Amosun Writes Senate, to Declare for President May 5

• Thousands storm APC Secretariat as Yahaya Bello picks Nomination Forms  

•Nwajuiba pays N100m for form  

•Ngige: Why I’m yet to resign as minister

Deji Elumoye, Adedayo Akinwale and Kuni Tyessi in Abuja

The Senate, yesterday received from Senator Ibikunle Amosun, representing Ogun Central, a letter intimating the upper chamber of the legislature, his intention to run for president and at the same time, inviting his colleagues to his formal declaration, slated for May 5 in Abuja, the nation’s capital. 

This is as both the Kogi State Governor, Yahaya Bello, and the Minister of State for Education, Hon. Chukwuemeka Nwajuiba, yesterday, picked their expression of interest and nomination forms for N100 million each, in readiness for the presidential primaries of the APC billed to hold later next month.

In another breath, Bello, apparently reacting to speculations that former President Goodluck Jonathan, might contest for president again in APC, said he was not scared of the pedigree of anyone, much less the former president.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr. Chris Ngige, has ruled out the possibility of resigning as minister in lieu of his presidential aspiration, because he has yet to receive any specific and official communication from the party on the matter. 

The APC had set up a canopy, where the forms for Senate and House of Representatives were being sold to prospective aspirants.

However, at about 4p.m yesterday, the canopies were hurriedly removed by the party, which directed the staff to continue the sale at the International Conference Centre, Abuja.

“The chairman also complained about the crowd at the party secretariat and asked the staff selling House of Representatives and Senate forms to move to ICC. The governorship and Presidential forms will be sold at the secretariat to be able to control the crow. These are the reasons we were told informed the removal of the canopies.”

Amosun Writes Senate, to Declare for President May 5

The invitation was extended to the upper chamber in a letter dated 25th April, 2022, and read at plenary by the Senate President, Dr. Ahmad Lawan. 

According to Amosun, the event which is scheduled to take place on May 5, 2022, would hold at the Shehu Musa Yar’Adua Centre, Abuja, at 11a.m (NGT).

The invitation letter, addressed to the Senate President, read in part, “It is with great respect that I write to notify you and my Distinguished Colleagues of my intention to contest for the Office of the President of our dear country, the Federal Republic of Nigeria and to respectfully invite you and my Distinguished Colleagues, to the formal declaration ceremony.

“I have been blessed by God to serve as Senator of the Federal Republic of Nigeria between 2003 and 2007 and as two-term Governor of Ogun State between 2011 and 2019. I have also had the privilege to be elected a second time to the Senate of the Federal Republic in 2019,where I currently serve the good people of Ogun Central Senatorial District.

“My varied experience in private and public life, has imbued me with requisite insights, experiences and network of relationships adequate to provide a leadership that will galvanize our dear country to achieve her manifest destiny as leader in Africa and of the black race.”

Bello, Nwajuiba Pick N100m Forms as Kogi Gov Says He’s Unperturbed About Jonathan

The Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, yesterday, obtained the N100 million APC presidential nomination form ahead of the party’s primary slated for May 30 and June 1.

He, however, said he was not scared of the pedigree of other aspirants, including former President Goodluck Jonathan, who was being speculated as likely to contest for president in APC.

Addressing journalists after obtaining his form, Bello said since he was the man of the moment, and was ready to secure and unite the country, assuring the people also that he would restore hope to the hopeless Nigerians.

“I’m aware Nigerians from all walks of life joined me today to celebrate and as such, one or two skirmishes are expected but since I’m the man of the moment, I will be glad to unite and secure this country. I’m urging each and everyone of you to put it behind us and let us roll together in the joy of today and by the special grace of God, we shall take care of the rest.

“We give glory to God almighty the creator of the universe, who has created today and made today a reality. Today, I have with me my nomination and expression of interest forms to contest as the presidential flag bearer of this great party, the All Progressives Congress,” Bello stated. 

He noted that he was coming not only to unite and to secure the country, but also to put the country and its people on the path of progress and prosperity. 

On Jonathan, he noted, “That is the beauty of democracy. In democracy anybody can support anyone but I am assuring you that our great party, the APC is a party that has its own ethics, rules and regulations and I know surely that all of these are in my favour and I am not in any way scared of the pedigree of anyone whatsoever.”

Nwajuiba was the first person to pick the APC presidential form after  a group of Nigerians raised over N100 million for him.

Addressing journalists yesterday in Abuja after picking the nomination form for the minister, a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Chidi Wogu, described him as a reliable politician and that they decided to coordinate as a group to get him the form, when they saw the seriousness in Nwajuiba. 

Wogu said: “He’s one of the oldest and most reliable politicians. Not oldest in terms of age, he’s actually a young person. And you can see a young group, who are supporting him. This is actually a young group because of the not-too-young-to-run act. 

“The president promised that this time around, anyone who is going to run for presidency must be under 60 and these young people come together. 

“When I saw their seriousness, I decided to coordinate with one group, we put together the money and we have come today to show the seriousness by being the first to purchase this form and they find him credible, they find him hard working,”

To that extent, Nwajuiba has accepted to run for the presi-dent on the platform of the APC, saying his decision was in-formed by the fact that many citizens were still outside, hungry and unemployed.

While noting that many others were threatened by unwarranted and unnecessary internal security and economic challenges, he said, “I now solemnly accept to run for us all, and bear our party’s flag into the elections and become our next President. 

“I do this recognising that in the last seven years, President Muhammadu Buhari has performed extraordinary feats in ensuring that our progressive ideas have been established; physical infrastructure of every type and inclusive policies reaching out to our poor and less privileged, as we strive to uplift Nigeria and Nigerians into a developed state.

“Our calling today invites me to take up a work path that builds on the solid foundations that have been laid thus far. Provide different paradigns for new challenges and provide the platform for a vista that accommodates subject experts to pull together forces to meet our Nations challenges.

“This is the path I propose to thread, having been properly schooled, experienced and tested in the last 30 years of active politics. They have gathered resources from every part of the country and purchased the form for which the APC will nominated a candidate to fly its flag in the presidential elections in February 2023, they have now presented this to me.”

Ngige: Why I’m Yet to Resign as Minister

In a related development, the Minister of Labour and Employment, Dr Chris Ngige, has said the reason he has yet to resign his portfolio was because he had  not received any specific instruction from his party, the APC, with respect to that.

Speaking shortly after the weekly Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja, yesterday, Ngige, denied knowledge of his party’s directives that all appointees should resign ahead of the May 30, 2022 presidential primaries of the party.

The Minister, who maintained that his decision to stay on as a member of FEC was in line with the 1999 Constitution, as amended, added that the March 18, 2022 judgement of the Federal High Court in Umuahia, struck out Section 84(12) of the Electoral Act, hence, he was under no compulsion to resign his appointment.

On when he would resign in line with his party’s directives, he said “because I don’t know about that I’m hearing for the first time from you. But like I always say, I’ll be guided by the letters and spirit of the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria. 

“You are pushing me into something that is not necessary to discuss, because that aspect of the law, enacted by the National Assembly, via the Electoral Act, that section 84(12), has been struck down by a court of law and the cases are on appeal. 

“And for now, no matter how bad the judgement is, that’s the maximum jurisprudence, no matter how bad the law is, it is a judgement of court, it should be obeyed, until upturned or stayed. 

“But there is no stay, there’s no atonement of that particular pronouncement, and the party is on appeal. So, the judgement is still subsisting, that aspect of the law was injurious to some persons and should not have been there. 

“I also know that the Constitution of Federal Republic of Nigeria in certain sections, section 107, 137 and 88, prescribes disqualification clauses for people, who are going for election and that prescription is supreme, because it’s in the Constitution and the Constitution is grand-norm of all laws.”

Asked to react to the N100 million presidential form fee, the former Anambra State governor said, “Well, that is the people’s view. I had said earlier that I made a budget for N50 million, and it’s now N100 million. 

“So, I have discussed with my supporters and they are raising the money to augment whatever is before now. So, when they finish augmentation, I believe that we’ll get up to N100 million so that we can purchase our form.”