Politics

APC CHAIR: SHETTIMA AS THE RELUCTANT BRIDE

Published

4 years ago

August 5, 2021

By: Inuwa Bwala
Experiences often show, that, God catapults people into positions of leadership, not because such persons have ambitions, rather, those who showed no interest in such a position.
The stories of how the late Shehu Shagari, the late Umar Musa Yar ‘adua, the late Mala Kachallah of Borno and Mohammed Goni in Borno, Peter Odili of Rivers and Peter Obi in Anambra, and numerous others emerged as leaders, readily come to my mind.
Very often too, such leaders emerge from desperate circumstances, when the best hands needed to be brought on board to salvage a situation. Such leaders who emerged in challenging circumstances, without any prior ambition, often give very good account of themselves and always Excell.
Such is the leader the ruling party in Nigeria, the All Progressives Congress, APC needs. Ahead of it’s planned National convention, the APC is at a labyrinth, so to say, as to who fits into it’s permutations for 2023, as national Chairman. Already, there is a coterie of aspirants who have indicated interest in leading the party in the coming years. Amongst them are politicians, with genuine and patriotic intentions, but there are also those, who seek to use the party to advance their personal political interests.
There are those whose pedigrees speak volumes about their real intentions, and there are those who seek the office for vendetta against political foes, or as a refuge for hibernation, after having squandered their goodwill.
I have been musing about who could fit into the permutations of the APC ahead if 2023 elections, taking into account the fact that, unlike before, the contest in the next elections is not going to be a tea party.
I know as a matter of fact that, the party’s numerous think tanks are working behind the scene, trying to workout an acceptable choice in the face of the anticipated intrigues that may play out in 2023. Every curious onlooker could guess, that, the delays in the dates for the congresses and convention might not have been unconnected with the crisis of choice, in who takes over from Mai Mala Buni.
There are strong pointers, as it is, that the Chairmanship position may be zoned to the north: the North East in particular. Except if otherwise, the Vice Presidency will be zoned to the north east region.
Should that happen, there are those who think that, the party should evoke the doctrine if necessity, which will permit Mai Mala Buni to continue beyond the mandate initially given to him to save the APC from imminent collapse, no thanks to Comrade Adams Oshimole’s disastrous outing. But the fear of likely legal war, makes allowing Buni to continue a bad option which is the likely incumbrance.
Those who feel that my former boss and former Borno state Governor Ali Modu Sheriff could be a good alternative to Mai Mala Buni, are skeptical, looking back at his scandalous handling of the affairs of the opposition People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as it acting chairman. That remains a big minus for him. Besides that, Sheriff’s alleged connivance with others, and the Shabby manner he treated President Muhammdu Buhari in past outings makes him a leprous choice. If Sheriff were not a Governor and in control of the ANPP, when he worked for the PDP in the past, to the detriment of his own party, he might have been charged for anti party activity and possibly sacked from the ANPP.
It is against the background that, should the party Chairmanship position be zoned to the North East, that my mind quickly went to the immediate past Governor of Borno State, Senator Kashim Shettima.
I have been a witness to Kashim Shettima’s commitment and dedication to the emergence of an APC President. In the two elections which he midwived in Borno, the APC scored the highest average votes in the country, during the elections. He has no negative tendencies towards the President nor the party, going by his pedigree.
What counts for Kashim Shettima, even more than his fidelity to the party’s goals, is his shrewd intellectual acumen which places him ahead of other contenders. Shettima is highly intelligent and perfectly understands the dynamics of Nigerian politics. He does not have a history of failure, neither does he keep malice. He is very unlikely to have any suspicious motive against the party. Above all, he is a team player, who played various roles in mediating between contending interest in some serious national debates.
I may not be able to exhaust everything that makes me feel Senator Kashim Shettima is better suited to lead the APC, but suffice it to provoke a debate amongst party members on the subject matter.
I have not had the previledge of meeting him in recent times, hence my dilemma, as to whether he may agree with my position. But I feel the biggest challenge is, who could come tell Senator Kashim Shettima, to step forward and bell the cat. So far, he is the beautiful but reluctant bride: who may not have the ambition, but should be compelled to make sacrifices for the party and the country.

Politics

Gov AbdulRazaq inspects multistorey hospital in Ilorin

Published

7 hours ago

August 11, 2025

Our Reporter

Says states spending on people-focused projects

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Kwara State Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has inspected ongoing construction work at the multistorey Oluremi Tinubu Hospital in Ilorin, the state capital, a few days after he approved N20bn additional funding for statewide public school infrastructure in the State.

In an interview with reporters at the site, the Governor said the hospital project is one of his administration’s investments in public health, education, road networks, and social investment across various demographies.

Last Tuesday, the Governor inspected different rural road projects in Asa Local Government, including 23.23 kilometres Oko Olowo Express-Sokoto-Tafatafa-Elere-Owode Oja Baba Kudu-Akopari-Otte Oja road and 17.7km Madi Peeke road.

Governor AbdulRazaq said the government has constructed many roads within and outside the capital city Ilorin, while many others are ongoing.

He said that many other states of the federation are also doing well in project execution, citing massive hospital projects in Lagos, Kaduna, and many other states.

He tied the surge in project executions across the states, including in road, school, and health sectors, to the rise in allocation that followed the removal of fuel subsidy,commending President Bola Tinubu for his support for the state.

The Governor said: “The First Lady of Nigeria Senator Oluremi Tinubu was here six months ago to lay the foundation of this world-class hospital.

“And work has progressed tremendously. Hopefully, in the second quarter of next year, we’ll be done with it. The majority of the equipment have been ordered already: radiography machine, a CT scanner, MRI, PET scan machines, and all sorts of equipment have been ordered.”

He added that the administration is also working on other projects, including in other parts of the state such as the International Conference Centre, ICT Centre Shonga, Patigi (Regatta) Motel, Sheabutter Factory in Kaiama, and Ibrahim Taiwo Road in Offa.

“This is not the only thing going on in the state. We have other major infrastructure projects ongoing, and this is not just in terms of healthcare all over Nigeria,” he said.

“A lot of infrastructural projects are also going on in different states of the federation. We were recently in Kaduna with the President to commission a hospital (built by the Kaduna State Government).

“Lagos State is building a huge hospital (New Massey Clinic), I believe, children’s hospital. Katsina is doing the same. So, all over the country, healthcare has been improved by the sub-nationals. All this is due to the increased funding from the federal revenue.

“Work will continue in all other major aspects. What people see majorly is road infrastructure, but in terms of education, a lot of investments are going on. I have recently approved another N20bn spending on education infrastructure. Education is not part of what you call a low-hanging fruit. So people don’t quickly see investments in that. They mostly only see investments in roads. But a lot is going on in agriculture and other sub sectors. And we’ll continue to do more and deepen investment in all these areas.

“For example, if you go to Kwara South, we’ve done the Oro to Arandun Road. Ajase-Ipo to Oke Ode is still ongoing, done in phases. We’ve done Omu-Aran to Oko. We have done Orisa Bridge along Oro-Ago. We are doing the road to Owu waterfall as well. We’ve done road in Offa. We’re also about to do the Ilemona bypass, among others.”

End

Politics

Kwara Artisans hail AbdulRazaq’s empowerment for members

Published

5 days ago

August 7, 2025

Our Reporter

Stephen Olufemi Oni, Ilorin

Kwara State Artisan Congress has acknowledged the consistent support that Governor AbdulRahman AbdulRazaq has extended to the body since 2019, saying he has been with them at all times.

The body said their members have repeatedly benefitted from the government’s social investment scheme, and such support accounted for how they secured their permanent secretariat, which is under construction.

In a remark at their meeting which the Governor briefly attended in Ilorin, Chairman of the Congress Alhaji Jimoh Adesina said the government has done a lot to improve the socio-economic lives of Kwarans, particularly the business community.

On the Governor’s entourage were the Commissioner for Works, Engr Abdulquawiy Olododo; Senior Adviser and Counsellor, Alhaji Saadu Salau; Special Adviser on Special Duties, Alhaji AbdulRazaq Jiddah; and Senior Special Assistant on Religion (Islam), Alhaji Ibrahim Danmegoro; among others.

Adeshina said they owed the purchase of the land for their Secretariat to the support from the Governor.

He requested a continual support of the government for the Congress, particularly in the area of employment opportunities and mobility aides, among other demands.

The Governor, for his part, said the administration will continue to prioritize the welfare of Kwarans, including their members through various social programmes.

He promised to look into their requests, including the completion of their Secretariat.

The Governor said the Artisans and other segments of the society will always benefit from the social programmes, saying he is committed to strengthening legitimate business and initiatives.

The meeting was also attended by BoT Chairman for Artisan Congress, Alhaji Abdulwaheed Idowu; Alangua Gaa-Akanbi, Alhaji Abdulyekeen Usman Akanbi; Lady Vice Chairman of the Association, Chief Mrs Atoyebi Olayinka; among other leaders of the community and the Association.

End

Politics

IN DEFENCE OF SHETTIMA OVER ALLEGED NEPOTISM.

Published

5 days ago

August 7, 2025

Our Reporter

By: Dr. Umar Duhu

As I perused the article published on August 4, 2025, I was taken aback by the blatant fabrications and mischievous reporting designed to malign the character and reputation of Vice President Kashim Shettima GCON.
As a concerned citizen and a member of the APC, I feel compelled to set the record straight and correct the misleading narrative perpetuated by the article, which is nothing short of a calumny.

It is imperative to correct the misleading assertion that Vice President Kashim Shettima channeled resources to other states in the North East region during the 2023 elections. In reality, the APC emerged victorious in only Borno State in the North East, rendering the claim of resource allocation to other states in the region patently false. This error betrays a fundamental misunderstanding of the electoral dynamics of the North East Region, which is a clear manifestation of ignorance of the pertinent facts.

The article’s claims of nepotism and marginalization are unfounded and lack concrete evidence. The accusations made by certain APC chieftains from the North East region are politically motivated and driven by personal interests, which is a classic case of mens rea. It is surprising that the authors of the article failed to provide any credible evidence to support their claims, relying instead on hearsay and unsubstantiated allegations, which is a clear breach of the principles of audi alteram partem.

A cursory examination of the North East Development Commission (NEDC) Establishment Act of 2017 reveals that the Act does not mandate the rotation of the Managing Director and CEO position among the six North East states. In fact, Section 10 (1) and (2) of the NEDC Act provides that the Managing Director shall be appointed by the President and shall hold office for a term of four years, renewable for only one further term of four years. Therefore, the allegations of Shettima’s interference in the NEDC are baseless and demonstrate a clear misunderstanding of the Commission’s Governing Statutes, which is a manifest error.

Moreover, it is essential to correct the misleading narrative that Vice President Shettima is responsible for appointments. The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, not the Vice President, makes all appointments, as enshrined in Section 147 (1) of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). This fundamental fact has been conveniently ignored in the article, revealing a lack of understanding of the constitutional roles and responsibilities of the Office of the Vice President.

Contrary to the allegations of nepotism, the Office of the Vice President has a diverse team with appointments reflecting the federal character of Nigeria. In fact, several persons appointed in the Office of the Vice President are not from Borno State or the North East region. They are not even from the same faith with the Vice President. This demonstrates the commitment to inclusivity and diversity, and belies the claims of nepotism and favouritism, which are nothing short of a mere canard.

The article’s assertion that Vice President Shettima replaced other NEDC Commissioners and Appointees from across the region with individuals loyal to him is a gross exaggeration. The changes made to the NEDC leadership were done in accordance with established procedures and protocols, and were intended to enhance the Commission’s effectiveness and efficiency, which is a legitimate exercise of the powers conferred on the President by the NEDC Act.

It is apparent that the article’s authors are attempting to create a false narrative to support their own political agendas. The ADC party’s desperation to gain traction in the North East region is evident in this malicious report, which seeks to exploit ethnic and regional sentiments for political gain, a clear case of argumentum ad hominem.

I urge the public to disregard this baseless and mischievous article, as it is nothing but a desperate attempt to try to discredit the Vice President Kashim Shettima and create unnecessary tension within the APC. I also call on the authors of the article to retract their false claims and apologize for their malicious and defamatory statements, else, history will not be kind to them and their cohorts.

Umar D. Duhu, LLM, Ph.D.
galadimadluku@gmail.com