 16 August 2021 05:51

Zambian opposition leader Hichilema declared winner of presidential election

Opposition leader Hakainde Hichilema has defeated incumbent Edgar Lungu in Zambia’s presidential election, the electoral commission said on Monday when releasing the final results from 156 constituencies, barring one. In the final tally, Hichilema secured 2,810,777 votes while Lungu was in second place with 1,814,201 votes, out of 7 million registered voters. “I therefore declare that the said Hichilema to be president of Zambia,” said electoral commission chairman, Esau Chulu, to a packed results centre in the capital Lusaka. The massive win meant Hichilema does not have to contest any second round run-offs after meeting the constitutional 50.1% threshold for…

Friday, 13 August 2021 05:53

Buhari in surprise visit to Tinubu in London

President Muhammadu Buhari, on Thursday, visited Bola Tinubu, a chieftain of All Progressive Congress (APC), in London, United Kingdom (UK). The President had travelled to London for the Global Education Summit on Financing Global Partnership for Education (GPE 2021-2025), which held on July 29. Femi Adesina, presidential spokesman, had said Buhari is scheduled for a medical appointment after the summit, and is expected back in the country in the second week of August. Meanwhile, Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos, has been out of the country for over a month. Following his prolonged absence from Nigeria, there had been unconfirmed…

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