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November 25 2017
3
2019: No automatic ticket for Atiku, says PDP
T
Olusola Fabiyi, Abuja
he
Peoples
Democratic
Party
has reacted to the
resignation of former
Vice President Atiku
Abubakar from the ruling All
Progressives Congress, saying
he is now a free man.
It, however, said it would not
offer Atiku an automatic ticket
to contest the 2019 presidential
election.
It said the former member
of the Board of Trustees of the
PDP had seen the light, which
it said, necessitated his leaving
the APC.
The former ruling party also
called on other members of the
APC to leave, saying the day
the ruling party was formed
“remains a dark day in the
history of Nigeria.”
The spokesperson for the
party, Prince Dayo Adeyeye,
stated this in an interview with
journalists in Abuja on Friday.
“The PDP is a democratic
party. If you come in, you are
free to contest elections once
you meet our constitutional
requirements, but we can’t give
our ticket to anybody like that,”
Adeyeye said.
Adeyeye said that the PDP had
the capacity to accommodate
anybody who wanted to be a
member or wanted to return,
but said such return must be
without any condition.
According to him, “The
PDP has the capacity to
accommodate everybody. Our
doors are open to him (Atiku) to
come back to his home without
any precondition.
“He is free to come back like
every other Nigerian and we
want to appeal to those who
have not seen the truth and we
are praying that they will soon
see the truth, so that the truth
will set them free. And as soon
as they are free, let them come
back.”
Atiku, who was one of the
founding fathers of the PDP,
once contested and won election
as the governor of Adamawa
State on the platform of the
PDP.
But before he was sworn
in, he was nominated by Chief
Olusegun Obasanjo as his
running mate and they were
sworn in as President and Vice
President on May 29, 1999.
Again, they both ran in 2003.
Because of these facts,
Adeyeye said Atiku remained a
true PDP man to the core.
Adeyeye said it was
unfortunate that in 2013, Atiku
and others were deceived to
leave the PDP, believing that
there was a platform that would
correct all the ills in the PDP and
that it could create an Eldorado
in Nigeria.
He said, “I believe Atiku and
others were deceived because
we had challenges in our party
at that point in time, they went
and joined the new party called
the APC, which we have all now
seen; every Nigerian has seen
it’s a fallacy.
“The day APC was born
marked a tragedy for Nigeria.
It has been a monumental
disaster for Nigeria. There
is nothing progressive about
them. Everything about them
•L-R: A former Director, National Root Crops Research Institute, Umudike, Abia State, Gabriel Orkwor; former President
Olusegun Obasanjo; Director- General, International Institute for Tropical Agriculture, Ibadan, Dr. Nteranya Sanginga;
and Chairman, IITA 50th Anniversary Committee, Dr. Kwesi Atta-Krah, at the grand finale of the anniversary, in
Ibadan... on Friday. Photo: NAN
back to his home without any
precondition. He is free to come
worst platform in the history of everybody, PDP is a democratic
is unprogressive. Everything
party. PDP is a free party and
politics in Nigeria.
about them is a complete
back like every other Nigerian
“I believe that Atiku has seen was conceived for all Nigerians
disaster.
and we want to appeal to those
the truth and the truth has and is free from all religious,
“It is human to make mistakes
who have not seen the truth and
now set him free and we thank ethnicity and geographical
because we are not infallible. We
we are praying that they will
God for that. Therefore, being divisions.
have no knowledge of what will
soon see the truth, so that the
“It
has
the
capacity
to
a founding father and because
happen in the future. Human
truth will set them free. And as
we have an umbrella that is accommodate everybody. Our
beings can always be deceived.
soon as they are free, let them
big enough to accommodate doors are open for him to come
But in John 8:32, the Bible says
come back.”
‘And you shall know the truth
and the truth shall set you free.’
“I believe Atiku Abubakar
The
circular
with Joseph Attah, informed our
has come to know the truth, like
Anna Okon
reference
number
NCS/ correspondent that promotion
he said in the statement that he
he Nigeria Customs ABJ/HRD/560/C/VOL.VIII exams were conducted for all
had now known the truth, that
Service has cancelled addressed to all management the ranks in the service but only
the APC is not what they call
the
promotion staff and Customs formations
one paper was cancelled.
themselves, that it’s not a better
examination recently nationwide read, ”The 2017
He explained that the
platform. That platform is the
conducted
for Promotion Examination (CBT)
senior officers from the rank of AC-DC (GD) taken on October paper that was cancelled was
the promotion examination
Assistant Comptroller to Deputy 11, 2017, has been cancelled.
paper written by Assistant
Comptroller over irregularities
“This is consequent upon
observed in the conduct of the violation of the integrity of the Comptrollers that was to qualify
impunity, Nigeria had yet to
them for promotion to the
examination.
examination process.”
reach where it ought to be.
According to an internal
At the event, a former
Sources within the service Deputy Comptroller rank.
He said, “The paper was
circular, dated November 22, said the examination, which
President of the Nigerian
2017, the Comptroller Genera l was conducted on October 11, cancelled due to integrity issue
Bar Association, Chief Wole
of the Service, Col. Hameed Ali 2017, was allegedly marred by and because the current NCS
Olanipekun
(SAN),
said
(retd.), ordered the cancellation. irregularities including leakage has zero tolerance for lack
government should build strong
of integrity. The exam was
The circular, signed by the of examination questions.
institutions as a way of tackling
corruption.
Deputy Comptroller General in
They added that the rescheduled for Monday.
He said, “Let us build
charge of Human Resources, promotion examination under
“The NCS is doing this so
institutions economically. Once
stated that Monday, November the management of Ali was of that the officers who would
institutions are built, corruption
27, 2017, had been fixed for a higher integrity compared with be promoted would be people
will be substantially excised.
repeat of the examination at the previous ones.
of high integrity who have
We can’t fight corruption when
the Customs Command at Staff
When contacted, the Public no question mark on their
everything in this country is so
College, Gwagwalada, Abuja.
Relations Officer, NCS, Mr. character.”
centralised.
“We can’t fight corruption in
a system of autocracy because
when we look at the constitution,
•Continued from page 2
He described the party as an
all powers are built around the
Muhammadu Buhari is in
equal
opportunity platform for
He
said
he
had
in
2014
Federal Government. We can’t
politics, I do not see any
everyone.
warned Atiku not to run for
fight corruption successfully
Nigerian from the northern part
“He has in his statement
Presidency because this is
in a system whereby we have
of the country that will be able to
Buhari’s era.
of leaving the party made
everything in the exclusive
match him in popularity.
He added, “He (Atiku) has
reference to the memo I wrote
legislative list and not on the
“The people of the 19
never been and will never be a
to Mr. President in September
concurrent list.”
Northern states and Nigeria
threat to President Buhari. Let
2016, where I was calling on the
have decided because of the
me say this very clearly, and
President to reach out to party
President’s past history of
I have said this to the former
leaders that feel aggrieved and
integrity and good governance,
vice-president in 2014 in Dubai
I mentioned him, the Asiwaju
they are committed to him.
when we met because before
and many others.
“Anyone standing up to
“The others are still in the
challenge him is wasting his
President on Political Matters, joining the APC, he sent for me.
“He told me of his intentions
APC because they believe in
time. God has decreed that this
Senator Babafemi Ojudu, said
the direction of the party, they
is Buhari’s time and we are
this in an interview with our and I welcomed it because
politics is a game of addition,
believe we have come to save
waiting for the PDP to give Atiku
correspondent.
the country from a very bad
Abubakar the ticket and we will
He said the Presidency was not subtraction. So the more,
situation.
face him on the field but I have
not entertaining any fear over the merrier.
“However, I told him not to
“But the former vice-
no doubt that I will not lose any
the development.
president is always looking for
sleep about it.”
“There is no fear about that run for the presidency because
an opportunity to contest. He is
El-Rufai said it was wrong for
(Atiku’s exit). Be assured that I believe very strongly this is
a serial contestant and we wish
anybody to hold the view that
Atiku’s exit is not going to affect Buhari’s era.
“As long as President
him luck,” he added.
Atiku was driven out of the APC.
us,” Ojudu said.
APC should beware of implosion, says Sani
Femi Makinde, Osogbo
T
board are not being carried along.
Now, Atiku has left the APC for
the PDP. Those that contributed
to this government before getting
to power were not accorded
courtesy.”
Sani said it had become
important for all Nigerians to
rally round the President and
rescue him from the grip of the
cabal in the government, who
were bent on manipulating the
situation to favour themselves at
the detriment of the whole nation.
“It is left for Buhari to decide
who loves him and who loves the
throne.
“For Buhari to be rescued from
the claws of the cabal, he needs the
concerted efforts of all Nigerians,
regardless of their religion, tribe
and political parties.”
Sani said although Buhari
had moved the country from
the culture of corruption with
he
Senator
representing Kaduna
Central
Senatorial
District, Shehu Sani,
has warned the ruling
All Progressives Congress to
be wary of imposition, which,
according to him, may result in
implosion.
Sani also said that the APC
governors who recently endorsed
President Muhammadu Buhari
for a second term did so because
of their selfish interest.
Speaking in Osogbo, Osun
State capital, on Friday at the
second annual lecture of Rave FM,
the senator said the governors
were not sincere but were looking
for a cover after they might have
left office.
He stated that it was curious
to note that the governors and
the party chieftains endorsing
Buhari now did not do so when
the President was on medical
vacation in the United Kingdom.
He said, “The ruling party
should know that what destroyed Olalekan Adetayo, Abuja
the PDP was a force from inside
he Presidency on
and not from outside. It was like
Friday said the exit of
a case of Yugoslavia in the old
former Vice-President
Soviet Union. Lack of internal
Atiku Abubakar from
democracy
and
imposition
the All Progressives
destroyed the PDP.
Congress
would not affect
“The umbrella of the PDP was
torn by the internal injustice. The President Muhammadu Buhari’s
ruling party should be careful. chances in the 2019 presidential
Many people who helped in election.
The Special Adviser to the
bringing this administration on
Atiku’s exit won’t affect
Buhari’s chances – Presidency
T
Customs cancel promotion exam over malpractice
T
Atiku’s exit good for APC, says el-Rufai