President Muhammadu Buhari said on Friday that he declared his intention to seek reelection in 2019 early in order to checkmate mischief makers.
The President had in April this year told members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) of the All Progressives Congress (APC) that he would seek reelection next year.
Receiving members of the Buhari Support Group Centre at the Presidential Villa in Abuja, the President said his early declaration would also make the party to start preparations on time since the election is only few months away.
He said: “I had to announce before the National Executive Committee (NEC) about my intention to ask for the party’s nomination for next year’s election so that we can save a lot of time and cool tempers.
“A lot of people are trying to make it a habit of being a nuisance to themselves and to many Nigerians.
So, when I announced my intention, I said okay let those who are serious come out and I try to make sure that the party is reorganised and consolidated so that we start from bottom to top.
“So that Nigerians will be involved and that each constituency will pick those they want to represent them at various levels.
Whether local government chairmen, counselors, state house of assemblies, House of Representatives, Senate and finally the Presidency itself.
With this participation, some of the people who are educated and sophisticated, they say for those who have got the money, bring the money but we will still do what we want to do.
“Having tried three times and ended up in the Supreme Court and I am lucky to be here the fourth time, I am very much aware of what is going on from constituency to constituency.
I am very pleased, we thank God and we thank technology because what use to happen that caused my ending up in Supreme Court, they will just seat down, look at the constituency and award numbers and they will say anybody who disagrees should go to court.” The President also stressed the need for voter education as the nation prepares for general elections next year.
“Thank God technology has come in.
With PVCs (Permanent Voters Card), with Card Reader, wherever you register it will show whether you voted or not.
That is why voter education is very important.
Tell people that the PVC is their nationality and they are entitled to it.
“They can use across party, religion, ethnicity and so let them take pride in their PVC, let them keep it and use it.
So, this is an additional assignment for your group.
I have been talking to the governors urging them to carry out voter education, it may not Favour them but people will eventually understand whether they tell the truth or not, people will do what they feel right,” he said.
In his remarks, chairman of the Buhari Support Group Centre, Mr. Umaru Dembo, said the group had been explaining the new life the present government had ushered in for the good of Nigerians.
34,000 Cameroonian refugees in Cross River –SEMA
Cross River State Emergency Management Agency (SEMA) on Friday said over 34,000 Cameroonians were taking refuge in six local government areas of the state.
The Director-General of SEMA in the state, John Inaku, disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Calabar.
He said the inflow was as the result of the crisis in Cameroon over the demand for Ambazonia Republic by the Southern Cameroonians.
Inaku told NAN that the asylum seekers were taking refuge in Obudu, Boki, Ikom, Etung, Akamkpa and Obanliku local government areas of the state.
“So far, we have 34,000 Cameroonian asylum seekers spread across six local government areas in Cross River.
About 21,000 of them have been documented by the United Nations High Commission on Refugees and the National Commission for Refugees.
“As an agency, we go into the interior areas that have not been accessed by these organisations and holistically, we have 34,000 of them already on ground,” he said.
The director general told NAN that the state government was doing its best in providing succour to the refugees, adding that the increasing number was too heavy for the state government alone to handle.
He, however, appealed to the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA), corporate organisations and other humanitarian agencies to offer their support to the refugees.
