Tinubu, Atiku reportedly plan to form new political party

National Leader of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Ahmed Bola Tinubu and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar are reportedly considering floating a new party ahead of the 2019 general elections, Daily Trust reports.

The report quoted a source as saying both Tinubu and Atiku are unhappy with the presidency but do not want to come out openly on it.

Tinubu’s anger with the Presidency started after the running mate to the party’s late governorship candidate, Prince Abubakar Audu, James Faleke, was subsequently replaced with the incumbent governor, Yahaya Bello.

Other issues according to the source include, leadership crises at the National level and the Ondo election that saw the emergence of former President of the Nigerian Bar Association, NBA, Rotimi Akeredolu, SAN, as the party’s candidate in the upcoming governorship election in the state.

Following the emergence of Akeredolu, Tinubu had demanded the resignation of the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun for allegedly overruling the party’s National Working Committee, NWC’s recommendation asking for the cancellation and conduct of a fresh primary poll in the state.

According to the source, “Tinubu is having a serious realignment with Atiku on the possibility of pulling out with their teeming supporters if President Muhammadu Buhari continues to look the other way.

“While Tinubu expected to win Kogi, Atiku wanted to be the chairman of the BoT, but the presidency frustrated their efforts.”

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Atiku speaks on ‘new party’, alleged plan to contest presidency with Mimiko

A former Vice President and chieftain of the All Progressives Congress, Atiku Abubakar, has dismissed reports alleging that he has formed a new political platform on which he will run for president in 2019, with the Ondo State Governor, Dr. Olusegun Mimiko, as his running mate.

A statement, signed by Abubakar’s Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, said the report bore the features of a political hatchet job planted by his opponents who were desperately trying to invent events in order to draw a wedge between him and President Muhammadu Buhari on the one hand and the leadership of the APC on the other hand.

Ibe noted that: “ the report was an incompetent product of fiction, so shallow and vacuous that even its authors could not validate its credibility with reliable and verifiable sources.

“Some people of bad faith trying tooth and nail to spread the seeds of discord in the party, and destroy the much needed unity, harmony and cohesion, which are the pillars of strength for every political organisation.”

Ibe said despite all the smear campaigns and reputation lynching and sponsored falsehoods, Atiku’s loyalty to President Buhari and the APC leadership would not be shaken an inch.

“Atiku Abubakar would ordinarily have ignored the malicious report, but says he chose to react, lest his silence would be mistaken as an admission of the falsehoods published against him”, he added.

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Osinbajo holds closed-door meeting with Tinubu, Saraki, other APC leaders

While President Muhammadu Buhari is currently on a one-week official visit to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Vice President, Yemi Osinbajo is meeting with some leaders of the All Progressives Congress inside the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The meeting is attended by the National Leader of the party, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu; former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; the party’s National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun; President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, who arrived at about 12.30pm when the meeting was already underway.

Other attendees are: Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yusuf Lasun; Senate Leader, Ali Ndume; Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Babachir Lawal; and a former interim chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, among others.

The meeting, which started few minutes after 11am, is as at press time being held behind closed door. The agenda of the meeting is still unclear.

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Sallah message: Atiku urges Nigerians to do away with hate

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar yesterday released a passionate Eid-el Kabir message where he charged Nigerians to rid their hearts and minds of hate, intolerance and prejudice, which he said could promote violent conflicts and destruction of life and property in the country.

He disclosed that every passing day, he was saddened by the, “deepening frenzy of hate, intolerance and bigotry,” which brings about toxic effects on unity and harmony among Nigerians. The former presidential aspirant noted that Nigerians should use religion to create a conflict free society, stressing that, “love is the universal language of all the world’s religions.”

The Turakin Adamawa, who urged Muslims and other Nigerians to be good ambassadors of the teachings of their own religions, called on them to pay greater attention to stemming and eliminating poisonous extremist tendencies by ensuring that people with violent ideologies are not allowed to influence the innocent in the wrong direction.

While counseling Muslims to speak with one voice against extremism because of the great harm being done to the image of Islam and its adherents, Atiku noted that the greatest honour Muslims could do to their religion, was to live by its virtues.

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Sallah message: Atiku urges Nigerians to do away with hate

Alhaji Atiku Abubakar yesterday released a passionate Eid-el Kabir message where he charged Nigerians to rid their hearts and minds of hate, intolerance and prejudice, which he said could promote violent conflicts and destruction of life and property in the country.

He disclosed that every passing day, he was saddened by the, “deepening frenzy of hate, intolerance and bigotry,” which brings about toxic effects on unity and harmony among Nigerians. The former presidential aspirant noted that Nigerians should use religion to create a conflict free society, stressing that, “love is the universal language of all the world’s religions.”

The Turakin Adamawa, who urged Muslims and other Nigerians to be good ambassadors of the teachings of their own religions, called on them to pay greater attention to stemming and eliminating poisonous extremist tendencies by ensuring that people with violent ideologies are not allowed to influence the innocent in the wrong direction.

While counseling Muslims to speak with one voice against extremism because of the great harm being done to the image of Islam and its adherents, Atiku noted that the greatest honour Muslims could do to their religion, was to live by its virtues.

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