13 Parties’ Threaten To Pull Out Of 2023 Elections Over Naira Redesign

 Thirteen” out of the 18 political parties in Nigeria have threatened to withdraw from the February 25 and March 11 general elections in Nigeria over the naira redesign policy of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN). 

At a briefing by a coalition of chairmen of political parties on Monday, the “13 parties” commended President Muhammadu Buhari on the redesign of the N200, N500 and N1,000 banknotes.

The parties said they won’t be interested in the elections if the new deadline of February 10, 2023 is shifted as demanded by some governors of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The “13 parties” also knocked the Kaduna, Kogi and Zamfara State Governments for heading to the Supreme Court to get court injunction to extend the deadline for the validity of three old notes.

The National Chairman of the Action Alliance, Kenneth Udeze, who briefed the pressmen, said, “We hereby announce that at least 13 out of the 18 political parties in Nigeria will not be interested in the 2023 general elections and indeed we shall withdraw our participation from the electoral process if this currency policies are suspended or cancelled or if the deadline is further shifted.”

The CBN on October 26, 2022, announced its plan to redesign the three banknotes. The President subsequently unveiled the redesigned N200, N500, and N1,000 notes on November 23, 2022, while the apex bank fixed a January 31 deadline for the validity of the old notes.

The CBN also pegged its weekly cash withdrawal limits to N500,000 for individuals and N5m for corporate firms.

With cries by many Nigerians, the apex bank extended the deadline from January 31 to February 10, saying it got the approval of the President.

Buhari on Friday after a meeting with some APC governors asked for seven days to make a major decision on the policy.

Ronaldo Celebrates 38th Birthday With Family & Friends

 IT was three 'n queasy for Cristiano Ronaldo as he shared his 38th birthday joy.

The legend strictly controls his diet - so he might feel faint just sniffing the trio of cakes unveiled on his big family day.

Cristiano Ronaldo is widely considered as the greatest footballers of all time to have ever graced the game.

The formal Manchester United and Portugal attacker was born 38 years ago to José Dinis Aveiro and Maria Dolores dos Santos Viveiros da Aveiro on February 5, 1985 in Funchal, Madeira in Portugal.

Let take this moment to celebrate with he greatest footballer of all time.

Happy birthday Cristiano from Obembet and great Nairalanders that understand good football 

Thank you everyone for all the birthday messages 🙏🏻❤️ grateful to have spent the day with my family and friends. 🥰

Aisha Buhari Is Part Of The Cabal - Naja'atu Muhammad

 

Keyamo Mocks PDP Over Buhari Endorsement Of Tinubu

 Since the event in Lafia where President Buhari endorsed @officialABAT

unequivocally, the PDP has gone into a fit of political epilepsy, calling press conferences & issuing incoherent statements. This is like a game of cards. We have just brought our trump card to say ‘check-up’!

APC Chairmen, 3,000 Members Defect To PDP In Edo

 At the weekend, the House of Representatives bid of Omosede Igbinedion for the Ovia Federal Constituency of Edo State received a boost as more than 3,000 members of the All Progressive Congress (APD) defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

The former APC members joined the PDP at several campaign rallies of the PDP held at the weekend in various communities in Ovia South-West and Ovia North-East Local Government Areas of the state.

The defectors tore their APC membership cards and vowed to ensure the PDP emerged victorious in the February 25 National Assembly election.


Omosede Igbinedion, daughter of the Esama of Benin Kingdom, Chief Gabriel Osawaru Igbinedion, who was defeated in her return bid in 2019, is slugging it out with the incumbent member of the House of Representatives, Mr Dennis Idahosa, who is seeking his second term under the banner of the APC.



Among those that defected was the Chairman of all the Chairmen in APC Ovia South West, Sunday Kriya, APC Chairman Ora, Ward 6 Ovia Southwest, Hon. Osawaru Sunday, Comrade West Odaro, and his assistant, Hon. Fredric Igbinowanhia, a former APC Ward Chairman in the riverine area, Comrade Sunny Emuobor, and Francis Kumukumu Achugbue from Okada ward.


Kumukumu, who predicted that the APC would fail at the elections, said they regretted voting for the party in 2019, adding that the APC had not kept any of its promises to the people at all levels of government. 

Another former APC leader, Sunday Kriya, assured that his team would deliver a 100 per cent vote for the PDP and its House of Representatives candidate, Omosede Igbinedion.


He said this because while in the lower National Assembly between 2015 and 2019, Igbinedion provided empowerment for their youths, just as she gave financial support to the women in the constituency.



Speaking at the rallies, Omosede promised to work with the state government when elected to ensure all the communities in the locality benefited more.

She said her focus would be the farmers to boost food security and ensure women’s empowerment.

She appealed to all PDP members in Edo State to regard the last week’s Supreme Court judgement which affirmed her candidacy as the end of all factions within the party.



According to her, “We are united by a common purpose. We are united under the umbrella, and we are united against a common enemy.

“It is PDP on the ballot and not any face or name. The people of Ovia, Edo State and Nigeria are relying on us to help rescue Nigeria. Let us not be carried away by personal selfish interest, but look towards the building and repairing our great country Nigeria.”

SA To Tambuwal, Abubakar Kwaire Resigns, Decamps To APC

 Alhaji Abubakar Kwaire, a special adviser to Gov. Aminu Tambuwal, has decamped from the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, to the All Progressives Congress, APC, ahead of the 2023 general elections in the state.

Kwaire, according to a statement by Bashar Abubakar, the Special Adviser on Media and Publicity to Sen. Aliyu Wamakko (APC, Sokoto North), was received by the state APC governorship candidate, Alhaji Ahmad Aliyu in Sokoto.

Kwaire’s decision to join APC, according to him, was motivated by Wamakko’s leadership qualities.


“Therefore, I believe with Wamakko as APC leader and Aliyu to govern our state, if elected, more dividends of democracy are expected,” he said.

In his remarks, the governorship candidate welcomed the defector and assured him of equal treatment like all other members of the party.

Kwaire, a former member of the Sokoto State House of Assembly, hailed from Tambuwal Local government area.

Oshiomhole: I Paid ₦‎1,000 For A Litre, Laments Fuel Scarcity And Price

 A former Edo State Governor Adams Oshiohmole has lamented the scarcity of fuel and the hike in the pump price of the product, claiming he recently paid N1,000 for a litre. 

In several parts of Nigeria, queues have resurfaced in filling stations with many buying the product for as much as N500 and above for a litre.

It, however, appears the masses are not the only ones affected by the crisis as the All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftain said he recently bought the product at an exorbitant price during one of his campaign tours.

“On one occasion, I ran out of fuel and I had to pay N1,000 for a litre. Now, that is not funny! Somebody is responsible for that,” he said when he featured on Channels Television’s election programme The 2023 Verdict on Sunday.

A ‘Perennial Problem’

The former national chairman of the APC said in spite of the huge resources Nigeria spends on payment of fuel subsidy, the product is still scarce and the price is beyond the reach of most Nigerians.

“As we speak, we are spending almost N7 trillion. The minister of finance spoke to the fact that we are spending about N7 trillion for fuel subsidy and yet most Nigerians found themselves paying much more than what the market rate would be and yet we have the Petroleum Equalisation Fund,” Oshiomhole added. “So, people are responsible for this.”

He said fuel scarcity is not peculiar to President Muhammadu Buhari’s government, describing the development as a “perennial problem”.

“But that does not make it acceptable,” he said.

Oshiomhole, who equally spoke about the naira note redesign and swap policy, described them as deceptive and a ploy to truncate the elections.

“You could see that the intention of the Bank is not to eliminate abuses but to stop the elections from taking place,”