By Osagie Otabor, Akure

The Accord Party (AP) has denied endorsing the candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Eyitayo Jegede.

It said those who carried out the purported endorsement were unknown to the party.

Speaking at a news briefing in Akure, the Chairman, Ajibola Falaye, said there was no time the party collapsed its structures for Jegede.

Read Also: PDP a united force, says Jegede

He said the AP fielded candidates who were elected at its primaries.

Publicity Secretary Kennedy Peretei had in a statement claimed that the party had collapsed its structures in the 18 local governments to support the PDP.

He said a chieftain of the party, Mr. Ambode Abiodun, led party leaders to the PDP secretariat where they promised to deliver not fewer than 100,000 votes to Jegede.

But Falaye described the endorsement as an embarrassment, saying Abiodun and others were suspended from the party six years ago.

“For the avoidance of doubt, Accord Party held primaries and Rotimi Akindejoye was elected as the governorship candidate. He has a running mate,” Falaye added.

By Emmanuel Oladesu  Deputy Editor 

Lagos State All Progressives Congress (APC) on Wednesday flayed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for raising a false alarm over funds diversion to Ondo State because Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has been appointed as the chairman of Ondo APC Governorship Campaign Council.

Publicity Secretary Seye Oladejo said the vituperation by his PDP counterpart, Taofik Gani, smacked of mischief, recklessness, deceit and dishonesty.

Gani had alleged that Sanwo-Olu was picked to lead the Ondo campaign, not because of his experience, but because the party intended to use Lagos funds for the election.

He also alleged that the Lagos governor had approved N25billion for the Ondo governorship election.

But, dismissing the allegations as unfounded, baseless and a tissue of lies, Oladejo said in a statement that APC cannot emulate the culture of corruption like the PDP.

Read Also: Sanwo-Olu heads Ondo campaign council

He said: “The characteristic wild and reckless allegation has shown the consistency of the warped state of mind of a frustrated opposition party determined to sell falsehood to the people.

“The false and unfounded allegation of the intention to divert resources of Lagos State is at best an admission of what obtains in the PDP whenever there’s an election. Nigerians haven’t forgotten the Dasuki-gate, which provided a looting spree in the name of election.

“It’s also an open secret that the PDP has remained in permanent opposition in Lagos State because its leadership is gifted in looting election funds.”

Oladejo added: “It is important to put it on record that the well thought choice of the Lagos State governor to lead the election campaign was based on his well acknowledged remarkable performance in office despite the prevailing unusual challenge.

“He’s also known as a great manager of human and material resources. It’s laughable that you described Mr. Governor as lacking political experience after successfully and effortlessly ‘retiring’ your serial governorship candidate.

“However, the bad news is that the discerning public find your bazaar-like governorship primaries in Ondo and Edo states distasteful and have resolved to react accordingly with their votes.

“The release, which can be regarded as crying wolves where there’s none, can at best be described as prophetic of PDP’s imminent defeat in the coming elections.

“The disintegration of the PDP house of cards in Ondo State after the governorship primaries and the desperation of your Edo State candidate, which led to the demolition of the House of Assembly, are incontrovertible pointers.”

By Bisi Olaniyi, Benin  

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the September 19 election, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, has described as deceptive, the Esan agenda of the standard-bearer of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Governor Godwin Obaseki.

He vowed to empower and harness the agricultural potential of Edo Central Senatorial District’s Esan land if elected.

Ize-Iyamu spoke Monday at the kick-off of his campaign in Edo Central Senatorial District where he was received by a large crowd.

In Igueben Local Government, Ize-Iyamu and his running mate, Mallam Gani Audu, with other APC leaders, including a former national chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, paid homage to the Onojie of Igueben Kingdom, HRH Ehizogie Ailuojerio I, and obtained his blessings.

The APC governorship candidate lamented the exclusion of monarchs from governance.

Read Also: Edo 2020: 11 govs, ministers storm Benin as Ize-Iyamu kicks off campaign

He promised to partner traditional institutions to tackle insecurity and develop policies and measures that would address people’s needs, including easy and secure access to rural farmlands.

He accused Obaseki of running with a deceitful Esan agenda, which he described as a ploy to gain sympathetic votes, saying the governor’s actions in the last four years had brought no development to Esan people.

Ize-Iyamu said: “Obaseki overlooked the Esan people when presented with opportunities to include them in his administration and campaign, especially the replacement of his former Chief of Staff, Chief Taiwo Akerele, and the appointment of his campaign’s Director General with people from Edo South Senatorial District, where he (Obaseki) also hails from.

“The governor has denied the only state-owned institution in Esan land, Ambrose Alli University, Ekpoma, of operation funds, with his reduction of the institution’s monthly allocation of N256 million to N96 million, which is as an attempt to cripple the institution.”

Ize-Iyamu assured the people of his plans to harness the agricultural potential of the area, through partnership with rural farmers, to improve their yields and provide local and foreign markets for their produce.

Oshiomhole, who was received with a loud cheer from the crowd, said Obaseki had failed to continue his administrative style of implementation of plans and visible execution of projects that could provide relief to the people, opting to waste the state’s resources on consultants and Memoranda of Understanding (MoU) that failed to translate into any achievement.

The ex-governor admonished Esan people to vote en masse for Ize-Iyamu. He said his SIMPLE agenda is an original and creative manifesto that contains realistic plans on how to move the state forward.

By Mike Odiegwu, Port Harcourt and Bisi Olaniyi, Benin  

The Chairman, National Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Rivers Governor Nyesom Wike, has accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of scheming for the cancellation of the Edo governorship election.

He alleged that the APC was not ready for the poll and resorted to underhand tactics to compel the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to stop the election midway.

The governor alleged that intelligence report showed that as part of the plan, the APC intended to cause and sustain violence that could stop the poll and cause constitutional crisis.

He claimed that the plan was to create a scenario that would lead to the expiration of Obaseki’s tenure before the conduct of a fresh election.

Wike urged the police and other security agents to use the poll as a template to redeem their image.

Read Also: Wike tackles Oshiomhole on Obaseki’s certificate

The Media Campaign Council of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the September 19 governorship election has accused Governor Nyesom Wike of talking better than he campaigns and governs.

It described as inane, puerile and negligible, the claims by Wike, who is also the chairman of the National Campaign Council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for Edo governorship election that APC planned to postpone and rig the poll.

The campaign council, through its Chairman, John Mayaki, yesterday in an online statement said that the Rivers governor, like his counterpart in Edo State, Governor Godwin Obaseki, should focus on the allegation of violation of human rights levelled against him.

It said: “I don’t know if Wike manufactures the tales himself or if he has a team of lazy children’s books’ writers, who manufacture the claims. We are torn between answering him seriously or stepping down to match his humour.

“Let him (Wike) provide proof for anything he said. He cannot. How does the party (APC) that is not in power plan to oust the police in Edo State? He meant to accuse us, but ended up insulting the Nigeria Police Force, which needs to address the disrespectful and sickening way he spoke about it. This is not the first time the Rivers governor has demonstrated pedestrian restraint in his words.”

By Okodili Ndidi, Abuja

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has warned that if parties participating in the Edo and Ondo governorship elections do not de-escalate the current tension, the polls may be marred by voter apathy.

It said candidates and their campaign councils must tone down their rhetoric and the use of incendiary language aimed at inflaming passion.

National Commissioner and Chairman Information and Voter Education Festus Okoye, in a chat with The Nation, noted that “sowing fear and apprehension in the minds of the voters will disengage them from the electoral process. The escalation of violence will lead to low voter turnout.”

He said: “Political leaders and actors in Edo and Ondo states have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of the voters and assure them that it is safe to go out and vote on election day.”

Okoye added: “The parties, candidates and their supporters must de-escalate the current tension in Edo State. They must tone down their rhetoric and the use of incendiary language aimed at inflaming passion.

Read Also: INEC: no plan to shift Edo polls

“Sowing fear and apprehension in the minds of the voters will disengage them from the electoral process. The escalation of violence will lead to low voter turnout. Political leaders and actors in Edo and Ondo states have a responsibility to protect the health and safety of the voters and assure them that it is safe to go out and vote on election day.”

The International Press Centre (IPC), Lagos is to conduct a one-day webinar/virtual capacity building session for reporters ahead of the Edo and governorship elections.

The webinar, organised by the IPC, under component 4b: support to media of the European Union Support to Democratic Governance in Nigeria (EU-SDGN) project, aims to engage and build the capacity of select journalists and media stakeholders in Edo and Ondo states.

IPC Executive Director Mr. Lanre Arogundade said the media capacity building session is aimed at consolidating efforts by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other electoral stakeholders under the EU-SDGN project to ensure that the media coverage of the elections is professional.

“As INEC gears up plans to conduct governorship elections on September 19 and October 10 in Edo and Ondo states, it is imperative that media coverage of the process leading to the elections is professionally done in such a way that the germane issues that will promote greater stakeholders and citizens participation in the elections are brought to the fore of media reportage.

“Our preliminary observations have shown rising issues of political conflicts and tension, which have produced news headlines and reports of personality clashes and hostilities around certain political actors in the elections.

“The media needs to be careful so as not to become entangled in the twist of events, so that emerging media reports do not create undue tension, which may dissuade the electorate from fully participating in the elections,” he said.

The webinar session, which shall feature key stakeholders’ representatives from INEC and other institutional stakeholders shall include special capacity building sessions by media experts.

 Bisi Olaniyi, Benin  

DEPUTY Governor Philip Shaibu has urged the electorate to support the re-election of Governor Godwin Obaseki, to move the state forward.

He said the current administration was transforming the state and it should be allowed to continue beyond November 12.

Shaibu, on Sunday in an online statement by his Senior Special Assistant on Media, Benjamin Atu, said another term for Obaseki would allow him to consolidate on his achievements.

He said: “We took over a state with dwindling economic fortune for our people. The only way we were able to tackle it was to embark on aggressive efforts in raising entrepreneurs and building entrepreneurial spirit among the people.

Read Also: NANS to Shuaibu: Reconcile with Oshiomhole

“As a government, we want the poor in our midst to have access to means of production, turn them into entrepreneurs in their own right, employers of labour and masters of their economic destiny, with the ability to turn the economic fortune of the state around for the better.

“We discover that micro-credit will enable us achieve our objectives faster, because it can be used to benefit poor entrepreneurs, as a major fillip to take people out of poverty. This, the government has proved, by micro-credit programmes to bring about sustained development.

“The objective of our administration is to achieve the happiness, economic enhancement and independence of the poorest, the weakest, the most vulnerable and the disadvantaged.”

The deputy governor said the Obaseki administration had penetrated the grassroots through meeting financial obligations of businesses.

Tony Akowe, Abuja

THE Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) caucus in the House of Representatives has said the recent political development in Edo State is capable of returning the country to dark days of the First Republic.

It said the development could lead to collapse of democracy.

The PDP lawmakers said the events, which led to a siege to the House of Assembly, could likely push Nigeria to the pristine old days whereby the military and anti-democratic forces held sway and could lead to a serious crisis that could cause the collapse of democracy.

In a statement signed by the Chairman of the caucus, Kingsley Chinda, the PDP legislators said the nation was again at a crossroads, with the ominous signs that led to the collapse of the First Republic manifesting.

The caucus accused Inspector General of Police (IGP) Mohammed Adamu and Minister of Justice and Attorney General of the Federation (AGF)  Abubakar Malami of instigating what it called an attempt to impeach the House of Assembly Speaker, saying: “As highest ranking law officers, they should be seen to keep peace and order and not otherwise.”

They claimed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) was trying to unleash mayhem on the people of Edo State and dubiously take over governance of the state.

They asked former governor Adams Oshiomhole and his supporters, as well as the APC-led Federal Government to exhibit maturity, greater candour and a true sense of responsibility, as well as check their actions and those of their supporters, in order not to instigate any electoral violence that will flame and consume democracy in Edo State and indeed Nigeria, “particularly as this is coming on the heels of the September 19 governorship election.”

Read Also: I won’t leave PDP for Fayose — Olujimi

The lawmakers want Governor Godwin Obaseki and the people of Edo State to stand up to the challenge and resist attempts to cause crisis in Edo State and truncate democracy in the country.

The PDP caucus urged President Muhammadu Buhari “to live above partisan interest and for once be for everybody and defend the constitution of Nigeria”.

The caucus, which has the backing of the national leadership of the PDP, stressed that ”the attempt to impeach Speaker Frank Okiye through the back door was not only a clear case of the desecration of the institution of the legislature, but also an affront on the people of Edo State and indeed Nigerians.”

Frowning at “the role played by police officers, who stormed the state from Abuja to forcefully take over the assembly complex undergoing renovation”, the caucus enjoined the Nigeria Police to act professionally and be above board in ensuring that peace and tranquility reign in every part of the country.