The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Adamu Waziri

  • Yobe: PDP produces Senatorial candidates at two parallel primaries

    …Gaidam, Lawan emerge APC senatorial candidates for Yobe East & North

     

    Former Minister of Police Affairs and Minister of State Agriculture and Water Resources, Adamu Waziri and the current Senator representing Yobe South Senatorial Zone Mohammed Hassan have both emerged as candidates of the PDP for the Zone B senatorial seat at two parallel primaries held in Potiskum, Yobe State on Tuesday.

    Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam and the Senate Leader Ahmed Ibrahim Lawan also emerged unopposed for the Yobe East and Yobe North primary elections of the APC respectively, was also held across the state on Tuesday.

    While the two primaries of the PDP were both held simultaneously in Potiskum town, both Sen. Mohammed Hassan and Adamu Maina Waziri claimed victory at each of the exercises amidst their supporters and party fateful.

    Yobe South Senatorial district has four local government areas of Fune, Fika, Nangere and Potiskum.

    At the Idrissa Cinema Centre in Postiskum, where the Waziri led primary was conducted, Adamu Waziri emerged winner with a wide margin of 341 votes followed by Sen. Mohammed Hassan with 15 votes. At the other venue, where a similar election was also held, Adamu Waziri and his nephew Haruna Bawa Waziri trailed with 3 and 5 votes respectively from Sen. Mohammed Hassan who pulled 324.

    The chairman of the PDP Electoral panel for the Yobe State Senatorial primary election Mohammed Yunusa who declared Mohammed Hassan the winner of the election told journalists that he is not aware that another primary election was also held in Potiskum.

    “We are a committee of five people sent from the PDP National Secretariat to conduct this election. As you can see, four of us are here conducting this election. I am the chairman of the committee. The other person, Dr. Shettima Umar is the only person that is not with us here. I called him informing him that we are in Potiskum and I haven’t seeing him and he told me he is on his way.

    “I have not seen him uptil this moment. Even his appointment letter as a member of the committee is with me. He is not picking his calls again. I don’t know why,” Mr. Yunusa informed.

    Interestingly, The Nation checks gathered that Dr. Shettima Umar, was the one PDP official from the National Secretariat that took charge of the primary election that produced Adamu Waziri as the winner.

    Shettima in his narration informed journalists that he has not seen the other members of the committee and therefore decided to go ahead to conduct the primaries.

    “I didn’t see the other members so decided to do my job here. I called the chairman of the committee but i have not heard from him. His no is switched off. Maybe he is on his way,” Dr. Shettima said.

    In his reaction, one of the aspirants Haruna Bawa Waziri who was at the Adamu Waziri staged a walk out and said he didn’t know he was in a wrong place.

    Mr. Haruna also accused members of the committee from the national secretariat of the party of hoarding information from aspirants for the election.

    “I decided to walk out of the elections because of the fraud that was taking place at the venue of the election. I saw a lot of shabby things going on and I decided not to be part to that fraudulent arrangement. I also discovered I was in a wrong place so I left the venue and i disassociate with the two primaries that were held”, Haruna said.

     

  • Reconciliation, unity imperatives for new PDP – Adeniran

    Reconciliation, unity imperatives for new PDP – Adeniran

    A former Minister of Education, Prof. Tunde Adeniran, has said that reconciliation and unity were imperatives needed by Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to reclaim power in 2019.

    Adeniran stated this while declaration his interest in the national chairmanship of PDP on Wednesday in Abuja.

    He said that reconciliation, unity and rebuilding were keys for consolidation of the party after the 23 months leadership crisis it contended with.

    Adeniran, also a former Ambassador to Germany, expressed confidence in Sen. Ahmed Makarfi to conduct a credible national elective convention of the party.

    He said that the convention scheduled for Dec. 9 remained an opportunity for the party to regain power.

    “Now it is time for a new beginning for our great party. We must reconcile, unite, rebuild and we must reposition to face the challenges that lay ahead.

    “These are, indeed, the imperatives before us as a party.

    “I have full confidence in the present leadership of the party, ably led by Sen. Makarfi to conduct a credible and transparent national convention to usher in a new leadership of the party.

    “This will guarantee the survival of the party for the years to come,’’ Adeniran said.

    Soliciting support across the six-geo-political zones, the aspirant pledged to lead in the task of making PDP a strong, credible, reliable and leading political party again.

    He promised that if voted in, he would restore the sanctity of internal democracy and rule of law within the party.

    He added that he would also work with stakeholders to return the party to the people in tandem with the spirit and intent of its slogan – “power to the people.”

    “My team shall work to reaffirm and entrench the founding principles of our great party and rejuvenate it to original state of strength, devoid of impunity, imposition and subversion of the will of the people.’’

    In his remarks, a former Deputy President of the Senate, Sen. Ibrahim Mantu, urged PDP members to rally support for Adeniran in the December convention.

    Mantu described Adeniran as God’s choice for the national chairman of the party, saying that God revealed the professor as the right candidate when he fasted and prayed about it.

    “I fasted for 30 days and nights, asking God to show me who would lead the party. God showed me Adeniran.

    “Let’s now look forward and make sure that we elect a credible chairman. We should make sure that nobody short-changes us at the national convention,” he said.

    He said that time had come to take PDP back to the people, adding that some people came to the PDP with nothing and left with billions. We need to bring the party to the people now.

    On his part, a former Minister of Police Affairs, Adamu Waziri, urged party supporters to work assiduously for the task ahead, saying that the road to the Villa in 2019 would not be an easy one.

    He urged members of PDP to support Adeniran as he had proven to be a loyal partyman since the formation of the PDP in 1998.

  • Cracks in Yobe PDP widen as court grants exparte orders against factional chairman

    Cracks in Yobe PDP widen as court grants exparte orders against factional chairman

    The State  High Court sitting in Damaturu has granted an Exparte Order filled by Lawan Gana Karasuwa and 26 other  to stop one Alh. Sani Inuwa Nguru from parading   himself as the state chairman of the People Democratic Party (PDP) in Yobe State pending the hearing of the plaintiffs/applicants motion.

    The motion  order No. YBS/DT/HC/33M/2017 also ordered  the Peoples Democratic Party; the Chairman PDP Caretaker Committee;  the Inspector General of Police;  the Chairman INEC and the Director General of the State Security Services(SSS) and the Department of  State Security(DSS) not to recognize or have any dealing with any person(s) apart from the plaintiffs/applicants until the motion on notice is heard.

    The presiding judge, Justice U.Z Mohammed who granted the order on Thursday ordered that the  1st defendant/respondent(Sani Inuwa Nguru), any other person(s) other than the plaintiff/applicant (Lawan Gana Karasuwa) is/are hereby restrained from parading him/themselves as the chairman or state executive committee of PDP IN Yobe State, pending the determination of the plaintiffs/applicants motion on notice.

    “The 2nd-6th defendants are restrained/prohibited from recognizing or dealing with other person(s) other than the plaintiffs/applicants pending the hearing and determination of the motion on notice.

    “The 1st defendants/res[pendent is ordered to suspend all his activities as the chairman of the PDP in Yobe State and status quo be maintained pending the determination of the hearing on notice”.

    Speaking on whether the order has brought confusion with the Supreme Court Ruling, counsel to the plaintiff  Bar. Thomson  Stephen said the order has cleared the confusion that is brewing in the party in Yobe   state and brought sanity.

    “This order by the court has brought in sanity to the PDP in Yobe State. How can some people just emerge from nowhere and start to parade themselves as leaders of the party when an authentic executive is already in on ground. It is an aberration and that is  parading himself  or themselves has been barred by the orders of this court so for us it has brought sanity into the system and the party in Yobe State as far as we are concerned,” Bar. Stephen informed.

    “It is not confusion, it is sanity. It was confusion before we went to court. When you are not elected and you are parading yourself  as the chairman of the party and  you have duely elected members recognized by the party with documentary evidence is clearly illegal.  So  with this order its game over for them.

    As for the judgement  of the Supreme Court, it  has no negative effect on the order obtained  from this honorable court today . This is because, the plaintiff applicants were duely elected in 2016 and documents emanated from the PDP National Headquarters through the current secretary of the PDP Mr. Ladipo.  What we are saying is that the tenure of these people ought to have elapsed by 2020 and somebody or some persons are parading themselves as party executive as regards to PDP is wrong. This judgment has not connection with the one of Supreme Court,” Bar. Stephen explained.

    In his remarks, the Chairman of the PDP in Yobe State Lawan Gana Karasuwa accused Adamu Waziri of creating problems for the party in the state.

    Karasuwa informed that he had gone to Abuja to collect relevant documents from the National Headquarters of the party for the party’s ward congresses ahead of the National Convention only to be told that one Sani  Inuwa Nguru had collected the materials as the party chairman of the state.

    Efforts to speak with Adamu Maina Waziri could not yield immediate results as he couldn’t pick up his mobile phone when our correspondent reached him. He could not equally reply  the text message that was sent to him as at the time of filling this report.

    The Nation checks revealed that long before the Makarfi and Sen. Ali Sheriff rift, the PDP in Yobe was divided between Adamu Waziri and the former minister of State Finance, Dr. Yerima Ngama. With the advent of the Sen. Makarfi/Sen. Sheriff crisis, the duo of Waziri  and Ngama expectedly did not align with one person. While Adamu Waziri pledged his Loyalty with Sen. Ahmed Makarfi led faction of the party, Dr. Yerima Ngama followed Sen. Ali Modu Sherriff whom many believed is his long time friend.

    From the records, Adamu Waziri has vehemently opposed  the Lawan Gana Karasuwa led PDP  executive  in the state which was put together by Dr. Yerima Ngama in 2016 after the fall out of the 2015 general election which the PDP lost woefully in Yobe State.

  • Reps panel indicts Olubolade, three others over botched CCTV contracts

    Reps panel indicts Olubolade, three others over botched CCTV contracts

    A House of Representatives committee has found culpable former Ministers of Police Affairs, Alhaji Adamu Waziri, Caleb Olubolade and Alhaji Jelili Adesiyan as well as a former Permanent Secretary in the defunct ministry, James Obeigbu, for the mismanagement of funds meant for the installation of Closed Circuit Television (CCTV) cameras in Abuja and Lagos.

    The lawmakers would seek for the prosecution of the listed ex- public officers that served between 2010 and 2014 if the report of the Ahmed Yerima-led committee that investigated the award of contract for the installation of the CCTV were adopted.

    The report was listed for consideration and adoption on Wednesday but was dropped and listed for adoption on Thursday.

    The report was adopted again on Thursday due to time constrain.

    The report recommended, among others:

    “That the former ministers and officials of the defunct Ministry of Police Affairs (who served between 2010 and 2014) should be prosecuted over the rational and motive for the removal and or disappearance of the operational and maintenance costs of the project from its initial proposals, as that singular act contributed to the non-performance of the network.

    “That former Permanent Secretary, defunct Ministry of Police Affairs, Mr. James Obeigbu, be prosecuted for deliberately refusing to release the approved funds in the amount of N3billion meant for network operations and maintenance.

    “That ZTE Nigeria Limited should refund the discrepancy amount certified after the audit exercise or supply necessary equipment and spares of commensurate value as may be required by the ministry, otherwise, the figure should be deducted from the outstanding debt of $20,247,172.00 certified by the Ministry of Police Affairs as being owed ZTE for running the network from January to June 2013.”