Politics

2023: ‘Buhari’s successor can come from any part of Nigeria’ – Sheriff

Published

4 years ago

September 10, 2021

Nats Odaudu

Sheriff

… says APC must work harder than ever before to gain the confidence of Nigerians in order to retain power beyond 2023.

Ahead of the 2023 general elections, a former governor of Borno State, Ali Modu Sheriff, has asked Nigerians to choose a leader with capacity irrespective of where he or she comes from.

The leader, he said, can hail from any part of Nigeria as long as he can bring succour to Nigerians.

He made the statement in Abuja while receiving members of an All Progressives Congress (APC) pressure group, Frontier for Equality Leadership and Good Governance, on Thursday in Abuja.

The group had visited the former governor to ask that he contests for the position of APC National Chairman.

While he asked Nigerians to discard ethnicity and religion when choosing the next president, he said competence should be the main focus of Nigerians in making a choice.

“Unless we believe in ourselves as a nation, and believe all of us are equal and believe that a good leader will emerge from any part of the country, regardless of religion, tribe or where he comes from, we will not succeed in getting the country we dearly love.

“We must put our differences aside and look for leaders from anywhere.

“If the man that will bring succour to Nigeria is coming from a mountain in Ogoja (Cross River), we should go and look for him. If it is in the extreme end of Adamawa, we should go and look for him. If he is coming from the end of Anambra, we should go and look for him. We must do soul-searching and look for a leader,” Mr Sheriff said.

Leadership cross

The former governor also warned Nigerians against criticising their leaders and asked that prayers be made for them.

“When I see people criticise leaders on what they know nothing about, I pray for them because you will only know the challenges of this country when you are saddled with responsibility. When we have leaders we should pray for them that God will intervene, we should not curse our leaders.

“If you must blame any leader you must look at the followers, what have we done? To help our leaders to be strong – and we have to do soul searching.

“Everyday we wake up with a different challenge and these challenges are not only for our leaders, we must understand that, it is for all of us,” he said.

APC’s burden

Mr Sheriff who was once the National Chairman of Nigeria’s main opposition party, PDP, stated that the APC might have lost the trust of Nigerians.

READ ALSO: Anambra 2021: Stella Oduah dumps PDP for APC

The party, he said, “must work harder than ever before to gain the confidence of Nigerians in order to retain power beyond 2023”.

He noted that by the end of the tenure of the President Muhammadu Buhari in 2023, “the APC would have to work extra-hard to gain a fraction of the 12 million votes which the Buhari administration carried over the years”.

In response to the group’s for him to contest for the national chairmanship of the APC, he said he would only contest “if the position is zoned to the North-east”.

Mr Sheriff’s comments comes amidst uncertainty as to where the presidential ticket for the APC will be zoned to.

Although he is yet to officially declare his intention to run for the position of chairmanship, PREMIUM TIMES had reported him saying his decision to contest is largely dependent on how the position is zoned by the party.

“…Whether I will run for the office or not will be determined by what the caretaker committee takes as a decision on where the leadership of the party will go. Whether it will go to another place or it will remain in our zone.

“If it goes to another zone, I will not contest. But if it stays in our zone, I will contest,” he had said.

He is among other key political players jostling for the position.

Others are former governor of Nasarawa State and serving senator, Tanko Al-Makura; his counterparts from Borno and Gombe, Kashim Shettima and Danjuma Goje, who are also serving senators; former governor of Zamfara, Abdulaziz Yari; a former member of the House of Representatives from Bauchi, Ibrahim Baba; and a former chairman of the Action Congress of Nigeria in Abuja, Sunny Moniedafe from Adamawa State.

The party is expected to hold its national elective convention before the end of the year.

It is, however, not clear when Mr Sheriff and other aspirants will publicly declare their intent to contest.

Politics

Anambra Guber: Soludo Clinches APGA Ticket, Picks Ibezim as Running Mate

Published

2 weeks ago

April 6, 2025

Sunrise

Governor Chukwuma Charles Soludo has emerged as the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) candidate for the upcoming Anambra State governorship election scheduled for November 8, 2025.

The APGA primary election was held on Saturday at the Alex Ekwueme Square in Awka, where Soludo stood as the sole contestant.

Announcing the results, the Chief Returning Officer, Uche Nwegbo, declared:

“Out of 3,260 delegates, 3,175 were accredited. A total of 3,172 votes were cast, with four votes declared invalid. Governor Soludo polled 3,168 ‘yes’ votes and no ‘no’ votes.”

“In line with INEC guidelines, I hereby declare Prof. Chukwuma Soludo as the duly elected candidate of APGA for the 2025 governorship election.”

In his acceptance speech, Soludo expressed gratitude and confidence in the party’s support, saying:

“I am humbled by this historic show of solidarity. Anambra is APGA, and APGA is Anambra. We are just getting started—Anambra has not seen anything yet.”

Highlighting his administration’s achievements, the governor noted that his government has been delivering results without borrowing funds and promised even more development in the next term.

Soludo also used the occasion to announce his running mate, re-nominating Dr. Onyeka Ibezim, his current deputy.

“If it’s not broken, why mend it?” Soludo said, reinforcing confidence in their current partnership.

He concluded by thanking supporters, party members, INEC observers, and donors—especially market women and grassroots groups—who continue to back his second-term bid.ren, Ughelli South LGA, Delta State.

Politics

Soludo Appoints Law Mefor as Anambra Commissioner for Information

Published

7 months ago

September 18, 2024

Nats Odaudu

By Elizabeth Okwe

The governor of Anambra state, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, has appointed renowned media consultant and Forensic Psychologist Dr Law Mefor as the state’s commissioner for information.

In a statement on Tuesday by Christian Aburime, the chief press secretary (CPS) to the governor, Soludo expressed confidence in Mefor’s ability to foster a robust information environment in the state.

The governor also commended Nwosu for his contributions as commissioner for information during his time and wished him the best in his future endeavours.

“The governor of Anambra state, Professor Chukwuma Charles Soludo, CFR, has approved the appointment of Dr. Law Mefor, who has been sworn in as the new commissioner for information in Anambra state,” the statement reads.

“Dr. Mefor replaces Sir Paul Nwosu, who has moved on after over ten years of meritorious service to the Anambra state government.

“Dr. Law Mefor, a distinguished academic and public intellectual, brings a wealth of experience to his new position.

“With an impressive academic portfolio, he holds a Ph.D. in Social Psychology from the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, alongside degrees in General and Applied Psychology from the University of Jos, Forensic Psychology from Nasarawa State University, a Master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of Calabar, and a postgraduate diploma in journalism from the International Institute of Journalism, Abuja.

“Over the years, Dr. Mefor has established himself as an educator and media consultant, lecturing for over a decade at the International Institute of Journalism, Abuja.

“He has also made significant contributions as a syndicated columnist, publishing thought-provoking articles in TheCable and various online and mainstream newspapers.

“Wishing him success as he assumes his new role, Governor Soludo expressed confidence in Dr. Mefor’s ability and extensive experience to strengthen the communication machinery of the state and foster a more vibrant information environment for the government’s developmental strides.

“Also, the governor commended Sir Paul Nwosu for his dedication and contributions during his tenure as Commissioner for Information, wishing him the very best in his future endeavours.”

A perfect choice

Meanwhile, the choice of Dr Law Mefor as the state’s commissioner for information by Governor Soludo has been described as a fit-to-type one which will raise the bar in the state’s information management.

According to Public Affairs Consultant and Chief Executive Officer of Sunrise Media Limited, publishers of SunriseNigeria magazine and sunrisengr.com, Dr James Odaudu, Dr Mefor is not only a consumate academician but also a thoroughbred media professional with a wide reach who will definitely deploy his wealth of experience and professional expertise to make a difference.

In a congratulatory message to the new commissioner, Odaudu expressed the hope that he will continue in his well-documented trajectory of devoted service to his people which has been his hallmark even as a private practitioner.

The SunriseNigeria publisher assured the Commissioner of his organisation’s readiness to partner with the Anambra state government to achieve its desired goals in information dissemination and public engagement.

International

Some Top Republicans Secretly Pray for Kamala Harris Massive Win

Published

8 months ago

September 5, 2024

Nats Odaudu

By Dan Ladden-Hall

It seems it’s not just Democrats who are hoping that Donald Trump will be dealt a devastating defeat in November.

Several notable Republican figures also want the former president to lose to Kamala Harris but aren’t saying so publicly, according to Politico. Some GOP lawmakers see the possibility of a new Trump term as bad news for the party, the outlet reports.

Among those concerned are proponents of free market economic policies who are concerned by Trump’s proposed import tariffs, while abortion rights opponents are also skeptical of his inconsistent messaging on that issue, according to Politico.

They’re also reportedly concerned that Trump winning in 2024 could hurt the GOP’s electoral chances in the future.

“There’s a lot of anxiety about what Trump does to Republican ability to win in 2028—and what he also may do to the party in terms of policy long term,” one anonymous conservative leader told Politico. “There is just this concern that like, ‘OK, if the party just goes in that direction, then what kind of party is it going forward? And can conservatives, then, have a home going forward?’”

The outlet also claims concerned Republicans hope Trump’s loss is by a wide margin in order to help stifle any attempts to cast doubt on the legitimacy of his hypothetical defeat.

In a separate column, Politico’s columnist Jonathan Martin claimed the best outcome for the future of the Republican Party is for Trump to “lose soundly” in November.

“For most Republicans who’ve not converted to the Church of MAGA, this scenario is barely even provocative,” Martin writes. “In fact, asking around with Republicans last week, the most fervent private debate I came across in the party was how best to accelerate Trump’s exit to the 19th Hole.”

In a statement, Trump spokesperson Brian Hughes told the outlet that Trump has “unified the GOP like never before” and “expanded his coalition of support across partisan lines to Democrats and Independents.”

“Our campaign and down-ballot Republicans are poised for a great result in November, despite a few hand-wringing, anonymous sources who are not bold enough to attach their names to this drivel,” Hughes added.

* Reuters