Obindigbo

According to the International Growth Centre, a global research Centre, “Well-functioning democratic structures and strong political governance are central to economic development. However, a lack of information about elections in younger democracies can weaken the accountability of elected politicians and, consequently, decision-making.” Political information can be difficult to access in developing countries because of fledgling democratic structures and poor media penetration. Citizens may vote for candidates with little knowledge of their policy stances, qualifications, previous performance, or potential remit.  The IGC research in Ghana and Sierra Leone revealed that “voters showed improved awareness of specific candidates, their policies, and general political knowledge for several weeks after viewing a debate.” Furthermore, “participants reported that debates helped inform their choices at the ballot box. They were more likely to vote for candidates who shared their policy priorities and for higher quality candidates.” Election debates are therefore very important for political accountability.

In Nigeria, the culture of election debate has been cultivated since 1999 and is being nurtured by the media and civil society organisations. The Nigeria Elections Debate Group is a coalition of broadcast organisations, civil society organisations and professional groups who are committed to the deepening of democracy in the country and the entrenching of an enduring democratic culture through organised television debates since the return to democratic rule in 1999. Since then, the group has put together debates to enable the Nigerian electorate to have the opportunity to hear firsthand from aspiring presidential candidates, their intentions and aspirations through an equal opportunity platform. The NEDG has since transformed into a broad based non-partisan, non-profit making organisation with the primary mandate of organising and hosting live televised debates for all presidential, vice presidential and governorship candidates in Nigeria.

Ahead of the 2023 general elections and even before the official flag off of campaign period on September 28, 2022, many associations such as the Nigerian Bar Association and Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria have used the opportunity of their annual conventions to invite presidential candidates in the forthcoming general elections to come and talk to their members and by extension, the Nigerian public.

Recall that at the NBA Annual General Meeting, which was held in Lagos in August 2022, the presidential candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party and the Labour Party, Atiku Abubakar and Peter Obi respectively, were present at the event. The vice-presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Kashim Shettima, was also present to represent the presidential candidate of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu.

While many of the participants hailed the Labour Party candidates during their appearance on August 22, the dressing of Shettima became a needless distraction and an issue, especially on the social media with many knocking him for wearing ill-fitted suit and canvas shoe. Of course, this was robustly defended by the APC loyalists.

On October 12, 2022, the presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, and Obi attended the Institute of Chartered Accountants of Nigeria’s conference in Abuja. Other presidential candidates present were Prof Christopher Imulomen of the Accord Party and Prof Peter Umeadi of the All Progressives Grand Alliance. Tinubu and Atiku were absent. Although the running mate of the PDP and New Nigeria Peoples Party candidates represented their principals at the event.

The first in the series of political debates ahead of the 2023 general elections took place last Sunday, November 6, 2022. It was tagged, “Presidential Town Hall Meeting on Security and Economy.” It was organised by Arise News Channel, in collaboration with Centre for Development and Democracy and other partners, such as the Vanguard, Premium Times, Leadership, Daily Trust, and Nigeria Union of Journalists. At the meeting were Obi; NNPP presidential candidate, Rabiu Kwankwaso; PDP vice-presidential candidate, Ifeanyi Okowa, who stood in for Atiku; and the presidential candidate of the Peoples Redemption Party, Kola Abiola.

I have been interviewed on the outcome of the town hall meeting by no fewer than three media stations, both print and electronic. In fact, I was on Daily Politics with Idayat Hassan, the CDD Executive Director on Monday night on Trust TV to review the debate. Earlier, I had been interviewed by a THISDAY newspaper correspondent and was also on Citizen 93.7 FM Abuja to discuss the inaugural presidential debate. I’m amused by the intrigues and drama that played out during and after the programme. The unruly behaviour of a section of the participants who disrupted the take-off of the programme by over an hour by their shout of “no representation by proxy” is reprehensible. The altercation between Obi and Senator Dino Melaye was also uncalled for. However, it is totally not unexpected that such a high profile event would take place without some issues.

Most unfortunately is the accusation levelled against the organisers for the replacement of the APC candidate with that of the PRP when the former could not attend or send a representative. The explanation that it was based on the availability of Kola Abiola, and the fact that many other candidates that were approached to take over Tinubu’s slot turned down the offer based on shortness of time for preparations fell on deaf ears. Some of those who took to the social media to call out the organisers wished they were the one appointed to take Tinubu’s slot and not Abiola. What these critics failed to know is that the organisers reserve the right to invite people based on their discretion. Many have also queried why LP, NNPP, PDP and APC candidates were shortlisted to be the first batch of the candidates to be grilled and drilled at the town hall meeting. They chose to ignore the organiser’s claim that it was based on their online and offline survey conducted ahead of the town hall. Not even the assurances that all the 18 candidates would have equal opportunity to feature at the town hall meetings, albeit in batches, was able to placate the aggrieved.

Truth be told, those who pick holes in the organiser’s methodology and decisions should note that town hall meetings and debates are just a few of the opportunities available to them to sell their candidacy. They can organise rallies, get canvassers to work the phone for them, use billboards, organise road shows, use political advertisements on radio, television and social media to market themselves. It is not an aberration or anomaly to have dominant political parties in every democracy. The truth is Nigeria is a de jure multiparty state but de facto a two-party country i.e. APC and PDP. How many Nigerians know that though the Democratic and Republican parties are dominant in the United States, there are indeed 209 state-level ballot-qualified political party affiliates in the US as at December 2021? Likewise, despite the domination of the Conservative and Labour parties in the United Kingdom, how many people are aware that as at August 2, 2019, the Electoral Commission of the UK showed the number of registered political parties in Great Britain and Northern Ireland as 408?

I can safely predict that the next President of Nigeria shall come from any of these three presidential candidates: LP, APC, and PDP. The NNPP candidate will be a beautiful bride to be courted in the event that none of the earlier mentioned three wins on the first ballot. The possibility of a run-off in the 2023 presidential election is very high. This is why I have enjoined the Independent National Electoral Commission to embark on political education on how a winner emerges in an election, especially the presidential election as contained in section 134 of the 1999 Constitution. As for the APC presidential candidate who wished not to participate in any election debate, the electorate will have the final say. By the way, all organisers of election debates should engage sign language interpreters in order to ensure that the deaf are able to follow through the proceedings.

– Twitter: @jideojong

The presidential candidate of the African Action Congress, Omoyele Sowore, has claimed that the Nigerian Election Debate Group has excluded him from participating in the presidential debates ahead of the 2023 election.

The activist made the claim on Tuesday via his Twitter page, where he claimed that the debate organisers have settled for “failed and clueless candidates”.

He further ensured that the “fraudulent” debates would be stopped.

Sowore said, “It has come to our attention that the Nigeria Election Debate Group has excluded us from the series of Presidential Debates to herald 2023 election, as typical they’ve settled for failed and clueless candidates.

“We will ensure these fraudulent debates are stopped!”

The PUNCH reports that a pro-democracy think tank, the Centre for Democracy and Development recently invited some presidential candidates for a debate on Sunday.

It is pertinent to note that Sowore was not part of the presidential candidates that received invitation for the event.

The group extended invitations to leading presidential candidates in the 2023 elections to speak on their plans for the country.

The debate gave them a chance to convince Nigerians that their political parties possessed the best ideas for bringing lasting solutions to the country’s challenges.

The candidates invited to the town hall organised by the CDD in collaboration with Arise Television were Asiwaju Bola Tinubu (All Progressives Congress); Alhaji Atiku Abubakar (Peoples Democratic Party; Peter Obi (Labour Party) and Rabi’u Musa Kwankwaso (New Nigeria Peoples Party).

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

Nigeria has no reason to be poor. The country’s human capital is one of the richest in the world. Nigerians are some of the most energetic go-getters in the world. The country is blessed with abundant natural resources, fantastic climate and one of the greenest landscapes on earth. Ironically, Nigeria currently ranks among the poorest and most unstable countries in the world.

Today, based on the parallel market exchange rate of $1 to ₦900, it will take about two and half years for a Nigerian earning one naira a day to earn a dollar. And before the end of the two and half years, the same ₦900 will no longer be enough to get the person $1. The naira equivalent of $1 may have jumped up to ₦1,500 or more.

What is happening to the Nigerian economy is scary. The naira has been depreciating over the decades, but the rate at which it has depreciated under the regime of Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.) has been frightening. It looks like something that is not under any control; like a paper falling from the sky.

The Central Bank of Nigeria has thrown everything at it in a bid to stop the free fall, to no avail. In August 2015, the CBN took the weirdest action in its bid to stop the rapid fall of the naira. It got labourers with chainsaws and machetes to cut off branches of trees under which black market currency exchange operators gathered in Abuja, the Federal capital Territory. As far as the CBN was concerned, the moment the illegal operators could not get the shade the trees offered them, they would stop their operations.

In September 2021, the CBN heaped the blame over the free fall of the naira on Mr Olumide Oniwinde, publisher of AbokiFX, a website which published daily exchange rates of the naira against other currencies. The CBN banned the website and accused the owner of sabotaging the Nigerian economy.

The CBN Governor, Mr Godwin Emefiele, said, “Section 2 of the CBN Act does make it clear that only the Central Bank can determine the value of the naira, and yet a single individual living in England continues to manipulate the exchange rate and makes huge profits which he withdraws through an ATM in London.”

AbokiFX stopped publishing the daily exchange rates of the naira, but the naira did not stop falling. In fact, it seemed as if the rate of fall heightened.

The CBN has repeatedly increased lending rates, given different directives on how to receive foreign remittances, reduced how much one can spend via a debit card, launched the e-naira, and taken dozens of other steps, but none has worked. The naira just continues to fall.

The latest effort of the CBN is the announcement of the redesign of the top-three naira denominations: 1000, 500, and 200. Some have hailed the action as a masterstroke. But the market has responded against that action with the speedy fall of the naira from about 700 to 900 for $1 in less than two weeks of its announcement.

Interestingly, Buhari took the same step in 1984 when he came in as a military dictator. At that time the highest denomination was N20. That action did not help to turn around the economy.

For a regime that is regularly borrowing money; for a regime which allowed universities to close for eight months, with the excuse that it did not have the money to meet the demands of the striking lecturers, it is strange that it could embark on this costly venture of printing billions of naira notes at a time like this.

The continued depreciation of the naira is a testimony that productivity is low while the theft of public funds is high. The economy is resting on nothing. Import is high while export is low.

But if the instability in the economy was the only challenge in the country, most Nigerians would bear it with equanimity, hoping that it might end some day. The insecurity in the country is the most worrisome. Unlike in the past when the common refrain was that the Boko Haram insurgency was restricted to some parts of the North-East region, there is no part of Nigeria that is safe today. The farms are not safe, making it hard for foods to be produced for domestic use and export. The prices of food items have skyrocketed, increasing the hunger in the land. This, in turn, affects the economy and the exchange rate of the naira.

The roads are not safe, making it hard for people to move about to transact businesses as well as their goods. The homes, offices, schools, markets, worship centres, and other public places are not safe. Nobody knows where an attack or abduction will take place. Therefore, the people live in fear, not sure of the next minute.

There is despair in the land. Most people have lost hope on the capacity of the President to cause any change in the system. It is obvious that he has done all that he can do regarding the economy and security. The people are now looking for who to succeed Buhari. Based on the gender of the top candidates, it is obvious that it will be a male. Will it be Senator Bola Tinubu of the ruling All Progressives Congress, Peter Obi of the Labour Party, or Alhaji Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party? They have made promises like politicians do.

But whoever succeeds the President will not have an easy ride. Buhari’s successor will inherit a country gasping for breath. After denying the existence of subsidy on petrol before taking office in 2015, Buhari has spent the last seven and half years of his eight-year tenure paying humongous petrol subsidies. Rather than end that subsidy regime, he has shifted the date of the end of the petrol subsidy to June 2023, one month after his exit. What it means is that the administration after him will take off with anger in the land, caused by an abrupt rise in petrol price. Workers may go on strike.

In addition to battling the effect of the removal of petrol subsidy, the new President will take steps to stop or reduce the insecurity in different parts of the country. He will make attempts to revive the economy. He will make attempts to fulfil the campaign promises.

Any leader who does not have the capacity to elicit the trust of the people will not succeed in the environment that will present itself after Buhari’s exit. Such a leader will have to take bold and unpopular decisions. A leader who does not have the capacity to win the trust of the people that he means well will not get the buy-in or patience of the masses.

To win the trust of the people, such a leader will need to live by example. Nigerians will be willing to make sacrifices. But they need to see their leader take the first step. A leader who lives a flamboyant lifestyle cannot succeed in convincing the people to make sacrifices. A leader who does not buy made-in-Nigeria products or patronise Nigerian hospitals and doctors, Nigerian holiday sites, Nigerian schools, etc., will not win that trust.

A leader who is not physically fit will not be able to cope with the arduous task that will face Buhari’s successor. The new leader will need to work extra hours, be at different places within a short time, respond to crises promptly, read volumes of documents and act on them promptly, etc.

When Nigerians see that their leader has come to build and give to the nation, not to take or share the nation’s wealth with his cronies, they will be willing to donate even the little they have and also rise against those who want to continue to fritter away the nation’s resources. That is how other great nations prosper.

It won’t be easy but it is possible in Nigeria. However, it depends on the ability of the voters to vote for long-term national interest instead of short-term personal gain.

— Twitter: @BrandAzuka

IT takes a discerning spirit to see the unequalled blessings to the Afenifere from what ordinary folks see as a crisis from the recent gathering in Akure. To start with, it is apposite to say, and as revealed in his interview with the SUNDAY PUNCH on November 6, 2022, that the meeting was convened by Dare Babarinsa and Otunba Kole Omololu through the ‘Conscience of the Yoruba Nation,’ a WhatsApp group administered  by the latter  who incidentally is the National Organising Secretary of Afenifere.

The invitation, which was on the letterhead of the group and now in circulation on social media, was said to be a meeting with the leadership of the Yoruba nation “to discuss the historic 2023 general elections and take a definite and wise decision, and also with “one of the leading presidential candidates, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu”, within a specified two-hour duration, from 11 am to 1pm.

Apart from the information that Pa Fasoranti had agreed to host and preside over the meeting, nowhere was any reference made to Afenifere. By the way, I read in the interview of Kole Omololu that I was one of those invited but absent at the meeting; nothing is farther from the truth and my brother knows that if it was an Afenifere meeting, I would have been the one to invite him.

It left so much to be desired, to say the least, that the WhatsApp group conveners of the meeting would seek to create confusion, like Pa Fasoranti later said in his statement refuting some of the lies imputed to him, by issuing the communiqué at the end of the meeting in the name of the Afenifere in a desperate bid for legitimacy and credibility. But that is one of the gains of the Afenifere which they never intended.

I do not wish to be involved in the needless controversy by confusion merchants on the leadership of Afenifere. The structure of an organisation is determined by its objectives and may be modified from time to time by history and experience.

Thus, a little excursion may suffice on how Afenifere came about its seemingly complex organogram of a leader and acting leader simultaneously. Our guide in this regard will be Pa Fasoranti’s address to the General Meeting of the Afenifere on Tuesday, March 16, 2021, which held mid-month rather than the conventional last Tuesday of the month, speaking to its urgency and importance.

Only our revered leader, his children by blood and God Almighty knew those who were putting him under such intense pressure, which was the reason he kept the agenda close to his chest. I can say most authoritatively, and as subsequently revealed, that such heat was not from Ayo Adebanjo, who was not even at the meeting.

Recounting his experience since 2008 when he took over as leader,  Fasoranti recalled the challenges Afenifere had to contend with, chief of which “is the stubborn determination by a section of the North in power to continue running Nigeria through a defective structural arrangement  manipulated and dominated by the North to the disadvantage of the South through a fraudulent constitution.” Stating that Afenifere needed “a more agile and active leadership” to confront the challenges, he stressed that “at 95, I am hardly able to provide such and so, it is time for me to step aside.”

The leader, in glowing remarks, said, “Chief Adebanjo’s efforts stand him out as a deep lover of Afenifere and the Yoruba people. He has been in the trenches all his life and he’s dedicated to the Yoruba race and to Afenifere, to which his name is almost synonymous now. I thank Chief  Adebanjo; I deeply appreciate you.”

Concluding and in an unprecedented manner, Pa Fasoranti declared, “At this juncture, I am proud to announce Chief Ayo Adebanjo, a politician of the Awolowo School of Thought, as Acting Leader of Afenifere and His Royal Highness, Oba Oladipo Olaitan, as Deputy Leader. There is much work to do. So, I urge you all to support them even more than you did for me. I remain a loyal and lifelong Afenifere till demise.”

It goes without saying that the General Meeting, the highest organ of the Afenifere, approved this voluntary retirement and change of leadership by which as the Leader, Pa Reuben Fasonranti for all intents and purposes effectively became functus officio and leadership devolved on Ayo Adebanjo at whose instance the meetings of all the organs of Afenifere (National Executive Committee, the National Caucus and the General Meeting) had since been summoned and presided over by him with Oba Olaitan as Deputy.

Pa Fasoranti, a great leader with the mien of a Bishop, has never contested space with his successor just like his own predecessor, Abraham Adesanya, never did before he passed on.

The relationship between the two leaders has been very cordial, with mutually demonstrated courtesies mostly extended from Adebanjo on many occasions. At one of Pa Fasoranti’s birthday recently, Chief Ayo Adebanjo from Lagos led a crème of Afenifere leaders, stayed in Akure for three days accompanying Pa Fasoranti to Ita-Ogbolu where the emeritus leader was honoured.

At the burial of Pa Ayo Fasanmi, where his children thoughtfully made Ayo Adebanjo the father of the day, he came from Lagos and straight to Pa Fasoranti from where they both went to Iye Ekiti to honour one of their comrades in spite of the orchestrated shenanigans to make the trio enemies during the tenure of Fasoranti when Fasanmi was set up as factional leader of Afenifere. It was on that visit that Pa Adebanjo requested that Pa Fasoranti should nominate one of his children by which my brother, Kehinde Fasoranti, was appointed as a member of the National Executive Committee.

At  the recent terrorist attack on Saint Francis Catholic Church, Pa Adebanjo from Lagos led Afenifere leaders, first paid the traditional courtesies at Pa Fasoranti’s Akure residence from which, all of us, including Chief Olu Falae, went to the Olowo of Owo, the affected Church and the Governor of Ondo State on solidarity and condolence visit.

Time and space may not allow a full appraisal of the Akure gathering of the All Progressives Congress faithful on a courtesy and prayer visit to which they are legitimately entitled. It is deeply ironic that they did not find the Afenifere Renewal or any of the dissident groups set up by them to supplant Fasoranti’s leadership throughout his tenure appropriately credible for endorsement or holy enough for prayers. It is Afenifere they have surreptitiously sought to return to, confirming to the world that the genuine Awolowo group remains eternally the socio-political soul of the Yoruba people.

The press release of Pa Fasoranti, through his dutiful personal assistant, Abiola, has put all controversies to rest as to the leadership of Pa Adebanjo, in whose residence and at whose instance all meetings and other appurtenances of authority, including all acts and decisions taken since he assumed office, remain the status quo.

This is without prejudice to the ceremonial activities of Baba receiving anyone in the audience and for spiritual blessings. It is not without precedent. When we endorsed Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, I was in attendance when the former Governor of Kaduna State, Ibrahim Shekarau, was brought to Baba wherein he mesmerised us all with his oratory, knowledge of Nigeria and deep intellectual capacity; ditto for many others.

The choice of the Yoruba in 2023 is either to embark on the futile journey of competition with a section of the North for Yoruba hegemony over Nigeria, or a goal of ensuring fairness for the health of the federation and prosperity of all.

The latter is the rationale behind Afenifere’s choice of the South-East, and Peter Obi in our rigorous monthly meetings and debate from July 29, 2021 to  September 27, 2022 compared with a two-hour predetermined ethnic endorsement.

Nigeria, we hail thee.

• Ebiseni is the Secretary General of Afenifere

A socio-political group, Coalition for a Better and Brighter Nigeria, has said that the Labour Party presidential candidate, Peter Obi, will not disappoint Nigerians if elected into power.

Speaking with journalists in Jos after a training organised for all the support groups working for the actualisation of Obi presidency across the country, leader of the Coalition, Prophet Isa El-Buba, insisted that the Labour Party candidate was prepared to provide a credible alternative for Nigerians come 2023.

He said, “We are happy to have seen somebody that is above all other presidential candidates in all aspects including accountability because he has the fear of embezzling public funds. That person is Peter Obi of the Labour Party and we believe he won’t disappoint Nigerians. All the leaders we have had have either allowed others to embezzle public funds or embezzled the funds themselves.  This time, Nigeria needs a different person with a different mindset and that is why we are supporting Obi’s aspiration.

“Certain people who have seen what we are doing to actualise the cause for a better Nigeria have started sending threat messages and assassination messages. It’s all part of the journey to winning but the opposition can’t stop Nigerians from electing Peter Obi as their next president because he has the capacity to solve most of the challenges facing this country today and he has demonstrated this through his analytical prowess to address our current challenges rather than blame them on past governments. From the way he has carried on in the build up  to the general elections including reaching out to every section of the country, Nigerians can see the sign of a better country under Obi’s presidency.

“Records have been able to show that he is someone with clean character, integrity and (is) incorruptible; he will not embezzle public funds for personal use.

“He will ensure fairness, equity and justice for all. His government will be for Nigerians, not just one region, religion or ethic group.

“I have made my investigations by having a network of leaders all over the country and personally, I’m  supporting Obi because I have conviction that he has all it takes to move this country forward and with him at the helm of affairs, it will be the first time we will get it right after 62 years of our independence.”

El-Buba said that the summit, which drew participants from across the country, was aimed at developing strategies toward mobilising grassroots support for the candidate.

He said that participants, drawn from the 19 Northern states and Abuja, would help mobilise support for Obi across the country.

“The essence of this summit is to raise awareness and equip professional and passionate mobilisers who will be immediately deployed in the grassroots in every state to ensure that our people in the rural areas are properly informed, educated and directed on who to vote for in 2023,” he said.

The convener called on Nigerians to massively vote for Obi in the 2023 general poll to secure a better future for the nation.

In a paper titled, ‘Breaking the barriers that divide Christians and Muslims in Nigeria and building a redemptive relationship”, Malam Umar Mohammed, an Imam at the Fibre Mosque in Jos, called for more understanding and love among Nigerians.

He said that Christians and Muslims must develop a robust relationship built on deep trust in order to defeat the enemies of the nation by electing credible leaders in 2023.

“Although Nigeria is a secular state, religion functions there as an expression of political identity and figures prominently in conflicts over resources, land and political offices.

“Increasing clashes between religious groups, predominantly Muslims and Christians, have taken the nation from what used to be peaceful co-existence to violent disharmony.

“In this atmosphere of fear and hate, Christians are called to be peacemakers, while Muslims are recognised by their religion the peace itself.

“Building redemptive relationships with adherents of the two religions is a practical way toward a peaceful and credible election in 2023 and that’s what we’ll continue to encourage,” he added.

The Director of Strategic Communications of the Peoples Democratic Party Presidential Campaign Council, Chief Dele Momodu, has described the performance of the party’s vice-presidential candidate, Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, as top notch and very presidential.

The PUNCH reports that presidential debate held among candidates of the PDP (Atiku Abubakar represented by Okowa), Labour Party Peter Obi), New Nigeria Peoples Party (Rabiu Kwankwaso) and the Peoples Redemption Party (Kola Abiola), at the presidential town hall series in Abuja on Sunday, organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development and Arise Television.

Momodu noted that the VP candidate demonstrated excellent knowledge of the Akitu/Okowa programs and reeled them out while proffering strategic answers to questions thrown at him by the panelists.

“We are lucky to have Governor Okowa as our VP candidate and Nigerians can now see why Atiku picked him as his running mate. It was not a fluke.

“He not only sold our recovery plan, he gave practical solutions to issues. You can see how he comported himself to the admiration of Nigerians when some supporters of other parties became virulent. We also saw how he reminded the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, former Governor Peter Obi that up until May, he was a member and presidential aspirant of the PDP.

“Ours is a campaign to recover Nigeria and at every opportunity, we do not forget to sell this to Nigerians. This was what Dr Okowa did yesterday. We look forward to other engaging sessions like this and we at the PDP are ready. We don’t shy away from debates unlike others,” Momodu said.

The PUNCH reports that presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, was absent at the debate and without any representation.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

The Spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party presidential campaign council, Senator Dino Melaye, on Monday, said he “did not do anything to” the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

The PUNCH reports that Obi got angry on Sunday night and lashed out at Melaye during the presidential town hall session organised by Arise TV in Abuja.

Melaye sought apology from Obi, saying a person vying for Nigeria’s President must be calm.

“He was not provoked, I was seating far opposite the top seat where they were sitting. I didn’t mention his name. And I was really surprised to see that type of outburst from a presidential candidate. Is that the type of president he is going to make? Just taking on people and showing unpresidential characteristics?

“I didn’t do anything. So that outburst is unwarranted, very unpresidential, unacceptable of a leader.

“A leader must be matured. One who wants to govern this country must be accommodating, must have a lot of patience, must have perseverance. These are basic characteristics of leadership anywhere in the world,” Melaye said in a video posted on his Twitter page on Monday.

He said a contestant for presidency could not be reacting in such manner in the public.

“You want to be President of Nigeria and you are reacting in such a manner in public? This one will slap ADC for office as president. So I want to clear the air, there was nothing, I didn’t do anything to him,” he said.

Melaye went further to say Obi was “so provoked” and carried away by the performance of Governor Okowa, adding that he deserves “a serious apology” from the former Anambra State governor.

Melaye said Obi should be calm like the Delta State Governor.

“He was so provoked and so carried away by performance of Governor Okowa that he was saying that somebody outside is from ANPP. Does that make any sense, is there any party like the ANPP in Nigeria today?

“Next time when you want to go for a debate, be as calm as Governor Okowa…but that was very unpresidential and I deserve a serious apology,” he said.

Keystone Bank Limited has debunked a statement credited to a political group, “TakeBackNaija Initiative”, which alleged that the Federal Government had ordered the closure of its accounts with the Bank for supporting the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr. Peter Obi.

In a statement issued by Keystone Bank Management and made available to newsmen on Monday, the lender denied the allegations stressing that at no time did the Federal Government or anyone order it to close the said account.

The Bank said it closed the account because “it was irregularly opened contrary to extant regulatory guidelines.”

“In line with applicable regulatory guidelines on treatment of such accounts with irregularities, funds received into this account have been returned to their sources of origin.

“While we recognize the right of every citizen of our country to freely associate in pursuit of common objectives, we also believe as an institution that is subject to supervisory regulations, it is imperative we act within the confines of prescribed guidelines in all our dealings.

“Keystone Bank is open to doing business with every Nigerian irrespective of background or beliefs. But we also owe the public a duty to conduct our business in a safe manner” the statement said.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

The presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi, got angry on Sunday and lashed out at the spokesperson for the Peoples Democratic Party presidential campaign council, Dino Melaye.

This happened at the presidential town hall Series in Abuja on Sunday, organised by the Centre for Democracy and Development and Arise Television.

The trouble began after Melaye reportedly called an attendee of the meeting ‘Obi people,’ saying “Obi people, na wa o.”

On hearing the words of the former lawmaker, Peter Obi snapped, “Stop that Dino. Why are you always calling me? I won’t take that. This man is from the ANPP. Why are you calling him Obi people?”

Dino feigned ignorance but Obi insisted that he would not condone such behaviour.

He told Melaye, “Stop that, I have taken enough from you here. Why are you always calling me?”

Other candidates present at the debate included the presidential candidates of the New Nigeria Peoples Party, Rabiu Kwankwaso; Governor Ifeanyi Okowa, who represented Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party, and Kola Abiola of the Peoples Redemption Party.

The presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress, Bola Tinubu, was absent and had no representation.

All rights reserved. This material, and other digital content on this website, may not be reproduced, published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed in whole or in part without prior express written permission from PUNCH.

Contact: [email protected]

A delegation of Abuja-based pastors and bishops on Sunday threw their weight behind the Presidential Candidate of All Progressives Congress, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who they described as having the right frame of mind to rule the country.

The Christians Association of Nigeria, hours after the endorsement, however, kicked against the move, saying that CAN is standing on its earlier stance on ‘No to same faith ticket.’

The endorsement of the former Lagos State governor, by clerics under the aegis of Nigerian Coalition of Pastors for Good Leadership, took place after a town hall meeting with some party chieftains of Tinubu’s support group, City Boy Movement.

In a statement jointly signed by the coalition president, Apostle Babatunde Oguntimehin and secretary, Revd Friday Obi, the ministers disclosed that it would be unfair for Nigerians to sacrifice the capacity of the APC candidate on the altar of the contentious Muslim-Muslim ticket.

The statement read in parts, “For a start, we are fully in support of the power shift to South after President Muhammadu Buhari, a northerner, would have ruled for eight years. This is for equity and fairness as well as in the spirit of the existing unwritten rule to have power rotate between the North and the South.

“We were left to choose between His Excellencies Asiwaju Bola Tinubu and Peter Gregory Obi, who are the frontline candidates from the South. After consideration of so many critical factors and wide consultation, we have decided to settle for the candidacy of Bola Ahmed Tinubu and Kashim Shettima.”

Oguntimehin hinted that their decision to endorse Tinubu is affected by a number of factors.

Continuing, the coalition president described Nigeria as a complex nation that can only be governed by someone with demonstrable experience, capacity, ability and capability, which were evident in the Tinubu/Shettima ticket.

He added that the APC national leader has remained loyal to the cause of Nigeria, which was demonstrated through his involvement in National Democratic Coalition activities that brought the military to its knees and ushered in the current democracy in 1999.

“We have since noted that making religion or faith the top factor in choosing a candidate for the nation has never helped and will never help this nation. We cannot therefore sacrifice quality leadership on the altar of religion or tribe,” he said.

His position was also corroborated by Head of Mobilisation for the City Boy Movement, Francis Shoga, who said Nigerians should look beyond religion and ethnicity to choose its leaders.

CAN reacts

Meanwhile, Luminous Jannamike, Special Assistant on Media to the CAN President, Most Rev. Daniel Okoh, kicked against the endorsement, saying the group of clerics is a faceless one.

Jannamike disclosed that as much as the body cannot prevent individuals and self-acclaimed ministers from carrying out their activities, they cannot be seen joining issues with religious blocs not affiliated with CAN.

He said, “The message is very simple and clear. We still stand on our earlier stance of ‘No to same faith ticket.’ As far as we are concerned, they are a faceless group. We can really be seen joining issues with them. They are free to do what they want to do.

“We need to be conscious of the fact that people have right to congregate under any platform they want and say whatever they want. These people are not affiliated to CAN and we don’t even know them. They (Abuja pastors) are individuals who chose to endorse Tinubu. Good luck to them!”