Kwankwaso meets with Tinubu in France, may join cabinet
President-elect, Bola Tinubu, and Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso, presidential candidate of the New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) in the February 25 presidential election, met for four hours in Paris, France, on Monday.
According to TheCable, the discussion between the two centred on the potential involvement of Kwankwaso in the in-coming administration as Tinubu plans to form a “government of national unity.”
The meeting also discussed issues around the election of the legislative leaders ahead of the June 13 inauguration of the 10th national assembly.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) has zoned the two top positions in both chambers but some of its members are kicking against the formula and threatening to go in alliance with the opposition to torpedo the arrangement.
While APC has 59 senators and 175 members of the houses of reps, NNPP has two and 19 respectively.
A simple majority of 56 senators and 181 reps are needed elect the top two leaders in his house respectively.
Tinubu’s representatives have also been meeting with key figures in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
PDP NWC reverses Makarfi’s suspension
The National Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party has declared “null and void” the suspension of a former governor of Kaduna State, Ahmed Makarfi.
Recall that on Sunday, the PDP Tudun-Wada ward in Kaduna State suspended Makarfi for alleged anti-party activities.
In the suspension notice signed by the chairman, Tudun-Wada ward, Saidu Aliyu and five others, Makarfi was accused of being self-opinionated and intolerant of dissenting views, claiming that he has been engaging in anti-party activities.
Reacting to the suspension in a statement issued on Monday, May 15, 2023, PDP spokesperson, Debo Ologunagba, declared the suspension “null, void and with no effect”.
The statement reads; “The NWC, after a thorough consideration of all the issues raised by the ward executive, hereby declares the purported decision and action of the Tudun Wada ward executives which borders on issues of discipline, as null and void and of no effect, not being consistent with the provisions of the Constitution of the PDP (As amended in 2017),” the statement reads.
Democracy Is A Nightmare In Nigeria, Says CAN
Photo credit: Leadership
President of the Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) Archbishop Daniel Okoh has said only justice can help democracy to thrive in the country.
He said democracy has become a nightmare in Nigeria due to lack of justice and warned against what he described as persistent ethnic profiling.
Okoh stated this at a church and mission leaders’ summit in Abuja, organised by Gideon and Funmi Para-Mallam Peace Foundation. He said over 250 ethnic nationalities are plagued by religious, ethnic, communal and resource conflict, adding that even the “benefits from oil wealth could not touch the lives of the people equitably.
“Allegiances to ethnic groups come first before the Nigeria state. The rise of separatist groups, bandits and the Boko Haram extremists threatens our corporate existence and growth as an indivisible entity. Unfortunately, in our time, democracy that proves to be the best form of government anywhere in the world is fast turning to a nightmare for us.
“The February and March 2023 polls were characterized by manifest irregularities and a lot of ordinary people are fast losing hope in the democratic system of government in Nigeria. This in itself is a major conflict that will require peacebuilding efforts to persuade the different political parties that participated in that election to embrace peace for the good of the nation.
“If this is not done, it may take a long time to restore the confidence of the majority of Nigerians to keep faith in government institutions again, particularly, the electoral body,” Okoh said, adding that efforts by local and international peace bodies have culminated in the fragile peace Nigeria has today.
Stop Dependence On Oil, Diversify Revenues, Okonjo-Iweala Urges Govs-Elect
Photo Credit: Vanguard papers
The Director-General of the World Trade Organisation (WTO), Dr Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala has advised the incoming governors to not depend on crude oil, but diversify the sources of revenue in their respective states.
Okonjo-Iweala spoke on Monday during an induction organised for the elected governors in Abuja, the nation’s capital.
According to the WTO boss, states with over-dependence on the monthly Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) would be adversely affected, warning that they should start preparing for the time petroleum products will no longer sustain the country.
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