Tag Archives: Steps Down

Gambia President-elect Demands Jammeh Steps Down ‘Now’

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Gambian president-elect Adama Barrow said on Monday that longtime leader Yahya Jammeh should step down immediately after Jammeh reversed his decision to concede defeat following a presidential election.

“I think he should step down now,” Barrow told AFP. “He has lost the election, we don’t want to waste time, we want this country to start moving.”

Jammeh’s party announced a legal challenge on Saturday over the December 1 election in which he had already conceded defeat to Barrow.

Barrow is due to welcome a heavyweight delegation of African heads of state and UN representatives Tuesday to persuade Jammeh to go, which the president-elect said gave him confidence he would soon take power.

“It’s giving us confidence and it will give confidence to every Gambian that the world is concerned about Gambia,” he said.

Diplomatic sources told AFP the delegation is likely to include UN West Africa envoy Mohamed Ibn Chambas, Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari, and Liberian leader Ellen Johnson Sirleaf in her capacity as head of the west African bloc ECOWAS.

Jammeh has led the tiny sliver of a nation of just under two million people for 22 years since taking power in a coup.

Credit:

http://guardian.ng/news/gambia-president-elect-demands-jammeh-step-down-now/

Senate Presidency: Akume Steps Down For Lawan, Saraki

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At the end of a two-day retreat organised by the All Progressives Congress, APC,for Senators elected under the platform of the party, two major contenders for the Senate Presidency have emerged.

Former Governor of Kwara state, Bukola Saraki, who PREMIUM TIMES exclusively reported had the backing of 34 Senators as at the time the retreat began is still ahead of the chairman Senate committee on Public Accounts, Ahmed Lawan, from Yobe State.

Another contender, former Benue Governor, George Akume, has reportedly stepped down for Mr. Lawan in exchange for being selected as the Deputy Senate President.

Although the party did not formally address the press or issue a communique at the end of the retreat, two groups, “Like Mind Senators” and “Senate Unity Forum” separately addressed the press and declared their support for the two candidates.

The ‘like mind senators’ who said they are 35 in number out of the 59 APC Senators expressed their support for Mr. Saraki. The remaining 24 in the Senate Unity Forum expressed support for Mr. Lawan who is said to enjoy the support of APC national leader and former governor of Lagos State, Bola Tinubu.

Senator-elect Dino Melaye, who address the press on behalf of the ‘Like Mind Senators’ displayed to the media a document he said contained the signatures of 35 Senators who have agreed to support Mr. Saraki.

Mr. Melaye’s address came shortly after the ‘Senate Unity Forum’ also addressed the media where it announced that Mr. Akume had stepped down for Mr. Lawan.

In the address by Mr. Melaye, he said “Of the 59 senators of the APC, 35 of us present here today hereby reaffirm our collective commitment and resolution to ensure that the candidature of Senator Abubakar Bukola Saraki as the Senate President of the 8th Assembly.” He also said the deputy to Mr. Saraki would come from the north-east, although no name was mentioned for the position as consultations continue.

On their part, the Senate Unity Forum in their address read by former national chairman of the PDP, Barnabas Gemade, said they have adopted a joint ticket of Messrs. Lawan and Akume.

“We, the Senate Unity Forum, comprising of senators-elect from various states and zones of Nigeria, have met, held extensive discussions and resolved to support Senator Ahmad Lawan as Senate President and Senator George Akume as Deputy Senate President of the 8th Senate,” Mr. Gemade said.

With the positions taken by the two group, what is left is for them to lobby their colleagues from other parties especially the PDP. A lawmaker attending the retreat had informed PREMIUM TIMES Sunday that Mr. Saraki has the support of majority PDP senators-elect. He said the candidature of the former Kwara governor is being championed in the PDP group by Senators Andy Uba and Godswill Akpabio. Mr. Saraki defected from the PDP to the APC following the crisis of 2013 when five governors left the PDP for the APC.

Credit: premiumtimesng

ADC Candidate Steps Down For Jonathan

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The Presidential candidate of the African Democratic Congress, ADC, Ambassador Mani Ahmed has stepped down for President Goodluck Jonathan, who is the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP.

This was announced in Abuja yesterday by the National Chairman of the party, Chief Ralph Nwosu, who said the ADC Presidential candidate and Vice Presidential candidate, Dr. Obianuju Uzohue, took the decision to enable Jonathan to continue his transformation agenda.

 Nwosu said, “Why Jonathan, Goodluck is an authentic leader struggling with challenges of nation building. Nigeria needs a president who does not have high need for power, an authentic personality who like all of us is struggling to make good with all the vulnerability and vagaries of our time. We need a man at the centre who can stay out of the way and allow the full architecture of governance come alive and take root across the country.
Read More: dailypost