Skip to main content

Atiku secures US visa, Obasanjo, Tambuwal intervene in campaign crisis

Atiku secures US visa, Obasanjo, Tambuwal intervene in campaign crisis

BTS MEDIA 
December 2,2018 

The coast is now clear for the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, Atiku Abubakar, to visit to the United States following the issuance of a visa to him.
It was learnt that Atiku had received the visa to enable him to travel the USA, which he last visited about 13 years ago.
Atiku on Tuesday appeared at the US Embassy in Abuja, where he was interviewed and his fingerprints taken.
Sources close to him told one of our correspondents in Abuja on Saturday night that Atiku was delighted with the issuance of the visa.
Atiku had stopped visiting the USA after the FBI investigated a bribery scandal that involved a former US congressman, William Jefferson.
The former Vice President was accused of demanding a kickback of $500,000 to facilitate the award of contracts to two American telecommunication firms in Nigeria.
During the investigation, the FBI had searched Atiku’s residence in Maryland, but it was gathered that no cash was found.
Despite Atiku’s claim to innocence, the controversy had continued unabated with his opponents daring him to visit the country and see if he would not be arrested.
Atiku’s former boss, former President Olusegun Obasanjo, was said to have played “significant role” in the issuance of the visa.
The desire of Atiku to secure the visa had caught the attention of the main opposition party, the All Progressives Congress and the Federal Government last week.
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, had called on the US not to grant the visa, saying doing so now could be interpreted as endorsement for Atiku’s presidential ambition.
In a swift reaction, the USA had replied, saying Atiku’s desire to secure the visa was private.
Meanwhile, Obasanjo and the Governor of Sokoto State, Aminu Tambuwal, have agreed to intervene in the crisis rocking the PDP Presidential Campaign Council.
BTS MEDIA  learnt on Saturday that the two men would engage different stakeholders who felt agreed following the composition of the party’s presidential campaign council.
is the party’s South-South zonal coordinator for the campaign.
Wike, who supported Tambuwal during the presidential primary, had claimed that he was being sidelined in the campaign council.
He was said to have threatened to resign his position as the zonal coordinator for the presidential campaign.
However, it was gathered that the national leadership of the party and Atiku had spoken with the governor to rescind the decision.
As a follow up, the party and Atiku were said to have asked Tambuwal to visit Wike and convince him on the need to work together with the party for the general elections.
The source said that Obasanjo would also speak with some other aggrieved members of the party, especially from the North.
Obasanjo, it was gathered, had agreed to meet with the aggrieved persons in Abuja this week.
When asked for comment on the matter, Secondus told one of our correspondents that the party remained united and that “all is well with us.”
He added, “We conducted the best transparent presidential and other primaries without acrimony. So, whatever is happening now will be resolved.”
Meanwhile, the Director -General, PDP Presidential Campaign Council, Dr Bukola Saraki, has said that the current challenges of Nigeria are beyond partisan consideration.
He noted that all Nigerians, regardless of their political persuasion, were affected by the challenges, adding that it was needful to get Nigeria working again.
He spoke in an interactive session with journalists in Abuja on Friday.
Saraki who is also the Senate President stated that the PDP presidential campaign would be issue-based, adding that they would not descend to hate speech or derogatory remarks.
Atiku would begin his campaign from Sokoto State on Monday, it was learnt on Saturday.
Tagged North-West zonal rally, the Director, Contact and Mobilisation Presidential Campaign Organisation, Col. Austin Akobundu  (retd), said the rally would be attended by all members of the National Assembly, National Executive Committee and Board of Trustees from the zone.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ngige clarifies govt stand on minimum wage

Ngige clarifies govt stand on minimum wage Published  26 January, 2019  Dr. Chris Ngige, Minister of Labour and Employment says the minimum wage of N27, 000 is standard for all workers, but the Federal Government will pay federal workers N30,000. The minister made this known in a statement signed by Mrs lliya Rhoda, Assistant Director, Press, of the ministry in Abuja on Saturday. According to the minister, President Muhammadu Buhari constituted a Tripartite Committee on National Minimum Wage in November 2017 to consider the issue and recommend a new national minimum wage. He said the constitution of the committee was in consonance with the provisions of the International Labour Organisation Convention on Nos.26,99 and 131 as well as guidance provided by the accompanying recommendations. “In a bid to achieve a holistic coverage, the prescribed tripartite structure went beyond the requirements of tripartism to tripartite – in order to cover other ...
Post a Comment
Read more

Onnoghen: Buhari behaving like Hitler – Group

Onnoghen: Buhari behaving like Hitler – Group Acting CJN Published  25th January, 2019  The Advocacy for Integrity and Economic Development has described the suspension of the Chief Justice of Nigeria, Justice Walter Onnoghen as grand illegality, desecration of the garment of democracy and final stage of President Adolf Buhari Hitler’s Armageddon which must be stopped. In a statement in Abuja on Friday in reaction to the suspension of the head of Nigerian judiciary and signed by its Director of Publicity, Comrade O’Seun John, AIED stated that the action should be protested not just by every member of the Nigerian Body of Benchers but all patriots who hold dear the continuous existence of Nigeria. The statement said, “The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, today, unveiled fully his true personality after years of dilly dally and pretence as a reformed dictator. Muhammadu Buhari, whose action is likened to that of Adolf Hitler, has shown to...
Post a Comment
Read more

Senate okays higher institutions for President’s hometown, nine others Published

Senate okays higher institutions for President’s hometown, nine other BTS MEDIA November 29,2018  The Senate on Wednesday approved the establishment of 10 new higher institutions across the country. The resolution was made after the federal lawmakers adopted the report of the Senate Committee on Tertiary Institutions and TETFund. The committee’s chairman, Jibrin Barau, presented the report for consideration. The 10 new higher institutions approved by the Senate include one polytechnic to be located in the hometown of President Muhammadu Buhari, Daura in Katsina State. The federal lawmakers agreed that the establishment of the institutions would open up the education space in the country. They also expressed the belief that the step would assist the country to fight illiteracy. The Senate also said that the approval of the establishment of the institutions was in line with the policy to establish polytechnics across the states. The approved institutions inclu...
Post a Comment
Read more