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Ekiti Polls: Accept Defeat In Good Faith, Atiku Tells APC …PDP Chieftains To Storm Ekiti
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has led members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council to Ekiti State and charged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to be ready to accept defeat in good faith in the July governorship election.
Alhaji Abubakar, who said he was satisfied with the level of preparation of the PDP ahead of the election, charged the APC to accept defeat if it loses the election in the spirit of the 2015 election in which the PDP conceded defeat.
Abubakar said: “We are satisfied that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is prepared for this election. We hope that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will accept the outcome of the election.
“They should be democratic for the first time. We have seen how democratic they are, but for the first time in 2015 we have opposition party taking over from the ruling party, we expect them to do the same.”
He, therefore, charged the APC to “show its democratic credentials for the first” time by accepting the outcome of the July governorship election in good faith.
Governor Ayodele Fayose, while speaking on the occasion, said the PDP leaders and elders were in the state as part of their support for the party in the state, saying that they knew that the PDP had already won the election.
He alleged that the only thing the opposition APC was allegedly relying on was to rig the poll, and reiterated his claim that the PDP had already won the election.
Governor Fayose called on all those saddled with the responsibility of conducting the election to be above board, saying “we have told INEC that this is a pointer to the 2019 election. They should save their image.”
Fayose said: “The country is bigger than all of us. Let me tell them if rigging has been tried elsewhere it won’t work here. The people will defend this election. We are aware of plans to bring thugs here to disrupt the election, the people will stand up to them.
“The PDP leadership are in the state today to strengthen our hands and assured us of their support. I want to say that this election is about the people for the people and it must be so. Ekiti election is not only about Nigeria, the whole world is watching.
“We are looking forward to observers from all over the world because I am the voice they want to suppress. We are prepared for the election and we are going to win.”
The deputy president of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; a former Senate President, David Mark; former governor of Kano state, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau; Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel among others.
Meanwhile, members of the State Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ekiti State have said they are solidly behind Governor Ayodele Fayose and that at no time did the governor plan to trade away the candidacy of the PDP candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola.
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti, last Monday, by the State Chairman, Barrister Gboyega Oguntuase, the PDP chairman said the statement by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Fayose planned to trade away the candidacy of Olusola was fake and a product of an amateur blackmailer.
“My attention has been drawn to the product of amateur blackmailers who said the Ekiti State Working Committee of the PDP of which I am the chairman is accusing the State Governor, Dr Peter Ayo Fayose of planning to compromise the candidacy of the Aremo Osoko, Prof Kolapo Olusola Eleka.
“I, Barr Gboyega Oguntuwase, the State Chairman of PDP in Ekiti State, did not issue or sign the said statement. All the statements credited to the State Working Committee (SWC) in the said document are false and not known to us.
“Our belief in Dr Peter Ayo Fayose ( Peter the Rock) as the leader of the party and unrepentant champion of continuity is uncompromising. The statement which contained a lot of grammatical errors can only be a product of ignoramus and illiterates wanting to cause disaffection within a family that can never be divided.
“Our 100% commitment to continuity is personally encouraged and engineered by Dr Peter Ayo Fayose; no wonder we say ‘Fayose leads, we follow’. The said statement is a distraction to our intention to expose the violent nature of APC in Ekiti State which started on the day their candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi came to start his campaign in the state with bad omens with bullets hitting one of our brothers and their member, Barr Opeyemi Bamidele and several others from their party.
“The violent activities of APC are noticeable in the destruction of our billboards in Ikere, Ikole, Oye and just yesterday in Ekiti West local government area where they stabbed people with broken bottles while other weapons were freely used. This we shall report to the appropriate agencies.
“Ekiti people know our integrity, those of us at the leadership of PDP are in a covenant relationship never to betray one another, on this resolution we stand forever.
“If the amateur blackmailer knew our pedigrees and the level of our integrity which is unassailable and without blemish, he would not have concocted such a cheap story. Behind Fayose we stand to establish continuity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Despite the reported decision by President Muhammadu Buhari not to meet with members of the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), the Presidency has assured that he may yet have a session with them at the conclusion of the ongoing talks with the faction.
A report had emerged on Monday that Buhari would have nothing to do with the nPDP since their issue was a party matter.
But that position seemed to shift a bit on Tuesday when a top Presidency source revealed that the president’s meeting with the group has not be foreclosed.
The source who pleaded anonymity reiterated that Buhari has decided not to meet with the aggrieved party members in order not to be seen to be interfering with party matters.
However, it pointed out that the issue was already being addressed at top Presidency level with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo leading the discussion.
The source affirmed that Osinbajo has the blessing of the president who was expected to be briefed by the Vice President at the end of the talks.
It added that before then, the president will not intervene out of respect for the party.
The source said: ”A process has begun, with the party talking to those feeling estranged. The meeting has risen to the level of the Vice President. This is expected to continue.
“At the culmination of these meetings, the President will obviously be briefed.
“Before that point is reached, the President will not meddle or interfere.
“He is staying above it all, not arising from arrogance or snubbing anyone.
“The President expects that the due process should be observed in all situations and that is what he is doing.”
Members of nPDP broke out from the former ruling party to align with the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) to win the 2015 general election.
It has in its rank the likes of Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara).
The group, which had recently complained of being marginalized in the APC, issued an ultimatum to President Buhari to meet with them but the meeting never materialized.
Spokesman to former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, and chieftain of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP), Mr Segun Sowunmi, has advised his principal, Atiku, to learn from President Bola Tinubu on how to form a coalition.
The Tide reports that in a bid to wrest power from President Tinubu in 2027, Atiku has been leading the movement by opposition politicians to form a coalition of political parties ahead of the next general election.
Last month, opposition politicians set up a team comprising former Minister of Transpiration, Rotimi Amaechi, and former Governor of Cross River State, Liyel Imoke, to decide whether to float a new party or fuse into an existing platform.
While the main opposition party, PDP, struggles with a perennial leadership crisis, the former Vice President is bent on establishing another political force to take power from the ruling party in 2027.
But Sowunmi, who has been Atiku’s ally for many years, disagrees with his move, saying instead of forming a coalition with another political platform, he should coalesce opposition politicians into the PDP.
Speaking during an interview on TVC on Tuesday, Sowunmi, who was Atiku’s campaign spokesperson in the last election, asked his principal to learn from President Tinubu on how to form a coalition.
Sowunmi believes Atiku, having benefitted from the PDP as a former Vice President and getting the party’s presidential ticket twice, should not seek to form a coalition that will not have the PDP as its base.
He said, “I’ve always said to people, people love with their hearts. I love atiku with my bones. But I can’t help him against himself. You can’t run vice presidency on PDP two times with Obasanjo, get presidential candidate on that same party two times. I don’t agree with him that the next best thing is to be shopping for…(a platform) If you want a coalition, why are you not coalescing them into your party?” he asked.
The former PDP governorship candidate in Ogun State advised the ex-VP to learn from Tinubu on how to build a coalition without dumping his political party.
“Look at your rival, your friend. You guys started together. At best, even if you want to say he’s building a coalition is he not coalescing opponents into his place”? Sowunmi asked again.
The PDP chieftain, who recently showered praises on Tinubu after he visited him, said the President has an “uncanny ability to make everybody individually feel special” regardless of political affiliations.
His words: “That guy (Tinubu) is something oh, he has this uncanny ability to make everybody individually feel special. It doesn’t matter whether you are a former foe or a president’s friend, every moment you share with him, I don’t know how he does it, though you’re going to leave the place feeling that you matter, feeling that he gets it, feeling that what you guys are talking about is important. And there’s something about him, when he gives you his word, he will say something like ‘ko le ye’, meaning that to the best of human ability, it will stand.”
Meanwhile, there have been conversations about Sowunmi’s political stance as many questioned his relationship with Atiku, with whom he shares a longstanding political relationship.
Asked about his relationship with Atiku following his meeting with Tinubu, Sowunmi said he doesn’t know if the former Vice President is upset.
“I don’t know whether Atiku is upset or not upset, but I know a lot of our followers are talking a lot of nonsense, and I’m wondering how I became attached to Atiku when I’ve been in PDP since 1999 never leaving,” he responded.
The Federal Inland Revenue Service (FIRS) has introduced a new Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) to fix inconsistencies in tax services across its over 300 offices nationwide.
The move aims to make tax processes clearer, more transparent, and easier for Nigerians.
In a statement, Special Adviser on Communications and Advocacy to the FIRS Executive Chairman, Mr. Collins Omokaro, said the updated SOP is a key part of the agency’s plan to improve taxpayer experience.
He explained that, in the past, different FIRS offices used different methods, which often confused taxpayers.
“This is about people, experience, and impact. It’s a step towards a tax system that supports voluntary compliance and national development,” Omokaro said.
The new SOP provides a single guide for key processes like registration, payment, audit, and enforcement. This will ensure all FIRS offices follow the same steps, making the system fairer and more predictable.
FIRS Executive Chairman, Dr. Zacch Adedeji, described the SOP as more than just a set of rules.
“This SOP is not just a technical document; it is a declaration of who we are becoming as a service. It reflects our commitment to transparency and service to the Nigerian people,” he said.
The SOP also supports FIRS’s digital transformation, combining human and technological systems to deliver faster and more reliable services. It will also improve internal efficiency by providing clear guidance and better training for staff.
“With this rollout, every FIRS staff member has a clear mandate: study it, apply it, and embody it. That’s how we’ll earn the trust of Nigerians,” Omokaro added.
The reform is part of FIRS’s efforts to become a more service-driven organisation, focused on clarity, consistency, and national growth. The agency hopes the new SOP will make tax services better for Nigerians and increase public trust in the system.
The Head of the Civil Service of the Federation (HCSF), Mrs Didi Walson-Jack, says the Federal Government is committed to building a world-class public service in Nigeria.
Walson-Jack made this known in Abuja, on Wednesday, at a World Press Conference ahead of the International Civil Service Conference and the African Public Service Week scheduled for June 25 to 26 in Abuja.
She said a recent study tour to Singapore was part of preparatory activities aimed at positioning Nigeria’s civil service for excellence and attracting global participation in the upcoming events.
“The study tour to Singapore was the first major activity we undertook under the collaboration between the Office of the Head of Civil Service of the Federation and the Heads of Service of the 36 states and the FCT,” she said.
According to her, the visit, supported by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), involved 20 State Heads of Service and was designed to benchmark best global practices and enhance Nigeria’s public service delivery.
“The idea was born out of our ongoing collaboration, where we share ideas and knowledge across federal and state levels.
“Singapore was chosen because it is globally recognised for excellence in public service,” she explained.
Walson-Jack noted that the second phase of the tour will involve the remaining 17 heads of service later this year.
She said the tour provided participants with the opportunity to engage with both public and private sector institutions in Singapore, compare administrative practices, and gain insights into global standards.
“It was an eye-opener and a capacity-building opportunity.
“Since our return, several state civil services have begun implementing reforms in collaboration with the federal service, particularly in areas such as capability development and digital transformation,” she added.
Walson-Jack further disclosed that Nigeria would host a reciprocal study tour during the upcoming African Public Service Week, where foreign delegates will engage with various federal institutions.
“They will see firsthand our digitalisation efforts, performance management systems, and other reform initiatives aimed at transforming our civil service.
“We hope the experience will inspire similar actions in their home countries,” she said.