Connect with us

Featured

Ekiti 2018: Who Picks APC’s Guber Ticket?

Published

on

By Eric Elezuo

“If we conduct a transparent primary, any aspirant that wins will surely become the next governor of Ekiti state. The party has no preferred candidate, there is no such thing in our lexicon. It does not exist. All aspirants are equal until after the election”

Those were the words of the National Organising Secretary of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Osita Izunaso as he inaugurates the five mea electoral committee led by the Nasarwa State Governor, ALHAJI Tanko Al-Makura, to supervise the all-important Ekiti Governorship Primaries schedule to take place today, Saturday, May 5, 2018 in Ado Ekiti, the Ekiti State capital.

However, as at the last count, over 27 aspirants have been cleared to contest the primaries, defeating the earlier attempt to prune the contestants to a considerable number, or even arrive at a consensus candidate. This, stakeholders have predicted will be the ruin of the party as none will be willing to let go even after the primary elections.

But meetings have been held to prevail on candidates to accept results after the elections so as to prepare a solid ground for the party to campaign well for whoever emerges.

While giving the likes of Minister of Solid Mineral, Kayode Fayemi, former Deputy National Chairman (South) Engr. Segun Oni and Political Adviser to the President, Senator Babefemi Ojudu and a host of others a clean bill of health to contest, the party assured all the aspirants that it has no preferred candidate, assuring every one of its commitment to conduct a free and fair primary.

Senator Ostia Izunaso charged the committee to ensure a transparent exercise while relying on the party’s guidelines for the nomination of candidates for public office, particularly section 14 (iii) which stipulates the composition of the Electoral College/delegates, secret balloting at a venue in the state capital and declaring winner an aspirant with the highest vote.

As at press time, all the aspirants have had a preview of the official delegates list, and seem to be pleased with it as no petition has been received on the list.

“We will ensure free and fair election, conformity and adherence to all the guidelines so that by the time the exercise is over, the Party will become stronger and more cohesive. This will be the beginning of the assurance of our great party to reclaim the mandate in Ekiti state” Al-Makura said.

Other members of the primary election committee include: Hon. Magaji Aliyu (Secretary), Mr. Duke Oshodin, Barr Robert Okwuego and Mr. Tunde Balogun.

The appeal committee members are Capt. Bala Jibrin (Secretary) and Mrs. Lilian Obenwa.

Much as the contestants have failed to select a consensus aspirant among them, they have however, reached a compromise to accept the outcome of the primary in good faith and in the interest of the state and the party, having sounded a note of warning to organisers not to allow the repeat of what happened in the Ondo and Anambra governorship primary.

This they say will be realized if the National Working Committee (NWC) ensures that credible and non-partisan team from the national secretariat conduct the primary.

In the words of a national leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, “There would be no interference, no collusion with any of them.”

Some of the key aspirants remain Senator Babafemi Ojodu, Minister of Mines and Solid Mineral, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, member of the House of Representatives, Bimbo Daramola, former Lagos Commissioner of Information and Strategy, Mr. Opeyemi Bamidele, Femi Bamisile, Bamidele Faparusi, and Bayo Idowu, not forgetting the only woman candidate Dr. Mojisola Yaya-Kolade.

Meanwhile, Senator Ojudu, who many believed is the front from the Presidency, has denied that he is the President’s candidate, saying ‘I’m nobody’s candidate’. Ojudu, who claimed he wrote his first will at the age of 29, declared he will turn the new governor’s villa into a museum if elected.

Dismissing Fayemi’s invincibility in the race, the only woman candidate, Yaya-Kolade, an entrepreneur and medical practitioner with years of experience in the United States, said, ‘if the former governor is that good he won’t be defeated in the first place’.

On his part, former Speaker of Ekiti State House of Assembly, Femi Bamisile, who believes it will difficult to uproot Fayose because of his grassroots kind of politics, APC needs someone who has the capability and acceptability like him.

From public opinion, it is obvious that the APC flag bearer in the July 14 governorship election will be one of the under listed:

Michael Opeyemi Bamidele

MOB as he is fondly called was born on July 29, 1963 at Iyin Ekiti, a town in Ekiti State to the family of late Sir Stephen Ogunjuyigbe Bamidele but spent his early life in Lagos.  He is a prolific Lawyer, human right activist, as well as a politician.

Babafemi Ojudu

A journalist by profession, Ojudu once represented Ekiti Central constituency, and is the Special Adviser to President Muhammadu Buhari on Political Matters. He was born on March 27, 1961 at Ado Ekiti.

John Olukayode Fayemi

Fayemi hails from Isan-Ekiti I Oye Local Government, and is the immediate past Governor of Ekiti State. He was born on February 9, 1965, and is currently the Minister of Solid Minerals Development.

Olusegun Oni

Also known as Segun Oni, the once ousted Governor of Ekiti State is the current Deputy National Chairman (South) of the APC and was a member of the PDP, the platform on which he became governor.

Abimbola Oluwafemi Daramola

Bimbo Daramola was born on November 9, 1967 in Ado Ekiti, Ekiti State by a former chairman of Oye Local Government Area, Francis Adebayo Daramola, His mother was Joan Taiwo Daramola, a retired Secondary School Principal.

Continue Reading
Click to comment

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Featured

First Lady’s Cars Distribution to APC Women Amid Oyo Kidnapping Crisis, Outrage or Applause?

Published

on

By

By Shakirat Akintola

As the agonizing wait for dozens of abducted students and teachers in Oyo State stretches into another grueling week, a storm of public outrage has erupted over a high-profile political gesture from the nation’s capital.

The source of the friction? A fleet of newly donated vehicles.

The First Lady, Senator Oluremi Tinubu, has sparked intense debate across Nigeria following the launch of the “Tinubu Torchbearers,” a mobilization group under the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). To kick off the initiative, the First Lady donated vehicles to APC women leaders across five opposition-controlled states: Abia, Anambra, Bauchi, Osun, and Oyo.
While the presentation was met with cheers inside the political halls, the feedback online and on the streets of Oyo has been starkly different, raising a fundamental, painful question: Can there be celebration without rescue?

The Political Machinery in Motion

During the presentation, Senator Tinubu was explicit about the nature and intent of the donation. She clarified that the vehicles were personal donations and instructed that they be registered directly in the names of the respective state women leaders. She didn’t stop there, urging APC governors across the country to follow suit and empower the women leaders in their own domains.

Defending the move as a core part of political engagement, the First Lady noted, “We are politicians, and people should see what the value is.”

But for many Nigerians watching the event unfold against the backdrop of a worsening security situation, the “value” being demonstrated felt incredibly detached from the immediate reality on the ground.

“A Question of Timing”

In Oyo State, where families are still frozen in trauma over the unresolved mass kidnapping of students and educators, the arrival of political campaign vehicles has rubbed salt into an open wound. Local commentators and citizens quickly took to social media and radio programs to challenge the priorities of the ruling class.

“We are talking about missing children, terrified parents, and schools that aren’t safe,” noted one Ibadan-based community advocate during an morning broadcast on Arise News. “And the immediate response we see from Abuja is the distribution of cars to mobilize voters for the next election? It feels like the campaign never stops, even when our hearts are breaking.”
The dialogue surrounding the incident highlights a deep, systemic disconnect. On one hand, the political class views internal party mobilization and the strengthening of its structures as standard, ongoing operations. On the other hand, a traumatized public views it as a tone-deaf display of luxury and politicking during a moment of profound national grief.

The Growing Divide

As the opposition-controlled states digest this move, the debate in Oyo remains the most volatile. Critics argue that the logistics, funding, and energy poured into launching the Tinubu Torchbearers could have been better utilized in supporting local security infrastructure or visible community solidarity.

For now, the vehicles are set to hit the roads, registered to partisan leaders. But as long as the classrooms in Oyo remain empty and the abducted victims remain in the bush, every political convoy that passes through these states will likely face the same haunting question from the people: Where is the rescue?

Continue Reading

Featured

Glo Introduces “More Data More Value” Offer to Boost Customers’ Experience

Published

on

By

Determine to enrich the digital experience of its subscribers, Globacom has introduced a new data offer, tagged “More Data More Value only on Glo”. The new offer gives customers as much as 10 percent more data across its bundles as the Nigerian telecom landscape shifts toward a data-led economy.

Globacom explained in a statement that “The new offer is designed to ensure that every Naira spent by a Nigerian consumer yields the highest possible digital return”, thus reinforcing the company’s long-standing reputation for affordability and empowerment.

“More Data More Value” offers a variety of weekly and monthly options planned to balance daytime and night-time usage. The weekly plan includes ₦1,000 option which provides 3.7GB of total data, consisting of 1.7GB main data and 2GB night data, while that of ₦2,000 offers 9GB in total, divided into 6.5GB main data and 2.5GB night data.

The monthly plan also comes with different options including that of ₦1,500 which delivers a total of 5.2GB (2.2GB main data paired with 3GB night data); the ₦2,000 option offering 6.25GB data, a combination of 3.25GB main data and 3GB night data and16.5GB, comprising 14.5GB main data and 2GB night data which goes for N5,000. There is also the ₦10,000 and N15,000 options, with N10,000 providing 42GB total, 38GB main data and 4GB night data, while ₦15,000 offers 64GB in total, consisting of 62GB main data and 2GB night data.

Glo’s enhanced bundles provide the necessary incentive for students, remote workers, and entrepreneurs to browse longer, whether for TikTok trends, Instagram aesthetics, YouTube streaming, or high-stakes gaming and stream without fear, ensuring their professional and social lives remain uninterrupted.

These improved bundles from Globacom give entrepreneurs, remote workers, and students the incentive they need to browse longer, whether for high-stakes gaming, YouTube streaming, Instagram aesthetics, or TikTok trends, and stream on end, while ensuring seamlessness in their social and professional lives.

Beyond individual users, the “More Data More Value” offer also extend its benefits to families and SMEs. With the reliance of small businesses and households on mobile hotspots for their daily operations, Glo has optimized its offerings to serve as the preferred network for high-volume usage.

The offer also serves as a driver of digital transformation through the Glo Café app. Customers are encouraged to utilize the app for seamless bundle subscriptions, as it allows them to manage their “more than 10% extra” data with ease, thus ensuring rewarding user experience.

“More Data More Value” offer underscores Glo’s commitment to providing the best value-for-money which gives Nigerians the benefit of not compromising on their digital lifestyle

Continue Reading

Featured

Otti to Build 35,000-Capacity FIFA-Standard Stadium in Aba

Published

on

By

Abia State governor, Alex Otti, has announced plans to construct a FIFA-standard stadium in Aba with a seating capacity of approximately 35,000, in what is being described as one of the most significant sports infrastructure projects in the State’s development agenda.

The proposed stadium is designed to meet international football standards, making it suitable for hosting top-tier domestic league matches, continental competitions, and other global sporting events.

The facility is expected to feature modern pitch technology, upgraded spectator stands, advanced lighting systems for night games, VIP lounges, media centres, locker rooms, and safety and security installations that align with FIFA requirements.

The project is also expected to include auxiliary facilities such as training pitches, parking spaces, and support buildings that will enhance its overall functionality as a multi-use sports complex.

According to the governor’s vision, the stadium is not just a sports project but part of a broader economic revitalisation plan for Aba.

The city, already known as a major commercial hub in South-eastern Nigeria, is expected to benefit significantly from increased sporting activities, which will drive business for hotels, transport operators, food vendors, and local entrepreneurs.

The initiative is also positioned to strengthen grassroots football development and provide a modern home ground for local teams, especially Enyimba FC, one of Nigeria’s most successful football clubs.

The project is expected to be executed through a structured development approach that may involve partnerships aimed at ensuring timely delivery and high construction standards.

When completed, the stadium is projected to elevate Abia State’s profile in national and African football circles while creating new opportunities for youth engagement, talent development, and sports tourism.

Overall, the Aba stadium plan reflects a strategic push by the state government to combine sports, infrastructure, and economic development into a single long-term growth vision for Abia State.

Continue Reading

Trending