Wednesday, February 23, 2011
'We are a serious ticket' says Fola Adeola
11:10 AM | 
Posted by
Team Ribadu
Founding managing director of Guaranty Trust Bank and businessman, Fola Adeola, has explained that he accepted to contest the forthcoming presidential election as running mate to Action Congress of Nigeria’s presidential candidate, Nuhu Ribadu, because the party holds much hope for the country.
In an interview with NEXT yesterday, Mr Adeola said he looked at the party and the man that gave him the offer and concluded that he is someone he could do business with. “I looked at his character and I said I can dine with this fellow and I can reinforce the party and make it worthwhile for the nation. I saw the burden in him and I said, this is someone I can support.”
He added, “It’s a much more serious ticket now. The ticket was not complete, now it’s complete and I intend to devote myself, my connections. People have been rallying round since they heard the news. I think it holds much hope for this country.”
After months of speculations and intrigue on the choice of a running mate by Mr. Ribadu, the renowned entrepreneur was picked as the preferred choice, following a meeting of the party’s helmsmen at the weekend.
Mr Adeola, who disclosed that he has also resigned his appointment as a member of the Presidential Advisory Council, said he is not bothered about being a running mate instead of standing as a presidential candidate himself. He said it is not an issue for him, adding that what is more important is the interest of the country. Mr Adeola is known to be one of the promoters of KOWA party, which is being positioned to be a grassroots movement.
“When the flag-bearer came to offer it to me, I had a thousand reasons not to do it. Am I afraid or is it that I don’t want to leave my comfort zone? And every time we have talked about this; you have done this, you have done that, and the place is worse today than it was yesterday. And I just said to myself, ‘OK, let’s give it a shot
Monday, February 14, 2011
ACN says there is no rift between Tinubu and Ribadu, denies alleged walkout by Akande
The Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) has described as a pure fabrication the reports by a section of the media that there is a rift between Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu and the party's presidential candidate, Mr. Nuhu Ribadu, over the choice of the party's presidential running mate.
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also dismissed as tales by the moonlight the alleged walkout of its party chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, from a purported meeting of the party in Abuja on Thursday.
The party wondered how the Asiwaju and Chief Akande, who are both out of the country, could be attending a meeting in Abuja or walking outing of the purported meeting.
''The so-called deepening face-off between Asiwaju and Ribadu is a mere cliche, a figment of the imagination of the writers of such fiction, because there is no face-off, not to talk of a deepening one.
''Also, it is totally untrue that Chief Akande walked out of any meeting. Having served in many capacities, including as Secretary to the Government, Deputy Governor and Governor, our chairman will be the last to walk out of any meeting, when he has acquired the experience and wisdom to resolve even knottier issues without resorting to such actions that are being attributed to him,'' ACN said.
The party wondered why certain elements have decided to peddle falsehood about the ACN and its leaders, using certain media organisations that have now become notorious for being the purveyor of such lies.
''These publications are being sponsored by those who have become jittery at the rising profile of our party, and they are aimed at damaging the party and bringing its leaders into disrepute.
''But we are undaunted because Nigerians are very discerning. In the fullness of time, the lies and those behind them will be exposed,'' ACN said.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
Action Congress of Nigeria
Abuja, Feb. 14th 2011
In a statement issued in Abuja on Monday by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party also dismissed as tales by the moonlight the alleged walkout of its party chairman, Chief Bisi Akande, from a purported meeting of the party in Abuja on Thursday.
The party wondered how the Asiwaju and Chief Akande, who are both out of the country, could be attending a meeting in Abuja or walking outing of the purported meeting.
''The so-called deepening face-off between Asiwaju and Ribadu is a mere cliche, a figment of the imagination of the writers of such fiction, because there is no face-off, not to talk of a deepening one.
''Also, it is totally untrue that Chief Akande walked out of any meeting. Having served in many capacities, including as Secretary to the Government, Deputy Governor and Governor, our chairman will be the last to walk out of any meeting, when he has acquired the experience and wisdom to resolve even knottier issues without resorting to such actions that are being attributed to him,'' ACN said.
The party wondered why certain elements have decided to peddle falsehood about the ACN and its leaders, using certain media organisations that have now become notorious for being the purveyor of such lies.
''These publications are being sponsored by those who have become jittery at the rising profile of our party, and they are aimed at damaging the party and bringing its leaders into disrepute.
''But we are undaunted because Nigerians are very discerning. In the fullness of time, the lies and those behind them will be exposed,'' ACN said.
Alhaji Lai Mohammed
National Publicity Secretary
Action Congress of Nigeria
Abuja, Feb. 14th 2011
Friday, February 11, 2011
Soyinka backs Ribadu for President.
In a communiqué issued by the party’s Directorate of Publicity after an emergency meeting by its executive in Abuja, the DFPF declared: “Following a spirited debate on the credentials, track records, and potential of all the candidates for the position of presidency, the Democratic Front has made its choice, and now declares its support for the candidacy of Mr. Nuhu Ribadu.
The party said it took this decision “with a deep sense of responsibility to the nation, and to the generation that the failed ones have produced to mop up their failures, betrayals, egocentrism and waste of one historic opportunity after another. The efforts of these ‘chosen’ to replicate themselves in the coming elections through sponsored surrogates must be countered with all possible resources and strategic thinking.
“We shall join hands with other progressives and mobilise the resources of the party, material, moral, and organisational, towards the attainment of this goal in the coming critical elections for the nation.”
Nobel Laureate, Prof. Wole Soyinka, founded the DFPF.
Reviewing recent events in the country, the party “observed with immense satisfaction a political development that has taken place within the current ‘ruling party’ of the nation, a development that finally put paid to the deceptive and retrogressive zoning policies that the party has deviously attempted to foist on the nation as a constitutional provision.”
It added: “While this by no means spells the emergence of a genuine democratic disposition, it nonetheless brings the nation a small step closer to the embrace of due democratic practice, enabling choices to be made on merit, rather than through regional, sectarian opportunism and blackmail.”
The Democratic Front took note of recent political developments in North Africa and the Middle East, stressing the import for “false” democracies across the world, especially in Africa.
It wrote: “First Tunisia, then Egypt, rumblings in Jordan, next? The tide of freedom and justice cannot be held back forever. Sooner or later the dam will burst, and the people will come into their own.
“It is the turn of open dictatorship today, tomorrow it may be the turn of false democracy, where the very principles of democracy are prostituted, indeed pressed into the service of dictatorship, cronyism, consensual thievery and massive exploitation.
“Nigeria is a prime example. A nation where a microcosmic minority, having largely manipulated itself into office through degraded electoral means, proceed to engorge over a third of a nation’s annual expenditure, using the same extorted resources to perpetuate themselves in arrogance and alienation, is a contradiction of all democratic definitions.”
The party charged “the electorate to study the DFPF manifesto in detail, educate itself about its provisions, send questions and comments through the party website, and engage in a sincere dialogue that has been denied the Nigerian citizens since its declaration of Independence.”
Thursday, February 10, 2011
Apologise to the South West people now Ribadu tells Jonathan
The Nuhu Ribadu Campaign Organisation has described the statements credited to President Goodluck Jonathan as “unbecoming of a President” and “one that smacks of desperation.”
President Jonathan while flagging off his south west presidential campaign in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital claimed that his party, the PDP “must” win the south west and salvage the region from “rascals.”
In a statement by Ibrahim Modibbo, it’s Director of Media and Communications, the organisation stated that President Jonathan had “finally shown Nigerians how desperate he is to remain in power by resorting to name calling and character assassination instead of addressing issues that bother on the welfare of Nigerians and the people of the south west in particular.
“We recognise the Presidents dilemma. Of course he knows that both he and his fellow PDP governors in the south west have no achievements to brandish. They have no alternative to proffer to the positive changes being witnessed by the people in Lagos, Ekiti and Osun.
“It is however unbecoming of the President that in his frustration at the failure of him and his party to provide good governance to the people of the region and all Nigerians, he would resort to name calling.”
Modibbo also advised President Jonathan to use the opportunity of his campaigns to apologise to Nigerians for the 12 years of misrule and mis-governance that he and his party, the PDP have subjected Nigerians to.
“One would have thought that the President would use the opportunity of his presence to apologise to the people of the Southwest and indeed to all Nigerians about the failure of the PDP governors and the federal government,”
The President should have been man enough to apologise to the Yoruba’s that his party, the PDP, after mismanaging the opportunity they had from 2003 to 2007 to provide good governance in the 5 south west states they controlled , went ahead to steal the peoples votes and manipulate the electoral process in 2007,” Modibbo stated.
The Ribadu campaign organisation also questioned the moral right the President or any other PDP stalwart had in referring to the progressive leaders of the south west as rascals.
“When supporters of a PDP governor and supporters of a PDP senate leader engaged in a gun duel in the same Ibadan killing three people, the President did not refer to them as rascals. When minority PDP state legislators in Ogun, in an historic feat, sacked the majority members of the parliament, the President did not call them rascals.”
“Even in the Presidents home state of Bayelsa, when supporters of the PDP governor attacked supporters of Mr. President’s former adviser, killing six people, the president did not refer to anybody as rascals. On what basis can he now refer to anyone as a rascal,” Modibbo stated.
The organisation therefore urged all the people of the Southwest to continue to show support for purposeful leadership that the ACN provides.
“When the ACN picked Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as its presidential candidate, the party signified its intention to take to the federal government the positive transformation going on in Lagos, Edo, Ekiti and Osun Sates. The people of the south west like all other Nigerians know that the PDP has failed and this will be manifested again to the PDP and President Jonathan during the general elections.”
President Jonathan while flagging off his south west presidential campaign in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital claimed that his party, the PDP “must” win the south west and salvage the region from “rascals.”
In a statement by Ibrahim Modibbo, it’s Director of Media and Communications, the organisation stated that President Jonathan had “finally shown Nigerians how desperate he is to remain in power by resorting to name calling and character assassination instead of addressing issues that bother on the welfare of Nigerians and the people of the south west in particular.
“We recognise the Presidents dilemma. Of course he knows that both he and his fellow PDP governors in the south west have no achievements to brandish. They have no alternative to proffer to the positive changes being witnessed by the people in Lagos, Ekiti and Osun.
“It is however unbecoming of the President that in his frustration at the failure of him and his party to provide good governance to the people of the region and all Nigerians, he would resort to name calling.”
Modibbo also advised President Jonathan to use the opportunity of his campaigns to apologise to Nigerians for the 12 years of misrule and mis-governance that he and his party, the PDP have subjected Nigerians to.
“One would have thought that the President would use the opportunity of his presence to apologise to the people of the Southwest and indeed to all Nigerians about the failure of the PDP governors and the federal government,”
The President should have been man enough to apologise to the Yoruba’s that his party, the PDP, after mismanaging the opportunity they had from 2003 to 2007 to provide good governance in the 5 south west states they controlled , went ahead to steal the peoples votes and manipulate the electoral process in 2007,” Modibbo stated.
The Ribadu campaign organisation also questioned the moral right the President or any other PDP stalwart had in referring to the progressive leaders of the south west as rascals.
“When supporters of a PDP governor and supporters of a PDP senate leader engaged in a gun duel in the same Ibadan killing three people, the President did not refer to them as rascals. When minority PDP state legislators in Ogun, in an historic feat, sacked the majority members of the parliament, the President did not call them rascals.”
“Even in the Presidents home state of Bayelsa, when supporters of the PDP governor attacked supporters of Mr. President’s former adviser, killing six people, the president did not refer to anybody as rascals. On what basis can he now refer to anyone as a rascal,” Modibbo stated.
The organisation therefore urged all the people of the Southwest to continue to show support for purposeful leadership that the ACN provides.
“When the ACN picked Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as its presidential candidate, the party signified its intention to take to the federal government the positive transformation going on in Lagos, Edo, Ekiti and Osun Sates. The people of the south west like all other Nigerians know that the PDP has failed and this will be manifested again to the PDP and President Jonathan during the general elections.”
Professionals for Ribadu set for launch
Team Ribadu, the flagship volunteer movement for the presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, Nuhu Ribadu, is set to inaugurate a new arm of the movement called, “Professionals for Ribadu”. Their major goal is to mobilize professionals who support the presidential aspiration of Nuhu Ribadu, the presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria, and will work towards the success of Mr. Ribadu’s presidential aspiration.
The group which will debut in Lagos later this week is the hub of splinter “professional groups who are seeking change through the election of Nuhu Ribadu in the 2011 general elections,” Ayo Olowoporoku, the spokesperson of the professional team said.
According to Olowoporoku, the group, Professionals for Ribadu, is a non-political organization established under the umbrella of Team Ribadu – the flagship volunteer movement rallying public support for the Ribadu 2011 presidential bid.
The mission of Professionals for Ribadu as a non-political group is simply to enlighten and educate the masses and potential voters on the attributes that make Ribadu stand out as the best presidential candidate to bring the desired socio-economic change Nigerian professionals truly seek.
“Understanding the political arena of our great nation which just turned 50, and the lukewarm attitude of Nigerian professionals towards voting and politics in general, this volunteer group of professionals meets every week in various locations in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port-Harcourt to advance the movement which will see Ribadu elected as the occupant of the nation’s number one seat of power come April this year,” Mr. Olowoporoku said.
The group’s message to professionals is a wake-up campaign, advocating the need for professionals to take a more active role in determining which individual or group of individuals control power in a country that is, to a great extent, powered by the taxes and efforts of its working class.
Part of the group’s drive to garner support for its activities is a strategic use of social media, exciting charitable events, and creatively unique videos to reach out to Nigerian professionals with the message that A New Nigeria is Possible with a Ribadu presidency.
The group which is currently populated by professionals from the media, telecoms, banking, oil and gas, educational, medical, IT, and hospitality sectors of the economy, is open to any Nigerian professional who desires to contribute to building of a New Nigeriae.
To find out more about the group’s activities, venues of meetings, upcoming events and ways in which you could become a part , please log on to www.ribadu2011.com or search for “professionals for Ribadu” on Facebook, and ‘like’ their fan page.
The group which will debut in Lagos later this week is the hub of splinter “professional groups who are seeking change through the election of Nuhu Ribadu in the 2011 general elections,” Ayo Olowoporoku, the spokesperson of the professional team said.
According to Olowoporoku, the group, Professionals for Ribadu, is a non-political organization established under the umbrella of Team Ribadu – the flagship volunteer movement rallying public support for the Ribadu 2011 presidential bid.
The mission of Professionals for Ribadu as a non-political group is simply to enlighten and educate the masses and potential voters on the attributes that make Ribadu stand out as the best presidential candidate to bring the desired socio-economic change Nigerian professionals truly seek.
“Understanding the political arena of our great nation which just turned 50, and the lukewarm attitude of Nigerian professionals towards voting and politics in general, this volunteer group of professionals meets every week in various locations in Lagos, Abuja, Kano and Port-Harcourt to advance the movement which will see Ribadu elected as the occupant of the nation’s number one seat of power come April this year,” Mr. Olowoporoku said.
The group’s message to professionals is a wake-up campaign, advocating the need for professionals to take a more active role in determining which individual or group of individuals control power in a country that is, to a great extent, powered by the taxes and efforts of its working class.
Part of the group’s drive to garner support for its activities is a strategic use of social media, exciting charitable events, and creatively unique videos to reach out to Nigerian professionals with the message that A New Nigeria is Possible with a Ribadu presidency.
The group which is currently populated by professionals from the media, telecoms, banking, oil and gas, educational, medical, IT, and hospitality sectors of the economy, is open to any Nigerian professional who desires to contribute to building of a New Nigeriae.
To find out more about the group’s activities, venues of meetings, upcoming events and ways in which you could become a part , please log on to www.ribadu2011.com or search for “professionals for Ribadu” on Facebook, and ‘like’ their fan page.
Apologise To The South West People Now- Ribadu Tells Jonathan
The Nuhu Ribadu Campaign Organisation has described the statements credited to President Goodluck Jonathan as “unbecoming of a President” and “one that smacks of desperation.”
President Jonathan while flagging off his south west presidential campaign in Ibadan, the Oyo State capital claimed that his party, the PDP “must” win the south west and salvage the region from “rascals.”
In a statement by Ibrahim Modibbo, it’s Director of Media and Communications, the organization stated that President Jonathan had “finally shown Nigerians how desperate he is to remain in power by resorting to name calling and character assassination instead of addressing issues that bother on the welfare of Nigerians and the people of the south west in particular.
“We recognise the Presidents dilemma. Of course he knows that both he and his fellow PDP governors in the south west have no achievements to brandish. They have no alternative to proffer to the positive changes being witnessed by the people in Lagos, Ekiti and Osun.
“It is however unbecoming of the President that in his frustration at the failure of him and his party to provide good governance to the people of the region and all Nigerians, he would resort to name calling.”
Modibbo also advised President Jonathan to use the opportunity of his campaigns to apologise to Nigerians for the 12 years of misrule and mis-governance that he and his party, the PDP have subjected Nigerians to.
“One would have thought that the President would use the opportunity of his presence to apologise to the people of the Southwest and indeed to all Nigerians about the failure of the PDP governors and the federal government,”
The President should have been man enough to apologise to the Yoruba’s that his party, the PDP, after mismanaging the opportunity they had from 2003 to 2007 to provide good governance in the 5 south west states they controlled , went ahead to steal the peoples votes and manipulate the electoral process in 2007,” Modibbo stated.
The Ribadu campaign organisation also questioned the moral right the President or any other PDP stalwart had in referring to the progressive leaders of the south west as rascals.
“When supporters of a PDP governor and supporters of a PDP senate leader engaged in a gun duel in the same Ibadan killing three people, the President did not refer to them as rascals. When minority PDP state legislators in Ogun, in an historic feat, sacked the majority members of the parliament, the President did not call them rascals.”
“Even in the Presidents home state of Bayelsa, when supporters of the PDP governor attacked supporters of Mr. President’s former adviser, killing six people, the president did not refer to anybody as rascals. On what basis can he now refer to anyone as a rascal,” Modibbo stated.
The organisation therefore urged all the people of the Southwest to continue to show support for purposeful leadership that the ACN provides.
“When the ACN picked Mallam Nuhu Ribadu as its presidential candidate, the party signified its intention to take to the federal government the positive transformation going on in Lagos, Edo, Ekiti and Osun Sates. The people of the south west like all other Nigerians know that the PDP has failed and this will be manifested again to the PDP and President Jonathan during the general elections.”
Sunday, January 16, 2011
Akinjide is living in the past, Ribadu
The attention of the Ribadu Campaign Organisation has been drawn to remarks by Chief Richard Akinjide, that the Presidential candidate of Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, is not fit to be President. Of course, Mr. Akinjide is entitled to his opinion and choice of candidate, but he should not distort facts to deceive Nigerians.
We would have ignored the ranting of Mr. Akinjide who has continuously shown that he has disdain for good governance and progressive politics, but for the deceit contained in his statement. His role in the infamous second republic, and as one of the architects of the 12 2/3 controversy that threw Nigeria into the abyss of military rule, remains till this day.
Mr. Akinjide was quoted in a telephone interview in a national newspaper that “Mallam Ribadu should have gone to the House of Representatives or the Senate. He is not a material for a Vice-President. I won’t even make him a governor.”
For Mr. Akinjide to say he won't make governor a holder of Masters of Law degree, a public prosecutor of many years experience, a man who has attended some of the most prestigious institutions in the world, tells a lot about the Ibadan politician. He must however be made to know that while he still lives in the past where himself and people of his ilk make people governors or presidents, Nigerians have decided to be the architect of their own destiny by choosing and electing their own leaders in a free and fair election.
Of course Chief Akinjide is insensitive to the plight of millions of Nigerians who are tired of the rot the PDP federal government has visited on them for 12years. He does not feel the pains of the great citizens of this country who have seen a continuous decline in their standard of living, in the availability of basic amenities like electricity, good roads, etc. He does not suffer from the continuous insecurity that the PDP led government has thrown the whole country; from east to west, north to south, and even in his home town of Ibadan.
One wonders what the octogenarian politician was thinking when he spoke about acceptance by the international community. Without being immodest, no presidential candidate has the acceptance that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu has in the international community. Mr. Ribadu has parleyed with several world leaders and has been invited to appear in parliaments around the world, including the US congress; he has contributed significantly to the global fight against graft and corruption, a role that continues to earn him tremendous respect internationally. This is someone who has just been chosen as one of only three international members to monitor and help in the fight against corruption in Afghanistan. But this election is not about the international community and international experience or acceptance. It is about the need for Nigeria as a nation to make a clean break from the past which Mr. Akinjide and the PDP represent.
There is no better way to unite Nigerians than to vociferously challenge the major problems confronting the people. If this is the case, then Chief Akinjide needs to know that while he and the PDP have failed in this aspect, Nuhu Ribadu succeeded when he was given the chance. He fought gallantly against the monster that has hindered our growth as a nation, a monster that has made democracy un-enjoyable to Nigerians; a, monster that Chief Akinjide and the PDP pamper and allow to grow. In that fight against corruption, Ribadu did much more than what Mr. Akinjide and the PDP have to offer.
Voters’ Registration
One thing we must bear in mind is this: elections are easier to rig when people do not turn up to vote. 2011 is a pivotal year for our country. Those of us who are within the age range must vote. Before you can vote, you must register. After you register, you must select who you wish to vote for. On election day, you must vote. Afterwards, please stay and make sure that your vote counts.
The registration process is on for the next two weeks. During the registration process you do not need to take your identification card. INEC is capturing biometric data for this purpose, and they will issue you a temporary voter's card which would be valid on election day.
If you do not know where the nearest registration centre to you is, please consult the map which can be accessed from the link below:
http://bit.ly/eXoGWM
Simply click on the map, zoom to your city of residence (you do not have to travel to be registered), then find the nearest poll registration centre to your house. There won't be more than 500 people per polling booth, and there are people who are committed to ensuring that the elections are properly monitored. However, their work will come to waste if you do not do your bit. Their work will come to waste if you show apathy. Evil wins when good people do nothing.
Please, between today and the end of January, please make out just two hours of your time, go to the registration centre nearest to your home, register, and on election day, make sure you go back there and vote.
The registration process is on for the next two weeks. During the registration process you do not need to take your identification card. INEC is capturing biometric data for this purpose, and they will issue you a temporary voter's card which would be valid on election day.
If you do not know where the nearest registration centre to you is, please consult the map which can be accessed from the link below:
http://bit.ly/eXoGWM
Simply click on the map, zoom to your city of residence (you do not have to travel to be registered), then find the nearest poll registration centre to your house. There won't be more than 500 people per polling booth, and there are people who are committed to ensuring that the elections are properly monitored. However, their work will come to waste if you do not do your bit. Their work will come to waste if you show apathy. Evil wins when good people do nothing.
Please, between today and the end of January, please make out just two hours of your time, go to the registration centre nearest to your home, register, and on election day, make sure you go back there and vote.
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About Me
- Team Ribadu
- Team Ribadu is a youth driven, flagship volunteer movement for the Nuhu Ribadu 2011 presidential bid. It is “a political movement, founded in recognition of the legitimate thirst of Nigerian youth for a new kind of leadership marked by integrity and competence. It seeks to harness and support the tidal wave of young people, who are eager to get involved in the electoral process, in order to create political and social change”.