House of Representative member from Kaduna North, Bello El-Rufai, has said he was naive to have criticized former President Goodluck Jonathan.

Bello, who is son of former Kaduna State governor, Nasir El-Rufai, said he is sorry for criticizing Jonathan’s administration.

The Kaduna lawmaker noted that he failed to realize that Nigeria had a good governance under Jonathan due to his naivety.

Speaking on Channels Television’s Politics Today on Thursday evening, the lawmaker said he is wiser now.

Bello said his naivety came to the fore when he saw his father preparing to visit Jonathan for political consultation.

He recalled paying his father a visit and noticed that he was going out. He asked where he was going.

Bello said: “And he said he was going to see President Jonathan, and I paused because when I was naive or when I thought ego or gratification mattered, I used to be very active in criticising President Jonathan.

“I even forgot in my naivety as many young people do, that we had governance then and I found my father saying that he is going to consult President Jonathan. I said, ‘please when you see him, tell him I am very sorry, I am wiser now’.

“The system is a problem. Now, why did I mention President Jonathan? It takes a lot, particularly in Africa, to lose an election and leave, he did that.”

El-Rufai initially had a good relationship with Jonathan and he even urged him to contest the 2011 presidential election.

Reports said after Namadi Sambo’s emergence as Vice President, El-Rufai and his family members heavily criticized Jonathan’s administration.

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‎Governorship candidate in the upcoming Anambra state election, Chief George Moghalu of the Labour Party and his campaign organizers described the N50m advert levy imposed on candidates contesting the election as extortion.
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‎In a statement released on Thursday, the campaign organisation said it rejected the decision. According to the statement signed by Dr. Ikenna Agu, Director, Media and Publicity “The George Moghalu Campaign Organisation (GMCO) condemns in the strongest possible terms the outrageous and undemocratic imposition of a N50 million campaign billboard fee by the Anambra State Signage and Advertisement Agency (ANSAA), under the directive of Governor Charles Soludo’s administration.
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‎”This illegal directive is nothing short of a well-calculated attempt to muzzle opposition voices, entrench tyranny, and commercialize our democracy to serve the narrow interests of the ruling party”
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‎”The action by ANSAA, which demands an extortionist N50 million from each of the 16 governorship candidates before they can legally advertise their campaigns, is a shameful assault on the fundamental democratic principles of fairness, inclusivity, and equal opportunity”
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‎”This illegal levy is a direct attack on our democracy and must be resisted by all well-meaning Anambrarians and lovers of freedom”
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‎”Let it be made clear: Governor Soludo and his agents cannot use state power to gag other candidates. They cannot use financial roadblocks to eliminate competition. They cannot hold democracy hostage in Anambra”
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‎They demanded for the immediate reversal of what they tagged “oppressive directive” stating that If the Soludo government has any respect for democratic values, it should allow all candidates to access campaign infrastructure on an equal and affordable basis, as guaranteed under the electoral laws and the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.
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‎The George Moghalu Campaign Organisation called on INEC and the Advertising Regulatory Council of Nigeria (ARCON), civil society organisations, and the international community to intervene swiftly and hold Governor Soludo’s government accountable for what they see as an “abuse of power”
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Governor Chukwuma Soludo of Anambra State has declared that President Bola Tinubu’s administration salvaged Nigeria’s public finances from the brink of collapse.

In an address delivered on June 12 at The Platform Nigeria, hosted by Pastor Poju Oyemade and The Covenant Nation, Governor Soludo praised President Tinubu’s economic reforms. He called for a nationwide ethical and ideological rebirth to drive sustainable national development.

Speaking on the theme “Rebuilding Our Nation,” Soludo urged political parties across the country to unite along ideological lines as a first step toward a new, issue-based political culture.

“The audacious structural reforms embarked upon by the current administration of HE Bola Ahmed Tinubu have rescued the economy from the tipping point.”