* Says no preferred candidate
By Oguwuike Nnadi
As Nigerians get set to elect their next set of leaders on upcoming in general elections, the United State of America (USA) has warned that it would not hesitate to sanction politicians who are involved in either rigging of the polls os instigating electoral violence
This is even as the country reaffirmed it’s neutrality at the February 25 presidential election in Nigeria, insisting that it has no preferred candidate among the four leading contenders
It would be recalled the President Muhammadu Buhari had while receiving some foreign envoys who presented their letters to him as ambassadors, warned that the international community must not interfere in Nigeria’s upcoming elections which he described as entirely a Nigerian affair
Stating the the United States position, the US Consul General in Nigeria, Will Stevens, said during a town hall meeting, organised by the Niger-Delta Open Observatory, NOGO, in Asaba, Delta State, at the weekend that his county has no vested interest on who emerges as the next president of Nigeria.
Stevens however noted that the US demands a free, fair and credible election in Nigeria, warning that those who instigate electoral violence will be denied visas by the US government.
“The US does not have a preferred candidate, full stop! We are not interested in a particular party or candidate,” he said
Gov. Bello remains a strong supporter of Tinubu – APC
By Oguwuike Nnadi
Ahead of the February 25 presidential election, the national leadership of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) has dismissed a report that Governor Yahaya Bello of Kogi state has tactically withdrawn his support for the party’s presidential candidate, BolaTinubu
A section of the media had reported at the weekend that Governor Bello, who is the national cordinator of the youth wing of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, may have withdrawn support for the former Governor of Lagos state, following some calculations ahead of the upcoming Kogi state governorship election in November
The report expressed concerns in Bello’s camp that Tinubu may foist his dependable ally, Hon. James Faleke, on the Kogi APC as his preferred governorship candidate in the November governorship elections in the state, if he wins the presidential election in February, a decision they feared my truncate their political calculations
National Publicity Secretary of the APC, Felix Morka, noted in a statement he issued on Sunday in Abuja that the said report was patently false and irresponsible.
“The story is maliciously false and a figment of the imagination of its author and sponsors.
“Governor Yahaya Bello who serves as the National Youth Coordinator of the Tinubu-Shettima Presidential Campaign Council, is a solid, resourceful and committed campaigner for our Party’s Candidate, leading a massively successful outreach to youth voters across the country.
“This fake news, ostensibly intended to float an imagined rift between Governor Yahaya Bello and Honourable James Faleke, Secretary of the APC Presidential Campaign Council, is the desperate and disgraceful conjecture of opposition elements unsettled by our Party’s giant campaign strides.
“Both loyal party men are unquestionably committed and working tirelessly for the resounding victory of Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu in next month’s presidential election.
“We urge our Party compatriots and all Nigerians to disregard this fake news”, the statement added.
