Nigerian Newspapers
Obi, Umeh’s reconciliation as prospect for harmony in APGA
Two former antagonists and key leaders of All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA), the Anambra State Governor, Peter Obi and Chief Victor Umeh, last Monday, met behind closed doors for several hours at the Government House, Awka.
At the end of dialogue, the former combatants came out to embrace themselves. They proclaimed that the crisis which tore the party apart had been resolved. As Obi and Umeh declared that the crisis had been resolved and buried forever, they were joyous that with the development, APGA was now poised not only to win the scheduled October and November local government polls but the governorship elections as well. Events that led to the duo declaring the APGA crisis dead started in the afternoon when Umeh arrived at the Government House. He proceeded immediately to hold hours-long meeting with the governor in his office.
As the meeting dragged on, anxiety was high. Top government officials and other interested parties waited to know its outcome. Eventually, the proceeding ended; they came out and announced that the crisis was over and that they had finally buried their differences. Emotions were high as Umeh, who was accompanied by his key allies, Chief Mike Kwentoh, Williams Obiorah, among others, took the microphone.
He described the day as one of the greatest in the life of APGA and the government of Anambra. Umeh gave insight into what he did and agreed with the governor during the parley, saying, “I have come to crystallise the various peace meetings we have had in recent times and to declare to the whole world that the APGA crisis has come to an end.
Many people would be surprised at this sudden end of the crisis. I want to say that APGA is an indivisible party which should remain united now that we are facing some very strong political opponents. Like brothers, we would continue to resolve our differences harmoniously.”
He maintained that with the end othe crisis, there was no victor and no vanquished, while commending Obi for being focused throughout the duration of the problem.
Umeh expressed gratitude to all men of peace who initiated and encouraged the peace process which, he said, had now buried the crisis in the party. Summing up his feelings, he added, “Whatever we can do for the coming elections, we would pursue them assiduously; it is the glory of God that we have to pass through the crisis which is really difficult. Obi and I are now the best of friends.”
Supporting the position and views of Umeh to the effect that the crisis has been resolved, Obi stated that it was their decision that the crisis would never occur again. The governor promised that they would also reconcile everyone and ensure that all were brought on track.
As Umeh and his group have rejoined the mainstream of APGA led by Obi, it was therefore not surprising from the tone of his speech that he acknowledged that he missed the Government House much throughout the duration of the crisis. This was glaring when he was addressing the audience as to how he felt about his renewed friendship with Obi in the Conference Hall of the Governor’s office.
Giving hint as to the future direction of APGA, Obi said, “In the coming elections, we would approach them the way we have done in the past elections. Let me assure everybody that those who think it is the end of APGA, it is not the ending. We are just starting and soon action would follow to show what we have achieved today.” He expressed gratitude to God for making it possible for the crisis to end.
It would be noted that among those groups and individuals that made the settlement of the rift between both combatants possible were key Bishops of the Catholic Church and the MASSOB leader, Chief Ralph Uwazuruike. It was learnt that Uwazuruike had hosted a peace meeting for Obi and Umeh during which they agreed to forgive each other and bury their differences in the interest of APGA, which they contended represents the Igbo soul and identity.
This however is not the first reconciliation that had taken place in APGA. It should be noted that Maxi Okwu, the then leader of party, had taken his group to Enugu where they apologised to Chekwas Okorie over his removal from the party and for all the alleged injustices meted out to him since the crisis began.
That reconciliatory move which was welcomed by key leaders of the party, including the Chairman of APGA Stakeholders Forum, Chief Nwobu Alor, who was in the vanguard for the removal of Umeh from office, was rejected by Umeh, who said it was illegal as it did not receive the blessing of his group.
Shedding light on why it was necessary to reconcile with Okorie at that critical period in the life of the party, Chief Nwobu-Alor said,” On Chekwas, we discovered that Umeh did not tell us the whole fact in the first instance and that is why we deemed it necessary to bring him back.”
He described the opposition made against the apology to Okorie as arrant nonsense, adding that Umeh misled them in fighting Chekwas. So far, the reconciliation they had with Okorie is now history, even as the focus would now be on how to handle the fall out of the widely lauded event of July 29 in Awka, when Obi and Umeh embraced each other and declared the APGA crisis dead and buried. Among the groups that gave kudos for Obi and Umeh for finally burying the hatchet was the International Society for Civil Liberties and Rule of Law, Inter Society, a good governance and human rights watch group led by Comrade Emeka Umeagbalasi.
Inter Society had in a statement which was issued on the issue in Awka stated that they are hopeful that with the reconciliation, the prospect of the criminal class staging a comeback in Anambra politics is dimmed. Umeagbalasi advised those in charge of APGA to ensure that Chief Okwu and others elected with him during the April 8 National Convention in Awka are fully integrated and carried along.
Umeagbalasi in thanking those who made the newfound peace possible contended, “We thank the duo of Chief Peter Obi and Chief Victor Umeh for coming together again; we also thank their Lordships and other concerned Igbo sons and daughters, including Mr Ralph Uwazuruike and Mrs Bianca Onoh-Ojukwu for their roles in resolving the crisis.”
It will be recalled that at a stage in the APGA feud, Umeh teamed up with the Governor of Imo State, Chief Rochas okorocha who was then a key party leader to fight Obi for the control of APGA. However, the reality today is that both men who since have parted ways, have taken their supporters to their new camps, to the extent that Okorocha has now joined the newly registered All Progressives Congress (APC), with the retinue of his cronies and friends.
However, as Umeh, hordes of individuals and groups were commending Obi for making it possible for peace to return to APGA, the camp of Okwu has gone on the offensive, denigrating the new-found peace, just as the event signals the final parting of ways for Governor Okorocha and his erstwhile political ally. Reacting on the issue, Okwu issued a widely circulated press release through his Senior Media Assistant, Francis Ede, who stated that their deputy national leader unilaterally meet with Umeh and the Anambra State chapter of the party in Awka on July 29 as part of the reconciliation process.
Shedding light on their grievances, Ede contends, “The Maxi Okwu-led APGA from this turn of events disowns the purported reconciliation as it was neither informed nor involved in this pseudo peace meeting. We believe it is a great step backward in our collective efforts at restoring peace in our great party. Okwu stated that they would soon meet to take position on the issue of reconciliation and other issues.
Apart from Okwu who has issued a statement outlining his position on the contentious issue, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Bernard Akoma, has in his reaction which was sent to newsmen, alleged among others that any peace move that did not address the anomalies in the party would amount to delaying the doomsday.
Making reference to the Court of Appeal judgement which they said Umeh is basking so much on, Akoma contended thus, “Though we have submitted to the ruling of the Enugu Appeal Court, we have equally noted that the ruling merely left the party with more challenges as it dwelt only on the locus standi of the complainant.
It is indeed a judgement without justice”. Meanwhile, with Prof. Chukwuma Soludo, a former PDP key leader and gubernatorial candidate, announcing his entry into APGA, speculations are rife that he was going to be the consensus candidate of the party. Political observers also believe that with the rumour persisting, it is necessary that those in charge should react immediately to clear the confusion in the interest of its numerous aspirants, who have been positioning themselves for a free and fair primary election to be conducted by the party leadership
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Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: National Mirror 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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