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Benue Youths Caution Against Crisis In The APC Guber Election Dispute

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The Benue Youth Forum has warned the All Progressive Congress (APC), in the state against actions that could cause unrest and destabilize the state following the nullification of its governorship primary election.

The Court of Appeal in Makurdi had recently ruled in favor of an APC governorship candidate, Prof. Terhemba Shija, nullifying the party’s governorship primary election and mandating a rerun in 11 of the state’s 23 Local Government Areas.

The appellant has appealed the rerun decision and requested a pause in implementation until the Supreme Court makes a final ruling.

Concerned by reports of APC’s plans to hold a rerun despite an ongoing appeal at the Supreme Court, which could lead to unrest, the BYF warned that such action could harm public peace, law, and order in the state.

BYF President Terrence Kuanum spoke to the media on Sunday in Makurdi, stating that the forum had previously warned the APC about issues in its governorship primary election, but were met with backlash.

He said “and when the party eventually held the questionable primaries and it started generating resentment among their governorship aspirants who claimed they were not aware of any primaries, we suggested that they reversed the process and do the right thing as specified by the law especially as they were still within the INEC time frame for conduct of party primaries which elapsed on June 9, 2022. Rather than commendations we received spikes from the APC only for our stand to be vindicated when the court nullified the process.

“The APC must also be made aware that Section 82 of the Electoral Act, 2022 specifies that political parties must serve a notice of primaries to INEC at least 21 days before the conduct of a primary election. More so, Section 29 of the Electoral Act is explicit that the names of duly nominated candidates must be conveyed to INEC at least 180 days before election.” He said

INEC regulations require political parties to provide aspirants with certified copies of their membership list for use in a direct primary election upon request.

In continuation, Kuanum said, “we also want the Resident Electoral Commissioner, REC, in Benue not to be dragged into the mud. We believe in the ability and professionalism of the current REC to stay faithful to extant laws governing our electoral processes.

“In this wise we therefore expect him to guide the APC properly. We also expect the National Headquarters of the INEC in Abuja which was served with relevant appeal processes respecting the proposed rerun to maintain adherence to the rule of law and fidelity with its own INEC calendar which mandates that party primaries must be conducted on or before June 9, 2022.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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2027: Tinubu Will Beat Atiku, Obi by Wide Margin, Says Bwala

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Daniel Bwala, Special Adviser to President Bola Tinubu on Policy Communication, has predicted that President Tinubu will defeat his major challengers by a wide margin in the 2027 presidential election.

Bwala made the prediction on Wednesday during an appearance on Channels Television’s Politics Today, where he discussed the political strength of the Tinubu administration and the state of the opposition ahead of the 2027 elections.

He said the margin of victory for Tinubu would be so wide that Nigerians would be surprised.

SEE ALSO: Tinubu Celebrates Adviser Daniel Bwala On 50th Birthday

“Let me tell you, and let me say it categorically, and I’ll be happy to come back. The margin of gap that President Bola Tinubu will give each and every one of these candidates will be so much that you won’t believe it,” Bwala said.

Explaining the basis for his prediction, Bwala pointed to the number of governors he said had aligned with the president, arguing that governors control important political structures within their respective states.

“No, I am saying—you asked me to give data now. So this is data. You used to conjecture, I speak to data,” he said.

“Since then, President Bola Tinubu has got how many governors on his side? How many governors have joined him? The governors are the chief executive officers of their respective states. They coordinate the structures of the state. They won their own election to be governors.”

Bwala said the support of the governors would translate into political structures, resources and goodwill for Tinubu ahead of the election.

“These people say, ‘We are putting our goodwill, our resources, our structure, and our support to the President.’ You multiply that by the number of people that have come to him, then you stretch it further by the people who are impacted positively by his… what do you call it? By his policy,” he added.

The presidential aide also cited what he described as progress under Tinubu since 2023.

“Then you look at how his… Before he became President, the Naira… you couldn’t trade with the Naira around the world. You can do it now!” he said.

“So these are facts, verifiable data to suggest that President Bola from 2023 to now has made a marked progress.”

Bwala Claims Atiku, Obi Have Lost Key Supporters

Bwala also turned his attention to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and former Anambra State Governor Peter Obi, who are among the prominent opposition figures expected to feature prominently in the 2027 presidential contest.

He claimed Atiku had lost a significant number of key political figures who previously worked with him.

“But in terms of the other candidates who said he will not win: Atiku Abubakar lost close to 35% of key people that you know around him,” Bwala said.

“All the governors that worked for him that time are not going to be with him, I need you to know that in case you don’t know.”
Bwala also claimed Obi had lost most of the critical figures who supported his 2023 presidential campaign.

“Peter Obi lost 75% of the critical people that carried his campaign—they’ve all disappeared,” he said.

“And some of them went to Atiku, some of them went wherever they could go to. In terms of the other candidate, they just came to mark presence there.”

‘They Lost the Election Already’

Bwala further accused some opposition politicians of displaying what he described as a “defeatist attitude” ahead of the 2027 election.

“But I’m talking of these people that you think they are making a case—what they have is what we call defeatist attitude,” he said.

“How can you in one breath say you’re winning election, and in another breath you’re already threatening Nigeria will be… there will be no Nigeria, there will be all those things?”

He added: “Even the talking points of their campaign will suggest to you that they’ve lost the victory. They lost the election already.”

Bwala Defends Tinubu’s Policies

The presidential aide also defended the administration’s policies, arguing that they were improving the lives of Nigerians, particularly those in the informal sector.

“See, how can our policy… Our policy is raising a lot of people from the doldrums,” Bwala said.

“Look at the people in the informal sector of the economy, the women… You need to see—some of these your news media have been covering it.”

He also questioned the level of engagement some opposition politicians had with ordinary Nigerians before becoming prominent political figures.

“In terms of these people you’ve mentioned, tell me the last time they were actively involved in caring about the internal… When was the last time Amechi, before today, before he was made Vice President, that he had any engagement with the masses?” he asked.

“So you can come overnight, immediately, and just start talking?”

 

 

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2027: I’ll Bring Petrol Price Down to ₦300, Says Donald Duke

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My Image Being Used As 'Young Tinubu' In Documentaries - Donald Duke

Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate, Donald Duke, has said he would bring the price of petrol down to about ₦300 per litre if elected president in the 2027 general election.

Duke disclosed this on Wednesday while explaining his proposed approach to crude oil production and domestic fuel supply.

ALSO READ: 2027: INEC Must Prove Nigerians Wrong on Election Credibility — Donald Duke

When asked about the realistic price of petrol under his presidency, the former Cross River State governor said his target would be to reduce the pump price to about ₦300 per litre.

“To bring it to about 300 Naira. I’ve told you… it sounds so outlandish, but I’ve given you the arithmetic,” Duke said.

He explained that his proposal would be based on allocating a portion of Nigeria’s crude oil production for domestic consumption and selling the remaining volume.

According to him, if the country’s daily consumption requires 600,000 barrels, that volume would be allocated for domestic use, while the remaining one million barrels would be sold.

“Because I allocate 600,000 barrels if that’s what you consume daily. Allocate that to yourself. The other one million, you can sell,” he said.

His proposal comes as the cost of petrol remains a major issue in Nigeria, with fuel prices having significant implications for transportation, businesses and household expenses.

Duke is seeking the presidency on the platform of the PRP in the 2027 general election.

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2027: INEC Must Prove Nigerians Wrong on Election Credibility — Donald Duke

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My Image Being Used As 'Young Tinubu' In Documentaries - Donald Duke

Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) presidential candidate for the 2027 general election, Donald Duke, has challenged the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to prove to Nigerians that it can deliver a free and fair election.

Duke made the call on Wednesday while speaking about the credibility of Nigeria’s electoral process and public confidence in INEC.

The former Cross River State governor said the onus was on the electoral commission to convince Nigerians that the 2027 election would be free and fair, noting that previous developments had left many citizens sceptical about INEC.

SEE ALSO: 2027: Donald Duke Reveals Why He Wants to Be Nigeria’s President

“INEC has to prove… the onus is on them actually to convince Nigerians that there will be a free and fair election,” Duke said.

He recalled the postponement of the 2019 general election, which was announced just hours before voting was scheduled to begin.

According to him, the development contributed to Nigerians’ growing distrust of the electoral commission.

Duke said INEC had assured the public of its preparedness for the election before the postponement, which was announced around 4am on election day.

He criticised the explanations given for the postponement, saying the commission should have taken responsibility for the situation.

The PRP candidate, who contested the 2019 presidential election on the platform of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), said he was on the ballot at the time but did not participate because his party was involved in court proceedings.

Duke further said the fact that the same electoral institution remains responsible for conducting elections means INEC must now work to restore public confidence.

“That same INEC, the institution still exists, so the onus is on them,” he said.

He added: “The onus is really on INEC. They’ve got to prove the skeptics wrong. But so far, their records in the past, there’s a lot to… expectations are poor.”

Duke also recalled concerns surrounding the Bimodal Voter Accreditation System (BVAS) during the 2023 general election.

“The last election in ’23, the BVAS suddenly stopped working. Now, he says it’s going to work. Let’s see,” he said.

The PRP candidate’s comments come as political parties and candidates intensify preparations for the 2027 general election, with INEC expected to conduct the presidential and National Assembly elections in January 2027.

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