Nigerian Newspapers
Fresh crack in govs’ forum
• Group not meeting Monday, says Amaechi
• Tells Jang: ‘Stop impersonating me’
• Jonathan’s wife denies plot to unseat Rivers helmsman
AS the crisis in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) worsens, Rivers State Governor Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi Sunday declared that the group would not meet Sunday .
Amaechi’s position is contrary to that of Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang who has fixed a meeting of the NGF for Monday.
Both Amaechi and Jang are each laying claim to the chairmanship of the NGF.
In a statement Sunday, Amaechi asked Jang to stop impersonating him. He said on June 15 and 16, reports in the media credited to Jang announced that he had called for a meeting of the NGF.
According to Amaechi, ordinarily, he would have ignored these reports as he does not imagine that as governors who hold the people’s mandate through the democratic process of free and fair elections, they would do anything to impugn their integrity.
In the statement issued in Port Harcourt Sunday, Amaechi, however, explained that as chairman of the NGF, elected by his colleagues to safeguard their integrity and that of the forum, it had become imperative for him to request that Jang remain within the confines of decorum and cease to impersonate him and to stop parading himself as NGF chairman.
He said that there was only one chairman of the forum, duly elected by a vote tally of 19: 16 on May 23, 2013.
“For the avoidance of doubt, I as chairman of the NGF have not called for any Governors’ Forum meeting for Monday, June 17, 2013. The only meeting scheduled for Monday, June 17, is a meeting of all governors with His Excellency, President Goodluck Jonathan, scheduled to hold at 9.00 p.m. at Aso Rock Villa. All governors should please ensure attendance at this meeting with Mr. President”, he said.
“I wish to re-assure my brother governors that this storm shall pass and we all will be re-united as one family committed to our nation’s unity and supporting Mr. President in his vision for a Nigeria that safeguards the rights of all its citizens to good governance and democratic norms. Governor Jang is my brother and friend and I harbour no ill-feelings against him, but it is important that he stops this impersonation, as it could threaten all the good work we all have done together,” Amaechi said.
Amaechi said he wished to remind Jang that there is a legal action that has been instituted against him by Governor Babatunde Fashola of Lagos State from parading himself as the chairman of NGF. According to him, as leaders elected by the people, Nigerians are closely watching them.
“We must comport ourselves according to the dictates and principles of democratic and lawful practices and norms,” he said.
Amaechi’s allegation of impersonation against his Plateau State counterpart is a continuation of the controversy that has dogged the NGF chairmanship election conducted at the Rivers State Governor’s Lodge, Abuja, on May 23, in which incumbent chairman of the forum and Governor of Rivers State, Amaechi, was declared winner with 19 votes against 16 votes scored by his counterpart, Jang.
The Director-General of NGF, Ashishana Okauru, declared Amaechi victorious, a declaration that has been challenged by some members of the forum who alleged that the result was not a true reflection of what transpired.
The once influential NGF has since been split into two factions, sequel to the rejection of Amaechi’s re-election by supporters of Jang, on the ground of “profound” irregularities in the election. On the contrary, they pronounced Jang as the actual winner of the disputed election while Amaechi insisted he won “fair and square.”
Shortly after the election, Amaechi was suspended from his party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), by the National Working Committee (NWC) for alleged disobedience to the state chapter of the party in his state.
A committee of the party led by Joseph Gadzama (SAN) was set up to look into the alleged infractions by Amaechi, who, in turn, has alleged a “political witch-hunt” by the party. The latest twist in the tail in the crisis rocking the party is the court action instituted by Fashola on behalf of pro-Amaechi governors.
The action was aimed at stopping Jang from “parading himself” as the chairman of the NGF, even as some pro-Jang governors took time at the weekend to brief the media in Abuja and Lagos to shed more light on the continuing crisis.
In the writ of summons filed by a former Attorney-General of Lagos State, Prof. Yemi Osibajo (SAN) and human rights lawyer, Femi Falana (SAN), Fashola asked the court to declare that Jang is not competent to be called the elected chairman of the NGF. He claimed that a record number of 35 state governors participated in the controversial election that returned Amaechi as the NGF chairman. As a result, the plaintiff (Fashola) is praying the court to stop Jang from parading himself as “the elected chairman of the forum in any manner whatsoever and however.”
Fashola said he would rely on the NGF’s registered constitution when the trial begins. He wants an order of perpetual injunction restraining both Jang and Okauru, their privies and agents.
All the pro-Jang governors were also joined as defendants in the suit, which could be a long-drawn legal battle between the two factions over who will control the NGF, once a united pressure group with common interests.
Meanwhile, the First Lady, Patience Jonathan, has denied reports linking her visit to Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, with alleged plans to unseat Amaechi.
A statement from her Special Assistant, Media, Ayo Osinlu, said her visit was strictly in line with her position as a promoter of goodwill among all segments of the country, noting that it had no link with whatever political activity going on in the state.
Besides, disturbed by the violence in some parts of the North, members of Arewa Defence League (ADL) yesterday said that the crisis ravaging the northern region was politically- motivated to destabilise the region ahead of the 2015 general elections.
The President of the group, Malam Murtala Abubakar, in a statement in Kaduna said: “We wish to alert the nation, particularly the North-West political zone, to the sinister motives by the Presidency through the national executive committees of the People Democratic Party to cause major political crisis in the region in order to achieve blind ambitions of those who want to subvert democratic principles to cling to power despite their poor records of public office.”
Abubakar criticised what he called “the undemocratic manner the national executive committees of the PDP announced the suspension of the executive governor of Sokoto State, Aliyu Magatagarda Wamakko, from the party”, saying that “it is the beginning of series of events designed to instigate political crisis between and among political gladiators in the region against themselves in order to divert their interest from challenging the incompetence of the incumbent President.”
He said: “We are aware that if the plots succeed, it will give the Federal Government the excuse to pronounce state of emergency in Sokoto, Kebbi, Kano and Jigawa states and thereby use soldiers during the 2015 general elections to rig the outcome of the elections if at all the elections is allowed to hold.
“We are delighted to note through our consultations with stakeholders in Sokoto State that greater majority of the party members and sympathisers condemn the suspension and described it as act of impunity while the state chapter and North- West zonal Secretariat of the PDP had come out strong to distance themselves from the action of the national executive committees.”
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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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