Bola Tinubu campaign organisation says the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF), a body of governors elected on the All Progressives Congress’ (APC) platform, is at liberty to pick a running mate for the party’s presidential candidate. Tinubu beat Vice-President Yemi Osinbajo, Senate President Ahmad Lawan and Rotimi Amaechi, former minister of transportation, to pick the APC presidential ticket on Wednesday. Before the convention, the governors agreed that power should go to the south. Speaking with The Punch, Bayo Onanuga, spokesman of the campaign organisation, said Tinubu’s running mate can come from any geo-political zone or religion. “The vice-president can come from any region and religion. But the PGF is at liberty to pick. Up till now, we are all aware that Atiku has not chosen a VP,” Onanuga said. “Yet, he was elected before him. But in our own case, it is a party affair. “The party leaders will look at the chances and decide how they will balance a Muslim from the south, maybe with somebody that comes from north-east, north-central or from north-west. That is how it is done. I cannot circumvent the party. “The Governor Atiku Bagudu-led PGF has the task to pick a competent deputy for him. Already, he has a cordial relationship with virtually all of them. You will also have to understand that he has just picked the presidential ticket. “I am also sure that this issue of picking the right candidate for VP will be in the minds of the party leadership and the APC governors too. “At this moment, we just want to pause and take a rest from the stress of the just-concluded campaign.”

  The Peoples Democratic Party presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, has released his economic agenda guiding principle, with a vow to break government monopoly in all infrastructural sectors. The former Vice President stated this in his agenda released on his Twitter page on Thursday titled, ‘The three guiding principles of my economic agenda’. According to him, our economic agenda has a comprehensive objective of providing a more hospitable environment for businesses to thrive. With thriving businesses, Atiku said, his administration would create jobs and wealth for Nigerian citizens. The main opposition presidential candidate said, “And to achieve these, I have three guiding principles to go by: “Reaffirm the criticality of private-sector leadership and greater private sector participation in development; while repositioning the public sector to focus on its core responsibility of facilitation and enabling the appropriate legal and regulatory framework for rapid economic and social development. “Break government monopoly in all infrastructural sectors, including the refineries, rail transportation and power transmission and give private investors a larger role in funding and managing the sectors, thus emulating the benefits accrued in the oil and gas and telecom sectors. “Allow the market greater leverage in determining prices. This way we shall eliminate the persistent price distortions occasioned by current interventionist exchange rate management policy. Government intervention, where absolutely necessary, will be done responsibily and judiciously.” The PUNCH reports that Atiku won the party’s presidential ticket during a special national convention held in Abuja on May 28 and 29, 2022, after scoring 371 votes to beat 11 other aspirants. During the PDP presidential primary held at the Moshood Abiola Stadium, Atiku polled 371 votes to defeat Wike, who got 237 votes; a former President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki, 70 votes; the Akwa Ibom State Governor, Emmanuel Udom, 38 votes; the Bauchi State Governor, Bala Mohammed, 20 votes; a former Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Anyim Pius Anyim, 14 votes and an ex-President of Pharmaceutical Society of Nigeria, Sam Ohuabunwa, one vote. Before his emergence as PDP presidential flagbarer, Atiku had released his five-point plan for Nigeria if elected president during next year’s general election. Atiku, who was the party’s presidential flagbearer during the 2019 presidential election, promised to tackle insecurity, economic and other challenges bedeviling the country. He said his first agenda was to “Restore Nigeria’s unity through equity, social justice, and cooperation”. Others are “establish a strong and effective government that guarantees the safety and security of life and property “Build a strong, resilient, and prosperous economy that creates jobs and lifts people out of poverty “Promote a true federal system which will provide strong Federal Government to guarantee national unity while allowing the federating units to set their own priorities “Spearhead education reform so it is driven by innovation, science, and technology.”

  An elder statesman, Alhaji Tanko Yakasai, has hailed the emergence of Bola Tinubu as the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress. In a congratulatory message on Thursday, Yakasai said history will be made if Tinubu emerges as the president of the country. The elder statesman said Tinubu’s emergence as president would signify “the total break away” from military influence in Nigeria’s polity. He said, “The election of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu as the APC Presidential Bearer is indeed an important political development in our country. This transition will lead us to a full-fledged democracy, a milestone of an acclaimed figure and political juggernaut of the APC National Leader to a National Leader of Nigeria. “When Asiwaju, a sage, is eventually elected as the President of the country in the forthcoming Presidential Elections, history shall be made in our contemporary political development for a number of reasons. “Paramount and if elected as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, Asiwaju’s election victory will signify the complete and total break away from military influence in our polity which will bring about the return of the country to a full pledge democratic tradition and practice for the first time since the return of civilian rule in 1999. “It will also constitute a stamp of validation of the 1914 amalgamation of the people of Northern and Southern protectorates by the entire people of Nigeria of their own free will. “It is gratifying to note that this is the first time the major Political Parties are fielding non-military actors as their Presidential standard-bearers. “Therefore it is important to appeal to all candidates vying for various political positions in the country to commit themselves to the principles of playing politics according to the rule of the game, eschew politics of bitterness, violence and do away with the culture of thuggery in our political activism and return the country to the path of civility in the conduct of partisan politics. “May their emergence be the harbinger of the return to politics of decorum, without bitterness as well as the beginning of the arduous task of finding a better strategy that will enhance the needed national unity, peaceful coexistence and cohesion in our country a prerequisite for genuine nation-building. “I pray that the coming general elections will be conducted in a peaceful atmosphere free from violence. It is our hope that the National Electoral Commission will conduct the election in a peaceful, credible manner devoid of rigging and manipulation.”

  Adewole Adebayo, founder of KAFTAN Television, has won the presidential primary election organised by a faction of the Social Democratic Party (SDP). Umar Ardo, the returning officer for the election, announced Adebayo as the winner of the contest held on Wednesday in Abuja. Ardo said Adebayo polled 1,526 votes to defeat his closest challenger, Khadija Okunnu-Lamidi, who got 83 votes. Speaking after he was declared winner, Adebayo said the party will work to raise the standard of living of Nigerians if it wins the 2023 presidential election. “We will campaign to every household, every polling unit, every ward, every local government, every state, every zone and the entire country,” he said. “We will come out and show to Nigerians that food, water, electricity, housing, education and medical care are not prayer points.” The SDP is embroiled in a leadership crisis, with two groups competing for control of the party, which has turned into a legal battle. Supo Shonibare leads the group which claims to be the “authentic leadership” of the party, while the Shehu Gabam-led faction is recognised by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). In May, Ebenezer Ikeyina, former lawmaker representing Anambra central in the senate, won the SDP presidential primary election organised by the Shonibare-led faction.

  Alhassan Ado Doguwa, majority leader of the house of representatives, says Bola Tinubu, the flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) will “perform miracles” if elected president. Doguwa spoke on Wednesday in an interview on Channels Television. Earlier, Tinubu, former Lagos governor, won the APC primary after he polled 1,271 votes to defeat 13 other presidential hopefuls. Speaking on the development, the majority leader said the former Lagos governor will give “a lot of hope” to Nigerians if he wins the presidential election.   “The emergence of BAT, who has been a political household name to a lot of Nigerians, will also give a lot of hope to Nigerians that when the right time comes the right thing will happen,” he said. “I want to believe the emergence of BAT as our flagbearer is like the entrenchment of the right time to get the right person to rule the Federal Republic of Nigeria. “Those of us who are from the north-west, who are also Buhari’s disciples, believe that this is somebody who will come and build on the gains already consolidated by the present administration.   “This is somebody who has done it in Lagos as governor, two-term. This is someone who has brought a lot of intelligent people to bear in the system and we have seen how it has manifested. “I think what is going to happen to Nigeria is like a miracle. People will see miracles happening because you have a man who is miraculous that will take charge of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, especially in the area of the economy.” When asked if Nigerians should expect miracles on security and economy from Tinubu if elected as president, the lawmaker said the APC presidential candidate is someone who can perform miracles to give Nigerians a “complete lease on life”.