Politics

President of the Nigeria's Senate, Senator Ahmad Lawan, has denied reports linking him with 2023 Presidential aspiration, describing it as an interesting piece of 'beer parlour' gossip. He urged Nigerians to treat such reports with "utter contempt" .

By Bayo Adegoke (Reps Correspondent)

Still smarting with fury over the allegation against its members as major beneficiaries of the controversial NDDC contracts, the Nigeria’s House of Representatives, on Thursday, resolved to drag the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Senator Godswill Akpabio, before a Court of law, for making indicting comment against it.

• As Party Commiserate With Journalists

The leadership of APC youth parliament in Bauchi state has condemned the attack by some hoodlums suspected to be loyal to the party on the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state, saying the perpetrators are not members of the youth wing of the party.

Recall that the thugs stormed the secretariat last week Thursday morning where they disrupted a press conference being addressed by some factional chieftains of the party and injured two journalists.

However, the secretary of the APC youth parliament, in a press release issued on Saturday, dissociated the youth wing from the act.

"We wish to condemn in strong terms and by the same token dissociate ourselves from the said disruption of the press conference purported to have happened at the NUJ secretariat Bauchi.

"As featured in the reportage of some media outlets, the disruption was said to be a same party affair where a faction within the APC advocating the dissolution of state Exco were attacked, but this is is a mere fabrication by unscrupulous people who masquerade as party members to discredit the hard earned reputation of the party faithfuls.

"The youths parliament gathered reliably that, it was a fight between some disgruntle elements within the party trying to share the money given to them to cause rancur within the party.

"In their attempt to collect part of the proceeds, the fight erupted. We the indefatigable APC youth parliament across the state are law abiding, by antecedent we have never been found in such shameful act and will never be part of our character.

"It is in the light of the above that we wish to reiterate our firm and unreserved support to the Bauchi state APC leadership under the able chairmanship of Our Undeterred Leader Hon. Alh. Uba Ahmad Nana( Garkuwan Ningi).

"We therefore call on the APC members across the state to maintain the tempo as law abiding citizens and remain committed to the ideals of the party for the overall development of the state". He said.

APC commiserates with Bauchi NUJ

Meanwhile, the Bauchi state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has commiserated with journalists who sustained injuries during the recent attack by political thugs on the secretariat of the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) in the state.

The party in a press release at the weekend signed by its state public relations officer, Adamu Jallah and youth leader, Nasiru Gwallaga, which was made available to newsmen in Bauchi, condemned the attack saying the party does not know the perpetrators.

"We write to commiserate with you and the entire journalists of Bauchi state on the attack on your secretariat on Thursday by hoodlums during a press conference.

"Our attention has been drawn to the incident by reports published by newspapers that suggested that the perpetrators of the ugly act are APC members. We want to make it categorically clear that we do not know the culprits and we suspect that they were sponsored by unscrupulous people. We also learnt that the problem started as a result of the failure of their sponsors to settle them before coming to the NUJ" The statement read

While dissociating itself from the culprits, the party blamed the organizers of the press conference (the faction) for holding such event without notifying the party and security agents opining that if that was done, the dastardly act might not have taken place.

"We however commiserate with you and the journalists who were harmed during the attack" The statement added. NNL.

By Mahmoud Dogara (Bauchi Correspondent)

The Bauchi State Chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) witnessed a harvest of new membership as party chieftains from the ruling People's Democratic Party (PDP) and other political parties in the state, defected to the APC.

President Muhmmadu Buhari, on Wednesday, presided over the 9th virtual Federal Executive Council (FEC) meeting at the State House, Abuja.

By Valentine Nnamani (Enugu Correspondent)

Ahead of the 2023 general election, Igbos of the South East Nigeria, have commenced an early campaign for the actualization of their quest for an Igboman president of Nigeria.