News

Breaking:APC Governors Backs Osinbajo At Presidential Primaries

Published

2 years ago

June 3, 2022

Vice President Yemi Osinbajo

Few days after President Muhammadu Buhari indicated a template for his successor in the forthcoming APC Presidential Primaries, governors of the ruling party are beginning to rally around Vice President Yemi Osinbajo who is believed to fit the president’s description.

Several APC governors were sighted in the Presidential Villa meeting with Osinbajo and the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari, in what sources say may be a move likely to result in a consensus presidential candidate for the party.

According to reports, governors sighted in the Villa between Wednesday and Friday included those of Kano, Ogun, Ekiti, Gombe, Nasarawa and Ebonyi.

The reports said a clear majority of the 22 governors on the platform of the ruling party under the aegis of Progressive Governors Forum appeared to have agreed on supporting the candidature of Mr Osinbajo, ahead of the primaries commencing on Monday.

According to the reports, more northern governors including those of Borno, Kaduna, Kano, Nasarawa and Gombe are said to be opposed to a northern presidential candidate for APC.

The governors held series of meetings at the Kebbi State Governor’s Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, on Tuesday, after meeting with the president.

The meetings were initially deadlocked on who to suport as APC presidential flag bearer.

However, after reconvening, reports emanating from the meeting indicated that the governors had agreed that the presidency should be zoned to the South, with Osinbajo as candidate.

“The heroes of this whole thing are the governors of Borno, Nasarawa and Gombe who even though are from the North, argued that the vice president from the South fits the bill perfectly.

Kaduna and Borno governors were also of the same view but the Kaduna governor has not been seen in the Villa this week.

“He was represented by his deputy at the meeting with the president on Tuesday,” the reports quoted a source as saying.

The source, according to the reports, said that some governors had first insisted that the party’s presidency should be zoned to the North because the main opposition party had settled for former Vice President Atiku Abubakar at its convention.

Some governors wanted a northern candidate to challenge the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate but some other northern governors kicked against it.

“They said that the it is morally right for power to return to the South.

“The governors represented different interests at the meeting and were all pushing for their candidate but there were more governors who were loyal to President Muhammadu Buhari and who wanted to reciprocate the president’s gesture.

“There were others who also insisted that Mr VP was the most popular candidate based on the feedback that the governors got from delegates in their states and they were almost certain and very confident he would defeat candidates from other parties including Atiku,” the source was quoted as saying.

The reports also quoted an aide of one of the governors present at the meeting as disclosing that certain governors were asked to reach out to some notable aspirants to urge them to step down for the vice president.

“It was indeed a difficult call as some governors were asked to reach out to their candidates to relate the choice of the governors and to also tell them to step down their ambition so that the party can present a united front at the convention,” the aide was quoted in the reports as saying.

Daily NIGERIAN

News

Babangida’s Military Contemporary, Lt. General Garba Duba, Passes On at 82

Published

15 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

A military contemporary of Nigeria’s former military President, Lieutenant General Garba Duba, has died.

General Garba Duba died at the age of 82. A native of Kontagora, Niger State, Duba held several positions during his military career, including serving as Governor of Bauchi State in 1978 and as Governor of Sokoto State during Buhari’s regime.

An impeccable source told NIGERIAN TRACKER that the funeral prayer for the late Duba was held today, Friday, after Jumuat prayer at the National Mosque in Abuja.

Governor Muhammad Umar Bago of Niger State and legislators from the state attended the funeral prayer.

He joined the army as a Cadet Officer at the Nigerian Military Training College Zaria in 1962, presumably a course mate of Ibrahim Babangida. At the beginning of his career, he was at the Indian Military Academy. Duba was one of the northern officers who participated in the Nigerian counter-coup of 1966 which led to the death of General Johnson Aguiyi-Ironsi. During the Nigeria Civil War, he was a Captain, commanding a squadron of armored vehicles. As military governor of Bauchi state, he provided infrastructure in the form of residential accommodation and offices, including secretariats for the newly-created 16 local government areas.

In 1993, he retired from the military and went into private businesses where he held positions like chairman, New Nigerian Development Company (NNDC), chairman of SGI Nigeria Limited, director in First Bank of Nigeria, non-executive director of Honeywell Flour Mills Plc and chairman of the board of Leadway pension fund.

News

ECOWAS Parliament to hold Second Extraordinary Session in Kano

Published

20 hours ago

May 17, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

All arrangements have been concluded for the Second Extraordinary Session of the Sixth Legislature of the Parliament of the Economic Community of West African States (ECOWAS) to be held in Kano, Nigeria.

The Second Extraordinary Session, according to the ECOWAS Parliament, will be held at the Bristol Hotel in Kano, the Commercial Centre of the country, between the 20th and 25th May, 2024.

President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and Chairman of ECOWAS Authority of Heads of State and Government, Bola Ahmed Tinubu, attended the inaugural session of the Sixth Legislature of the ECOWAS Parliament held on April 4, this year.

The Deputy President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Senator Barau I Jibrin, emerged as the First Deputy Speaker of the assembly during the inauguration.

The event, according to a statement by the Special Adviser to the Deputy President of the Senate on Media and Publicity, Ismail Mudashir, will attract parliamentarians from Nigeria, Benin Republic, Burkina Faso, Cape Verde, Cote D’ Ivoire, Gambia, Ghana, Guinea, Guinea Bissau, Liberia, Senegal, Sierra Leone and Republic of Togo.

The ECOWAS Parliament, also known as the Community Parliament, is one of the institutions of the ECOWAS. It is the Assembly of Peoples of the Community, serving as a forum of dialogue, consultation and consensus for representatives of the people of West Africa to promote integration.

In a statement signed by special adviser to Senate President on Media and publicity Ismail Mudassir said the ECOWAS Parliament which was established under Articles 6 and 13 of the ECOWAS revised treaty of 1993, is composed of 115 seats.

News

Breaking: Man Sets Mosque Ablaze During Subhi Prayers

Published

3 days ago

May 15, 2024

Nigerian Tracker

A disturbing incident unfolded in Laraba Abasawa, Gezawa Local Government Area of Kano State as an unidentified man set fire to a mosque during the early hours of Wednesday morning.

The arson attack occurred while worshippers were observing the ‘Subh’ prayer, resulting in harm to members of the community.

According to reports from the Daily Trust, the assailant used petrol to ignite the fire, trapping approximately 40 worshippers inside the mosque. The perpetrator then locked the mosque, exacerbating the situation and hindering the victims’ escape.

A member of the community, who preferred to remain anonymous, recounted the harrowing ordeal, stating that it took some time for people outside to become aware of the incident and rescue those trapped inside. Eventually, bystanders managed to break open the mosque’s doors and rescue the worshippers.

Tragically, at least 20 worshippers sustained serious injuries in the attack and were promptly rushed to the Murtala Muhammad Specialist Hospital in Kano for medical treatment.

This reprehensible act of violence against worshippers has shocked the community and raised concerns about the safety and security of religious institutions in the region.

Authorities are expected to conduct a thorough investigation into the incident and apprehend the perpetrator to ensure justice is served and prevent similar incidents in the future.

Daily Trust