Nigerian Newspapers
Will PDP suffer another self-castration?
By Zik zulu okafor
On April 14, 2007, Andy Uba won the Anambra State governorship election. It was a landslide victory for the People Democratic Party (PDP) But on June 14, same year, barely two weeks after he was sworn in, Uba, in one of the most controversial Supreme Court judgements, was asked to vacate his office. Not because he didn’t win the election.
And he was not impeached. The final court ruled that Governor Obi’s tenure had not lapsed and that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) was wrong to conduct the election.
Uba leaked his wounds; digested his tragic fate and accepted the judgement even though he did not seem to agree with it.
When Anambra was up again for election in 2010, many thought that PDP would at least be kind to Uba considering the circumstances under which he lost his mandate. To be sure, every governor that his election was annulled in PDP states was given a chance to recontest. Cross River state governor, Senator Liyel Imoke and then Edo State governor, Professor Oserhiemen Osunbor, removed by court pronouncements, recontested. The only difference between the two governors’ cases and Uba’s was that Uba had to wait for three years before another election while theirs was a matter of months.
But Andy Uba was given no chance to re-contest, to seek a return to an office he was compelled to vacate for no fault of his.
The primary election that year was a charade. And before the dust could clear, Charles Chukwuma Soludo, a former Central Bank Governor, a respected scholar but a political neophyte, without structure and without political history, was imposed on Anambra PDP as their candidate.
Other PDP aspirants felt that their party had put justice on the gallows and so left for other platforms to reinvigorate their aspirations and to seek their actualization. And expectedly, Soludo brought no solution nor healing. PDP lost Anambra state for a second time.
The question is, has PDP now learnt its lesson? Is it ready to allow justice to prevail as it gets ready to organize its primary election? The signs appear ominous. History seems about to repeat itself. But this political tragedy can be avoided. Let us look at the unfolding drama.
PDP versus INEC: Is history about to repeat itself
This time, PDP’s battle may not exactly be against a member. INEC is the object of its battle cry. The reason? The Chairman of Anambra State PDP recognized by INEC is not acceptable to PDP Acting National Working Committee and its chairman, Dr Bamanga Tukur and Tukur has told anyone that cares to listen that it is not the mandate of INEC to recognize or impose a chairman on PDP. But therein lies the irony.
To begin with, that PDP today is working under an Acting NWC was simply due to INEC’s report which pointed out some defects in PDP’s last convention in terms of strict adherence to the party’s constitution. As a consequence of INEC’s observation and indeed report, the affected members of NWC were pressurized to resign while a mini convention has been scheduled for August 31, 2013.
The purpose is to ensure that the convention is organized in absolute conformity with the party’s constitution and so to say, to correct the defects contained in INEC’s report. Infact, the PDP chairman, Tukur had gallantly asserted that the INEC report had validated his own election as chairman. He also accepted, pronto, INEC’s report that adjudged Adamawa state congress as illegal.
The stinging question now is, why is Anambra’s case different? At what point did Tukur realize that INEC’s report is no longer binding or is untenable? Why should INEC report be a testament to the authenticity of his election as Chairman while the same INEC report should be regarded as inconsequential and of no effect in Anambra state?
Why should INEC report be valid in Adamawa, his home state and invalid in Anambra state? PDP has a lot to do to avoid self immolation
Dr Bamanga Tukur is a man that speaks with profound candour and conviction. His integrity has never been in contention. May be; just may be, he needs to understand the core political scenario in Anambra State PDP to appreciate why he needs to change his body posture against INEC.
The caustic truth Tukur need to appreciate is that the whole idea of pushing the name of Ken Emeakayi as Anambra state PDP chairman fractures the principle of logic, justice and importantly is in crass violation of PDP constitution. For a lucid understanding of the situation, it must be understood that Emeakayi only headed PDP in Anambra state in an acting capacity.
Once the state congress was conducted on March 17, 2012 and Ejike Ogbuebego was elected as substantive chairman, Emeakayi’s tenure as Acting Chairman automatically came to an end. This is the letter and spirit of PDP constitution and it remains inviolable.
That Emeakayi ran to the court on December 18, 2012 to obtain Exparte Order to restrain INEC from recognizing no one but himself changes absolutely nothing. In the first instance, the order was obtained nine months after PDP congress and it couldn’t have been retroactive and therefore cannot displace a duly elected chairman. But he would now cause Anambra PDP to embark on judicial odyssey to seek authenticity as a rash of court orders and judgements over leadership followed.
While a Federal Capital Territory High Court Judgement of July 5, 2012 between Emma Mbamalu and PDP declared null and void the ward, Local Government and State Congresses that produced Ogbuebego as chairman, a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt in a suit No. FHC/PH/CS/213/2013 between Ejike Ogbuebego & 2 Ors vs PDP and INEC also restrained INEC from having anything to do with Emeakayi.
If Anambra PDP has to be rescued from this cacophony of judgements, INEC has to be the messiah as the court appears to have been drawn into this complex and intricate political web and their judgements seem to contradict one another and so seemingly ineffectual.
Since INEC was not a party to the High Court of the Federal Capital Territory that nullified the election of the substantive chairman, Ejike Ogbuebego, Alhaji Tukur should see a leeway in there to permanently resolve the Anambra PDP crisis as INEC is not bound by that judgement.
Besides, Dr. Tukur and INEC had been according recognition to Ogbuebego since his election. In May 2013, Dr Tukur forwarded Ogbuebego’s name to INEC as the chairman of PDP in Anambra state and INEC duly recognized him.
There will be no justifiable reason now to throw up any name or person as chairman. It just wouldn’t fly. It can only complicate the Anambra political conundrum and castrate its potentials.
Dr Tukur, surely, is a man of honour. And the honourable way to go now is to accept and recognize Ejike Ogbuebego as the Anambra State PDP Chairman. He needs to do this before the Anambra PDP Governorship primary election on August 24, 2013. He must rescue PDP from the brink of another major crisis. And perhaps defeat.
ν Okafor writes from Lagos
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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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