APC

By Uzair Adam Imam 

The Northern Youths Assembly (Majalisar Matasan Arewa) has cautioned President Bola Tinubu against allowing his political allies to interfere with the electoral dispute in Kano State. 

The group also issued a warning of possible dire consequences if Tinubu allowed anybody to meddle in the court decision. 

The Kano State Governorship Election Tribunal recently nullified the election of Gov. Abba Yusuf of the New Nigeria Peoples Party (NNPP) in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, Alhaji Yusuf Gawuna. 

However, The Daily Reality reports that Governor Abba Kabir Yusuf has since indicated his intention to go on appeal. 

In an open letter to the president on Thursday, the acting president of the group, Dr. Ali Idris, and the national publicity secretary, Comrade Adikwu Omale, said if the Nigerian democratic system should continue to operate on the basis of electoral injustice, undermining the best practices of democratic governance in fairness to all parties, the repercussions would surely be devastating. 

Part of the statement reads, “We have received with dismay, information which alleged the involvement of some elements in your Government, to have interfered and manipulated the Kano State Governorship Elections Tribunal judgment, an information which if it turns out to be true, could certainly be described as unfortunate, unprecedented, condemnable and uncalled for. 

“Kano State, as temperamental as it is, such desperate actions could trigger political crisis in the State, and could possibly lead to anarchy. 

“Kano is considered as the commercial nerve center not only for the North, but to the entire sub Saharan African countries, who have one relationship or the other with Kano State. Kano State could be described as a role model, and as the most politically strategic territory with vast knowledge and political civilization. In view of this, Kano is fragile and when broken into pieces, the national security would surely be threatened. 

“Sir, let us draw you to the memory lane, starting from 1999 to 2007, when you served as the Executive Governor of Lagos State, under AD. Your party was entirely different from the party at the centre, and despite some misunderstandings, His Excellency Olusegun Obasanjo led Federal Government did not make any attempt to snatch the mandate which the good people of Lagos State gave you, to manage the affairs of the State, from 1999 to 2007. 

“Therefore allowing, some alleged members of your Government, to mastermind the conspiracy of snatching the mandate of the Kano people, is as good as inviting hatred against your own personality, doubting your commitment to upholding democratic principles, institutionalizing electoral injustice, dashing the hope of the Nigerian electorates to lose complete confidence in the system, and subscribing to the school of thought which emphasizes on the unsuitability of the democratic system for African countries. 

“In addition, if this electoral injustice is allowed to thrive, it would further reaffirm the failure of your Government to uphold the rule of law, and treat all citizens equally and fairly regardless of ethnicity, region, religion, party affiliation and others, and the perceived situation wouldn’t only amount to creating unrest, but would surely be a set back on the Nigerian democratisation and Africa as a whole. 

“The perceived conspiracy by some alleged elements in the Government, deploying Government machineries and influence, to destroy Kano State, the consequences would not end and stop in Kano, as the repercussions would certainly create a multiplier negative effects on other states of the federation.  

“Therefore using politics to ignite crisis in Kano, through the Governorship Election Petition Tribunal, would surely metamorphose into creating crisis which would be difficult to control, based on the brewing tensions, resulting from the Kano State Governorship Elections Tribunal Judgment.  

“Therefore, there is no better time for you to act, than now to save the situation, by prevailing on your party members who have been alleged to be involved in this political recklessness, as the risk is not worth trying,” the statement added.

By  Rabiu Gama

I had the (dis)pleasure of reading the full judgement of the Kano State Governorship Election Petition Tribunal last night, which was delivered on Wednesday, October 20, 2023, via Zoom. Here are my humble thoughts on it.

By the way, I am writing this under the safe assumption that anyone who is reading this is quite familiar with the story behind the judgment. Nonetheless, clarity is important. So, for the sake of clarity, let me quickly state that APC is the Petitioner in this case, while INEC, Abba Kabir Yusuf (AKY) and NNPP are the First, Second and Third Respondents, respectively. Nasiru Yusuf Gawuna, APC’s candidate, was not a party in the suit. The Tribunal, relying on the provision of Section 133 (1) of the Electoral Act, 2022, and some judicial authorities, held, correctly in my opinion, that Gawuna must not be a party before the Tribunal.

As I see it, NNPP’s and AKY’s lawyers did a bad job. INEC’s lawyers did worse, though: INEC’s legal team failed miserably to prove that the election was conducted in compliance with the provisions of the Electoral Act, 2022 (the burden or onus of proof was on them in that regard) as alleged by the Petitioner (the APC). The First Respondent, i.e., INEC, made a terrible and costly mistake of relying lazily on the weaknesses of the Petitioner’s case. The cost of not doing the right thing at the right time is always high!

Since the outcome of an appeal largely, if not completely so, hinges on the proceedings of the lower court (the Tribunal in this case), then it is my humble opinion that NNPP’s (AKY’s) chances of winning at the Court of Appeal might not be as promising as many hope it to be. It shocked me that NNPP’s lawyers could not even establish that AKY was a legitimate member of the party when he contested the 18^th of March Governorship Election. The Tribunal was benevolent enough to point out some ways that they could have followed to establish it, but they couldn’t.

I, however, failed to grasp or discern why the Tribunal refused to apply “the principle of margin of lead” when it went ahead to declare that APC’s candidate, Nasiru Gawuna, was the winner of the election even though it had already found and, in no uncertain terms, admitted that the number of cancellations was in hundreds of thousands while its final finding showed Nasiru Gawuna was leading with tens of thousands only. The Tribunal, in my humble opinion, should have ordered a re-run: based on that finding, the election was supposed to be declared “inconclusive”.

The Tribunal also seems to have disregarded the provision of Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022 when it invalidated over 165,000 votes that were cast in favour of NNPP/AKY for the reason that the ballot papers were neither signed nor stamped, in other words, the ballot papers did not carry the official mark that was prescribed by the commission (INEC). The said provision of the Electoral Act is to the effect that even if a ballot paper is not signed or stamped, the Presiding Officer of the concerned Polling Unit can go ahead and count the ballot paper as valid.

All in all, I find some of the reasonings and conclusions of the Tribunal, based on what was laid before it, legally sound. But the Tribunal’s failure to apply “the principle of margin of lead”, as well as its apparent disregard for the provision of Section 63(2) of the Electoral Act, 2022, do not sit well with me.

Even though it is trite that nobody knows for sure what a court of law will do, I will still strongly advise that AKY’s supporters (of which I am not ashamed to admit I am one) should manage their hopes regarding the chances of success in the Court of Appeal. This is because the odds seem frighteningly balanced. The scale might tilt in favour of any side.

The right thing to do right now is to pray for a “legal miracle” – whatever that means. Some miracle might happen, hopefully in the Court of Appeal, as the Supreme Court rarely tempers with the concurrent findings of the lower courts (the Tribunal and the Court of Appeal) unless those findings are glaringly perverse or have occasioned a miscarriage of justice.

Rabiu Gama is Law student. He writes from the Faculty of Law at Bayero University, Kano. He can be reached on 09061912994 or at rabiuinuwagama@gmail.com.

By Rukayya Abubakar Othman

In the last few years, Kano State has been plagued by a seemingly endless and unabated fierce political war that has divided the state and truncated its progress. The two principal political empires, the Kwankwasiyya and the Gandujiyya have polarised the people of Kano along two opposing camps, each calling for the head of the other.

It is difficult for any state or country to develop under an unstable and tumultuous political climate. Kano’s experience over the past years is a case in point. The incessant strife between the Kwankwasiyya adherents and the Ganduje’s followers has created a hostile environment for economic growth and social progress.

The recent election tribunal court verdict in Kano has further opened another dimension to the whole gamut of issues. The Kwankwasiyya adherents are questioning the true meaning and concept of independence of the Judiciary.

Will those who massively voted for NNPP accept the verdict of our courts in good faith? Will it further deepen confrontational politics in Kano? The answers to these questions can only be found in the upcoming Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court judgments.

More tellingly, the recent trend will no doubt tragically change the course of Kano politics. If the governorship polls in Kano are taken out of the general election, it will become like Imo, Edo, and Ondo states, where the governorship elections are held on different dates from the general election. This will have a multiplier effect on the political landscape of Kano, considering the central role that the state plays in the region.

The political leaders in Kano must put the state’s interests first and work together to resolve their differences. The people of Kano have suffered enough from the political instability in the state. It is time for politicians to put their differences aside and work for the good of the people.

Lastly, the recent court verdict in Kano has opened up a new dimension to the already turbulent political landscape of the state. It is difficult to predict the long-term impact of the ruling, but it will significantly impact the future of Kano politics.

The political leaders in Kano must put the state’s interests first and work together to resolve their differences. The people of Kano have suffered enough from the political instability in the state. It is time for politicians to put their differences aside and work for the good of the people.

Rukayya Abubakar Othman wrote via othmanrukayya0@gmail.com.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

In a significant development for Nigeria’s ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), the National Chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, unveiled ambitious plans during the inauguration of the party’s national campaign council for the upcoming Kogi State governorship election. 

During his address, Ganduje announced the party’s commitment to extending its reach to the grassroots level, stating, “It is pertinent to also note that we have initiated and concluded plans to structure our party into a truly grassroots progressive party by opening full-fledged and functional offices in all the 8,813 wards in Nigeria.”  

This move aims to provide party members across the nation with symbolic representation in their neighbourhoods, fostering active interaction between members and leadership at various government tiers. 

Furthermore, Ganduje emphasised the APC’s vision to institutionalise progressive ideology within Nigeria’s political landscape. 

This ideology centres on leveraging political action and social reform based on advancements in science, technology, economic development, and social organisation to enhance the lives of Nigerians. 

To realise this vision, the APC is in the concluding stages of establishing a “National Institute of Progressive Study.”  

This institution is poised to become a centre for promoting progressive ideas and policies that can positively impact the nation’s development. 

The inauguration ceremony held on Saturday drew substantial attendance, with six governors from Kogi, Ogun, Lagos, Niger, Benue, and Kwara States present, along with former governors, senators, and numerous party stalwarts from across the country.

By Uzair Adam Imam

Atiku Abubakar, the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2023 election, has lambasted President Bola Ahmed Tinubu over alleged false academic records.

Our reporters gathered that Tinubu’s credentials show that he graduated from Chicago State University (CSU) in 1979 with a bachelor’s degree in business administration, accounting and management.

However, Abubakar, who was the former Vice President of Nigeria, challenged Tinubu for not attending primary and secondary schools.

The Daily Reality learned that Abubakar had recently approached a U.S. court for an order compelling CSU to release the academic records of Tinubu.

Taking to his Twitter account on Sunday, Abubakar wondered how President Tinubu attended Chicago State University without primary and secondary education.

Atiku wrote, “I woke up this morning wondering how we got to this cul de sac. In 1999, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu claimed he attended St. John’s Primary School, Aroloya, Lagos, before proceeding to Children Home School in Ibadan.

“According to him, his next port of call in his educational journey was Government College Ibadan and, Richard Daley College and Chicago State University in the United States.

“Curiously, in 2023, Tinubu settled with attending only Chicago State University. I am scratching my head. How is that possible?

“Methinks that all well-meaning Nigerians should be as confused as I am with Tinubu’s declaration that he had no primary and secondary education, yet he has a university degree.

“You may wish to #AskTinubu how he attained this feat so that we can learn from his ingenuity,” he added.

By Zayyad I. Muhammad

President Bola Ahmed Tinubu has assigned portfolios to his Ministers-designate, bringing an end to weeks-long speculation but also bringing to the fore new discussions and analyses on the ministers’ portfolios and the new ministries created. A journalist and an editor, Jaafar Jaafar, said, ‘The Northwest has many ministers but no weight’.

While a chieftain of the All Progressive Congress (APC), Adamu Garba, said, “It is one of the most balanced ministerial portfolio allocations of recent history. Adamu also pointed out that “President Tinubu – dedicated Infrastructure and Finance to the South. While Agriculture and security are to the North. Soft infrastructure like health and education to the North, and Humanitarian and Innovation to the South. Productivity and Job creation in the North- The North needs more security and agricultural productivity to grow and industrialise, while the South is good with services and infrastructure.”

 In Tinubu’s ministerial portfolios, there were surprises, and there were no surprises, so to speak.

In most democracies, ministers are selected from politicians who contributed to victory at the polls and from technocrats with strong professional track records. Cabinet ministers are not just a team but a collection of great thinkers—silicon valley-thinkers—men and women who can move the government with the speed of the imagination of most Nigerians, and their sense of judgment must be centred on the challenges of unlocking the future for ordinary Nigerians. and also bring new thinking and synergy to the public sector’s role in providing for the needs of all Nigerians.

Most Nigerians expect Tinubu’s ministers to be not just members of the cabinet but to add value to governance; they must be propellers for greater equality of opportunity for all Nigerians. They must be able to build a system that will swing the government away from the traditional methodology of concentrating on only the ‘off-the-shelf way of improving society. 

Some Nigerians are complaining that Tinubu’s cabinet has too many politicians. However, the truth is a right-thinking President brings on board top-notch grassroots politicians to hold the political front for him when the need arises. President Tinubu and the Dr Abdullahi Ganduje-led APC should, as a matter of ‘need’ maintain and ‘oil’ that area. This is where the synergy between the Executive and party supremacy comes into play.

President Tinubu and the APC, as a matter of policy and politics, should make sure that those appointed as ministers know what is expected of them. A ministerial appointment is a call for a national assignment. Nigerians expect ministers not only to saddle themselves with the responsibilities within their respective portfolios but also to be team players that will bring feasible ideas and be at par with local and global realities. Nigeria will be keen to see new ideas for fighting poverty, tackling the skyrocketing prices of food commodities, improving electricity supply, and finding new ways to fight insecurity in the north and southeast, etc.

On the political side, apart from supporting the president, ministers should see themselves as the ‘faces’ of the APC in their respective communities; their political presence and contact with locals are very important. For example, during the 2019 presidential elections, most of Buhari’s first-term appointees, especially from the north, became mere spectators in their states due to their weak link with the grassroots. Tinubu’s ministers may find themselves in such situations if they operate with weak links with the grassroots and poor rapport with the public. In this regard, in the weeks to come, many eyes will be on Nyesom Wike, FCT, and Ministers, whether he will remain ‘a PDP’ or crossover to the APC.

On the other hand, there are some young people in Tinubu’s cabinet, so many eyes will be on them. Their performance or underperformance will greatly impact youths’ participation in governance and politics, as well as give the Tinubu government the ‘strength’ to boast that youths are adequately represented in the government. This will also create a strong link between the government and the youth, who form more than half of Nigerian voters. This would also serve as an impetus for a good image and a sound political strategy for the All Progressive Congress (APC) because young people’s political participation and engagement in governance are essential at this moment.

Lastly, President Tinubu should, as a matter of importance, be firm in assessing every member of his cabinet. Non-performing ministers should be replaced quickly so as not to lose time and also keep others on their toes.

Zayyad I. Muhammad writes from Abuja via zaymohd@yahoo.com.

By Ahmad Deedat Zakari

Nigerian President, Bola Ahmad Tinubu, has reportedly disclosed the names of nominees for the Federal Executive Council, FEC.

In a report credited to Senate Leader Opeyemi Bamidele, the list of Tinubu’s ministers would be ready by Thursday, and it includes notable former governors and other distinguished Nigerians.

According to the report, immediate-past governors of Rivers, Kaduna, Osun, and Cross River States have been shortlisted as ministerial nominees. The nominees include Nyesom Wike, Nasir El-Rufai, Gboyega Oyetola, Ben Ayade, and Senator Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso from Kano, who is also the NNPP national leader.

Also in addition to the list of nominees to be presented on the floor of the Senate this Thursday morning are prominent individuals such as President Tinubu’s top aide, Dele Alake; Lateef Fagbemi, SAN; APC national woman leader, Dr Betty Edu; former Lagos State Commissioner for Budget Planning, Wale Edun; ex-Minister of State for Health, Prof. Ali Pate, and former Deputy Governor of CBN, Adebayo Adelabu from Oyo State.

By Salisu Uba Kofar Wambai

Atiku Abubakar made campaign promises about tackling border closure which seriously ushered hardships, especially in the North. He equally rolled out plans to liberate Nigeria from the shackles of foreign loans President Muhammadu Buhari immersed it into.

PDP is the party that has formidable and unnerving politicians who fought tooth and nail for democracy to thrive in this country. The party people know the long walk to freedom they walked, and their 16-year dispensation spoke for them. 

PDP mastered campaigns for the creditors to give us waivers, which prevented the country from such loan spells. They ensured Nigeria hadn’t been submitted to total external control like we see today with APC’s inexperienced and heartless dispensation.

PDP has think tanks that guide their foreign relations which made sure we did not accept in toto any development strategy which could undermine the welfare of citizens in the long run. Thanks to their inclusion of technocrats both from home and outside in their socioeconomic and political decision makings 

Atiku was an integral part of all these goodies mentioned; that’s why we suggested northern voters vote for him during the 2023 presidential campaigns. As a northerner who willingly gave power to the South from 1999 to 2015, I thought it was economically stagnant due to the selfish allocation of federal government projects under OBJ and GEJ. The North had expected Buhari to compensate the region for even development of the country.

However, Buhari seemed to have failed and was ignorant of why power was being rotated at the centre. He favoured the South in many aspects of development project allocations like railways, good roads, bridges and electricity. 

Most of the projects Northerners have been clamouring for, like Mumbila Power Plants, Baro Port, Ajakuota Steel Company, KKK gas pipeline projects, and roads linking states of the region, have not seen the lights of the day. And how could North continue to support power-sharing and shift these injustices, shabbiness and iniquity?

The southern PDP governors under Nyesom Wike led a mischievous campaign against their party candidate PDP to work for the southern presidency. They were not a bunch of idiots like some undesirable elements of the northern politicians who selfishly sold out the region for their egocentric notions.

Now that Nigerians are paying the price of what they had bought by bringing APC to power again, we must remind our people how to become politically smart next election season. And many folks from this part of the country cannot still see things as they are. Sad.

Salisu Uba Kofar Wambai writes from Kano State and can be reached via salisunews@gmail.com.

By Muhammadu Sabiu 

Reports reaching the Daily Reality have indicated that Senator Abdullahi Adamu has resigned as the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC). 

According to reports, he tendered his resignation on Sunday night. As of the time of this publication, neither the APC chairman nor the party had officially confirmed the story, and party officials have declined to confirm or refute it. 

However, according to party sources, a press conference is scheduled for Monday at noon. The resignation is anticipated to be made official at that time, and an interim National Chairman will be selected. 

The briefing is anticipated to follow the present meeting of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC). According to Channels TV, Senator Adamu will be thrown out of office through a vote of no confidence, according to some party insider sources, if he does not quit by himself.

By Uzair Adam Imam

The reservation of some slots to the opposition parties by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu could be seen as a move afoot to get a better Nigeria which was one of the things his administration promised Nigerians since his victory.

The Daily Reality recalls that Tinubu promised to run an inclusive government that would thrust Nigeria into greatness.

Speaking as the president-elect in March, Tinubu said he was seeking a better country not just for himself and his supporters but for all Nigerian people, regardless of their political affiliations.

The Kwara State Governor and Chairman of the Nigeria Governors Forum, Abdulrahman Abdulrazaq, relayed the news about the slots reservation to journalists at a meeting of the forum in Abuja on Tuesday.

He said that Tinubu reserved some appointments in the governing boards of agencies, parastatals, institutions and government-owned companies for members of the opposition Labour Party and the Peoples Democratic Party.

Abdulrazaq stated that the President asked the governors to nominate competent persons to serve on the boards and parastatals of Federal Government agencies which were dissolved last month.

According to him, Mr Tinubu dissolved the boards last month, which left no fewer than 2,000 vacant positions expected to be occupied by new nominees.

He added that “Among the agencies are the North-East Development Commission with 12 vacant board slots, Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Offences Commission with seven board seats; Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board, seven; Teachers Registration Council of Nigeria, 21.

“Nigeria Social Insurance Trust Fund, 12; National Universities Commission, 21 and Transmission Commission of Nigeria, 14; National Health Insurance Authority,12

“Others are the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau, 7; Nigerian Meteorological Agency, seven; Nigerian College of Aviation Technology,8; Nigerian Police Trust Fund, 8; Nigerian Natural Medicine Development Agency,10; Federal Institute of Industrial Research, 11 and National Centre for Technology Management, 11 among others,” he stated.