AHANONU KINGSLEY BLOG

#NigeriaDecides2019 In the final analysis, the 2019 presidential poll has been won and lost. President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC thrashed Atiku Abubakar of the PDP. While PDP had a good showing with over 11.2 million of total total vote cast, the APC carried the day with 15.1 million votes. Both parties were able to garner the required 25% of two-third of the states. President Buhari of the ruling APC is expected to be declared based on simple majority. There will be no need for a rerun, as the margin of leading is significant. With pockets of incidences, which led to obvious widespread cancellation of votes, the 2019 presidential election witnessed a great deal of disenfranchisement. With this realization, it's yet to see if Atiku Abubakar would make that 'Concession Call' as entrenched by former President Goodluck Jonathan. It is clear Nigerians prefer #NextLevelNG to #MakingNigeriaWorkAgain Congratulations PMB....

The announcement of the results for the 2019 presidential election commenced yesterday, 25th of February. The returning officers for states whose results were ready  reeled out their results. And as was widely envisaged, the battle for the soul of the Nigerian presidency seemed to be between the two rival titans, the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC and the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Meanwhile, with over 11 states including the FCT, Abuja, President Buhari of the APC is in early lead. The announcement of results resumes today by 10 am, according to INEC. Ekiti state was the first to be announced. While the APC won this state with over 219000 votes, the PDP trailed behind with over 154000. The other states declared were Osun, Ondo, Kwara, Gombe, Kogi, Nasarawa, Abia, Ebonyi, Enugu, Adamawa, Yobe and the FCT. While Muhammadu Buhari of thr APC won on Osun, Kogi, Ekiti, Gombe, Nasarawa, and Jigawa, Atiku Abubakar of the PDP waa able to make good ahowing in the FCT, ...

There is the news making round that the Nigerian currency, the naira, appreciated overnight ahead the presidential and NASS elections to N184 to 1 USdollar. The news find basis from the erroneous conversion by Google search engine of the US dollar to the Nigerian naira. But that pop up conversion has been confirmed to be a bud. Google has come out to clarify that it was aware of the bug and is doing all it can to correct it. The statement from @googleafrica reads: "We’re aware of an issue causing inaccurate conversions for Nigerian Naira currency, so we will remove the conversion onebox from appearing in search results until we are able to diagnose the issue." The official exchange rate released by the Central Bank of Nigeria puts the US dollar to 306 naira. While the parallel markets have it at N361. #VoteWisely

It is unfortunate, and indeed very disappointing, that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Nigeria's election umpire had to take the knowing citizenry by a huge flip of surprise-albeit, disheartening- in having to postpone just suddenly the much anticipated presidential and NASS elections. In doing this, beyond the ordinary yet shameful show of clear unpreparedness, it smacks of insensitivity especially to the psyche of the generality of the voting population, who ostensibly had geared up so passionately for this opportunity to exercise franchise, some of who had to travel long distances just for this aborted process.  INEC has for want of invectives disappointed our huge expectation. The excuse of whatever ground for this is inexcusable and shows lack of preparedness, giving that it had more than four years to prepare for the 2019 elections. We deserve an explanation and an unreserved apology for this.

It has been a razzmatazz of some sort, the electioneering and the build up to the general elections of 2019. With many issues in focus and which have caused many interests to be generated and so many passions inflamed, the 2019 polls, eventually, will seem to pass off as the most exciting and mostly impassioned elections in the Nigerian history. There aren't not just little issues to be considered as we file out tomorrow to participate in the Presidential and National assembly elections, which is the first lap of the process. There are many issues to be considered and which have made this forthcoming process a huge decider and as such the much interest and anticipation. From security, which to the woman from Benue and the young man in Kaduna is a critical matter of concern, considering the pillage and devastation imposed upon by marauding herdsmen and lurking bandits down to the economy downturns, which has seen some of my friends in EcoBank, Skye Bank and my artisan friends e...

It was unfortunate the incident that happened yesterday in Ogun state, wherein the president of Nigeria and presidential candidate of the APC was embarrassed and almost assaulted in the course of his reelection campaign.  The incident is to say the least disturbing. The mundane and crude kind of politics played in this part of the world and which has continued to rear its head is very unfortunate,  and the fact that it has continued to show up virtually in each of the election circles shows that we are yet to learn and somehow have preferred to stick below the board. It was in 2015 that a similar incident happened, involving the then sitting president Goodluck Jonathan. That incident, reprehensible in its tastes had happened in Bauchi state when the then PDP presidential candidate was just like in the present circumstance out to hunt for votes to be reelected. Jonathan and his entourage were pelted with stones. That act, very distasteful and insubordinating was condemne...

The long awaited relief by students of Nigerian universities seems to have come as the federal government and ASUU have agreed to sheath swords. Subsequently, the over three months strike embarked by ASUU has been called off. This followed the marathon meeting held between representatives of the federal government and those of ASUU, 7th of February, 2019. The deal to suspend the strike was sealed after government acquiesced to all demands made by the academics of universities, issues which had consistently caused them to down tools either in warning or indefinite shutdown of institutions since 2009. This final meeting which has been preceded by more than three such which ended in deadlock, had students members of the National Association of Nigerian Students (NANS) storming the venue with warning on the striking lecturers to end the stalemate. 

Have you ever woken up and suddenly you ask yourself a question like "what have I been doing?". Has it ever occurred to you that in the midst of the cacophony, you just somehow stopped to ask yourself a question, one directed by you to yourself.  The above scenario is akin to asking yourself "What have am I not getting right?" "Shouldn't  I make a rethink, and review?" It could aptly be described as one of self-realization. It is of a sudden reflex action of a conscious act of introspection.  Most times we're taken off by the prevailing circumstances of our vicinity that we become so committed, trying to meet needs and expectations. Commendable as they may be, the bad there is that they seem to take us off our real need to converse with self, to make introspection. Oftentimes this process of introspection is what we need to get us moving into shape and unto the ultimate future that defines and suits our vision. It is what gives us the self...

The anchor of the town hall programme for Presidential candidates in the forthcoming 2019 general elections, The Candidates, Kadaria Ahmed has for sometime now since her latest engagement with the candidates of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP being in the eye of the storm. And the question is why? And how appropriate? For some people, especially those sympathetic to candidates of the PDP, her questions to their candidates were different from and more scathing than those asked the candidates of the rival Ill, so Progressives Congress, APC. To those so untowardly bothered by this view, I ask should Kadaria have been seen to ask Atiku and Obi the selfsame questions she asked Buhari and Osibanjo, and possibly in the same way?  To this people, aside failing to understand that Kadaria Ahmed, being the anchor of the programme reserves the prerogative right to ask questions of her choice, also and more pathetic, failed to understand that there is no way coming from different bac...