Politics
FG Reacts To Saraki’s Exit From APC
THE Federal Government has nothing to lose with the exit of the President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, has said.
Mr Mohammed said Saraki has all along been behaving like a member of the opposition even while still a member of the APC.
He stated this in an interview with State House correspondents at the end of the weekly meeting of the Federal Executive Council presided over by President Muhamamdu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.
“If Senate President Bukola Saraki were not a member of the APC, the party and the government it leads could not have suffered more than they had already done, with regards to the delay in passing the budget, approving key appointments and so on,” Mohammed said.
“In other words, Saraki has behaved all along as a member of the opposition, deliberately slowing down the progress of the APC-led Federal Government.
“It is therefore neither a surprise nor a blow that he has defected.
“Perhaps, the only surprise is that when he eventually defected, it was a mere whimper!
“If we didn’t gain by having our member as Senate President, we stand to lose nothing by losing him.”
Mohammed also claimed that the Kwara State chapter of the APC will only be stronger with Saraki’s exit.
“The APC can only be stronger in Kwara. Realising this, the true APC members in the state have come together to strengthen the party, open its doors to new members and reposition it for the 2019 elections, with a view to delivering Kwara to President Muhammadu Buhari.
“This was what we did this past weekend, and you saw the way the people reacted.
“Yet, what happened at the weekend was not even a rally. It was a consultative stakeholders’ meeting. And it was a defining moment for the millions of Kwarans seeking political direction and emancipation.
“Thankfully, the national leadership of our party has hearkened to our demands by dissolving the executives and constituting a caretaker committee.
“That offers a fresh start for the APC in Kwara. No one tree, no matter how big, can make a forest. Every Kwaran is important in the emerging political dispensation in the state, and it is the realisation of this new dawn that has set the state agog for the APC,” he said.
Lucky Aiyedatiwa, the All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate, is well ahead of his compatriots in the Ondo governorship election.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) commenced the announcement of the results at midnight on Saturday.
So far, results from 15 local government areas (LGAs) have been announced, with three outstanding.
Aiyedatiwa has polled 268,144 votes so far, while Agboola Ajayi of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has secured 79,125 votes and Abbas Mimiko of the Zenith Labour Party (ZLP) has won 2,365.
The APC candidate, who is the incumbent governor, has won in all the 15 LGAs, including the strongholds of his challengers.
Results from Ilaje, Ese-Odo and Odigbo LGAs are still being expected at the collation centre.
The collation exercise was adjourned till 12pm by the INEC returning officer for the election.
Meanwhile, on the INEC result viewing portal, 99 percent of the governorship election results have been uploaded.
The election, which took place on Saturday, was largely peaceful and devoid of violence in most parts of the state.
However, journalists and civil society organisations observed several cases of vote trading.
“This situation has continued unabatedly and heightened in this election. It is worrying that, despite the high presence of security personnel at the polling units, vote trading went on openly unchecked during the voting hours,” the Nigeria Civil Society Situation Room said in its preliminary assessment.
Personnel of the Department of State Services (DSS) have apprehended a suspected vote buyer in the ongoing Ondo governorship election.
The man was nabbed on election day at ward 4, polling unit 007, outside St Stephen’s Primary School, Akure.
Television footage showed the operatives and passers-by bellowing on the man to open the boot of his Toyota Camry car. Once he did, two ‘Ghana-must-go’ bags were seen sitting pretty.
The bags were not opened before the cameras as a mob encircled.
The DSS operatives then shoved the man into a white bus from where he was spirited away.
Vote-buying has become commonplace in Nigeria’s elections. Civil society organisations continue to bemoan the trend where agents of political parties carry cash to polling units to induce voters to cast their ballots a certain way.
Betty Akeredolu, widow of the late Rotimi Akeredolu, former governor of Ondo, has been criticised for comparing the US presidential election to Nigeria’s 2023 general election.
In a post on X on Wednesday, Betty juxtaposed the period it took to count and announce winners in both polls.
She has also been berated for calling Nigeria a zoo while responding to critics of her posts on the elections.
“When dishonesty is prioritised, simple things become difficult,” she said of Nigeria’s election.
“2023 Nigerian Presidential Election: Total Votes Cast: 25 million, Counting Duration: 5 days. 2024 U.S Presidential Election: Total Votes Cast: 155 million. Counting Duration: Approx. 10 hours.”
In another post, she said, “I made an honest but harmless observation on Nigerian and US presidential elections. Twitter is now on fire. Truth hurts and hurts with tribal colouration”.
“If the 2023 election presidential benefitted you as an individual or group, was that the best Nigeria could offer? Alas, they turned it into a tribal war of words. Nigeria is irredeemable! So sad,” she added.
“Very bitter indeed! Who will rescue Nigeria? What a zoo country!”
One Adegoke Adebisi said counting of votes continues in the US despite the announcement of Donald Trump as president-elect.
“This is not factual. The election was determined in 10 hours but counting continued till Friday, but results were posted live,” Adebisi said in response to Betty’s post.
“Grandma doesn’t even know what electoral college is, she thinks they count each ballot in the US election to declare Trump. You don’t even have the moral justification to criticise a system ur husband benefited from,” another post reads.
Here are a few more posts.
https://twitter.com/drdebodun/status/1856744000608236008?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856744000608236008%7Ctwgr%5E610290c57da8066b2fca89158d8fe9ca93d32190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fsame-country-that-made-you-outrage-as-betty-akeredolu-calls-nigeria-a-zoo%2F
https://twitter.com/Montero1016/status/1856742131454431616?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856742131454431616%7Ctwgr%5E610290c57da8066b2fca89158d8fe9ca93d32190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fsame-country-that-made-you-outrage-as-betty-akeredolu-calls-nigeria-a-zoo%2F
https://twitter.com/Olalekanakogun/status/1856732313867989117?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856732313867989117%7Ctwgr%5E610290c57da8066b2fca89158d8fe9ca93d32190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fsame-country-that-made-you-outrage-as-betty-akeredolu-calls-nigeria-a-zoo%2F
https://twitter.com/bigmorsh/status/1856955340027265067?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856955340027265067%7Ctwgr%5E610290c57da8066b2fca89158d8fe9ca93d32190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fsame-country-that-made-you-outrage-as-betty-akeredolu-calls-nigeria-a-zoo%2F
https://twitter.com/AndinoAsuquo/status/1857236820884378041?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1857236820884378041%7Ctwgr%5E610290c57da8066b2fca89158d8fe9ca93d32190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fsame-country-that-made-you-outrage-as-betty-akeredolu-calls-nigeria-a-zoo%2F
https://twitter.com/Yakbel/status/1856982179915468879?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856982179915468879%7Ctwgr%5E610290c57da8066b2fca89158d8fe9ca93d32190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fsame-country-that-made-you-outrage-as-betty-akeredolu-calls-nigeria-a-zoo%2F
https://twitter.com/xybox/status/1856754083534712983?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856754083534712983%7Ctwgr%5E610290c57da8066b2fca89158d8fe9ca93d32190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fsame-country-that-made-you-outrage-as-betty-akeredolu-calls-nigeria-a-zoo%2F
https://twitter.com/bolagy/status/1856749039435296911?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856749039435296911%7Ctwgr%5E610290c57da8066b2fca89158d8fe9ca93d32190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fsame-country-that-made-you-outrage-as-betty-akeredolu-calls-nigeria-a-zoo%2F
https://twitter.com/tru_th_finder/status/1856751774981292493?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856751774981292493%7Ctwgr%5E610290c57da8066b2fca89158d8fe9ca93d32190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fsame-country-that-made-you-outrage-as-betty-akeredolu-calls-nigeria-a-zoo%2F
https://twitter.com/TemmyAjayi1/status/1856999762458812578?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856999762458812578%7Ctwgr%5E610290c57da8066b2fca89158d8fe9ca93d32190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fsame-country-that-made-you-outrage-as-betty-akeredolu-calls-nigeria-a-zoo%2F
https://twitter.com/MisterAdigun/status/1856978908266090986?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1856978908266090986%7Ctwgr%5E610290c57da8066b2fca89158d8fe9ca93d32190%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.thecable.ng%2Fsame-country-that-made-you-outrage-as-betty-akeredolu-calls-nigeria-a-zoo%2F
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Bodex F. Hungbo, SPMIIM is a multiple award-winning Nigerian Digital Media Practitioner, Digital Strategist, PR consultant, Brand and Event Expert, Tv Presenter, Tier-A Blogger/Influencer, and a top cobbler in Nigeria.
She has widespread experiences across different professions and skills, which includes experiences in; Marketing, Media, Broadcasting, Brand and Event Management, Administration and Management with prior stints at MTN, NAPIMS-NNPC, GLOBAL FLEET OIL AND GAS, LTV, Silverbird and a host of others
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