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APGA’s Chukwuma Soludo Wins Anambra Governorship Election

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Former governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria and candidate of the All Progressives Grand Alliance, Prof Chukwuma Soludo, has been declared winner of the Anambra Governorship Election by the Independent National Electoral Commission.

The Returning Officer of the Anambra Governorship Election, Prof Florence Obi, announced the result on Wednesday morning at the INEC office in Awka, Anambra State.

“That Charles Chukwuma Soludo of APGA, having satisfied the requirements of the law is hereby declared the winner and is returned elected,” the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Calabar said on Wednesday.

Soludo, who was the apex bank governor between 2004 and 2009, was declared winner after the November 6 election was declared inconclusive by INEC and after a supplementary election was held in the Ihiala Local Government Area of the state on Tuesday. He won 19 of the 21 local governments areas including Ihiala LGA.

Sixty one-year-old Soludo won with 112,229 votes beating Valentine Ozigbo of the Peoples Democratic Party, who polled 53,807 votes, and Andy Uba of the All Progressives Congress who got 43,285 votes. Ifeanyi Ubah of the Young Progressive Party polled 21,261 votes came fourth.

Soludo’s walk to victory was paved with stony challenges including legal battles and intra-party squabbles but the Supreme Court in Abuja affirmed him as APGA governorship candidate. This was after the sacking of a former APGA candidate, Chukwuma Umeoji, by the court.

Umeoji, who is the current member of the House of Representatives representing Aguata Federal Constituency in Anambra State, was recently sacked by a court decision after his name had been listed by the Independent National Electoral Commission as APGA’s candidate.

The court then ordered INEC to replace Umeoji with Soludo as the validly elected candidate of APGA for the governorship election.

Also in April 2021 during the build-up to the election, Soludo narrowly escaped death when gunmen unleashed terror on him and his security aides during a town hall meeting in his hometown in Isuofia in the Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra.

Three of his police orderlies were killed during the attack which he described as “senseless”. Soludo dedicated his victory to the three policemen in his acceptance speech on Wednesday.

Soludo is expected to be sworn into office next March after the expiration of the two-term tenure of the incumbent governor, Willie Obiano, who is also of the All Progressives Grand Alliance.

The Man Soludo:

Professor Chukwuma C. Soludo was born on 28th July, 1960, and hails from Aguata Local Government Area of Anambra State. After his secondary school education, he proceeded to the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, where he graduated with a first class degree in Economics. He also undertook his post-graduate and doctorate degrees in Economics from the same University winning on both occasions, the prize for the best graduating student.

Professor Soludo had cumulative four years of post-doctoral training in some of the world’s most prestigious institutions, including: The Brookings Institution, Washington, DC; University of Cambridge, UK, as Smuts Research Fellow and Fellow of the Wolfson College; the UN Economic Commission for Africa as a Post-Doctoral Fellow; University of Warwick as a Visiting scholar and Visiting Research Scholar at Center for African Economies, University of Oxford (with funding by the Rhodes committee). He also attended over a dozen specialized courses and has had extensive research, teaching and consultancy works in different areas of economics.

He has worked at the World Bank both as a short and long-term consultant since 1993 and also at the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa, Addis Ababa. He was a consultant to UNCTAD; European Union (EU); Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD); United Nations (UN) New York; United States Agency for International Development (USAID); African Development Bank (ADB); Common Market for Eastern and Southern Africa (COMESA); African Union (AU); International Development Research Council (IDRC) Canada; Council for the Development of Social Science Research in Africa (CODESRIA); Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS); among others.

Professor Soludo has served as Senior Technical Advisor/Consultant as well as a Visiting Scholar at the IMF since 1994, and also taught IMF’s Financial Programming and Policy course to senior staff of Central Banks in West Africa and other developing regions. He has served as: Member, Technical Committees that drafted economic and trade policies for the Federal Government of Nigeria; and Executive Director of the African Institute for Applied Economics (AlAE).

Professor Soludo joined the Federal Government of Nigeria in July 2003 as the Economic Adviser to President Obasanjo and the Chief Executive of the National Planning Commission (NPC). Among other accomplishments during the 10 months in office, he was the Chairman/Coordinator of the team that drafted Nigeria’s economic and social reform program (2003-2007), the National Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (NEEDS), and also pioneered the collaborative planning framework in the Nigerian federation by initiating and assisting state governments in designing their State Economic Empowerment and Development Strategy (SEEDS).

As Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria since May, 2004, Prof. Soludo has refocused the Central Bank as an effective monetary authority and successfully implemented a fundamental restructuring which has led to unprecedented consolidation of the Nigerian banking system.

On account of this, the Nigerian banking system has been rated the fastest growing in Africa and one of the fastest growing in the world. He has also championed the establishment of the Africa Finance Corporation (AFC), a continental, private -sector driven, investment bank.

He is promoting the Financial System Strategy 2020 (FSS 2020), the blue-print to grow Nigeria’s financial system to become Africa’s financial hub and to drive the Nigerian economy into the global league of top 20 economies by 2020. For his achievements, Professor Soludo is the recipient of scores of awards and recognitions from civil society organizations; NGOs; private sector organizations; religious groups; the Press; professional associations; student unions; universities; among others.

The Financial Times of London has described him as Ita Great Reformer’. He is the winner of the ‘Global and African Central Bank Governor of the Year, in 2005, 2006 and 2007 by different international media institutions including The Banker Magazine published by the Financial Times of London.

He is currently a Member of the International Advisory Group for the UK-DFID; a member of the Chief Economist Advisory Council of the World Bank and the International Advisory Group of the UK Department for International Development (DFID). He is also a member of the Initiative for Policy Dialogue (IPD), a global network of more than 200 leading economists, political scientists, and practitioners to help developing countries explore policy alternatives, and enable wider civic participation in economic policymaking.

He holds Nigeria’s third highest national honour of Commander of the Order of the Federal Republic (CFR). He is a Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Bankers of Nigeria (CIBN); Fellow of the Nigerian Economic Society (NES) and has been awarded D.SC (Honoris Causa) by the University of Calabar and also by the Federal University of Agriculture, Makurdi.
Professor Soludo is married to Nonye and blessed with children.

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Admiral Usman Jibrin Can Bring the Needed Change in Kogi – Ex-Governor Idris

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Former Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris has described the Governorship candidate of Accord Party in the upcoming Governorship elections in the state, Admiral Usman Jibrin as one with the capacity to effect the much-desired change.

Idris made the assertion when he received Admiral Jibrin on a courtesy visit
in continuation of his consultation with critical stakeholders and elders of the state to brief them about his aspiration.

According the former governor, the calibre of people like Admiral Jibrin Usman are needed in the governance of Kogi State at the moment, given his sterling performance and records as Chief of Naval Staff of the Federal Republic of Nigeria for which he received numerous national and international honours and awards.

He charged the people of Kogi State to distinguish between the substance and the chaff among the candidates, and elect someone with adequate education and requisite administrative and management experience to return the state to the path of development.

Earlier, Admiral Usman Jibrin, popularly called ‘Akpabana’, an allusion to one of the numerous warships he aquired for the Nigerian Navy during his time as the Naval Chief, told the former governor that his aspiration was driven by the desire to rescue Kogi State from the throes of maladministration and restore unity amongst the diverse ethnic groups.

According to him, governance goes way beyond populism and activism, especially in the state that has been utterly deprived of all the benefits of good

Admiral Jibrin and his entourage in a group photograph with former governor Ibrahim Idris

governance.

Kogi State, he said, requires a person with maturity, adequate education and experience for the management of human and material resources which are in abundance in the state. These, according to him, are the qualities he is offering in his aspiration.

Akpabana praised the former governor for his enduring legacies of equity and unity in the state as governor, and his fatherly role and statesmanship outside the government.

‘Akpabana’ was accompanied on the visit by many prominent indigenes of the state, including Senator Dangana Ocheja, Hon Alh Hassan Omale a former house Representatives member, DIG Alh Abdulsalam Iyaji (rtd), Alh Elder Abu Fab, a former Commissioner in the state, Sir Goodman Akwu, Alh Isiaka Ibrahim Yunusa a Director NTA Abuja and Hon Hassan Abara.

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Eschew Nepotism, Gowon, IBB, Jonathan Advise Tinubu

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*IBB wants economy opened up, Jonathan calls for restructuring of INEC

*Remi Tinubu: We do not need Nigeria’s money to survive

Nigeria’s former leaders, Gen. Yakubu Gowon, Gen. Ibrahim Babangida and ex-President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday advised Nigeria’s President-elect, Bola Tinubu, to become president for all Nigerians once he takes over the mantle of leadership of the country.

Speaking on Arise Television, THISDAY’s broadcast arm, the three former leaders in separate interviews, also urged Nigerians to be patient with the incoming administration at it settles in for the difficult job of redirecting the country.

Stressing that Nigeria is currently polarised, in his remarks, Babangida said that Tinubu needs all the skills to be able to unite the country, expressing the view that Nigeria has some of the best brains that he can tap from to revamp every sector, including the military.

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu

“As Commander-in-Chief, he needs to take a good look at the armed forces to reorient them, retrain them and reorganise them because the armed forces have undergone a lot of processes that need to be put together and make them more efficient,” he stated.

He also urged Tinubu to reorganise the civil service, but added that he was sure Tinubu will do what he needs to do to make Nigeria a better country. Babangida further urged opponents of the president-elect to accept the results of the last election.

He said that although Nigeria started well as a nation, there had been some ‘mishaps’ along the way, including the recent practice of the monetisation of the election process.

The former head of state called for a reform of the electoral process, including massive voter education, expressing worry that of the over 90 million registered voters , the number of persons that came out was less than half of the total figure.

Babangida maintained that Nigeria remains blessed with everything it needs to survive, urging the new administration to redesign the economic system in Nigeria.

“I wish the new administration well. Let them put Nigeria first and the welfare of Nigerians should be paramount. Leadership at all levels is missing,” he argued , stressing that although some leaders know what to do , they should strive to rally Nigerians behind them.

The former Nigerian leader urged his countrymen to be patient, but said Nigerian leaders should have moments of reflection. He also said he had no regrets as Nigeria’s former leader.

“The only advice is to be patient and continue to support the new government but if they see things going wrong, they should cry out as usual, but be objective about it,” he said.

Babangida further urged the incoming government to open up the economy and give Nigerians a direction on how it intends to solve unemployment, inflation, among others.

On his part, Gowon said he was satisfied that 60 years after, Nigeria still remains as one entity and called for massive support for the incoming government.

“As far as I am concerned, I am satisfied that we are still existing as a united nation after the little fracas. Thank God we made it to 60 years and I hope we make it to the next 60 years, though I might not be here. But that is my belief: to keep Nigeria one and to strive to make a better country.

“Do your best, be a loyal Nigerian, love Nigeria-good or bad. Whatever it is. If it is bad, try to make it better and if it is good, try to make it the best. This is my attitude and this is why I have always supported every government that started in this country and I will continue to support them,” he explained.
Jonathan, who spoke extensively on the election process, called for a reform of the system to ensure that persons appointed to the commission are not only of impeccable character , but go through a rigorous screening process.

“I know there are issues bordering on the election, some are happy, some are not. Some are feeling other ways,” he stated.
He added: “In my own time in 2015, my senior officials, people who worked with me , there was this fear that after losing election, what will be their fate.
“Will the new government just throw us into jail without even giving us fair hearing, because government is next to God and could decide to do anything. That fear was in the mind of people. Some people said should I stay, or run away?

“But this is different because it is the same party that has taken over, so the tension we faced then, Buhari may not face the same tension. Yes, there may be some who may have issues that bothee them. But on the average they won’t have that kind of feeling. But it was tense and by this time , I already conceded defeat, so that was completely over.
“I knew why I conceded defeat because I was more interested in the country than myself which I also advise every politician, because without a country, there will be no president.

“The problem we have is the electoral management body and the security. If two soccer teams are playing and the referee decides to look the other way, they will injure themselves. You must not allow it.
“The electoral management body shares more than 60 per cent of the blame because if they do their work well , the politicians will have no choice than to follow the rules, they and the security and the courts.

“I believe one day we will get there, but I feel sad now that our electoral process is still wobbly. We have migrated from card reader to BVAS, which is a superior technology. Why do we still have problems?
“For manual voting, we have problems, electronic we have problems, so where is the problem coming from? It’s the Independent Electoral Commission (INEC). INEC has to sit up so as not to throw this country into conflagration one day,” he posited.

Jonathan contended that the companies which build the machines during the elections, should be allowed to manage them, since they will want to protect their image, noting that the alleged redeployment of one IT staff of INEC during the last election wouldn’t have arisen if that was the case.
On how to resolve electoral disputes, Jonathan stressed that he was worried that elections in Nigeria are still very contentious and controversial, noting that Nigeria should be leading Africa in terms of democracy and be able to conduct free and fair polls.

He admitted that Nigeria’s election conduct remains one of the worst in the world, insisting that the system must convince people who lose elections that they truly lost. He also pointed out that frustration arising from election could lead to unpalatable outcomes.
He said if he had the chance and Mahmud Jega’s tenure had run out during his time, he planned to make the process of appointing the person for the INEC top job more thorough.

Meanwhile, the wife of the president-elect, Senator Remi Tinubu, has said she is hopeful that her husband will succeed as president, especially with the prayers of Nigerians.

Stressing that the country’s commonwealth belongs to the entire people of Nigeria, Tinubu’s wife stated that her family will not need Nigeria’s money to survive, since according to her, they are already blessed.

“The commonwealth belongs to everyone. God has blessed my family. We don’t need the wealth of Nigeria to survive, but to do the right thing and I promise you on this altar that with your help and with the help of God, we will set this nation on the right path.

“ We need your prayers. I can tell you, I, for one, I am a silent worker. I am not a noise maker but I listen and I hear. It is not out of pride, but it is about what the journey meted on us. We’ve been bruised. Our bodies are not like the same again. But once the spirit is strong…,” she stated.

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Supreme Court Affirms Adeleke as Osun Governor

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* Governor Dedicates Victory to God, Osun People

The Supreme Court on Tuesday struck out an appeal by former Governor Gboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC), challenging Adeleke’s victory in the July 16 2022 Osun governorship election. He claimed there was overvoting.

But a five-man panel of justices dismissed Oyetola’s appeal, saying it lacked merit, and upheld Adeleke’s win at the Appeal Court.

Minutes after the verdict, the Governor who contested under the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) thanked the people for their support.

“I describe this victory as one dedicated to the Almighty God and the people of Osun,” he said. “They stood by me to let me know that they love me and I love them back.”

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