News
Late Shehu Yar’Adua Anointed Me -Atiku …APC Confused, Bent On Rigging Polls -Secondus
As the Presidential campaign train of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) hits Katsina State, President Muhammadu Buhari’s home state, the former Vice President and PDP presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has wooed the support of indigenes on the need to elect him the next president and fulfill the unachieved dream of the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua.
Atiku said the late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua anointed him the presidential candidate in 1993, but could not fulfill his dream before his death.
The former Vice President while addressing the party faithful who thronged the Muhammadu Dikko Stadium in Katsina, told them to help the late Yar’Adua achieve his dream by voting him and making him the next president in the country.
According to him: “I was introduced into politics by late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua of blessed memory and I grew up in politics in Katsina. Later, late Shehu anointed me as the presidential candidate in 1993.
“Today, it is time to fulfill the dream of late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua. Would you help Shehu achieve his unfulfilled dream?” Atiku said. The APC-led government have not fulfilled its campaign promises. “The APC, three and half years ago, came here to promise you that they will restore the economy, improve security and unemployment, but they have failed.
“I am assuring you that if elected, we would restore the security, address the issue of unemployment and by the time that is done, we must have addressed hunger in the country. We would closely work with Lado (Katsina governorship candidate) to achieve this together in the state level,” Atiku stated.
Meanwhile, the National Chairman of the opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Uche Secondus, yesterday, said the All Progressive Congress, APC, is bent on rigging the forthcoming general elections in the country.
Secondus stated this in Katsina while reacting to the recent statement credited to Governor Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State. Governor El-Rufai had threatened foreign powers whom, he said, may have had the intention to interfere with the coming elections in the country, to jettison the idea or “leave Nigeria in body bags.”
But the PDP Chairman said El-Rufai’s statement meant that the ruling party is confused and bent on rigging the forthcoming through dubious means. He, however, vowed that the PDP and Nigerians would resist any form of rigging in the country.
According to him, “the APC government are confused, they are worried and are adopting all sorts of measures to make sure that they rig this election.
“And you know the spirit of confusion have entered them. One of their governors, Nasir El-Rufai (Kaduna State) attacked the International communities, saying that members of the global democratic institutions that are working for a peaceful election in Nigeria would return to their countries in body bags.
“Which means that APC, their leadership and their plan, is to destabilise this election. “Let me remind you that in 2015, the same El-Rufai and other leaders of APC travelled as far as United States to ask for International observers that witnessed the elections. But because they want to rig, they don’t want the international observers to come.
“The will of the people will prevail. Because of the confusion in APC, they have lost all the polls from the international, local and national. And they have lost the victory to Atiku. Atiku is winning and that is why APC is confused.
“They have resorted to redeployment of the Commissioners of Police and destroy institutions like the Nigerian Police Force and the Military.
They want to compromise them to aid them to rig the elections. “You cannot destroy the will of the people and Nigerians. Atiku is the symbol of unity for our country.” Secondus said.
He however urged the electorates to come out en masse to vote for Atiku and Lado just as he urged them to ensure their votes counts.
Similarly, the Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, wooed the electorate to make him the next president to fulfil the dream late Shehu Musa Yar’Adua could not achieve during his lifetime. He said he would work closely with the Governorship candidate in the state, Yakubu Lado Danmarke, to restore security and lost glory in the state.
The party leader in the state, Bar. Ibrahim Shehu Shema, urged the electorates to vote wisely, saying Atiku stands to unify and heal the country. Earlier, the Governorship candidate in the state, Yakubu Lado Danmarke claimed that the APC destroyed sixteen (16) years of PDP achievements.
News
I’m Committed To Community Dev – Ajinwo
News
RSG Tasks Rural Dwellers On RAAMP …As Sensitization Team Visits Akulga, Degema, Three Others

Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
News
Senate Replaces Natasha As Committee Chairman

The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
-
Rivers3 days ago
Don Sues For Leadership Assessment Centre In IAUE
-
Niger Delta3 days ago
Oborevwori Boosts Digitalisation With Ulesson 500 Tablets To Pupils, Students
-
Business3 days ago
Cassava Flour Initiative Revival Can Up Economy By ?255b – COMAFAS
-
Sports3 days ago
Eagles B Players Admit Pressure For CHAN Qualification
-
Niger Delta3 days ago
Don Highlights On The Potential Of Groundwater As Hidden Wealth For Sustainable Future
-
Rivers3 days ago
Group Seeks Prosecution Of Clergy, Others Over Attempted Murder
-
Opinion3 days ago
Restoring Order, Delivering Good Governance
-
Business3 days ago
CRG Partner JR Farms To Plant 30m Coffee Seedlings