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Tag: All Progressives Congress (APC)

  • Supreme Court reinstates injunction order against Rivers APC congresses

    The Supreme Court on Monday set aside the ruling of the Court of Appeal, Port Harcourt Division, which vacated a stay order made by a Rivers High Court, against the conduct of All Progressives Congress (APC) congresses in the state.

    Delivering the ruling on the interlocutory appeal, Justice Centus Nweze, held that the decision of the Court of Appeal was in error.

    Nweze said the lower court was compelled to be guided by the judgments of the apex court, adding that the panel had to follow the law before arriving on its decision.

    “This court is the highest and final court of decision in Nigeria. All other courts must abide by decisions from here. Failure to do this amounts to gross misconduct by judges.

    “I hereby make an order setting aside the ruling of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt which vacated the stay order made by a State High Court in this matter,’’ he said.

    The judge held that the respondent (APC) was in contempt when some of its members invaded the court and disrupted the peace of the court during proceedings.

    According to him, it is against known procedure of court for such a party to approach an appellate court to be granted any prayers in a matter for which it is in contempt.

    “The action and attitudes displayed by members and agents of the respondent are complete affront on the judiciary and would not be condoned,’’ he said.

    Ibrahim Umar and 12 other members of the APC had approached the apex court challenging the decision of the Court of Appeal in Port Harcourt.

    Read Also: APC to critics: Stop playing politics with reform in oil sector

    The appellants had initially instituted a case in the Rivers State High Court challenging their exclusion from the party congresses.

    They prayed the court for a stay in the conduct of the congresses pending the determination of the substantive suit.

    Aggrieved by the action, a faction of the APC approached the appellate court where the stay order was set aside, thereby giving the party the freeway to conduct the congresses.

    Meanwhile, Justice Chinwendu Nworgu, on Oct.11 had delivered judgment on the substantive suit, where the court voided the list of candidates and sacked the state APC executive.

    Nwogu said actions taken by the APC during the pendency of the suit had been set aside because they were illegal and unconstitutional.

    The judge held that all those who purchased nomination forms for the ward congresses were entitled to contest the ward congresses of May 19, but were unjustly excluded by the party.

    Nworgu also set aside all the primaries of the Rivers APC, including the indirect election that produced Mr Tonye Cole, as the governorship candidate.

    NAN recalls that the suit allegedly stemmed from crisis between, Rotimi Amaechi, the Minister of Transportation and Sen. Magnus Abe, an acclaimed governorship candidate of the party over the leadership of the party.

  • APC to critics: Stop playing politics with reform in oil sector

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said that Nigerians, especially critics of the President Muhammadu Buhari led government should stop playing politics with the ongoing reform in the nation’s oil and gas sector.

    Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Yekini Nabena told newsmen in an interview on Sunday that the current administration’s efforts to sanitise and reform the oil sector deserve the support of all well-meaning Nigerians.

    Read Also:Opponents of reforms in APC ganging up against me, says Oshiomhole

    Nabena said it was a courageous move by the current administration to reform the oil and gas sector through the introduction of a new price regime which has led to what he described as the technical liberalization of petrol price.

    He said the move was to reposition the country’s downstream oil sector and in particular ensure that the Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) becomes a fully run commercial entity.

    He said “this administration’s efforts to sanitise and reform the oil sector should be supported by all well-meaning Nigerians. It is important that we don’t succumb to the temptation to play politics with the reforms in view of the strides that have been achieved so far.

    “In a general appraisal of the oil sector reforms undertaken by the President Muhammadu Buhari administration, an often downplayed achievement is the fact that in a long time, Nigerians no longer have to waste valuable man hours queuing for fuel on account of scarcities.

    “The positive effects of the oil sector reforms have been instant and visible. Fuel shortages and resultant queues which were a recurrent issue in the sector due to our limited refining base are now in the past.

    “As the NNPC works to wholly meet the national petrol requirement due to the inability of private sector players to meet their supply quota, the increased private participation in our energy sector, is set to increase our local refining base with the near launch of privately-owned and high-capacity refineries. The resultant effect will be an end to the costly importation of refined petroleum products.”

    Reacting to the $3.5billion Subsidy fund being probed by the Senate, Nabena said: “The achievements of the oil sector reforms brings to fore erroneous insinuations of a $3.5billion Subsidy fund allegedly in the NNPC’s custody which the Senate has reportedly resolved to probe.

    “In NNPC’s bid to stem petroleum product supply hiccups, the corporation initiated a revolving National Fuel Support Fund of $1.05billion, since the corporation is literally the sole importer and supplier of products in the country.

    “The Fund has been domiciled in the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) ever since. NNPC has not independently spent a dime of the fund which is to ensure stability in the petroleum products supply in the country.

    “The Fund has been jointly managed by the NNPC, CBN, the Federal Ministry of Finance, the Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency (PPPRA), Office of the Accountant General of the Federation (OGF), the Department of Petroleum Resources (DPR) and the Petroleum Equalization Fund (PEF).”

     

  • Protest in Osun against choice of APC rep candidate

    There was a protest by some members of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ifelodun/Odo-Otin/Boripe federal constituency of Osun State on Friday against an alleged imposition of Hon. Olalekan Afolabi, as the party’s candidate for the House of Representatives in 2019 National Assembly election.

    The aggrieved APC members called on the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party to reverse the alleged imposition and allow primary election to hold in the federal constituency.

    Hundreds of the protesters, who moved round major streets of Ikirun, the headquarters of Ifelodun Local Government Area of the state, lamented that there was no primary election before the emergence of Afolabi as the candidate of the party.

    Read Also: Igbo in Lagos will support APC, say leaders

    Calling for a fresh primary election in the federal constituency! the aggrieved protesters were carrying placards with various inscriptions like “We say no to imposition”, “Afolabi is a member of ADP and not APC”, “We want primary election in our federal constituency” APC will fail if this imposition should stand”, “Mosadek is the best person for the job” and “Afolabi has not decamped from ADP to APC” among others.

    The protesters maintained that the only way for the APC to win the House of Representatives election in the federal constituency is to present the most popular candidate whom they say is Alhaji Moshood Adekunle Oluawo.

    According to them, Mosadek has the majority of supporters in the federal constituency.

    Speaking on behalf of the protesters, a former chairman of Ifelodun Local Government Area, Hon. Adebisi Gbolagade, said the choice of Afolabi as the party’s candidate would lead to failure for the APC in the election.

    Gbolagade noted that many of the supporters of the candidate presented by the leadership of the APC are currently in the ADP.

    He said: “The best candidate for the APC is Alhaji Oluawo since the leadership of the party in the three Local Government Areas that make up the federal constituency have conceded the position to Ifelodun Local Government.”

  • Ribadu, Abe, others lose out as APC Appeals Panel submits report

    …party beat deadline for submission of list

     

    Former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Senator Representing Rivers East in the upper legislative chamber and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani may have emerged as some of the biggest losers in the nomination process for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The outcome of the Appeals Committee which considered complain from the aspirants for the various offices did not favour them as their Appeals were rejected by the panel while upholding the results of the primaries in the various states.

    Read Also:APC Primary: Appeal Panel upholds Nwosu’s election

    Those who also lost out in the governorship race in accordance with the committee report include brother to the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, Alhaji Mahmoud Halilu popularly known as Modi, President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Bala Bobboi Kaigama and Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun who lost the opportunity to have his choice candidate returned as the party flag bearer.

    However, there was palpable tension within and around the National headquarters of the party as aspirants for the Senate and House of Representatives battle to have knowledge of the outcome of the screening and probably the list of candidates sent to INEC by the party.

    The party’s Director of Organisation, Alhaji Abubakar Kari who led some officials of the party in a branded APC bus to submit the list to INEC was seen at about 2.00pm cuddling the list of candidates which has been kept secret.

    It was however gathered that many members of the party across the country who were not sure of whether the decision of the appeal panel were in their favour have been making frantic calls to the secretariat to know their fate.

    The Nation learnt that several of the petitions submitted to the Appeals Panel were either not entertained or dismissed for lacking in substance and this has not gone down well with many of those whose petitions were not entertained.

    The two petitions against the governorship primaries in Rivers by Senator Magnus Abe and Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs were not upheld, while the only petition from Delta written by Prof. Pat Utomi was dismissed and tagged “overtaken by event”.

    From Borno, there were four petitions against the conduct of the governorship primary, with the committee recommending that a consensus option b explored to be driven by the National Chairman in consultation with the President.

    It was also gathered that majority of the petitions against the conduct of the Senate and House of Representatives primaries were not upheld for various reasons ranging from lack of merit, lack of proof to lack of time for fresh primaries while no reasons were adduced for not upholding some others.

    Similarly, some petitions were upheld and some of the petitioners declared as candidates of the party either because they actually won the primaries and were substituted or for other reasons ranging from lack of clearance and others that were not adduced by the committee.

    For example, the Athanasisus Okon who runs the Buhari Friends Organisation Network who was excluded from the primary for Itu/Udom/Oboh-Akara federal constituency was upheld and declared candidate of the party by the committee for reason that he has a strong pedigree and has been a strong supporter of the President and the party.

    A summary of the report indicate that all petitions against the Senate and House of Representatives primaries were rejected by the panel, the same position with Bayelsa, Rivers and Cross Rivers state.

    In Delta, eight petitions were upheld for winning the primaries and having their names substituted, while seven were rejected, while the three petitions against the conduct of the governorship primary in Akwa Ibom state was rejected alongside eight House of Representatives seat, while five were upheld.

    From Kaduna, six petitions were treated for the Senatorial primaries with five of them rejected while one (Shehu Sani) was upheld, while nine of the ten petitions received for the House of Representatives were rejected.

    Two petitions each were received against the governorship primaries in Sokoto and Jigawa and rejected, while three House of Representatives and three Senatorial petitions were rejected from the two states.

    Petitions from Kebbi and Katsina states were also rejected while the two against the conduct of the governorship primary were referred to the National Working Committee for decision, while the petitions from Kano were either upheld or referred to the party national secretariat for action.

    From Taraba state, The Nation gathered that ten petitions were r covered against the conduct of the governorship primary, four against the Senate primary and nine against the House of Representatives primaries, with all petitions rejected, a similar situation with Adamawa and Bauchi states, with only one Senatorial and one House of Representatives seat in Bauchi upheld.
    The situation is not different from the south west zone with six petitions treated from Ekiti against the conduct of the National Assembly primaries and rejected, three House of Representatives petition from Osun were also rejected.

    From Ondo State, the panel upheld three petitions for senate, refers one to the NWC, rejects two and upheld the five petitions for House of Representatives, saying that they won the primary and were substituted.

    Of the two petitions received from Lagos, one was rejected for the senate, while the one for the House of Representatives was upheld.

    The panel also rejected two Senatorial petitions from Ogun and recommended that the third petitioner be adopted as the candidate saying stakeholder of the party in the areas agreed to adopt him as a sole candidate.

    However, aspirants whose petitions were not treated are protesting against the report of the Appeals Panel saying grave injustice has been done to them both in the conduct of the primaries and the outcome of the Appeals Panel.

    One of the aspirants Mr. Adaze Wilson Imafidon, who was seeking the party’s ticket to contest the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde House of Representatives Federal Constituency seat, submitted a petition to the appeals committee through his lawyers, describing the purported primary election held in the constituency as a sham.

    According to his legal representatives, Imafidon and Imafidon of Eghosa Chambers, their client resorted to writing the petition to the committee because of the injustice that was done to him and his supporters who are bonafide members of the party.

    The aspirant alleged that none of the accredited members of the APC committee sent to the area was present during the purported election in the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde Federal Constituency except in Urhonigbe South where only the INEC went to observe.

    “Consequently, it is now beyond contention that the proposed primary election into the Federal House of Representatives in Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde Federal Constituency, which was slated for Saturday 6th October 2018, and indeed all other APC primary elections throughout Edo State did not hold to the dismay of our client and his mammoth supporters.” The petition disclosed.
    They said any attempt to present any of the aspirants to INEC as the winner of the botched APC primary election of 6th October 2018 would be illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional.

    “We, therefore, call on the National Working Committee (NWC) to appreciate the concerns raised above and to do justice as appropriate in the overall interest of the Party.”

    Another aspirant, Christopher Ariri, who is an aspirant for the Orhionmwon East State Constituency of Edo State,  said, “Some of the accredited members of the appropriate committee mandated by the party to supervise and conduct the primary election into the Edo state House of Assembly’s Orhionmwon East Constituency, totally hijacked the process when they noticed our huge support by deliberately declining to count votes cast for us so as to foist on us a situation of complete helplessness”.

    Meanwhile a group, on the platform of Benue South APC Justice and Equality Movement has taken a peaceful protest to the headquarters of the party, asking the NWC to call the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh to order for allegedly substituting the names of elected candidates with those who did not participate at the primary.

    The coordinator of the group, Mr. Akor Ikwuocha, told newsmen that they were surprised that after winners have emerged and names were submitted to the approximate authority by the electoral committee, “the Minister allegedly from overseas, called a meeting of few persons and announced to them that he is substituting names of most of the candidates because they were not his choice.

    “Today, there is no single campaign bill board of President Muhammadu Buhari in the whole of Benue South Senatorial district despite the fact that the Benue South has a cabinet member in person of Chief Audu Ogbe.”

    The protesters said the attempt to change the names of elected candidates across Benue South may further engender disenchantment among the APC members.

    They, however, appealed to the NWC to call the Minister to order and ensure that all those candidates that won the primary elections are allowed to go for the general election as party’s candidates.

     

     

     

     

  • Delta: Ogodo faction warns party against falling in contempt of court

    The crisis rocking the Delta state chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) seemed to have gathered more steam on Thursday as the legal team of the Cyril Ogodo-led faction of the party threatened further legal actions against the party.
    The new threat, hinged on contempt of court and threatened to be filed against the party and its National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, followed an alleged misinterpretation of the Federal High Court, Asaba, judgement of Wednesday, October 17, this year, by the Prophet Jones Erue-led faction of the party and the tendency of the party at the national secretariat to disobey the court order.
    The High Court, presided over by Justice Toyin Adegoke, had issued a restraining order against the party and Comrade Oshiomhole, being the first and second respondents in the matter, to the effect that the party should maintain status quo by refraining to submit any list of candidates from Delta to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), pending the decision of the primary case before the court.
    The legal team of the Erue-led faction had interpreted the order to mean that the status quo to be maintained was asserting that the Erue faction remains the only recognized body.
    However, sounding a note of warning to the first and second respondents in the matter, the leader of the legal team of the the Ogodo faction of the party, Chief Fred Olokor, noted that both the counsel of the respondents and the INEC understood that the status quo ordered by the court meant the fact that the INEC had yet to receive any list of candidates from Delta APC as at the time the court was sitting, thus it should remain so until the preliminary case is decided.
    In a statement issued to journalists in Warri on Thursday, the legal team noted that the court gave the order, having noted that the matter would be given an accelerated hearing and set dates for hearing and decision.
    “The court then inquired from the Counsel to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) if any list of candidates had been submitted to INEC as at 17th of October, 2018. The INEC counsel confirmed to court that no list of candidates for Delta State have been submitted to INEC yet.
    “At this point the Honourable Judge ordered that all parties should maintain status quo. The clear meaning and intent of the Status Quo, therefore, is to preserve the res by ensuring that no list of candidates is submitted to INEC until the determination of the substantive matter.
    “This was why the judge ordered for accelerated hearing and fixed November 1st and 2nd 2018 for the hearing and determination of the case. It is therefore pedestrian and mischievous for anyone to suggest or argue that the Federal High Court in Asaba did not restrain APC from submitting any list of candidates for Delta State to INEC.
    “The counsel to the 1st and 2nd Defendants (APC and the APC National Chairman) was in court and clearly understood what the order meant. Counsel will thus be unduly exposing his clients to the risk of contempt proceedings if he allows them to be misled by the mischievous interpretation of the Prophet Jones factional Legal Adviser as is being circulated in the media.
    “Let it be known that anyone who violates the clear orders made on the 17th of October, 2018 stands the risk of having contempt proceedings initiated against them”, the team warned.

  • Ekiti APC Treasurer shot dead while eating

    …Party mourns

    Ekiti State chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has been thrown into mourning following the murder of the State Treasurer, Mr. Moses Adeoye, Wednesday night.

    Adeoye was reportedly shot dead in his house in Otun-Ekiti, headquarters of Moba Local Government Area while having his supper.

    Read Also:Tribunal adjourns hearing of Ekiti governorship poll dispute till today

    The gunmen were said to have invaded Adeoye’s residence at about 9.00 pm and opened fire on the victim while he was eating.

    He was killed few hours after returning to Otun-Ekiti after being part of the town hall meetings held by Governor Kayode Fayemi in Ekiti North and Ekiti South senatorial districts same day.

    Adeoye was the APC chairman in his local government area before he became the state treasurer at the state congress in September.

    The police spokesman Caleb Ikechukwu disclosed that the state command has commenced investigation into the killing assuring that the culprits would soon be nabbed.

    The state chapter of the APC has expressed shock at the killing of a member of the State Working Committee (SWC).

    The APC Publicity Secretary, Mr. Ade Ajayi, disclosed that the state exco had paid a condolence visit to the family of Adeoye.

    Ajayi in a statement on Thursday said the state APC Chairman, Mr. Paul Omotoso, described Adeoye as responsible, honest, committed party man praying that such an incident would not happen again.

    Ajayi also quotes Omotoso as describing the killing of the treasurer as a “terrible blow” to Governor Kayode Fayemi, APC, party members and the Moba people.

    The APC Chairman in Moba council area, Mr. Femi Adeyeye, described the incident as a “rude shock” to all party members and people of the community.

    Adeyeye urged the state government and the party not to forget the family of the slain Adeoye.

    The APC delegation from the state exco also paid a condolence visit to the Oore of Moba land, Oba James Adedapo Popoola, in his palace in Otun-Ekiti, on the killing of the party leader.

    Omotoso urged the monarch to take solace in God on the loss of a prominent son of the community saying the party would do everything possible to bring the killers to book.

    Oba Popoola thanked the APC leaders for the visit noting that the incident has created an injury in the hearts of the people of the town that would take time to heal.

  • Court to hear suit against Oyetola on October 24

    Judge agrees to a summary hearing

    A Federal High Court in Abuja has fixed October 24 for the hearing of a suit filed by an aggrieved governorship aspirant of the of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Osun State, Kunle Rasheed Adegoke.

    Justice I. E. Ekwo, who gave the date on Tuesday, also elected to hear the substantive suit with the preliminary objection filed by the defendants.

    Adegoke, in the suit marked: FHC/ABJ/ CS/804/2018, wants the court to nullify the APC primary election, which produced Gboyega Isiaka as the APC governorship candidate in Osun State over alleged irregularities.

    Defendants in the suit are the APC and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    It is Adegoke’s contention that the conduct APC s primary election in Osun State violated the Constitution, the Electoral Act, 2010 and relevant provisions of the APC constitution, including the Regulation for the Conduct of Political Party Primaries of the Independent National Electoral Commission.

    He said, in a supporting affidavit, that the “direct method” adopted by the party allowing all general members of the party to vote in the primary election “was a departure from the extant 2014 guidelines of the party”.

    The plaintiff stated that contrary to the development in Osun State, “The indirect method of primary election was used in Edo State in 2016, Ondo State in 2016, Anambra State in 2017 and Ekiti State in May 2018”.

    He noted that he had also, in an open letter, challenged the National Chairman of the party, Mr. Adams Oshiomhole, informing him that there was no membership register of the party by which the party could conduct a credible direct primary election.

    He also said he informed Oshimhole that the adoption of direct primary election without membership register would be in flagrant violation of the Constitution of the party due to the time of its adoption vis-à-vis the general requirements of the law.

    Adegoke said APC failed to notify him as an aspirant or the INEC in writing not later than 21 days to the date of the primaries, the details including the specific location and venue, date and time for the conduct of its nomination of candidate  before holding same on the July 20, 2018.

    He stated that APC also failed to notify INEC in writing “the rescheduling of the purported primary election from Wednesday, the 18th day of July 2018 to Friday, the 20th day of July 2018.”

    The plaintiff the party also failed to  maintain “a proper and duly certified membership register for the purpose of conducting direct method of primaries”.

    Read Also: Oyetola gets INEC’s Certificate of Return

    He also said officers of INEC “did not monitor the primary election”

    which held in 332 wards  of Osun State on July 20 “as no reports of such elections at the ward level were prepared and submitted to the 2nd defendant (INEC)”.

    ‎The plaintiff wants, among others, a declaration “that the Osun State governorship primary election of the APC held “in flagrant violation of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as altered), the Electoral Act, 2010 (as amended) and the relevant provisions of the Constitution of the 1st defendant and the Regulation for the Conduct of Political Party Primaries of the Independent National Electoral Commission is unconstitutional, unlawful, null and void.”

    He also wants the court to declare that “it is unconstitutional” for the APC “to organise and conduct” the  primary election “without a meeting of the National Executive Committee approving Rules and Regulations which ought to be made but was never made by the National Working Committee for the purpose of nomination of candidates through direct primary elections”.

    Adegoke is equally praying the court for a declaration that “it is ultra vires” for the APC to organise the primary election “without having given a prior 21-day notice of its primaries to the Independent National Electoral Commission (the 2nd defendant) indicating that a direct method of primary election shall be used”.

    He wants an order nullifying the primary election for allegedly violating the Nigerian Constitution,the Electoral Act, and the other cited laws, rules and regulations of the party and INEC.

  • Tinubu is an asset to Nigeria – Monarch

    The Oluwo of Iwo, Oba Abdul-Rasheed Adewale Akanbi, has described the national leader of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Asiwaju Bola Ahmmed Tinubu, as an asset to Nigeria.

    He said he was proud of him as his Yoruba son and for his contribution s to political, social and economic survival of Nigeria.

    The Oluwo, who spoke with reporters in Osogbo, Osun State capital on Saturday, said Tinubu as a progressive politician and a non tribalistic  nationalist and has commited his resources to Nigeria unity.

    According to the first class monarch, everything about Tinubu is provision of quality representation as exemplified in the digital turning around of Lagos during his tenure as governor.

    The Oluwo, who pointed out the tempo of development in the state known as Centre of Excellence, described Tinubu as the architect of modern Lagos.

    Oluwo further described the APC national leader as a symbol of unity, saying with his economic and political contacts and establishments across Nigeria he had contributed to a united Nigeria.

    Read Also: ‘Farmers, herders crisis: What Tinubu said’

    Oba Akanbi appealed to Nigerians to pray for past nationalists and rally support for current nationalists to encourage them to pilot the nation to a constructive end.

    In his words: “Tinubu is an asset to Nigeria as a whole. He made the first mega city in Nigeria and turned it into a digital metropolis. He is the architect of modern Nigeria and a rallying point to all even across geo-political zones of the country.

    “He is a leader of merit, committing his resources to national integration through his  economic and political resources. God has used him to make many Nigerians in different capacities. He is a complete Nigerian of no discrimination, nepotism nor division. He is a force and a rallying point. I am proud to have him as my son. He is making me proud. Spiritually and traditionally, I am his father.

    “I am proud to have children of national and international stature like Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola. I consider this as a blessing to me. They all made me proud and I easily make reference to them. It is one thing to be influential and another thing to commit the influence to the growth of your country. So, I charge aspiring young Nigerians to emulate Tinubu in the promotion of national unity, survival and development of this nation.”

  • Rivers 2019: Tonye Cole picks APC’s NWC member as running mate

    The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Pastor Tonye Cole, has picked the Deputy National Secretary of APC, Chief Victor Giadom, as his running mate for the 2019 election in the Niger Delta state.

    Rivers Publicity Secretary of APC, Chris Finebone, made the disclosure on Saturday in Port Harcourt, while revealing that Cole, a billionaire businessman and co-founder of Sahara Group,  announced the choice of Giadom, while briefing APC leaders during a meeting in the Rivers state capital.

    Giadom, an indigene of Bera-Ogoni in Gokana Local Government Area of Rivers state, where Senator Magnus Abe, who represents Rivers Southeast Senatorial District/governorship aspirant on APC platform, also hails from.

    The newly-announced running mate is a former Chairman of Gokana local government council and he later served as Rivers Commissioner for Works in the Rotimi Amaechi’s administration between 2011 and 2015.

    Giadom also served as the Director-General of the Greater Together Governorship Campaign Organisation of APC’s Dr. Dakuku Peterside in 2015.

    Read Also: Rivers to tackle mental health

    The running mate replaced Nigeria’s Ambassador to Netherlands, Oji Ngofa, as a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of APC, with Ngofa recently emerging as the party’s candidate for Rivers Southeast senatorial district for next year’s poll.

    Cole was quoted as saying during the stakeholders’ meeting in Port Harcourt: “The choice of Chief Victor Giadom as my running mate was arrived at, after a careful and exhaustive consideration of an array of equally-notable personalities in the party.

    “He (Giadom) came out tops on all considerations, especially his unalloyed and untainted loyalty, unrelenting hard work and invaluable experience as a former outstanding Local Government Chairman, former Commissioner for Works, former Governorship Campaign Director-General and presently a member of the National Working Committee (NWC) of our great party, the APC.”

    Finebone also stated that with the choice of Giadom, the governorship candidate of APC in Rivers had started to assemble a crack dream team for the 2019 governorship election in the state.

    The former Secretary to the Rivers State Government, SSG (Abe) and his supporters are still protesting against the emergence of Cole through indirect primary, backed by members of NWC of APC, as the standard bearer of the parry in Rivers, while they were at the national secretariat of the party in Abuja on Friday, in continuation of their protests, which they started in Port Harcourt.

    Abe insisted he was not aware that Cole was a member of APC and that Amaechi with some leaders of the party would not sit in Lagos to force a governorship candidate on APC in Rivers, while declaring that he remained the standard bearer of the party in the state, having emerged through direct primary, backed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) of APC.

  • APC must resolve all crisis or lose 2019 elections

    Former Student Union Leader and Senatorial aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) foe Benue South, Daniel Onjeh said on Friday that the fortunes of the party in the forth coming general elections will be determined by it’s ability to quickly resolve all contending issues arising from the party primaries.

    Onjeh who spoke with newsmwn at the party see Secretariat on Friday evening said the party may lose the general election if it failed to successfully resolve all contending issues.

    He also said that contrary to insinuations in the media, the former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar poses no threat to the reelection bid of President Muhammadu Buhari.

    The NANS President ho complained of being shortchanged at the recent party primary election in the Benue state, said the leadership of the APC must work hard to reconcile aggrieved members so that the chances of the party would not affected by the spill-over of the primary election crisis, adding that the appeal panel set up by the party must do what is right and just so as bring back members to forge a common front ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    While dismissing the endorsement of former Atiku  Ahubakar by former President Olusegun Obasanjo and religious leaders  Onjeh  said that President Buhari has done enough to earn him a second term.He said that the former president’s are ganging up against President Buhari because they will all be made to account for their ill-gottcn wealth if he is re-elected.

    Read Also: I’m under pressure to leave APC – Yari

    “The same Obasanjo who gushed over Atiku a couple of days ago, is the same person who wrote in the second volume of his hagiography, My Watch: Why I Did Not Let Atiku Succeed Me as President,” he said.

    On the alleged cases of corruption during the past PDP administration with similar scandals witnessed in the last three and half years of President Buhari’s administration, Onjeh said president has tried to deal with any such acts even if slowly. Onjeh said: “Atiku is not a threat to President Buhari’s chances of re-election in 2019. While Buhari is lionized as an epitome of integrity, transparency, and accountability, qualities which informed his adoption by the African Union as the continent’s anti-corruption champion, Alhaji Abubakar, a former deputy controller general of the then exceedingly corrupt Nigeria Customs Service (NCS), a man whose source of stupendous wealth is a mystery hidden in a Pandora’s box of riddles, has been mentioned in tales of corruption, shady and underhand deals”.