He said Nigerian could no longer sign agreements without understanding the consequences of such actions.

The president who spoke on Friday while receiving representatives of the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) led by its president, Mr. Babatunde Ruwase, at the Presidential Villa said Nigeria was too big and too diverse to blindly sign agreements without understanding the consequences.

‘‘Already, some of the treaties we are party to have been significantly abused resulting in massive smuggling which has crippled many of our local industries and destroyed millions of jobs.

‘‘To avoid these past mistakes, we conducted vast consultations across the country in which the LCCI participated. The responses have been mixed,’’ the President said.

The president threw light on his decision to inaugurate a Presidential Committee Monday to assess the potential costs and impact of the agreement establishing the African Continental Free Trade Area (AfCFTA) for Nigeria.

‘‘Nigeria is still assessing the impact of this agreement on its backward integration and import substitution policies.

‘‘Specifically, the provisions on rules of origin and transshipment were matters of concern to us.

‘‘Already, some of the treaties we are party to have been significantly abused resulting in massive smuggling which has crippled many of our local industries and destroyed millions of jobs.

‘‘To avoid these past mistakes, we conducted vast consultations across the country in which the LCCI participated. The responses have been mixed,’’ the President said.

On the issue of the gridlock in Apapa, Lagos, President Buhari acknowledged that the situation was a major concern to all.

‘‘The work on Wharf Road is in progress. We will continue to do our best to expedite the repair works at the Ijora Bridge without compromising quality.

‘‘We have also directed the Nigerian Railway Corporation to use their infrastructure in the ports to support the evacuation efforts, thereby further decongesting the area.

‘‘Be assured that the completion of these projects is a major priority of this administration,’’ he said.

Earlier in his remarks, Ruwase while commending the Federal Government for the series of Executive Orders focused on promoting the ease of doing business in the country, stressed the need to improve the regulatory environment in the oil and gas industry.

He, therefore, appealed to the executive arm of the government to expeditiously consider the Petroleum Industry Bill through appropriate collaborative actions with the National Assembly.

The LCCI president also drew the attention of the President to the numerous abandoned Federal Government properties in Lagos and the economic waste it represents.

He urged the Federal Government to either return the property to Lagos State government which is the original owner of the land, or give them out on lease to the private sector.

The post Why we can’t blindly sign treaties anymore –Buhari appeared first on Frontpageng.

Congratulations on your appointment as the co-ordinator of the Sanwo-Olu campaign group in Ojokoro area of Lagos State.  We like to know what the appointment means to you?

I give all the glory to Almighty God. I am very delighted to be given the appointment as the co-ordinator of the campaign group in Ojokoro LCDA.  I want to appreciate the Director General of the campaign group; the incoming Deputy Governor, Femi Hamzat and the incoming Governor, Sanwo-Olu. I want to appreciate the Director General of the campaign too, Hon. Tayo Ayinde; Director of Organisation, Cardinal James Odumbaku and Director of Mobilisation, Enilolobo. I also want to thank my boss, Governor Rauf Aregbesola, and Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.  They considered me worthy and gave me the task.  I feel very good about it.  By the grace of God, I am going to deliver.

What does the appointment mean to you?

By the grace of God, it is a sign that bigger things await me.  We have thousands of people in Ojokoro, but I was chosen.  It is a recognition of my ability to mobilise people.  I am a mobliser.  For example, I have over 60,000 registered members of Change Agent International; these are people who have voters’ cards; people who can make things happen.  We have agreed that we are going to vote for Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat as the next governor and deputy governor of Lagos State respectively.

How easy or otherwise do you think this task would be?

We are expecting to give Sanwo-Olu at least, 2.5 million votes in Lagos State.  In Ojokoro, I can assure you that all the votes here are for Sanwo-Olu.  The people of Ojokoro love me and they give me the needed support over anything I embark on.  Everybody is my friends – the market women, the students, artisan, the teachers, farmers… Everybody is my friend and they are coming together to ensure that we give Sanwo-Olu and Hamzat the needed support to make them win the coming election.

What is the implication of this appointment on your political ambition, considering that despite your popularity, in the last local government election, some forces worked against you?

The implication is that despite what happened during the local government election, despite the machinations of the forces against me, I still remain relevant.  People can only try, they cannot stop the star from shining.  That is exactly what has happened now.  My popularity remains acknowledged and my chances are brighter than ever.

Having said that, you must realise that there is hierarchy in the party; we have leaders and they believe in one step after the other.  One thing I know they don’t do is renege on their promise.  Whatever they promise, they do.  In my own case, they know what I can do.  They know what my capacity is in terms of politics here in Ojokoro and in Lagos State in general.

You talked about the leadership of the APC not reneging on their promises.  What have they promised you?

I don’t know…  They didn’t promise anything.  They said I should be working and I am working. I believe they are full of wisdom. When the time comes, you will see things too. The last time, the leadership promised me and signed the papers to the effect that I was the consensus candidate for the chairmanship of Ojokoro Local Council Development Area. Asiwaju said Okeyomi’s mandate was irreversible, but because somebody somewhere felt he was greater than Asiwaju and Aregbesola, he withdrew the mandate that was given to me. Now, you see what has happened to him. You can’t boss the people who put you in a position.  The consequence is what happened to him.

Who are you actually referring to?

I am talking about the Governor of Lagos State, Akinwunmi Ambode. Having been put in position of authority, he considered himself as equal or bigger than  Asiwaju and Aregbesola among other people. He tried to rubbish them for reasons which some of us still can’t fathom.

Let’s talk about the last local government election in Ojokoro and how it affected you.  We heard so many stories of unfair treatment and claims of stolen mandate. What really happened?

After I had spent millions, over the years, campaigning from house to house, moving from one group to the other, mobilising to become the chairman of Ojokoro LCDA, I emerged as the consensus candidate. The leaders picked me as the consensus candidate because it is allowed in the party and the constitution of Nigeria.  All the leaders and the party chairman signed.  All the party faithful agreed that I was their choice as the chairman of the LCDA. But because Ambode did not like the face of Aregbesola, he refused to allow an “Aregbesola boy” to become a chairman under him. Immediately he saw my name, he changed it.  As a governor, he had the power to remove my name and he did. Asiwaju advised him against that, but he refused to listen.  He removed my name because he did not like Aregbesola.

What did Ambode say was the problem he had with Aregbesola?

I don’t know!  Aregbesola is a very straightforward person; he is very sincere.  He respects people and would not want to hurt anyone.  So, what could he have done? Honestly, I don’t know.  But it was based on the Aregbesola factor that he removed my name as the chairmanship candidate of the APC in Ojokoro.

At a point, we learnt that Ambode’s argument was that Aregbesola had been given concession in Alimoso area, hence could not have come to Ojokoro to demand for the same treatment.  What do you have to say about this?

No.  That is not true.  Those people were chosen on merit; they were chosen based on their popularity and not as a result of any affiliation to Aregbesola.  They won at the primaries. The same thing happened here. I won as a consensus candidate here too. I emerged because of my popularity too. I have the documents.  I was given a form to fill.  This man just came, and overnight, changed everything.  I felt bitter, I felt really bitter about it.  Although people have been calling that I should forgive him.  I have forgiven him, but I am yet to know what the sin of Aregbesola is to Ambode.  I am not bothered about what he did to me any longer.  God has paid him back in his own coin.  He collected my ticket for the LCDA and his own ticket for a second term has also been collected by God.

How did you feel when Ambode was denied the opportunity of a second term?

I pity him! Despite what he did to me, I pity him.  He is from my state. I pity him.  I am a Christian and a preacher in my church. I pity him.  It is the law of karma that caught up with him.  What we should all realise is the fact that power is transient.  If you are in power, don’t misuse your authority.  Take it easy because one day, you will no longer be in the seat of power.  That rod you use against others may still be used against you.  You can’t underrate anyone.  Learn from what happened to Yemi Osinbajo. Osinbajo was a Commissioner of Lagos State at a time and Fashola was a governor at a time too. Today, Osinbajo who was a commissioner is now the Vice President and Fashola who was a governor is now a Minister under Osinbajo.  That tells you that anyone can be whatever God wants him to be.  I can be a governor; I can be a president; I can occupy any big position God wants me to occupy. Power is transient, so, we should be careful what we do when in position of authority.   There are people you don’t tamper with because they have been anointed by God; if you dare tamper with them, the consequence of your action awaits you.  We have to be careful.

You must have felt really bitter.

Why would I not?! He denied me what was due to me; what I had laboured for for so many years; what I had spent money for over the years. He didn’t even call me; he didn’t advise me; he didn’t even give me anything; he  did not even pacify me!  That meant:  “Who is he?  Let him go to hell!” He thought I did not have God.  God is always there for me.  God has fought for me.

I wondered what I could have done to warrant that.  How could anyone have denied me my ticket because I am “Aregbesola’s son?”

How did your supporters take the development then?

So many of my supporters suffered shock and they were hospitalised. They could just not imagine what happened.  It was indeed a terrible situation.

If your followers felt that terrible about what happened, how did you survive it?

I survived it because I have God.  I am a preacher in my church and believe whatever is destined to happen will surely happen.  Wherever anyone is destined to be, he will sure be.  Not even the enemy can stop you.

Did the withdrawal of your ticket for the chairmanship  affect your political ambition?

No.  I don’t care.  I still give out to people.  The pain is that it affected my followers.  Some were too devastated.  It does not change anything.

What is your next political move? What’s your next ambition?

I can’t tell you now because we work according to directives of the party leaders. They know where we are fit to work, they know our capabilities and they have their plans. They registered the party and they are in control of it.  You have to respect their positions.

But this is democracy. You should be free to determine what you want.

Yes, this is democracy, but the leaders must have their own input.

You celebrated your 50 years recently.  What does it mean to be 50 years old?

To me, 50 years means one has to tread softly.  If you want long life for yourself, you need time to rest.  I have worked very well, I have made my name, and if I do not hold any political position, it doesn’t change anything.  I have made my name as a security expert all over the world; I have made my name as a philanthropist; I have made my name as a preacher; I have also made my name as a mobiliser both in the political circle and in the church. More than before, at this age, I will be closer to God more than before.

What are your regrets at the age of 50?

I don’t have any regret.  I give all glory to God.  The only thing is that if my father had been rich, I would have gone to school early in life.  I went to school very late for lack of money.

What is your guiding principle?

I believe God is God, he is never a man. You have to behave like a believer; you have to respect others.  You have to be sincere and truthful in all your ways.  Money will come if you are sincere.  Cutting corners is not the best.  I believe I should always say the truth no matter the circumstance.  It makes me feel free, it makes me feel good.

You are into philanthropy.  Is this informed by your political ambition?

It is not because of my political ambition.  When I was suffering, my wife and I prayed to God to give us wealth; we said if He could bless us, we would continue to bless mankind.  That is the reason we have been giving and the blessings have not stopped.  So, we cannot stop giving because God is also blessing us.

The post How I survived Ambode’s attack –Dipo Okeyomi appeared first on Frontpageng.

Scheduled to hold at the Event Centre, Nigerian Stock Exchange, 2-4 Customs Street, Lagos, by 9.30 a.m, the event will be attended by the Organised Private Sector, OPS.

According to the organisers, the event will be attended by participation of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC), members of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC), Nigeria Computer Society (NCS), Association of Telecommunications Operators of Nigeria (ATCON), Manufacturers Association of Nigeria (MAN), and the Lagos Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) among others.

The President/CEO, World Stage Limited, Mr. Segun Adeleye, told FrontPage that the lead paper would be presented by Associate Professor, Department of Economics, Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Lagos, Dr Tunde Adeoye.

Adeleye said the latest downturn in the economy due to political uncertainty made the laying of good economic foundation necessary.

His words:  “Credit for economic growth and boom in the developed countries of the world over the years had been linked to strategic identification and development of their economic strengths while government played the pivotal role of motivating the private sector with incentives to achieve the common goals in most cases.”

The post WorldState summit discusses news sources of economic strength appeared first on Frontpageng.

He accused the military of creating states and local governments more for selfish reasons than for scientific reasons.

According to him, the lopsidedness of the actions by the military made it possible for the North to unnecessarily gain more from the country’s treasury than the South.

Bisi Akande who expressed his view in a paper titled “Devolution of Powers and National Restructuring” which he delivered at the weekend at the APC-USA second annual convention in Washington DC, USA, said restructuring the country would correct the undue advantages given to one part of the country over the other.

Restructuring, he reasoned, would mean “equitable rearrangement and redistribution of the existing states and local governments per population within the various ethnic nationalities.”

He said to be able to achieve that, amendments would have to be carried out on the nation’s constitution.

He argued that it was the recognition of the enormity of the task of restructuring that made many align with the APC in its decision for a political change of power.

He said those who did not join the APC had continued to make so much noise about need to restructure the country without coming up with “any clear definition or a peaceful workable strategy.”

“The North is a largely Hausa-speaking people traditionally mix-bred and assimilated with and governed by minority Fulani rulers through Islamic emirate system since two centuries ago. The North has been amalgamated with the South in-law and in fact since a century ago. And, presumably, the Fulani has been perceived to be manipulating the North to rule Nigeria since independence.

“Even if one does not like the minority Fulani rulers of the North for being hegemonic in characteristics, can one separate them from the original majority Hausa-speaking people of the same North? Unless one was ready for another civil war, could one ostracise the whole North in the political considerations of the country,” he said.

He said Nigeria had accepted the geo-political zoning which had made the South-West to embark on its developmental agenda.

He said with the creation of a Development Agenda Commission for Western Nigeria, DAWN Commission, information are put together to assist  on integrated development programmes.

He encouraged other zones to carry out similar programmes, stressing that it would help the development of the country in general.

The post Military’s lopsided creation of states makes restructuring necessary –Akande appeared first on Frontpageng.

He arrived the EFCC office wearing a t-shirt carrying the inscription: EFCC, I’m here.

He also had a bag full of clothes.

He had promised to produce himself for probe immediately after leaving office as governor.

As a former governor he has lost his immunity and can be probed.

Fayose at the EFCC office said he was there in line with “my promise that I will be here on the 16th of October, and like I said to EFCC, they should await my arrival.”

He was accompanied to the EFCC office by Nyesom Wike, governor of Rivers State, and Femi Fani Kayode, former minister of aviation.

The post Drama as Fayose arrives EFCC office for probe appeared first on Frontpageng.

Liman was killed on Monday by the terrorists group barely a day after the ICRC appealed to the Federal Government and people who might be useful in ensuring the release of Liman and Leah Sharibu, the only Dapchi school girl remaining in captivity.

In its reaction to the killing, the Federal Government said it was unfortunate that the group took the action despite the efforts it had made to secure her release as well as others.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, explained that since the aid workers were kidnapped, the Federal Government had kept the line of negotiations open all through.

He said the government had acted in the best interest of the women and the country as a whole in the negotiations.

”We are deeply pained by this killing, just like we were by the recent killing of the first aid worker. However, we will keep the negotiations open and continue to work to free the innocent women who remain in the custody of their abductors,” the minister said.

While stating that nothing could justify the killing, he thanked all those who had contributed to efforts aimed at securing the release of those held by the terrorists.

Hauwa Liman was kidnapped in March, 2018, when the terrorists attacked Rann in Borno State.

She was one of the aid workers on duty at the time.

She was captured along with Saifura Khorsa who was killed last month.

The terrorists group has also declared that Sharibu had become their slave and they could do anything they liked with her.

The post Boko Haram: FG speaks on killing of Red Cross aid worker, Hauwa Liman appeared first on Frontpageng.

Atiku was Obasanjo’s vice president between 1999 and 2007.

The friction between them had, however, made Obasanjo deny Atiku the chance of succeeding him.

Obasanjo had on several occasions vowed not to support Atiku’s presidential ambition, describing him as corrupt.

The most recent was the one in which Obasanjo said that God would not forgive him if he supported Atiku.

He, however, said the disagreement was not personal but in the interest of the country.

He declared that he would not support anyone that did not have the interest of the country at heart.

However, Obasanjo changed his mind on Thursday when Atiku and some chieftains of the PDP stormed his Abeokuta residence.

On the trip were the National Chairman of PDP, Uche Secondus and former Governor of Ogun State, Otunba Gbenga Daniel.

He stated that he had forgiven him and would support his presidential ambition.

He described him as a better candidate than Buhari.

Obasanjo said it had become obvious that Atiku had shown remorse and learnt some lessons from all that had transpired in the past “couple of hours.”

He wished him well and warned him to do only the right thing when he got to power.

Obasanjo’s statement reads:

“I am happy to welcome the distinguished leaders of goodwill who have led the PDP Presidential Candidate and my former Vice-President, Atiku Abubakar, to my humble abode and I welcome the Presidential Candidate himself.

“Let me start by congratulating President-to-be, Atiku Abubakar, for his success at the recent PDP Primary and I took note of his gracious remarks in his acceptance speech that it all started here.

“Yes, when it started, it was meant for Atiku to succeed Obasanjo. In the presence of these distinguished leaders of goodwill today, let me say it openly that we have reviewed what went wrong on the side of Atiku. And in all honesty, my former Vice-President has re-discovered and re-positioned himself. As I have repeatedly said, it is not so much what you did against me that was the issue but what you did against the Party, the Government and the country.

“I took the stand I had taken based on the character and attributes you exhibited in the position you found yourself. I strongly believe that I was right. It was in the overall interest of everyone and everything to take such a position.

“From what transpired in the last couple of hours or so, you have shown remorse; you have asked for forgiveness and you have indicated that you have learnt some good lessons and you will mend fences and make amends as necessary and as desirable.

“Whenever or wherever you might have offended me, as a Christian who asks for God’s forgiveness of my sins and inadequacies on daily basis, I forgive and I sincerely advise you to learn from the past and do what is right and it will be well with you. Obviously, you have mended fences with the Party and fully reconciled with the Party. “That’s why today, you are the Presidential Candidate of the Party. In addition to appreciating all that the Party has done for you, may I advise you to work together with all those who contested for the Party’s flag with you as a team for your campaign.

“There are still areas, nationally and internationally, where you have to mend fences and make amends. You will know how to handle what is already out and what may yet be put out by the opposition. But, I am convinced that if you continue with the attitude that brought you here with these distinguished leaders of goodwill, with remorse and contrite heart, the rest of the coast within and outside the country can be cleared. And if there is anything I can do and you want me to do in that respect, I will do.

“I am sure with the right attitude for change where necessary, and by putting lessons learned by you to work, you will get the understanding, cooperation, support and mandate – all at the national level. With Nigerians voting for you, it will mean that you secure their forgiveness and regain their confidence. It will be with the hope or assurance of a Paul on the road to “Damascus Conversion. After all, change and conversion are of man. I believe that with a contrite heart, change is possible in everybody’s life and situation.

“For me, relatively and of all the aspirants in the PDP, you have the widest and greatest exposure, experience, outreach and possibly the best machinery and preparation for seeing the tough and likely dirty campaign ahead through. From what I personally know of you, you have capacity to perform better than the incumbent. You surely understand the economy better; you have business experience, which can make your administration business-friendly and boost the economy and provide jobs.

“You have better outreach nationally and internationally and that can translate to better management of foreign affairs. You are more accessible and less inflexible and more open to all parts of the country in many ways. As Pastor Bakare, one-time running mate of the incumbent President said, “You are a wazobia man.” And that should help you in confronting the confrontable and shunning nepotism.

“As you know, along the road to where you are today, many leaders and ordinary people cooperated and overtly and covertly worked hard.

“On your behalf, I thank them all. May their coast continue to be expanded. And when you become Nigerian President which, insha-Allah, you will be, remember what we did together in government – we ran an administration by Nigerians for all Nigerians where merit and performance count more than blood relationship, friendship or kith and kin. Although some time and ground have been lost, you should endeavour to start from where we stopped and recover some lost ground, if not time.

“Please uphold truth, integrity, principles, morality and fight corruption, crimes and insurgency.

“The fundamental law of the land, our constitution must be scrupulously defended. I make one demand and one demand on you today, I need you to say before God and man that you will always remain irrevocably committed to upholding ALL the provisions of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the whole country will remain your single indivisible constituency.

Constitutionalism, popular participation and inclusiveness are pre-conditions for reversing the deficits of the past three and half years. They will ensure abiding faith in our indivisibility, oneness and faith in the survival of all against none.

“The fundamentals for our development, economic growth and progress are hard and soft infrastructure. Remember to always give adequate places in your administration to our youth and women.

“All the authorities involved with the preparation, all processes and conduct of the election must ensure that the election is free, fair and credible.

“Once again, congratulations and I wish you well.

“My distinguished brothers and leaders of goodwill, thank you for making this happen. I will now count on you to encourage all hands to be on the deck to take Nigeria to the level God has created it to be – autopilot level.

“God bless you all and God bless Nigeria.”

The post 2019: Obasanjo makes U-turn, declares support for Atiku appeared first on Frontpageng.

Obasanjo who had vowed not to support the presidential ambition of his former deputy, Atiku, made a U-turn on Thursday, declaring his support for him.

He said he had forgiven Atiku while he stated that he was better than the incumbent, Buhari.

But in a swift reaction, the Presidency said notwithstanding the support given to Atiku by Obasanjo, he would suffer defeat at the poll.

It said the remarks by Obasanjo had shown that he was not in tune with the reality of the current political situation in the country.

The Presidency, in the statement issued by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said Nigerians wanted a government that could deliver good governance, the type it said was characterized by Buhari’s administration.

The statement reads:

“The Presidency has received the news of former President Olusegun Obasanjo’s predictable U-turn and somersault on the endorsement of the PDP candidate, Atiku Abubakar, at a meeting Thursday, and to say that we are the least surprised by the well-rehearsed theatre.

“They will lose together. Listening to the prepared statement of the former President after the meeting showed the usual ego trip and “I know it all” character of Chief Obasanjo.

“In the first place, we dare to say that a pompous statement from the former President advising Nigerians on a vote against President Buhari is the best recommendation that can come at this time.

“It also betrayed a lack of understanding of today’s politics which is about good governance.

“The country voted for change in 2015 and a leader that ensures good governance which only President Buhari and the APC can provide.

“Bent on these laudable goals, we will not allow ourselves to be distracted.

“We are busy on various national issues including the restructuring and the diversification of the economy, fighting corruption, terrorism and other threats to national security; increasing the availability of electric power, improving education, health, and providing long-delayed infrastructure – roads, rail, airports and so forth.

“Many governments have come and gone, but they did not care about some of these projects.

“We were talking about these things for sixteen years under the PDP and nothing was done.

“President Buhari is proud of his record because his achievements are verifiable, while that of the PDP is manifested by the devastating social and economic impact of large scale corruption during their governance.

“The President will not relent in the war against corruption because the ordinary people are the ultimate victims if we surrender to corruption and let its perpetrators go unpunished.

“Abandoning the war against corruption is not an option. President Buhari is in this battle against graft because he cannot allow a few, rapacious, and selfish class of the elite to divert the resources meant for the well-being of the ordinary people to their private pockets.

“Nigerians trust President Buhari in this effort because they are convinced he is not in government for personal financial benefits, or for an ego trip. It is just eleven years ago that the former President and Vice President in their ugly fight for power accused each other of corruption. Nigerians are yet to forget all that.”

The post 2019: How Buhari will defeat Atiku despite Obasanjo’s support -Presidency appeared first on Frontpageng.

That he said, was a rare opportunity.

His words:  ”My experience of being in the military afforded me the opportunity to work with all Nigerians and this is a lifetime experience.”

The president made the declaration when he received a delegation of Ugep Kingdom, Cross River State, at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

The delegation was led by Obol Ofem Ubana, Obol Lopon of Ugep, a retired Army officer.

Pledging to give the necessary support to the part of Nigeria where the delegation came from, the president said he would take care of any part of Nigeria.

‘‘I assure you that under my watch, no part of Nigeria will be ignored.

”I am very pleased that you [the traditional ruler] have shared some professional background as a former military officer,” he said.

While speaking at the occasion, Obol Ofem Ubana, pledged the support of his people for the current administration.

He said it was commendable that some sons of his kingdom were appointed into key positions.

He drew the attention to the president to the killing of youths in his area, saying there was urgent need to stem the tide.

‘‘We are increasingly losing our youths to inter-tribal wars which if nothing is done will leave our communities without youths in the near future.

”As Obolo Lopon of Ugep, I am ready to partner with relevant government agencies saddled with the responsibility and management of communal conflict resolutions,” he said.

The post What being a military man taught me –Buhari appeared first on Frontpageng.

The directive was said to be issued by the president, according to a letter said to be in circulation.

In a statement issued, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on Media and Publicity, Mallam Garba Shehu, said Buhari was not aware of such a letter.

He said the president did not aurthorise anyone to deal with any member of the party either.

“Given President Buhari’s record, it is inconceivable that he would usurp the role of the party leaders and instruct anyone to punish a party member.

“In the light of above, we would like to appeal to the general public, especially members of the press, to ignore false or unauthorized information intended to attribute to the President any action which is not in line with his character,” Shehu said.

It would be recalled that the Governor of Kaduna State, Nasir El-Rufai, had claimed that Buhari directed him to recall Shehu Sani over contempt and disloyalty.

He said however, in view of the huge cost of a recall process, it was decided that Shehu Sani would be voted out during the next election.

El-Rufai’s position was at variance with that of the All Progressives Congress, APC, which assured Shehu Sani of an automatic ticket for the Kaduna Central senatorial seat.

Shehu Sani was the only one cleared for the seat.

But in a primary conducted of which Shehu Sani was not part of, an aide of El-Rufai emerged as the winner.

He his Uba Sani.

The APC has since dismissed the emergence of Uba Sani as a joke.

The party said it recognized Shehu Sani, arguing that the governor of Kaduna State could not dictate to the party.

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