Connect with us

The Peoples Democratic Party has said there are signs that the 2019 elections may lack credibility.

Apart from this, the opposition party said the ruling All Progressives Congress administration was not ready to conduct free, fair and credible elections.

The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, stated this in Abuja on Wednesday while playing host to a United Nations delegation which paid him a courtesy visit at the party ’s national secretariat.

Speaking with the delegation , Secondus said the conduct of elections by the Independent National Electoral Commission since President Muhammadu Buhari assumed office had shown that the 2019 polls might not be credible.

He said the majority of the elections conducted since the PDP left office in 2015 had ended up in reruns, adding that this was an indication that the commission was not ready to do the biddings of the electorate.

Secondus alleged that most of the reruns were as a result of the unpopularity of the APC , but regretted that even at that , the ruling party was usually bent on winning the elections.

He said, “We were in power as a party for 16 years to be precise, we deepened democracy with our actions. In the last general elections of 2015, we lost and conceded defeat, without attempting to go to court.

“It is the first time that a party and its candidate would decide not to contest the outcome of an election in this country. It has never happened in this country. We did not go to court and our candidate did not go to court as well.

“We realised and decided that the outcome was democracy in action and that it was the will of the people.
“But we have fears today that since the APC came to power, all the elections we have conducted came with huge question marks.”

Secondus also chided INEC for allegedly performing below the expectations of Nigerians in the past couple of years.
He said, “As a matter of fact, this ( INEC) is the only electoral body that has conducted elections several times and they ( government ) will call for a rerun when it is not in their favour.

“I, therefore , want the delegation to look seriously in the area of free and fair elections that guarantee security.

“This is a point that must be noted by the UN body, that what they have done in the past, the electoral umpire and the Federal Government have not guaranteed free and fair elections . We are very , very worried whether 2019 will be free and fair.”

The Leader of the UN delegation , Mr. Serge Kubwimana, said the team was in the country on a need assessment mission, adding that the team would take input from political institutions in Nigeria in order to determine the thematic areas of possible assistance to INEC as the 2019 elections drew closer.

He said, “This mission has been deployed from the UN headquarters in New York city . It is a mission that has been deployed in response to request on electoral system from the chairperson of INEC.

“And the way we do it in the UN, in order to determine the areas of support, we conduct this type of mission and the overall context in which the election is taking place — the political violence , security and the like, the legal framework, the capacity and the needs of the electoral management body.

“This is really what this mission is here for and our assessment cannot be done without interacting with the main stakeholders — obviously INEC, Civil Society Organisations, political parties and some of the key institutions: the judiciary, the National Assembly and many others.”

Kubwimana said the UN was only interested in free, fair and credible elections , adding that the organisation still respected the sovereignty of the country.

BIG STORY

Fubara Reshuffles Cabinet, Redeploys Wike’s Loyalists From Finance, Justice Ministries

Published

on

The executive governor of Rivers State, Siminalayi Fubara, has redeployed two commissioners in his cabinet in a major reshuffle since he took the mantle of leadership of the state.

Secretary to the state government (SSG), Tammy Danagoro, made this known in a statement issued on Tuesday.

Fubara redeployed Zacchaeus Adangor, attorney-general and commissioner for justice, to the ministry of special duties.

The governor also deployed Isaac Kamalu, commissioner for finance, to the ministry of employment generation and economic empowerment.

Danagogo said the commissioners are to hand over to the permanent secretaries in their outgoing ministries, adding that deployment is with immediate effect.

Both commissioners are loyalists of Nyesom Wike, the immediate former governor of Rivers and incumbent minister of the federal capital territory (FCT).

Last year, the commissioners resigned from their positions following the political feud between Wike and Fubara.

They were later reinstated after Wike and Fubara signed a peace accord facilitated by President Bola Tinubu.

Wike and Fubara are locked in a struggle for control of Rivers’ political structure.

The political crisis led to the defection of 27 state house of assembly members, who are loyal to Wike, from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

The lawmakers have been threatening the govenor with impeachment.

The lawmakers have vetoed the governor in at least three bills after he refused his assent.

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

This Is Not A Time To Hold Grudges, We’ll All Gain — Aiyedatiwa To Guber Opponents

Published

on

Ondo State governor, Lucky Aiyedatiwa, says all the governorship aspirants on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the state will all gain, but at different times.

Aiyedatiwa, on Sunday, said this in his acceptance speech after defeating 15 other governorship opponents to become the candidate of the APC in Ondo.

The gubernatorial candidate, who was deputy to the late Rotimi Akeredolu, took over the reins of the state after the latter’s demise.

The governor said a contest like the primary exercise comes with “discordant tunes”.

“Let me at this time acknowledge and thank all the aspirants who threw their hats into the ring in the family contest to be the flag-bearer: Hon. Mayowa Akinfolarin, Chief Olusola Oke, SAN, Sen. Jimoh Ibrahim, Mr. Wale Akinterinwa, Hon. Isaac D. Kekemeke, Hon. Gbenga Edema, Mr. Ohunyeye Olamide Felix, Hon. Olujimi Odimayo, Mr. Olusoji Ehinlanwo, Morayo Lebi Esq, Prince Diran Iyantan, Prof. Francis Faduyile, Engr. Ifeoluwa Oyedele, Mrs. Funmilayo Waheed Adekojo and Engr. Funke Omogoroye,” he said.

“Your participation has created so much awareness within and outside our party. You mobilized our members and removed apathy.

“You have also brought in numerous new members into the party. All of these have enriched our democracy and strengthened our party in the state.

“Democracy sometimes, after a contest like this, comes with discordant tunes. But this is not the time to hold grudges against anyone but for all of us to come together to work for the success of our great party so as to remain in power.

“We will all gain in this party, though at different times, if we keep faith. I salute your courage and keen interest to lead the State towards development. It is your right and you are qualified and worthy members of our party.

“I want to specially thank the President and Leader of our party, His Excellency, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, for his leadership.”

Aiyedatiwa encouraged everyone to work together to build Ondo.

Continue Reading

BIG STORY

Yahaya Bello: Lawyer Asks Kogi Assembly To Begin Impeachment Process Against Ododo

Published

on

Due to accusations of misconduct and abuse of power, human rights attorney Deji Ajare has urged Kogi State House of Assembly Speaker Umar Yusuf to start the impeachment process against Kogi State Governor Usman Ododo.

Through the House clerk, Ajare made the call on Friday in a letter addressed to the speaker.

He said that using the governor’s motorcade to transport the troubled former state governor, Yahaya Bello, to safety amounted to harbouring a wanted person, obstructing the course of justice, and misusing public funds.

It was earlier reported that the Governor had whisked away his predecessor at about 4:20 pm on Wednesday, after operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission besieged the latter’s Abuja residence, to arrest him in connection with an N80.2bn money laundering case.

Following his escape, the EFCC declared the ex-governor wanted while the Nigeria Immigration Service placed him on its watchlist. The Inspector General of Police also has directed the withdrawal of all Police units attached to the former Governor.

Ajare, in his letter, also called on the assembly to cooperate with the EFCC and ensure all individuals involved are available for questioning and investigations.

“In the light of the above allegations and the inherent potential breaches of statutory duties imposed by the Constitution and other relevant laws of our country, these actions, if proven true, amount to gross misconduct and warrant immediate investigation and commencement of impeachment proceedings.

“I hereby call on the Kogi State House of Assembly under your leadership to initiate a thorough inquiry into these allegations by Section 188 of the Nigerian Constitution, to ascertain the truth and to hold Governor Usman Ododo accountable if the allegations are found to be true.

“I also urge the Kogi State House of Assembly to cooperate with national law enforcement agencies, including the EFCC, to ensure all individuals involved are available for questioning and to facilitate a smooth investigation”, he said.

He further implored the House of Assembly to take swift and decisive actions, noting the effect of the “misgovernance implied in these allegations” on the people of the state.

“I thank you as I look forward to your urgent attention to this issue. I trust in your commitment to uphold the Constitution and the laws of our land for the betterment of our state and its people”, the letter also read.

However, the Chief Press Secretary to the Speaker of the House of Assembly, Mohammed Yabagi, who spoke to our correspondent via telephone, said neither the Clerk nor the Speaker had received such a letter.

Yabagi added that the House had not seen any valid reasons to begin impeachment processe against the governor and that there was no evidence that the governor prevented security agencies from arresting Yahaya Bello.

“Anybody in the public has their perception of the matter. But the House has not seen any reason, none of the members of the House were there, and none of them saw the governor trying to prevent the security agencies from doing their job. As far as the Assembly is concerned, the Assembly supports all constitutionally recognised security agencies. We have not seen any reason why the House should commence any impeachment processes.

“For context, as far as the Executive is concerned, the immediate past governor was not even at his Abuja residence, and there’s no concrete evidence that the Executive Governor prevented them from doing their constitutionally recognised job. The House is yet to receive such a letter, and the Speaker is yet to have any knowledge of such a letter,” he said.

Meanwhile, all efforts to reach the Special Adviser on Media to the Kogi State Governor, Ismaila Isah, proved abortive, as his number was switched off.

However, the Kogi State Commissioner for Information, Kingsley Fanwo, debunked reports that Ododo helped Bello, beat security operatives who wanted to arrest him.

Fanwo in an interview with Channels TV on Thursday said the governor was committed to upholding the laws of the country, including respecting its legal processes.

“Governor Ododo did not assist in Bello’s departure from his residence; the EFCC’s claims are misinformation aimed at furthering their objectives. Bello is not evading anyone; the existing court injunction protects his fundamental rights,” he said.

Continue Reading

Most Popular