Category: South East

Former Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson has cautioned members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state against disunity.

Senator Dickson, in a statement yesterday in Yenagoa by his media aide, Mr. Fidelis Soriwei, urged the members to be loyal to Governor Douye Diri.

Dickson, who represents Bayelsa West in the National Assembly, described Diri as the leader of the party in the state.

He said: “Let’s avoid anything that will ignite division and disunity. As a former governor, my loyalty goes to the current governor.”

Dickson, who is seeking re-election as a senator, said the party would fare better if it shunned discord and remained united.

“All those who are trying to cause disaffection within the leadership of the party over the 2023 general election must desist forthwith.

“Don’t forget how the mercy and grace of God blessed our collective efforts to retrieve our stolen mandate by enthroning the current state government,” he said.

The former governor urged aspirants in the state to play decent politics.

Dickson congratulated the Diri-led government for completing the New Yenagoa City Bridge, which was initiated by his administration.

“This is a good demonstration of the spirit of continuity in governance. This will bring alive the New Yenagoa City project,” he said

THE former Director General (DG) of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, is among the 10 All Progressives Congress (APC) chieftains who have declared interest to contest the 2023 governorship election in Rivers State.

Other aspirants are two former House of Representatives members, Dr. Dawari George and Dr. Sokonte Davies; 2019 APC governorship candidate Tonye Patrick Cole; a former governorship candidate of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), Prince Tonye Princewill and the 2019 candidate of African Action Congress (AAC), Biokpomabo Awara.

The rest are Chief Francis Ebenezer Ade, former chairman of Ogi/Bolo Local Government Mina Tende, ex- chairman of Asaritoru Local Government Ojukaye Flag Amachree and Ibinabo Michael West.

The declaration in Port Harcourt on Monday was made under the aegis of Riverine Ijaw Progressives Forum, 2023.

All the aspirants are from the riverine Ijaw extraction of the state.

They agreed to support anyone who emerged as the party’s standard-bearer, saying they were taking the step to redeem the soul of the state from bad governance.

The aspirants urged the residents to get their voter cards to vote for APC candidates at the elections.

In a communiqué read by the convener of the conference, Chief George Tolofari, the aspirants said: “The progressive- aspirants have agreed to work in unity and support whosoever emerges at the party primaries, either by way of consensus or election, as exemplified by the party leadership at the just concluded national convention.”

Stakeholders of Abia North Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have warned against plan by the state government or house of assembly to impeach Deputy Governor Ude Oko Chukwu.

A youth organisation, Abia Youths Vanguard, has condemned and cautioned against the alleged plot to impeach the deputy speaker.

It urged the lawmakers to jettison any move capable of throwing the state into upheaval.

These warnings are coming on the heels of a rumour making the rounds of plot to remove principal officers of the assembly, including Speaker Chinedum Orji.

According to the rumour, the plot is to first remove Deputy Speaker Ifeanyi Uchendu, before removing the speaker, to pave the way for easy removal of the deputy governor.

The targets of those behind the plot, according to rumour mills, are the speaker and deputy governor.

A source said: “Those behind this move want to clip the wings of the speaker ahead of the primaries so that they can easily deal with the deputy governor.”

Apparently sensing danger, the speaker reportedly adjourned the house sitting indefinitely last month after an unsuccessful attempt by some members to remove the deputy speaker.

Speaking in Umuahia, ex-Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Dr. Eme Okoro said Abia North would not accept any attempt to intimidate the deputy governor, “an indigene of the area, for committing no crime than declaring interest in the 2023 governorship race.”

He said if there were reasonable charges of malfeasance against the deputy governor, due process of the law had to be followed in instituting the charges before taking any action against him.

“This is democracy. The house cannot impeach him or even the governor without first evaluating charges against him. There has to be verifiable offences he is said to have committed. He cannot be frivolously impeached.

“We don’t have despotic house of assembly. They cannot just remove him without due process. Otherwise they will be creating unnecessary turmoil in Abia State.

“They are overheating the polity, and this will result in fracas that this state does not have the capacity to withstand.

“Abia North won’t accept any action that does not follow due process.

“He has a right to run, just like other contestants. You cannot impeach them because you don’t like their faces or their names or the zones they come from,” Okoro said.

He advised members of the assembly to abstain from any act capable of truncating peace.

The Coordinator of Abia Youths Vanguard, David Onwuneme, advised the lawmakers to jettison any move capable of throwing the state into upheaval.

He said in a statement that youths would resist any attempt to promote political rascality.

Imo State House of Assembly yesterday lifted the suspension of the former Speaker, Paul Emeziem (APC Onuimo).

The house made the decision, following the recommendations of the four-man committee set up to investigate the allegations, which led to his suspension on November 8, 2021.

Members of the committee are Kanayo Onyemaechi (APC Owerri West), Frank Ugboma (PDP Oguta), Emeka Nduka (APC Ehime Mbano) and Johnson Duru (APC-Ideato South).

The committee report, which was treated at a committee of the whole house presided over by Speaker Kennedy Ibeh, said Emeziem had admitted guilt and apologised for his actions.

The lawmaker was suspended alongside Ekene Nnodumele (APC Orsu) for gross misconduct.

The Nation recalls that Nnodumele on November 2, 2021 presented a forged document purportedly signed by 18 members, calling for the removal of Deputy Speaker Amarachi Iwuanyanwu (APC Nwangele).

This led to the speaker’s impeachment and suspension on November 8, 2021.

The house also lifted the suspension of the Isu representative, Ngozi Obiefule (APC), who was suspended on December 23, 2021 for alleged dereliction of duty.

The speaker said Obiefule had apologised for her offence and had been returned to the full service of the house.

Obiefule was suspended on the day the budget was presented, following her absence at the sitting.

She told The Nation that she attended the burial of Uche Nwosu’s mother, after she had submitted her report for the day.

The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) yesterday said it had extended the time for the ongoing Continuous Voters Registration (CVR) in the Southeast.

The Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) in charge of Enugu State, Dr. Emeka Ononamadu, spoke in Enugu during INEC engagement with critical stakeholders on the ongoing fourth quarter of CVR.

The fourth quarter CVR registration started on April 12 in Enugu State.

Ononamadu said INEC had graciously added more time on days for the CVR registration in the Southeast to accommodate for the Monday’s disruption, adding: “It is now from 9am to 5pm, but previously from 9am to 3pm.”

The REC, however, attributed the low turnout for CVR registration to fear, insecurity and some people with the old stereotype of votes not counting.

He appealed to electoral stakeholders to mobilise more registrants to participate in the exercise in Enugu State.

Ononamadu lamented that the registration figure of Enugu State had remained low, noting:  “After three quarters of CVR registration, we are having about 31,000 in Enugu State.”

He said: “In this fourth quarter CVR registration, INEC will move its CVR registration to political wards and open up more means of polling units’ transfer, especially for the newly-created 1,000 polling units in the state.

“The new polling units will make polling booths closer, polling activities seamless and easy; while INEC will publish the new polling units by next week and paste it in public places in the state.

“We have done only 3,000 transfers in the state and our people should make more transfers to the new polling units to reduce distance and cumbersomeness.

“I am appealing to the media, traditional rulers, presidents-general, religious leaders and youth leaders to help us mobilise and enlighten our people on the need to go for their CVR registration.”

The Chairman of Enugu State Traditional Rulers’ Council, Igwe Lawrence Agubuzu, said the state needed to do better in the ongoing CVR, to positively influence the electoral system.

All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth Lobby Group has taken voter enlightenment campaign across the 18 local governments of Cross River State.

The leader, Mr. Asuquo Ekpenyong Jnr., who is the commissioner for Finance and also representing the state at the national youth lobby group, yesterday gave reasons for the enlightenment campaign, which has taken his group to the five local governments in the northern senatorial district of the state.

He said the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) reopened the continuous voters’ registration on April 11 and urged youths across the five local governments to take advantage of the process to register or revalidate their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs), in readiness for the 2023 general election.

At each of the local governments visited, Ekpenyong, who is believed to have governorship ambition for the 2023 general election, met traditional leaders and other prominent people, including a cross section of youths.

He enjoined them (youths) to participate in the extended voter registration  organised by INEC.

While using the opportunity to thank the youth from each local government for their attendance at the maiden edition of the APC Youth Summit in Calabar, the commissioner advised them to support Governor Ben Ayade’s drive to reposition the state’s economy.

At the palaces of the traditional rulers visited, Ekpenyong and his team were received and prayers were offered to God on behalf of the Cross River national representative of the APC Youth Lobby Group for strength, wisdom and ability to lead.

The Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC), Anambra State Command, says it has deployed 1, 977 officers and men to beef up security across the state during Easter.

This is contained in a statement by the command’s spokesman, DCS Edwin Okadigbo, yesterday in Awka.

He said the officers and men were drawn from Operations, Investigation and Intelligence, Rapid Response Squad, as well as Counter Terrorism Unit.

Others are from the Special Female Squad, Chemical Biological Radioactive Nuclear and Energy Unit (CBRNE).

Okadigbo said the officials had been deployed in strategic locations and hot spots in the metropolis and other parts of the state.

According to him, the officer will help prevent crimes and crowd control in places of worships, recreation centres, and other public facilities during the festivities.

The spokesman said the command, in collaboration with other security agencies in the Joint Task Force (JTF), had put in place measures to check any possible breach of peace, before, during and after the Easter celebration.

He quoted the NSCDC state Commandant, Mr. Evaristus Obiyo, to have directed all personnel deployed to note that they were under instructions to be of good conduct and act within the ambit of the law.

He urged the public to cooperate with the personnel of the corps and other security agencies, and to be security conscious.

“Be vigilant and report any untoward incident or happening observed in your locality to the nearest NSCDC office for necessary action,” Obiyo said.

Directorate of Employment (NDE) has disbursed N14.6 million agricultural loans to 136 youths in Akwa Ibom State in the last five months.

NDE Director General Mallam Abubakar Fikpo disclosed this in Uyo yesterday at the orientation for the second phase agricultural loans disbursement and launch of the Sustainable Agricultural Development Training Scheme (SADTS) for beneficiaries.

The beneficiaries were captured under the Agricultural Enhancement Scheme (AES), Community-Based Agricultural Empowerment Scheme (CBAES), Graduate Agricultural Empowerment Scheme (GAES) and Sustainable Agricultural Development and Empowerment Scheme (SADES).

Fikpo, represented by a top official of the NDE, Mr. Edem Duke, said beneficiaries were entitled to N100,000 each at nine per cent interest rate.

He added that the first batch of recipients was empowered last December.

Fikpo said six months moratorium had been given, after which beneficiaries were expected to repay the loan in instalments over three years.

He said: “Emphasis is on agriculture because it is the mainstay of the economy. We are trying to arouse the interest of our youths to go into agriculture and its value chain.

“When we are talking about agriculture, it is not only about planting crops. Buying and selling of agricultural produce is part of it. Not all of them are going to plant or going to rear livestock.”

Fikpo thanked the Federal Government for the release of statutory allocations to the NDE, noting that it had enabled the directorate to venture into poverty and youth empowerment projects and programmes.

“The NDE under President Muhammadu Buhari has performed well because financial allocations have been coming in time. That’s why we are able to carry this big load we are carrying,” he said.