Politics
2019: Kano underage voting, hint to APC rigging plans — ADP chieftain alleges
CHAIRMAN, Action Democratic Party (ADP) in Ijebu North Local Government, Prince Dele Ajayi, has alleged that the underage voting in the Kano Local Government election was an inkling to what might likely happen in some parts of the country in the forthcoming general elections.
Ajayi, who stated this while speaking with newsmen in Ijebu Ode on Tuesday, posited that the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), could be said to have perfected plans to massively rig the 2019 elections, stressing that the underage voters registration and voting in the North is just one their strategies.
The ADP chieftain further described voters registration as a very important aspect of elections, just as he enjoined voters in Ogun State and Nigeria at large to get their Permanent Voters Card (PCV) and vote out the failed rulling party.
Also, the National Chairman of the party, Yabagi Sani, on AIT Kakaki programme, on Monday condmned the incident, saying “Kano is All Progressives Congress (APC) state and the party has not done anything to condemn the underage voting.”
The former Vice Chairman of Ijebu North Local Government, also accused the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the rulling party of being reluctant to take decisive steps on the issue of underage voters, while questioning the independence of the Commission and the reliability of the voters’ register.
“The excuse that underage voters were registered because of threats to the lives of registration officers is untenable. And if this is true, then how indipendent is INEC, and how reliable is the voters register? INEC should not have kept silent on this anti-democratic matter before now, if truly the Commission is sincerely committed to ensuring the survival of democracy in Nigeria”, he said.
Recall that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), last weekend promised that the alleged incident of underage voting during the recent local government elections in Kano State would be fully investigated.
He then commended the moves by the National Assembly to re-order the 2019 general election’s sequence as contained in the recent amendment to the Electoral Act.
Commenting on the economic situations in Nigeria, the ADP chieftain said the performances of the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration lack the intellectual capacity to tackle the nation’s economy, which according to him, led to the collapse of several companies and loss of jobs in Nigeria, and unarguable sufferings of the masses.
Quoting the National Bureu of Statistics (NBS) 2017 unemployment reports, Ajayi said, “4.07 million Nigerians became unemployed between January and September 2017. This was against the Buhari’s promise in a campaign rally in Kano and other places, whereby he promised to create three million jobs yearly (totalling 12 million in his first term) solve the problem of unemployment, and in addition, his then running mate, Prof Yemi Osibanjo, at a campaign rally in Akure, pledging 20,000 jobs yearly totaling 720,000.”
On the chances of ADP in the 2019 elections in Ogun State and Nigeria at large, Ajayi said: “ADP has come to stay, and to fix the crooked in the Nigerian economy and policies, and give the Nigerian people a credible alternative they have been yearning for, a third force which is capable of turning the country around for good.”
Ajayi, while describing ADP as a credible party for Nigerians to embrace and be served, said the policy of the party is to better utilise the resources of Nigeria for the good of the country and her good people.
“Our party, since its registration with the INEC in June 2017, has continued to receive massive membership. This is an indication that Nigerians are tired and can no longer continue with the shenanigan ways of doing politics which is currently being practiced by both the APC and PDP”.
The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Oyo State has criticized the alleged forceful conversion of public reading and learning facilities in Dugbe, Ibadan, into shopping malls and lock-up shops by the state government, describing the development as shameful, ill-conceived, and unacceptable.
In a statement released over the weekend by its Publicity Secretary, Olawale Sadare, and made available to journalists in Ibadan, the APC also raised concerns about the alleged sale of the modern motor park facility at Wema Area on New Ife Road, Ibadan, built during the administration of the late Senator Abiola Ajimobi.
According to the party, the motor park has been sold to a pastor who presides over a popular church near the facility.
Residents of Ibadan, the state capital, were reportedly stunned when they noticed the sudden erection of massive private business complexes within the premises of the Oyo State Library Board.
The facilities, built by the defunct Western Region government, had served as public libraries and archives for decades, benefitting students, researchers, and tourists until recently.
“It is a sad reality that the buildings which used to serve as public libraries and archives in Dugbe axis of Ibadan have now paved the way for the development of commercial and business structures,” Sadare said.
“The implication is that education and research development have been relegated to the background in the state by an administration that has done little to address the poor reading culture among young students.”
The APC expressed alarm over what it termed the erosion of public heritage under Governor Seyi Makinde’s administration, alleging that public properties are being sold or leased to private individuals and groups under questionable circumstances.
“How can a government wake up one day and convert public reading facilities and archives into lock-up shops in the name of making money, thereby subjecting society to the dangers of illiteracy and ignorance?” the statement queried.
The party also cited other instances of alleged mismanagement of public assets, including the concession of OYSADEP Guest House in Saki and Agbowo Shopping Complex in Ibadan, warning that the trend poses a serious threat to the state’s socio-economic development.
“Sad enough, the ignoble activities of the governor and a few other characters around him as they involve mismanagement of land and other resources belonging to the state have paved the way for a surge in land grabbing cases in most parts of the state capital. There are many cases involving appointees of the governor, PDP lawmakers, local government officials, and party chieftains,” the statement added.
The APC called on well-meaning individuals and stakeholders in the state to demand accountability from the Makinde administration and halt what it described as the systematic erosion of public resources and heritage.
Over 300 constituents of Akinyele/Lagelu Federal Constituency in Oyo State benefitted from a skill acquisition and empowerment programme organized by their representative in the National Assembly, Hon. Akinmoyede Olafisoye.
The event, held at Faith Joe Event Centre, Alegongo, Akobo, Ibadan, aimed to address the challenges of unemployment and economic hardship by equipping participants with practical skills and financial support.
The programme focused on empowering youths, students, and unemployed graduates to become self-reliant. Each participant was provided with a certificate, a Point of Sale (POS) terminal, an umbrella, and ₦100,000 as a startup grant to kickstart their businesses.
The tools and financial aid were designed to enable beneficiaries to establish sustainable sources of income.
Participants received comprehensive training, gaining hands-on experience to ensure they could effectively utilize the tools provided. The POS machines were configured with the personal details of the recipients, ensuring proper use and discouraging unauthorized transfers.
Addressing the participants, Akinmoyede who is the Chairman House Committee on Nigeria/ Mexico Parliamentary Friendship enjoined the beneficiaries to explore the opportunity for their benefit by ensuring that they use the machines for the purpose it was meant for.
He added that all the machines have been configured with the documents of individual beneficiaries which will make it very difficult to transfer to another person.
In his goodwill message, the Oyo Central Senatorial chairman of APC, Hon. Joshua Oyebamiji said comparing what the lawmaker has been doing in the area of dishing out empowerment and palliatives to his constituents, it is difficult to tag him a first-timer at the national assembly.
While appreciating Akinmoyede for his gesture at the event, former APC Deputy State Chairman, Alhaji Isiaka Alimi, Hon. Fatai Awoyoola, and Hon. Akinbode Emmanuel said they were yet to discover the magic wand being used by the lawmaker for his constant and habitual empowerment programmes.
Some of the beneficiaries who spoke at the end of the training, Afolabi Kuburat, Akinropo Akindotun, Ajala Abisade Iyabo, and Grace Anuoluwapo Ayinde lauded the lawmaker for giving them the opportunity to be self-reliant at this time when Nigerians are facing economic hardship.
The House of Representatives member representing Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency Oyo State, Hon. Prince Akinmoyede Olafisoye Wasiu has initiated another skill acquisition and capacity-building training for no fewer than 300 members of his constituency.
The initiative which is being organized in partnership with Federal Cooperative College, Ibadan is part of a strategic effort by the lawmaker to foster rural development of cooperative for their economic emancipation and break the shackles of poverty so as to alleviate the impact of the high cost of living among the people in Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency he represents.
The training programme is coming up on Monday 18th November, 2024 at Faith Joe Event Centre hall. Alegongo, Ibadan by 8.00am.
A statement issued by the Special Assistant on Media to the lawmaker, Alimi Abdullahi stated that the capacity-building is designed to equip participants with essential entrepreneurial skills with a view to building sustainable livelihoods and improve the quality of lives of the people of Akinyele/Lagelu federal constituency.
All the participants for the training are expected to be at the venue by 8am so as not to miss any part of the training.
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