The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Nentawe Yilwatda, has urged Nigerians to support President Bola Tinubu’s re-election bid, insisting that the President is physically fit to continue leading the country.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

The Obi-Kwankwaso Movement has responded to Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, representing Kogi Central, following her criticism of the group’s call for an investigation into her distribution of millions of naira to constituents.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

News reports that Akpoti-Uduaghan had criticised the Movement for urging the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) to investigate her cash empowerment programme, which she claimed was funded through a Federal Government budgetary allocation.

However, speaking in an interview with Punch, the Director-General of the Obi-Kwankwaso Movement, John Ughulu, said the senator’s response failed to address the concerns raised by the group.

Ughulu maintained that elected public officials needed continuous orientation on their constitutional duties, ethical responsibilities and accountability to the people.

He said the widely discussed cash distribution had raised concerns about the possible misuse of public office and the integrity of Nigeria’s electoral process.

According to him, if investigations establish that the money was distributed to influence voters ahead of an election, the action could amount to advance vote buying and should be examined under relevant electoral laws.

Ughulu stated:

“What Nigerians witnessed in the widely discussed money distribution incident raises serious questions about the abuse of public office and the integrity of our electoral process.

“If the circumstances establish that the money was distributed to influence voters ahead of an election, the matter could amount to advance vote buying and should be investigated under the relevant provisions of Nigerian electoral law.”

The movement’s director-general also challenged Akpoti-Uduaghan to clarify whether similar cash distributions formed part of her election campaigns, arguing that the circumstances surrounding her emergence as a senator also warranted scrutiny.

He said:

“The election that brought Senator Natasha into the National Assembly was decided by the people. Therefore, an important question must be asked: Was the same practice of distributing money to influence voters involved in securing her electoral victory?

“That question deserves a factual answer, not an emotional reaction.”

The group further rejected suggestions that its criticism was politically motivated, insisting that its position on electoral accountability applied to politicians across party lines, including candidates of the Nigeria Democratic Congress (NDC).

Ughulu stressed that the movement would not overlook alleged electoral misconduct involving individuals within its political camp while condemning similar actions by members of other parties.

He added:

“We cannot condemn alleged electoral malpractice under the present administration while appearing to tolerate similar conduct from individuals within our own political space. The same standards of integrity, transparency and accountability must apply to everyone.

“The OK Movement will not make exceptions for anyone. This applies equally to NDC candidates and candidates of every other political party. Anyone involved in electoral manipulation, vote buying, result falsification or any attempt to undermine the will of the electorate should expect lawful scrutiny and accountability.”

Ughulu also warned that the movement would explore legal options to demand accountability if the EFCC or other relevant agencies failed to investigate credible allegations.

Senator representing Abia North in the National Assembly, Orji Uzor Kalu, has spoken about what he described as betrayal by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and former President Olusegun Obasanjo.....KINDLY READ THE FULL STORY HERE▶

News reports that Kalu made the remarks during an appearance on Arise Television’s Prime Time programme on Monday night.

The former Abia State governor alleged that he provided financial support to Obasanjo and the PDP at a time when the party was struggling financially, but was later abandoned by the same political platform.

According to Kalu, despite his contributions to the party and Obasanjo’s political activities, his businesses suffered as a result of the political fallout.

He said:

“I wasn’t the only one with money; to be honest, people like the former vice president Atiku Abubakar had money, Yomi Edun had money, and many other people, and in the end, TY Danjuma brought in a lot of money to the party.

“So I was the one funding the meetings, aircraft, paying honorariums to people, cooking food, and the rest of them. For me, it was a joyful thing to make sure that we had a strong party to drive away the military, and that was the PDP.

“I was very happy, but I became a fool before the PDP because after bringing all the money, they turned against me.

“I could have been a governor whether on their platform or another platform; I gave them lifeline when people had no money, I brought in the money to fund the party. Before big weights like Danjuma started bringing in money to support the party, I started bringing money, started funding like Obasanjo when he came out of prison; he was in my house in Victoria Island, and I funded him, started funding his aircraft, started hiring and bringing my aircraft to take him, so they didn’t do anything for me; what I got in return was the killing of my businesses.”