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Chairmanship: APC elders pick nomination form for Akume says Gemade
***Insists his chances are bright
Former Senator Barnabas Gemade who represented Benue North at the red chamber has led a group of elders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) across the country to obtain national chairmanship nomination form for the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, Senator George Akume.
The APC elders include; National Publicity Secretary of the defunct National Party of Nigeria (NPN) Chief Simone Shango, a former Governor of Edo state, Prof. Oserheimen Osunbor, Publisher, Summit Newspapers, Chief Ray Murphy, Governorship aspirant, Chief Terlumun Akputu, and a former senator, Prof. Terhemba Shija, among others.
Akume has now joined five other aspirants who have paid N20 millions each for the national chairmanship nomination forms.
Others include: Senator Sani Musa, Malam Mustapha Saliu, Senator Tanko Al-Makura, Senator Abdullahi Adamu and former governor Abdulaziz Yari.
Speaking after obtaining the nomination form for Akume Wednesday at the national secretariat of APC, Senator Gemade said the former Bune governor’s chances of emerging the next APC national chairman was good.
Gemade described Akume as calm, focused and foresighted who will bring his extensive experience and competences to bear on the job, by thinking and acting outside the box in prioritizing the solving of APC’s problems.
Gemade who led other APC elders said: “On behalf of Minister of Special Duties and Inter-governmental Affairs, who is aspiring to be national chairman of the All Progressives Congress, this event is for us to come and pick the form for him so that he can fill to satisfy the conditions of the party for the contest of this position.
“We believe that what we have done today is a landmark event and we pray that the Convention goes smoothly and this party becomes stronger at the end of it and the best candidate which we believe will be Akume to win this position in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
When asked what the chances of Akume in the race was, the APC chieftain said: “His (Akume) chances are good. Now everyone of them if you ask them, they will tell you their chances are good. And we know that God knows the winner and we believe that His mercies are good for us and at the end of the day, we will be satisfied with whatever our God does for us.”
On whether the elders’ group will prefer a consensus arrangement to elect the next APC national chairman, Gemade said: “Whatever the party chooses. The party has the final say. If at the end of the day, the party is able to consummate a consensus exercise for this contest, we agree with it.
“However they decide there should be a balloting for this contest we will go with the balloting and whatever the outcome is we will accept.”
Akume was elected as Governor of Benue State for two consecutive terms (1999-2007). Thereafter, he served for three terms (12 ycars) as the Senator representing North-West Senatorial District (2007-2019) and was Chairman Senate Committee on Army and also Senate Minority Leader. Since 2019, he has been the Minister of Special Duties and Inter-Governmental Affairs.
Former Director-General of the National Broadcasting Commission (NBC), Professor Tom Adaba, has passed away at the age of 84.
According to reports, he died peacefully on Saturday in Abuja.
Chief Adinoyi Joe Anivasa, Secretary of the Egbira Elders Forum, confirmed the news, stating, “I feel sad to inform you that our elder and leader, Prof. Tom A. Adaba, has answered the call of nature this morning. Further details about his burial arrangements will be communicated later.”
Born on July 2, 1941, Prof. Adaba made significant contributions to Nigeria’s broadcasting industry. Between 1988 and 1992, he became the first Nigerian to serve as President of the African Council for Communication Education.
Despite calls for suspension from the Attorney General of the Federation (AGF) and the Nigeria Police Force, the Osun State local government election proceeded as scheduled on Saturday.
Governor Ademola Adeleke voted in Ede North Local Government Area, describing the process as peaceful and urging residents to exercise their franchise.
The AGF, Lateef Fagbemi, cited a Court of Appeal ruling allegedly reinstating sacked local government chairmen, while the police warned of potential security threats.
However, the Osun State government insisted on holding the election, emphasizing its commitment to obeying a court directive. The opposition All Progressives Congress (APC) boycotted the polls.
Voting took place under tight security, with minimal commercial activity observed in Osogbo, the state capital.
A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and former Commissioner for Information, Jonathan Vatsa, has indicated that Firmer President Muhammadu Buhari’s absence at the public presentation of former military ruler General Ibrahim Babangida’s autobiography, The Journey of Service, held in Abuja on Thursday was not surprising.
Speaking to journalists in Minna on Saturday, Vatsa suggested that Buhari’s no-show was a result of unresolved bitterness over the 1985 coup, in which Babangida overthrew him and subsequently detained him.
According to Vatsa, Buhari may still harbor resentment, especially over being denied the chance to bid his late mother farewell while in detention.
“It Would Have Been the 9th Wonder of the World If Buhari Had Attended”
Vatsa claimed that Buhari’s absence was expected, given the deep-seated history between the two former leaders.
“The memory of the ‘mother of all betrayals’ has not left him. It would have been the ninth wonder of the world if Buhari had attended that book launch,” he said.
The APC chieftain also linked Buhari’s perceived neglect of Niger State during his eight-year presidency to his history with Babangida.
“The whole world knows that Niger State was made a scapegoat by Buhari because of IBB. For eight years, he did not pay any serious official visit to the state, and not a single federal project was executed here. The Baro Port project was abandoned, and federal roads across the state were left in disrepair,” Vatsa alleged.
He claimed that despite the overwhelming votes Buhari received from Niger State in 2015 and 2019, the state was sidelined due to the personal history between the former presidents.
“When two elephants fight, it is the grass that suffers. Niger State paid for the sin of one man,” he lamented.
When asked for his opinion on the contents of IBB’s autobiography, Vatsa said he would reserve his comments until he has read and digested the book fully.
“There are certain things I expected to see in the book. Once I am done reading, I will invite you all for my comments,” he stated.
The book launch attracted several high-profile attendees, including President Bola Tinubu, former presidents Olusegun Obasanjo, Goodluck Jonathan, and Yakubu Gowon, as well as former military head of state Abdulsalami Abubakar.
Other dignitaries included former Ghanaian President Akufo-Addo, former Sierra Leonean President Ernest Koroma, and ex-vice presidents Atiku Abubakar, Yemi Osinbajo, and Namadi Sambo, alongside traditional rulers and state governors.
Buhari’s absence, however, remained a major talking point, reinforcing speculations that the 1985 coup remains a sore point in Nigeria’s political history.
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