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Atiku now divider-in-chieF, Tinubu campaign organisation mocks PDP presidential candidate

Published

2 years ago

September 23, 2022

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The Bola Tinubu Campaign Organisation has described Atiku Abubakar, presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as “divider-in-chief”.

The PDP has been in turmoil since Atiku was elected as the standard bearer of the major opposition party.

The rift deepened after Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers state, was overlooked by Atiku in the selection of his running mate.

The crisis worsened on Tuesday as Wike’s allies jettisoned campaign responsibilities, and insisted that Iyorchia Ayu, the party’s national chairman, must be removed.

Several meetings to resolve the acrimony in the party have been to no avail.

In a statement on Friday, Bayo Onanuga, the Tinubu campaign’s director of media and communication, said the “fratricidal war” within the PDP “has undermined” any momentum Atiku hoped to build.

The statement added that Atiku is facing the “karma of his inordinate ambition” for not heeding the zoning arrangement of his party.

“Let us pity Atiku, another shot at presidency is slipping away. Once again, another bid for the presidency of our country by former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar is slipping away. This is unravelling before our very eyes even before the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) blows the whistle for the electioneering campaign. His party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is in disarray. The signs are just too ominous for the Waziri what with the report by the Economic Intelligence Unit predicting another trashing for him in the forthcoming polls,” the statement reads.

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“After violating his party’s code for power rotation between the north and south and grabbing the PDP ticket without a modicum of sensibilities about our national ethos, Alhaji Atiku is now faced with the karma of his inordinate ambition.

“The PDP has imploded in a battle of attrition, the result of which is predictable. The ongoing fratricidal war where a faction of the party being led by the Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike is engaging Atiku in a fight to finish has undermined any momentum the PDP candidate had hoped to build. With the further loss of confidence in PDP by its own members who can not find any redeeming feature in the fast-disappearing party, it is crystal clear that Atiku’s latest bid for the Nigeria’s top job has hit the rocks.

“A pillar of Atiku’s campaign is the claim of being a unifier and nationalist. That bogus claim has now been discredited, even within his party as the disaffected members cry for justice and inclusivity.

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“Instead of the perennially running and perennially failing candidate to offer them some sop, he has rebuffed them, pleading that he could not grant their request for justice.

“Surely a man who cannot resolve a genuine dispute among his party members, who cannot forge an entente among them, cannot be expected to unify our country.

“Instead of being a unifier, Atiku is now a divider-in-chief. His campaign on this score is heading for a stillbirth, just as some of his programmes have been found to be nothing new, as they are already being implemented by the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of President Muhammadu Buhari.

“The former Vice President created the crisis for himself, by pushing the fallacy that only a northern candidate can win the presidency for his party, despite the open record that southerners, when they network with their northern compatriots, can also win the election.

“Former leaders, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo and Dr. Goodluck Jonathan demonstrated this in 1999, 2003 and 2011. As a campaign, we can only pity former Vice President Atiku for the self-inflicted injury he invited unto himself. Chinua Achebe, the very accomplished novelist in one of his classics, Arrow of God, wrote that a man who brought ant-infested faggots into the homestead should not grumble when lizards begin to pay him a visit.”

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The Tinubu campaign organisation advised Atiku to “kiss his ill-fated presidential bid goodbye”.

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FULL LIST: Multichoice increases DStv, GOtv subscription

Published

4 hours ago

April 24, 2024

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Broadcasting company Multichoice has jacked up the prices of its offerings in Nigeria four months after its last increment.

The company reviewed prices in its packages across the board. The new prices will take effect from May 1, 2024.

With the latest price hike, the DStv Premium package increased from N29,500 to N37,000. Similarly, the DStv Compact+ went up from N19,800 to N25,000 while the Compact package increased from N12,500 to N15,700.

The Comfam package moved from N7,400 to N9,300. Yanga package moved up from 4,200 to N5,100 while Padi package increased from N2,950 to N3,600. HDPVR was increased from N4,000 to N5,000, the Access Fees package from N4,000 to N5,000, and XtraView moved from N4,000 to N5,000.

Meanwhile, the Gotv Supa+ package moved from N12,500 to N15,700, Supa package from N7,600 to N9,600, and Max package from N5,700 to N7,200.

While the Jolli package was jacked up from N3,950 to N4,850, the Jinja package moved from N2,700 to N3,300, and Smallie package from N1,300 to N1,575.

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It will be recalled that the company implemented an upward review of prices in December 2023, days after announcing a $72m loss in its financial statement for the third quarter of the year.

Checks on the company’s reviewed price list then showed a 20 per cent per cent hike in the company’s packages across the board.

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NCAA grounds all Dana Air operations

Published

9 hours ago

April 24, 2024

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The Nigerian Civil Aviation Authority (NCAA) has been directed by Festus Keyamo, the minister of aviation, to suspend the operations of Dana Air, TheCable understands.

The directive followed the incident involving a Dana Air plane at Lagos airport on April 23, which veered off the Lagos airport runway.

This forced aviation authorities to divert flights from the local airport to the international terminal.

In a letter to the NCAA director general dated April 24, signed by Emmanuel Meribole, permanent secretary, ministry of aviation, and seen by TheCable, the ministry said Keyamo’s attention has been drawn to the “serious concerns” that followed the incident.

The ministry said the incident has raised concerns regarding both the safety and financial viability of Dana Air operations.

“In light of these incidents and with the paramount priority being the safety and well-being of our citizens and travelers, the Honourable Minister has directed that you immediately initiate the suspension of Dana Airline’s fleet until a comprehensive audit can be conducted. This audit should encompass all aspects of safety protocols, maintenance procedures, and financial health to ensure full compliance with our aviation regulations,” the ministry said.

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“The recent incidents have underscored the urgency of this matter, and it is imperative that swift and decisive action be taken to safeguard the interests of all stakeholders involved. I trust in your expertise and diligence in carrying out this audit thoroughly and expeditiously.”

On April 23, Dana Air said all 83 passengers and crew onboard the flight disembarked safely without injuries or scare.

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Yahaya Bello took $720k from state coffers to pay his child’s school fees – Olukoyede

Published

17 hours ago

April 24, 2024

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The chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), Ola Olukoyede, says Yahaya Bello, former governor of Kogi, withdrew $720,000 from the state’s coffers to pay his child’s school fee in advance.

Olukoyede spoke in Abuja on Tuesday during an interactive session with media executives.

The EFCC boss alleged that the former Kogi governor transferred money from the state coffers to a bureau de change operator, and used the money for his child’s school fee in advance.

Olukoyede added that Bello made the payment in anticipation that his tenure was gradually coming to an end.

“A sitting governor, because he knew he was leaving office, moved money directly from the government to bureau de change and used it to pay his child’s school fee in advance,” the EFCC boss said.

“Over $720,000 in anticipation that he was going to leave the government house. In a poor state like Kogi, you want me to close my eyes under the guise of ‘I’m being used’. Used by who? At this stage of my life.”

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Olukoyede said he inherited the case file of the former Kogi governor, noting that he did not initiate the investigation against Bello.

On April 17, EFCC operatives laid siege on Bello’s residence in Abuja to arrest him over alleged N80 billion fraud.

While the EFCC operatives were at Bello’s residence, Usman Ododo, governor of Kogi, came to visit his predecessor.

Shortly after Ododo departed from the residence, the EFCC operatives also left the house.

Bello was reportedly rescued by Ododo when he departed his residence located in the Wuse Zone 4 district of Abuja.

Subsequently, the anti-graft agency declared the former governor wanted.

The Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS) has also placed Bello on a watchlist.

The anti-graft agency alleged that Bello, alongside Alli Bello, chief of staff to Ododo; and one Daudu Suleiman, diverted about N80.2 billion belonging to the Kogi government.