Ahead of Wednesday’s presidential rally of the All Progressives Congress in Enugu (APC), the Concerned Enugu APC Members says it has uncovered massive renting of the crowd from neighbouring states by the Chairman of the Enugu State chapter of the party, Ugochukwu Agballah.

The body said it was part of the efforts to give the national leaders of the party and the presidential candidate, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, a false sense of electoral security and inexistent efforts to boost the party in the state “whereas Agballah was in an actual sense killing the party.”

The group revealed this in a statement issued by its Leader and pioneer Deputy State Chairman of the APC in Enugu, Comrade Adolphus Ude, in Enugu on Tuesday.

The Concerned Enugu APC said it was another sign of failure for Chief Agballah to embark on crowd renting whereas the party could grow and showcase an organic support base across the State if well administered by credible persons.

“Faced with the reality of an empty venue, the Chairman of the APC in Enugu State has embarked on a crowd-shopping drive to deceive our national party leaders, particularly our presidential candidate, Senator Bola Tinubu and his running mate, Senator Kashim Shettima.

“We can authoritatively disclose that Agballah and the governorship candidate, Chief Uchenna Nnaji, have engaged contractors to ferry rented crowd from Ebonyi, Anambra, Abia, Imo, Benue and other nearby states to come here and answer Enugu people at tomorrow’s rally for Asiwaju and Senator Shettima in order to save themselves the impending embarrassment of an empty venue. The national leadership of our party and the people of Enugu State should watch out for this fraudulent act by Agballah and his cohorts.

“It is a shame that they still have to shop for crowd beyond the borders of Enugu State even after they settled for Okpara Square, which is a very small venue compared to the Nnamdi Azikiwe Stadium. But can the people they are mobilising to Enugu tomorrow cast votes for our party during the general election? The answer is ‘No’.

“But we have an overwhelming population in Enugu, which if harnessed will give our party the support and result Asiwaju needs in Enugu State. In fact, there is no result we cannot achieve if the stakeholders and the leaders of the party come together in Enugu. But this is exactly what Agballah cannot deliver and does not also want,” he said. (Daily Sun)

Boko Haram: You failed woefully to deliver your promise to Nigerians — MBF replies Buhari

The Middle Belt Forum, MBF, Tuesday said President Muhammadu Buhari has failed woefully to deliver his promise to completely eliminate Boko Haram from the country.

The MBF noted that the President, rather than fulfilling his promise to Nigerians watched helplessly while the insurgents spread from the North East to all parts of the country.

The National President of MBF, Dr. Bitrus Pogu who was reacting to claims by President Buhari that he has fulfilled his promise to Nigerians on Boko Haram, countered the President and advised him to accept failure.

Questioning President Buhari’s claim, the MBF National President said, “Just two days to Christmas, Boko Haram attacked Chibok and killed two people, an elderly person and a toddler. They also abducted some people who were preparing for Christmas. What that tells you is that Boko Haram activities are still on. Their operational headquarters are still there. Many of the things Boko Haram are doing in the North are even not reported.

“There are extensions of Boko Haram in the North West and in the North Central. They have been attacking parts of Kaduna state right to even the end of last year. So then what does his fulfilling his promise mean? Is it saying that they have stopped one aspect of their activities which is bombing targets across the country; and now they have introduced kidnappings and attacking people and communities? Is that what it means?

“It is for Nigerians to judge whether the President has done what he promised in 2015. At that time he told us that it wouod be history, that he wouod eliminate Boko Haram.

“First of all we were deceived, a flag was brought to him, ground zero whatever, we knew it was not true and the attacks continued. And then it spread to the North West, parts of the North Central and now it is all over the place including South West, South East and even South South.

“So Nigerians who are the ones who feel the brunt would answer him appropriately that Mr. President you failed woefully and have not fulfilled the promise you made to make Boko Haram history in Nigeria. And we need greater political will to ensure that the military go after them to decimate them and not to wait in a location to repel Boko Haram, or bandits as they have renamed them in the North West and other places.

“So we need a leader who will uproot them and give Nigeria’s space back to Nigerians so that you can travel to any part of the country without fear.

“Even the Maiduguri-Danbua road which has just been reopened in December, an escort has to carry commuters on the stretch which is a distance of 90 kilometres and sometimes the trip takes four hours because they stop at intervals to send surveillance while soldiers fire shots into the forests and bushes to ensure the safety of the commenters before they move ahead.

“So what has he achieved? Leah is still in Boko Haram custody, same for some of the Chibok girls. Has he resolved that? So lots of things and questions are begging for answers.

“Let the President come out clean and tell Nigerians that he has done whatever he could do, the effort he has put in is not good enough and he wished that whoever is going to come in through a transparent Democratic process is going to resolve the problems.

“If in 2014 the then President Jonathan could give marching orders to the Service Chiefs and we held peacefully election across the country, why can’t Buhari assure us of that? I hope he would see reason and do the needful.”