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Why governors shunned PDP’s peace meeting

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Anenih in rescue mission to Kano

Tukur: it wasn’t for governors

 

LEADERS of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have launched a desperate battle to put its peace moves back on track.

Many governors shunned the grand finale of the party’s peace tour on Sunday in Abuja because of National Chairman Bamanga Tukur’s refusal to convene the National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting, The Nation learnt last night.

It was also learnt that the governors – 16 of them stayed away from the meeting – are unhappy over the lukewarm attitude of the party to their problems, especially the insecurity in Kano State.

But sensing danger, the Chairman of the Board of Trustees, Chief Tony Anenih, yesterday launched a rescue-PDP-mission to appease the aggrieved governors.

Anenih, apparently realising that Tukur’s reconciliation tour had left the party more divided, met with Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso yesterday in Kano.

According to a governor, who pleaded not to be named, the governors are opposed to the breaching of the party’s constitution by Tukur.

The source said: “Part of our grouse is that the National Chairman has refused to call a NEC meeting since July 2012. Instead, he is trying to bully or whip everyone into line, as if we are school boys.

“We do not know why the party leadership has refused to comply with the provision of PDP Constitution on NEC. We learnt that Tukur is afraid that we might use the NEC to pass a vote of no confidence in him.

“We will not honour him, until he abides by Section 12.74 of the PDP Constitution.”

The section reads: “The NEC shall meet at least once in every quarter at the instance of the chairman or at the request of two-third of its membership, who shall notify the chairman at least seven days prior to the meeting and an emergency meeting be summoned by the National Chairman having regard to all the circumstances of the agenda.”

The governor also alleged that PDP under Tukur had “lukewarm attitude to the problems in some PDP controlled states, especially the security challenges in Kano State.

“We are all unhappy with Tukur’s leadership but our national leader, President Goodluck Jonathan, appears to be more at home with him because of the 2015 presidential election.”

Anenih met with Kwankwaso in company of a former President of the Senate, Chief Ken Nnamani; three former national chairmen of PDP- Chief Barnabas Gemade, Senator Ahmadu Ali, and Dr. Haliru Bello Mohammed – Chief Ebenezer Babatope and Air Vice Marshal Larry Koinyan(rtd).

A party source said: “With the failure of the reconciliatory tour of the National Chairman of PDP, Chief Tony Anenih has now been saddled with the responsibility of salvaging the party from collapse.

“As a matter of fact, Anenih conceived the reconciliation programme but while he was trying to implement his vision, Tukur emerged from nowhere with the failed reconciliatory tours.

“Most PDP governors, stalwarts and members boycotted Tukur’s tour because it was not well-intended.

“I think we may have good reasons to listen to Anenih, who does not mind to call a spade a spade.”

The failed reconciliation marked the second challenge Tukur would face in one year.

The G-84 members in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) had on January 9, 2013 written President Goodluck Jonathan, claiming that the party was stinking.

The G-84 comprises eight deputy members of the National Working Committee (NWC), 24 ex-officio, 37 state chairmen of PDP and some former leaders of the party.

They alleged that the National Working Committee (NWC) was becoming cultish, with the total exclusion of elected officers of the party.

They urged President Jonathan, as the national leader, to save the party from brinkmanship.

The issues tabled before the President by the G-84 are:

•breach of PDP constitution by not holding National Executive Committee(NEC) meeting;

•wrongful and consistent misinterpretation of PDP constitution;

•management of the party in a cultish nature;

•exclusion of elected party officers by NWC;

•Wasting of party resources on personal events, functions, and chartering of aircraft;

•Fixing of wages and allowances by NWC members to the detriment of other elected officers; and

•arbitrary sharing of honourarium both in cash and kind.

The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Alhaji Aminu Tambuwal, yesterday said he did not boycott the meeting.

Tambuwal, who spoke through his Special Adviser on Media, Alhaji Imam Imam, said he was away in UK.

“The Speaker was in the UK on a visit when the meeting was held. He has not returned to the country,” Imam said.

Also yesterday, Tukur rose in defence of the governors who failed to attend the Abuja parley.

In a statement from his office, the chairman said the parley was not meant for the governors in the first place. According to him, some of the absentee governors were not in the country during the event.

However, the programme of events circulated at the venue indicated that the governors were expected to arrive at 2.15pm.

Only the governor of Akwa Ibom, Godswill Akpabio and his Kogi State counterpart, Idris Wada, attended the event. Four others sent their deputies.

Tukur said: “Many of the governors were absent from the rally mainly because they were part of the reconciliation meetings in their respective zones, and had made useful contributions during the visit by the National Working Committee members, a reason it was never compelling for them to be in Abuja.

“Some of the governors were not in Nigeria during the weekend event while others contacted the national headquarters about their inability to be in Abuja for the rally with stated reasons.

“The reconciliation meetings across the zones and Abuja were meant for members, most especially those who were estranged, and not necessarily for state governors who had played their parts meaningfully in the party’s reconciliation agenda at the zonal level.”

The statement also quoted Tukur as describing the reconciliation initiative as a huge success.

“We were in the southeast zone and the governors turned out. When we visited the southsouth, Governors Uduaghan, Akpabio and Amaechi came to welcome us and made useful suggestions.

“Indeed, the Rivers State governor spoke to us on behalf of all the PDP governors. Bayelsa State governor, I reckoned was busy with a special task, while the same story of success trailed our visit to the north”, the chairman added.

Tukur appealed to the media to show a deeper understanding in the party’s efforts to promote democracy, inclusiveness and a sense of harmony among members.

According to to him, the party remains the best political instrument for deepening democracy in the country.

He said the PDP would always be ready to partner with the media in the task of nation building, appealing to the media not to give a chance to those he described as pseudo-democrats whose sole agenda is to pull down the PDP while having nothing tangible to offer Nigeria.

Tukur continued: “This is the first time in the history of democracy in Nigeria that the NWC of a party would embark on a nationwide tour on reconciliation drive.

“This is the first time that the leadership of the party went out of comfort to have a feel of what has been happening to our members at the grassroots. This is the first time that we are making conscious efforts to return the party to the owners; the ordinary members.

“Who should appreciate these kind of efforts, if not you people in the media? If we are making efforts to promote peace in national interest, no right thinking person or group of persons should make attempts to promote hate and cause disharmony.

“I think the media should not join the pseudo-democrats, the demagogues and treacherous fellows who always love to reap from chaos and crises. This is why we require media support in our desire to re-invent politics and recreate Nigeria.”

The party chair said the PDP would never succumb to blackmail, coming from those he described as virulent opponents of the party whose desire is to paint a picture of a PDP being at war with itself.

He stressed that the PDP has always been in a healthy accord with its members and all its governors, as evident by the encouraging outcome of the reconciliation tours across the federation.

Tukur was quoted to also have said that the PDP had realised that imposition of candidates during elections had been the root cause of the misunderstanding within the party.

The party, he said, has been fashioning out agenda to promote internal democracy and transparency in future elections, as a means of earning the confidence of its members.

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Tribune

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

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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

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This Day

Military, Police Ring Abuja to Forestall Boko Haram Attack

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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

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Premium Times

Insecurity: Lagos bans occupation of abandoned buildings

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The government said that no worker should stay back beyond 6:00 p.m. within premises of buildings undergoing construction.

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Vanguard

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

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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.

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