Nigerian Newspapers
Labour Party may shift Anambra guber primaries
• ‘INEC, state electoral body not ready for polls’
• Ubah pledges better power supply
THERE are indications that the leadership of Labour Party (LP) may shift the gubernatorial primaries election to select its standard-bearer for the November 16, 2013, gubernatorial election in Anambra State from August 19 to 28, 2013.
Meanwhile, a human rights group, International Society for Civil Liberties and the Rule of Law (Intersociety), has expressed doubts over the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Anambra State Independent Electoral Commission (ANSIEC) ability to conduct hitch-free polls in the state.
In a related development, a governorship aspirant of the LP in Anambra State, Ifeanyi Ubah, has stressed the need to develop the state’s power sector, noting that power supply is critical to the social-economic well being of any society
Investigations by The Guardian revealed that the decision to reschedule the primaries election stems from intense pressures being exerted on the party’s leadership both in Abuja and Awka, “to accommodate the interest of other aspirants who want to contest the governorship on LP platform”.
A source within the Abuja headquarters of the party confided in The Guardian that “certain overtures and demands have been made for the party to shift the governorship primaries to a date later than August 19, 2013”, adding that the shift would also disabuse the minds of “critical stakeholders” that the ticket has been sold to a particular aspirant.
He indicated that no less than five aspirants from other political parties may likely join the race for the LP ticket, pointing out that the pressure on the party to extend the date for the primaries is also to receive new members into the party.
However, when contacted, the state LP Chairman, Mr. Sam Osi Oraegbunam, denied that the plan to shift the date of the primaries was just to accommodate disgruntled aspirants from the PDP, explaining that “when the change of date comes, it will be in the interest of better organisation and logistics provision”.
Oraegbunam, who spoke with The Guardian, noted that LP was mindful of the challenges of unrestrained admission of all manner of contenders. He said it was also erroneous to give the impression that attempts were being made to receive aspirants that could displace the foremost contender, Ubah.
“Sometimes democracy makes an organization look stupid but as a political party we listen to all shades of opinion and at the end of the day, the majority would have its way. So what is happening is that we want to allow everybody a say in how the party is run; it is the owners of the party, the people; that have the final decision,” he added.
He stressed that though the party has no problem with Ubah’s aspiration, it does not want to foreclose the ticket to only him pointing out that the present pressures on the party was “a test of LP’s resilience and internal democratic credentials”.
A statement signed by the Chairman, Board of Directors of Intersociety, Mr. Emeka Umeagbalasi, in Awka yesterday, wondered if INEC has complied with electoral law in reviewing voters’ register, among other things.
The group further expressed doubts if there are scientific and verifiable records showing “continuous registration of qualified persons and revision and updating of the voters’ register by INEC at publicly designated centres by public notice in any part of Anambra State since 2011.”
They said they have observed a breach of Sections 9(1) and 10(1) of the Electoral Act of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 2010.
“By Section 9(5) of the said Electoral Act, registration of qualified persons or those who have attained the voting age of 18 years and above in the state since 2011 is supposed to end by September 16, 2013; 60 days before the governorship polls.
“Yet thousands of qualified persons have remained unregistered, it insisted, and besides, the fate of those whose voters cards got lost, torn, defaced or damaged, particularly in Ogbaru, Ayamelum, Anambra East, Anambra-West and Oyi councils, affected by the 2012 flood still hangs in the balance barely three months to the elections”, it said.
On ANSIEC, the group said it was concerned that the electoral body will have to depend on the National Register of Voters for the council polls slated for October 5, 2013 in the State.
According to the statement, by law, no local council polls can be conducted without INEC’s Voters’ Register, wondering if ANSIEC, which is mandated to apply, has reached out to the Commission for the release of the state’s version of the register.
Umeagbalasi insisted that INEC was mandated to issue an updated, revised “certify true copy” of the register, and wondered if the electoral bodies were well prepared to conduct the polls.
Ubah who is the Chairman, Capital Oil and Gas Ltd, in a statement yesterday said development in the power sector would immensely contribute to the progress of small-scale businesses in the state.
According to Ubah: “Successive regimes in Anambra have turned deaf ears to the anguish of the people. They sit tight in government quarters, use tax-payers money to ensure uninterrupted diesel supply to their homes and offices, leaving the majority of our poor folks in misery and darkness.
“Even keying into the federal power programme has been most difficult for the state government. The state under my watch shall establish an independent power plant on the bank of the River Niger with sufficient electricity generation capacity to meet the needs of the state,” Ubah said.
He said his administration, if elected in the would work towards eliminating the current “untidy and unsafe” mode of overhead cabling of electric wires and cables in the state by working with the requisite authorities for the underground laying of electric cables in the state.
“We shall reach an agreement with the distribution and transmission licenced by the Nigerian Electricity Regulatory Commission (NERC) to ensure that power produced by our Independent Power Projects (IPP) will be utilised by Anambra people. There is no justifiable reason why the state cannot support commercial activities in Onitsha,” Ubah stated.
————————————————————————————————————————-
Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: Guardian Newspaper
DisNaija.Com publishes regular posts on Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Online Nigeria Gist.
Follow us on Twitter and Facebook.
Nigerian Newspapers
Follow @Dis_Naija
Your Opinion Counts. Be sure To Leave A Comment, If You Have Any.
Please Like, Share or Tweet. Your Support Is Appreciated.
Tribune Online
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
The Nigeria Centre for Disease Control (NCDC) has recorded 62 new cases of COVID-19, bringing the total number of infections in the country to 165,110. The NCDC disclosed this on its official Twitter handle on Friday. “55 new cases of #COVID19Nigeria; Lagos-21, Yobe-19, Ogun-6, Akwa Ibom-3, Kaduna-2, Plateau-2, FCT-1, Rivers-1.” YOU SHOULD NOT MISS THESE HEADLINES FROM NIGERIAN TRIBUNE COVID-19: Nigeria Recorded […]
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Tribune Online
Sourced From: Tribune Online
•Deploy more personnel as army chief vows to wipe out terror group
•Security beefed up at N’Assembly
Deji Elumoye and Kingsley Nwezeh in Abuja
Abuja, Nigeria’s seat of power, is under a massive security cordon following threats of attacks by insurgents and the increasing wave of banditry in the contiguous states of Kaduna, Kogi, Nasarawa and Niger States, THISDAY’s investigation has revealed.
There has been a wave of kidnappings in the outskirts of the federal capital, notably Pegi, Tuganmaje and Kuje among others, which the police have battled in recent times.
The security situation in and around the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) was heightened by the pronouncement of the Niger State Governor, Mr. Sani Bello, that Boko Haram fighters who he said sacked 50 villages in the state and hoisted the terror group’s flag, were about two hours drive away from the FCT.
Security has also been beefed up at the National Assembly as operatives, yesterday, thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja.
The deteriorating security situation nationwide prompted the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Prince Uche Secondus, to warn that the 2023 general election may not hold, demanding the declaration of a state of emergency as well as the convocation of a national conference.
However, the Chief of Army Staff, Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, yesterday restated the Nigerian Army’s determination to annihilate Boko Haram.
But the Governor of Katsina State, Hon. Bello Masari, cautioned against declaring a state of emergency, saying doing so isn’t the solution to combat the security challenges facing the country.
The security of the nation’s airports was also in focus yesterday as the Office of the National Security Adviser (ONSA) said there was no threat to them.
THISDAY’s investigations showed increased presence of troops, police, Nigerian Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) personnel and intelligence operatives at the three strategic entrances to the city notably, Keffi, Zuba and Gwagwalada.
More checkpoints were also mounted around Gwagwalada and Keffi.
THISDAY also observed increased intelligence deployment at the entrance and the borders of FCT with contiguous states.
Beyond the borders, there were more deployments and police patrols inside the city and increased intelligence deployments as well.
Security sources told THISDAY: “There are deployments here and there but they are routine. Alertness is key to a secure environment.”
It was also learnt that security agencies were involved in frenzied meetings throughout yesterday.
The meetings, coordinated by the office of the Chief of Defence Staff under the new joint operational strategy of the armed forces, were aimed at coordinating a joint response to possible threats of attack to the FCT.
“I understand the security teams have been meeting for some days now and if you look around you, you will notice that there are increasing patrols and numbers of security personnel. The threats are not been taken lightly,” a source said.
National Assembly workers, lawmakers and visitors also had a harrowing experience accessing the legislative complex due to heightened security in the area.
Security operatives thoroughly screened every vehicle approaching the National Assembly complex in Abuja, impeding both human and vehicular traffic.
The Sergeant-at-arm of the National Assembly and other security agencies supervised the operations, leading to huge traffic build-up inside the complex.
Legislative staff, visitors and lawmakers were seen patiently waiting for their cars to be searched so that they could go ahead with the business of the day.
Some staff and visitors at some point got tired of waiting and were seen alighting from their cars to trek from the gate to the complex.
Meanwhile, the ONSA has said there is no threat to the nation’s airports.
A statement by the Head of Strategic Communication, Mr. Zachari Usman, said the reports of threats to the airports were an internal correspondence of security threat assessment misconstrued as security threat to the airports.
PDP Demands State of Emergency
In a related development, the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, yesterday demanded the declaration of a state of emergency, warning that the 2023 general election might not hold if the federal government failed to tackle insecurity.
He called on the federal government to summon a national conference to address the spike in insecurity.
Secondus added that the national caucus of the party will meet today to discuss the state of the nation.
Addressing members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) in Abuja, Secondus said: “We are worried Abuja is not even safe. It is no longer politics. We got alert of plots to bomb and burn down our airports.
“We urge the federal government to declare a national state of emergency in security. There is the need to call a national conference to discuss the insecurity in the country.
“There may not be any election in 2023 in Nigeria due to insecurity. This government must listen to the people. The Buhari government should call a national confab to discuss security and state of the nation. It is no longer politics. This time we are not playing politics. Let’s keep politics aside and move the nation forward.”
He said the country had been grounded, regretting that there had been no matching response from the federal government.
Secondus said in the past, terrorism in the North was confined to the North-east, but with the report of Boko Haram occupying villages in Niger State, terrorism had spread to the North-central
“Herdsmen are also menacing in the West; gunmen causing havoc in the East; and the militants in the South; all killing, looting, raping, maiming and burning down homes. The situation is bad; Nigerians all over are living in fear,” he said.
The Senate Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe, said the problem of Nigeria was outside of the PDP headquarters, while pledging the support of the Senate to the declaration of state of emergency in security.
Abaribe said he deliberately decided not to speak on the floor of the Senate but to allow the APC senators to speak so as to avoid being accused of giving a partisan colouration to the issue of insecurity.
He stated that only electoral reforms would give victory to the opposition party in the 2023 general election and ensure a democratic defeat of the APC-led federal government.
Also, the Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ndudi Elumelu, commended the NEC and the PDP leadership for their collective efforts at resolving the House leadership crisis.
The NEC meeting adopted the position of Secondus, calling on the federal government to convoke a national conference to discuss the state of insecurity in the country, according to a communiqué read by the National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Ologbondiyan.
Army Chief Vows to Wipe Out Boko Haram
The army yesterday reiterated its commitment to wipe out Boko Haram.
Chief of Army Staff (COAS), Lt. Gen. Ibrahim Attahiru, told reporters in Maiduguri, Borno State that Boko Haram had been defeated in many encounters and would continue to be defeated until it’s annihilated from Nigeria.
“We will take on Boko Haram decisively, and we are committed to the focus of the operations, which is the total annihilation of Boko Haram from Nigeria,” he said.
The COAS, who was visiting the headquarters of Operation Lafiya Dole in Maiduguri for the fifth time since his appointment four months ago, said the visit was to boost the morale of the troops, reassure them and listen to any issues affecting them.
Earlier, the Theatre Commander of Operation Lafiya Dole, Maj. Gen. Farouq Yahaya, lauded the visit, which he said had continued to boost the morale of the troops.
“We are honoured, we are grateful, we are encouraged by those visits. You provided us guidance, logistics and other things we required. We are most grateful for those visits,” Yahaya said.
State of Emergency Won’t Solve Security Challenges, Says Masari
Katsina State Governor, Hon. Aminu Masari, has, however, said declaration of a state of emergency won’t solve the security challenges facing the nation.
Masari, who spoke yesterday with journalists after meeting with the Chief of Staff to the President, Prof. Ibrahim Gambari at the State House, Abuja stated that he was against the recent call by the House of Representatives for the declaration of a state of emergency in the security sector as it would not solve the problem.
According to him, declaring a state of emergency will not achieve the desired effect as the security structure and personnel to be used to execute the emergency are already overstretched in a bid to safeguard lives and property.
Sourced From: THISDAYLIVE
Kamaru Usman has raked in a mammoth £1.1million, about N584.2 million after his impressive knockout victory over Jorge Masvidal on Saturday night, Sportivation.com.ng reports.
The Nigerian Nightmare has been handsomely rewarded for his stunning performance and he was the best-paid fighter on the card which was witnessed by 15, 000 fans in Florida.
According to Daily Mail, Usman earned £538,000 to show up, £459,000 pay-per-view bonus, a £43,000 sponsorship bonus and a well deserved £35,000 Performance of the Night bonus.
Jorge Masvidal also earned £358,000 to show, £186,000 in pay-per-view money and a £28,000 sponsorship bonus.
This is the biggest payday of Usman’s career so far and the Welterweight champion also benefited from the fact that Masvidal is also a top draw for the fans.
Kamaru Usman is a Nigerian-American professional mixed martial artist, former freestyle wrestler and graduated folkstyle wrestler.
Sourced From: Latest Nigeria News, Nigerian Newspapers, Politics
The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.
The post Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings appeared first on Premium Times Nigeria.
Sourced From: Premium Times Nigeria
Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110
Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack
UFC: Usman gets N584m after beating Masvidal
Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings
Buhari Will Win In 2019: US Institute
The United States Institute of Peace (USIP) has predicted that President Muhammadu Buhari will win the 2019 election. The organisation...
Why Buhari Deserves Second Term – Lai Mohammed
The Minister of Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has said that President Muhammadu Buhari deserved second term election because,...
Atiku Presidential Campaign Council: PDP Releases List of Members
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday released the list of party members to handle the campaign team of the...
Obasanjo Forgives Atiku, Endorses Him For President
Former President Olusegun Obasanjo on Thursday said he has reviewed his stance on not backing his former deputy for the...
Buhari, Atiku In Battle Of Integrity Over 2019 Poll
THE brickbats continued yesterday between President Muhammadu Buhari and former Vice President Atiku Abubakar. The All Progressives Congress (APC) and...