…declares it’s a cardinal assignment

The Action Alliance, AA’s candidate in the 2023 governorship election in Kogi State, Otunba Olayinka Braimoh, has vowed that despite the setbacks encountered in the polls, contesting again is a cardinal assignment.

Braimoh, who said his desire to liberate his people from the shackle of poverty and underdevepment would propel him to step into the ring again, reeled out his agenda to make life comfortable for them.

This was as he lamented the frustration he encountered in his 2023 election outing, recalling with disappointment that those he had set out to rescue ,turned against him when unlike other contestants, he refused to buy their consciences with money on election’s day.

Reaffirming his stand not to engage in vote-buying, the entrepreneur disclosed that he would engage the electorate through conversations this time to change their mindset about engaging in the act of vote-buying or Vote-selling.

Speaking to some journalists in Abuja, on Thursday, on his political experience so far, Braimoh,who challenged his loss to Governor Usman Ododo up to Supreme Court, said he has taken the disappointment in good fate. However, he said he remains undaunted in his quest to vie for the position again with a view to turning the state to what the people have been yearning for since its creation.

He reaffirmed his desire to reposition Kogi State through an agenda he referred to as STAT- Solid minerals;Tourism; Agriculture, and Trade,respectively.

Reflecting on his electoral engagement, Braimoh recalled that he undertook indepth campaigns across the state, giving his candidature high prospect in the election.
Regrettably, he recalled that his staunch principle against engaging in vote-buying turned the people against him.

He said, “For me,I put in my best, there was no local government that I bluffed over,we covered everywhere in the entire state and campaigned the way we should have campaigned. But however, on getting to the field, I realised that few days to elections, people started asking me where is the push money. And I said ‘I told you I’m not buying votes.’

“I had a coordinator that said sir,if you are not going to give us money for push,I would not even go out of my house. Push is vote-buying money. It’s vote-buying money they called push money. They told me that if I would not release money for push,they will not leave their houses. I thought it was a joke and I told them that ‘you know what, I’m not going to buy vote.’

He, however, exonerated the people from their actions, blaming the development on what he referred to as abnormal situation they find themselves in.

“But I realised after the election that if people are living in abnormal situation and you are expecting them to think normally, would you not have to re-examine and realise the situation,because people living in an abnormal situation, do we expect them to think normally?

“So,on election day, as reported, they were distributing fabrics, distributing money, and all of that and I see people saying ‘you know what, even if this is going to last me for two or three days, after all, I know that in the next three to four years, they will not do anything again,let me take this one first. ”

He continued:”We had our call centres, we were calling people and a lot of feedbacks from the call centres,we were talking to people and they would say ‘are you ready to buy my vote? If you are ready to buy my vote, I would vote for you. We know you are good but how much are you going to give me? They have been promising us every four years and nothing, if I know I’m going to have this N10,000 for the next four years, I’m okay with it.’

Describing the situation as ‘a sad story”, he said “but the reality is that people are living in abnormal situation and thinking normally is difficult.”

“That is one of the things that I learnt from that outing, ” he said.

He questioned the authenticity of votes claimed for the All Progressives Congress,APC candidate by the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

“How can one become a governor with results from only three local governments? But we leave that to the judiciary in terms of interpreting the laws. For the INEC, you have 142,000 registered voters from a local government and you are recording over 138,000 votes for a particular candidate! Here,you are talking of 97 percent and there were clear- cut differences in terms of accredited voters and the votes they recorded. But of course, judiciary would latch on technicality and just throw it away. And that was what happened.

” I followed the election all the way to Supreme Court, I challenged the election to Supreme Court and when the Supreme Court ruled, I said okay, after Supreme Court, what do you have to do? You go to supreme being. I just said well,we will move on and go another day.

” It’s not a lifetime office for anybody, so if you are there, it’s four years and that is 48 months.”

Asked if he would contest again, considering his firm stand against vote-buying that has gradually entered the nation’s politics, he responded, “why not? ”

How he intends to navigate his way through this time, Braimoh explained:”We will now engage the minds of our people through conversations, for them to begin to see the possibility because if you cannot see forward, you can’t move forward. The reason for those actions of vote-buying on the part of the electorate is because they have lost hope. They have lost hope in the fact that we can’t have an electoral process that is devoid of riggings and manipulations.In fact, an average person would tell you that ‘don’t waste your money, that the judiciary would not give judgement in favour of you,they will favour whoever is in the ruling party.

“But for me,are we going to stay where we are and say to ourselves, that we are helpless while really we are not helpless? Are we going to say we are helpless and we are not going to do anything about the situation? For every challenge, there is a solution. And a challenge that you don’t confront, how can you conquer? So,it’s a challenge and what we are doing right now is to confront the challenge for us to be able to conquer it.

“There is a danger in conformism and the danger in conformism is death, gradual death. So if we don’t look at it critically, don’t we think that for us not taking any action towards conquering an evil in the land,we are dying gradually? Because it means that we have become conformists.

“There is poverty in the land. If they rigged election, we will adjust, the roads are bad,we will adjust, healthcare is not working, we will adjust but are all of these things not killing us gradually? That is the danger of conformism. Conformism kills,even though gradually. So going again is to refuse to be a conformist. And I believe strongly that once people can see hope, their thinking and their energy will start to gear towards where there is hope as against the case of hopelessness.

He insisted that he intends to break the circle of vote-buying in the state’s politics by engaging the people on conversations.

“One thing we will be doing is engaging the people in conversations, like telling the people that collecting rice is not sustainable, collecting palliatives is not sustainable at all but what is sustainable is empowerment, ” he said.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

Ex- Nigerian military head of state, General Ibrahim Badamasi Babangida (IBB), has confesseed that the annulment of the June 12, 1993, presidential election was carried out without his consent.

Babangida made this revelation in his autobiography, “A Journey in Service,” which was unveiled in Abuja on Thursday.

The former head of state recounted that he was in Katsina when the announcement of the annulment, which nullified the victory of Moshood Kashimawo Olawale (MKO) Abiola of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), was made by the press secretary of his then-deputy, Admiral Augustus Aikhomu.

Babangida attributed the decision to forces loyal to General Sani Abacha, who later became Nigeria’s military ruler. He expressed surprise at the development, insisting that the move was executed without his authorization.

He claimed to have had no prior knowledge of the decision, later discovering that General Sani Abacha, then Chief of Defence Staff, had led the forces behind the move.

He described the June 12 election annulment as the most challenging aspect of his life.

“There was no doubt in my mind; MKO Abiola won the election. He satisfied all the requirements,” he said.

The annulment of the June 12 election, widely considered one of Nigeria’s fairest, led to significant political unrest and remains a defining moment in the country’s history

However, Babangida said that he was happy that President Muhammadu Buhari acknowledged that Abiola won the election and honoured him with the greatest national title of Grand Commander of the Federal Republic, GCFR, which is for presidents.

The book launch was attended by prominent political figures, military officers, and dignitaries who gathered to witness the former leader’s account of his years in power.

By Kayode Sanni-Arewa

The Kwara State Chapter of the Muslim Rights Concern (MURIC) has called on the Kwara State Government and the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that the full weight of the law is brought upon the perpetrator(s) of the murder of Hafsoh Yetunde Lawal.

Barrister Taofeeq Jaji,Chairman,
MURIC Kwara State Chapter, made the call in a statement he signed in Ilorin and made a copy to The Reporters on Thursday in Lokoja.

He said the faith-based is deeply saddened and outraged by the gruesome and barbaric murder of Lawal Yetunde Hafsah, an innocent young girl whose life was brutally cut short in an act of sheer evil.

He said:” Justice must not only be served but must be seen to be served, as this will serve as a deterrent to other criminal elements in our society.

“This despicable crime is not only a tragedy for her family but also a grave assault on our collective humanity, national morality, and our culture of justice.

“We call on the Kwara State Government and the Nigeria Police Force to ensure that the full weight of the law is brought upon the perpetrator(s) of this heinous crime.

” Justice must not only be served but must be seen to be served, as this will serve as a deterrent to other criminal elements in our society.

“Furthermore, we strongly urge the authorities to broaden the scope of the investigation to uncover and bring to justice all those involved in this heinous trade of human body parts.

” It is imperative that the searchlight be beamed on any accomplices, collaborators, or criminal networks that may be aiding and abetting such barbaric activities.

“We cannot allow our society to become breeding ground for such gruesome acts. All those connected to this crime must be held accountable.

“While we commend the efforts of the Nigeria Police Force in swiftly apprehending the suspect, we strongly advise that law enforcement agencies handle this case with the utmost professionalism.

“Nonetheless, we wish to advise that the circulation of video clips and evidence gathered from the investigation to the public may not be quite professional. It may even be counterproductive. It may alert other accomplices involved in this dastardly act, giving them the opportunity to evade justice. Investigations of this nature require a high level of discretion.

“We therefore urge the police to maintain confidentiality in handling crucial evidence. The ultimate goal should be to ensure the successful prosecution of all culprits without jeopardizing the integrity of the investigation.”

The chairman reaffirmed the unwavering commitment of. MURIC to justice, peace, and the protection of human dignity.

Barrister Jaji also urged the government to take decisive action to curb the rising wave of ritual killings and the trafficking of human body parts.

MURIC also called on religious leaders, traditional rulers, IEDPU and other community stakeholders to rise against this evil and work towards a society where human life is sacred and inviolable.

The religious organization extended its heartfelt condolences to the family of Lawal Yetunde Hafsah, adding that it stands in solidarity with them in their quest for justice.

“We pray to Almighty Allah to forgive her sins, have mercy on her and grant her Al-Jannah Firdaus. May Allah also give her loved ones the strength to bear this irreparable loss,” MURIC prayed.