Kogi guber: APC divided as factional executives adopt direct primary

POLITICS

Kogi guber: APC divided as factional executives adopt direct primary

 

The Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello and his supporters now have more mountains to climb ahead of the November 16 gubernatorial polls following the adoption of direct primary by the Hadi Ametuo-led faction in the All Progressive Congress (APC).

In a meeting of the APC state party executives and stakeholders held at the state’s capital Lokoja, on Monday, the party has resolved to adopt direct election format for the forthcoming primary in August.

This came on the heels of an earlier alleged meeting held by a faction of the party loyal to the state governor, Yahaya Bello; on Saturday, 15 June, in which they declared indirect election as the mode for the party’s primary election.

Addressing newsmen immediately after the meeting, Haddy Emetuo, the factional State Chairman of the APC, further elaborated on the situation.

“The executives of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Kogi State have just risen from a meeting and unanimously adopted direct mode for the APC primary election after deliberations in which every member was given fair hearing and all suggestions were put into consideration.

“We adopted the direct election format because we all agreed that it is the best method that strengthens and promotes internal democracy within our great party. It is the method that allows every voice to be heard and gives opportunity to every member of the APC to participate directly in the decision of who flies the flag of our great party to victory in November.

“I want also to use this opportunity to formally attend to the rumour flying around in the media that some supposed state party executives have held a kangaroo meeting and have declared indirect election as the method adopted by Kogi APC for the primary election.

“I want to categorically state that such meeting is illegal, null and void. The genuine state party executives and stakeholders have just held a meeting and what I tell you now is the official position of the All Progressives Congress, Kogi State Chapter, as regards mode of the forthcoming primary election. Any other meetings or resolutions should be disregarded by all party members and the general public as they are fake and illegal.

“We are working assiduously for victory in November and will not give room to nefarious elements who want to instigate internal wrangling capable of scuttling our chance.”

 

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Adeleke vs Oyetola: What Supreme Court decided on Monday

POLITICS

Adeleke vs Oyetola: What Supreme Court decided on Monday

 

The Supreme Court has fixed judgment for July 5, 2019 in the appeals filed by Senator Ademola Adeleke of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) with respect to the disputed last governorship election in Osun State.

A seven-man panel of the court, led by the Acting Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), Justice Ibrahim Muhammad, chose the date after taking final arguments regarding the main appeal, marked: SC/553/2019 filed by Adeleke.

Adeleke, who filed four appeals, is challenging the May 9, 2019 judgment of the Court of Appeal, Abuja, which affirmed the election of Adegboyega Oyetola of the All Progressives Congress (APC) as the governor of Osun State.

The Court of Appeal also set aside the majority judgment of the election tribunal which had allowed Adeleke’s petition and declared him winner of the election.

On Monday, by agreement of lawyers in the appeals, the court took submissions from Onyechi Ikpeazu (SAN) for the appellants and Wole Olanipekun (SAN) for the 1st respondent (Oyetola) in respect of appeal marked: SC/553/2019.

The court said its judgment in the main appeal – SC/553/2019 – will be applied to two other similar one, filed by Adeleke against the Court of Appeal’s decision in relation to the appeals filed by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the APC.

The court, which stood down proceedings for a while, is expected to resume soon to take the last fourth appeal by Adeleke, marked: SC/556/2019.

Other members of the panel are: Justices Olabode Rhodes-Vivour, Kumai Aka’ahs, Kudirat Kekere-Ekun, Amiru Sanusi, Paul Galunmje and Uwani Abbah-Aji

 

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PDP reveals plans to disgrace Gov. Masari

POLITICS

PDP reveals plans to disgrace Gov. Masari

 

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Katsina State has revealed plans to drag Governor Aminu Masari of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to court over his educational qualification.

Legal counsel to the PDP, Goddy Uche, SAN, said Governor Masari had no requisite educational qualification to contest the last governorship election.

Uche spoke in a chat with journalists in Katsina yesterday.

According to him, the governor’s full name of Aminu Bello Masari did not appear in all the certificates submitted to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC). Uche said the certificates only bear “Aminu Bello”.

The PDP counsel, also said the certificates were also faulted for having different dates, adding that some of them have no reference or identification details.

“The governor said he completed his primary school on its certificate in 1951. But his father, however, said his son was born in 1950.

“There is no basis for the governor to even remain there, the certificate from England has no logo and a higher diploma, you can’t do that without diploma. These are clear before the court,” he said.

 

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APGA crisis deepens as Alex Otti-led faction sacks Ehiemere, elects Nkem Okoro as Abia Chairman

POLITICS

Abia: APGA crisis deepens as Alex Otti-led faction sacks Ehiemere, elects Nkem Okoro as Abia Chairman

 

The Alex Otti-led faction of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in Abia State, has elected 26-man State Working Committee (SWC) of the party at a well-attended congress held in Umuahia, the Abia state capital.

Alex Otti, was the governorship candidate of APGA during the March 9, 2019 gubernatorial election conducted in the state.

Also elected were, ward Executives, chairmen for the seventeen local government areas of Abia and three zonal vice chairmen of the party.

Hon. Nkem Okoro, emerged the new chairman of APGA in the State, succeeding Reverend Augustine Ehiemere.

Others were, Hon. Elvis Wabara (Deputy chairman), Dr. Onyebuchi Onyegbule (State Secretary), Hon. Ebere Uzokwa (Publicity Secretary), Chief Kalu Okpo Kalu (Vice Chairman Abia North), Mr. Pino Nwagbaso(Vice Chairman (Abia South) and Evang. Innocent Okamgba(Vice Chairman, Abia central).

In his maiden address read by Hon. Nkem Okoro, the new State chairman of APGA, “We wish to ventilate our condemnation in its entirety the brigandage and illegality perpetrated by some usurpers and hoodlums who regrouped and attempted to hijack our great party, apparently to pursue a fraudulent, selfish agenda at the detriment of the ideals of our party as the leading voice of the opposition and the watershed of the democratic struggle to revive the state.

“We wish to announce that the purported exercise and the illegal gathering of some persons at the party’s secretariat on 23rd May, masterminded by the former state chairman, Rev. Augustine Ehiemere and his co-travelers, were nothing but a sham and nullity hence a court of competent jurisdiction declared it null and void.

“In as much we don’t intend to join issues with the former state chairman, Rev. Ehiemere and his sponsors/paymasters, the salient and incontrovertible fact remains that Abia APGA is intact, indivisible and purposeful under the leadership of our amiable and dynamic Governorship candidate, Dr. Alex Otti, OFR and other leaders sharing a common vision of lifting Abia from the doldrums of backwardness and bad governance to the pedestal of good governance and redemptive leadership.

“May we therefore use this medium to pass an implicit vote of confidence on Dr. Alex Otti, OFR for providing the rightful leadership and the wherewithal that politically elevated and sustained Abia APGA as the leading opposition party and the voice of the groaning masses in the state since 2014 till date.

The statement added, “The new and authentic leadership of APGA as presently constituted, hereby declare an unequivocal support and absolute loyalty to Dr. Alex Otti, OFR, the 2019 Abia APGA Governorship Candidate, as he diligently pursues his petition at the Abia Governorship Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Umuahia; believing strongly the sanctity and impartiality of the judiciary as the last hope of a common man.

“We are equally poised and determined to work on the side of Ndi Abia by resisting through legitimate means any attempt by those ‘hijackers and usurpers’ masquerading as APGA leaders but merely recruited by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Government of Abia State to derail the course of justice in our dear state. Abia, our dear state and God’s Own State, must be liberated”.

Recall that we had in May 23, 2019, reported that Reverend Augustine Ehiemere and Elder Sunday Onukwubiri, were returned as Abia chairman and Secretary of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) in a congress held at the State secretariats in Umuahia, the state capital.

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‘Withdraw Itse Sagay’s SAN title’ – Lagos PDP tells LPPC, others

POLITICS

‘Withdraw Itse Sagay’s SAN title’ – Lagos PDP tells LPPC, others

 

The Peoples Democratic Party in Lagos State has charged the Legal Practitioners Privileges Committee (LPPC) and the Legal Practitioners’ Disciplinary Committee of the Nigerian Bar Association and the courts to withdraw all the privileges that Prof Itse Sagay enjoys as a Senior Advocate of Nigeria.

The party, in a statement yesterday by its state Publicity Secretary, Mr Taofik Gani, also called on President Muhammadu Buhari to immediately replace Sagay as the Chairman of the committee.

According to the Lagos PDP, the security agencies must arrest, interrogate and prosecute Sagay for his comments allegedly capable of provoking civil unrests in the country.

Sagay had faulted Supreme Court’s rulings, which upheld the PDP as the winner of the 2019 general elections in Rivers and Zamfara states, and barred the All Progressives Congress from contesting offices. 

But Gani said, “Prof Sagay exposed his hatred for the PDP when he described the Supreme Court judgment by positing that ‘in the next four years, Zamfara State will be governed by a party and politicians rejected by the electorate.’

“To the PDP, these words and stance are inciting and unbecoming of a senior lawyer and must be taken seriously as professional misconduct within the contemplation of Section 24(1)(a) and (b) of the rules of professional conduct.

“To us as a party in Lagos State and from where most of these false activists speak, Prof Sagay is no more a fit and proper personality to head a presidential advisory committee against corruption. We charge the LPPC, the LPDC, the NBA and the courts to withdraw all privileges Prof Itse Sagay enjoys as a SAN.”

Gani said Sagay had showed enough obvious partisanship and support for the APC, adding that one needed not wonder why all the APC chieftains were “saints” before the Sagay-led PACAC.

He said, “With Sagay as an adviser, the advised is at his own risk. It is very laughable that Sagay attempts to be an appellate court to the Supreme Court.”

Earlier, the PDP had accused the PACAC chairman of instigating anarchy and rebellion against constitutional democratic order and reule of law.

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