News
Coalition: I want to end Tinubu’s evil I helped create – El-Rufai
For Nasir El-Rufai, former Governor of Kaduna State, nothing is more crucial today than to end the government of President Bola Tinubu – “the evil I helped bring to Nigeria” before it does more damages.
The former governor, who stated that he was not driven by any political ambition but by a sense of duty to help correct what he called a national tragedy caused by the current administration, said even if he were to contest for any other position, the decision would come later.
A guest of Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS, television network, El-Rufai, who was also a former Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, told his host: “You’ve mentioned my name. I have no ambition. I just feel that having contributed to bringing about this tragedy to Nigeria, by contributing to the emergence of Bola Tinubu as president, I should contribute in my last lap… let me contribute towards removing this evil that I believe will destroy Nigeria if left unchecked.”
Stressing that his decision to align with the opposition coalition stemmed from a collective resolve to challenge the current administration in 2027, he said leaders, Atiku Abubakar the arrowhead and other leaders of the coalition were currently exploring both existing political parties and the formation of a new party as a platform to contest the next general elections.
“Well look, you don’t go to war with only one plan. So very early in our discussions, the leaders of the coalition took the decision that we’ll not only look for existing platforms and identify one that is suitable for all of us to go under one roof, but we’ll also explore the possibility of registering a brand-new party.
“I think a brand-new party doesn’t have any legacy problems or any viruses injected, because what the government, the ruling party, and the government have been doing is to create problems in the opposition parties by recruiting and financing viruses to multiply. This is what is happening in the Labour Party, the PDP, and even the NNPP.
“Many of us do not believe that under the current leadership of INEC, a new party will be registered, because Dr Mahmoud Yakubu is not Jega, and President Tinubu is not Jonathan. But we said, let’s try it anyway. Let’s show that INEC is not independent. Let’s show that this government is interfering to ensure there is no opposition.”
He informed that the Social Democratic Party (SDP), which he recently joined from the All Progressives Congress (APC) and under which he became a two-time governor, was still one of the strong options, he however said the movement was weighing all options to come to a final collective decision.
His words: “I strongly believe that the SDP is the best platform for the coalition. It has a history, it has a legacy, it has a sentimental value, and everything about it is almost perfect. The name, the logo, everything… But it will be a collective decision… I will do whatever I can to ensure that we unite under one platform.
“First, you need a party. Every party has its constitution and rules… We are not even talking about that. This is why I feel quite empowered and encouraged by the attitude of the leadership, because nobody is talking about his aspiration.
“Big names does not equate ambitions. Everybody is saying, we have a problem… Let’s come together, send them back home, and put this country back on track.”
Seriake Dickson, National Leader of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC), on Wednesday showcased Peter Obi, its presidential candidate in the 2027 election, but gave a proviso – his importance would not be at the expense of the party.
A guest on Prime Time, a public affairs programme on ARISE NEWS Television, the former Governor of Bayelsa State, now Senator representing West at the National Assembly, maintained that the belief in some quarters that Obi’s entrance into the party was a favour was completely misplaced.
Instead, he argued that the opposite was the case, as it was the party that was doing its candidates a favour by giving them the opportunity to contest elective positions on its platform in the 2027 elections, a gesture that ought to be returned.
Hear him: “Don’t make it look like anyone is doing NDC a favour. No one is. Rather, the NDC and I and my colleagues are doing people a favour by granting our platform. If you are genuinely supporting Peter Obi and you are disparaging me, the leader, or the platform itself. That is nonsensical.”
Stressing that NDC had demonstrated confidence in Obi by adopting Obi as its sole presidential candidate and selecting a vice-presidential candidate without internal disputes, he said it was enough to earn its leadership the gratitude it deserved.
He added: “Nobody paid shishi. So, if a presidential candidate didn’t pay shishi to be made the sole presidential candidate and sole vice-presidential candidate, that same party cannot be the one saying that small people are underprivileged.
“I could have run. There’s no one more qualified than me. There’s no one more qualified than me to run for presidential candidate. None. There is no crisis within the NDC. Peter Obi is a cherished member of our party. On our own, we have made him a presidential candidate. Sole presidential candidate. And that counts for something. We are working well together. There’s no crisis.”
Invoking its zero tolerance on issues of security breaches, the Nigeria Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA), has clamped down on aircraft and crew of the privately operated jet that landed on a roadway in the Ogwashi-Uku area near Asaba, Delta state.
Even with regulatory body for airline operations in Nigeria informed that no casualties were recorded in the incident, it still went for its sanctions in line with its sworn position of maintaining maximum safety at every point.
In a statement on Wednesday, Michael Achimugu, its spokesman said preliminary reports indicated that the aircraft conducted a missed approach while attempting to land at Asaba airport at about 7:43am.
Achimugu: Director of Public Affairs and Consumer Protection, said: “Reports received from personnel at the scene indicate that all occupants safely exited the aircraft and were transported to Asaba by road,” Achimugu said. The aircraft had four (4) crew members on board. At this time, no injuries to passengers or crew have been reported.
“Preliminary information available to the authority indicated that the aircraft later departed the location and returned to Lagos without obtaining the required regulatory approval. Air traffic control was informed only after the aircraft had become airborne.”
Stressing that the action constitutes a violation of the Nigerian Civil Aviation Regulations (Nig.CARs) and is currently under investigation by the authority, he said the NCAA immediately grounded the aircraft upon its arrival in Lagos pending the outcome of investigations.
He added: “The flight crew have been placed under regulatory review while the NCAA conducts further inquiries into the circumstances surrounding the occurrence and the subsequent unauthorised departure of the aircraft.
“The NCAA has formally notified the Nigerian Safety Investigation Bureau (NSIB) of the occurrence and is coordinating with relevant aviation stakeholders, including the operator and the Nigerian Airspace Management Agency to establish the full circumstances surrounding the incident.”
Stating that the NCAA immediately suspended the operator’s permit for non-commercial flight (PNCF), he added that the authority would review all operational, airworthiness, maintenance and flight-related records as part of its statutory responsibilities and take further enforcement action in accordance with applicable aviation regulations.
Achimugu said the NCAA remains committed to maintaining the highest standards of aviation safety, security, and regulatory compliance within the Nigerian aviation sector.
Atiku Abubakar, candidate of the African Democratic Congress (ADC), on Wednesday, swore to the integrity of the process that led to his picking the party’s ticket, saying it remained untainted and consistent with the wills of the members.
Against the backdrop of the insistence of Babachir Lawal, former Secretary to Government of the Federation (SGF), that he stole the ticket by corrupting the process, Atiku, Vice President between 1999 and 2007, pooh-poohed the claim.
Before the former SGF Rotimi Amaechi, former Governor of Rivers State and Minister of Transportation as well as Mohammed Hayatu-Deen, former Chairman of Nigeria Economic Summit Group, both candidates in the contest for the ADC ticket, had rejected the process as flawed, even before the outcome.
Lawal, who had earlier announced his resignation from the ADC a fortnight ago and made sundry allegations of gaming the system against Atiku, had doubled down on Monday, while appearing on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, claiming he personally monitored the exercise and had evidence that the primary was rigged.
Hear him: “Don’t forget I was the National Vice Chairman (North-East). I was in the field during the exercise, so I have evidence. Atiku’s people are the ones trying to deny what they did. We are all human beings. We know what they did. I knew the primary was rigged at the point it was being done and the results declared.”
Regardless that neither Amaechi nor Hayatu-Deen had recanted their original position Atiku, insisted that nothing was amiss, adding that his opponents actually won in the areas of their individual popularity and stronghold.
Conveying his position through Phrank Shaibu, his spokesman, who appeared as a guest on Politics Today, a public affairs programme on Channels Television, the former VP said: “Anybody who claims rigging or irregularity in the last election should check the places and locations they won. Where are the states that Rotimi Amaechi won? If you check the figures and the margins he got there, you will know that those are his strongholds. It was not a fraudulent process.
Maintaining that the burden of proving any fraud rested on the former SGF Shaibu, Shaibu depicted his boss as the most popular among the contestants, arguing that the outcome of the event should not be surprising to anybody.
He said of the ex-SGF: “Babachir reminds me of a baby who is yanked off her mother’s breast while suckling. It is like a deprived suckling; definitely the baby will throw tantrums. He admitted on your show that his preferred candidate was Hayatu-Deen. He worked for him.”
-
News3 weeks agoBREAKING: US-Nigeria troops slaughter 175 ISWAP fighters
-
News4 weeks agoTinubu to African leaders: Copy Nigeria, produce your way out of poverty
-
Columns3 weeks agoDear General Gowon: That apology you’re running from is your nemesis
-
News1 week agoBREAKING: Terrorists strike Ibadan again! Abduct ex-Minister’s sister, twin children
-
News4 weeks agoWhy we pegged presidential ticket forms at N60million – NDC
-
News4 weeks agoGowon on civil war: My book is to put records straight, remove falsehood
-
News3 weeks agoBREAKING: Wait over! Arsenal are CHAMPIONS! Win EPL after 22 years hiatus
-
Columns2 weeks agoSee Tinubu’s terrible damage on Option A4 and its precious memories