Nigerian Newspapers
PDP crisis: Tukur begs governors
• Opponents rally state chairmen, want PDP boss’powers diluted
The embattled national chairman of the PDP, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has jettisoned his tough stance against governors elected on the platform of the party.
He is now wooing them, members of the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) especially the G-84 comprising state chairmen and federal legislators ahead of the planned NEC meeting.
Tukur wants the party men and women to forgive his sins and support him in riding through his biggest crisis yet as chairman of the party.
But many of the governors are said to be adamant.
They want him out or as a compromise have his power curtailed.
Governor Babangida Aliyu of Niger State and Chairman of the Northern States Governors Forum (NSGF) recently decried what he called Tukur’s style of administration
He accused him of running the party as a personal business.
It was gathered last night that Tukur and members of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) have started reaching out to governors and aggrieved stakeholders with a view to persuading them to sheathe their swords.
But some of the governors are insisting on Tukur’s exit or at least his powers and breaches curtailed to move the party forward.
They believe the 2015 poll is too close for Tukur to continue to flounder.
The last NEC meeting was held in July 2012 whereas the PDP constitution stipulates that it should meet quarterly.
Tukur has been reluctant to convene a meeting of the NEC for fear of being voted out of office.
Following protest by the governors and members, however, the National Working Committee on Wednesday decided to convene NEC meeting on or before the end of April.
Investigation by our correspondent revealed that the National Chairman of PDP and NWC members have started reaching out to the governors and members of NEC to stave off vote of no confidence and his removal.
Governor Godswill Akpabio of Akwa Ibom State and chairman of the PDP Governors Forum is said to be anchoring the battle to save Tukur’s job.
A member of the NWC, said: “I am aware our chairman and some NWC members have started reaching out to aggrieved governors and NEC members to give peace a chance. They are promising to put things in order in the party, especially respect for the constitution of the party.
“One of the governors assisting Tukur is Akpabio. They believe that Tukur has realised his mistakes or shortcomings and the party will be better for it.
“I think there are signs we my get out of the crisis if the chairman is ready to respect the party’s constitution and ensure fairness.”
However,a northern governor said: “Well, the situation at hand borders on either Tukur’s removal or checking his arbitrary powers or constitutional breaches. The NEC will determine which way to go.
“At a time some parties are merging against PDP, our chairman cannot be ruling the party with an iron hand and be damning aggrieved members as if he can go it alone.”
Responding to a question, the governor said: “It is true that Tukur is reaching out but the ball is really in his court.”
Another party source said the governors, who failed to get the nod of President Goodluck Jonathan in their bid to oust Tukur, may have decided to use chairmen of the state chapters of the party against the embattled national chairman.
President Jonathan during the week reportedly rejected pressure from the governors to sanction the removal of Tukur.
It was gathered that the President did not see any reason to axe the national chairman. Rather, he appealed to the governors to forgive the many iniquities of the party boss in the interest of the party.
Said the source:”The governors were not oblivious of the possibility of the President sticking out his neck for Tukur. They had another plan should that happen. So when they couldn’t get Jonathan to move against Tukur, they reverted to their second plan which is to mobilise the state party leaders against him.
This will not be difficult given the meddlesomeness of the national chairman in the affairs of the state chapters. Also in his handling of the crises that rocked the party across the states, he angered many of the party functionaries in the states.”
A chieftain of the party in the Southwest who confirmed to The Nation that the governors are already reaching out to the state party leadership concerning the plot, said the recent statement by Tukur that the party is planning fresh congresses for the zone has further annoyed members of the party.
He said:””This is why we are in support of the call for a NEC meeting. There are many things we need to remind Tukur and his gang. They have forgotten that they are products of the same process that produced Oyinlola and the other southwest officials removed by them.
“Now he is talking about fresh primaries or congresses in the Southwest. Was Oyinlola elected by only delegates from the Southwest? Was it not at the same venue Tukur and Oyinlola were elected. At the NEC meeting, we will be able to tell ourselves if something can stay on nothing.”
A Senator also speaking on the crisis said: “One of the issues the governors are going to address at the NEC meeting is how to curtail Tukur’s excessive powers, including the management of a parallel NWC.
“The governors and party leaders are disturbed that many activities of the party are being done outside the PDP Constitution. You must have seen the list of breaches compiled by stakeholders. Can a party like PDP survive with such a divided house?
“This is why the governors are determined to check Tukur and asked him to abide by the constitution of the party.
“This is necessary to avoid tyranny and ruling the party by an individual like a fiefdom. The constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is quite different from that of PDP in matters pertaining to administration of the party.
“While the President has the power of hire and fire over members of his cabinet, the PDP national chairman is not in office in an executive capacity and has no such powers to remove any elected official unilaterally because members of the NWC were all elected from the national convention. They can only be removed in accordance with the party’s constitutional provisions.
“It is indeed time for introspection by the party. Where did things go wrong and at what stage did the national chairman start being overbearing in his approach? Is it true that Bamanga Tukur came into office with the mindset that state governors were ‘’toddlers’’ when he was governor of old Gongola state in 1983?
“Is it true that Tukur has clearly been misguided by his ‘’parallel’’ working committee in whom he believes than members of the national working committee? Is it true that functions of NWC members have been consistently usurped illegally by the hangers on? What is the justification for shifting the PDP headquarters to the Wuse residence of Tukur? Is it true that the national chairman by utterances and conducts has continued to encourage fragmentation of PDP?
“These are issues to be considered before the Anenih committee and all well-wishers of the PDP to put the party on course again.”
Meanwhile, a fresh row has broken out over the reasons given by the National Working Committee for not convening NEC meeting of the party.
The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisah Metuh, had on Wednesday cited the delay in electing a new chairman for the Board of Trustees of the party as a major factor for the lateness of the NEC session.
But a highly-placed party source faulted the NWC’s position.
The source said: “There is nowhere in the PDP constitution where it is stated that the meetings of the BoT and NEC must hold consecutively. Part VIII of the PDP constitution is explicit on the mode of convening meetings of both the NWC and the National Caucus. Chapter IX deals with the functions and related matters of the Board of Trustees.
“It could be a matter of convention rather than the rule as PDP NEC meetings have been held in the past without being preceded by meetings of the National Caucus and the Board of Trustees.
“These are three different organs of the party and NEC cannot justifiably be held down on account of anything having to do with BoT meeting.
“The simple truth is that Tukur’s refusal to convene a NEC meeting in accordance with the PDP constitution is illegal.
“And to have done that with impunity is criminal. That is why the PDP constitution allows for checks and balances which authorize two-thirds of NWC members to convene their meeting should the chairman refuse to approve.
“The law also allows two-thirds of NEC members to call NEC meetings if the chairman fails in his duties to act constitutionally. Never in the history of PDP has any chairman adopted this type of style.”
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation Newspaper
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•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
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
By Olasunkanmi Akoni
The people of the South East region have been urged to explore the power of negotiation and mutual settlement in the face of ongoing killings and security challenges in the zone because the east can not afford another war at present.
Stakeholders from the South-East geo-political zone made the remark on Thursday, at the unveiling of the book, “Igbo, 50 years after Biafra,” written by Special Adviser to Lagos State Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu on Drainage Services, Joe Igbokwe, held at Ikeja G.R.A.
Speaking at the unveiling of the book, the chairman of the occasion, Mr. Cutis Adigba,
urged the people of the South-East to learn to build bridges across the country, so that they can realise their ambition of producing the next president of Nigeria.
Adigba urged leaders from the zone to discourage the move and agitation by some youths in the South East to go to war and secede out of Nigeria.
Also read: Banditry: Disregard viral video, Niger State gov’t urges residents
He said that Igbo have always found it difficult to rule Nigeria because they refused to build bridges across the six geo-political zones that made up Nigeria.
While describing the agitation as uncalled for, Adigba noted that after two decades that Nigeria returned to civil rule, the Igbo has predominantly identified with only one political party.
He maintained that remaining in one party can not advance the cause of the people of South East and cannot make them realise their objective of producing an Igbo man as president.
He maintained that the publisher of the book, Igbokwe played politics outside his state, so that the Igbo race can be integrated with one another race.
Adigba said the failure of the Igbo to reintegrate with other ethnic nationalities politically was responsible for the retrogression of the race in Nigerian politics.
Igbokwe, also addressing guests on the occasion, maintained that the Igbo are not advancing politically because they refused to be integrated into National politics, lamenting that, despite their success in business, they are not successful in playing politics at the national level.
Corroborating Dimgba, Igbokwe noted that there was the need for the Igbo people to stand up and build bridges so that their objective of producing the next president of Nigeria could be realised.
According to him: “I have decided to raise my voice, I hope my people will hear me while trying to quell the effect of the war, our people are spoiling for another war, mayhem is being unleashed in Igbo land, and there is palpable fear.
“Those who could speak have lost their voice, mindful of the consequences of their actions, I am calling on all Igbo leaders to speak up because all actions carry consequences, consequences of the silence will be too dastardly to sustain.
“Those silently supporting the wild wind should be careful or else they hand over to their children,” he said.
Igbokwe urged those spoiling for war to jettison their plan and embrace dialogue, urging them to learn from the South West region that despite the challenges faced after the annulment of the June 12, 1993, election, they did not go to war, and the region had the opportunity of producing two of her sons for presidential position in 1999.
“You have to build bridges to become president of Nigeria, but it is unfortunate the Igbo are burning bridges.”
Speaking at the event, Chief Uche Dimgba who is the coordinator of Igbo in All Progressives Congress, APC in Lagos, described Igbokwe as “a Frank, fearless and reliable leader, who based his views on issues and stand by his opinions, and we the Igbo have confidence in him and believe he can lead us aright.”
“He is a leader we Igbo believe in and we will follow him. If he can serve all the governors produced in Lagos State since 1999, he is a better man to follow because he possesses all the experience that can be of benefit to Igbo both at home and in the diaspora.”
The post Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo appeared first on Vanguard News.
Sourced From: Vanguard News
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
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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
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