US-based Nigerian Pastor, Nicholas Felix Nwagbo of Miracle Church International, has purchased the All Progressives Congress (APC’s) expression of interest and nomination forms in Abuja.
The forms are sold at a total price of N100 million.
Nwagbo, 40, purchased his form on a day his colleague, Pastor Tunde Bakare of The Citadel Global Community Church, also picked up his form at the APC secretariat.
Pastor Bakare would officially declare his presidential ambition on Monday, May 9, 2022, at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Central Business District in Abuja.
Aside from the two pastors, other presidential aspirants on APC platform include the party’s National Leader, Bola Tinubu, Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo; and Ekiti State Governor, Kayode Fayemi.
Also in the race are Minister of State for Education, Emeka Nwajiuba; Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige; Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Godswill Akpabio; Ebonyi State Governor, Dave Umahi; former Imo State Governor, Rochas Okorocha; former Abia State Governor, Orji Kalu; and former Ogun State governor, Ibikunle Amosun, and Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello.
The wait is over as Vice-President, Yemi Osinbajo has picked the All Progressive Congress, APC, nomination and expression of interest forms ahead of the party’s primaries.
A top member of his campaign team, Senator Kabiru Gaya picked up the forms on behalf of the nation’s number two citizen on Thursday, May 5, Naija News reports.
Recall that the Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) made known his presidential ambition last month.
Osinbajo has been touring the country to consult delegates ahead of the primaries which will hold at the end of this month.
Osinbajo’s most recent tour was on Wednesday when he visited Adamawa State and met with delegates from the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Naija News reports the VP met with the APC delegates behind closed doors at the multi-purpose Hall of the Muna Hotel in Yola, the state capital.
Though journalists were not allowed into the venue of the meeting, the Vice President spoke briefly with newsmen after he met with the party delegates.
Describing the deliberations as fruitful, Osinbajo said the purpose of his visit was to consult with the APC delegates from the state about his 2023 presidential ambition.
He said: “I came here to discuss with our delegates. We have very useful and robust discussions.
“All of it was directed at various ways by which we can do great things for our country and how we can make progress. A lot was said and done here today and I can say that the future is very bright.”
The Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi, on Wednesday made ten promises to Nigerians if elected the next President in 2023.
He made the promises in his presidential declaration speech read to his supporters and members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) at the Hilton Hotel in Abuja.
Below are the ten promises made by Governor Fayemi.
1. Programmatically, as the standard-bearer of the All Progressives Congress, I will be leading the implementation of a holistic and integrated response to the multifaceted security crises confronting us. To this end, the retooling of our armed forces, intelligence agencies, and border guards will be pursued in tandem with an overhaul of our policing system and the phasing in of bold universal social policies that will enable us decisively tackle poverty and upgrade human capital and security.
2. To give full effect to concrete programmes of action that will be launched in priority areas which will allow for a revamping of the credibility of the Nigerian state, the promotion and fulfilment of an enhanced social contract, and the rebirth of the national identity.
3. The adoption of broad socio-economic measures that enhance our capacity to fight insecurity must be done at the same time as investments in reinforcing the deterrent capacity of the state through its armed forces, security agencies, and police authorities. Authority and legitimacy coupled with deterrence and rapid response go hand in hand, just as we must better design and interface economic policies with broad social objectives and goals of political inclusivity towards a well-defined outcome, namely, sustained peace, stability, and progress of our country.
4. Let there be no doubt: For the economy to serve broader social and political purposes that enhance human and state security, stem poverty, and promote national prosperity, my agenda for Nigeria encompasses attention to questions of productivity, diversification, domestic value addition, investments in and incentives for research, development, and innovation, and the expansion of domestic revenue mobilisation, among others.
5. Considerable work is already ongoing on the upgrading and expansion of our infrastructure and one of my prime objectives would be to accelerate this both through public investments and partnerships with the private sector whilst simultaneously ensuring that we enforce accountability and get much greater value for money.
6. By the same token, a major rescue and investment programme for the education sector, the health system, the civil service, and the local government system will be launched to re-orient each of them for the task of overall national development, and progress and prosperity.
7. I fully understand that we cannot secure our prosperity without ensuring that our agricultural sector is able to deliver self-sufficiency in critical food markets, feed our efforts at agro-allied industrialisation and thus meaningfully enable the transformation of the unemployed into gainful employment, reinvigorate the rural areas, foster the coordinated expansion of commodity exchanges, and boost the flow of foreign exchange into the economy.
8. No vision of national prosperity however impeccable or programme of national transformation however comprehensive can deliver the outcomes desired without attention to the planning system of government writ large. We must build on recent successes in restoring our national planning system and statistical capacity in order to open new, forward-looking approaches to development management that are research and data-driven.
9. As part of this commitment, a holistic approach to decentralisation will be embraced and institutionalised so that government and its services are brought closer to the people. Our programme of decentralisation will also feed into the goals of a stronger, more united, and stable Nigeria, outcomes which are not only good for our domestic prospects but which will also benefit West Africa, the rest of the African continent, and a troubled international multilateral system.
10. In the course of this campaign, I will adhere to the highest standards of decorum, decency, and respect that Nigerians expect of their leaders. Also, I pledged to bring to full fruition his promises to the pride of all Nigerians and the admiration of the world.
The Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi on Tuesday visited his counterpart, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State as part of his consultation in order to emerge as the President of Nigeria in 2023.
Naija News had earlier reported that the Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum declared his intention to contest under the All Progressives Congress (APC) in 2023.
Fayemi in a post on his Facebook account on Wednesday revealed that he visited Governor Ganduje and the Governor of Nasarawa State, Abdullahi Sule on Tuesday.
According to the Ekiti State Governor, he visited the APC Governors for further consultations regarding the APC Presidential Primary election.
Fayemi also met the former Governor of Benue State and Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs, George Akume.
He said, “The meetings provided an avenue to listen to and exchange ideas on the best approaches to advance the frontiers of the national agenda.”
Fayemi would be hoping to clinch the presidential ticket of the ruling party ahead of the likes of the National Leader of the party, Bola Tinubu, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo, Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, Minister of Labour and Employment, Chris Ngige, Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello and several other aspirants in the party.
Former Nigerian President Olusegun Obasanjo has opined that Nigeria needs men and women of integrity to improve the country’s economy.
Obasanjo stated this on Tuesday at the global crusade of the Deeper Life Bible Church in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital.
According to Obasanjo Nigeria and the entire world needs God’s help and urged everyone to seek divine intervention.
The former Head of State said Noah stood out, as well as Job, whom God described as a man of great integrity.
“Nigeria needs such men of integrity at this present moment”.
Olusegun Obasanjo added that despite the current situation in Nigeria, everything will be well.
He said: “If you consider what is going on in our States, our country, West Africa, our continent and indeed our globe, our world requires a crusade of this nature”.
“I believe that because of men and women of such virtue in Nigeria, God will open his eyes and have mercy on this country”.
Meanwhile ahead of the 2023 election notable chieftains of the All Progressive Congress Party including the vice president, Yemi Osinbajo and Asiwaju Bola Tinubu have declared their intentions.
President Muhammadu Buhari on Tuesday night met with the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Ahmed Tinubu.
The duo as at the time of filing in this report are meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja.
Although the reason for the meeting was not made know, this online newspaper understands that it may not be unconnected to Tinubu’s 2023 presidential ambition.
The APC leader was the first presidential aspirant in the ruling party to consult the sitting president about his political ambition.
Not less than 10 Northern States will receive bags of rice for sallah celebration as free gifts from frontline aspirant for the presidential ticket of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Mr Bola Tinubu.
Sallah celebration culminates a month-long fasting of Muslims where the faithful engage in intense prayer for the remission of sin.
Tinubu, a former governor of Lagos State (1999-2007), is known for sharing foods and other items during Muslim periods of celebration and like other politicians usually dole out foods and items during political campaign.
According to aides, not less than 10 states in the North of Nigeria will benefit from this largesse with each state billed to receive 3,000 bags of rice.
Already, Nasarawa State, where the party’s National Chairman, Mr Abdullahi Adamu, comes from has received its share on Friday with 3,000 shared across the state for the Sallah feast.
Some states billed to receive the bags of rice are Katsina, where the President, Mr Muhammadu Buhari comes from, Kebbi, where the Chairman of APC governors’ forum, Mr Atiku Bagudu comes from, Yobe where the former caretaker Committee of the APC, Mai Mala Buni comes from and Kaduna State, one of the states with the highest voters in the north.
However, an aide told THE WHISTLER “the bags of rice are basically for Holy month of Ramadan and not for political reasons.”
Tinubu, who was represented by the Nasarawa State Coordinator of the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu Campaign Organisation, Yusuf Omaki, while distributing the bags in Lafia, urged the beneficiaries not to sell the rice but to use it for the purpose it was meant for.
He said it was a gesture that was aimed at improving on their standard of living.
“This gesture is to provide succour to the people, especially the less privileged in Nasarawa State, ahead of this year’s Eid-el-Fitr celebrations.
“I want to also use this opportunity to call on all Nigerians to scout out for competent leaders ahead of next year’s general election so as to curb the socio-economic challenges undermining the development of the country.
“So, I am soliciting the support of the APC members and all Nigerians to enable me succeed in my presidential ambition.
“The 3,000 bags of rice allocated to Nasarawa State would be distributed to socio-cultural organisations, religious bodies, professional groups and the APC party stalwarts.”
It could be recalled Tinubu had distributed specially branded bags of rice in Kano in 2021 and followed that up with further distribution in Lagos, Katsina and other parts of Northern Nigeria.
Former governor of Edo state Adams Oshiomhole has spoken on his purported 2023 presidential aspiration.
Recall that it was earlier reported that the former governor had stated on Facebook that he would be declaring on national TV.
The post had read: “Special Invitation. Dear Sir/Madam.
“I wish to specially invite you to Comrade Adams Oshiomhole’s public declaration to contest for the office of President, Federal Republic of Nigeria, in the 2023 general election, under the platform of the APC.”
Social media invites had also being sent to some journalists and other stakeholders on Friday morning, asking them to attend Oshiomhole’s presidential declaration at the Federal Capital Territory FCT Council for Arts and Culture in Area 10, Abuja.
Posters of the former labor leader also lined major streets.
Some of his supporters who visited the venue were however told that the event would no longer hold.
When Vanguard contacted the former governor he said: “it must be a mistake”, adding, “I will not declare on the pages of Newspapers. If I will declare, it will be to people”.
Bola Tinubu, National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Friday in Abuja purchased the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC’s) nomination and declaration of interest forms for the 2023 presidential election.
POLITICS NIGERIA reports that some of Tinubu’s close associates including House of Representatives member from Ikeja Federal Constituency, James Faleke; member representing Agege Federal Constituency in the green chamber, Babatunde Adejare; and a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal, represented the former Lagos State Governor at the APC National Headquarters. Tinubu is presently in Saudi Arabia, performing the Islamic lesser hajj.
