Nigerian Newspapers
Mimiko: How Amaechi Rigged Himself Back As NGF Chairman
THE crises rocking the Nigerian Governors Forum (NGF) deepened Saturday as 18 of the 36 Governors claimed they endorsed Governor Jonah David Jang and Dr Olusegun Mimiko as their chairman and vice chairman respectively.
This version is at variance with the outcome of the poll which held Friday and was attended by 36 governors, with the exception of Governor Ibrahim Geidam of Yobe, which produced Governor Chibuike Amaechi of Rivers State as winner, after polling 19 votes against the 16 scored by Jang.
The result made known by the Director General of the NGF, Mr. Ashishana Bayo Okauru declared the Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari Vice chairman upon the withdrawal of the Ondo state Governor, Dr Olusegun Mimiko.
But there was a twist when the 18 governors who rose from an emergency meeting which held at the Benue Governors’ lodge declared that Jonah David Jang and Mimiko remain the authentic chairman and vice chairman of the Forum.
Mimiko who fielded questions from reporters alleged that the poll was doctored to favour Governor Amaechi, who should have stepped down for an interim chairman to conduct the poll in the first place.
When asked why the 18 governors who are now crying foul participated in the electoral process that saw the re-election of Amaechi, he retorted: “Go and ask those who claimed to have conducted the election. The ridiculous situation that happened on Friday was a situation where Governor Amaechi said he was going to preside over an election in which he was a candidate. The option open to us would have been to be physical, but as responsible people, we couldn’t but we made it clear to them that what they did was inappropriate, probably that was in line with their decision to divide the Governors’ Forum.
“But I assure you that we are coming together again. You can see that under 24 hours’ notice, Jonah Jang called a meeting Saturday and we have 18 Governors attending this meeting. I am sure if he had sent the notice earlier, we would have been up to 30 governors here. I couldn’t have participated as a candidate in an election that is patently illegitimate and immoral.”
Continuing, Mimiko who was flanked by Jang and the other governors noted: “All through that meeting we continued to make a point that Amaechi had to step down, that his tenure has ended. Even in ordinary village meeting, when tenure ends, the next thing to do is to call for a resolution of the house to elect a temporary leadership who would preside over the election agreed by all.”
Amaechi insisted he was going to be chairman of that election of which he was candidate, he produced some papers that he called ballot papers, there was no way we could trace the source, we don’t know whether they were pre-marked or whatever.
“The question you should ask is this; yesterday he said 19 people voted for him, today at this meeting in this short notice, 18 people signed and attended a meeting called under 24 hours. Something must be wrong with the ballot of yesterday. We kept emphasising the point that it was wrong for you as an outgone chairman who is a candidate to preside and pick the method of election. When they refused to listen and they said they were continuing with it, what do expect us to do?”
Other governors at the meeting spoke thus:
Peter Obi “A new vice chairman has emerged, as you know we in the Southeast have always worked together as Governors. We have seen it in the last election and Friday again, the Southeast together supported the candidacy of Jang. We all in the meeting here signed”
liyel Imoke: “As chairman of the South-south Governors Forum, we also participated in the process that led to the emergence of Governor Jonah Jang. Of course the South-south had always stood behind this administration, we would continue to do that and we would continue to support the new chairman and his vice to succeed. We team up with the Governor to make sure that there is no bad signal in the Governors’ Forum and forge ahead to ensure that we have a united country moving forward.
Gabriel Suswam: “Yesterday, the meeting of the Northern Governors unanimously adopted the new leadership led by Governor Jonah Jang and the northern governors is strongly behind the new leadership of the Nigerian governors forum led by Governor David Jonah Jang and supported by Governor Mimiko, the Iroko.
Godswill Akpabio: “Yesterday, even before the formal meeting of the Nigerian Governors Forum, it was agreed the chairmanship be zoned to the PDP, which is the party with the largest number of governors in the Forum. There was a meeting of the PDP Governors’ Forum. The decision of the Northern Governors’ Forum was announced and you need to know that as Nigerians that chairmanship of the Forum should be two years in the South and two years in the North. That has been the resolution of the Governors. And so it was incumbent upon the Northern Governors’ Forum to meet to bring out the leadership before presenting it to the Governors Forum. Yesterday, Governor Aliyu Babangida who is the chairman together with Governor Suswam of Benue came up with Governor Jang as the new chairman and presented him to the PDP Governors’ Forum and accordingly, the PDP governors formally adopted Governor Jang.
Ibrahim Shema: “Until yesterday morning, myself and Governor Yuguda of Bauchi and Ameachi of Rivers were cheduled to vie for the election. But in the interest of peace and prosperity, we honoured the Governors Forum as myself and Yuguda decided to step down to allow the Northern Governors Forum to produce a candidate acceptable to all of us and the northern governors on their own decided to adopt a consensus candidate in the person of the Jang and was graciously accepted and they applauded the effort of both myself and Yuguda for making sure that the Governors Forum continues to serve the interest of this nation. Our position is that we stepped down to honour this nation and this Forum, so that we can have a united front.
Isa Yuguda: “Just like my colleague the Governor of Katsina has said, we were contestants, but in the spirit of uniting our country and move it forward, we decided we should step down for Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State to be our consensus candidate of the 19 Northern Governors Forum. So, 19 of us have endorsed him and we left that venue and went to where the PDP Governors Forum where our chairman and vice chairman of the Northern Governors Forum, Aliyu Babangida of Niger State and Suswam presented him as a candidate supported by 19 northern governors and the PDP governors at that meeting also endorsed him. So you can see that we have had a very credible and smooth transition. Having said that I pray that the almighty Allah would continue guiding us, continue guiding the new leadership as presented by Jonah Jang and also his vice Dr Mimiko.”
In attendance at the parley were Jonah Jang (Plateau), Idris Wada (Kogi), Gabriel Suswam (Benue), Sullivan Chime (Anambra), Martins Elechi (Ebonyi), Isa Yuguda (Bauchi), Theodore Orji (Abia), Olusegiun Mimiko (Ondo), Ibrahim Shema (Katsina), Ramalan Yero (Kaduna), Emmanuel Udughan (Delta), Peter Obi (Anambra), Garba umar (Acting Governor of Taraba), Liyel Imoke (Cross River), Godswill Apkabio (Akwa Ibom), Seriake Dickson (Bayelsa), Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara) and Thanod Rubainu (dep Gov Gombe).
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: Guardian 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
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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