Rotimi Akeredolu, Governor of Ondo State, has ordered the withdrawal of all the branded vehicles he donated for the re-election bid and campaign of President Muhammadu Buhari ahead of the 2019 general election, SaharaReporters can exclusively report.
The vehicles donated by Akeredolu before the election were presented to some leaders of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state…
As of press time, the motives behind the withdrawal of the branded campaign vehicles were not known to the party leaders/members, who have been grumbling underground since the decision was effected.
To further confirm withdrawal of the branded vehicles, SaharaReporters exclusively obtained a terse memo calling on leaders and members of the party in possession of the branded vehicles to return them…
Multiple sources in the ruling party in the state, who spoke with SaharaReporters, expressed great dissatisfaction with the order for return of the vehicles.
These sources wondered why Akeredolu would abruptly call for the return of vehicles that were given to them as gifts…
When SaharaReporters contacted Alhaji Yusuf Sanya Isiaka, the Senior Special Adviser on Political Matters to the Governor, he said the vehicles were not really "gifts" but were only given out to aid campaigns.
"What the Governor did was to give those buses for campaign purposes; it was not a gift," he said.
"It was just to aid their campaign programme during the electioneering period, and the arrangment was that after the election, it should be return. So, that was the arrangment between them and the MHAs (members of the House of Assembly).
"So, they were aware... before these buses were handed over to them, they were all told that they would return them after campaign. And they have actually complied. If it was a gift, nobody would comply. it was not a gift."
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President Buhari is quiet about his intentions for the 2019 election. Political opponents have called for him to step down. His Vice President has begun campaigning. Now his party is campaigning. Is there any doubt that he'll run?
Nigeria’s main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has accused the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) of plotting a ‘grand scheme’ to ensure that President Muhammadu Buhari is the sole presidential candidate on the ballot in the 2019 presidential election.
PDP said this while reacting to comments by Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed that it should be deregistered by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on Sunday.
The Minister had called on INEC to withdraw the registration certificate of PDP because of the party’s alleged politicization of the abduction and release Dapchi school girls…
But in its response, PDP said the assertion by the minister was part of the plans by APC to ensure Buhari does not have an opponent in 2019 election…
The major opposition party (PDP) further claimed that Nigerians are tired of APC and would vote out the party to restore the nation to the path of unity, national cohesion, and economic prosperity in the 2019 general election.
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Former government ministers, hunger striking construction workers and a British farmer called John have all been given an audience with Vladimir Putin as the Russian president put in a performance of characteristic stamina in his latest carefully choreographed televisual marathon…
The Russian president’s phone-in session with the nation has become an annual tradition, with questions coming from audience members in the studio and phone calls from around the country.
Putin and moderators
Economic themes dominated the discussion, with foreign policy and the war in Ukraine taking a back seat…
The organisers said there had been over 3m questions received by telephone, video message and email. However, the vast majority of those that made it on air were carefully screened and often came via correspondents sent out to the field…
On international affairs, Putin was reasonably conciliatory. Answering a question about a boycott of celebrations for the 70th anniversary of victory in the second world war this May, he said it was unfair to compare Stalinism and nazism but conceded that some in central Europe are justified in their ambiguous views on the Soviet victory.
“After the second world war we tried to impose our model of development on many eastern European countries and did it by force,” said Putin. “We have to admit this. And there’s nothing good about it.”…
There was no chance for a follow-up [question]… underlining the usefulness of the single-question format for the Russian president…
After four hours, he left the studio with a stack of handwritten notes and a promise to bring regional leaders to task over the issues that had been raised. If Putin’s appearances are designed to prove one thing, it is that whatever problems might face ordinary Russians, he is not part of the problem, but instead is the only person who can solve them…
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Just The Facts!is a concise guide to concepts, terminology, and examples that will appear on May's exam.
This book earned a 5-star rating from Amazon customers, but Amazon has no copies in stock.
Rebecca Small, who teaches in Virginia, pointed out an article by Vladimir Putin about governance. It sounds like his personal campaign platform, and like all well-constructed platforms, it's an impressive analysis. The question is, as it is with all platforms, how much is the statement political propaganda and how much is it honest intent. As a primary source document, it makes a great teaching tool.
Sustainable social development is impossible without a competent state, while genuine democracy is a fundamental condition for developing a state designed to serve public interests.
Real democracy cannot be created overnight and cannot be a carbon copy of some external example…
Our society has changed radically since the early 2000s. Many people have become more prosperous, are better educated and are therefore more critical. New demands on the government and the advance of the middle class above the narrow objective of guaranteeing their own prosperity are the results of our efforts. This is what we wanted to achieve.
Political competition lies at the heart of democracy — it is its driving force. When such competition reflects the real interests of social groups, it strengthens the government’s power many times over…
Today, the quality of governance in Russia lags behind the readiness of civil society to participate in it. Our civil society has become much more mature, active and responsible. We need to modernise the mechanisms of our democracy so that they correspond to this increase in social activity…
We have to adjust the mechanisms of the political system so that they capture and reflect the interests of large social groups and ensure public coordination of these interests. The system should not only ensure the legitimacy of power, but also ensure that people have confidence that they have a fair government, including in those cases when they are in a minority…
Competition among states for ideas, people and capital is the reality of the global world. In fact, they are competing for the future of their nations within this developing global world.
We need a new kind of national awareness, with a focus on establishing the best, most competitive environment for everyday life, creative activities and enterprise. This vision should underlie all the functions of the state machine. We should always operate out of the belief that Russian people, and even more so Russian capital, know how things are organised in other countries and are entitled to choose the best…
In conclusion, I would like to emphasise that we are proposing concrete solutions. Their practical implementation will make the rule by the people – or democracy – true and real, and place the efforts of the government at the service of the interests of society. Taken together, these measures will ensure the sustainable and successful development of Russia and its modern society.
In Russia, political campaigns might not be as important as they are in older democracies, but they are racier.
Melody Dickison referred me to the video. I found the articles online because I didn't read the article Melody sent. Of course, I lost that article. Thanks, Melody.
By the way, this might not be safe for school or school computers (depending upon the standards and rules at your school).
Called "Putin's Army", it features a video of a blonde student called Diana who struts along Moscow's streets in high heels and a black suit before scrawling "I will tear my clothes off for Putin" on a white top in red lipstick and starting to undo her clothes.
Inviting girls to strip off for Putin for the chance of winning an iPad2, the campaign comes ahead of the March 2012 presidential vote…
Two groups of female Russian journalism students have produced dueling calendars to mark Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s 58th birthday on Thursday.
The first calendar, which features 12 racy photographs of lingerie-clad students and come-hither captions like Miss February’s “How about a third time?” went on sale on Wednesday. As The Associated Press reports, “The release of the pinup calendar was announced by the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi, whose spokeswoman Kristina Potupchik posted the images on her blog.”
On Thursday, another group of students responded to the pro-Putin calendar — “Vladimir Vladimirovich, We Love You! Happy Birthday, Mr Putin!” — with one of their own. The anti-Putin calendar shows six students with their mouths taped shut asking questions like, “Who killed Anna Politkovskaya?” in reference to the muckraking journalist who was gunned down on Mr. Putin’s birthday in 2006…
In what appeared to be a calculated pre-election appearance, Prime Minster Vladimir V. Putin on Friday reflected on his 11 years in power and acknowledged that elements of the system he created needed to change.
Mr. Putin, meeting with factory workers in Magnitogorsk, an industrial town in the Ural Mountains, said that authority in Russia had become too concentrated and that some leaders had become ineffective and “calcified.”…
But with a presidential election looming in March — and little indication of whether he or President Dmitri A. Medvedev will run — Mr. Putin did not suggest that he was thinking of stepping aside. Indeed, he seemed to be sketching a portrait of himself as a leader: salty, maybe a little bit crude, but ultimately in tune with the Russian people.
When an engineer asked what qualities he should teach his son so that he could become president, Mr. Putin said, “Decency.”…
Mr. Putin’s appearance in the workshop of a large metals factory had all the trappings of a campaign event. And many of his remarks, along with the questions from workers, seemed tailored to present Mr. Putin as a tentative reformer…
Called "Putin's Army", it features a video of a blonde student called Diana who struts along Moscow's streets in high heels and a black suit before scrawling "I will tear my clothes off for Putin" on a white top in red lipstick and starting to undo her clothes.
Inviting girls to strip off for Putin for the chance of winning an iPad2, the campaign comes ahead of the March 2012 presidential vote…
Two groups of female Russian journalism students have produced dueling calendars to mark Prime Minister Vladimir Putin’s 58th birthday on Thursday.
The first calendar, which features 12 racy photographs of lingerie-clad students and come-hither captions like Miss February’s “How about a third time?” went on sale on Wednesday. As The Associated Press reports, “The release of the pinup calendar was announced by the pro-Kremlin youth group Nashi, whose spokeswoman Kristina Potupchik posted the images on her blog.”
On Thursday, another group of students responded to the pro-Putin calendar... with one of their own. The anti-Putin calendar shows six students with their mouths taped shut asking questions like, “Who killed Anna Politkovskaya?” in reference to the muckraking journalist who was gunned down on Mr. Putin’s birthday in 2006…
Teaching (and learning) comparative government and politics is a complex and demanding task. We can all use all the help we can get. This cyber place is somewhere to facilitate helpful interactions.
