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26 January 2011 By Alhaji Khaleel Bolaji
NEWS RELEASE: AN OPPORTUNITY TO END
INSINCERITY AND INSECURITY The overwhelming election of
Governor Ibrahim Shekarau of
Kano State
as the Presidential candidate of the
All
Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) at the
party's
National Convention
and Presidential Primaries held on the 16th of January
2011 is a great opportunity for Nigerians to turn
around the fortunes of their country for the best and
end the vicious circle of insincere leadership,
increasing insecurity and underdevelopment. Already, the imposition of
candidates at purported
primary elections organized by the
ruling People's
Democratic Party
(PDP) for most elective offices in the forthcoming
general elections has laid the
foundation for further violence across the country
especially as elections approach. The mass protests
and demonstrations against such acts of imposition
recorded in Adamawa, Bauchi, Kaduna, Sokoto and
elsewhere are mere precursors of what may follow if
the powers-that-be in the party eventually have their
way in the polls proper. The corruption that
characterized the primaries also indicates the
fairness and transparency or more appropriately, the
lack of them, that the PDP intends to continue with if
elected. Apart from the well-known
manipulations that threw up
President Goodluck
Jonathan as its Presidential candidate,
many other instances indicate that the party is intent
on insincerity. One classic case is the double
primaries held in Ogun State where the party's Board
of Trustees chairman,
former President Olusegun Obasanjo
organised a parallel
primary election
at his
Presidential Library
where his daughter was offered the ticket to
re-contest for her senatorial seat, even though the
initial primary election organised by officials from
the PDP national headquarters was won by Ms Lola
Abiola- Edewor. In addition, the mass exodus and
defection of prominent PDP members in places such as
Adamawa, Benue, Katsina and Kebbi states, among
others, means that all peace will henceforth elude the
party - and the country - if the party imposes itself
on
Nigeria once
more. Nigerians must not be deceived by
the PDP for a fourth time at the forthcoming general
elections. Knowing that the electorate may not be
easily hoodwinked into electing its candidates, most
of whom emerged in fraudulent primaries, the
ruling party has laid booby-traps along
the path. The most prominent among these is the
ill-planned
voters' registration
exercise which is in its fifth day today
with some centers recording no registration
whatsoever. According to Professor Ibidapo Obe, a
former Vice Chancellor of the
University of Lagos
in an interview with LEADERSHIP of 15th January 2011,
"The INEC Chairman's task is Herculean. Two weeks is
not enough to register 74 million voters. Sincerely,
he has allowed the PDP to push him to a point where it
will be difficult for him to deliver on his promises
in terms of credible elections. So, I pray for him
because I know him to be a thorough person. But again,
the circumstances and the area which he will be
operating from will be quite detrimental to his
desire." The ANPP is the only party with
the right members, manifesto and adequate experience
that can bail the nation from its present economic and
sociopolitical predicaments. The myth of the
invincibility of the PDP at the polls has already been
shattered so many times. However, it is the people
that hold the power to throw out the toxic party
through their precious votes in the April 2011
elections. We urge all Nigerians to defy all
the difficulties of the current
voter registration exercise and
subsequent elections so as to ensure a complete change
for the better in their fortunes and that of
generations of Nigerians yet unborn. Signed By Alhaji Khaleel
Bolaji, mni - Director General, Shekarau for Nigeria
Campaign Organisation (SfN) 0803 618 9067/0802 721
9449/kbolaji1@yahoo.com NEWS RELEASE: PRIVATE MEDIA MAKING US
PROUD
The Shekarau for Nigeria Campaign Organisation wishes
to express its heartfelt appreciation and gratitude to
owners and practitioners in the private media
organizations especially the press for their
commitment to the codes of accuracy, balance, fairness
and objectivity so far in the coverage of the coming
general elections.
It is particularly pleasing that these media have
strived to sustain the ethics of the noble profession
in the face of the temptations that have corrupted
most of our institutions today. This patriotic
disposition recommends itself to all well-meaning
Nigerians
and is the path to tread if we really wish to rescue
our country from the almost certain collapse to which
it seems headed.
This is the main reason why the
All Nigeria Peoples' Party (ANPP)
is more than ever before determined to offer
outstanding candidates for
political offices at all levels
of government in
Nigeria
in the April 2011 elections. The nation is ripe for
rapid progressive changes such as those for which the
ANPP stands. We urge all Nigerians to rally round this
party to usher in these changes peacefully through the
polls.
On the other hand, we also wish to call on the
National Broadcasting Commission (NBC) to be more
alive to its responsibilities of ensuring that all
media organizations abide by the rules governing
political broadcasts. For instance, it is obvious that
the
Nigerian Television Authority (NTA)
continues to give far more coverage to candidates of
the
ruling party than to those of the
63 other registered parties operating in the country
put together. Being the self-acclaimed largest
television network in Africa, the disadvantage thus
conferred on the
opposition parties is
unquantifiable. This does not help in any way to
create a level playing field and is a gross breach of
the law of fairness and justice. The NBC must not
overlook these contraventions because injustice always
meets retribution, if not now, certainly in
posterity.
While thanking those media who are standing firm on
the side of justice to all, we also look forward to
working in tandem with them when the overwhelming
number of Nigerians elects our party into power with
Shekarau as President in the coming elections. Signed By Alhaji Khaleel Bolaji, mni - Director
General, Shekarau for Nigeria Campaign Organisation (SfN)
0803 618 9067/0802 721 9449/kbolaji1@yahoo.com
Alhaji Khaleel Bolaji, mni is the Director
General for Shekarau for Nigeria Campaign Organisation.
Upon his written correspondence to
EsinIslam as
supported by both Bala Muhammad and Emu Brown of the
campaign organization, this news/press release has
been made available.
More stories about the Nigerian 2011 General Elections
and the Shekarau for Nigeria Campaign Organisation
have been posted on
EsinIslam by Nigeria's prominent international
writers including
Saka Raji Audu. To Read more about Mallam
Shekarau - the Nigerian Presidential Hopeful, his
achievements and visions visit
Writer Homepage Of Saka Raji Audu at: |
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