These are the stories you should be monitoring today:
Following the conduct of direct primaries across the 36 states and Federal Capital Territory for its only Presidential aspirant, Muhammadu Buhari, the All Progressives Congress (APC) on Saturday, affirmed the President as the candidate of the party for the February 16, 2019 Presidential election.
According to the results announced by the Ekiti Governor-elect, Kayode Fayemi, at the National Convention of the party held at the Eagles Square, Abuja on Saturday, President Buhari secured a total of 14,842,072 votes from members of the ruling APC to give a nod to his bid to return to the Presidential Villa in 2019.
Former Governor of Cross River, Donald Duke, has emerged as the Presidential candidate of the Social Democratic Party for the February 16 Presidential election, defeating five other aspirants at the party’s National Convention with 1726 delegates in attendance.
At the end of the exercise held between Saturday and the early hours of Sunday at the Old Parade Ground, Abuja, Duke polled 812 votes to defeat his close rival, former Minister of Information, Prof. Jerry Gana, who polled 611 votes as well as John Dara, with 104 votes; Prof. Iyorwuese Hagher who garnered 72 votes; Felix Osakwe who scored 10 votes, while the number of invalid votes was 63.
Governor Jibrilla Bindow of Adamawa has emerged winner of the APC governorship primary election in the state scoring a total of 193,656 votes to defeat two other candidates, Halilu Ahmed who scored 15,738 votes to come second and Malam Nuhu Ribadu who came third with 8,364 votes.
Former Governorship candidate of the Labour Party in Ekiti, Opeyemi Bamidele, has emerged the Senatorial candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for Ekiti Central, securing a total of 61,823 votes to defeat incumbent Senator and recent defector, Fatima Raji-Rasaki, who garnered 3,289 votes.
In the Ekiti South Senatorial primary, former PDP Governorship Aspirant, Prince Dayo Adeyeye, who recently defected to the APC, polled a total of 51, 443 votes to emerge as the party’s flag bearer for the 2019 Senatorial elections.
Senator Shehu Sani on Saturday, lost the APC Senatorial Primary for Kaduna Central, polling only 15 votes compared to Uba Sani, a Special Adviser to Governor Nasiru El-Rufa’i, who has been declared winner of the election having garnered 2,088 votes to defeat 3 other aspirants in the exercise which has been plagued with uncertainty.
As reported by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN), Sani had on Saturday, said “I cannot be part of a fraud scripted by Elrufai aimed at imposing his aide, UBA SANI. The Governor’s opposition to direct primaries is all about giving him the opportunity to impose his stooges and lackeys,” describing the exercise as a “Kangaroo election organised by the Kaduna State Government.’’
Senator representing Kaduna North, Suleiman Hunkuyi has won the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP) ticket for the District, polling 158 votes to defeat his contestatants – Jafar Mohammed who polled 90 votes and Bilkisu Soba who garnered 74 votes at the party’s primary election held in Zaria.
The Senator representing Bayelsa East, Ben Murray-Bruce has expressed his readiness to appear before Police on Monday after he among three other senators; Senators Bukola Saraki and Dino Melaye were summoned by the police authorities over a protest the party held on Friday, in the Federal Capital Territory.
Bruce who disclosed this in an interview with Silverbird Television at the comencement of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) national convention in Port Harcourt on Saturday, said it was a peaceful protest to express the party’s grievances on the Osun election, adding that he “has nothing to hide.”
“The summon is a party issue but after my meeting on Sunday, I will appear. I will love to appear if they ask me to appear 10 times a day or 55 times. I am a law abiding citizen, let them do whatever they want to do. It is all politics,” he said
And stories from around the world:
The United States Senate confirmed Brett Kavanaugh to the Supreme Court Saturday afternoon.
International police agency Interpol has urged China to clarify the status of its president, Meng Hongwei, who has gone missing on a visit to the country. (BBC)
US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo headed to Pyongyang Sunday for new crunch talks with Kim Jong Un on denuclearisation and a second US-North Korean summit. (AFP)
At least 11 people have been killed when a magnitude 5.9 earthquake struck close to the northermost tip of Haiti, roughly 20km west-northwest of Port-de-Paix. (Al Jazeera)
Turkish authorities believe that prominent Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, who disappeared four days ago after entering Saudi Arabia’s consulate in Istanbul, was killed inside the consulate, two Turkish sources said on Saturday. (Reuters)
Temidayo Taiwo-Sidiq is a Journalist, Political Analyst and Satirist with major interest in Nigerian Politics, Governance and Sports.
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