Politics

Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023 kicks start campaigns with inter-faith prayer program for Tinubu/Shettima

Published

2 years ago

September 29, 2022

NewsDirect

By Olaseinde Gbenga, Abuja

As the 2023 election campaigns kick off, Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023, party stalwarts and teeming supporters gathered to conduct inter-faith special prayer programme for Tinubu/Shettima presidential ticket on Wednesday at the group headquarters in Maitama, Abuja.

The event which had in attendance clergies and political leaders such as: Senator Ajayi Boroffice, the Senate Deputy Leader, Barr M.Y Lawal who is the Chairman, Presidential Support Committee, a former senator from Lagos State, Sen. Musiliu Obanikoro, Mallam Mustapha Aliyu, Chief Imam, Nepa Mosque,Bauchi, Sheikh Musa Aliu,Chief Imam of Yoruba Mosque, Galadimawa, Abuja, Pastor Aregbesola Emmanuel Taiwo, Minister, Heaven Focus Mission, Pastor Michael Ogala, Christ Favour and Deliverance among others.

The Director General, Project Beyond 2023, Barr. Realwan Okpanachi stated that the campaign body as a group had been propagating Asiwaju’s philosophy eleven years ago to Nigerians, before the All Progressives Congress(APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu even declared to run for the President of Nigeria, which birthed Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023, as Asiwaju grass root foundation, and as a vehicle through which we can raise Nigerians to canvass votes for Asiwaju.

According to him, “we’ve been doing a lot and we will continue to do more. The reason why we decided to form Asiwaju Grass Root Foundation which has metamorphosed to Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023 is that we saw all the qualities needed in a leader to utilize our diversity to transform Nigeria. The only way we can take advantage of our diversity is to have a leader who understands the advantages embedded in our diversity and can harness those advantages”.

“Look at his antecedents as a governor in Lagos State”, he went on. “He appointed commissioners and leaders neglecting their religious differences in every nook and cranny of our regions. This shows that he’s a patriotic leader and a true Nigerian. When you look at the major problems we’re confronted with today, which have brought us thus far, it is either religion or ethnicity colouration. In Asiwaju’s government, every religion was effectively represented. He’s a technocrat, and never in the history of Nigeria have we had this opportunity. God has really blessed us as a party to have someone like Asiwaju who is capable, sagacious and willing to deliver us good governance after 2023 elections”.

He further revealed that for Asiwaju to win election in 2023, the efforts of the support groups must be taken seriously. What made Asiwaju the presidential candidate of our great party was the effort of the support groups complementing the efforts of the party stalwarts, and because of that, we’ve decided to organize a capacity building for all the support groups who have registered under the umbrella of Asiwaju Project Beyond 2023 come Saturday, to know their strength, to sensitize them and to let them understand that they are unifiers.

He noted that, the group has hired technocrats from Lagos and Abuja to train the support groups to understand the brand called Asiwaju/Shettima and how to market them so as to discharge their responsibilities that will complement the efforts of the party and the presidential campaign council .

Meanwhile, in his good will message, a former Senator from Lagos State, Musiliu Obanikoro lauded the efforts of the group, adding that it was a right step in the right direction.

He said, Asiwaju is not a religious bigot, he has carried everyone along when he was the governor of Lagos State. Look at his performance, his experience and transformational mechanism. People come to Lagos and they thrive not only economically but politically. He urged Nigerians to shun all forms of religious interferences in the forth coming elections and to pray for free, fair and credible elections.

In his words, the National Head of Media and Publicity, Adeboye Adebayo disclosed the importance of the event to the group, Asiwaju and to the campaign council at large.

He said, we are the foremost support group who understands there’s nothing we can achieve as a body, as a party and as far as 2023 elections is concerned without God’s endorsement, and that is why we deem it necessary to commit this project into the hands of God for him to take absolute control.

For us, “there’s nothing Asiwaju has achieved before now, and he will ever achieve without God. If you look at his antecedents, you will agree with me that there’s hand of God in everything he’s doing.

God has used him tremendously to bless Nigeria and Nigerians. Asiwaju believes so much in God. His wife is a senior pastor in the Redeemed Christian Church of God (RCCG). We know and believe that without God there’s no way Asiwaju would succeed come 2023 elections.

We have decided to commit Asiwaju and the campaign into God’s hand, today being the first day of the campaign, therefore, we deem it necessary to bring clergies from churches and Islamic tradition for an inter faith special prayer to commit Asiwaju and the project into God’s hand .

In his remarks, the Director of Welfarism, Adekunle Badu, applauded the group for a successful event. You can see the massive turnout all for Asiwaju and Shettima. Evidently, he’s a man we can trust. We believe so much in him and that is why we are here all for him. We’ve seen the vision ahead that he’s the one that can give us the progress we want at a time like this in Nigeria. We pray that God will give him the capacity and the energy to make Nigeria great.

Politics

Ondo 2024: Police arrest two suspects over illegal registration of APC members ahead primary

Published

6 hours ago

April 18, 2024

NewsDirect

By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure

The Police in Ondo state on Wednesday said it arrested two persons over illegal registration of All Progressives Congress (APC) members, in their hideout, ahead of the Saturday’s party governorship primary election.

The state Police Public Relations Officer (PPRO), Funmilayo Odunlami-Omisanya, in a statement made available to journalists in Akure said; “On Wednesday, 17th April, 2024, the Police received an intel that one Mr Ariyo, a transporter in Ondo town was registering APC Party members at his residence ahead of the party primaries slated for 20th of April, 2024.

“Police personnel from Yaba Divisional Headquarters led by an Assistant Superintendent of Police visited the house and recovered the following items from the scene; APC party’s registration booklets, list of names of purported party members of ward 7 Ondo, 53 passport photographs of different individuals, a jotter containing names, 2 exercise books with names and phone numbers of people and 2 slips of a registered form.

“Two suspects have been arrested and are assisting the Police with necessary information to apprehend others involved.

“The Commissioner of Police, CP Abayomi P. Oladipo, admonishes all political aspirants to caution their supporters whose acts can stir the hornet’s nest in the state.

“The CP also ordered total clamp down on incendiaries no matter whose ox is gored, as the Command has spread its tentacles to all nooks and crannies of the state to ensure safety of lives and property and peaceful conduct of the party primaries in the state.”

Politics

FG inaugurates committee for Democracy Day anniversary

Published

6 hours ago

April 18, 2024

NewsDirect

Ahead of this year’s Democracy Day Celebrations; the Federal Government has inaugurated a 17-man Inter-Ministerial Committee.

The committee was inaugurated in Abuja and is charged with the responsibility of organising a memorable and befitting democracy day anniversary.

Democracy Day is a national public holiday in Nigeria to commemorate the restoration of democracy in 1999 and it is commemorated on 12 June.

This was revealed in a statement by Mr Segun Imohiosen, Director, Information/Public Relations, office of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF).

The committee, chaired by Akume, has the Minister of Information and National Orientation, Mohammed Idris Malagi; Minister of Interior, Dr Olubunmi Tunji-Ojo; Minister of Finance and Coordinating Minister of the Economy, Wale Edun, as members.

Others are Minister of Budget and Economic Planning, Sen. Abubakar Bagudu; Minister of Foreign Affairs, Yusuf Tuggar; Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike.

“The committee also includes the Special Adviser to the President on Policy and Coordination, Hadiza Bala-Usman; Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga; Inspector-General of Police, Kayode Egbetokun and other sub-committees,” the statement revealed.

According to the statement, the SGF, Sen. George Akume, while inaugurating the committee in his office, emphasised the importance of the commemoration.

Akume said it was an opportunity to reflect on the contributions, sacrifices of national heroes and heroines who fought for entrenchment of democratic rule in Nigeria.

According to him, the annual democracy day celebration also affords the nation the avenue to showcase its achievements in dealing with myriads of challenges in social and economic sectors confronting the nation.

The proposed activities lined up for the 2024 Democracy Day celebration are; World Press Briefing on Thursday, June 6, Juma’at Service on Friday June 7, Church Service on Sunday, June 9.

Other activities to mark the celebration include Symposium/Public Lecture on Monday, June 10, and the Presidential Broadcast alongside Parade on Wednesday, June 12.

Politics

Ondo 2024: Seven aspirants petition APC national chairman over fake membership cards ahead primary

Published

8 hours ago

April 18, 2024

NewsDirect

By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure

Ahead of the Saturday All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship primary election in Ondo state, seven leading aspirants of the party have petitioned the National Chairman, Abdullahi Ganduje over alleged printing of fake membership cards.

The petitioners, Jimoh Ibrahim, Olusola Oke, Wale Akinterinwa, Diran Iyantan, Dayo Faduyile, Gbenga Edema and Jimi Odimayo, in a statement jointly signed and made available to journalists on Wednesday in Akure, the Ondo state capital, claimed that several fake membership cards of the party have been secretly printed and distributed to people who are not members of the party.

The petition reads, “We, the undersigned, are aspirants from the South Senatorial District of Ondo State who have collected forms to participate in the forthcoming Ondo State gubernatorial primary election slated for April 20, 2024.

“We have noticed some issues of concern regarding the said primary election, which, if not resolved quickly, may hinder the smooth running of the primary and may be detrimental to a free, fair, credible, and acceptable election.

“One of the issues is the revalidation of the membership register to be used for the primary election.

“While we commend the party’s position to revalidate the existing membership register, which is the certified true copies, as certified by INEC, and based on this directive of the party, as aspirants, we have paid over N300 million to the coffers of the party to cover the annual dues of all party members whose names appear on the register.

“Unfortunately, the exercise was shrouded in so much secrecy that many of our party members, especially our numerous supporters, could not have their membership cards revalidated before the committee that came from the headquarters left Ondo State for Abuja.

“We have been inundated with reports that a particular aspirant has gone ahead with massive printing of fake party slips, which he has distributed to many people who are not even our party members.

“The intention of this aspirant is to corrupt the integrity of the membership register on the day of the primary by making the accreditation of party members impossible as non-party members have already been recruited to flood the venues of the primary election that day.

“This massive and pervasive production of the membership cards will certainly precipitate a situation where everyone holding membership cards, notwithstanding that their names are not on the register, will be allowed to vote without accreditation. Voting without accreditation remains illegal and unacceptable.

“Mr. Chairman should note that Section 77(2)(3) of the Electoral Act, 2022, makes it mandatory for all political parties to have a credible membership register, which must be submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, and certified by it, not later than 30 days before the Congress.

“To avoid any legal or constitutional conundrum, we advise that the party make accreditation of party members mandatory at the election venue and that every member of the party whose name appears on the membership register already certified by INEC should be allowed to vote once he or she is able to present his or her membership slip for accreditation.

“It is therefore our prayer that the leadership of the party makes available to us the membership register already validly certified by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, as the only lawful register to be used by the party for the conduct of the primary election slated for April 20, 2024. No other register can lawfully be used for the said election,” the aspirants warned.