Fani-Kayode reacts to
alleged plot by Atiku to ‘overthrow’ Buhari govt
Femi Fani-Kayode, former Minister of Aviation
has reacted to the recent claims by the President Muhammadu Buhari-led
administration and the military that certain persons were planning to overthrow
the government.
Minister of Information, Lai Mohamed, had
said that Atiku
and his party, were doing everything to overheat the polity.
Mohammed further described their alleged
actions as an act of treason.
However, in response to the claims, Atiku
Abubakar in a statement by his media aide, Mazi Paul Ibe, described
the allegations as all lies.
Fani-Kayode reacting to the claims on his
Twitter page said only soldiers can overthrow the government, not politicians.
The former minister wrote: “Atiku and PDP is
plotting to overthrow the Government in a military coup”- Lai Mohammed,
Minister of Information.
“The Bible says, “the wicked run even when
no-one is pursuing them.
“As far as I am aware, politicians don’t plan
and execute coups: soldiers do.”
Nigeria Insecurity: APC chieftain,
Iheme blames PDP over insurgency, killings in Nigeria
The Abia North Senatorial candidate of the Accord
Party (AP) in the just-concluded February 23 National Assembly election and
now, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress(APC), Chief Onyekachi Iheme,
has slammed the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over the insecurity
threatening the unity and corporate existence of Nigeria.
Iheme insisted that the upsurge in
insurgency, banditry and kidnapping in most parts of the country were as a
result of the sixteen years failed leadership of PDP.
According to DAILY POST, the APC chieftain, who spoke in a telephone
interview on Sunday night, also insisted that the former ruling
party failed to tackle the insurgencies headlong when it started under its
watch.
He opined that the APC-led federal government
commitment in fighting and ridding Nigeria of corruption deteriorated the
insecurity in the land.
His words, “It is the product of the failed
PDP leadership. What you are seeing now is the result of the failure of the PDP
leadership to give the country a direction. So, people were doing what they
liked, benefitting what they did not work for. You will agree with me that this
issue of insurgency, terrorism banditry and kidnapping did not just start from
the present President Muhammadu Buhari-led government. You will also agree with
me that the insecurity got worsened during the Presidency of Goodluck Jonathan.
“Today, we are witnessing direct assault on
insurgency, because, the federal government is committed to fighting
insecurity. The government is making every effort to ensure that the insurgency
does not last longer. Normally, it had to get this high to come low. This is
not a time to play to the gallery. The federal government is not paying lip
services to the insecurity ravaging the country. You should also understand
that terrorism is now a global phenomenon. Terrorism is not only peculiar to
Nigeria. Some parts of the world are experiencing insurgencies.
“When the economy is in recession, when
things are not working, when corruption is thriving, you have no other option
than to indulge in crimes. A lot of people were benefitting from corruption.
So, the anti-corruption fight of this government is what spring up this
insecurity. Because of this government had decided to fight corruption, what do
you expect? Crime and criminality will have to find away out.”
Victor Oye-led National
Working Committee has not shown good leadership – APGA chieftain, Nwaka Inem
A chieftain of the All Progressives Grand
Alliance (APGA) and the Director of Contact and Mobilization of Alex Otti 2019
Governorship Campaign organization, Chief Nwaka Inem, has taken a swipe at the
Victor Oye-led National Working Committee (NWC) of APGA, over the lingering
crisis ravaging some state chapters of the party.
He said the present national leadership of
APGA had not shown good leadership and forthrightness in handling issues
threatening the peace and unity of the party.
The APGA chieftain, who spoke in an interview
with reporters on Friday evening, in Umuahia, said, “If they must tell
themselves the truth, the way they handled the last primaries was short of
anything good. And the lost of confidence of major stakeholders, admirers and
supporters is stemmed from the way they handled the party’s primaries. So, if
they are sincere to themselves, their major occupation is to re-instill
confidence on the general stakeholders and the ordinary people of Abia State.
“The fact is that APGA has a lot of
challenges. And that challenges could be surmounted when you conduct yourself
in a transparent manner. And not in a manner you are scheming one person or the
other. You are scheming any person, you are scheming yourself. It is not good
to the image of the party, to the survive of the party and for the growth of
APGA.
Inem continued, “Chief Victor Oye-led
National Working Committee (NWC) and Augustine Ehiemere-led Abia SWC, have not
shown good leadership. They have not shown character. They have not shown
forthrightness in handling issues. And when you don’t show this essential
ingredients in management, you are bound not to get required results or the
expected results.
On the upcoming APGA congresses and national
convention, Chief Inem, charged, “The party should ensure they draw the guidelines.
The party should make sure the guidelines are devoid of any form of
manipulation and above all. I am calling on the National Executive Committee
(NEC) as enshrined by the constitution of the party to rise up and scrutinize
whatever the NWC is going to do.”
"APC govs’
award to Buhari is a shameful endorsement of failure" - PDP
The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, Friday night, mocked the presentation
of a leadership award to President Muhammadu Buhari by governors of the All
Progressives Congress, APC.
It described the award as a shameful endorsement of failure, the height
of deception and a spat on the graves of victims of unrestrained killings and
bloodletting across Nigeria in the past four years.
The party said the solicited award is another failed image-laundering and
botched endorsement by the Presidency, which is being confronted by the weight
of public rejection for its failures and the rigging of the February 23,
Presidential elections.
A statement by PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said:
“It is totally disgraceful that Mr. President’s handlers could conjure such
scandalous whitewashing project to gloat on Nigerians extremely hurting over
the prevalent economic hardship, hunger, disappointments, failures and
humongous corruption that have become the hallmark of the Buhari administration.
“The PDP holds that by allowing themselves to be used for such image
laundering for President Buhari in the face of his failures to find solution
for the killings and kidnappings in Zamfara, Borno, Yobe, Taraba, Adamawa,
Kaduna, Katsina and other states of the federation, the APC governors have
again exhibited their party’s unpardonable insensitivity and disdain for
Nigerians.
“It is disturbing that at a time genuine leaders are exerting themselves
for solutions to the myriads of crisis plaguing our nation, those elected on
the platform of the APC are busy playing to gallery and acting scripts while
our nation continue to slide; the very reason Nigerians voted for Atiku
Abubakar on February 23, as their preferred presidential candidate.
“The Presidency and the APC have chosen to engage in endless unprofitable
celebrations in the safety of Aso Villa while Nigerians are left at the mercies
of bandits, kidnappers, marauders and insurgents in their homes and workplaces.
“The PDP counsels President Buhari to end the circus at the Presidency
and face the stark reality of the dejection, despondency and misery Nigerians
have been subjected to due to his incompetence as well as insensitivity to the
plight of the citizens.”
Oyo must not return to era
of violence and Brigandage – UI VC tells Makinde
The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Ibadan, Professor Idowu
Olayinka, on Thursday charged the incoming administration of Engineer Seyi
Makinde in Oyo State to do everything possible to prevent the state from
slipping into the era of violence and brigandage that pervaded the state before
Governor Abiola Ajimobi took over in 2011.
Olayinka gave the charge while speaking at the investiture of Ajimobi
as a Fellow of the Society for Peace Studies and Practice (SPSP), held at the
University of Ibadan.
The VC, who was the chief host at the occasion, commended Ajimobi for
demonstrating what he called the courage of conviction to restore peace to the
state which had, before his administration, assumed the status of a garrison
headquarters where violence and brigandage were the order of the day.
He said, “The point has been made by the organizers of this investiture
that they were not looking for a saint. Nobody is a saint. So, Governor Ajimobi
is also not a saint, but you cannot get anybody more deserving of this honour
than the governor.
“The point has also been made that Ibadan was the capital of the old
‘Wild, Wild West’ in the First Republic and at a time it also became a garrison
headquarters. What we used to hear everywhere was ‘Up National, Up National’.
“But, in the last eight years, things have really stabilized. Now that
there is peace, we just hope that the peace we are enjoying will be sustained.
The reality of the situation is that over the last eight years, the governor
has demonstrated how to maintain peace and ensure security of lives and
property.
“The very first function of any government is to ensure security of
lives and property, and all of us will attest to the fact that he has achieved
distinction in this department. So, we congratulate him on this achievement.
“Eight years ago when he mounted the saddle of governorship, there were
only two universities in Ibadan, UI and Lead City but now, we have seven
universities, including the state government-owned First Technical University.
We can directly attribute this to the reigning peace in the land.”
SPSP President, Dr. Nathaniel Danjibo, said the fellowship was
conferred on the governor in recognition of his unprecedented achievements in
the sustenance of peace and security in the last eight years.
Ajimobi, who delivered a lecture, entitled “Peace and Security
Architecture for Sustainable Development in Oyo State”, attributed the peace
and security that reigned during his eight-year tenure to some drastic measures
taken by his administration to put an end to the state of anarchy which he
inherited in 2011.
Before he came on board, the governor said that the state had been taken
over by violence and brigandage being perpetrated by members of the National
Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), who he said were being used by some
powerful politicians.
The governor, however, said that he demonstrated leadership by
summoning the courage to step on toes and take difficult decisions that he was
convinced were in the best interest of the state.
He said: “When I came in 2011 and the leadership of NURTW came on a
visit, saying ‘Your Excellency, we are for you’, I said No! Be for peace. If
any of you breaks the law or foments trouble, he will face the full wrath of
the law.
“To make an omelette, you must break eggs. For you to attain
sustainable change, you must be prepared to step on toes. But be prepared for
the backlash because those legs will definitely fight back.
“We thank God for giving us the opportunity to serve; and the service
we have delivered well, and we are happy. If there is anything we want to be
remembered for, it is peace and security. It is the foundation of government,
and it is the basis of governance.
“As I am standing before you, I still have 18 days and nine hours. So,
within that period, we will still continue to maintain peace. It is what we are
known for, and that is what our legacy will be.
“I will advise the in-coming administration to ensure that it sustains
peace as a matter of priority for them to be successful and deliver the
dividends of democracy to our people.”
Between APC and PDP: What Ortom told
Benue election tribunal
Gov
Samuel Ortom on Wednesday filed his defence before the Governorship, National
and State Assembly Election Petition Tribunal sitting in Makurdi.
Ortom, through Commissioner for Justice and Attorney General Mr Michael
Gusa, raised preliminary objections and asked the court to strike out the
petition.
“The petition should be dismissed because we are saying that it lacks
merit and so it should be dismissed”, Gusa said.
“In fact in the first instance, we have seen a lot of infractions
against the Electoral Act 2010 as amended, so we have raised preliminary
objections that the case be dismissed and also gone ahead to attack the
petition on the merit “.
The lead counsel, Mr Sabastine Hon SAN, said the governor filed his
defence within time and has fulfilled his statutory duty of attaching all the
document he would be relying on in the course of the case.
Hon who defended the governor at the tribunal over the 2015 election
said that the two cases have some striking similarities, although the circumstances
are slightly different.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Emmanuel Jime of the All
Progressives Congress (APC) had filed the petition challenging the re-election
of Ortom.
In the disputed election, Ortom of the PDP polled 434,473 votes to
defeat Jime who scored 345,155 votes.
Jime’s counsel, Mr Sunday Ameh urged the tribunal to upturn Gov Ortom’s
victory and declare Jime the winner of the 2019 governorship elections having
scored the highest number of lawful votes.
APC reacts to Akeredolu’s
purported plan to join PDP
The Ondo
State chapter of the All Progressives Congress, APC, has described the rumour
making the rounds that the state governor, Olawarotimi Akeredolu, is planning
to dump the party for the People’s Democratic Party, PDP, as a ruse.
Describing the governor as a progressive who will not mingle with any
party aside the APC, the party, in a statement issued on Monday, attributed the
alleged rumour to the ploy by those the party stated are not comfortable with
the achievements of Akeredolu in the state.
Following series of crisis rocking the state APC, particularly the
anti-party activities of members of the party spearheaded by the governor
during the recently-concluded general elections, with subsequent query,
Akeredolu is said to be allegedly considering looking outside the APC’s enclave
for his second term ambition.
The statement signed by the party’s State Publicity Secretary, Alex
Kalejaye, and made available to DAILY POST, read, “The attention of the All
Progressives Congress (APC), in Ondo State has been drawn to a rumour making
the rounds that the State Governor, Arakunrin Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, is
hobnobbing with the Peoples Democratic Party, with a view to defecting to that
party ahead of the next governorship election.
“The party considers this rumour as wicked and a complete lie, and urge
the public to disregard it.
“Though we would have preferred to ignore this irresponsible rumour, it
is however expedient to dispel the rumour, so it will not pollute the minds of
our members, and mislead the public.
“The Governor has never contemplated joining a party of the
conservatives, let alone contesting election on its platform. He hails from the
bedrock of progressives in the State, and has always been a progressive.
“It is also imperative to inform the rumour-mongers that Arakunrin
Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, SAN, invested so much into the development of APC in
Ondo State. Today, he is well respected and appreciated in the APC, and
therefore has no reason whatsoever to flirt with another political party.
“We are not unaware that some opposition parties are feeling
intimidated by the sterling performance of the Akeredolu-led administration,
and are planning to distract him through whatever means. This is a mission in
futility.
“The government is not perturbed about this or any other ploy. The
revolution in the infrastructure development will be sustained; massive
investment drive won’t slow down; commitment to workers’ welfare remains a top
priority.”
Kalejaye stressed that, “for the avoidance of doubt, the good people of
Ondo State, who are the ultimate beneficiaries of these initiatives have
consistently maintained that they are comfortable with the present
administration, and will always support it.
“The Ondo State APC is confident that the party will continue to fortify
its strength, and support the government in its development drive, building of
the party and its members.
“The party appeals to its supporters to disregard the baseless and
misleading publication, and consign it to the dustbin of history, where it rightly
belongs,” the statement read.
Meanwhile, the PDP, had in a statement earlier issued, emphasised its
resolve to accept Akeredolu into its fold, but maintained that the governor
must be prepared to forget preferential treatment to the detriment of those he
met in the party.
The Action
Democratic Party (ADP) has expelled its former National Secretary, James
Okoroma, and 16 other executive members
They were expelled for alleged anti-party activities.
The party made the announcement to journalists after its National
Executive Committee meeting in Abuja on Saturday .
According to the National Secretary of the party, Steve Uwajie, the
affected officers and members were found guilty of causing division in the
party.
Uwajie said: “In compliance with article 52.1 of the ADP constitution,
the following officers have been expelled from the party as a result of anti-party
activities, insubordination and causing disaffection and division among
members.
“The officers expelled are as follows; Dr James Okoroma, Engineer
Esther Oche, Chief Iboro Idabba, Temitope Salami, and others.
“The party also dissolved all executives at the state, local
government, ward and polling units across the country. Subject to the provision
of the party constitution, ethics and values, the council shall jointly with
NEC dissolve all state executive committee, all local government executive committee,
all ward executive committee, all polling unit executive committee, and appoint
all caretaker committees to run the party until another executive committee is
elected.
“Provided that the period from the dissolution to the election of a new
executive committee shall not exceed three months.”
Senator Lekan, Hon. Remi, Others Dump PDP For APC In Ogun
A former Senator for Ogun East Senatorial District, Lekan Mustapha has
dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), for the ruling All Progressives
Congress (APC).
Similarly, a former Deputy Speaker of the Ogun State House of Assembly,
Hon. Remi Hassan, left the opposition PDP for the ruling APC
The politicians, on Thursday in Abeokuta, also led thousands of PDP
members from the Ogun East Senatorial District of the state into APC.
The stalwarts said they were motivated by the developmental strides of
the Governor Ibikunle Amosun led government, which they added, will definitely
speak for him in the 2019 polls.
According to Hassan, “politics is about choice of who you relate with,
stating that despite being seen as an antagonist of Amosun, he has never
questioned his performance.”
He enjoined the governor not to relent till his last days in office,
assuring the APC of his support.
On his part Mustapha said “when you have gold, you don’t go about looking
for silver. We have gold in the person of Amosun, so there is no need messing
around with silver.”
Receiving the decampees, Amosun said there will be no discrimination
among old and new members.
“All members, are now one big family, with the mission to work for the
good of the common people,” he said.
2019: Rivers State PDP Commences Registration Of New Members As They welcomes APC Defected Members
Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has commenced
re-registration of old and new members into the party across the 23 Local
Government Areas of the state in preparation for the June 16th, 2018 council
polls..
Addressing council Chairmen and Secretaries of the party at the PDP
Secretariat in Port Harcourt, yesterday, state Chairman of the party, Mr Felix
Obuah, charged them to take the message to their respective LGAs and ensure
that the exercise was given the seriousness it deserves.
He urged the party executives to go into all the Wards across the state
and ensure that all the decampees from the All Progressives Congress, APC, and
other political parties are registered.
“Even those of them who will be decamping today and wish to join our
party must be registered. Do not restrict anyone from becoming a member of our
great party. We need them and we don’t want anyone to stop them from
registering due to personal interests.”
While handing over the party registers to the Chairmen, Obuah charged
them to immediately reach out to the Ward Chairmen and Secretaries and ensure
that the exercise kick-starts in earnest.
He warned that on no condition should the membership cards be hoarded,
adding that even though most of the cards had expired, arrangements were being
made to give out the new cards before the end of the day.
Obuah said the party will charge a token for the cards to ensure that
members make financial commitment to the party.
He warned against adoption of candidates for the various elective
positions in the forthcoming local government elections.
He said it will be out of place for him as state party Chairman to
supervise such undemocratic practice, adding that the PDP was committed to
upholding its constitution and give every aspirant a level playing ground.
“So it will be bad of you as a leader who is supposed to be an unbiased
umpire to adopt one person and follow him or her to campaign. It is unfair and
does not encourage,” he said, warning that the party will not hesitate to use
its hammer on any chairman who indulges in such act.
Rivers State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has commenced
re-registration of old and new members into the party across the 23 Local
Government Areas of the state in preparation for the June 16th, 2018 council
polls..