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

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3 years ago

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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.

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Politics

Soludo Appoints Law Mefor as Anambra Commissioner for Information

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3 months ago

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September 18, 2024

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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.

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International

Some Top Republicans Secretly Pray for Kamala Harris Massive Win

Published

3 months ago

on

September 5, 2024

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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

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Politics

Former Finance Minister, Nenadi Usman Emerges Labour Party Caretaker Chairman

Published

3 months ago

on

September 4, 2024

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As part of efforts to bring the seeming intractable crisis that has bedeviled the Party since the 2023 elections, the Labour Party on Wednesday announced the composition of a 29-man caretaker committee to be chaired by former Minister of Finance, Senator Nenadi Usman.

Similarly, the Immediate-past Senate Minority Deputy Leader, Senator Darlington Nwokocha, was appointed to serve as Secretary to the committee which will midwife an election of a new leadership of the party within the next 90 days.

This development effectively ended the tenure of the party’s erstwhile National Chairman, Julius Abure and members of his executive Committee.

The party reached the resolution at the end of the Party’s NEC/Extended Stakeholders meeting held at Government House Umuahia, according to a statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the governor of Abia State, Ukoha Njoku,

He said that the Terms of Reference of the Committee include, ensuring the conduct of Ward, Local Government, State Congresses and National Convention as soon as possible and in accordance with the Constitution of the Labour Party.

READ ALSO: More Moles Will Be Exposed, Fumigated Out — Labour Party

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At the end of the NEC/Extended Stakeholders Meeting held in Umuahia, the Abia State Capital, a roll call was conducted and the meeting was confirmed to be duly convened that a 29-member Caretaker Committee was constituted immediately to ensure that there is no vacuum in the Leadership of the Party.

Other members representing various interest groups including NLC, TUC, Senate, House of Representatives, House of Assembly, and Gubernatorial Candidates in the last election.

The meeting equally commended Governor Alex Otti for his leadership in hosting the meeting and enjoined members of the party to support the Caretaker Committee to achieve its mandates.

The resolution named other members of the Committee to include 3 Senators, 4 members of House of Representatives, 3 members from States House of Assembly, 3 members from the Nigeria Labour Congress, 3 members from the Trade Union Congress, 3 members from the Gubernatorial Candidates in the last election among others.

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The Governor of Abia state, Alex Otti, said that the meeting was convened to deal with the existential problems confronting the party and chart a way forward for the Party.

He noted that the tenure of the National working Committee of the Party headed by Bar. Julius Abure had elapsed since 10th of June 2024 and called on all stakeholders of the party to join forces together to resolve every internal problems of the party.

Governor Otti said that the overall interest of all Labour Party Stakeholders is the survival of the party and not necessarily the composition of the NWC as far as it is constitutionally composed.

Also Speaking, the National Leader of the party and Presidential Candidate in the 2023 general election, Mr. Peter Obi, said that all they are doing is to follow the guidelines established by law to save the party from total collapse.

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He noted that Labour Party being the third largest party in Nigeria has the potential of being the brightest if things are put in the right perspective and urged members of the party to give the caretaker Committee the needed support to enable it succeed in its assignments.

Responding on behalf of members of the caretaker Committee, the Chairman, Senator Usman thanked the National Leader of the party Mr. Peter Obi and other stakeholders for finding them fit for the task and assured that they will justify the confidence reposed in them.

Highlights of the meeting was the reaffirmation of the solid confidence in the leadership of the National Leader of the party Mr. Peter Obi and the resolution that all members with legal case against the party should withdraw same for the overall interest of the party.

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