Connect with us
study in Ukraine

Nigerian Newspapers

PDP governors, elders reject Dickson’s panel

Published

on

Tukur under fire for not consulting 

‘Bayelsa governor capable’

Barely 24 hours after the announcement of a 30-man reconciliation committee, the National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, is facing bitter criticisms over its membership.

Party leaders are angry that Tukur and the Interim National Working Committee members did not consult with key organs of the party on the reconciliation.

It was also learnt that PDP governors and leaders are more at home with a recent reconciliation mission undertaken by the Chairman of the Board of Trustees (BOT), Chief Tony Anenih, than a fresh panel.

To the former PDP governorship aspirant in Adamawa State, Dr. Umar Ardo, the reconciliation committee is capable of destroying PDP’s electoral fortunes in 2015.

Ardo said the committee was dead on arrival, unless Tukur reconsiders its membership.

Members of the committee are Governor Seriake Dickson (Chairman); ex-Governor Asheikh Jarma(Deputy Chairman); Amb. Umar Damagun (Secretary); a former Deputy Senate President Alhaji Ibrahim Mantu; Senator Umar Gada; Dr. I. A. Obuzor; Salisu Suleiman; Senator Walid Jibrin; Senator Hope Uzodinma; Hon. Bello Mohammed Matawalle; Mr. Niyi Fadimula; Chief Jerome Eke; AVM Chris O. Marizu(rtd); and Hon. Tijani Ibrahim Kiyawa.

Others are: Dr. Christy Silas; Mr. Jangwe Yusuf; Mrs. Ngozi Olejeme; Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi; Chief Onyema Ugochukwu; Yakubu Shehu; Mohammed Kuchazi; Mrs. Adedeji Otiti Olanrewaju; Chief Dapo Sarumi; Prince Arthur Eze; Chief Emma Iwuagwu; Chief Dosu Fatokun; Mr. Harold Eze; Hajiya Fati Sabo; Hon. Wakili Mohammed; and Shittu Mohammed.

PDP governors and leaders are said to be aggrieved that such organs, like the National Executive Committee(NEC), the National Caucus and the Board of Trustees, were not consulted before the constitution of the committee.

Tukur did not table any reconciliation plan at the last NEC meeting of the party, it was learnt.

A PDP governor, who pleaded not to be named because of what he described as the sensitivity of the matter, said: “With the magnitude of the crisis in the party, do you think Governor Seriake Dickson can address it? Is there any difference between Dickson and President Goodluck Jonathan? Is Dickson not a party to the PDP crisis, going by the face-off between Bayelsa and Rivers on oil wells.

“Some of us are suspecting that the 30-man panel has a hidden mandate because some apostles of third term tenure are members of the committee.

“Governors have been going to statesmen and elders to intervene and save our democracy from collapse but the PDP leadership is playing to the gallery.”

Another governor said: “I think you should count some of us out of working with the reconciliation committee. Those of us who are members of G-19 are uncomfortable with the membership. They cannot broker peace at all in PDP.

“There is no record to show that any of the organs of the party was consulted by Tukur, not even the PDP Governors Forum or the 50-member Advisory Committee (headed by ex-Vice-President Alex Ekwueme) but established by Tukur).

“Those in charge of PDP now are managing the party as if there are no elders again.

“We should ask Tukur: what is wrong with the reconciliation mission of the Chairman of the BOT, Chief Tony Anenih, which was accepted by PDP governors? What of Governor Ibrahim Shema’s reconciliation panel?

“Outside Anenih’s committee, we will not work with Dickson’s committee at all. Some of us told Anenih that were he not involved, we would not have granted him audience.”

A source in the PDP secretariat, however, defended the choice of Dickson as chair of the committee and the membership.

He said: “The Dickson committee is to painstakingly harmonise all the previous peace committees. The PDP leadership believes in Governor Dickson’s persuasive and consensus building skills which could help unite the PDP family.

“The warring parties should give the Dickson Committee a chance to do justice to all the previous peace committee reports.

To a former member of the NWC, who also preferred anonymity, the list is “laughable” because the crisis is deeper than “the cosmetic approach” adopted by Tukur.

“I am aware that the NWC can take decision on behalf of NEC but the party is in a mess and it cannot reconcile its members without the input of the BOT, the National Caucus and NEC,” he said, adding:

“Maybe Tukur should stay action and have a broader consultations or else he will end up being reconciled himself.”

But a party source said: Tukur consulted the President and some leaders of the party on his plan to reconcile those aggrieved to put the party in a better shape for the 2015 poll.

“Most of those appointed are non-partisan, the source said, adding that they have not been linked to any form of crisis in the party.

A former PDP governorship aspirant in Adamawa State, Dr. Umar Ardo, said the reconciliation committee could destroy PDP’s electoral fortunes in 2015.

Ardo made his position known in a statement issued in Abuja.

He urged Tukur: “to kindly reconsider the appointment of Governor Seriake Dickson of Bayelsa State as Chairman of the Reconciliation Committee.”

“Other than the fact that as a governor, Dickson would have little time to devote to such an onerous and time-consuming task. I also think that he is eminently unqualified to handle such an assignment,” Ardo said, adding: “In the first place, Dickson lacks the national exposure and experience that such a task requires. Secondly, Dickson himself is a subject of conflict within the party apparatus and membership. The way and manner in which he was brought in as governor, and the furore and controversy that it generated across the country, drain him of all moral standing to undertake a reconciliatory mission.”

Dickson is of the same state as the President, which to Ardo, will make him not to be objective and fair in his judgment.

“Given that one of the most central causes of the present disputes within the party is the inordinate ambition of the President for 2015, I cannot see how Governor Dickson can depart from this goal, should it be imperative for the Committee to do so in the course of its assignment.

“In fact, Dickson’s appointment will only be seen as an act of nepotism aimed at satisfying the impulsive determination of the President to achieve his aspiration. This perception will automatically estrange most aggrieved members and stakeholders of the party. The committee will thus be dead on arrival.

“I should have thought that such an important committee would be better handled by more experienced hands, such as members of the Board of Trustees of the party or by the eminent 50-member Advisory Committee constituted by Bamanga himself last year when he came into office.

“If one may respectfully ask, of what significance is this Advisory Committee headed by no less a personality than Chief Alex Ekwueme, if it cannot handle issues of this nature?

“For the party to bypass such eminent personalities within its fold and go and pick Dickson who is hardly known outside his governorship office is, to me, a clear indication of how far alienated the PDP is in the national support reckoning.”

 

 

 

 

 

————————————————————————————————————————-
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


Your Opinion Counts. Be sure To Leave A Comment, If You Have Any.

Please Like, Share or Tweet. Your Support Is Appreciated.

Tribune

Nigeria records 55 new COVID-19 infections, total now 165,110

Published

on

By

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

Continue Reading

This Day

Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack

Published

on

By

•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

Continue Reading

Vanguard

Attacks on S’East: We must explore all options of negotiation — Stakeholders urge Igbo

Published

on

By

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.”

Vanguard News Nigeria 

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

Continue Reading

Premium Times

Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings

Published

on

By

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

Continue Reading
Advertisement study in Ukraine

Politics

Popular Posts