GRPolitics

12 June: President Buhari’s Democracy Speech

Published

6 years ago

June 12, 2019

Justice Okamgba

ADDRESS BY H.E PRESIDENT MUHAMMADU BUHARI AT THE 2019 NATIONAL DEMOCRACY DAY AT THE EAGLE SQUARE, ABUJA 12TH JUNE 2019

Protocols

All Praise is due to GOD Almighty Who spared our lives to be present at this great occasion. We give thanks also that the democratic process has been further entrenched and strengthened.

2. Twenty years ago, a democratically elected government took over from the military in a historic transfer of political power for our country.

3. Today, we are privileged to mark the longest period of unbroken democratic leadership and 5th peaceful transfer of power from one democratically elected government to another in Nigeria.

4. Throughout the last four years, I respected the independence of INEC. I ensured that INEC got all the resources it needed for independent and impartial management of elections in the country.

5. All interested parties are agreed that the recent elections, which except for pockets of unrest, were free, fair and peaceful.

6. I thank all the people who worked for our party, who campaigned and who voted for us. I thank my fellow Nigerians, who, since 2003 have consistently voted for me.

7. Victory is your greatest reward; peace, unity and greater prosperity will be our collective legacy.

8. I and Nigerians collectively must give adequate thanks to our Armed Forces, Police and other law enforcing agencies for working round the clock to protect us by putting themselves in harm’s way and defending our values and protecting our future.

9. Terrorism and insecurity are worldwide phenomena and even the best policed countries are experiencing increasing incidents of unrest and are finding things hard to cope.

10. The principal thrust of this new Administration is to consolidate on the achievements of the last four years, correct the lapses inevitable in all human endeavors and tackle the new challenges the country is faced with and chart a bold plan for transforming Nigeria.

11. Fellow Nigerians, I have had the privilege of free education from Primary school to Staff College to War College.

12. I received my formative education in Katsina and Kaduna and my higher education in England, India and the United States.

13. I have worked and served in Kaduna, Lagos, Abeokuta, Makurdi, Port Harcourt, Maiduguri, Ibadan, Jos and finally here in Abuja. Throughout my adult life, I have been a public servant. I have no other career but public service. I know no service but public service.

14. I was involved at close quarters in the struggle to keep Nigeria one. I can, therefore, do no more than dedicate the rest of my life to work for the unity of Nigeria and upliftment of Nigerians.

15. In 2002-2003 campaigns and elections, I travelled by road to 34 of the 36 states of the Federation. This year I travelled by air to all 36 states of the Federation.

16. Before and during my time in the Armed Forces and in government, I have interacted with Nigerians of all ages and persuasions and different shades of opinion over a period of more than fifty years.

17. And my firm belief is that our people above all want to live in peace and harmony with their fellow Nigerians. They desire opportunity to better themselves in a safe environment.

18. Most of the instances of inter-communal and inter-religious strife and violence were and are still as a result of sponsorship or incitements by ethnic, political or religious leaders hoping to benefit by exploiting our divisions and fault lines, thereby weakening our country.

19. And our country Nigeria is a great country. According to United Nations estimates, our population will rise to 411 million by 2050, making us the third most populous nation on earth behind only China and India.

20. We have water, arable land, forests, oil and gas and vast quantities of solid minerals. We are blessed with an equable climate. However, the bulk of our real wealth lies in Agriculture, Livestock, Forestry, and Mining. We possess all the ingredients of a major economic power on the world stage.

21. What we require is the will to get our acts together. And our strength is in our people – our youth, our culture, our resilience, our ability to succeed despite the odds.

22. A huge responsibility, therefore, rests on this and succeeding Administrations to develop, harness and fulfil our enormous potential into a force to be reckoned with globally.

23. Thus far, we Nigerians can be proud of our history since Independence in 1960. We have contributed to UN peace-keeping responsibilities all over the world; we have stabilized Liberia, Sierra Leone, Ivory Coast and two years ago we prevented the Gambia from degenerating into anarchy.

24. Without Nigerian influence and resources, the liberation of Angola, Mozambique, Namibia, Zimbabwe and ultimately South Africa would have come at greater cost. This fact had been attested by none other than the late Nelson Mandela himself.

25. Elsewhere, Nigeria is the Big Brother to our neighbours. We are the shock-absorber of the West African sub-region, the bulwark of ECOWAS and Lake Chad Basin Commission. We can, therefore, be proud to be Nigerians. We must continue to be Good Neighbours and Good Global Citizens.

26. At home, we have been successful in forging a nation from different ethnicities and language groups: our evolution and integration into one nation continues apace.

27. When, therefore we came to office in 2015 after a decade of struggle we identified three cardinal and existential challenges our country faced and made them our campaign focus, namely security, economy and fighting corruption.

28. None but the most partisan will dispute that in the last four years we have made solid progress in addressing these challenges.

29. When I took the oath of office on 29 May 2015, insecurity reigned. Apart from occupying 18 local governments in the North East, Boko Haram could at will attack any city including the Federal Capital, could threaten any institution including bombing the United Nations building and Police Headquarters in Abuja.

30. Admittedly, some of the challenges still remain in kidnappings and banditry in some rural areas. The great difference between 2015 and today is that we are meeting these challenges with much greater support to the security forces in terms of money, equipment, and improved local intelligence. We are meeting these challenges with superior strategy, firepower and resolve.

31. In face of these challenges, our Government elected by the people in 2015 and re-elected in March has been mapping out policies, measures, and laws to maintain our unity and at the same time lift the bulk of our people out of poverty and onto the road to prosperity.

32. This task is by no means unattainable. China has done it. India has done it. Indonesia has done it. Nigeria can do it. These are all countries characterized by huge burdens of population.

33. China and Indonesia succeeded under authoritarian regimes. India succeeded in a democratic setting. We can do it.

34. With leadership and a sense of purpose, we can lift 100 million Nigerians out of poverty in 10 years.

35. Following the 60 percent drop in oil prices between 2015 and 2016, through monetary and fiscal measures, we stimulated economic growth, curbed inflation and shored up our external reserves.

36. We now have witnessed 8 quarters of positive growth in the economy and our GDP is expected to grow by 2.7 percent this year.

37. Furthermore, our external reserves have risen to $45 billion enough to finance over 9 months of current import commitments.

38. This Administration is laying the foundation and taking bold steps in transforming our country and liberating our people from the shackles of poverty.

39. First, we will take steps to integrate rural economies to the national economic “grid” by extending access to small-scale credits and inputs to rural farmers, credit to rural micro-businesses and opening up many critical feeder roads.

40. Secondly, for small-scale enterprises in towns and cities, we shall expand facilities currently available so that we continue to encourage and support domestic production of basic goods and reduce our reliance of imported goods as I will outline later.

41. For the next four years, we will remain committed to improving the lives of people by consolidating efforts to address these key issues as well as emerging challenges of climate change, resettling displaced communities and dealing decisively with the new flashes of insecurity across the country, and the impacts on food scarcity and regional stability.

GRPolitics

Why I Left PDP for APC – Governor Peter Mbah

…Says move is to align Enugu’s progress with national reforms under President Tinubu | Reports ORJI ISRAEL

Published

20 hours ago

October 14, 2025

grassroots

Dr. Peter Mbah, Governor of Enugu State

Enugu State Governor, Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, has formally announced his defection from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), declaring that the decision marks “a new chapter for Enugu” and reflects “a conscious step towards a more compelling future.”

Governor Mbah made the announcement on Tuesday, October 14, 2025, during a special address to the people of Enugu titled “Charting a New Course: Transition from PDP to APC.”

He described the move as a product of long reflection and broad consultation, stressing that it was neither impulsive nor politically expedient but a “strategic alignment” designed to deepen Enugu’s transformation and secure federal partnership for the state’s long-term development.

A Moment of Reflection and Renewal

In his address, the governor began by expressing gratitude to God and the people of Enugu, noting that his journey so far had been anchored on trust and shared vision.

“At a time when confidence in political leaders had almost collapsed, Ndi Enugu chose to believe in us. When I declared that ‘Tomorrow Is Here’, you put aside skepticism and stood by us. Without that trust, the transformation we see today would never have happened,” Mbah said.

He highlighted major achievements recorded under his administration in less than three years, including:

Smart Green Schools nearing completion across the state,
Primary healthcare centres established in all 260 wards,
Crime rate reduction by 80%,
Massive infrastructure projects, including over 1,000 km of paved roads,
AI-driven Command and Control Centre and 150 distress response vehicles,
Revamped water supply,
600% growth in Internally Generated Revenue, and
Revitalized state assets such as Hotel Presidential and Nigergas.

He also noted that Enugu had earned national recognition as the Cleanest State in Nigeria, winning the Renewed Hope Initiative’s Model Green State Award.

Appreciation to PDP, But Time for Bold Choices

Governor Mbah commended the PDP for providing the platform that brought him to power, describing the party as “a house where Enugu had shared history, struggles, and victories.”

However, he emphasized that leadership sometimes demands “painful but necessary decisions” for the greater good.

“After long reflection, we have made the decision to leave the PDP and join the APC. This is no whimsical decision. It’s a collective move by the political family in Enugu State — members of the National Assembly, House of Assembly, Executive Council, Local Government Chairmen and Councillors, political appointees, and over 80% of party executives,” Mbah explained.

He noted that despite Enugu’s longstanding loyalty to the PDP, “our voices were too often disregarded when it mattered most,” necessitating a shift to a platform where the state’s interests would receive fairer representation.

Partnership for Progress with President Tinubu

Mbah said his decision to join the APC was inspired by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s “visionary leadership and courage to make tough choices for national transformation.”

“I have found in His Excellency, President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, not just a leader of our nation, but a partner in purpose, a man with the courage to look beyond today and make the tough choices that secure lasting prosperity for tomorrow,” he said.

He praised the President’s Renewed Hope Ward Development Programme, which targets the empowerment of 8.8 million Nigerians across 8,809 electoral wards, saying it aligns with Enugu’s own grassroots-driven development model.

Mbah described his defection as “alignment at scale”, aimed at connecting Enugu’s destiny with the broader economic and governance reforms driving Nigeria’s renewal.

“We are not moving from resentment or fear. We are confident of our future. This move is about fairness, respect, and partnership. What changes is that our vision now finds stronger reinforcement at the federal level,” he added.

Reassurance to Ndi Enugu and the South East

Addressing concerns about how the political shift might affect ongoing projects, the governor assured citizens that his commitment to the state’s development remained unwavering.

“The progress you see today will not slow, and the projects we have begun will be completed. This is not a detour but a step toward a stronger, more connected Enugu,” he affirmed.

He also called on the political class across the South East to prioritize service delivery and regional interest over partisan loyalty.

“Our people are watching. What they care about most are results. True leadership is about service to the people, not service to self,” he said.

A Call for Unity and Shared Vision

Governor Mbah ended his address with a call for unity, urging Ndi Enugu to rally behind the administration’s vision as the state embarks on a new political and developmental trajectory.

“Let us gather with renewed hope to build the Enugu – and the Nigeria – that our children deserve. Tomorrow is here,” he concluded.

Background

Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah, a lawyer, entrepreneur, and public policy expert, was elected governor of Enugu State under the platform of the PDP in 2023. His administration’s Tomorrow is Here agenda focuses on technology-driven governance, industrialization, education reform, and fiscal expansion.

His defection to the APC marks a major political realignment in the South East, with implications for the region’s relationship with the federal government and the 2027 political landscape.

GRPolitics

New Enugu Group Throws Weight Behind Mbah’s Defection to APC

…Says move will connect Enugu to national development grid | By ORJI ISRAEL

Published

20 hours ago

October 14, 2025

grassroots

R-l: President Bola Tinubu and governor Peter Mbah Both of APC

A prominent socio-political group in Enugu State, New Enugu Group, has declared total support for Governor Peter Mbah’s decision to join the All Progressives Congress (APC), describing the move as a bold and strategic step towards linking the state to the centre for greater development opportunities.

Speaking to journalists at the Michael Okpara Square, Enugu, on Tuesday, during the official ceremony where President Bola Tinubu, alongside members of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) and other party stalwarts, presented the party’s flag to Governor Mbah, the convener of the group, Barr. Henry Okeke, commended the governor for what he called a “visionary and courageous decision.”

Okeke noted that the development signaled a decisive break from the past and the beginning of a new political era in Enugu State. He said the governor’s transition to the ruling party would unlock federal attention and investments long denied the state.

“We’re declaring full support for our capacity governor and an icon of the New Enugu State, as he takes this bold, wise, courageous, and historic step to connect our dear state to the Progressives Government at the centre,” Okeke said, adding that “We align fully with His Excellency in this new dawn.”

The group further assured that its members, spread across the 260 electoral wards of the state, would remain steadfast in their support for the Mbah administration.

“We reiterate our commitment and confidence in his leadership. We have activated our structures across the state to mobilize for the governor under the APC. His achievements in just two years have been unprecedented, and we are confident that with this alignment, Enugu will witness more jobs, more opportunities, and accelerated development,” Okeke added.

He further expressed optimism that the governor’s defection to the APC would strengthen the state’s political relevance and ensure the delivery of more democratic dividends to the people.

Governor Mbah had earlier in the day officially announced Enugu State’s transition from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC) in a colourful event witnessed by a massive crowd of supporters.

The governor, in his remarks, explained that the move followed growing pressure from the people of the state, who urged him to connect the state to the national grid of governance to enable greater federal collaboration and development.

The event, which attended by several APC national leaders, governors, stakeholders, former PDP stakeholders both in at the state and national levels, was described as a watershed moment in the political history of Enugu State by speakers at the rally.

GRPolitics

Enugu Commissioners Defect to APC Ahead of Governor’s likely Jump

By ISRAEL ORJI

Published

2 days ago

October 13, 2025

grassroots

Governor Peter Mbah of Enugu State

Several commissioners in Enugu State have officially joined the All Progressives Congress (APC), in what appears to be a precursor to Governor Peter Mbah’s anticipated defection to the ruling party.

The defections include Lawrence Ezeh, Commissioner for Innovation, Science and Technology; Amaka Ngene, Chair of the Science, Technical and Vocational Schools Management Board; and Felix Nnamani, Commissioner for Labour and Employment.

A video released by Dan Nwomeh, the Governor’s Senior Special Assistant on Media, shows the commissioners holding APC flags and declaring their allegiance publicly.

Although Governor Mbah has not yet commented, reports suggest the formal defection is imminent. According to News Express, plans are underway for a ceremony in Enugu as early as Tuesday to receive him into the party.

Political watchers view the move as a major shift in the South East, potentially making Enugu the first state in the region under APC control since the 2023 elections.