Crisis in Nasarawa Labour Party after party collapses structure for PDP Candidate Ombugadu – new faction emerges, tries to back APC

In past weeks, the Nasarawa State Labour Party (LP) governorship candidate, Joseph Ewuga, recently stepped down from the race to support his Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) counterpart, David Emmanuel Ombugadu.

Middle Belt Times gathered that Ewuga decided to step down in the interest of the growth of the state and the ‘popularity, general acceptance and track record of Ombugadu’.

However addressing journalists yesterday in Lafia, Rev. Angba Solomon Kuje, the LP’s candidate for the House of Representatives for Akwanga/Nasarawa Eggon/Wamba Federal Constituency in the just concluded National Assembly election, said the the party favoured Governor Sule instead and was quoted as saying the decision of the party to support Governor Sule was arrived at after a series of meetings and consultations.

He said the move by Mr. Ewuga to align with the PDP’s governorship candidate, was a personal one and not a collective party decision.

According to him, the party learnt about Ewuga’s move through the media.

He pointed out that party members had carefully evaluated each candidate from all political parties in the state based on their merits, strengths, and weaknesses with a view to backing only one of them to victory in the conviction that the task of running the state extends far beyond a single person, ethnicity, or religion.

He added that members considered a candidate’s aptitude, capacity, character, experience, temperament, and managerial exposure while deciding which candidate to support.

The ability to maintain the diverse ethnic groups in the state together as one giant family, regardless of religion or cultural background, was crucially examined.

According to him, after careful deliberation, the Labour Party had reached the unassailable conclusion that Engr. Abdullahi A. Sule, the incumbent Governor and member of the All-Progressives Congress (APC), stands taller, bigger, better, and stronger and as such deserves its support in the gubernatorial elections on Saturday.

This is how we feel. This is where we all agree. Come Saturday, this is the way to go,” he stated.

Jang: Elections a referendum on the APC in Plateau State

Governor Simon Lalong’s poor showing in the February 25, 2023 Presidential and National Assembly (NASS) elections, according to former governor of Plateau State Senator Jonah Jang, simply gave the populace the chance to cast a referendum on the All Progressives Congress (APC).

Jang responded to a remark attributed to the state’s information and communication commissioner, where Mangjang was accused of “trying to cover up the poor performance which has led to election loss through such comments.

Senator Jang said in a statement released in Jos by his media consultant, Clinton Odafe Garuba, that the commissioner must recognize that, in contrast to his colleagues, he had etched his name in gold in the hearts of Plateau people and that any attempt by Manjang to disparage a man who has distinguished himself in all of his endeavors would be fruitless.

Jang also stressed that his party’s fear of impending defeat has caused them to latch on to anything at the moment for some face-saving opportunity.

Garuba, the media consultant to Governor Jang advised Mangjang thereafter to express his gratitude to Jang for giving him the chance to succeed in his endeavors before eventually pointing him in the right direction. If he still harbors resentment toward Jang for removing him from his administration, he should take solace in the knowledge that he now lives in a place where mediocrity is seen as a sign of advancement.

He also advised Mangjang to pray to one day emulate previous governor Jang who was contested and won elections and whom the present administration cannot point to achievements which amount to a quarter of those of Governor Jang.

He finally advised him to desist from attempts to gain cheap popularity through shots at Jang

Taraba APC in fresh crisis – suspends gov candidate days to election

With the suspension of the APC’s candidate for governor, Senator Emmanuel Bwacha, due to suspected anti-party conduct approximately a week before the election, the problem in the Taraba State chapter has gotten worse.

As a result, the party warned Bwacha that he would “face severe repercussions” if he didn’t “stop the related illegal activities (campaign) and come before the fact-finding committee on March 13, 2023 to answer the allegations filed against him in a petition.”

Yet when asked for comment on the situation, Bwacha responded, “False news. The signatories are not APC ward representatives. Please confirm with the party once more. It was created by primaries losers who were desperate.

The Middle Belt Times on Sunday was able to receive the letter that contained his suspension, which was dated March 8 and signed by all of the APC’s Mararaba, Donga Local Government ward executives.

The choice was made shortly after a contentious ruling by the Federal High Court ordering the independent National Electoral Commission to recognize Bwacha as the APC’s candidate for governor of Taraba State.

Death toll rises to 17 in Southern Kaduna attack

The number of fatalities from last night’s attack on the Ungwan Wakili community in Kaduna State’s Zango Kataf Local Government Area has increased to 17.

Reports counted 14 corpses recovered this morning, aside from the one person killed yesterday and the two people that died in the hospital.

Addressing to reporters, Mr. Francis Sani Zimbo, the council chairman of Zango Kataf Local Government, denounced the brutal assault and reaffirmed that investigations are ongoing to identify the offenders and hold them accountable.

He expressed remorse over the decision to remove all Mobile Police checkpoints from the impacted villages before to last night’s attack.

While protesting, the locals questioned how an attack could endure for almost 40 minutes without a single attacker being shot by security personnel despite the presence of a forward operating base in the communities

Rivers Governor, Wike Vows To Chase Presidential Candidate, Atiku, Ayu, Others Out Of PDP

The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar, the PDP’s national chairman Iyorchia Ayu, and a few other party leaders, according to Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike, have no role to perform for the party.
Wike swore to expel them from the party and begin its reconstruction.

At the commissioning of a road project in Ikwerre Local Government Area of Rivers State on Thursday, the governor made it known that he placed the blame for the PDP’s defeat in the recently concluded presidential election on those who, in his words, failed to abide by the PDP Constitution.
As the “second phase of the battle,” the governor referred to the action.
“These people left our party in 2014-2015, and our party lost. They returned, and our party lost again,” he remarked. Our celebration has been devastated by them. They will be driven from our party by us. They don’t participate in our celebration in any way.

Wike also criticized the PDP leadership for allegedly refusing to abide by the party’s constitution while accusing Prof. Mahmood Yakubu, the chairman of the Independent National Election Commission, of breaking election rules.

He continued to make fun of the PDP leaders for organizing the demonstration against INEC by referring to them as “student unions.”

PANDEF Worries About Christians’ Fate Under a Muslim-Muslim Presidency

Olorogun Vincent Oyibode, the national deputy youth leader of the PAN Niger Delta Forum, has expressed grave concern over the results of the 2023 presidential election, in which Bola Ahmed Tinubu of the All Progressives Congress was declared the victor. He has warned that with a Muslim-Muslim presidency which has no place for Christians, Christianity may face difficult times in the future.

Olorogun Oyibode, Commissioner for DESOPADEC, Delta State, spoke at a global press conference on Monday in Warri on the subject of “Outcome of 2023 Presidential Elections: Implication for National Unity, the fate of southern Nigeria and Christians,” and expressed concerns about the political and religious “temperament” of Kassim Shetima, the Vice President-elect, as well as his fanatical Islamic identity. This indicates that Nigerian Christians are under significant risk. Oyibode said, “We ought to be prepared for what is to come.

According to him, “We canvassed a position that was against the Muslim-Muslim ticket of the APC and drummed support for the PDP before the general election. But our elders decided to back Peter Obi of the Labour Party, which we counseled against since we thought it was not strategically sound for the nation’s political environment. Today, the Obi movement succeeded in splitting the PDP vote in South-South and South-Eastern Nigeria, resulting in the election of the APC, whose appalling performance caused Nigeria to experience untold suffering.

‘’ In spite of our misgivings, we voted for the Muslim-Muslim ticket, and the results would be disastrous for Nigerian Christianity. The inference is that a Christian would probably not be there when issues regarding religious peace are being discussed in the presidency. Church tax decisions might simply be made by executive order, and our churches should be prepared for tough times in the near future because they will undoubtedly have to start paying taxes.

The Islamist agenda is taking shape, and Nigerian Christians may have a grim future. It may have been avoided if Atiku Abubakar had had complete backing. Sadly, the majority of church leaders served as shills and recruiters for the Peter Obi movement. The center can no longer support the situation as it currently stands, Oyibode continued.

He disclosed that the Nigeria 1999 constitution mentioned Sharia 73 times, Grand Khandi 54 times, Islam 28 times, Muslim 10 times and no single mention of Christ, Christians, Christianity or Church at all.

‘’The constitution has already skewed the legal identity of Nigeria towards an Islamic state. With the Muslim-Muslim president and Vice President, a full blown Islamic identity for Nigeria is on the way. They will be riding roughshod on the pains of Christians with impunity. The power distribution in the APC presidential ticket does not factor Christians at all. This is a source of worry for us at the PANDEF youth wing’’, he said.

The group also lambasted INEC for failing to deliver a credible election as promised, stressing that the manual collation of results against the transmission of same from the unit level was an aberration that could not guarantee the credibility of the process.

‘’However, we want to demand from Bola Ahmed Tinubu to recognize the secular identity of Nigeria as a nation. The president-elect must take the Niger Delta question as a cardinal agenda of his administration by taking the 16 point agenda raised by PANDEF before the FG in 2016 seriously.

Any failure to attend to our queries can lead to unrest in the Niger Delta area. Our zone harbors the liquid gold which is the mainstay of the Nigerian economy. We are watching as events continue to unfold. We pray and hope for the best for Nigeria’’ the group added.

Gov El-Rufai Suspends Village Head, Threatens Zazzau Emirate Traditional Titleholders, Others For Missing APC Campaign Meeting

The Kaduna State government is threatening traditional titleholders of Zazzau Emirate with suspension for not attending a campaign meeting.

SaharaReporters learnt that Governor Nasir El-Rufai’s government has already suspended a village head, identified as Sarkin Kwangila, under Sabon Gari Local GA, for not attending the meeting the governor organised on Wednesday, March 8, 2023, at Kongo Conference Hotel in Zaria.

A letter from the Zazzau Emirate Council inviting District Heads to Wednesday’s meeting was obtained by Saharareporters.com.

The letter is titled, ‘Invitation to a meeting with the Governor of Kaduna State, His Excellency, Nasil Ahmed El-Rufai at Congo Conference Hotel, Zaria’.

The letter signed by Ahmed D. Abdullahi, Shugaban Ma’aikata, reads, “Greetings and well wishes to you all. I’m directed to inform all District Heads under the Zazzau emirate that the governor of Kaduna state, His Excellency Malam Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai will have a meeting with them at Congo Conference Hotel as follows:

“Wednesday, March 8, 2023; by 11:am; Venue: A. B.U Hotel (Congo Conference Hotel) Gyallesu, Zaria.

It was learnt that El-Rufai and the APC governorship candidate in the state, Uba Sani had compelled the titleholders to campaign for the party in the upcoming elections.

Uba Sani is contesting under a Muslim-Muslim ticket against Isa Ashiru Kudan, a traditional titleholder (Sarkin Bai Zazzau) under the Zazzau Emirate.

One of the titleholders who refused to attend is Madakin Zazzau, Alhaji Munir Jafaru.

SaharaReporters learnt that he has been resolute that he would not sell the APC to the people as they blame the party and the government for their poor living standards.

The protesting titleholders are against the Muslim-Muslim ticket because they feel Isa Ashiru is also a Muslim and a traditional titleholder under the Zazzau Emirate.

It was learnt that they supported the incumbent President, Muhammadu Buhari, who had a pastor as his running mate, Yemi Osinbajo.

The APC government has sacked over 313 district heads and 4,453 village heads in Kaduna since El-Rufai became Governor in 2015, it was further learnt.

Saharareporters

Breaking: INEC postpones governorship election by one week

The Independent National Electoral Commission has postponed the governorship and state assembly elections scheduled to hold on March 11 by one week.

The elections will now hold on March 18, 2023.

A Residential Electoral Commissioner who spoke to punch correspondent on the condition of anonymity confirmed the decision.

Developing story……..

Punch

Resign Now for Failing Nigerians – Middle Belt Forum Tells INEC Chairman

The Middle Belt Forum (MBF), has called on the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu, to honourably resign his position before the next election for frittering away billions of Naira on a technology that he did not intend to use in the 2023 general elections.

The MBF National President, Dr. Pogu Bitrus, in a statement, advised Judges to remain on the side of justice and ensure the wheel of justice is not compromised as political parties and candidates head to the Election Petition Tribunal.

He said, “We call on the INEC Chairman, Prof Mahmood Yakubu to toe the honourable path by resigning his position before the next election. His frittering away of tens of billions of Naira on a technology that he did not intend to use makes him unfit to continue to maintain his position.”

In the event, Professor Yakubu fails to tender his resignation, the group asked President Muhammadu Buhari to summarily dismiss him, saying that the inaction by Mr President and the Presidency will be seen as complicity in the subversion of the will of Nigerians in the electoral heist of 25th February 2023.

Dr Pogu reiterated, “On the basis of fairness and inclusivity, it was imperative for the South East to produce the next president of Nigeria from Southern Nigeria. This conviction was why the Middle Belt was the first to hold a rally in support of Mr. Obi in Jos, Plateau State, in 2022.”

He added that the Middle Belt was in the trenches, shoulder to shoulder, with all lovers of justice, and equity on the 25th February 2023, saying that the Middle Belters, irrespective of their ethnic, religious and political persuasions, spoke with one loud voice in support of the Labour Party’s presidential candidate and, despite the open brigandage under the watch of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), in cahoots with the All Progressives Congress (APC). Plateau State, Nasarawa State and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) were impregnable fortresses against these anti-democratic forces, evil merchants of divisiveness who did all in their powers to undermine the will of the people.

Despite the commitment of Nigerians, particularly youths, to register and vote for a president of their choice, INEC, in collaboration with anti-democratic forces, brazenly subverted the will of the people, the action was orchestrated by the Electoral Commission in 2022, the statement alleged.

The forum lamented that the refusal by INEC to transmit results electronically is unconstitutional and illegal.

The forum also called on all Nigerians, particularly the peoples of the Middle Belt region, to once again come out en masse to vote in candidates who are pro-Middle Belt Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections this Saturday 11th March 2023.

DailyPost

Group Wants Yahaya Bello’s Successor To Be Produced From Kogi West

Kogi Justice Forum, a socio-political organization, has joined forces with other organizations and notable locals to demand equity, justice, and fairness by allowing Kogi West produce the future governor of Kogi State.

Speaking to reporters over the weekend in Lokoja, the forum, which is made up of notable figures from the state’s three senatorial districts, claimed that the Kogi West senatorial district has never had a taste of the governorship position since the state’s formation more than 32 years ago.

Igala, Ebira, and Yoruba-Okun people make up the state’s three main tribal groups, according to the group’s spokesperson, Alhaji Hassan Ojochene, an Igala man. The central senatorial district also produced the current governor, Alhaji Yahaya Bello, whose second term will conclude in January 2024. The Igala in the eastern senatorial district has produced three governors at various times, including Prince Abubaker Audu, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, and Capt. Idris Wada.

The group’s representative claimed that since the state’s founding, the Eastern and Central senators’ respective roles in managing and overseeing its resources have been fairly balanced.

According to the political arrangement, Kogi West must now produce the next governor, and he claimed it would be more just if Kabba, the senatorial capital of Kogi West, were given the chance to experience the lofty position first.

The organization said that the selection of Kabba was made due to the town’s population and the fact that it has a long history, dating back to the Kabba Province, which the group claimed served as the backbone of Northern Nigeria’s civil service.

In addition, the group claimed that Kabba, a cosmopolitan town, should receive compensation by allowing residents to be considered for the coveted position regardless of political affiliation because the town narrowly missed being designated as the state capital in August 1991 when General Ibrahim Babangida established the state.