President Muhammadu Buhari has urged his supporters not to panic, saying his return to power in 2019 is non-negotiable.
He also described those seeking to unseat him in next year’s general elections as enemies who stole from the nation blindly and should be avoided.
He made the disclosure at the National Consultative Forum of the National Committee of Buhari Support Groups held in Abuja.
Buhari, who was represented by Vice President Yemi Osinbajo, cited infrastructural development, fight against corruption, Treasury Single Account and school feeding programme as some of the achievements that have endeared him to the people.
He wondered why the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), which he accused of plundering the nation’s resources, would want to stage a return in 2019, especially after his own government has made the country “the best economy” in Africa.
Prominent guests at the event included the National Leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Lagos State Governor Akinwumi Ambode, and Senators George Akume, Ayogu Eze and Abu Ibrahim.
Tinubu vowed that the APC would beat down the PDP, flaying what he described as political prostitution by PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.
He also criticised Senate President Bukola Saraki for allegedly riding on the ruling party’s mandate to give a lifeline to the opposition.
Osinbajo’s campaign train stopped at the Nyanya and Karu areas of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) yesterday for the commencement of a door-to-door campaign.
Security operatives on his entourage had a herculean task controlling the crowd as people struggled to catch a glimpse of the vice president and shake his hands as he moved through the densely populated suburbs.
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Osinbajo, at Nyanya, was received at the residence of Alhaji Kabiru Ahmed. Addressing the crowd there, he said: “We are here to greet you and we want to say to you that President Buhari is determined that if you vote for him for this second term, we will all go higher; we will all do better. Our country can feed all of us and we can find work for everybody because we have the money.
“I want you all, everybody who is here, please, make sure that you vote for President Buhari in 2019. As you know, he’s a truthful man; he’s an honest man. Our money will be used for us; it will be used to build our roads. Our money will be used properly. It will not be stolen. So, let us vote for the man who will use our money well.”
He had a similar message for the people at a community square in Karu. He said: “We are going higher, higher; we are going higher and higher, and I am very happy to be here with you. I want you to believe that President Muhammadu Buhari is going to do even better.”
Buhari, who is currently attending the UN Climate Change Conference, COP24, pledged that his government would not rest until the remaining Chibok girls kidnapped by Boko Haram in April 2014 have been released.
He renewed the commitment yesterday in Katowice, Poland, at a bilateral meeting with Swiss President Alain Berset, on the margins of the conference.
![Rev. Fr. Anthony Odiong, a US-based Nigerian Louisiana Catholic priest, was arrested in Florida on Tuesday for possessing child pornography, according to law authorities. The suspect is reportedly accused of many other cases of sexual assault. The Waco, Texas, Police Department announced in a Facebook post on Tuesday that officers detained Father Anthony Odiong in Ave Maria, Florida, with assistance from the United States Marshals Service. Waco police announced in March that they had received "credible information" about a sexual assault allegedly committed by Odiong in Texas in 2012. “During the subsequent investigation, a case of possession of child pornography was uncovered,” the police said. The priest was apprehended in Florida by the Caribbean Regional Fugitive Task Force. The Waco Police Department said that he will be extradited to Texas. Odiong had previously served in the Archdiocese of New Orleans before being removed as priest in December of last year due to controversy over homilies in which he claimed, among other things, that the Catholic Church was being taken over by "the gays." At the time, the priest was also accused of abusive behaviour; a Louisiana lady claimed in U.S. bankruptcy court that Odiong had committed both financial and sexual abuse against her. Prior to joining the New Orleans Archdiocese, Odiong served in at least two Texas parishes. On Tuesday, Waco police stated that during their sexual assault investigation, "the presence of other survivors was revealed." “Multiple women have come forward to tell similar experiences as the sexual assault survivor who reported the initial allegation,” the police department said. “Survivors’ experiences ranged from sexual assault and indecent assault, more commonly recognised as groping, and financial abuse, with some survivors experiencing every element of Anthony Odiong’s manipulation.” The police said they “believe there may be more survivors, and we wish to speak with anyone who [has] had similar encounters” with the priest. The Archdiocese of New Orleans issued a brief news release on Tuesday noting Odiong's arrest in Florida. The archdiocese “encourages anyone with any information to contact law enforcement,” the release said.](https://chronicle.ng/wp-content/uploads/2024/08/ezgif-6-4730550ede-450x300.jpg "Odiong: US-based Nigerian Catholic priest convicted over sexual assault")
