Gunmen Invade APC Chairman’s House: Identified gunmen early yesterday invaded the Abuja residence of the national chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun, a situation which compelled him to be absent at the commissioning of the party’s campaign headquarters and inauguration of the Presidential Campaign Council (PCC). The director-general of the PCC and Rivers State governor, Rotimi Amaechi, made this disclosure during yesterday’s event, where he revealed that the attackers tormented Oyegun’s family members. “I start this speech today on a sad note; our chairman is not here because armed robbers attacked him last night. They broke into his house and thoroughly tormented his family. “I had to break the news because we were supposed to be protected by the federal government of Nigeria, and if Abuja is no longer safe, only God knows where else will be safe. “If the APC chairman could be robbed like this in his house in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja, what is the hope of the common man under this administration?” APC raises the alarm over Oyegun’s safety Meanwhile, in a statement issued in Lagos yesterday by the APC national publicity secretary, Lai Mohammed, the party said that while it hopes that a police investigation will unravel what happened, it nevertheless asserted that the attackers were either robbers or assassins. The party further revealed that while its national chairman was away attending a meeting in Abuja when the invaders struck, his wife who was at home was left deeply traumatised. ‘’The facts of the raid as available so far point to a sinister motive. For example, only Chief Oyegun’s room was ransacked in the whole house. Common sense dictates that if the invaders were robbers, they would have ransacked the whole house in search of money and other valuables which they might have believed were in the residence. ‘’The invaders, two burly men, removed the window anti-burglar bars to gain access to the residence from the back, and then made straight for the bedroom of our national chairman. Police security was in place at the residence when the incident happened,’’ APC said. The party said while it did not know who was behind the raid, it is worth noting that the “angry rhetoric and vitriolic personality attacks” that have been directed at the opposition by the top leadership of the ruling PDP and their spokesmen have heightened tension and put the lives of opposition politicians at risk ahead of the forthcoming elections.” I’ll create 2 million jobs annually if re-elected – Jonathan President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday sought the votes of the people of the South West in the February 14 presidential election with a promise to provide two million jobs annually. Speaking at mega rally in Ibadan, Oyo State capital, Jonathan, who noted that about five million graduates are produced every year, gave the assurance that within five years of his next administration, the rate of unemployment in the country would be reduced drastically. The president reiterated that if voted for, his administration would surely win the terror war, adding that government would continue to update Nigerians on the situation in Baga. Speaking on corruption, he said his administration was working hard to fight the menace through the application of Information Communication Technology (ICT). “We are going to fight corruption; not in the number of people that were jailed. If we jail 10 million people for corruption, it will not win the war against corruption. We are going to use technology to prevent people from stealing. We are working very hard to win the war against corruption. We are going to use technology to block loopholes through which people steal money,” he said. He disclosed that a lot of projects had been carried out in the South West which include construction of power substations, N10 billion Tetfund for state and federal institutions, the Lagos-Ibadan-Kano rail line and the ongoing rehabilitation Lagos-Ibadan expressway. On agriculture, Jonathan reiterated his government’s commitment to cocoa production to increase revenue generation. He gave the assurance that the Ibadan Airport would be upgraded to international standard while dry ports would be established in all states of the federation to reduce congestion at the Lagos port. In his remark, the party’s governorship candidate, Senator Teslim Folarin, called on the people of the state to vote for PDP and Jonathan in the February elections to ensure the creation of Ibadan State. Folarin lamented the decay in the education sector of the state economy and identified youth employment as the toughest challenge facing the state. “The issue of Ibadan State is important to us in Oyo State. We have to vote for Jonathan because we want a state,” he said. My presidency will end Boko Haram insurgency in months – Buhari …APC will sign undertaking with Nigerians The APC presidential Gen Muhammadu Buhari has said that his presidency will tackle the Boko Haram insurgency and bring it to an end within a few months of coming into office. Buhari made this pledge yesterday during the grand finale of his rally at the Dan Anyiam Stadium, Owerri, the Imo State capital, where he was received by a mammoth crowd. He promised that his APC-led government, when actualised, would sign an undertaking of good governance with Nigerians. According to Buhari, who has always avowed that his administration would solve the problem of insecurity in the country, he would also provide massive employment opportunities for the youths and other cadre of unemployed citizens in the state. “If we are elected, in a few months, Boko Haram will be a thing of the past,” he declared. Buhari attributed the rampant crimes in the country to the epileptic power supply which, he noted, would encourage a legitimate business. The former head of state further carpeted the present Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government, describing it as the worst leadership the country has had. He urged the electorate to vote en masse for the APC to give the country a chance to revive its moribund institutions. “We will build roads, provide drinking water, power; in the last 16 years, the likes of good education, health care and security were not there. This government has been the worst, so on 14th of next month, vote en masse and make sure they (your votes) are counted. If you don’t do it, it’s a risk to your life and wellbeing,” Buhari said. Buhari gets Igbo name Meanwhile, Buhari was yesterday christened ‘Okechukwu’ (God’s portion) by the people of Imo State and announced by Governor Rochas Okorocha. According to Okorocha, the new name will guide Buhari to victory for him to turn Nigeria around. Okorocha, who received the party’s flag for next month’s governorship election, promised to build more industries and employ youths if he wins a second term. While urging the people of the state to vote for Buhari, he dismissed the rumour that PDP was planning to rig the elections, maintaining that the feat would be impossible for PDP in the state. Buhari, not a religious hardliner – Okorocha Governor Okorocha also dispelled the rumour that Buhari will Islamise the country if he comes to power. “Buhari is not wicked, nor selfish, nor corrupt. They told us that Buhari will Islamise Nigeria, yet his cook for over 25 years is a Christian, his driver for 30 years is a Christian, his last daughter is married to a Christian, and he did not Islamise Nigeria when he was a general (military ruler); that is a fabricated fallacy,” Okorocha said. Yomi Osinbanjo assures of change Buhari’s running mate, Prof Yomi Osinbanjo, noted in his speech that the country would definitely see a change after APC takes over the reins of power. Osinbanjo promised that Buhari government would what every responsible government should do. “When the righteous are on the throne, the people rejoice, but the reason we are not rejoicing is because the righteous are not yet in power.” Nigerians will feel impact of their national wealth – Chris Ngige Senator Chris Ngige, in his speech, assured the people of a messiah that would open their eyes to the benefits and lucrative nature of the government at the centre. “We are bringing you a man that would make you know that there is money in the federal government just like I opened the eyes of Anambra people,” Ngige said. Jonathan better than Buhari performance-wise, PDP says ***Says Buhari has no development project to show The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday claimed that the APC presidential candidate, Gen. Muhammadu Buhari, cannot boast of any development project in any sector of the economy during his regime as head of state, so he “is not and cannot be a match for President Jonathan.” PDP national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement, said Gen. Buhari failed because “he lacked the capacity and the capability to comprehend complex issues at the highest level of governance.” He accused the APC presidential candidate of lacking in “team spirit, a principal component of public private partnership critical for national development, a character for which his colleagues in the military rejected and kicked him out of office.” In a sector-by-sector juxtaposition of the General Buhari and Jonathan administrations, the PDP observed that “while Buhari suspended the constitution and led Nigerians by the nose, President Jonathan exhibited excellent democratic credentials by enhancing the rule of law wherein Nigerians, including Buhari, now relish all kinds of personal freedoms which he denied the citizens during his rule.” The party recalled that while Buhari enacted the Military Decree 4 of 1984 with which he abolished the freedom of the press, President Goodluck Jonathan not only signed into law the Freedom of Information Act, which not only strengthened press freedom but also consolidated the rule of law in the country. He further argued that while the Buhari administration carried out extrajudicial killings of innocent Nigerians using a widely condemned retroactive law, President Jonathan has never trampled on the rights of any Nigerian; instead he has remained sincere, humble and calm despite all unwarranted provocations. The PDP spokesman also remarked that under Buhari, no effort was made to revitalize the railways as an instrument of mass transport in the country; instead he scrapped the Lagos Metroline Project at a loss of over $78 million to the Lagos taxpayer. We are fully ready for elections – PDP ***Says APC guilty of hacking The PDP has said that, contrary to insinuations, it is fully prepared for the 2015 general elections, noting that the support it enjoys among Nigerians from the ward to the national levels is a sure guarantee of victory. PDP national publicity secretary, Olisa Metuh, in a statement yesterday described APC’s allegations of plots to postpone the elections as a tactic to divert attention from the findings of the State Security Services (SSS) that it (APC) had devised means to hack into INEC’s data base, clone the Permanent Voter Cards and ultimately compromise the outcome of the elections. PDP said nothing can be more evident that the APC was not preparing to face the electorate than the unfounded allegations and use of propaganda in an effort to hoodwink Nigerians even in the face of clear proof of culpability. ‘North East will work for Buhari’s emergence as if lives depend on it’ – Gov Shettima Borno State governor, Kashim Shettima, who is also the North East campaign coordinator of General Muhammadu Buhari yesterday said he would deploying all his energy to ensure the victory of the ex-military head of state in the presidential contest. Shettima said only Buhari’s victory at next month’s presidential poll will guarantee the future of the war-torn zone which, according to him, had been neglected by the incumbent PDP government. He spoke shortly after he collected his voter card at his ward’s polling unit, Laisu Jabbamari Polling Unit 024, in Maiduguri, the state capital. “We will work for Buhari’s victory as if our lives depend on it,” said Governor Shettima. “And in all honesty, in all truth, our lives here in northeast Nigeria literally depends on his emergence as the next president of this country, because the change we need in this part of the country – just like any other parts – is almost an inevitable experience that awaits us all come next month.” Obasanjo shuns Jonathan’s campaign in Ogun The opposition of former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, to the re-election aspiration of President Goodluck Jonathan, yesterday played out in Abeokuta, the Ogun State capital, as he snubbed the campaign. Obasanjo, described by Jonathan as his greatest benefactor, was conspicuously absent at the MKO Abiola Stadium, venue of the event. Jonathan, who arrived the M.K.O stadium 3:50p.m in company of Vice President Namadi Sambo, Governor Segun Mimiko and former Anambra State governor Peter Obi, moved into the state box together with other members of his entourage. Correspondents in the state capital had from 12pm lain siege to the hilltop mansion of Obasanjo in anticipation of the arrival of Jonathan. A credible source told LEADERSHIP that the former president did not have Jonathan on the list of guests expected at the sprawling abode yesterday. At 2:59pm, a Prado Jeep accompanied by a security vehicle left the mansion through the private gate of the former president. Later, operatives of the Department of State Services (DSS) who had earlier been at the residence left the place at exactly 3:36p.m when it became obvious that Jonathan was not visiting. Meanwhile, the Vice President Namadi Sambo, who arrived Abeokuta earlier in the day, had visited the Alake and paramount ruler of Egbaland, His Royal Majesty, Oba Adedotun Aremu Gbadebo, without visiting Obasanjo in Abeokuta. At the campaign, Jonathan promised to continue his transformation agenda if voted back into office. He however mentioned the name of former president Olusegun Obasanjo while reeling out names of great leaders from Ogun State. He said Ogun had produced great leaders like Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Olusegun Obasanjo and MKO Abiola, the winner of June, 12, 1993 presidential election. He urged the people of the state to vote for him at the February election. It was, however, not certain whether President Jonathan would be visiting Obasanjo after the campaign later in the night. Presidency: My victory will be landslide, unprecedented – Buhari …Says ruling party is clueless All Progressives Congress (APC) presidential candidate, retired General Muhammadu Buhari, has said that his victory at the February 14 presidential poll would be an unprecedented landslide against theruling People Democratic Party’s (PDP) candidate, President Goodluck Jonathan. Buhari gave the assurance yesterday during the commissioning of his campaign headquarters and inauguration of the APC Presidential Campaign Council (PCC) in Abuja. He said he believes that with such a team he and his party have assembled coupled with the unprecedented goodwill the APC enjoys across the country, the question of his victory is settled. “The question is not whether the party will defeat the PDP, but the question is the nature of the landslide with which the clueless party will be sent packing. I promise you that the landslide will be unprecedented,” he added. Buhari said his party intends to prosecute the campaign to win, adding emphatically “and we shall win.” He specially thanked party leaders who gave up their personal offices to ensure the emergence of an APC campaign office. Buhari, who started his speech with a minute’s silence call for the victims of Baga massacre in Borno State, said: “We undertake to end the impunity of the ruling People’s Democratic Party, (PDP), a party that has proved clueless in every material particular. It has failed to address any of the important concerns of the people of this country. It has failed to deal squarely with the great security challenge that has faced this nation within these last five years. And it has remained touchy and impervious to all constructive criticisms, and without concern for human life and for the suffering going on in the land.” Earlier, in his welcome address, PCC director-general and Rivers state governor, Rotimi Ameachi, appealed to all members of the party to come forward and participate in the management of the campaign, saying “No one person can deliver APC except God, the people and everybody in attendance.” For his part in a votes of thanks speech, the vice presidential candidate of the party, Prof. Yemi Osinbajo, said the wind of change is already blowing across the country, adding that “No one has been able to stop the wind and nobody can stop it.” Original link Read More goo.gl/diY5QB (y) ✍comment ☏share
Posted on: Tue, 13 Jan 2015 03:14:10 +0000
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