Daybreak, Politics, Entertainment, Sport

Tag: 2023 elections

  • New Year: We Must See 2023 As An Opportunity To Birth A New Nigeria – Jonathan

    New Year: We Must See 2023 As An Opportunity To Birth A New Nigeria – Jonathan

    Former President Goodluck Jonathan has urged Nigerians to see the 2023 elections as an opportunity to birth a new country.

    He gave the counsel in a New Year message titled ‘Happy New Year, Nigerians and friends across the world.’

    According to him, the ballot serves as the most suitable vehicle for achieving “our shared dream” of peace, justice, unity, and prosperity.

    “Every new day is a gift for which we must show appreciation to God. We thank God for the gift of life and the opportunities 2023 presents to us as individuals and as a nation.

    “Last year was, without a doubt, filled with gains and losses. As a country, we experienced a devastating flood that resulted in the death of many lives and the destruction of properties and sources of livelihood of millions of citizens.

    “As a people, we survived the horror of the flood amid other national challenges, lived with hope unto God and faith in our nation, and triumphed into this New Year,” he said.

    Jonathan also advised Nigerians to put the nation’s interests first in their conduct this year.

    “This year is very significant for the survival of our nation. It is an election year, and citizens will go to the polls to elect leaders for different offices.

    The former Nigerian leader stated that this year holds great possibilities and that Nigerians must harness the opportunities that lie within the length and breadth of the nation.

    “We must see the election as an opportunity to birth a new country and overcome the challenges of the past years. Let us put the nation’s interest first in all our conduct this year.

    “The ballot serves as the most suitable vehicle for achieving our shared dream of peace, justice, unity, and prosperity.

    “This year, let us be purposeful in our actions, abide in faith and love towards God and country and eschew all negative tendencies and sentiments that would diminish our collective fortunes of unity, peace, and progress,” he said.

  • 2023: Again, Gov Ortom Endorses Peter Obi For Presidency

    2023: Again, Gov Ortom Endorses Peter Obi For Presidency

    Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State has urged Nigerians to vote for the Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi, in 2023.

    Ortom said Obi is the best person that can help deliver Nigeria from its challenges,

    He spoke while commending Obi for visiting camps of the Internally Displaced People, IDPs, in the State on Christmas day.

    Speaking in Makurdi, the governor prayed that God would bless Obi’s presidential ambition.

    According to Ortom: “Several presidential candidates have come here, and none of them have chosen to visit those IDPs camps and look at their plight to see how they are doing and give them hope that when they win, they will bring them succour, help, and hope.

    “For you to have chosen to visit the IDPs on a Christmas day that you should be celebrating with your family, for me as a Christian, I say God will bless you and your aspirations. My prayer is that God will bless your aspiration to be the president of this country.

    “Because I have seen capacity, faith, and hope, and I have seen someone who can bring the required equity, justice, and fairness that I have been pursuing since I became governor in 2015. If I were not in PDP, I would have been following you all over the place to canvass and vote for you.

    “But, because I’m in PDP, I’m telling Nigerians that this man can help deliver this country from its challenges.”

  • 2023: I’ll Announce & Campaign For My Preferred Presidential Candidate In January – Wike

    2023: I’ll Announce & Campaign For My Preferred Presidential Candidate In January – Wike

    Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike says he will make his preferred presidential candidate known in January 2023.

    The governor, who stated this on Thursday, said he will also campaign for his adopted candidate nationwide.

    “From January next year, I will campaign to my people whom they will vote for,” Wike said when he commissioned the tenth flyover by his administration in the Obio-Akpor Local Government Area of Rivers.

    “So, all of you who have been in suspense, who have been saying all kinds of things, abusing me, wait. January is here.

    “Not only will I tell them (my people) whom to vote, I will move from state to state (for campaigns) and why they should vote for the person, nothing will happen,” he said.

  • 2023: INEC, Police Warns Politicians Against Vote Buying, Thuggery In Kogi

    2023: INEC, Police Warns Politicians Against Vote Buying, Thuggery In Kogi

    From Noah Ocheni, Lokoja

    The Commissioner of Police Kogi state command, Akeem Yusuf has warned politicians against vote buying, thuggery and other electoral malpractices before, during and after the elections .

    CP Yusuf also assured the public of the command’s neutrality and vowed to provide a level playing ground for all political parties in the state.

    The commissioner made the remarks during the meeting of the Police, and other security agencies, with Stakeholders of political parties held on Tuesday at the Police command headquarters, Lokoja.

    CP Yusuf advised politicians to play the game by the rules, and solicited their cooperation so as to have a peaceful, credible and transparent election, warning that any form of violence or thuggery would be handled with maximum force .

    He admonished the political parties and their candidates to educate their supporters on the dangers inherent in vote buying and acts of thuggery as the Command will be fully prepared for any form of breaches.

    The Director of the Department of States Service (DSS), who assured the politicians of the professionalism of the Security agencies, said any attempt by person or groups no matter how highly placed to undermine their mandate will be fully resisted and dealt with decisively in accordance with the law.

    The DSS boss, who recalled the mass voters apathy during the previous elections, blamed it on act of thuggery, which he said disenfranchised many prospective voters.

    The Resident Electoral Commissioner for Kogi state, Dr. Hale Gabriel Longpet, in his goodwill message, commended the Police, and other security agencies for their usual cooperation and commitments during national assignments like election.

    Dr Longpet appealed to political parties, Traditional Rulers, Stakeholders, Youth and Women to assist INEC in sensitizing the public on the conduct of the election as well as educating them on the danger’s of thuggery, vote buying and selling.

    While assuring the people of INEC’s preparedness towards election, the Resident Electoral Commissioner, urged the electorate to feel free and cast their votes.

    He disclosed that INEC has introduced new devices that will ensure, free,fair,credible and transparent election in 2023, and advised them to be civil through out the period of the election.

    The meeting had in attendance, the AIG in charge of zone 8 Ashafa Adekunle and all heads of the para military agencies in Kogi state.

  • NCPC Boss enjoins Nigerians to shun rumours, pray for success of 2023 elections

    NCPC Boss enjoins Nigerians to shun rumours, pray for success of 2023 elections

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    The Executive Secretary of the Nigeria Christian Pilgrim Commission, NCPC, Rev. Dr. Yakubu Pam has enjoined Nigerians to continuously pray for the country and for the success of the 2023
    general elections.
    Rev. Pam made this call during the Commission’s 2022 Christmas Carol Service held at the NCPC headquarters in Abuja.
    Speaking during his exhautation from the Book of Genesis 3 vs 15, Rev. Pam prayed that the country will overcome it’s present challenges as a firm and strong nation.
    He said, ” The hour has come for us to pray more, dedicate our service to our father land. When our land is safe, our churches are safe and we would have freedom to pray and worship God.”
    He called on Nigerians to shun rumours that breeds confusion because of the coming elections.

    Rev. Pam said, ” In the past we have the believe that politics of voting is a sin, but we have the Bible injunction in the Book of Romans 13, asking us to obey authorities and governance and so we should make sure we are part of the elections , Christians play politics stand for positions and vote for good leader’s who God fearing and accountable to the people irrespective of their faith.”

    While comparing the reason for the Christmas celebration, Rev. Pam said that the birth of Christ was full of wilderness experience which a lot of people and the nation is passing through, adding at the end there is always celebration.
    Daybreak reports that the 2022 NCPC Christmas Carol was the third in the series.

  • Of emergency Philanthropists and Abia 2023

    Of emergency Philanthropists and Abia 2023

    In every political season, new words creep into the political lexicon. The one in vogue in Abia is a section who have emerged recently to render emergency political gestures to the electorate, basically to woo their sympathy. Thus, the coinage “emergency philanthropists”.

    This group negates Mother Theresa’s perspective on philantrophy because she admonishes us to ” do good everywhere we go”.  The bible also charges us to do good ant to withdraw our hands whenever duty calls for us to show charity.If we do so, it amounts to ” sin of omission “.

    Recently, a group has emerged and decided  to temporary affect the lives of Abians for the purposes of currying electoral favour from them. Don’t this amount to the characteristics of the Scribes who were accused of praying in in the open to play to the gallery.

    At this juncture, a lesson can be strongly extracted fro Aesop’s  Juvenilia” The wolf Crying Boy”, where the shepherd boy in a bid to fight boredom resorted to crying wolf where none exists. The repeated efforts by the villagers to help the boy fight wolf were dashed as none exists.

    Also, the repeated plea by the vilagges to the boy not to cry wolf where none exists felled on deaf ears.

    One day when the real wolf appeared and the boy in his usual manner cried wolf, there was no villagers to his rescue because he had incessantly deceived them with the cry of wolf. When the boy could not return as usual with his sheep in the evening, it dawned on the villagers that the real wolf had appeared and attacked the sheep.

    Morals: character should be consistent such as philanthropy. When philanthropy is anchored on emergency arrangement to curry electoral favour,the people will know.

    That is why William Hazlith advises thusly”The only vice that cannot be forgiven is hypocrisy. The repentance of a hypocrite is itself hypocrisy”.

    We will not succumb to the quote” If you want to test a man’s character, give him power”, because we already know their character.

    Abians, beware of these emergency philanthropists.

  • 2023 Elections: NYSC Reads Riot Act to Corps Members

    2023 Elections: NYSC Reads Riot Act to Corps Members

    The National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) has warned serving corps members against partaking in any form of electoral malpractices in the forthcoming general elections.

    The Acting Director-General of the NYSC, Mrs Christy Uba, who gave the warning during working visit to the temporary Orientation Camp in Amada, Akko Local Government Area, said any corps member found wanting shall be prosecuted according to law.

    She said that the NYSC scheme had played a critical role in conducting elections in the country over the years in collaboration with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    Uba added that any corps member that involved in any form of electoral offence would face the wrath of the law as stipulated in the 2022 Electoral Act.

    While enjoining the corps members to be apolitical during the election, the acting director general emphasised that it is not compulsory to participate in the elections.

    She said, “If you must participate in the electoral process, you are encouraged to remain neutral and apolitical. Do not involve yourself in politics; you are corps members and you have a duty to your country; you have to be careful.

    “If you fall foul of the law, you will be treated as any other Nigerian. There is no cover for corps members; when you carry a ballot box for anybody; you will go straight to prison.”

    Uba further stated that all corps members who indicated interest in participating in elections would be given the required training by the NYSC and INEC officials.

    She, therefore, advised all those participating in the 2023 elections to go through the training to get the required knowledge to conduct the exercise successfully.

    The acting director general also debunked allegations that clinics in some camps in the country lacked medical supplies, stating that “the welfare of all corps members across the country is always given high priority.”

    “Their feeding, health, and wellbeing is not negotiable; we collaborate with the National Health Insurance Scheme (NHIS) and I can tell you drugs are always made available,” she added.

  • 2023 Elections: Rev. Pam says Northern Christians Uphold Unity

    2023 Elections: Rev. Pam says Northern Christians Uphold Unity

    By Joyce Remi-Babayeju

    As the 2023 General elections approaches, Chairman of the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN 19th Northern states and FCT , Rev Dr Yakubu Pam has said that the Northern Christians uphold the unity of Nigeria.

    In a statement signed by Deputy Director/Head, Media and Public Relations NCPC , Mr. Celestine Toruka yesterday, Rev. Pam said this during a three day Prayer Summit organized by the Christian Association of Nigeria, CAN 19 Northern states and FCT, held at the Catholic Social Centre, Kaduna.

    According to him, the unity which guarantees inter- faith harmony and peaceful co-existence should be the pride of the north regardless of our political leanings and affiliations.

    The CAN Chairman 19 Northern states and FCT commended the leading presidential candidates for traversing the length and breathe of the country canvassing for votes from the electorates.

    He urged all candidates to set their eyes on the ball by being focus and should not be distracted.

    He said,” they should strive to address the issues of the economy and proffer solutions; they should shun campaign of calumny and character assassination of their opponents.”

    Rev Pam cautioned that the Presidential candidates should not see the 2023 general election as a do or die affair, because power only comes from God , ass be admonished religious leaders to stand firm in the face of intimidation in this era of electioneering process.

    Rev Pam said, ” We should be able to speak truth to power no matter the circumstances we find ourselves because everyone we mislead, we must answer for it someday,”

    Meanwhile, some of the presidential candidates are billed to address the CAN officials on their manifestos and blueprint for the Christians in the North.

    One of the highlights of the Prayer Summit was the presentation of awards to some deserving Christian leaders in the country who have contributed immensely to humanity .

    Prominent among the awardees is the former Group Managing Director of the NNPC, Engr Andrew Yakubu.
    The CAN Prayer Summit was attended by the Chairmen and Secretaries of the 19 Northern states including FCT.

  • 2023: If You Really Want to Be President, Then Vote For Me – Atiku Tells Ndi-Igbo

    2023: If You Really Want to Be President, Then Vote For Me – Atiku Tells Ndi-Igbo

    The presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Atiku Abubakar has called for the support of the South-East, saying he is the region’s surest route to the presidency.

    He made the comment while addressing party supporters during his campaign rally in Awka the Anambra State capital on Thursday.

    “I am going to be a stepping stone to an Igbo president in this country. I have shown it in my action because this is the third time I am running with an Igbo man. If you really want to produce a president, then vote Atiku-Okowa ticket,” the former vice president told the gathering.

    “I want to thank you, the people of Anambra State, for this warm reception I never thought I will see such a crowd in Anambra State, and believe me, we are not going to forget you, we are going to reward you handsomely.”

    Atiku also promised to revive industries in the region, vowing to dredge the River Niger to boost economic activities.

    “On our arrival today, we visited their Governor Prof. Soludo, and he said to me: ‘I know you are going to work but make sure that all the federal roads that pass through Anambra State are reconstructed’,” he said.

    “And I promised him, I’m going to do that, he said ‘Make sure that you control our erosion because Anambra is the erosion headquarters of the world. Erosion is destroying our farmlands, destroying our houses and everything we have.’

    “This is a very gigantic project. And I promised him I’m going to do that, and you know I have worked with Soludo before, he is a first-class patriotic Nigerian.
    “You have an excellent governor. He also appealed to me about the Onisha Port and I said this time around we are going to dredge River Niger and Onisha Port will function.

    “We are also going to help Anambra industrialise the state so that the state will create as many jobs for our young men and women.

    “And you know, I promised to set aside $10 billion to promote small-scale and medium enterprise for our young men and women so that they can be independent.”

  • 2023: Politicians Buying PVCs to Rig Elections – INEC

    2023: Politicians Buying PVCs to Rig Elections – INEC

    Ahead of the forthcoming 2023 general elections, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has lamented that politicians now purchase Permanent Voter Cards, PVCs, to rig and mar the credibility of the exercise.

    This disclosure is coming as voters across the 774 local government areas across the country troop out to collect their PVCs. This process commenced on 12th December and is expected to end on 27th January 2023.

    The Acting Chairman of INEC and National Commissioner overseeing the FCT, Nasarawa, Kaduna and Plateau states, Mohammed Haruna, raised this alarm on Monday during the launch of #YourVoteMatters project by an election observer group, NESSACTION, in Abuja.

    Haruna revealed that recently, the Commission convicted two persons in Sokoto and Kano states for illegally possessing PVCs.

    He emphasized that politicians now buy PVCs, warning voters not to sell their cards for any reason because it is a punishable electoral offence.

    He said, “Some of you are aware that only recently, INEC managed to convict two people who were found guilty of illegally possessing PVCs in Kano and Sokoto. So, I urge people to collect their PVCs, keep them safely, and make sure you go out there and cast your votes on the election day because you cannot vote without your PVCs.”