Politics
Group Okays Lalong’s Choice As APC Campaign DG
A group under the aegis of the Northern Christian Network (NCN) has described the choice of Plateau State Governor, Simon Bako Lalong as the Director General of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council as a perfect soft landing for the ruling party.
Convener of the group, Mshelia Lazarus, made the position of the Northern Christian Network known in a statement issued in Abuja on Wednesday.
The group while congratulating Lalong on his emergence as the campaign DG, expressed confidence in his capacity to deliver.
According to the group, the choice of Lalong would to a greater extent douse the raging controversies and heated debates being generated over the Muslim-Muslim ticket by the ruling All Progressives Congress.
The group therefore urged critical political stakeholders from the country, especially the North Central geopolitical zone where Lalong hails from to rally round one of their own to enable him succeed in the given task.
The group also appealed to Christians in the country to see Lalong as one of their own who would ensure their interest is well protected in the ruling party.
The group maintained that one person that will be a master stroke and game changer for Asiwaju’s victory is the Plateau State Governor and Chairman, Northern Governors’ Forum (NGF), Simon Bako Lalong.
“Lalong is a quintessential and grassroots politician who will be able to galvanize his influence in delivering victory for Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.
“The choice of Lalong who is an influential Northern politician and a devoted but detrabalised Christian from the ruling party, will no doubt, kindle hope among the Christian community in the country”, the group said in the statement.
“Lalong, who is the Chairman of the Northern Governors Forum was able to galvanize and rally all his colleagues from the North to insist on power shift to the South.
“He was instrumental in seeing to it that the cabals who were bent on foisting a Northern candidate on the party as flag bearer did not succeed , thus, paving the way for the seamless emergence of Tinubu at the convention in Abuja.
“The last minute intervention of the Lalong-led NGF changed the equation in favour of Asiwaju Bola Tinubu”, the group said.
The group also alluded to the efforts of Lalong in engendering peace and harmonious living on the Plateau, saying, his emergence would be a game changer for the party.
“The emergence of Lalong as governor changed the narrative on the Plateau as the state has largely witnessed relative peace as against the recurrent clashes it had recorded in the ugly past.
“Lalong due to his sensitivity to the religious and ethnic leanings of the people on the Plateau, has been able to engender peaceful coexistence and promote harmonious living among the people.
“He has been able to scale down the spate of conflicts and tension on the Plateau. Lalong has before now served as a lawmaker in the Plateau State House of Assembly where he rose to become Speaker of the House aside handling other sensitive responsibilities in the House.
“As chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Lalong as first among equals, has been able to galvanize his 18 other fellow governors from the North and had coordinated the affairs of the Forum without hitches.
“All these were clear attestation to the competence of Lalong and there is no gainsaying the fact that choosing him as the campaign DG would ensure victory for Asiwaju”, the group said.
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.
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.
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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