Nigerian Newspapers
‘Ogun PDP ready for 2015’
Ogun State Peoples Democratic Party Chairman Chief Bayo Dayo says the reconciliation efforts of the leaders have strengthened the party to win the 2015 elections in the state. He spoke with LEKE SALAUDEEN.
Your executive came into being through a court judgment that nullified the congress held by the Obasanjo group. How has it been so far?
Let me correct the general impression that our executive emerged through a court judgment. The former executive led by Chief Dayo Soremi in March 2012 conducted the congresses at ward, local government and state levels in accordance with the constitution of our party -Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) – and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) guidelines. The congresses were supervised by the INEC observers and the representatives of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC).
But some powerful individuals who are in minority didn’t want the congresses to hold. They converged in a place other than the party secretariat and compiled the list of officers, which we objected to and we insisted on the congress proper. The power brokers in Abuja said the congress should not be upheld. The former national secretary, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola, was busy writing secret letters to the other group led by Chief Odujurin that didn’t hold congress. At the end of the day, we were vindicated. INEC wrote that the Soremi-led executive was recognised.
At a stage, the NWC said they didn’t believe in the congress held by our group. That was why the Dayo Soremi-led executive approached the court to determine whether or not the congresses were in order. The court ruled that it was valid, having abide with the party’s constitution and INEC guidelines. We also prayed the court to declare the congress that presented Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola invalid. The court granted our prayer and declared his nomination improper.
Have you been reaching out to the Odujurin faction backed by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo for reconciliation?
Once beaten twice shy. We have a kind of situation in 2011 where the party went into the election with different factions. We don’t want such experience to repeat itself. Hence, we have been going round to talk with the aggrieved members so that the party can remain as one and solid. We beg them where necessary to bury the hatchet and join hands to move the party forward. There must be differences, but once the aggrieved parties made their grievances known, we should settle them amicably since all of us belong to the same family under one umbrella. Those that have held elective or party positions should have a rethink and forget about the differences so that the party can regain its position in the state.
Have you reconciled with the former President Olusegun Obasanjo, in particular?
Baba doesn’t belong to any faction or group. He’s the father to us (PDP members) in Ogun State and the nation at large. A father doesn’t take side amongst his children. It is only those who are looking for favour or seeking relevance that formulate false stories in order to cause disaffection within the party. As children, we have been trying to book appointment to visit him and seek his words of advice. Baba Obasanjo is the overall boss of the party in Ogun state and at the national level.
The PDP National Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, has suspended the special convention of the Southwest scheduled for August 24. What informed this suspension?
I wouldn’t know the reason for the suspension. It is a decision taken at the national level. Later, we will be informed. Certainly, there must be reasons for that. Remember that the national convention was originally planned for July 20 before it was shifted to August 31. The reason for this change was that July 20 falls within Ramadan and that it will not be convenient for our Muslim brothers to attend the convention while fasting.
Ogun PDP has announced the suspension of ex-Governor Gbenga Daniel from PDP. What was his offence?
Otunba Gbenga Daniel was suspended by his ward. Then, the party chairman in his local government informed the senatorial chairman. It was the senatorial chairman that announced his suspension. The state working Committee made a lot of consultations with the elders on his case. Gbenga Daniel is not honest with the PDP; his loyalty to the party is questionable. He made us lose 2011 general elections in Ogun state. Remember, that he floated Progressive Party of Nigeria (PPN) and asked his supporters to vote for the party. We would have won if the party (PDP) was intact.
As we are planning to reposition the party in the state, Gbenga Daniel’s loyalty cannot be ascertained. For him, it is one leg in PDP and another leg in PPN. Despite this, he has been negotiating with the Labour Party. He sent his wife to represent him at the Labour Party’ fund raising programme. We have told him to publicly renounce his membership of PPN and to tell the whole world that he has gone back to the PDP with his supporters before we can reinstate him but he has failed to do that. Once he complies with the party’s directive, he will regain his position as a party leader. We have no alternative than to suspend him. He remains suspended, until he renounces his membership of PPN and his romance with Labour Party. I am sure the National Executive Committee (NEC) would not condone indiscipline as we have done in the case of Gbenga Daniel.
It was announced that the Southwest PDP has unanimously endorsed Professor Wale Oladipupo as the National Secretary. But a faction has kicked against his nomination. What is happening?
The zonal congress that produced Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola as the PDP National Secretary was nullified by the court. With the court ruling, the position of the National Secretary became vacant and we have to make a replacement. So, an extra ordinary zonal congress was held last week in Osogbo for this purpose. The position was zoned to Osun State chapter. Two candidates emerged, but the other candidate stepped down for Oladipupo. All the delegates unanimously voted for Prof. Oladipo as a replacement for Oyinlola.
How prepared is PDP for 2015 general elections in Ogun State?
We are fully prepared. We are battle ready to wrestle power from Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) .If the elections were to hold today our victory is sure. In Ogun East Senatorial District where there are nine local governments, ACN will not win one. In Ogun Central, ACN may win two out of the six local governments because Governor Ibikunle Amosun is from there. But in Ogun West, he won’t get a vote. It is then that Amosun would know whether PDP or ACN is dead. It is unexpected of Amosun to say PDP is dead in Ogun state. It was the PDP that brought him into political limelight. He won the senatorial election in 2003 on the platform of the PDP. Why should he be talking ill of the party that he benefitted from?
How would you assess the performance of the ACN administration in the state?
The ACN government is yet to make positive impact on the life of common people. Go and ask the students, teachers, market men and women , farmers and Okada riders; all of them are complaining. Amosun’s government is interested in white elephant projects. Instead of expanding the roads to six lanes that have led to demolition of houses and shops, why not concentrate on access roads development. The township roads are bad. For instance, the roads in Ijebu-Ode are bad. From Ijebu-ode to Okunowa, the roads are in a state of disrepair. There is no development in the rural areas.
What is the zoning arrangement of PDP in picking its governorship candidate for 2015?
The party stakeholders will always come together and decide what is good for the people. I can’t tell you where our governorship candidate will come from. At the appropriate time, the party leaders and elders would meet and take a decision. Meanwhile, the members are free to signify their interest for the office.
————————————————————————————————————————-
Posted in Nigerian Newspapers. A DisNaija.Com network.
Source: The Nation 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.
•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
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
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
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...