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YPP Mobilises Youths For Future Elections

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The Young Progressives Party (YPP), has urged Nigerian youths to rally round the party to forge a common front in pursuit of a better Nigeria.
National Chairman of YPP, Comrade Bishop Amakiri, made the call at the special national convention of the party held in Abuja,  at the weekend tagged “Ballot Revolution – YPP Generation Now”.
Amakiri said the nation currently needed urgent intervention as all socio-economic and political indicators were not favourable to the citizens.
He said that the economy had been on a free fall with increasing poverty due to several obnoxious policies of government.
He noted that the road to economic and political emancipation had never been easy but that they were possible to achieve, and must start now.
“The time has come for us to replicate the patriotic and resilient spirit of great African leaders such as Sir Abubakar Tafawa Balewa, Dr Nnamdi Azikiwe, Chief Obafemi Awolowo, Sir Ahmadu Bello and Sardauna of Sokoto.
“Others are Nelson Mandela, Kwame Nkrumah, Thomas Sankara, Julius Nyerere, Jomo Kenyetta and Steve Biko, just to mention a few.
“Taking over political leadership at all levels won’t come through endless confrontations with our political oppressors who have refused to listen to us, but through a coordinated synergy.
“This synergy is aimed at ending the reign of political mediocrity that has kept the nation in the state of perpetual backwardness; this can only be achieved through #BallotRevolution.
“Cost of governance and closure of our land boarders without adequate capacity for sustainable production contributed to the poverty and other negative results the country has recorded in recent time,” Amakiri said.
According to him, the EndSARS protest against police brutality came barely two weeks after the party’s Advocacy Walk for Good Governance on incessant PMS price increase in September.
He said that the EndSARS protests were an indirect approach used by the people to protest against bad government and we were against extreme force used to disperse the protesters.
Amakiri also said that the party would continue to demand for urgent electoral reforms in the country as it was the only way the party could win elections at the grassroots being the root of governance.
Also speaking at the event, Chief Ifeanyi Ubah, the only serving senator of YPP, said the party was going through a re-reengineering process to guarantee quality leadership tomorrow.
“We will educate you on how we are going about the revolutionistic movement that will usher us into the mainstream.
“Today we are number four, but by the grace of God in two years time, we will be number one in Nigeria.
“You can take me off but don’t take my word off; I have a reason for being in this party.
“We are the choice of all the major parties but let me not say so much until we unveil the engine room,” Ubah said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that one minute silence was observed in honour of those who lost their lives during the #EndSARS protests in many parts of the country.
The party also used the occasion to ratify the election of new national executive members and the approval of the new party logo.
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Kwankwaso Agrees To Rejoin APC, Gives Terms, Conditions

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The 2023 presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP), Sen. Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, has given terms and conditions to rejoin the All Progressives Congress (APC).
Sen. Kwankwaso, while addressing a gathering at his Kano residence, said any political alliance must recognise and respect the interests of his party and political movement.

The former two-term governor went down memory lane to recall how they founded the APC but were used and dumped.

In his words, “…those calling on us to join APC, we have agreed to join the APC but on clear agreement that protects and respects the interest of my party, NNPP and my political movement, Kwankwasiyya. No state where you go that you don’t have NNPP and Kwankwasiyya. We have gubernatorial candidates, senatorial candidates and others.

“We are ready to join APC under strong conditions and promises. We will not allow anyone to use us and later dump us.

“We were among the founding fathers of the APC and endured significant persecution from various security agencies while challenging the previous administration.

“Yet when the party assumed power, we received no recognition or appreciation for our sacrifices, simply because we didn’t originate from their original faction.

“We are not in a hurry to leave the NNPP; we are enjoying and have peace of mind. But if some want a political alliance that would not disappoint us like in the past, we are open to an alliance. Even if it is the PDP that realised their mistakes, let’s enter an agreement that will be made public,” Sen. Kwankwaso stated.

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I Would Have Gotten Third Term If I Wanted – Obasanjo 

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Former President Olusegun Obasanjo has dismissed long-standing claims that he once sought to extend his tenure in office, insisting he never pursued a third term.

Speaking at the Democracy Dialogue organised by the Goodluck Jonathan Foundation in Accra, Ghana, Chief Obasanjo said there is no Nigerian, living or dead, who can truthfully claim he solicited support for a third term agenda.

“I’m not a fool. If I wanted a third term, I know how to go about it. And there is no Nigerian, dead or alive, that would say I called him and told him I wanted a third term,” the former president declared.

Chief Obasanjo argued that he had proven his ability to secure difficult national goals, citing Nigeria’s debt relief during his administration as a much greater challenge than any third term ambition.

“I keep telling them that if I could get debt relief, which was more difficult than getting a third term, then if I wanted a third term, I would have got it too,” he said.

He further cautioned against leaders who overstay in power, stressing that the belief in one’s indispensability is a “sin against God.”

On his part, former President Goodluck Jonathan said any leader who failed to perform would be voted out of office if proper elections were conducted.

Describing electoral manipulation as one of the biggest threats to democracy in Africa, he said unless stakeholders come together to rethink and reform democracy, it may collapse in Africa.

He added that leaders must commit to the kind of democracy that guarantees a great future for the children where their voices matter.

He said: “Democracy in Africa continent is going through a period of strain and risk collapse unless stakeholders came together to rethink and reform it. Electoral manipulation remains one of the biggest threats in Africa.

“We in Africa must begin to look at our democracy and rethink it in a way that works well for us and our people. One of the problems is our electoral system. People manipulate the process to remain in power by all means.

“If we had proper elections, a leader who fails to perform would be voted out. But in our case, people use the system to perpetuate themselves even when the people don’t want them.

“Our people want to enjoy their freedoms. They want their votes to count during elections. They want equitable representation and inclusivity. They want good education. Our people want security. They want access to good healthcare. They want jobs. They want dignity. When leaders fail to meet these basic needs, the people become disillusioned.”

The dialogue was also attended by the President of the ECOWAS Commission, Dr. Omar Touray, Bishop Matthew Hassan Kukah of the Sokoto diocese of Catholic Church among others who all stressed that democracy in Africa must go beyond elections to include accountability, service, and discipline.

 

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Rivers Assembly Resumes Sitting After Six-Month Suspension

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The Rivers State House of Assembly yesterday resumed plenary session after a six-month state of emergency imposed on the state by President Bola Tinubu elapsed on Wednesday midnight.

President Bola Tinubu had lifted the emergency rule on September 17, with the Governor of the state, Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and members of the state assembly asked to resume duties on September 18.

The plenary was presided over by the Speaker of the House, Martins Amaewhule, at the conference hall located within the legislative quarters in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

The conference hall has served as the lawmakers’ temporary chamber since their official chamber at the assembly complex on Moscow Road was torched and later pulled down by the state government.

The outgone sole administrator of the state, Ibok-Ete Ibas, could not complete the reconstruction of the assembly complex as promised.

Recall that on March 18, President Bola Tinubu declared a state of emergency in Rivers following the prolonged political standoff between Fubara and members of the House of Assembly loyal to the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike.

He subsequently suspended the governor, his deputy, Ngozi Odu, and lawmakers for six months and installed a sole administrator, Vice Admiral Ibok-Ete Ibas (rtd.), to manage the state’s affairs.

The decision sparked widespread controversy, with critics accusing the president of breaching the Constitution.

However, others hailed the move as a necessary and pragmatic step.

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