Former Governor of Ekiti State, Ayodele Fayose, says on Thursday that the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress is a show of God’s anger on the ruling party.
Fayose said the crisis was a price for the role the APC played in impoverishing Nigerians, adding that things would get worse for the party.
The former governor in a statement by his media aide, Lere Olayinka, said the APC had been treating Nigerians with contempt.
A part of the statement said; “For Nigeria to return to the path of progress that it was before the APC took over power, more confusion will have to hit the party till it goes into oblivion.
Definitely, their matters will be made worse with time because for Nigeria and its people to return to the path of peace and progress, the APC house of lies that is being nurtured with the blood of Nigerians must collapse.”
2. Your best is not good enough – Buhari tells security chiefs.
President Muhammadu Buhari has finally admitted that although the nation’s service chiefs are trying to tackle the security challenges being experienced across the country, their best is not good enough.
He has therefore told them that he will no longer accept what he described as excuses.
The National Security Adviser, Major General Babagana Monguno (retd.), disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of a meeting Buhari had with the security chiefs at the Presidential Villa, Abuja today being Thursday.
Monguno quoted Buhari as telling the service chiefs he appointed since 2015 that he expected them to henceforth live up to expectations.
With the rising cases of insecurity across the country, individuals and groups have been calling on the President to change the service chiefs, some of whom he has on different occasions extended their tenure.
3. APC in South Africa denies death of their Chairman.
The South African Chapter of All Progressives Congress (APC) has denied the death of its Chairman, Mr Bola Babarinde.
A statement made available to the News Agency of Nigeriain Lagos on Thursday by the National Publicity Secretary of the Chapter, Mr Sani David, said Bolarinde was still alive contrary to misleading media reports of his death.
The statement read; “The APC South Africa Chapter is aware of the passing away of Mr. Taiye Olusola Abe, who was until his death a staunch pillar of the Nigerian community in South Africa.
“The APC South Africa chapter has offered their condolences and also wish to use this medium to commiserate with the family of the deceased on the loss of their loved one who died after a brief illness.
However, the APC South Africa Chapter deems it necessary to issue this press release to state categorically that the late Mr. Taiye Olusola Abe was not its chairman.
The bonafide Chairman of the APC South Africa is Engr. Bola Babarinde, who is still very much alive, hale and hearty.”
“The APC South Africa is, therefore, calling the attention of the various media organisations who may have published the false and misleading report of the death of its chairman to kindly retract such reports. We, therefore, urge them to let the public know that Engr. Bola Babarinde, the Chairman of the APC South Africa is not dead,” Mr. Sani said.
4. APC crisis is threatening your legacy – Director-General of the Progressives Governors forum tells Buhari.
The Director-General of the Progressives Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, has urged the President Muhammadu Buhari to take steps to halt the chaos in the All Progressives Congress in order to protect his legacy.
The Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) is the umbrella body of all governors elected on the platform of the APC. There are currently 20 governors who are members of the forum.
This urge by the Director-General of the PGF was contained in a memo written by him, which was made available to newsmen in Abuja, today being Thursday.
Lukman said, “What makes the situation more frustrating is the reticence of President Buhari in the face of what obviously could damage the legacy he will bequeath to the nation.
“While we must celebrate the fact that his leadership style is required to ensure that the party is managed independently and therefore made possible for the exercise of the supremacy of the party based on decisions of organs, ‘old ambition-Virus 2023’ may have weakened the capacity of the party to benefit from the commendable leadership approach of President Buhari.”
According to him, all well-meaning members of the APC should be ashamed of what is currently happening within the governing party, which he said was “gradually slipping into disintegration with a defective leadership”.
He wondered why a political party which parades leaders such as President Muhammadu Buhari, Asiwaju Ahmed Tinubu, Chief Bisi Akande, Dr. Ogbonnaya Onu and so many others find it difficult to reorganise the party to fulfil the dreams of its founding fathers.
The Director-General recommended that a National Executive Committee meeting be convened to resolve all outstanding issues thrashed out.
5. Football viewing centers re-opens, and defy Federal Government’s directives against re-opening.
It was business as usual for operators of football viewing centres in some parts of the country, as they entertained customers during Wednesday’s English Premier League games, in defiance to the directive of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19, which placed a ban on viewing centres operating in the country.
The EPL, which has a large following in Nigeria, returned to action on Wednesday after it was suspended for over 2 months now due to the coronavirus pandemic.
The league’s return came as a respite to hitherto aggrieved fans, most of who belonged to the lower class and patronise viewing centres for European football.
Some owners of viewing centres in Lagos, Ogun, Ondo and Ekiti states, who spoke to our correspondent last week, expressed delight at the return of the EPL.
They also revealed their plans to maintain social distancing among viewers during the live games.
But a statement by the Chairman of the Presidential Task Force on COVID-19 and Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Mustapha, warning against the re-opening of football viewing centres, dashed the hopes of the operators who have been counting their losses since the global ban on sporting activities.
But checks showed that several viewing centres opened on Wednesday, with fans trooping in to watch the EPL matches involving Aston Villa versus Sheffield United and Manchester City versus Arsenal.
It was also observed that football fans in several of the viewing centres didn’t wear facemasks and also failed to observe social distancing. Also, there were no sanitary facilities on ground for usage.
6. Police detain Instagram celebrity, Cubana Chief Priest.
The Inspector-General of Police Monitoring Unit in Lagos State has detained Instagram celebrity and Executive Director, Cubana Group, Pascal Okechukwu, popularly known as Cubana Chief Priest.
Cubana Chief Priest, known for his lavish lifestyle, arrived at the Force Headquarters Annex, Lagos, around 10am this Thursday, and was detained afterwards.
It was learnt that he was invited for alleged misuse of police escorts and weapons as well as unexplained wealth.
A top police source said the investigation was sequel to an order from the Office of the Inspector-General of Police who had expressed shock over the abuse of police personnel.
7. PDP postpones primary election in Edo State.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has postponed its primary election in Edo State.
The primary election, which was earlier slated for June 19 and 20, has been postponed until June 23.
The National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, told The Punch.
He said, “We have postponed our primary in Edo, till June the 23rd.”
8. Federal Government releases 19.67billion Naira for the completion of the East-West road.
President Muhammadu Buhari has directed immediate release of 19.67 billion Naira to fast track the completion of the dualization of the East-West road project.
Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio disclosed this during a meeting he had with contractors handling different sections of the road projects in Abuja. He added that President Buhari also directed that the highway project should be completed by 2021 to address the deficient infrastructure in the region and boast the economic life of the people.
Akpabio explained that the East-West road which was conceived in 2006 during former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s administration was to be completed in 2010, but this was stalled principally due to paucity of funds.
The minister noted that despite the chequered history of the project which may not require less than 102billion Naira for its overall completion, President Muhammadu Buhari in line with the determination of his administration to address the issue of deficient infrastructure in the country, has graciously decided to consider issues surrounding the delay in the completion of the project with a Presidential pronouncement on June 12, 2020, target to ensure that what needs to be done is put in place for the completion of the East-West road by 2021.
“The project which starts from the Delta Steel company Roundabout in Delta State, transverses through Kaiama in Bayelsa State, goes through Ahoada in Port Harcourt in Rivers State, down to Eket and from Eket to Oron in Akwa-Ibom State, is to complete the Section I-IV being part of the two sections that had previously been completed. Section–V which covers 23km from Oron to Calabar is still under process,” Senator Akpabio said.
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