Politics

PGF boss, Lukman warns against complacency in APC

Published

3 years ago

November 8, 2020

…Says party better than PDP, APGA, others

Director General of the Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) Salihu Moh. Lukman, has warned leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) against complacency, saying the party should be ideally encouraged to consider testing political proposals meant to deepen democracy.

The APC chieftain said the governing party needs to take every necessary step to open up party structures and invite patriotic Nigerians, members and leaders of organised groups to join it.

In a statement released Sunday in Abuja, Lukman said APC is far ahead of its political peers in terms of being a liberal party with strong internal contestation.

“Emerging from a big existential leadership crisis, all our political leaders in APC should be ideally be encouraged to consider testing political proposals that should strengthen and deepen our democracy. There should be no room for complacency. In fact, as a party, we need to take every necessary step to open up our party structures and invite patriotic Nigerians, members and leaders of organised groups to join the party.

“With party’s National Caretaker Committee about to commence processes of membership registration and verification, we should aggressively mobilise Nigerians across all parts and sections of the country to join the party. This should be a necessary precondition to accelerate the process of ensuring that political negotiations in the country go beyond electoral contests.

“Part of the incentive required to encourage members and leaders of interest groups to be convinced about the APC being the go-to party for the realisation of political aspirations of diverse interests including professional and organised groups has to do with conducts of elected and appointed officials in governments controlled by the party. Are our elected and appointed officials dispose to public debates, engagements and negotiations with organised groups? Or, do they also consider demands by interest groups as expression of disagreement and therefore evidence of conspiracy against the party, governments it control and all our political leaders? For our democracy to develop to the level of producing compromises on a permanent basis, and with all Nigerians across all sectors based on corresponding respect for every interest in the country, the structures of our parties must be opened and broadened to accommodate everyone. Otherwise, our democracy will remain stagnant and limited to electoral contests with the risk of the current ugly leadership vicious circle.”

According to the PGF boss, APC is far ahead of its political peers in terms of being a liberal party with strong internal contestation. But such liberalism is yet to produce the corresponding requirement for interest representation and negotiation within the party, which is responsible for why our elected and appointed political leaders in the party estimate citizens’ demands as disagreement and subversive when it doesn’t correspond to their positions.

“It is also why fellow party leaders would appear intolerant to positions of other party leaders regarding both citizens’ demands and internal disagreements. We need to appeal to our leaders at all levels, especially in APC to liberate themselves and shed off any fear of citizens’ engagement, internal disagreements, political negotiations and the possible compromises that may emerge both within the party and in the country. Fear of citizens’ engagement and political negotiations is largely what is emboldening political opponents whose credentials on this score are anything but attractive.

Lukman said in APC, nothing is impossible.

“Our leaders have broken the country’s political ice twice. They have led us to negotiate the first successful merger of political parties in the history of the country. They have also led us to successfully negotiate a major leadership crisis of existential magnitude, which is arguably the first of its kind that has not led to breakaway and split in the party.

“As party members, we need to support our leaders and appeal to them to introduce all the required initiatives to enhance the democratic orientation of both the party and the country. At this critical point of our development, both as an emerging democracy and as a party, the catchphrase should be producing political comprises through debate and negotiations. This should be our new standards for political contests in the country, based on which we are able to command electoral advantages and assert our political superiority.”

He also believed that democratic development should be about the significant compromises brokered and the extent to which citizens, on account of the compromises, are able to feel a sense of belonging. Any democracy can be adjudged to be working well if through the different compromises it produces, citizens are able to feel a sense of belonging.

“A major requirement needed may have to do with the task of aligning the vision of political leaders with the hopes and aspirations of citizens. Interestingly, it is always much easier for citizens to align themselves with the views of political leaders. Those views may or may not necessarily equate to visions, nonetheless however, citizens can simply hope that their interests are represented in the views of leaders.”

Politics

Group Canvases Objective Engagement with Tinubu-led Government

Published

23 hours ago

November 30, 2023

Sunrise Nigeria

By Victor Iko-Ojo
…

Irrespective of the challenges witnessed at the last general election that brought president bola Ahmed tinubu to power, a group known as ‘Good Friends Network for Good Governance’ has called for calm and understanding with the Bola Ahmed Tinubu-led government in the interest of nigeria.

This opinion was expressed by the convener Nwafor Chigbo Fortune in a an interview with our reporter at the recent civil society interactive forum in Abuja.

According to Nwafor, elections and court matters are over, hence the need for everyone to move on, irrespective of party affiliation, without prejudicing the need to ensure the delivery of the dividends of democracy to the populace.

“Nigeria belongs to Nigerians and failure to provide leadership will affect everyone” he said.

Chigbo Nwafor Fortune
Convener, Good Friends Network for Good Governance

Nwafor charged those in power to be magnanimous in victory and run a government of inclusiveness devoid of short changing any region due to political differences.

He reminded Nigerians of their civic responsibilities of holding government accountable at all times.

According to Nwafor, The Good Friends Network for Good Governance has been at the forefront of engagements for the entrenchment of enduring democratic principles and ensuring that the populace gets value for their electoral investment in their leaders

He therefore called on the opposition parties to synergise and not not relent in providing the much desired objective criticism whenever the need arises because a robust opposition is the panacea that keeps the government in check in a functional democracy.

International

Liberian Presidential Election: George Weah Concedes, Congratulates Opponent Boakai

Published

2 weeks ago

November 18, 2023

Sunrise Nigeria

Liberian President George Weah has called his challenger in the presidential race, Joseph Boakai, to congratulate him on his victory.

In an address to the nation he said “the Liberian people have spoken and we have heard their voice”.

The opposition candidate holds an unassailable lead of 28,000 votes with nearly all ballots counted.

A former world footballer of the year, President Weah has been in power since 2018. He will step down in January.
He came into the job on a wave of enthusiasm, especially from younger voters, having won that election – also against Mr Boakai – by a large margin.

But a perception that he had failed to tackle corruption, rising prices and continued economic difficulties tarnished his image.

Mr Weah was magnanimous in defeat, beginning his five-minute address by saying he had “the utmost respect for the democratic process that has defined our nation”, adding that he had spoken to Mr Boakai who he called the “president-elect”.

Earlier the electoral commission announced that Mr Boakai, a 78-year-old political veteran had 50.89% of the votes, while President Weah had 49.11%.

The president referred to the closeness of the race saying it “reveals a deep division within our country” and called on Liberians to “work together to find common ground… unity is paramount for mama Liberia”.

A long period of civil war in which an estimated 250,000 people died ended just 20 years ago.

When the latest set of results were announced earlier on Friday, they sparked celebrations in the capital, Monrovia.

Mr Boakai’s supporters gathered at his party’s headquarters in the city, convinced that he had won the election.

They called for President Weah to go, and chanted “we beat the Buga dancer” – referring to a song that became associated with his campaign.

The electoral commission says it has announced the results from 99.58% of the polling stations following Tuesday’s run-off election.
Image caption,
Mr Boakai’s supporters gathered at his party’s headquarters in Monrovia

The run-off between Mr Boakai and Mr Weah was triggered after neither candidate got more than 50% of the vote in last month’s first round. There were 18 other candidates.

In that vote, the president got the largest share and was just 7,000 votes ahead of Mr Boakai.

The poll was the tightest presidential contest in Liberia since the civil war.

Mr Boakai’s campaigning focused on the need to rescue the nation from what he called “mismanagement” by Mr Weah’s administration.

The president dismissed Mr Boakai’s allegations, saying he had made significant strides, including introducing free tuition for university students.

This is the fourth time a presidential election has taken place since the war ended.

Observers from the regional bloc, Ecowas, deemed the run-off largely peaceful, AFP news agency reports.

But there were isolated incidents that led to “injuries and hospitalisations” in the provinces of Lofa, Nimba, Bong and Montserrado, it quotes observers as saying.

Politics

I Have Not Withdrawn From Guber Race – Admiral Jibrin Usman

Published

4 weeks ago

November 2, 2023

Sunrise Nigeria

By Ojone Grace Odaudu

Lokoja, Kogi State, 2nd October 2023
..
Contrary to the rumours being spread on the social media that the Accord Party candidate in the forthcoming Governorship election in Kogi State, Admiral Usman Jibrin has withdrawn from the race, the former Chief of Naval Staff, popularly called Akpabana has debunked the claims.

In a statement by his media team, Jibrin described the rumour as a wicked and evil machination of frustrated political opponents who have seen the handwriting of an imminent defeat of their candidate on the wall and are bent on deceiving unsuspecting members of the voting public.

The statement which was signed by the Head of Campaign Media Team, Emmanuel Iyede advised the teeming supporters of Admiral Jibrin to disregard the campaign of calumny against the candidate and work towards his emergence as

– We, the campaign team of Admiral Usman Jibrin, the governorship candidate of the Accord Party, would like to officially address the ongoing rumors circulating in various media and social platforms. These rumors suggest that Admiral Usman Jibrin has decided to step down from the governorship race in favor of Murtala Yakubu of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). We want to categorically state that these rumors are entirely false and unfounded.

Admiral Usman Jibrin remains firmly committed to his candidacy and the people of Kogi State. He has not, and will not, step down from the governorship race. Our campaign has been built on the principles of transparency, honesty, and a sincere dedication to bringing positive change to the lives of the people in our state.

These baseless rumors are a clear attempt to mislead the public, sow confusion, and undermine the democratic process. We urge everyone to exercise caution and verify the information they encounter before accepting it as fact. The spreading of false information not only harms the integrity of our electoral system but also creates unnecessary anxiety among our supporters.

Our campaign is strong, united, and focused on the issues that matter most to the people of Kogi State. We believe in the power of the democratic process, and we are committed to running a fair, honest, and transparent campaign.

Admiral Usman Jibrin and the Accord Party are dedicated to providing the best possible leadership and governance for the people of Kogi State. We remain steadfast in our mission and will continue to work tirelessly to earn the trust and support of the voters.

If you have any questions or require further information, please feel free to contact our campaign headquarters at e.iyede@jibrinusmanofficial.org. We appreciate the support and trust of the people, and together, we will bring positive change to Kogi State.

Sincerely,

Emmanuel Iyede
Head of Admiral Usman Jibrin Campaign Media
e.iyede@jibrinusmanofficial.org