2023: We are Surprised by SOKAPU’s Hanky Panky -Says Middle Belt Group 

A group under the auspices of The Middle Belt Patriotic Front (MBPF) has berated the Southern Kaduna Peoples Union (SOKAPU) over what it described as its indecision in endorsing a presidential candidate in the forthcoming presidential election billed for Saturday 25th, 2023.

The group described the endorsement of Atiku Abubakar of the PDP and Peter Obi or the LP as hanky-panky by SOKAPU, saying that the move is to sound politically correct despite all the people of Southern Kaduna had gone through over the years.

In a statement made available to Middle Belt Times on Thursday signed by its Secretary General, Mr Iorwuese Samuel, the group said SOKAPU is playing safe at a time the entire nation is at the verge of a make or mar decision.

The statement came at the heel of a press conference held at the SOKAPU national secretariat in Kaduna where the sociocultural organization alongside the Southern Kaduna Leadership Forum adopted Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi as presidential candidates for Saturday’s election.

The statement reads in part;

“We at the Middle Belt Patriotic Front are not only disappointed but shocked and heartbroken by SOKAPU’s endorsement of Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi.

“SOKAPU’s position contradicts the earlier position of the Southern Middle Belt Forum which adopted Peter Obi as candidate for the Southern and Middle Belt regions in the forthcoming presidential election. 

“It is unimaginable that Southern Kaduna will be attempting to be politically correct at such a critical moment despite all the region had suffered in the last decade.

We are of the view that there is no justification whatsoever for such action as other groups across the Northern parts of the country have boldly endorsed their preferred candidates without mincing words or trying to be politically correct.”

Recall that SOKAPU and the Southern Kaduna Leadership Forum on Thursday afternoon endorsed both Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi, a decision that has left many people from the region confused as to what such endorsement entails in reality.

Many have taken to their social media pages to question the decision of the group which has been in the forefront of championing the cause of the region in decades.

Controversial APC Senator Ishaku Abbo – expelled from the APC, cleared for Saturday senatorial poll

Senator Ishaku Abbo has been given the go-ahead by the Yola Division of the Court of Appeal to run for senator from Adamawa North in the National Assembly election that will take place this Saturday.

Abbo’s future was in jeopardy after a lower court supported the decision of the APC leadership in his hometown of Mubi North Local Government Area to expel him from the party earlier.

The lower court had found that Abbo no longer enjoyed the benefits of membership, including running on the party’s ticket for the election on February 25.

But on Thursday, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court’s decision upholding Senator Ishaku Abbo’s expulsion from the APC.

In his ruling, Court of Appeal Justice Isaiah Olufemi Akeju nullified the lower court’s decision and overturned all of its orders against Senator Ishaku Abbo.

The court ruled that the lower court lacked the authority to hear the case and upheld Senator Abbo’s right to run for reelection to the Senate on the APC ticket as a card-carrying member of the party.

The senator was given a N500,000 award by the court as costs against the respondents.

Mubi North executives of APC had moved against Abbo last October by expelling him from the party on an anti-party activity charge after Abbo severally voiced opposition against APC’s Muslim-Muslim presidential ticket.

Middle Belt Group: Kaduna Govt’s Free Food, Transport, Medicare an attempt at vote buying

The Middle Belt Development Council has said the free food, free transport and medical services being given to residents of the state by the state government is an attempt to buy votes ahead of the Nigerian 2023 elections.

The Kaduna state government alternatively have claimed that these provisions were part of measures to cushion the effect of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) naira redesign and swap, but critical Middle Belt stakeholders in the Middle Belt have warned the peoples of the region to be wary about such gestures.

In order to lessen the impact of the current financial crisis on the people of the state, the state government announced measures including the provision of free transportation services, free medical care for common ailments like malaria and typhoid, as well as basics like food.

The group recently cautioned Middle Belt residents to exercise caution while accepting such presents, noting that the Kaduna state administration had not previously demonstrated this degree of commitment despite the severe security conditions that had plagued the area for the previous seven years and the sacking of 62,000 teachers in the state, and that such gestures seemed “suspicious” especially since they are happening so close to the election period.

They called on residents to desist from selling their votes as this was a crucial period in Nigeria’s history.

Babachir Lawal: Obi will usher in a new Nigeria

Babachir Lawal, a former secretary to the government of the federation, is optimistic that Peter Obi, the Labour Party’s presidential candidate, will bring in a new Nigeria.
“We are all gathered here today because we all desire a change for our beloved country. We want a new Nigeria. We want to take back our country and make it great. And we all believe that the team that can do this for us, is the team of Peter Obi and Datti,” Lawal, who was represented by Prof. Wesley Daniel Nafarnda, said during his welcome address at the National Endorsement Prayer Day for Obi – Datti, organized by the Coalition of Peter Obi Supporters

He said that the 2023 general elections will be notable in many ways because it will be the first time that young people from Nigeria and Nigerians from all walks of life, regardless of their religion or ethnic feelings, will mobilize and support the Obi-Datti ticket in huge numbers.
Lawal continued, “Let’s elect the correct man (Peter Obi), so that Nigeria can become a great country and occupy a position in the committee of great nations.
The former SGF continued by saying that Obi’s history in Anambra state and other areas of life demonstrate that he possesses the traits necessary to be the kind of leader that Nigeria needs right now.

We have all assembled here to once again show our support for our presidential candidate Peter Obi and his running mate Datti-Baba Ahmed, stated the event’s chairperson, Prof. Patricia Obiefule. The unusual aspect of this occasion is that religious leaders from both Christianity and Islam have gathered to support him in prayer and ask God to grant him victory on Saturday.

She continued by saying that the Labour presidential candidate is qualified and experienced to make Nigeria a better and brighter place.

“Beyond the endorsement, we can all see that Nigeria needs help from the myriad crises that have beset the nation, and all hands need to be on deck to save Nigeria,” said Mazi Nice Chijioke, National Director of the Enyimba Progressive Association (EPA). We are making an effort to steer our country in a new direction.

Benue declares Friday a work-free day for elections

The government of Benue State have declared Friday, February 24, 2023, a holiday.

State Commissioner for Information, Culture, and Tourism Michael Inalegwu revealed this.

The Commissioner stated that the State Executive Council decided to proclaim the day a work-free day on Thursday.

The work-free day will allow State employees to travel to their various areas to cast their ballots in this Saturday’s presidential and national assembly elections, according to Inalegwu.

However, he asserted that specific industries, including the judiciary, security, banks, hospitals, and the fire service, were exempt from the work-free day and that workers in these fields should be paid to continue providing services to the general public.

Inalegwu added, “Council further urged Benue people to conduct themselves peacefully during the elections as they have done in previous ones.”

Tiv Traditional Council Tells Monarchs to Respect Traditional Institutions during Elections

Before, during, and after the 2023 general elections, the Tiv Traditional Council (TTC) has warned all traditional rulers in Benue State to abstain from actions that will reflect poorly on the traditional institutions in the state.

This is even as the council warned those in the habit of disrupting elections to steer clear or face severe sanction by the council.

The United States Institutes of Peace (USIP) Network of Nigerian Facilitators held a stakeholders engagement in Makurdi, where the representative of the Makurdi traditional council, MueTer, Ihyarev, his royal majesty Simon Ajoh, issued a warning that any traditional ruler involved in political crises would be immediately suspended and derobed if found guilty.

According to him, “the Tiv Traditional Council has held several meetings with all the political actors in Benue State, where it was clearly stated that any Tiv son, daughter and even residents found indulging in political violence before, during and after the general elections will be sanctioned severely by the council”

In an address, the state chairman, Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), Rev. Akpen Leva, disclosed that the church had commenced sensitizing her members since the previous year against engaging in unwholesome behavior before, during, and after elections.

In order to ensure a peaceful, impartial, and credible election, he stated, “we have trained election monitors and the church has further advised politicians against campaigning on religious principles.”

The state Coordinator, USIP, Saa Aungwa and her counterpart Kengkeng Ati intimated that the aim of the meeting is to engage stakeholders to x-ray challenges faced before during and after elections and as well device ways of nibbing them in the bud.