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Tag: Akume

  • Akume: APC’s door open to new PDP senators

    Akume: APC’s door open to new PDP senators

    Senate Minority Leader Senator George Akume has assured members of the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP) in the upper chamber that the door of the All Progressives Congress (APC) is open to them.

    Akume said this in an interview after a caucus meeting of the APC senators in Abuja at the weekend.

    He also said the meeting was informed by the need for opposition lawmakers to map out their legislative agenda to ensure robust and vibrant opposition in the upper chamber.

    The Benue State-born lawmaker said if the 22 senators, who formed the bulk of the new PDP in the Senate, decided to join APC, they would be accommodated.

    He described the new PDP senators as a group of “great, courageous, bold and imaginative” lawmakers.

    On why the meeting became necessary, he said: “We met to renew faith in this new development; to congratulate our leaders for this spectacular achievement in recorded history.

    “In the past, parties in this country strove for alliances, but this is the first time that we are into a full-blown merger arrangement and agreement. We spoke at length and what is very basic is our legislative agenda.

    “We think it is very important because Nigerians are interested in knowing what the opposition has for them.

    “Nigerians want to see a difference in the way and manner the affairs of our country are managed.

    “Nigerians are interested in a vibrant, purposeful and meaningful opposition and we are fully prepared to do exactly that.

    “So we as a family, we are here as people, who are recreating hope for our nation.

    “This nation has lost hope, but we want to plead with Nigerians that tomorrow will be better than today.”

    On whether there are plans to change the leadership of the Senate in view of the emergence of the new PDP, he said: “What I know as a fact is that there have been some structural and institutional changes in the PDP and this may lead to some form of realignment at all levels of governance.”

    Akume added: “I do not know about any change of leadership agenda. I am not aware of that. I don’t know and I must confess that I am not aware of that.

    “All I can say is that what is happening in the PDP is not new. It has happened to other political parties before.

    “Basically, they deserve commendation not condemnation.”

    Asked whether the APC will forge political ties with the new PDP senators in the Senate, he said “I don’t know. It depends on the way the new PDP is moving. It is always in the nature of politics that alliances are forged as appropriate and they are intended to advance the cause of justice, development, peace, territorial integrity and stability of the polity.

  • APC Senators write Senate

    Senators under the platform of the newly registered All Progressives Congress (APC) have written the Senate to formerly intimate the upper chamber of the birth of the party.

     

    The letter titled: “Notification of the registration of All Progressives Congress (APC) and status of Senators of the merged political parties,” was read on the floor of the chamber by Senate President, David Mark, on Tuesday.

    Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, in the letter drew the attention of the Senate to the fact that Section 40 of the 1999 Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended) provides for the right to peaceful assembly and association.

    Akume also drew the attention of the chamber that Section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) on the other hand stipulates the conditions for merger of political parties.

    He noted that in a bid to build a strong, virile and enduring democracy, “the three major progressive political parties, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), the Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and the All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP) resolved to merge and become the All Progressive Congress (APC).

    Akume said that in furtherance to the provisions of Section 84 of the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended), a formal request for the registration of APC was sent to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) on June, 7, 2013.

    INEC, he said, accordingly granted the request on July 30 to give the birth to the APC.

     

  • Akume condoles with family

    The Senate Minority Leader, Senator George Akume, has condoled with Governor Olusegun Mimiko and the family of Dr. Olusegun Agagu on his sudden death.

    In a statement issued on his behalf by his Special Assistant on Media and Constituency, Mrs. Beckie Orpin, Akume said: “I am greatly saddened by the news of the untimely death of Dr. Olusegun Agagu and write to commiserate with you, his family and the people of Ondo State on this great loss.

    “The late Agagu was a true Nigerian leader; a leader who was above party politics, a leader for the people. Ondo State and the nation have lost an outstanding person and a wonderful politician.

    “His death has left a vacuum in all spheres of our lives. While we must mourn him, may we be consoled by the fact that he won his place in history. He stood tall in his public service life. His resolve, courage and devotion to the service of Ondo State and Nigeria would continue to be an example of strong leadership and patriotism for us all.

    “On behalf of my family and the people of Benue North-West, I extend our deepest sympathy to you, the government and people of Ondo State and the entire Agagu family. I pray Almighty God to give you the strength to bear the loss.”

     

  • PDP’ll be history soon, says Akume

    PDP’ll be history soon, says Akume

    •Team up with APC, Sani urges breakaway faction

    Senate Minority Leader George Akume has said the breakup of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is a signal to its imminent collapse.

    He said the party’s crisis was a repercussion of abandoning the principles on which it was built.

    Akume spoke with reporters yesterday in Makurdi, the Benue State capital.

    He said Nigerians should no longer waste time on the PDP, because the party would soon be buried and forgotten.

    Akume said he was one of those who nourished and nurtured the PDP to stand, adding that he had to leave when he discovered that the party was being run by unpatriotic, insincere and excessively greedy people who were not ready to change for better.

    He said: “Some of us who were there at the beginning and knew how this party was formed saw a great disaster waiting for it. We left for good and aligned ourselves now with people who have the interest of the nation at heart. I tell you, PDP will fall and never stand again.

    “APC has come to stay and ours is a party of and for the people. It is going to be a general movement, for the youths, the women, the old and all that. We will move and continue to move until Nigerians decide on who they want to rule them. We will be there in 2015 and all the wrongs will be corrected.”

    Kaduna-based civil rights activist Mallam Shehu Sani urged the breakaway faction to negotiate with the All Progressives Congress (APC) on a merger deal.

    Sani said the break-up of the PDP was long overdue and a welcome development, adding that the development exposes the inherent rancour, confusion and disorder in the party.

    Sani’s statement reads: “The break-up of the PDP is a welcome development. It exposes the inherent rancour, confusion and disorder that pervade the ruling party.

    “The breakup will automatically ventilate the political atmosphere that had been polluted by years of chicanery, shenanigan and a catalogue of fraud. The break-up of the PDP will dissolve the shackles and manacles that impede the socio-economic and political progress of the Nigerian state.

    “The demise of the PDP is long overdue and its split is long expected. The PDP is a rallying point for people allergic to clean politics and politics of principle. It is a shade for self-serving men and women and carrier bread and butter politicians. The PDP is a breeding ground for cancerous politics of self-interest, cronyism and parasitism.

    “The implosion of the PDP will give birth to a new politics of purpose, vision and collective democratic advancement. The split will herald a new political dawn to end the famine of leadership and the drought of governance that has become of our bewildered polity.

    “For fifteen years, the ruling PDP has ruined our great country by unleashing a succession of thieving and inept government, bankrupt of ideas. The PDP is a menace and monstrous evil whose death will bring prosperity and glory to our fatherland. The PDP has criminalised the democratic process and turned government into a crime scene.

    “The new PDP faction is made up of men of conscience and their resistance and objection to the dictatorial tendencies of Jonathan/ Bamanga confraternity is commendable. I wish to advise the new PDP to immediately enter into dialogue with the APC with the aim of exploring the possibility of merger.

    “For fifteen years the ruling party has unleashed deaths, untold hardships and poverty on Nigerians, it is time for it to die as a price for its toxic and lethargic legacies.”

  • Akume denies certificate forgery allegation

    Akume denies certificate forgery allegation

    Former Benue State Governor George Akume yesterday disproved the claim that he forged his educational certificates.

    The former governor tendered copies of his original certificates, which were attached to his statement of defence, filed in a suit filed by Philip Agbese, who is accusing Akume of forging his certificates and being unqualified to stand for an election.

    Some of the certificates include West African Examination Council (WAEC) School Certificate (December 1971); the National Service, issued by the National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) in 1979; Bachelor of Science (in Sociology 1978) and Master’s degree (Industrial and Labour Relations, 1987) issued to him by the University of Ibadan (UI).

    Also tendered were copies of a letter of confirmation from the NYSC (dated May 2, 2013) and a statement of result from WAEC (dated June 10, 2013).

    Akume, in his statement on oath, denied forging any certificate. He described the suit by Agbese as a measure to harass and intimidate him.

    The Senate Minority Leader said he lost the original copies of the certificates when he was packing from his home into the Government House in Makurdi following his election as governor in 1999.

    The two-time governor said he reported the loss of the documents to the police, who advised him to swear to an affidavit.

    Akume also tendered a copy of the affidavit, dated September 23, 2010, endorsed by the Commissioner of Oath, High Court of Justice, Benue State.

    He averred that the issuing agencies refused to issue him with fresh certificates on the grounds that such academic certificates were only issued once.

    Akume, who is representing Benue North West, said he was issued the certificates having attended Government Secondary School, Otukpo, Benue State (1967-1971), University of Ibadan. (For his first and second degrees) and the NYSC in 1979 (after his service at the Advanced Teachers College, Akwanga, Plateau State).

     

  • Disquiet in Benue as PDP chieftain closes ranks with Akume

    There is panic among members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State.

    A chieftain of the party, Mr Jeo Ikyaagba, is said to have become closer to Senate Minority Leader George Akume, a chieftain ofn the opposition Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN).

    Ikyaagba, a well known PDP chieftain from Vandeikya Local Government, is the brain behind the construction of the multi-billion naira modern Government House in Makurdi and the Benue Lodge in Asokoro, Abuja, under current Gabriel Suswam administration.

    But his return to Akume is said to be the end of his romance with the ruling party.

    The renowned architect is handling the renovation of the Benue Printing and Publishing Company (BPPC). The job has been put on hold because of alleged paucity of funds.

    The Nation gathered that Ikyaagba, who was the Commissioner for Works and Housing in the Akume administration, was first sighted at Wannune, Tarkaa Local Government Area, when the Senate Minority Leader donated a magnificent church building to St. Christopher’s Parish.

    The PDP chieftain rode in the same vehicle with Akume during the burial of former Deputy Governor Ogiri Ajene, at Obarike Eto.

    Both politicians received standing ovation in the presence of Suswam.

    Since then, there has been panic in the camp of the ruling PDP, though the architect has not officially defected to the ACN.

    ACN Chairman Comrade Abba Yaro said the party would be happy to welcome Ikyaagba into its fold.

    He said: “We in the ACN are already mobilising ahead of 2015 and it will be to our advantage if a big fish like Jeo Ikyaagba joins our party.”

    Attempts to reach Ikyaagba failed. But a source told our correspondent that the PDP chieftain has reunited with his former boss in the ACN.

  • Buhari, Tinubu, Akume, others speak at opposition rally in Kaduna tomorrow

    Buhari, Tinubu, Akume, others speak at opposition rally in Kaduna tomorrow

    Former Head of State, General Muhammadu Bugari and former Lagos State governor, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, are among high profile opposition leaders scheduled to address a rally organised by the coalition of opposition parties in Kagoro, Southern Kaduna, tomorrow.

    Other speakers are former Benue State governor and Senate Minority Leader George Akume; Lagos State Governor Babatunde Fashola (SAN); former Federal Capital Territory (FCT) Minister, Mallam Nasir el-Rufai; Nasarawa State Governor Tanko Al-Makura and former Kano State Governor Ibrahim Shekarau.

    The event, which will be chaired by a former Chief of Naval State, Vice Admiral Ibrahim Iko (rtd), has as its theme: A Decade of Democracy: A Region at Crossroads.

    The secretary of the conference of opposition political parties in Kaduna State, Francis Kozah, told reporters yesterday that the rally will mark a significant shift and higher attainment in the search for alternative leadership in Kaduna State.

    He said: “We have been looking for ways of alternative government in this state since the last two years. The idea of the formation of the All Progressive Congress (APC) is what we, the opposition parties in Kaduna State, strongly identify with.

    “We believe that the rally will give our people the strong sense of our commitment for a new government come 2015. With the calibre of people that will address us, we have done what is expected.

    “We have written the Commissioner of Police and all the Divisional Police Offices (DPOs) in Southern Kaduna with their counterparts in the in the State Security Service (SSS). We asked for security during the rally. We are very sure they will comply, because this is a constitutional right.

    “But, even from the words of the state government, Kaduna State is secured and peaceful. So, there will be no basis for that.”

  • Akume mourns ACN chieftain

    The Senate Minority Leader, George Akume, has commiserated with the family of the late Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) Vice-Chairman (Southeast), Chudi Nwike.

    Nwike (61) was abducted on the Auchi–Abuja road on March 19 and his body was discovered in Agbor, Delta State, on April 9.

    In a statement yesterday, Akume said: “I feel very shocked, concerned and disheartened by the murder of the ACN vice-chairman by suspected kidnappers.

    “His death is indeed a great loss to all of us and his fatal travail in the hands of hoodlums further highlight our security inadequacies as a nation.

    “This is a sad but obvious indication of how vulnerable we all are wherever we may be in Nigeria and this does not portray us as a people who believe or attach importance to the sanctity of life.

    “We should not hesitate to condemn these barbaric acts but more importantly, we should challenge the security outfits to stop paying a lip-service to security issues.

    “I condole with the family of the deceased, the ACN and indeed all Nigerians.”

  • Opposition Senators back APC

    Opposition Senators back APC

    Opposition Senators on Thursday threw their weight behind the formation of the All Progressives Congress (APC) by four major political parties in the country.

    Senators on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), All Nigeria Peoples Party (ANPP), All Progressive Grand Alliance (APGA), Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Democratic Peoples’ Party (DPP) announced their support for the merger at a press conference in Abuja.

    Senator George Akume, who spoke on behalf of the other Senators at the press conference, said that they met and discussed the ongoing merger talks among the progressive parties in the country.

    Akume, who is also Senate Minority Leader, said that they observed that the merger is aimed at salvaging the political, social and economic situation in the country “with a view to rescuing our nation from the rot and corruption bedeviling her and from the fangs of Peoples Democratic Party’s maladministration.”

    “As representatives of the people, we Senators of the earlier mentioned political parties have all agreed to work enthusiastically in support of this national redemption project, which is a step in the right direction.”

    ”We support our leaders; we applaud their wisdom and patriotism in their epochal drive to stem this declining tide.

    “We also appreciate the courage of our governors.

    ”We call on all the members of our parties in our senatorial districts, our political associates and followers to work assiduously towards the realization of this national redemption project.

    ”All progressive minded Nigerians are called upon regardless of political platform to join this progressive political train.

    ”It is our faith that this collective national redemption project will lead Nigerians to realise the dreams of our founding fathers to have a country that works for all and sundry. God bless the Federal Republic of Nigeria,” Akume said.

     

  • Akume to Nigerians: 2013 has brought good tidings

    The Senate Minority Leader Senator George Akume has wished Nigerians a pleasant New Year celebration.

    Akume, in his New Year message, said: “On behalf of my family and the people of Benue Northwest Senatorial District, I wish all Nigerians a pleasant New Year celebration.

    “This celebration is remarkable because it heralds a respite from the turbulence we have had to endure as a country in the past months.

    “I believe 2013 has brought with it good tidings.

    With all sense of responsibility, I wish to acknowledge that since the last celebration a year ago, Nigeria has made significant strides in all areas of the polity.

    “In my assessment, we are not yet where we ought to be. It is disheartening to note that despite our posture as the giant of Africa and the resources that abound, many Nigerians today still live below the poverty line.

    “As a progressive, I wish to observe that ours is a nation that has been very slow in developing. The government is very far from delivering on most, if not all its pledges to the citizenry, especially those benefits expected to have accrued to all after the subsidy on petroleum products was removed last January.

    “It would have been the joy of everyone if our resources were invested to build good roads, equip health facilities, improve on power supply, make functional education affordable and accessible to all as well as create employment opportunities for our youths.

    “It is necessary to point out that the performance of the present administration has fallen short of the expectations of Nigerians, especially in the areas of administration of justice and implementation of important legislations, which were passed by the National Assembly as well as the tackling of corruption that has been the bane of development in Nigeria.

    “In all these difficulties, Nigerians have conducted themselves in an enviable manner, eschewing violence. They are peace loving, displaying the kind of civility and patience hitherto unseen in this part of the world.

    “I hail the forces/corps for being dutiful during crises.

    In commending the citizenry, I urge them to hold the government accountable in areas where its activities are below their expectations, using every constitutional means open to them. It is only then that the government can be made to provide the tonic essential for development.

    “I sympathise with those affected by the sectarian violence, air disasters and the recent floods. I urge Nigerians to advocate for peace, love and the unity of this country and also to be supportive of government’s programmes and policies as we celebrate the coming of 2013. “I pray the Almighty God to make our dreams as individuals and a nation come true in the New Year.

    Once more, I wish all a happy New Year.”