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Ex-Kano Deputy Gov, Others Return to APC

Published

5 years ago

December 21, 2018

Eric

A former Kano State Deputy Governor, Hafizu Abubakar, has returned to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

Mr Abubakar, a former staunch ally of the ex-Kano State governor, Rabiu Kwankwaso, left the ruling party in August and resigned his position as deputy to the current governor, Abdullahi Ganduje.

After leaving the APC, he joined Mr Kwankwaso in the Peoples Democratic Party. He, however, later defected to the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP) when he could not get the PDP governorship ticket in Kano.

Mr Abubakar’s return to the APC was confirmed by his spokesperson and the presidency.

Garba Shehu, the spokesperson to President Muhammadu Buhari, said the president had a meeting with Mr Abubakar and other former Kwankwaso loyalists in Kano.

Mr Shehu, according to Premium Times report, said the meeting held on Wednesday night in Abuja.

He said the president appealed to stakeholders in the APC all over the country to work for genuine reconciliation “for the benefit of our people and our nation.”

In welcoming the party leaders back to the APC, Mr Buhari said the house was large enough to accommodate everyone and promised to speak to the leadership of the party and government in Kano to accommodate and work with the returnees.

“In addition to Professor Hafiz, a staunch ally of Sen. Rabiu Kwankwaso who resigned as Governor Abdullahi Ganduje’s Deputy, the other returnees include a former Managing Director of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Architect Aminu Dabo; the immediate past National Treasurer, Bala Mohammed Gwagwarwa; Security Adviser to Kwankwaso, General Danjuma Dambazau (rtd); Engineer Mu’azu Magaji, all of them staunch members of the Kwankwasiyya as well as Senator Isa Zarewa who left in protest against the last primaries.

“They were led to the President by the Governor of Jigawa State, Abubakar Badaru,” Mr Shehu said.

Responding to the presidential directive, Governor Ganduje reportedly welcomed the return of the party stalwarts and assured the president that he was ready to work with everyone to record yet another historic victory in the general elections.

The media aide to Mr Abubakar, Abdulwahab Sa’id, provided more details of the meeting to PREMIUM TIMES on Thursday.

“President Muhammad Buhari sent a private jet to Kano yesterday night (Wednesday) to convey Professor Hafiz Abubakar, Former National treasurer of APC Bala Gwagwarwa, former Managing Director Nigeria Ports Authority Aminu Dabo, and former Senior Special Assistant to President Jonathan on SURE-P Engineer Mu’azu Magaji Dan Sarauniya to Presidential Villa for a private meeting.

“The president has appreciated their contribution towards his election in 2015 and pleaded to them to return to APC and work toward his re-election in 2019,” Mr Said.

He said Mr Buhari will formally accept all the returnees at a rally in Kano soon.

On whether Mr Abubakar will work with Governor Ganduje again, the media aide said the goal is to ensure the success of APC at all levels in the state.

Mr Abubakar resigned as deputy governor in August and two days later decamped to the PDP along with 10 former aides to Governor Ganduje.

Mr Abubakar told his supporters then that he resigned his position because Mr Ganduje’s administration had deviated from the “ideology, policies and manifesto of ‘Kwankwasiyya,”’ the name of the political group led by Mr Kwankwaso.

Two months later, the former deputy governor abandoned the PDP for the PRP.

Mr Abubakar who failed to secure the PDP governorship ticket told his supporters that he left the party due to injustice meted on his supporters.

He said the PDP failed to grant his ‘only request’ that one slot in the Kano State House of Assembly should be given to one of his loyalists.

The former deputy governor has been complaining about the nomination of Salihu Takai as the PRP governorship candidate in Kano, a factor that may have informed his decision to leave the party.

Kano State, the most populous in Northern Nigeria, is also the state where President Buhari had the largest number of votes in the 2015 election. Then Mr Kwankwaso was the governor and worked for the president’s success.

Premium Times

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Stay Away from CBT Centres, JAMB Warns Parents, Threatens Arrest

Published

15 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

As this year’s Unified Tertiary Matriculation Examination (UTME) begins on Friday, the Joint Admissions and Matriculation Board (JAMB) has vowed to arrest parents found near any Computer-Based Test (CBT) centre during the 2024 UTME exercise.

The directive was issued at the final briefing of the CBT centre owners, which was held virtually on Wednesday, 17th April, 2024.

The spokesman for JAMB, Fabian Benjamin, said this directive became necessary following the intrusive disposition of some parents during the Board’s previous exercises.

Benjamin, who quoted JAMB Registrar Prof. Is-haq Oloyede, said any parent, who disobeys the order would not only be arrested but his ward would also be disqualified from sitting for the examination.

Oloyede explained that this measure became necessary as it has been discovered over time that many of these intruding parents are facilitators of examination infractions while others have, by their actions, disrupted the Board’s examinations in the past.

He added that some miscreants also disguise as parents to infiltrate the centres to perpetrate all forms of infractions.

“The Board’s helmsman noted that going by the extant national policy on education, a candidate for the examination must have attained the age of 17 years.

“Therefore, it is evident that these parents had not allowed their wards to pass through the classes as defined in the document, hence the desperation to follow their wards to the examination venue with the aim of compromising examination officials.

“At any rate, it is clear to any discerning observer that these parents deserve to be sanctioned as they had obviously ‘smuggled’ underage children into the ranks of those scheduled to sit the examination,” the Board note through a statement.

Furthermore, the Registrar said all arrangements have been concluded for the conduct of the 2024 UTME, which will be held in over 700 CBT centres across the nation.

He disclosed that the Board expects a seamless exercise but it has nevertheless made adequate provision to tackle any technical glitch that might occur in the course of the examination.

He, however, warned that if a session experienced any technical challenge, candidates in subsequent sessions would be allowed to sit their examination as scheduled while the candidates in the challenged session would be rescheduled for the last session for the day or the following day or even further depending on the centre schedules.

Featured

Oyo Govt Demolishes Operational Base of Yoruba Nation Agitators

Published

15 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

The Oyo State government, on Wednesday, demolished a building serving as the operational base of the Yoruba Nation agitators led by Modupe Onitiri-Abiola, in Ibadan.

Onitiri-Abiola, one of the widows of late Bashorun M.KO Abiola, had declared the creation of the so-called Yoruba Nation in a video posted online, which has been widely condemned.

Last Saturday, some armed men in military uniforms invaded the Oyo State Secretariat, with the motive to forcefully take over the State House of Assembly, before they were dislodged by the combined efforts of police and troops for the Nigeria Army 2 Division..

Mr. Fatai Owoseni, Special Adviser on Security Matters to Governor Seyi Makinde, confirmed the demolition of the house located at Toye Oyesola Street in Ibadan South West Local Government Area.

Already, no fewer than 29 suspects – including a lecturer – arrested in connection with the foiled armed invasion were on Wednesday arraigned by the police before a Chief Magistrates’ Court in Ibadan.

In a case with charge number Mi/520c/2024 between the Commissioner of Police and the 29 suspects, they were accused of a seven-count charge of treasonable felony, unlawful society, illegal possession of firearms, and conduct likely to cause breach of peace.

Inspector Bakare Rasaq, the Investigative Police Officer (IPO) at the State Criminal Investigation Department, Iyaganku, Ibadan, said the offence contravenes, and is punishable under Section 516 of the Criminal Code, Cap 38, Vol. II, Laws of Oyo State of Nigeria, 2000.

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PDP BoT Queries Damagum, Anyanwu’s Continued Stay in Office

Published

16 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Eric

The Board of Trustees of the Peoples Democratic Party has queried the continued stay in office of the party’s acting National Chairman, Umar Damagum, and National Secretary, Samuel Anyanwu.

Recently, many party members have raised concerns about the ongoing tenure of Damagum and Anywanwu in their respective positions.

Previously serving as the PDP National Deputy Chairman (North), Damagum assumed the role of acting National Chairman following the court’s suspension of the party’s National Chairman, Iyorchia Ayu, in March of the preceding year.

With the National Secretary being selected as the PDP candidate for the Imo State 2023 governorship election, the South zone has been grappling with nominating a replacement. Despite this, he, along with other party leaders, contested and retained the position of party secretary after losing to Governor Hope Uzodinnma.

The Punch