Politics
Muslim-Muslism Ticket: Mass resignation hits APC over choice of VP
By Paul Eso
Obviously, the choice of the former Borno State governor, Senator Kashim Shettima, as the vice presidential candidate of the All Progressive Congress, APC, for the 2023 general elections did not go down well with some of the members, leaders and other stakeholders of the party.
The APC presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a Muslim from the South West, had on Sunday announced Shettima, a Muslim from the North-East as his running mate.
Tinubu made the announcement while speaking with journalists in Daura, Katsina State, after a closed door meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari.
However, the gale of resignation that greeted the party since Sunday is a confirmation that things are falling apart in the party following the choice of Shettima.
At the last count, over 10 prominent APC members across the country have resigned from the party to register their displeasure over the Muslim – Muslim pairing. Few hours after the announcement, a chieftain of APC and legal practitioner, Daniel Bwala, announced the resignation of his membership of the party. Bwala made the announcement on Sunday night amid wide condemnation and rejection that trailed the party’s decision.
The legal practitioner took to his Twitter page to say, “Tonight, I officially resigned my membership of @OfficialAPCNg on principles and conviction that I hold so dear. At this time of our national existence, our efforts and energy should gravitate towards uniting our people.”
Also, a member of Tinubu Support Group and senator representing Adamawa North, Elisha Abbo, while resigning from the party, expressed his disgust with Tinubu’s choice of Shettima describing it as irresponsible.
He said: “It is very irresponsible of Tinubu to take his political survival over the stability and peace of Nigeria. For Tinubu now to be given the ticket and turn around to do what he couldn’t achieve in 2015 despite opposition from Catholics and other Christian leaders is extremely irresponsible.”
Another chieftain of the party and a veteran Nollywood actor, Kenneth Okonkwo, also resigned his membership.
Okonkwo in a letter shared on his Instagram page on Monday wrote: “Recall that I joined the APC because of its Constitutional vow, as true progressives and patriots, to eliminate all forms of discrimination and social injustice in Nigeria…
“Those ideals are now alien to the APC, with their unfortunate decision to paint our Muslim brothers in bad light, by insinuating that the Muslims in Nigeria will not accept or vote for a Northern Christian as vice president to pair with a Southern Muslim. If Muslims could vote voluntarily for Southern Christian Presidents, it is then a fallacy to insinuate that they cannot accept a Northern Christian vice president. This will permanently destroy the political viability of Northern Christians in Nigeria, if allowed to stand.”
Similarly, some strong supporters and allies of the former Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi such as Prince Tonye Princewill, former Commissioner for Information and Communications, Ibim Semenitari, Dawari George, Marvin Yobana, Nkemka Amadi and Robinson Elechi, have started dumping the APC in Rivers State.
This development comes just a few days after he appealed to his supporters not to be angry but to cast their votes for the APC in the 2023 elections.
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Princewill in a letter addressed to his APC ward 3 Chairman in Buguma, Asari-Toru Local Government Area of Rivers, disclosed that his resignation was in connection with the choice of Muslim vice presidential candidate by the party’s presidential candidate.
According to Princewill, “While I appreciate my leader Rt Hon Rotimi Amaechi and all his efforts, I cannot defend the decision of my party, in fielding a Muslim-Muslim ticket, especially at a time like this, against all protestations from well meaning Nigerians, across religious and political divides.”
Also, Semenitari, a former acting managing director of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), in her resignation letter wrote: “I write to resign my membership of APC with effect from today. I appreciate the friendship, camaraderie and opportunities that this platform has provided me to serve my state, region and country even as I wish the party well.”
Furthermore, a chieftain of the party in Delta State, Air Vice Marshal Frank Ajobena (retd.), has also joined the increasing number of the APC members who has dumped the ruling party in protest against the Muslim-Muslim ticket.
The retired Air Force chief, who is also a national caucus member of the APC in a statement, described the decision as “the highest level of insensitivity to the Christian faith in the country.”
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has rejected the outcome of the Ondo State governorship election, accusing the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of electoral malpractice, including vote-buying and result manipulation.
This was disclosed during a meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum on Saturday in Jos, Plateau State.
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The forum, chaired by Bauchi State Governor Bala Mohammed, criticized the conduct of the election, which saw APC’s Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa secure a landslide victory for another four-year term in Alagbaka, Akure.
“We are still reviewing documents from the Ondo election, where the APC openly bought votes and manipulated results,” Mohammed said.
He urged the judiciary to “save Nigerian democracy” and called on the National Assembly to strengthen electoral laws to prevent what he described as “institutional sabotage of the people’s will.”
The PDP governors also condemned the September governorship election in Edo State, describing it as a “rape of democracy.”
The forum accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) of colluding with the APC to declare its candidate the winner despite claims that the PDP candidate, Asue Ighodalo, had secured the majority of lawful votes.
“INEC blatantly manipulated the results in favor of the APC candidate. This undermines the credibility of our electoral process,” Mohammed said.
Beyond electoral grievances, the governors urged the PDP’s National Working Committee (NWC) to convene a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting by February 2025.
They emphasized the need for broader consultations with stakeholders to resolve the party’s internal leadership crisis and strengthen its position as the main opposition party.
The forum reiterated its commitment to democratic values and vowed to push for electoral reforms that would restore public confidence in Nigeria’s electoral process.
The Ondo governorship election has sparked a renewed call for transparency in the country’s electoral system, with the PDP vowing to challenge what it views as a subversion of democracy.
Following his observations that ‘the momentum was strong’ Matt Gaetz whom 47th POTUS elect, Donald Trump nominated for Attorney General has withdrawn.
Biztellers reports that this follows his meeting with Senate and the feedback, which included two women, represented by their attorneys, who accused him of having paid for sex.
Consequently, Gaetz placed on record his full commitment to seeing “that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history.”
His withdrawal according his statement on micro-blogging site, X, was based on his conviction that “There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle”.
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In is view, “Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1”.
Gaetz wrote, “I had excellent meetings with Senators yesterday. I appreciate their thoughtful feedback – and the incredible support of so many. While the momentum was strong, it is clear that my confirmation was unfairly becoming a distraction to the critical work of the Trump/Vance Transition. There is no time to waste on a needlessly protracted Washington scuffle, thus I’ll be withdrawing my name from consideration to serve as Attorney General. Trump’s DOJ must be in place and ready on Day 1.
“I remain fully committed to see that Donald J. Trump is the most successful President in history. I will forever be honored that President Trump nominated me to lead the Department of Justice and I’m certain he will Save America.”
His backers have promptly encouraged to take his seat in the House of Representatives, having been elected to the house under the flag of the Republicans to represent Florida.
The Executive Governors from Nigeria’s South West have unanimously nominated Senator Ademola Adeleke as the chairman of the zone on the National Economic Council (NEC).
Adeleke is the Executive Governor of Osun State, southwest, Nigeria.
This, according to the Spokesperson to Governor Adeleke, Olawale Rasheed, transpired on Thursday, at a meeting of the NEC.
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He noted that the meeting reviewed the state of Nigeria’s electricity sector and resolved to engage subnational structures to address current challenges in the sector.
“The meeting particularly sought to build on the devolution of the electricity sector and its movement into the concurrent legislative list which empowers state governments to regulate the sector in their respective areas,” he stated.
Consequently, the NEC, therefore set up an ad hoc committee to review actions in the sector by state governments and explore ways to ramp up activities through coordination, Rasheed highlighted.
The full list of members of NEC’s Ad-hoc Committee on National Electrification:
- Governor of Cross Rivers State, Bassey Out – Chairman, South-South
- Governor of Katsina State, Mallam Dikko Umaru Radda – Chairman, North-West
- Governor of Gombe State, Muhammadu Inuwa Yahaya – Chairman, North-East
- Governor of Osun State, Senator Ademola Adeleke – Chairman, South-West
- Governor of Imo State, Senator Hope Uzodinma – Chairman, South-East
- Governor of Plateau State, Barr. Caleb Mutfwang – Chairman, North-Central
- Hon. Minister of Finance, Wale Edun
- Hon. Minister of Budget and National Planning, Atiku Bagudu
- Special Adviser, NEC and Climate Change, Rukaiya El-Rufai
- Special Adviser, Power Minister, Hon. Bolaji Tunji
- MD/CEO Rural Electrification Agency, Abba Aliyu
- MD/CEO Niger Delta Power Holding Company, Jennifer Adighije
- Chairman, Nigeria Governors Forum, AbdulRahman AbdulRazak
- NEC Secretariat
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