BIAFRA:TROUBLE IN APC: Mass Defection Looms In APC Following PMB’s Second Term Declaration

 
2019 general election as reactions continue to trail Monday’s declaration by President Muhammadu Buhari that he would seek re-election in the 2019 general elections, there are indications that some chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) would dump the ruling party ahead of the polls.

Meanwhile the looming defection, New Telegraph learnt, is because the President’s confirmation of his second term bid has foreclosed the ambitions of some APC chieftains also eyeing the party’s presidential ticket.

A party source, who disclosed this to a correspondent, said the presidential hopefuls, mostly outgoing governors of northern extraction and top ranking federal lawmakers, have to look elsewhere to realise their respective ambitions.

According to him, there is no doubt that presidential ambitions of these younger northern politicians in the APC have been buried because Buhari would have little or no opposition in picking the party’s ticket.

His words: “There is no doubt that the jostle for the APC presidential ticket is over because President Buhari will have had little or no opposition in picking the party’s ticket as it is certain that he will have had the right of first refusal as an incumbent.

 

“At the moment, he is the only person to have officially declared for the party’s ticket and it is unlikely that anyone else will do. And with the way the President had his way in the recent impasse over tenure elongation for members of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC), it is clear that he is now fully in control of the party structure.

 

“So, it is expected that anyone who has a presidential ambition within the party should look elsewhere as it will be foolhardy for anyone to face him at the primaries.”

The belief in some political quarters before now was that the President will not seek for re-election, given his health and age. He is 75 years and would be 76 by May 2019, when his first tenure elapses.

There was also an alleged agreement that the President would serve only one term to pave way for other interests in the party to have a shot at the presidency given that the APC is an amalgam of three major opposition parties – Congress for Progressives Change (CPC), Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) and a faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).

It was against this backdrop that some northern political leaders within the ruling party, at a time, started shopping for his replacement ahead of 2019, to avoid being caught napping.

Among those touted then were former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; Senate President Bukola Saraki; former Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso and Governors Kashim Shettima (Borno), Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto), Abdulaziz Yari (Zamfara) and Nasri el-Rufai (Kaduna).

But Atiku left the ruling party for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in November last year, when it became clear, as some of the President’s supporters predicted, that he (Buhari) would be fit to re-contest in 2019.

The source, who confirmed that some of the APC presidential hopefuls will toe Atiku’s path, said: “There will be movements out of the APC in the days ahead. And the likely destination for those who would be leaving is the PDP. But the challenge some of them will face is whether the former ruling party will open its door to them given the way they dumped the party ahead of the 2015 elections, which contributed to the party’s loss of the presidency to the APC.”

He ruled out the option of the would-be defectors joining the third force being championed by for President Olusegun Obasanjo, saying the PDP provided a more veritable platform for anyone who intends to unseat the APC.

“Yes, those behind the third force have been mobilizing Nigerians ahead of the 2019 elections, but it is likely that it won’t make any impact because you need a platform with structures across the country to defeat an incumbent government. This is where the PDP comes in. So, expect movements into the party any moment from now because no one can stop a sitting president like Buhari from picking the APC ticket.

 

“And one thing that the APC members are likely to cash in on is the PDP’s resolve to field a younger candidate in the 2019 presidential election. Some of them are young and fit into the calculation of the opposition party,” he said.

The source added that though some people in the presidency have dismissed the one-term deal allegedly entered into by Buhari, the PDP and ACN camps of the APC feel betrayed as they have to wait till 2023 before they can take a shot at the number one position as the CPC camp, which produced the president in 2015, is insisting on going for a second term.

 

BIAFRA NEWS : I Declared Because Nigerians Were Talking Too Much – Buhari

Buhari while playing host to the Archbishop of Canterbury, His Grace Justin Welby in London on Wednesday, April 11, 2018, said, “I declared before leaving home because Nigerians were talking too much about whether I would run or not. President Muhammadu Buhari in faraway United Kingdom gave reasons why he declared his intention to seek re-election in 2019, saying he joined the race to silence naysayers.
“So, I felt I should break the ice. We have many things to focus on, like security, agriculture, economy, anti-corruption, and many others. We needed to concentrate on them, and politics should not be a distraction. The majority of Nigerians appreciate what we are doing, and that is why I am re-contesting”, the president said.
It would be recalled that ex-Presidents Olusegun Obasanjo and Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida had at various times championed opposition against the second term ambition of Muhammadu Buhari, citing gross failures and ineptitude in his style of administering the country since 2015 when the government came on board.
They had also played up the age factor, insisting that the president was too old to govern the country effectively, hence should take a deserved rest.
Buhari had taken stakeholders of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) by surprise during their National Executive Council (NEC) meeting on Monday at the party’s secretariat to declare his intention to seek office for a second term.
Shortly after he let the cat out of the bag, he jetted out of the country to the United Kingdom where he is to meet with British Prime Minister Theresa May, prior to the Commonwealth Heads of Government Meetings scheduled for April 18 to 20, 2018.
According to a statement by Presidential Spokesman, Femi Adesina, the president’s success stories cuts across various sectors of the economy, with agriculture being the most significant.
“We have cut the importation of rice by about 90%, saving billions of dollars in the process. People who rushed into petrol money have now gone back to agriculture. Even professionals have gone back to the land. Nigeria should be able to feed itself comfortably soon. I am so pleased,” the statement quoted Buhari as saying.
On war against insurgency, Buhari told his guest that the crisis that consumed former Libyan leader, Muammar Gadhafi, cannot be extricated from the current farmers-herders crisis, as arms found their way into the wrong set of people, a development that culminated in the Boko Haram issue as well.
He noted that there was a need for continuous education of the people “so that they can be free from religious manipulation,” adding that no true religion advocates the hurting or killing of the innocent.
Responding to his guest’s comment on the clashes between herdsmen and farmers in different parts of Nigeria, the president submitted, “The problem is even older than us. It has always been there, but now made worse by the influx of armed gunmen from the Sahel region into different parts of the West African sub-region. These gunmen were trained and armed by Muammar Gadhafi of Libya. When he was killed, the gunmen escaped with their arms. We encountered some of them fighting with Boko Haram. Herdsmen that we used to know carried only sticks and maybe a cutlass to clear the way, but these ones now carry sophisticated weapons. The problem is not religious, but sociological and economic. But we are working on solutions.”
He lamented that “irresponsible politics” has been brought into the farmers-herders’ crisis, but assured that enduring solutions would be found, and justice done to all concerned.
On Leah Sharibu, the schoolgirl from Dapchi still being held by insurgents, reportedly because she refused to renounce her Christian faith, the president said, “We are managing the matter quietly. Making noise would not help. We are collecting as much intelligence as possible, working with the Red Cross and other international organisations. There are too many fraudulent people around, who claim they can do this and that. We won’t deal with them. That was how we got the Dapchi girls back, and the Chibok girls.” 
In his response, Archbishop Welby said it was always a delight to see President Buhari, whom he has a tremendous respect for, adding: “You have my best wishes on your recent decision. I read your declaration speech. We are neutral as a church, but we will pray for you. Great statesmen are those who run for the good of their country. We will be praying for you.”
The Archbishop presented President Buhari with a copy of his recent book, ‘Re-imagining Britain. Foundations for Hope.’
Meanwhile, moves to curb the excesses of terrorism in the country has seen the Federal Government approving the establishment of Nigerian Army University in Biu, Borno State.
Minister of Education, Adamu Adamu, disclosed this on Wednesday, shortly after the Federal Executive Council meeting, presided over by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo.
Recall that Chief of Army Staff, Tukur Buratai, had, last June, said the army had already reached out to the National Universities Commission (NUC) to secure approval for the university.
Buratai had then explained that the university was being designed as a unique and specialised institution that would serve as solutions centre, especially to specific challenges facing the military and North East.

Senate suspends lawmaker who challenged adoption of electoral act amendment

 
Mr Omo-Agege in February accused his colleagues of working against Mr Buhari by adopting the amendment to section 25 of electoral act outlining a change in the sequence of elections. The Senate on Tuesday suspended a senator, Ovie Omo-Agege, for accusing his colleagues of working against President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election plans in 2019.  
Mr. Omo-Agege had said: “For some of you who are familiar with what transpired in the House of Reps, only 36 members were on the floor when this so-called amendment to section 25 of the Electoral Act was introduced. The position we took is that 36 people cannot determine the destiny of 360 people in the House (of Reps), which is now being carried over to 109 in the Senate. The least we are owed is for this so-called amendment to be deliberated upon and our rule is clear.
“We have 59 senators who are opposed to the inclusion of section 25 of the Electoral Act. If that division was allowed today, 59 senators would have voted to delete that purported amendment to section 25.
“You don’t make a law targeted at one person. The perception out there is that this Section 25 was included to target Mr. President.”
A week after, Dino Melaye, (Kogi-APC), drew the attention of the Senate specifically to the comments made by Mr. Omo-Agege on the election sequence.
The matter was referred to the committee on ethics and privileges to investigate.
Presenting the report on Thursday, the chairman of the committee, Sam Anyanwu, recommended 180 days of suspension.
He said the punishment was imperative because the senator took the issue to court after it was referred to the committee.
The days of suspension was however reduced to 90 on pleas by the Senate President, Bukola Saraki.

BIAFRA Buhari condoles President Bouteflika, Algerians over military plane crash

 
The President, in a statement by the Senior Special Assistant on Media and publicity, Garba Shehu, also extended deepest condolences to the families and friends of bereaved Algerians and other nationals, who are in sorrow because of the tragedy. President Muhammadu Buhari has commiserated with President Abdelaziz Bouteflika and the people of Algeria over Wednesday’s military plane crash near the Boufarik military airport in Algiers which claimed many lives.
He assured President Bouteflika and those who lost their loved ones of the sympathy of all Nigerians in their moment of grief.
Buhari affirmed that the thoughts and prayers of all Nigerians are with all who mourn, even as he prayed that God Almighty will comfort the bereaved, the nation of Algeria and grant eternal rest to the souls of those who died in the crash.

BIAFRA 2019: How Buhari’s second term will help Igbos – Okorocha’s son-in-law, Nwosu

Nwosu, a governorship aspirant under the All Progressives Congress, APC, said Buhari’s declaration for second term will help Igbos actualise their dreams of Presidency by 2023. The Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha’s son-in-law, Uche Nwosu, has revealed why people of the South East must support President Muhammadu Buhari’s second term bid.
Speaking with newsmen in Owerri, the state capital, Nwosu also said the zoning of the Vice President’s slot to the South East by the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, or any party was wasteful.
Nwosu said, “Vice Presidential slot to South East zone in any party, including the PDP is a complete waste because what a president can achieve in one day, a vice president cannot achieve in eight years.
“Aside from the Igbo presidency which Buhari’s second term will secure for the Igbo, he has also done very well for the Southeast.
“With Buhari’s declaration for a second term, the Igbo will only have to wait for four years before producing the next president. So, there is need for every Igbo man irrespective of political party affiliation to support Buhari’s re-election bid.  “Today, we have a Cargo Airport in Owerri and President Buhari did it and today, Anambra State has been enlisted among the oil producing states. All these and many more were done by President Buhari. President Goodluck didn’t do them for us.”

BIAFRA:Re-Electing Buhari Will Perpetuate Evil In Nigeria – Reverend Emmanuel Chukwuma

 
He, therefore, called on those fanning the embers of continuity to rethink their decision in the interest of the country and Buhari. The Archbishop, Enugu Ecclesiastical Province (Anglican Communion), Most Rev. Emmanuel Chukwuma, has said that re-electing President Muhammadu Buhari in 2019 would perpetuate suffering and evil in the country.
Chukwuma, who reiterated his earlier call on Buhari to quit at the expiration of his tenure in 2019, stated that accepting to re-contest the position might lead to his “disastrous end”, as according to him, “he has brought more tears and weeping on the people.”
Speaking with reporters yesterday in Enugu shortly after a service of songs in honour of the late Rev. Canon Chris Nwezi, held at St. John’s Anglican Church, Idaw River, Chukwuma expressed shock that President Buhari could contemplate to re-contest, saying such decision was a mockery on Nigeria.
He said: “I want to let you know that President Buhari declaring or not declaring is not anything to be feared. It is not anything that is new. Rather, he should know that it will lead to his disastrous end should he dare to re-contest. I have told him, he should go and rest. “He has expired. All those yearning for him to continue are the people benefiting from him. He has not done anything to warrant his coming back to office. The way things are, we need a new wine in a new wine skin. I am against people who are coming out to perpetuate sufferings of the people and Buhari has shown that he cannot solve our problems. We need good governance. It does not matter the party you belong. All the people yearning to become president have all expired. They have no new thing to offer and we cannot continue to perpetuate failure and evil.” Chukwuma urged Nigerians to intensify in prayers for God to intervene in the leadership of the country by removing all those who have continued to cause hardship and crisis, adding that it was not enough to release looters’ list but to prosecute those involved if the government was sure they were corrupt.

IPOB Family demands Nnamdi Kanu’s corpse for burial

 
 BIAFRA NATION

The family said it believed that Kanu was killed by the Nigerian military, in an attempt to quell the agitation for Biafra. Family of the leader of the Indigenous People of Biafra (IPOB), Nnamdi Kanu, has asked the Federal Government to release the corpse of their son for burial.
The family spokesman, Emma Kanu, told Daily Sun that the federal government should release Nnamdi’s corpse to them so as to give him a befitting burial.
Emma said ever since the IPOB leader disappeared last year, when his home was raided by the military, the family had always feared for his life.
“Now that it has been reported that he is dead, the federal government should, without hesitation release his corpse to his family, so that we and the entire Igbo nation can give him the befitting burial he deserves because he is a true Igbo son,” he said.
The younger Kanu said even if the IPOB leader was out of Biafra struggle, it would not vitiate the resolve of IPOB and indeed the whole of Igbo to actualise Biafra.
On the call by Gen T.Y Danjuma for Nigerians to protect themselves since those saddled with the responsibility had failed them, Kanu said although the call was belated, however, it was a clarion call which IPOB would not take lightly.
“The call by Danjuma for people in the country to defend themselves means that the elder statesman has just started seeing what the IPOB leader, Kanu saw years back.
“All the same, it is a clarion call which IPOB will adhere to, no matter the circumstance,” he stated.