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I feel stranded that APC left me, but I won’t retire from politics – El-Rufai

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Former Kaduna State Governor, Nasir El-Rufai, has expressed deep concerns over the state of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

He revealed that the APC has left him and that the party has abandoned its founding principles.

Speaking during an interview on Arise TV on Tuesday, El-Rufai said while he remains politically active, he no longer recognizes the party he helped establish.

“I didn’t say I have no intentions of leaving the APC; I said that APC is my party—I founded it,” he clarified.

“But the APC has left me; I didn’t leave the APC. We founded this party based on certain values, but today, the party has moved away from them. I feel stranded.”

El-Rufai criticized the party’s failure to uphold internal democracy, pointing out that key decision-making bodies such as the National Caucus and the National Executive Committee (NEC) had not convened in over two years.

“When the organs of the party meet, they provide feedback to the government on how it is aligning its policies with the party’s manifesto. That’s the purpose of these meetings. The APC constitution mandates that the NEC meets at least once every quarter, but for two years, no meeting has taken place,” he lamented.

The former minister revealed that he had sought clarity from previous APC national chairmen, including Chief Bisi Akande, Adams Oshiomhole, John Odigie-Oyegun, and Abdullahi Adamu, but none could explain the party’s current state.

“I have visited all of them, Baba Akande, Oshiomhole, Oyegun, and just yesterday, I went to Keffi to see Abdullahi Adamu. I asked them the same question: ‘What is happening to our party?’ But nobody has answers because the party has not met for two years. There have been no conversations,” El-Rufai disclosed.

Despite his concerns, the former governor insisted he was not ready to retire from politics.

“I will remain in politics for life, but that doesn’t mean I will keep contesting elections. I believe I have a role to play in influencing what happens in our party so that we have better candidates and better governors,” he said.

El-Rufai, however, did not rule out the possibility of seeking another political platform if the APC fails to realign with its founding ideals.

“If I can’t find those progressive values in APC, sooner or later, I may have to find another platform to pursue them. But I still hope the party will correct its course,” he stated.

As the APC prepares to hold a National Caucus and NEC meeting, El-Rufai said he expects the leadership to reflect on why the party has deviated from its core principles.

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EPL: Details of Salah’s new contract revealed

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Liverpool forward, Mohamed Salah, has signed a new contract with the Premier League side.

The Reds announced the deal on Friday, ending speculations surrounding the 32-year-old’s future.

Salah was set to become a free agent in the summer and was attracting attention from Paris Saint-Germain and Saudi Arabia.

But he has put pen to paper on a two-year contract worth £380,000 per week.

According to Mail Sport, Liverpool have broken a golden rule in offering Salah a new deal.

The owners Fenway Sports Group have a history of not handing out new contracts to players over 30.

A contract offer had been on the table for a while, but Salah and his agent, Ramy Abbas, demanded a better deal.

It is understood that the player initially wanted a three-year extension, and while FSG have not given him that, they have broken their traditional policy by offering him a new deal at his age.

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White House replaces Obama portrait with painting depicting Trump assassination attempt

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A portrait of US President Trump that depicts him raising his fist immediately after the attempt on his life last July at a Bulter, Pa., rally is replacing an image of former President Barack Obama in a prominent spot inside the White House.

White House deputy chief of staff, Dan Scavino posted side-by-side photos on social media of the Trump artwork seemingly replacing the Obama painting on Friday at the bottom of the Grand Staircase.

The artwork of Trump shows him bloodied with an American flag waving behind him after he survived the assassination attempt last year.

The image of Trump appeared to take the place of a portrait of Obama that was unveiled at the White House in 2022.

The life-like portrait by artist Robert McCurdy shows Obama sporting a black suit and grey tie in front of a white background.

The white background, the White House said at the time, “allow the viewer to establish a relationship with the subject.”

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Declare state of emergency on security, economy – Ndume tells Tinubu

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The lawmaker representing Borno South Senatorial District, Ali Ndume, has urged President Bola Tinubu to declare a state of emergency on the nation’s security and economic sectors.

Ndume made this call on Friday during an interview on ‘Politics Daily’, a programme on Channels Television, where he also criticised the President’s declaration of a state of emergency in Rivers State.

“Let the President forget about everything and concentrate on three things – security, welfare of citizens and the economy.

“His attention should go there as number 1, then he should create a state of emergency in those areas,” he stated.

While describing himself as a democrat, Ndume said Tinubu’s declaration of emergency in rule in Rivers was surprising.

According to him, the President acted in a wrong move by that action on March 18 following the protracted political crisis in the state.

Recall that in a nationwide broadcast, Tinubu suspended Governor Siminalayi Fubara, his deputy Ngozi Odu and all the members of the House of Assembly for six months.

To replace Fubara, the president nominated Vice Admiral Ibokette Ibas (rtd) as administrator to take charge of the affairs of the state for the first six months.

Tinubu relied on Section 305 of the 1999 Constitution to make the proclamation.

Ekwutosblog reports that the section interprets a state of emergency as a situation of national danger, disaster or terrorist attacks in which a government suspends normal constitutional procedures to regain control

However, Ndume stated that he expected the President to have gathered the political actors and resolve all lingering differences rather than the proclamation.

The lawmaker also denied claims that the political actors ignored Tinubu’s directives prior to the emergency rule imposition.

 

“I feel that the President would have worked seriously on bringing them (and) solving the problem than (declaring a state of emergency). Call them, seat them down and say ‘go and sort your problem.

“How can you ignore the President? When he removed them now, did they ignore the removal?” Ndume queried.

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