Politics

God chose Tinubu for Nigeria, LP, PDP blackmailing judiciary – Onanuga

Published

12 months ago

May 8, 2023

All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain Bayo Onanuga has accused the Labour Party (LP) and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of blackmailing the judiciary over President-elect Bola Tinubu.

In a statement Monday morning, Onanuga said God has plans for Nigeria and “chose a man who has the best leadership pedigree and espouses the best vision” to pilot affairs from May 29.

The former Media Director of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) said, having witnessed elections since 1979, “2023 election was the best, most free and fair, most transparent”.

Onanuga noted that those pillorying the exercise and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) are angry because the poll “did not match their expectation”.

The Transition Committee member lambasted clergymen for disparaging the election, recalling the latest comment by Cardinal John Onaiyekan of the Catholic Church.

“To Onaiyekan, the alleged machination of ‘those riggers’ made impossible the manifestation of the ‘people’s will’ in the outcome announced by INEC.”

Onanuga said the “malicious propaganda” has been told repeatedly by the opposition parties and their supporters since March 1, when Tinubu was declared as President-elect.

The “lie”, according to him, has been sold outside the country to people who do not have first-hand information on how INEC conducted the poll.

Onanuga said the 2023 election was “miles ahead of the heavily compromised 2007 election conducted by President Olusegun Obasanjo wherein the beneficiary, Umaru Yar’Adua apologised”.

Yar’Adua atoned for Obasanjo’s sin by setting up the Justice Uwais Commission to sanitise the electoral process, the ex-Mananing Director of the Newsmen.

He said the introduction of the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) made a significant difference and made the recent election the most technologically driven poll ever conducted in Nigeria.

“Critics of INEC, on account of the non-transmission of the results recorded at the 176,000 polling units are purely doing so for mischief…each party polling agent was given a copy of Form EC8.”

Onanuga said parties need not wait for INEC to upload results to know the entire results, recalling how ex-President Goodluck Jonathan conceded to President Muhammadu Buhari before INEC’s announcement after knowing his fate.

“In a development that is extremely strange to our politics, the LP and the PDP initially sponsored calls for an interim government. We have never had such post-poll desperation, except this time that we have a Peter Obi and an Atiku.

“Since 1999, every election held has always been disputed by losers. The winners are allowed to be sworn in, while litigation goes on. This was the case in all elections…also the trend in the states,” he stressed.

In reference, Onanuga said when Obi’s running mate, Datti Baba-Ahmed, became Kaduna North Senator in 2011, his challenger went to court and won while the former was already in office.

The statement added that the convention cannot change in Tinubu’s case because some people believe that the candidates who came second and third are pursuing cases in court.

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Politics

BREAKING: Agboola Ajayi wins Ondo PDP primary

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2024

NewsDirect

The former deputy governor of Ondo State, Agboola Ajayi, has emerged as the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the November governorship election.

He polled 264 votes at the party primary, beating his closest rival, a former member of the House of Representatives, Kolade Akinjo, who got 157 votes.

Details shortly.

Politics

We’re ready to conduct free, fair primary election in Ondo — PDP election committee assures guber aspirants

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2024

NewsDirect

By Akintunde Jacobs, Akure

The seven-man Primary Election Committee, to conduct the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship primary election in Ondo State has assured to conduct a free, fair and transparent primary election to choose its candidate for the November 16 governorship election in the state.

The Bayelsa State Deputy Governor, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who chaired the seven-man committee, while speaking with journalists at the venue of the exercise on Thursday morning at the International Culture and Events Centre (The Dome), said; “We are in Ondo state for the conduct of the PDP gubernatorial primaries, where we have seven aspirants and you know electoral rules requires that for a candidate to emerge in any party, primaries should be conducted.

“Three forms are provided for in the Electoral Acts 2022, we have the direct, indirect and consensus primaries. But here today, we are adopting the indirect primaries for which we are here. We expect about 627 delegates for the election and we are all set, all members of the panel are here, the accreditation has started. So, we are prepared and the aspirants are in high spirits and they have assured me that they would agree to work together for whoever emerged as the candidate.

“The problem of our party is how to get the power back from the APC that had taken power from us for the past eight years.

“We expect a very transparent, free, fair, credible and rancor free election and I have gotten commitment of all the aspirants that they would abide by the outcome and we are going to make it transparent as possible.

“You may be aware of my record that I was the one that conducted the primaries in Osun state and we won in Osun and I’m here again to conduct the Ondo state primary and by the grace of God, we are going to win because the sun of the last year is still the same of this year, so the rain will fall and the farmers would have good harvest.”

A total of 627 delegates from the 18 Local Government Areas of the state are expected to elect the standard bearer of the party for the November 16, 2024 governorship election after the exercise.

As at the time of filing this report, the accreditation of the delegates has commenced, while voting will follow after.

Politics

Ondo Guber: PDP begins accreditation of 627 delegates as primaries commence

Published

1 day ago

April 25, 2024

NewsDirect

The accreditation process for 627 delegates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that will vote during the governorship primaries of the party in Ondo State has begun.

With the indirect mode of primary adopted by the opposition party, the voting process will soon begin immediately after the delegates have undergone accreditation.

The Deputy Governor of Bayelsa State, Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, who is superintending over the exercise, has assured that the process will be transparent.

According to Ewhrudjakpo, the party is poised to takeover power from the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in order to ensure proper governance in the state.

“We expect about 627 delegates for the election and we are all set. All members of the panel are here, the accreditation has started.

“So, we are prepared and the aspirants are in high spirits and they have assured me that they would agree to work together for whoever emerged as the candidate.

“The problem of our party is how to get the power back from the APC that had taken power from us for the past eight years.

“You may be aware of my record that I was the one that conducted the primaries in Osun State and we won in Osun and I’m here again to conduct the primaries in Ondo State.

“By the grace of God, we are going to win because the sun of the last year is still the same of this year, so the rain will fall and the farmers would have good harvest.”