I won’t cede power to those who can’t win election in their domain — Buhari By Ibrahim Wuyo

Says those calling for restructuring are afraid of partisan politics President Muhammadu Buhari has reiterated that he would not cede power to any politician who cannot win election in his domain. He spoke on Saturday as a Special Guest of Honour during the Launch of Kudirat Abiola Sabon Gari, Zaria Peace Foundation which took place at Ahmadu Bello University Hotels, Zaria,Kaduna state. Buhari who said there was nothing Nigerians needed now than Peace, said the country would be better if Nigerians remain united as a Sovereign nation than fragmented entities. Also Read: COVID-19: African economies won’t revive until vaccination deficiency addressed — AfDB According to him,those agitating for separation of Country were ignorant of war and it’s consequences. Represented by the Executive Secretary, Revenue Mobilization, Allocation and Fiscal Commission, Alhaji Mohammed Bello Shehu ,the President explained further that for peace to reign in any society, people must be involved actively . “And again those who are discussing restructuring, my question is that what are you going restructure? If you ask many Nigerians what are they going to restructure, you will find out that they have nothing to talk about. Ssome of them have not even studied the 1999 constitution. The 1999 constitution is almost 70 to 80 percent 1979 constitution. “ “it is okay to demand for restructuring ,renewal of constitution, but what is most important now is how can Nigeria state make local government functional, how can Nigeria states make judiciary independent? Rather we ask Nigerians to focus on putting pressure on National Assembly members to make sure that that autonomy as enshrined in our constitution is respected and implemented.” “So if that were to be done, some of these issues like insecurity, you will find a situation where local government chairmen in collaboration with traditional rulers will form a chain of communication to figure out what is really happening.So these are the things I expect those calling for agitation to do. And I said also that majority of those calling for restructuring are people that are so afraid to go into partisan politics. And even if they were to go into partisan politics they will not win. “ “There is no government in the world that will cede their authority to the people that are not elected. You are telling us to resolve a system and call for an obscure conference to come and discuss how we can move forward as a nation, that can never be done and no country will agree to that.” “So those who are doing that should go back and meet their representatives in the House of Assmebly and ask for whatever amendment of constitution. Due process should be followed” “The other issue is that those who are calling for restructuring and confrence .on what they call ethnic nationality, If you go to Southern Kaduna, Taraba, who is to represent them? We have different combination of ethnicity in many states. Even Kano and Kaduna Igbo have properties. The same goes with Yorubas. There are Fulani in Port Harcourt .So those calling for whether seperation or restructuring, some of them I will say they are very naive or even mischievously dangerous. Those agitating for restructuring are ignorant of war and its consequences.Because Nigeria is a dominant force in west africa.” My appeal to each and everyone here is to try and educate their children. We are better as a nation, there is no way we can be separated, separation of the Country would not help matters,” he said. Governor Nasir Ahmed El-Rufai who was represented on the occasion by the state Commissioner for education, Dr. Shehu Usman Mohammed ,said Nigeria had grown beyond separation. While urging Nigerians to tolerate to live together,the Governor said those calling for separation should come back to their senses because Nigerians are now in every part of the Country. The Guest lecturer, Professor Mohammed Tukur spoke on the way out to end crisis among divergent citizens of the Country. “In as much as we want peace to reign amongst us ,we must tolerate one another and respect our various norms and values. Tukur said mutual understanding and inter tribal marriage would also play significant roles in the promotion of peace amongst citizens,adding that there must be a policy to revamp the economy and review the nation’s security structure.

APC convention: Governors, power blocs intensify lobby for party structure by John Alechenu

Power blocs within the ruling All Progressives Congress have intensified their lobby for a better grip of the party’s structure ahead of the 2023 general elections, Saturday PUNCH has learnt. It was gathered in Abuja, on Friday, that governors and other interest groups within the party had started reaching out to one another ahead of the final approval being expected from the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), for the national convention. An intense lobby for an acceptable zoning formula by the various power blocs especially among the party’s governors is in top gear. A member of the APC National Caucus, who spoke in confidence to Saturday PUNCH for fear of retribution, said, “Although we are yet to agree on a specific date for the convention because we have to deal with congress first, we must tell ourselves the truth; we cannot hold the national convention earlier than September if we are to do a good job. He further said, “The reality on the ground is, we are yet to complete the data capture of the raw data we collected from the states during the just concluded membership registration/ revalidation. “We need to capture the data at the National Headquarters in order to produce a credible register needed for not just our congresses, but also for the convention. “Some states are yet to submit their reports as we speak. The data capturing is ongoing here in Abuja.” In response to a question on the comment made by the President to the effect that he was expecting a report from the Governor Mai Mala Buni-led Caretaker/ Extraordinary National Convention Planning Committee by the end of June, the party chieftain described it as the normal procedure. He said, “The committee will present its report to the President; if he is satisfied with their recommendations, the report is then presented to the caucus and the National Executive Committee for ratification before the congresses leading to the convention are held. “If he is not convinced, he has two options. One, ask the committee to review the schedule of activities or ask another committee to do it.” The party’s governors under the aegis of Progressives Governors Forum met on Wednesday to review a tentative timetable for the congresses as prepared by Governor Buni. This was confirmed by the Chairman of the PGF, Abubakar Bagudu, who spoke to reporters after an emergency meeting of the forum in Abuja on Wednesday. Bagudu said, “There is a proposal before Mr. President and once he approves it, the National Caretaker Committee will announce the date. “We considered the timetable and we have made some inputs particularly to comply with the Electoral Law and the party’s constitution. Remember, we, governors, are just one organ of the party.” A time table which was released by the Buni panel last week, but later withdrawn, indicated that ward congresses would begin on July 10th, while local government congresses would follow on August 6, 2021. State congresses were scheduled for September 3 and zonal congresses for 30th September, 2021. In response, members of the defunct Congress for Progressives Change, one of the three legacy parties which formed the APC, have started reaching out to other members to consider a former CPC member for the position of National Chairman. Nasarawa State Governor, Abdullahi Sule, who is the lead voice in the advocacy, had recently said, “When you advise that the party should be fair to the CPC in choosing the next APC National Chairman, you now start the campaign. I think we have gone beyond advice now. “So, I’m campaigning; I have done the consultation at different levels of the party; I have been in contact with all the major stakeholders of the APC and we strongly believe that what we are asking for is fair. “What we are asking for is not too much for the party to do; what we are asking for will actually keep the party together and that is what we have been saying. I have gone beyond just making a plea. I have gone to the stage of making consultations.” However, the spokesperson of Concerned APC Members, a pressure group within the party, Abdullahi Dauda, said, “The CPC bloc cannot claim it is marginalised. “With all due respect, our President was a member of the CPC; if you look at it that way, the CPC took the highest prize in the APC. “What is wrong with having somebody from Action Congress of Nigeria or All Nigerian Peoples Congress bloc? What we should be doing now is to rebuild our party.” PUNCH.

Very suspect: Why Lai Mohammed’s grammar is not wrong : by Akeem Lasisi

As part of his defence of the ban on Twitter operations in Nigeria, the Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, a couple of days ago said the social media giant’s mission in Nigeria was very, very suspect. The statement has generated some heat, not in terms of the message it is meant to convey, but in terms of its grammatical status. Simply put, many people believe that Mohammed committed a grammatical blunder. So happy are some of them that they have been circulating it to mock him. Indeed, it has become another raw material for folks who manufacture or reinforce jokes with the likes of ‘There are many mineral resources like Coke and Fanta’, ‘My oga at the top’ ‘There is God o’ and ‘Aye le o, ibosi o.’ The fact, however, is that saying something is suspect does not constitute a blunder. Truly (not truely) speaking, it sounds odd. So odd does it ring that you would think it is an error. That is why one of the comedians who took on the minister tries to correct him by asking, ‘You mean very suspicious?’ No matter how odd the phrase sounds, however, it is a standard one because ‘something is suspicious’ and ‘something is suspect’ are both correct. Of course, apart from having to bear in mind that language is not music that should always sound melodious, there are several ear-jolting expressions like ‘is suspect’. It is the same English that, for instance, says ‘You have to go there now’ that also accepts ‘It is time you went there’ or ‘It is high time you went there’, when the action has yet to take place. It also features ‘Akin and Ade are here’ in one context but insists on ‘Akin as well as Ade is here’ in another. And I hope you remember this too: He goes there regularly. (Correct) I pray he go there tomorrow. (Correct. Not ‘I pray he goes there tomorrow’, because you are now in the court of the subjunctive mood! Back to ‘very, very suspect’. The word, ‘suspect’, is usually a noun or a verb. When it is a noun, it can refer to a person who is alleged to have done something negative, as in committing a crime. When it is a verb, it can, among other usages, express our belief or suspicion about the person concerning the crime: Evans is a suspect in the abduction case. (A noun) The police suspect he is a kidnapper. (A verb) The term can, however, also be used as an adjective, which is what Lai Mohammed has done in the controversial statement. When you say someone’s action or disposition is suspect, it means you believe it harbours another intention beyond what the person says. It could mean that you think it portends a hidden agenda. And, as Cambridge Dictionary puts it, ‘suspect’ as an adjective means not able to be trusted, possibly false or dangerous. Here is an example by the dictionary: I can’t understand why my reasons seem suspect to a number of people. Explaining more, Cambridge Dictionary says if something is suspect, it seems likely to be dishonest, dangerous, criminal etc.: The Financial Services Authority is cracking down on banks and brokers that have failed to report suspect deals by clients. Bomb disposal experts destroyed a suspect package found at the airport. In the examples, the adjectives mostly come before the words they describe, meaning that they are qualifying them (the nouns). But they can also come after such, thus modifying them. Consider this pair too: The agency is monitoring the suspect deals. The agency is monitoring deals that are suspect. There is, therefore, no grammatical error in the minister’s statement. The only thing someone can quarrel about is whether or not Twitter has a hidden agenda as the minister claims, but that is beyond the high court of our grammar class. So, one basic lesson in the Lai Mohammed’s example — I should add — is that when you come across an ‘odd’ or ‘strange’ expression, exercise patience before you say, ‘Ibon’ or dub it a blunder. It may not be. Maybe it is an opportunity for you to learn a new usage. PUNCH.

APC governors pass vote of confidence in party’s interim leadership amid speculation of tenure extension By Samson Adenekan

The APC governors say the CECPC has succeeded in attracting serving and former political office holders to the party. Governors elected under the umbrella of All Progressives Congress (APC) have endorsed the leadership of the party’s national caretaker committee amidst speculation of tenure extension. The Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), under the chairmanship of Governor Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi State, at a meeting in Abuja on Wednesday, passed a vote of confidence in Mala Buni-led interim leadership of the party to continue its role in the APC. The governors said the “vote of confidence is imperative to encourage the leadership of the party to continue its strides in piloting her to its next level.” “It would be recalled that the CECPC of the party under the leadership of Governor Buni was put in place to strengthen the ruling party in the face of some challenges. “The Yobe State Governor and his CECPC Committee members have succeeded in attracting serving and former Governors, Senators, House of Representatives members as well as other notable opposition figures to the party. They have also helped in stabilizing the All Progressives Congress and midwife a successful membership drive to make the party the biggest in Africa,” the governors said. The governors’ endorsement of the party’s leadership comes amidst the speculation of a possible tenure extension for the Buni-led committee. Mr Buni, who also doubles as Yobe governor, was appointed to lead a 13-member committee in June 2020 after the controversial dismissal of Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) to end the turbulent crisis rocking the party and set a new tune for its members across the country. Aside from being tasked to reconcile aggrieved members, the APC NEC also mandated the CECPC to organise the party’s national convention where they will select it next crop of leaders in six month time which elapsed in December 2020. The tenure of the committee was extended by another six months due to membership registration and revalidation exercise among other underlying reasons which party leaders assured members would have been concluded by June 2021 for the national convention and congresses to hold as proposed. While the party has not announced the date for the convention in June, sources informed PREMIUM TIMES of another possible tenure extension to set things in motion for a PGF favoured candidate to assume the chairmanship position. Though Mr Buni has denied eying the APC chairmanship after his interim tenure, there are speculations that the party’s governors are rooting for him to retain the seat after his one year interim tenure. This newspaper also gathered that some delegates have been notified and paid ahead of the event.

I believe in devolution of power, says Buhari by Segun Adewole

The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on Friday, said he believes in devolving power to the people. He, however, said the contentious issue of restructuring, true federalism or devolution of powers remains a constitutional matter which can only be dealt with by the National Assembly. This was disclosed in a statement issued by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Femi Adesina, on Friday. According to Adesina, Buhari said this when he received members of the Nigerian Inter-Religious Council (NIREC) led by Co-Chairmen, Sultan of Sokoto, His Eminence, Alhaji Muhammad Sa’ad Abubakar and President of Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN), His Eminence, Rev. Dr. Samson Supo Ayokunle, at the State House in Abuja. At the meeting, the President said, “On the contentious issue of restructuring or true federalism or devolution of powers, like you all know, this is a constitutional matter with which only the National Assembly can deal. “I remain an unapologetic believer in devolving power to the people and that is why I signed the Executive Order granting autonomy to State Legislature and Judiciary. Unfortunately, this was met with some resistance at the state level and led to a more than two months strike action that has cost the country a lot of pain. “Luckily the National Assembly has nearly completed the constitutional review process, which I hope would address some of the burning issues agitating the minds of our people.’’ Adesina, in the statement, said, “President Buhari assured that efforts were already on to create a more conducive environment to address both direct and indirect causes of challenges including areas of job creation and employment generation while appreciating religious leaders for their significant roles in national development, particularly in shaping perspectives.” He quoted Buhari as saying, “Your role is critical in putting the correct perspective out to Nigerians.’’ Adesina said Buhari assured “the religious leaders that the government was already going after financiers of criminal elements, who also supply them with arms, but were constrained by the strike by Judiciary workers.” “Fortunately, this strike has been called off and prosecution of some of these people would soon commence, while our security agencies expand their network in closing in on the others,’’ he quoted Buhari. He said Buhari assured that his regime remains committed to “quickly pushing this dark side of our history behind us and we are currently making sure that funding would not hamper our efforts.’’ According to the President, the last Federal Executive Council meeting approved some funds for the security agencies, which would be put to judicious use. “As I mentioned yesterday, in Lagos, we would not relent in our efforts at clearing these criminals from all parts of our land including the forests,’’ Buhari said. The President said the government had the major part to play in providing security, “but besides the imperative to abide by democratic processes is the important aspect of support of the citizenry to the security agencies by providing relevant and timely information.’’ “I must confess that I am more pained than anyone can imagine with the ongoing security challenges because, like you noted during your meeting, they have increased the hunger, pain and anger in the land,’’ he noted. The President thanked the religious leaders for their patriotism and commitment to ensuring peace and understanding. “I have listened to you and I am particularly happy that your meeting clearly identified specific and major roles for both the Government and the people of Nigeria. This is what has been lacking for some time in the national discourse on addressing our current security challenges,” he said.

EXCLUSIVE: EFCC Recovers N1 Billion From Permanent Secretary Working Directly With Works And Housing Minister, Fashola BY SAHARAREPORTERS

Bawa had in May while appearing before the Senate Committee on Finance said the agency recovered over N1 billion from the bank account of a civil servant. The civil servant the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) recovered N1 billion from has been identified as a Permanent Secretary in the Federal Ministry of Works and Housing. Babatunde Fashola is the Minister in charge of the ministry. EFCC Chairman, Abdulrasheed Bawa had in May while appearing before the Senate Committee on Finance said the agency recovered over N1 billion from the bank account of a civil servant. “It is good for us to observe for now and wait for your committee to conclude its work so that whatever report you have and anyone that your committee decides, we are ready to take it up from there,” he had said. SEE ALSO How We Recovered Over N1billion From A Civil Servant In One Week—EFCC Chairman 28 Comments 4 Weeks Ago “We have recovered over N1 billion sitting in the account of a civil servant last week.” Bawa however refused to mention the name of the individual civil servant. Speaking to SaharaReporters on Thursday, a source at the anti-graft agency identified the civil servant as a Permanent Secretary working with Fashola. “The civil servant the chairman was talking about is the Permanent Secretary working directly with Fashola,” the source said.

High-profile Nigerians threaten to kill me, says EFCC boss Bawa by Kayode Oyero

Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, Abdulrasheed Bawa, says corruption does fight back, adding that he has been receiving death threats since he came on board as the chairman of the anti-graft agency. He spoke on Tuesday when he featured in Channels Television’s ‘Sunrise Daily’ programme monitored by The PUNCH. The President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), had in November 2016 said, “Corruption is fighting back vigorously”. When asked on Tuesday if indeed corruption is fighting back, Bawa said, “Last week, I was in New York, as all Nigerians are aware of. A very senior citizen received a phone call from somebody that is not even under investigation. What he (the caller) said to him on phone is that; he is going to kill the EFCC chairman, the young man.

“He said, ‘I am going to kill him. I am going to kill him’. This is to tell you how bad it is. It is actually real. Corruption can fight back.” When further asked if he meant he has been receiving death threats, the EFCC chairman said, “Yes”. The President had in February 2021 named 40-year-old Bawa as the new EFCC chairman to replace the embattled ex-acting chairman of the anti-graft commission, Ibrahim Magu.