Singapore News Channel, Singapore News Network

The former head of state, Ibrahim Badamosi Babaginda has joined the class of those who congratulated President Muhammad Buhari on his re-election.

I wish to congratulate President Muhammadu Buhari GCFR on his re-election to lead Nigeria in the next four years,” said the former military president.

He added, “I have observed that the electioneering campaign was very strenuous and the contest very keen.

“That despite the turbulent terrain of politics, the President submitted and subjected himself to this process. Indeed is a clear testimony that he believes in the democratic process and ideals.

He also urged President Buhari to be magnanimous in victory by embracing all that contested against him. He also urged the president to douse the tension in the land by being president of everyone.

The newly elected President should heal the wounds of the heated campaign exchanges by embracing those who contested alongside with him.

The President must resist the temptation to see them as enemies; not even opponents, but fellow compatriots who merely disagreed with him on how best to move our country forward

Babaginda also congratulated Alhaji Atiku Abubakar on his doggedness and resilience throughout the election period.

Babaginda also challenged the president to do more about the security issues of the country.

Information Nigeria

In this interview with KAMARUDEEN OGUNDELE, the Director of Communications and Strategy of the All Progressives Congress’ Presidential Campaign Council, Festus Keyamo (SAN), says the 2019 presidential election reflects the will of Nigerians

Now that the presidential election is over, how do you feel

We feel fulfilled. We give thanks to God. We also thank Nigerians for believing in President Muhammadu Buhari; for believing in his promises and his integrity. In the editorials from across the world, it has been reviewed that what saw the President through this election was his integrity. The election was a referendum on the integrity of the President and the Peoples Democratic Party’s candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar. So, we feel fulfilled but also feel challenged that this show of confidence that Nigerians have displayed in the President is for him to double efforts to deliver on his mandate. If you listened to his speech after the declaration, you will see that he is a president who is determined, focused and re-energised to deliver on his promises

Would you say the election was free and fair?

If you take the views of the international, continental and regional observers as well as most local observers, you will agree with me that 95 per cent of them have returned with the verdict that the election, despite a few hiccups, reflected the wishes of Nigerians. In some areas, votes were cancelled which also affected the APC in some of our strongholds. In one of the local governments in Rivers State, we lost 17,000 votes due to cancellations. There are many other areas where there was outright rigging by the opposition like Delta, Cross-River and Akwa Ibom states. In many states in the South-East, they didn’t use card readers; they just wrote results. We have evidence to that effect. We are only waiting for them (PDP) to bring it on. We will meet them at the tribunal.

To answer your question in clear terms, the election reflected the will of Nigerians. The United Kingdom attested to that when it said independent results collated by them gave the same results with INEC. Those local people, who are anti-Buhari and have continued to spin the narratives, can keep doing that but we have a new government in place.

The opposition alleged that the APC frustrated INEC in order to force a postponement so that it could perfect its rigging plan. What’s your take on that?

By raising the allegation of rigging, the PDP is only trying to play to the gallery and satisfy the emotion of their supporters. Let me tell you why Atiku could never have won that election. You cannot win election in this country by only locking down two regions. Historically, we have known that; not even by locking down the two largest regions in this country. If you don’t expand your scope beyond two regions, you are bound to fail. What happened? Atiku got 5/5 in the South-East, 6/6 in the South-South. In the South-West, we got 4/6; in the North-Central, 4/6; in the North-West, we got 7/7 and North-East, which is the region of Atiku, we got 4/6. You can see that he could not effectively go beyond the South-East and South-South. Even when Buhari was at the peak of the opposition, when he locked the North-West and North-East, despite the rigging by the PDP, he still could not get into Presidency. Not until he forged an alliance with the South-West, led by the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria, that he clinched the Presidency. We have made our calculation and I will tell you if we do this election 100 times, Atiku will lose with the kind of demographic calculation on the table. He was the one that pushed himself into this sectional endorsement whereas Buhari was pushing for a pan-Nigeria mandate. Who is more experienced in this if you look at the two of them? You can’t compare the experience of Buhari with that of Atiku who has consistently contested presidential elections since 2003. When Atiku was looking for the tickets of the big political parties, Buhari pulled out to form his own. I want to challenge Atiku; when he was denied ticket all over, why didn’t he pull out to form his own party if he knew he was that popular? They (PDP) wanted to scam Nigerians with the meaningless phrase, ‘Getting Nigeria to work again’. Nigerians have rejected them; now they want to be scamming their supporters. Their supporters should shine their eyes. Let me tell you why their analysis is wrong.

The Buhari votes have consistently remained the same even when he was in the opposition and there was no card reader. Then, he was not in government. You will expect that his figure should increase now that he is in government but unfortunately, his votes reduced across the country to show you the efficiency of the card reader. When the PDP was in power, their figures kept increasing up to the point the card reader was introduced. Then, their figure dropped drastically. For us as the opposition, Buhari, without the smart card reader, always got between 10 million and 12 million votes in the North. When the smart card reader was introduced, he still got the same figure; this is scientific. Let us be honest with ourselves. All the claims by the PDP are complete nonsense and just to raise the hope of their supporters. They are free to take the battle anywhere, we will be prepared to meet them anywhere but they should know there is a government in place. They should also know that Nigeria is bigger than all of us. In term of street credibility, Atiku can’t match Buhari. They can’t even take the battle to the streets because they don’t have acceptance. Nigerians overwhelmingly voted Buhari. If they want to go to court, we will meet them there

DAMMYLINK

President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed that only persons of unquestionable character would be considered for appointment in his next cabinet.

He also assured women and youths that their expectations from his administration  in the next four years will be met.

Buhari gave the assurances on Saturday night during a victory dinner organised for the All Progressives Congress Women and Youth Campaign Council at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

He used the opportunity to praise women and youths for the role they played in his re-election.

The President also responded to the call by the women and youths to include more of them in his new cabinet, saying that “persons of integrity would not be denied appointment.”

Expressing his appreciation, Buhari stated, “I very much appreciate your coming here tonight.

“I am congratulating ourselves for succeeding. If we had failed… My good God! Thank goodness we have succeeded.”

The President again spoke on the gains of the agricultural reform policy of his administration, saying that women would get more fertilisers in the next four years.

With fertilisers made available to them at reduced rates, Buhari said, food production would be boosted to cut dependence on imports.

As usual, the President again hit at the Peoples Democratic Party, blaming the 16 years the party previously ruled the country for the difficult times Nigerians faced today.

NAN

Ekiti State Deputy Governor Otunba Bisi Egbeyemi has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to make more resources available to the states for them to meet their obligations.

Egbeyemi urged the President to allocate oil wells to states of the federation to make them more buoyant and less dependent on the Federal Government for survival.

Speaking during an interview on Ekiti State Television (EKTV) at the weekend, Egbeyemi urged the President to strip some Nigerians of their oil blocs and allocate same to the states to ensure development.

Egbeyemi assured Nigerians that they will enjoy more dividends of democracy during Buhari’s second term, saying the President was more determined to make a difference in their lives.

“The victory achieved by the President was a victory for Nigeria indeed and the masses who reposed confidence in him and voted him back to office,” he said.

“This is the time for him to take some bold and radical decisions to make life better for the citizenry and ensure economic recovery.

“President Buhari, during his second term, must make the states buoyant. He must take oil wells from individuals and allocate them to the states so that they can pay their workers, build more infrastructures and establish industries.

“We have some individuals holding oil wells having billions of Naira coming to them every day while majority of Nigerians are living in poverty.”

Egbeyemi also advised Buhari to remove People’s Democratic Party (PDP) members who are still on the boards of federal commissions, boards and agencies despite the expiry of their tenures.

Describing the situation as “annoying,” Egbeyemi warned that PDP members still in the APC-led administration may sabotage efforts of the President to sanitize the polity.

Egbeyemi also enjoined the President to constitute a think tank that will assist his administration to immediately hit the ground running after taking the oath of office for the second time on May 29.

He added: “The task ahead is onerous but surmountable. President Buhari must allow people like Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Governor Kayode Fayemi and other eggheads in the North and the South to join hands in taking care of the situation.

“There must be a serious think tank to assist him move this great country forward. He should surround himself with patriotic individuals not those who are selfish.

“The President should put those who want the progress of this country in the helm of affairs. For example, see what Fayemi is doing in Ekiti, he (Fayemi) didn’t put those who don’t know what they are doing in positions of responsibility.

“The anti-corruption crusade must continue, those who have stolen the nation’s wealth must be made to face justice and such money be returned to the treasury.”

The Sun

The Christian Association of Nigeria (CAN) in the 19 northern states and Abuja has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari for his victory in the February 23 governorship election.

Mr Buhari was declared the winner in the early hours of Wednesday, beating his closest rival, Atiku Abubakar of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

Mr Abubakar has since declared his intention to challenge the election in court

The northern CAN chapter in a letter to the president dated March 1, 2019, said the re-election of the president was a testimony of Mr Buhari’s “uprightness and transparency in governance”.

The letter, signed by Yakubu Pam, the association’s chairman, urged the president to unite the country and fight security and corruption challenges.

“Aware of this victory at a time the people of Nigeria are looking up to you for quality leadership, we urge you double your effort in the fight against insurgency, internal security and corruption in the country.”

The association called on the president to “run an inclusive government as you promised under the new dispensation to unite the diverse of people of Nigeria now, more than ever before.

“Mr President sir, the Bible says to whom much is given, much is expected. We wish to appeal that you continue to be father to all in Nigeria as we look forward to seeing prosperous nation in the next 4 years of your second term in office,” the letter partly reads.

Also, the Jama’tu Nasril Islam (JNI), has felicitated with Mr Buhari and all contestants as well as the voters that conducted themselves peacefully during the elections.

The leader of JNI, Muhammad Abubakar, the Sultan of Sokoto, made the felicitation in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Khalid Abubakar, on Sunday in Kaduna.

Mr Abubakar said, “We are grateful to Allah for the peaceful and successful conduct of the 2019 Presidential and National Assembly Elections as well as the subsequent declaration of the winner.

“However, we call on all the political contenders in Nigeria to, in the name Allah, take it easy and sheath their swords as in every contest there will always be a winner and a loser.

“But in this case, all the contestants are the winners, because Nigerians are now beginning to understand the dynamics of politics and democracy.

“Moreover, Nigerians must be in peace with one another before anybody will think of governing the entity called Nigeria, except if he/she thinks otherwise.

“Peace must be embraced by all as Nigeria clearly needs peace for its growth and development and considering that the Governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections are coming up on Saturday.

“We use this medium to appeal to all politicians and their supporters to embrace peace and also be decorous in actions and speeches, before, during and after the elections,” he added.

Mr Abubakar further said that the contestants must not fuel the embers of hatred nor beat the drum of war amongst the peoples.

“So, restraint should be exercised as this is a crucial period for the evolutionary process of the Nigerian state.

“We must all be seen to be statesmen such that we will continue to be a force to be reckoned with in the comity of nations.

“Security agencies are implored to redouble their efforts in the discharge of their constitutional responsibility especially during the forthcoming gubernatorial elections,” he stated.

Mr Abubakar said it was high time Nigerians did away with rancour and bitterness while sincere and concerted efforts should be put in place to address insecurity as well as bad governance in Nigeria.

He called on Imams, Islamic scholars and all Muslims to fervently continue with supplications for peace and security to reign in the country.

“This is so because we have clearly seen its result during the just concluded 2019 Presidential and National Assembly Elections,” Mr Abubakar said.

(NAN)

The National Council of Women Societies (NCWS) has congratulated President Muhammadu Buhari on his re-election as the country’s President.

Mrs Gloria Shoda, President of the council, in a statement, said Buhari’s victory was a reflection of the people’s choice.

She called on the president to use his second term to ensure that more women were given opportunity to serve in government.

According to her, women form a greater percentage of the Nigerian population, saying that giving them opportunity to serve will give them a sense of belonging and responsibility on how to move the nation forward

”We know, as home builders and go getters, that putting more women in strategic positions will move the country to the desired next level,” she said.

Shoda also called on the president to invest more in the education sector to reduce the burden of educating the children on parents.

The NCWS president also urged the Buhari administration to create more job opportunities for the youths in addition to empowering more women.

President Buhari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) was on Wednesday declared re-elected by Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), having polled 15,191,847 votes, winning in 19 states.

Buhari defeated other 72 candidates including Atiku Abubakar, the candidate of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who scored 11, 255,978 votes and won 17 states and the FCT, to occupy the second position.

NAN

President Muhammadu Buhari has vowed not to betray the confidence of Nigerians from the last elections, saying his victory is a sign that Nigerians are satisfied with the change that his government embarked upon and shows confidence in his promise of its consolidation as idealized by the next level campaign.

He was speaking at the victory dinner organized by wife of the President, Dr. Mrs. Aisha Muhammadu Buhari at the State House Conference Center, Abuja on Saturday 2nd March, 2019.

President Buhari spoke of the abuse that Nigeria went through during past governments and explained why it had to take long to reposition the country back to its due course. He promised to use the next four years to conclude what he had started.

The President also recognized the significant role women and youth played during the campaign and the election proper, promising to engage them more in his second tenure.

Wife of the President, Dr. Mrs. Aisha Buhari in her remarks expressed happiness at the overwhelming confidence reposed on President Buhari by Nigerians, assuring them that he will use his second tenure to serve the interest of the masses, especially by addressing the huge gap between the rich and the poor in Nigeria.

“I wish I can invite all the 15 million Nigerians that voted for Mr. President to this dinner, but no place can accommodate you all. So let me say thank you and assure you that you made the right choice.” She said.

She also thanked the Women and Youth Presidential Campaign team, which she said, complemented the APC Presidential Campaign Council, as well as the Buhari Support Organization.

“Specifically, I wish to express my appreciation to the women and youth presidential campaign team that I initiated to complement the efforts of the APC Presidential Campaign Council. As you all know by now, the aim of setting up the team was to get women and youth, who form the majority of the electorate, involved in all the campaign activities across the country.”

She said this was a successful experiment that will be recognized in our nation’s political history.

Mrs. Buhari used the opportunity to call on all Buhari campaign groups to raise the flag on government whenever they observe the need to do so.

The event was attended by the wife of the Vice President, Mrs. Dolapo Osinbajo.

Goodwill messages were delivered by party stalwarts including former IGP Suleiman Abba, Brig. Gen. Buba Marwa Rtd., and Hon. Abdulmumin Jibrin. Dame Pauline Tallen, Princess Adegoke Adefulire, and Hajiya Najaatu Bala Mohammed.

Highlight of the event was entertainment by various groups.

Suleiman Haruna
Director of Information
to Wife of the President
State House
Abuja

Stakeholders in the Nigerian oil and gas sector says the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari is good omen for the oil and gas sector.

Some of the stakeholders including staff of the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) told the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja on Friday that the sector would witness massive growth with the reelection of the president.

Mr Musa Danjuma, a staff of the NNPC said that there would be continuity with the happenings in the corporation and by extension the industry.

“I am happy that the president won this election; for us in NNPC, it would have been a disaster if he had lost.

“With him as the president, ongoing projects will continue and which will be a good lead in the industry.

“You know people have been apprehensive about investing in capital projects in the sector because of the election and with the proposal of the opposition party to sell the NNPC if they win.

“Right now, with President Buhari on board, most of them will invest and it will help to heat the ground running,” he said.

Danjuma Further said that the president should try and ensure speedy passage of the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

This, he said would help bring about change, growth and development in the sector.

Also, another staff who spoke on condition of anonymity told NAN that the best has happened to the sector with the reelection of President Buhari.

“As the president, he was the Minister of Petroleum and there has been great difference with the way things has been going on in the sector.

“His coming back will help to solidify the good things already existing in the sector.

“You can see that there is transparency in everything happening in the corporation right now.

“This is what Buhari signifies and that is what we want. I am happy that he has been reelected, “he said.

Also, another staff who wants to be identified as Benjamin said that with Buhari as the president, refinery rehabilitation, pipelines vandalism and other issues would be dealt with.

“He has promised to give NNPC all the support and I am sure he will do it and Nigerians will see results.

“His administration is keen with sustaining NNPC as National oil company which is very important than those who wants to sell to friends.

“Nigeria deserves a good leader like him,” he said.

Also, Mr Osagie Mustapha, an independent marketer said that there would be relative peace in the sector with the reelection of Buhari.

“I will want the president to ensure transparency in everything concerning the sector especially in payments of oil marketers their outstanding debts.

“He has done well in his first term but there is much that is expected of him, like the refineries need to be operational,” he said

He also urged the president to provide level playing ground to bring investors to the sector.

NAN

Popular Prophet Emmanuel Omale of the Divine Hand of God Ministries International, Abuja has said that God granted President Muhammadu Buhari re-election because of the good work he would do to revive the country.

Talking about the turn-around of the country, he told said in Abuja that the re-election of President Buhari “is ordained by God’’.

Omale urged all Nigerians to support the president in the interest of the nation.

The cleric who had revealed the re-election of Buhari in his 2019 prophecies made on Dec. 31, 2018 advised Nigerians to stop questioning Buhari’s re-election.

Omale said that it was God that anointed Buhari to lead Nigeria at this time and to lead Nigeria for eight years.

He said when God had anointed someone to be a leader or a President, no one could stop it.

“The world can hate him, the world can try to reject him but God has ordained him,” he said.

Omale said that the second tenure of Buhari was a blessing in disguise for Nigerians as the nation would witness an unprecedented rapid development.

“The coming back of Buhari is going to be for the good of the people, the poor people are going to be able to eat three times a day.

” There will be improvement in electricity supply, we are going to have infrastructure development.

“God is going to use Buhari to build a new Nigeria, to lay a solid foundation, and my advice to Nigerians is that we should support Buhari and pray for him.
Omale also urged the Presidential Candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) former Vice President Atiku Abubakar to accept the outcome of the election as the will of God.

“He should just call Buhari so that they can work together for the progress of the country because of his love for Nigeria

“Nigerians love him so much, Christians love him, God loves him, so he should just call Buhari so that they can work together for the future of our country, because I know he has a good plan for this country‎,” he said.

Omale also advised the PDP and all other political parties that lost the election to start praying for Buhari to succeed.

He advised President Buhari to see himself as a father to the nation and the citizenry irrespective of political, religious affiliations or ethnicity backgrounds for the nation under his leadership to get to the promised land.

“Again I will tell him that he should open his arms, embrace and forgive everybody, because if the President considers carefully, he will observe the way his victory came, he will know that it is God that brought him back to the throne.

“He should remember that though many were fighting him, God gave him victory. It is not money or people, ” he said.

Omale said that there was a mystery about Buhari and that people would soon see that it was God that made him President for the Peoples’ sake. (NAN)

U.S. Secretary of State Michael Pompeo has congratulated the people of Nigeria on a successful presidential election, and President Buhari on his re-election.

Secretary Pompeo commended all Nigerians who participated peacefully in the February 23 Presidential and National Assembly elections and condemned those whose acts of violence harmed Nigerians and the electoral process.

‘‘We note the assessments of international and domestic observer missions affirming the overall credibility of the election, despite localized violence and irregularities.

‘‘We also congratulate all the other candidates for their peaceful participation in the electoral process. We call on all Nigerians to ensure successful state elections next week. Going forward, the United States remains committed to working together with Nigeria to achieve greater peace and prosperity for both our nations,’’ Secretary Pompeo said.

Femi Adesina
Special Adviser to the President
(Media & Publicity)
March 1, 2019