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Tag: All Progressives Congress

  • PDP advises APC leadership to address national issues

    PDP advises APC leadership to address national issues

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has advised the All Progressives Congress (APC) led Federal Government to as a matter of urgency address the incessant killings, unemployment and other national issues affecting the country.

    PDP gave the advice in a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan on Monday in Abuja.

    The advice according to Ologbondiyan is in reaction to the list of appointed board members of federal parastatatals which contained names of deceased persons.

    He specifically called on the APC leadership to ensure a clear roadmap that would address burning issues affecting the economy and Nigerians, rather than resorting to excuses and shifting of blames.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the APC National Chairman, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun had dissociated the party from the appointment, saying the party had no input in the appointments.

    Some of the issues according to Ologbondiyan include economy challenges, job losses and business closures which he says have caused hardship to families.

    Others according to him include insurgency, fuel crisis, and hidden oil subsidy payouts, illegal lifting of crude and the depletion of Nigerians foreign financial instruments.

  • Amaechi, Obaseki, others celebrate Peterside

    Amaechi, Obaseki, others celebrate Peterside

    The Director-General of the Nigerian Maritime Administration and Safety Agency (NIMASA), Dr. Dakuku Peterside, who was the governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) during the 2015 election in Rivers State, was born on December 31, 1970.

    To mark the 47th birthday of the deputy leader of APC in Rivers (Peterside), his committee of friends, led by Dr. Henry Ogiri, put together a thanksgiving service and an elaborate reception at the highbrow Aztech Arcum Event Centre on Ken Saro-Wiwa (formerly Stadium) Road in Port Harcourt, the state capital.

    Choristers from various churches  and independent singers/musicians performed at the thanksgiving service (Part A), which had in attendance, renowned clerics, including Pastor Okechukwu Enelamah, Apostle Eugene Ogu, Pastor Belemina Obunge, Rev. George Izunwa, Pastor James Idode and Rev. Essa Ogory, among others.

    Prayers were offered for the former governorship candidate of the APC in Rivers and his runningmate at the poll, Asita Honourable, who also marked his 51st birthday at the same venue.

    The programme was attended by Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi; Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki; Peterside’s mother, Madam Sogba; a member of the Board of Trustees (BoT) of the APC, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja; a former Minister of Culture and Tourism, Alabo Tonye Graham-Douglas; Deputy National Secretary of APC, Chief Victor Giadom; and two former Vice-Chancellors of the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT), Profs. Nimi Briggs and Don Baridam; as well as many chieftains of APC, among other eminent personalities.

    In Part B of the programme, Ogiri described Peterside as a complete gentleman, hardworking, disciplined, brilliant, a man of honour and integrity, while lauding all the members of the committee of friends for the support and the distinguished persons in attendance for honouring the alumnus of UNIPORT and the then Rivers State University of Science and Technology (RSUST), now Rivers State University (RSU), Port Harcourt.

    While proposing the toast, an oil magnate, Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs, said: “Your background is not the reason why your back is on the ground. Commitment and prayers will give you all you need in life,” describing the former Rivers Commissioner for Works as very humble, trustworthy and reliable.

    The beautiful birthday cake was also cut by the celebrant, in company with Amaechi, who is the leader of APC in the Southsouth zone and Rivers state; Obaseki; and Asita, among others.

    Immediately after cutting the cake, the Masters of Ceremonies (MCs): Mike Ogolo and Tekena Iyalla, decided to test the dancing skills of Peterside and Asita, who did not disappoint their friends and family members, by digging it for about thirty minutes.

    Edo governor, who was accompanied by his wife, in his remarks, revealed that the 2015 governorship campaigns, energy and passion of Peterside, inspired him to vie as governor.

    Obaseki said: “I decided to leave Benin City on December 31. Traditionally, I am not supposed to, but I said I would come to Port Harcourt with my wife, not just for the respect for my in-law, but to come and tell him (Peterside) how much we love and respect him.

    “Peterside may not know, you are one of those who inspired me to run for the office of governor of Edo State. I watched and followed your campaigns. I saw the energy and passion with which you campaigned and they gave me inspiration. It is unfortunate that the deserved victory was not given to you, but you will get it back.

    “I know that given what you are doing in NIMASA today, you would have done much more for your state. If you have the opportunity to handle a state like Rivers that is so rich and so blessed with people and resources, we will find enough engine to change the fortunes of the Southsouth zone of Nigeria.

    “Edo is the entry point to the Southsouth. We have started the reform of our region from Edo State, but I am very lonely. I am the only APC governor from the Southsouth zone. I want my APC brothers to be governors in the zone, because in Edo State, with the little amount of oil (crude) and the little amount of money/derivation we get from the federal purse, if we can do what we are doing in Edo, can you imagine what this state (Rivers) can do?

    “The country realises the potential in you (Peterside). I am sure the people of Rivers State also realise the potential you have. Giving what you have achieved in these years of your life, no doubt, when you have the opportunity to do more for your people, you will do the same way you are doing at the federal level. We are very proud of you. Keep working the way you are doing. We also want to thank you, as people of the Southsouth, for helping us to remove our shame in NIMASA. We are grateful to you. You have come to demonstrate that what happened before your tenure was not in our character. You have done well. Please continue.”

    The governor of Edo state also assured that by the grace of God, he and others would come to Port Harcourt again and again to celebrate with the director-general of NIMASA.

    Peterside, who is also a former member of the House of Representatives, assured that end would soon come to the hopelessness, mystery and lack of good governance in Rivers by Governor Nyesom Wike of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    The NIMASA chief said: “There is no doubt that in Rivers State today, everything is going wrong at the same time. Our healthcare system has collapsed. The National Bureau of Statistics recently released the mystery index and Rivers State is number one in the mystery index. Our people are wallowing in abject poverty and mystery. We sympathise with the people of Rivers State.

    “I can assure you that between the next 12 and 24 months, by the power of the Almighty God and by the power of your rights as Rivers sons, daughters and residents, we will bring to an end, the lack of good governance, hopelessness and mystery in Rivers State. We will bring to an end the shame our people are suffering today.

    “I have heard the cries, pains and agony of our people. There is no one man who can bring to an end these pains, cries and agony. It has to be all of us, working together in the same direction under God and under a common leadership.”

    The former federal lawmaker (Peterside) also expressed gratitude to all the eminent personalities who honoured him and Asita on their birthday.

    The transportation minister, while also speaking, disclosed that the only time somebody, especially a top government official, could know who was loyal, would be when he/she was out of office.

    Amaechi, who is a former governor of Rivers state, said: “If indeed you will call everybody my boys in politics, it will be three persons: Peterside, Nwuke Anucha (from Omuma LGA of Rivers State) and Gabriel Pidomson (an indigene of Bodo-Ogoni in Gokana LGA/former Secretary to the Rivers State Government in the administration of Sir Celestine Omehia). Out of the three of them, it is only Peterside that is with me. By character we shall know them.

    “The only two persons that can write their histories and can call me their boy are Chief Rufus Ada-George and Dr. Peter Odili (both ex-Rivers governors). When we were fighting for the governorship of Rivers State under Dr. Odili, they said Peterside would betray me. I am telling Peterside for the first time. Is Pidomson there? Is Anucha there? The person they said would go (Peterside), is the person who is with us.

    “The only time you will know who is loyal, is when you are out of office. I am not out of office. The only reason they are trying their luck, with what they are doing, is that they believe he (Amaechi) is close to the President (Muhammadu Buhari), but they said there are others who are also close to the President that they can work through. If tomorrow, the President calls me and he says you are my son in whom I am well pleased in Rivers State, they will come back. But because the President does not speak and he attends to everybody according to their needs, they are trying to see some people who can talk to the President. They cannot stand hunger.”

    The minister of transportation also stated that NIMASA was a cesspit of corruption, but Peterside was able to recently return N20 billion, which he (Amaechi) described as highly commendable.

    With the disclosure that the NIMASA chief had a humble beginning, but through the grace of God and hard work, he is now a force to reckon with, not just in Nigeria, but globally, the youths should emulate him, especially bearing in mind that hard work does not kill, it pays.

  • How Amaechi, Magnus Abe fell apart

    How Amaechi, Magnus Abe fell apart

    Chief Andrew Uchendu is the senator representing Rivers East Senatorial District in the National Assembly. A seasoned technocrat, a chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and a well known grassroots politician in Rivers State, Chief Uchendu has been a recurring decimal in the political equation of Rivers State since 1999. He had served for three terms of 12 years as a member of the House of Representatives, representing Ikwerre/Emohua Federal Constituency before being called upon by his people to move up to the Senate. He spoke to some journalists on the issues/crisis in.

    What is happening in the Rivers State chapter of your party?  Is there a crisis currently ravaging the APC in the state?

    Clearly and simply put, there is no crisis in Rivers APC. What a lot of people, especially you people in the media, are misunderstanding and interpreting as crisis is the fact that distinguished Senator Magnus Abe (the APC senator representing Rivers South-East) opted out of a decision we all jointly took to strengthen the party ahead of 2019 elections and continue to pursue his personal ambition. Constitutionally, he has the right to do that‎ but it can never constitute crisis in the party. To the best of my knowledge as a senator of the federal republic, all the party structures from ward to State levels are intact and there’s no crisis.

    Are you saying ther‎e are no two APC factions, the Amaechi and Magnus Abe factions?

    What factions? Please don’t say that. There’s one APC in Rivers, with one chairman Chief Davies Ibiamu-Ikanya and our leader remains Rt. Hon. Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi. Let me take you back a little into the history of the emergence of APC in Rivers State. You need to understand that we were all in PDP but a situation arose when our leader, Rotimi Amaechi,‎ and his other colleagues in PDP then decided to move away from PDP to APC and when we joined APC, he became the only leader in the party and at that point in time, his structure is almost the same as the APC structure and that continued until after the election in 2015. At that time we were having APC structure, equal to Rotimi Amaechi structure, this is very fundamental for you to understand. After the elections, His Excellency, Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi now directed that because of his extremely busy engagements and official duties, he was going to step aside to allow Dakuku Peterside (the Rivers APC 2015 governorship candidate and now DG of NIMASA) to sit in and re- organise the party and that went down well with all of us (including Magnus Abe). And Peterside was doing that diligently.

    But as time went on, our leader (Amaechi) observed that people were beginning to pursue their individual political agenda and our collective good and progress as a party was suffering, terribly. A series of meetings were held in Abuja and Senator Magnus Abe attended, I attended, Dakuku Peterside attended with more than thirty leaders of the party in Rivers State and the honourable minister told us of his observation that Abe and Peterside were pursuing their individual ambitions at the expense of the party and that was not good for all of us and he advised them and admonished them. I remember on a very good day, my friend Senator Magnus Abe, in an attempt to assure Amaechi of his total loyalty (to Amaechi) for life, said and I quote, “Your Excellency, I would like Nigerians to learn from my relationship with you and no matter the situation, I will not betray you”. Magnus Abe said this in the presence of other leaders at a meeting held at our leader, Amaechi’s house in Abuja.

    Can you recall when Abe said this, when the meeting took place?

    That should be early in the year, I can’t recall exactly what day or month; and then the bubble burst. A meeting was held in Abuja, the final meeting where the bubble burst. Because of the decision of Dakuku and Magnus to go against the decision of our leader, to hold on to their political ambition in the interest of the party, he said and I quote “because of the inability of Senator Magnus Abe and Dr Dakuku Peterside to comply with the decision to wait, hold on, on their political ambitions and help to rebuild the party, those that are for Magnus Abe should go with him. Those that are for Dakuku, follow him and those that are for the party, join me (Amaechi) in rebuilding the party”. And I stand to be corrected. I am a national honours holder and I put my integrity on the line. I tell Nigerians nothing but the truth.

    In a recent article he wrote, Magnus Abe threw up an issue that those sympathetic to him, his supporters are being systematically removed from office, how true is this?

    There was no such thing. I will try to differentiate between the leadership of Amaechi and the party in the state. By the time Abe continued to pursue his individual political ambition, a new trend and interest had emerged but that does not mean that the party structure was not there. It is now Amaechi’s structure and Magnus’ structure. This has nothing to do with the elected main party structure. After the decision was taken on the need to rebuild the party, we now separated the wheat from the chaff. So, when the Dome declaration was made and Abe continued with the pursuit of his ambition(against the overall interest of the party), which of course he has a constitutional right to do, Hon. Chidi Wihioka, leader in Ikwerre Local Government Area followed him, Hon. Tony Okocha, leader in Obio Akpor, followed him, Hon. Wogu Boms, the former Attorney General and leader in Phalga followed him and we decided to meet as our own political think tank in Ikwerreland because it was obvious that there were vacancies. When Abe came with his own personal approach that was not helping the party, vacancies were created and I think expectedly, Amaechi has the right to fill those vacancies; they were his nominations and not APC structure in Rivers State; they were LGA leaders in Amaechi’s political structure in Rivers State. This cannot constitute crisis in anyway. Even the state party chairman said clearly that those changes had nothing to do with the party structure in the state.

    What about Magnus Abe’s complained that he is being marginalised without benefits or patronage from the APC system to his supporters? How true is this?‎

    You know, like I do that there is no one dispensing favours from the A‎PC national level other than the Federal Government. But let me tell you something that will clearly disprove that claim. There was a time when our leader, Rotimi Amaechi, confided in me that he had chosen an Ikwerre son to be nominated as the Executive Director, Finance and Administration (EDFA) for the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), we agreed on it. But suddenly when he called a meeting of his core group, I think about five of us and Abe were present. Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi now informed us that he had made the concession to Magnus Abe to produce the EDFA of NDDC because he pleaded with him. I was shocked, I am an Ikwerre man, I was still in the Tribunal and wasn’t a senator then. I was shocked and immediately he made the pronouncement, Abe quickly stood up and said “I nominate Mene Derek”. So, Magnus Abe cannot say his supporters are being marginalised. Mene Derek, the Executive Director of Finance and Administration of NDDC, was conceded to him and he nominated the young man.

    As ‎a chieftain of the party in Rivers State, can you honestly say to Nigerians that the process that would lead to the emergence of APC governorship candidate in the state will be free and fair?

    If we fail to assure a level playing field for those to contest, all what we have been doing will be a waste of time. It’s sad and most unfortunate that some people are just making unnecessary noise in the party in Rivers State. Take the case of the APC non-elective congress, we all do know that LGA congresses are held at the LGA headquarters and not at the party secretariat. Announcements were made, the delegated committees to handle it from Abuja were in town and instead of going to their different LGAs for the congress, they went to the party secretariat where the congress was not scheduled to hold, so they could accuse someone of lack of level playing ground. A time would come when the party will schedule congresses and then primaries and it is not going to be an Amaechi’s show. It will be handled by those coming from Abuja, sent by the national headquarters. So, this issue is completely premature and totally unnecessary.

    Lets’ talk about politics without bitterness. Recently Rivers State governor Nyesom Wike announced SUV gifts of jeeps for Rivers State National Assembly legislators. We saw the videos of most of your APC colleagues in the House of Representatives in Government House, Port Harcourt, collecting theirs from Governor Wike. Have you gone to collect your SUV gift from the Rivers State governor?

    I just returned to the country but nobody (from Rivers State Government) has told me about the car but somehow I heard about it. Well, if he bought cars, it would be in keeping with past precedence ‎that has been there in Rivers State. It started with former governor Peter Odili and I would have being surprised if he does otherwise. I recalled dedicating my certificate of return to the reconciliation, peace and development of Rivers State. Because coincidentally, I am the oldest elected Rivers son in Nigeria and I have a role to play. I went further to say that I will pay a courtesy visit to the governor and I have followed that up with a formal letter, courier-serviced to his office two months ago and I am still waiting for his response. I cannot be a successful senator of the federal republic without working with the minister of transportation and the governor of Rivers State. I have written a letter to the governor seeking for a meeting but no response from him and now he is talking about a mundane issue like car collection. I want us to work together to better the lots of Rivers people. Issues around the car gifts are different.

    But you would agree with me that the car issue was controversial…

    My response to this is that the governor has his priority. My own priority is the welfare of my constituents. I wrote to the governor and the minister of transport for a meeting. While the Minister has given me a date, Wike has not responded to my letter and now they are talking about cars. What is that?

    What do the division and cracks in Rivers APC portend for your party in Rivers ahead of the 2019 elections?

    Well, in politics, only one event can change the outcome of an election. I have said here that there is no divided house in Rivers APC. What we are experiencing is multiplicity of interests and you can’t call that a divided house. I have said that there is no crisis in the party. But I need you to recall that in recent history in the PDP, factionalisation led about seven governors to leave the PDP to join the APC; APC was not given any chance because no such grouping in Nigerian politics had ever worked and PDP was like an octopus that had been in power for many years, but a party under 12 months of formation was able to dismantle a party in government for over 16 good years. Is that not surprising? Have surprises stopped taking place in the world, in politics? In APC, I can assure you that as we speak, no person has been penned down as a chosen candidate. No one will anoint any candidate. The candidate would emerge through consultations and elections.

    As a long-standing member of the Amaechi political family, just like Magnus Abe, please tell us about the relationship between Amaechi and Abe ‎

    I joined Amaechi’s political group in January 2000 when he was like six months as Speaker of the Rivers State House of Assembly and I got to know about him and Abe and from what he told me and what I heard from other state legislators, Amaechi worked hard to make Abe the minority leader in the House. Abe was then in APP and he made it possible for Abe to later join his party then, the PDP, and the friendship grew. Amaechi used his political clout to make Abe the Commissioner for Information during former governor Peter Odili’s second term. Aside that, we all worked for Amaechi’s governorship ambition until we had the K-leg saga. I recalled speaking with Amaechi when he was in Ghana and he allowed us to meet with Celestine Omehia who was the PDP candidate then, that if we did not work hard for PDP to win, we cannot pursue the case in court and I remember that Magnus Abe was in the meeting. For purposes of record, I called the first meeting on how to raise money in pursuit of Amaechi’s case. Nyesom Wike was at that meeting and it was held at my residence. We levied ourselves one million naira each, and Wike as the only lawyer amongst us was selected to liaise with the lawyers handling the case. I have heard him (Wike) say several times that he made Amaechi governor but that is not true. Personally, I didn’t see Magnus anymore (after the meeting in Uchendu’s house) but immediately after the Supreme Court judgement that announced Amaechi as governor, I saw Magnus and Amaechi together and I was worried. I asked what was going on. Magnus Abe became the Secretary to the State government. I am equally aware that there was a point Amaechi came out to ask Abe to contest for the Senate seat against the run of events. But that was not successful but when another opportunity came, Amaechi made sure Abe went to the Senate. Now, why I am disturbed is that the relationship was like ordained from heaven and when this, his (Abe’s) personal ambition came up, we were still at the elections tribunal. I am equally aware that Amaechi retained the Chambers of Lateef Fagbemi to handle these cases and underwrite the entire legal fees up to even when the face-off was on. There was nothing Abe wanted that he didn’t get from Amaechi‎. This is my knowledge of their relationship and that was why when he said that it is good to keep friends, I agree with him but now I don’t think he still stands by that position.

    A lot has been said about the seemingly recent romance between Senator Magnus Abe and Governor Nyesom Wike, what are your thoughts on that?

    I am aware that Senator Abe, Amaechi and Wike were in very effective working relationship during Amaechi’s first term as governor of Rivers State. I admire‎d that from outside. I am not within their age bracket and will not share in some of their jokes. But as an elder, I also observed that when the face-off between Wike and Amaechi started, the nature of the relationship between Wike and Abe changed immediately. I am aware that calls were no longer being exchanged between them for years. So, now Amaechi and Magnus Abe have their own issues and it started coinciding with when Magnus Abe is now hugging and cheering Nyesom Wike. I think we should look at that type of relationships twice. Are they really genuine? That’s the way I look at the situation.

  • I have not been endorsed by Al Makura for 2019 – Silas Agara

    I have not been endorsed by Al Makura for 2019 – Silas Agara

    Mr Silas Agara, the Deputy Governor of Nasarawa State, says he has not been endorsed by Gov. Umaru Al Makura as his successor in 2019.

    Agara, in a statement issued in Lafia on Monday by his media aide, Mr Godspower Ede, dismissed the reported endorsement as “speculative journalism.’’

    “The attention of the deputy governor has been drawn to a publication in a newspaper captioned:  “2019: Al Makura gives nod to deputy.

    “He would have ignored the publication for what it is – speculative journalism– but for the damage the story is capable of doing to the excellent relationship existing between him and his hardworking principal.

    Read also:  Gov. Al-makura to renovate more schools in 2017

    “For the avoidance of doubt,  Al Makura has never given such nod or endorsement to his deputy to succeed him and any such insinuation should be dismissed as a figment of the writer’s imagination,” he said.

    “The governor as the father of the entire All Progressives  Congress ( APC ) members in the state  appreciates the aspirations of some members to succeed him and treats them equally without giving any slightest hint of having a favourite.

    “Knowing the antecedents of Al Makura as a champion of the promotion of rule of law and due process, the deputy governor is at a loss  over the intentions of the writer,’’ he added.

    NAN

  • Quest for change made me team up with Buhari – Amaechi

    Quest for change made me team up with Buhari – Amaechi

    The Minister of Transportation, Mr Rotimi Amaechi, says that his pursuit for change made him to leave his former party, the Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ), to join the All Progressives Congress ( APC ).

    Amaechi made the disclosure on the sidelines of the Future Awards Africa held at the Federal Palace Hotel, Victoria Island, Lagos last Saturday.

    He said that he would have done otherwise by staying in PDP and fight for the change, instead, there was a need to cross over to APC because of his belief in President Muhammadu Buhari.

    “I moved from PDP to APC because I am tired of what is happening in the party, I have the option to stay because of my position as the Chairman of the Governors then.

    “I can use my position to fight them (PDP) and get what I want because I believe Nigeria was not going in the right direction by then.

    “My attention and belief shifted to Buhari which was the viable alternative, I believe in the change mantra because it is the only way to improve on what is on ground.

    Read also: How APC can win 2019 elections – Amaechi

    “He has not disappointed because the economy is now back on track and is growing. This is evident in the current prices of food items because it’s getting lower,’’ he said.

    Amaechi said that prices of food would further crash because of the efforts of the government at making the country self-sufficient in food production.

    “With the change going on, the price will further crash because before this government came in, the price were soaring because we were importing food items, things we can grow here.

    “Now the policy of government which banned the importation of rice is working, the price is now about N16,000, but before now,  we are importing about N3 billion worth of rice.

    “Before now too, we were importing another N3 billion worth of poultry products, we are importing tomatoes but with the ban, we are now concentrating on our local production.

    “Many states in the northern part of the country are now growing rice in large quantities though by right, the South-South geo-political zone should be doing that because they are the ones in the swampy area,’’ he said.

    Amaechi said that the wastage in the PDP era was alarming, adding that the depletion of the excess crude account was supposed not have been.

    “When Obasanjo was leaving, he left about 65 billion dollars in the Excess Crude Account, but this money was frittered away and we wonder where the money is.

    “As at then, the price of crude oil during the president Goodluck Jonathan’s administration hovered around 140 dollars with this, they did not leave anything for the incoming government.

    “With that kind of money, we should be thinking of connecting Nigeria through rail system. The rail between Ibadan to Kano would have been completed.

    “Also the rail gauge between Port Harcourt to Maiduguri and Lagos to Calabar, but all the excess crude money was frittered away, we need to ask questions,’’ he said.

    NAN

  • APC chieftain, Emerhor provides free health services for community

    APC chieftain, Emerhor provides free health services for community

    It was a four-day birthday bash initially planned to be a grand event where the high and mighty would be guests. But then there was the idea of making the event an unusual service to humanity.

    For Olorogun O’tega Emerhor, the governorship flagbearer of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State in the 2015 general elections and the sole financier of the party in the state, prudence is always a key word, even as it relates to marking his 60th anniversary. His wife’s coincided with his somewhat. Hers was November 24 while his was November 25.

    However, being his Diamond Jubilee, there was cause to take the ‘marking’ a notch higher, hence the structuring of a four-day event to mark the occasion, but the form the event should take became a matter of debate.

    Explaining how the birthday celebration became an occasion to celebrate humanity and give back to society, Emerhor said he sat with his immediate family and asked if it would really be worth the cost and the effort if his 60th birthday celebration was marked the usual way, with champagnes, barbeque and other pleasurable assortments, in the company of politicians and rich men, in some posh hotel somewhere in the highbrow areas of Lagos or Abuja.

    The vote was in favour of something else; an unusual gathering of community people from far and near, given access into his sprawling country home, to wine and dine, recreate and be empowered.

    Explaining the process that brought about the spectacle of last week, the Urukpe of Evwreni said: “At 60, I should be thankful to God. If you look at the mood in the country today and people’s economic situation, what should I do to celebrate my 60 years? Is it to invite rich people, buy champagne and make merry? No! I felt that I should use the opportunity to reach out to Nigerians that are under stress. That is why, as a family, we sat down and said let’s come down to my community and carry out most of the activities here. Let’s design a medical outreach which will take place in about four communities. People will undergo various medical tests and examinations and receive free drugs.

    “We also felt that since I have a clinic in Evwreni (my home town), most of my friends who will attend the novelty match will have an opportunity to make financial contributions to support the clinic.

    “On Saturday, I also want people to come and watch cultural displays. There are cash prizes to be won, and this will help to develop culture. The grand finale will be when we will empower hundreds of youths and women. We want to support them with some grants so that they can improve and possibly contribute to the economy. My commitment will be to monitor the beneficiaries to see how well they will use the funds so that in future if there is any need to support them, I will build them up.”

    On the first day of the event, hundreds of people received free intensive eye care services In all, the eye care outreach, which drew beneficiaries from about six communities in Ughelli North and Isoko South local governments, examined and treated about 1,500 people.

    During the first part of the outreach in Evwreni and Enwhe, 500 people were treated of cataract and myopia.

    The Coordinator of the programme, Chief Collins Udi stated that free eye glasses and drugs would be given to beneficiaries irrespective of political or tribal affiliation.

    Also speaking on the success of the programme, one of the opticians Dr. Austin Issah, said: “We have been able to attend to all categories of eye problems, including cataract and myopia. Irrespective of the number of persons to be attended to, we are capable of handling those who make themselves available for the programme.”

    On Friday, November 24, which was Mrs. Rita Emerhor’s birthday, a novelty football match was played in the Emerhor Evwreni community. It was organised to raise funds for a cottage clinic donated to the community by the Olorogun. The novelty match added another unusual colour to the event. The match was played by 30 women against 11 men, all of whom are friends and associates of Emerhor. The crowded women’s side, took the day, using all imaginable skills, including re-enacting the Diego Maradona ‘Hand of God’ tactic to ensure victory over their rather lean-sided opponents. They won the match by five goals to two. High point of the match was the raising of a N1 million endowment fund for the cottage clinic by friends of the Emerhors who took part in the match.

    On Saturday, November 25, which is Olorogun Emerhor’s birthday, many praised him for his gesture to the downtrodden. The day was made more colourful by the structure of the community-oriented programmes he initiated for his people.

    The grand finale of the series of events was set for Sunday, November 26 at his country home. After a special church thanksgiving service, Olorogun Emerhor empowered 262 people with the sum of N13.1 million.

    One of his guests; former Speaker of the Delta State House of Assembly, who is now a stalwart of the APC, Hon Victor Ochei, made an additional donation of N1 million for 20 widows.

  • 2019: APC to win in Cross River – spokesman

    2019: APC to win in Cross River – spokesman

    The All Progressives Congress ( APC ) in Cross River has expressed confidence in its ability to win the 2019 general elections including the governorship election in the state.

    Mr Mens Ikpeme, the APC Publicity Secretary in the state, expressed the confidence in an interview in Lagos.

    Ikpeme said he was optimistic of the APC success because of the unimpressive performance of the government of Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) in the state.

    “APC in 2019 will run an issue-based campaign and focus on three core areas namely, the fight against corruption, stabilising the economy and the restoration of peace and security in Cross River State,’’ he said.

    The secretary said the party would ensure that its candidates in the 2019 elections were of impeccable character and could deliver the dividends of democracy to the people of the state.

    He said the party would also ensure internal democracy and conduct free and fair primaries.

    Read also: ‘INEC is working to achieve credible election in Cross River’

    “APC is the party to beat in Cross River State in the 2019 general elections. We are determined to provide democratic dividends to our people.

    “APC has been sensitising the people of what is happening and the people can see for themselves that we have a government that does not serve their interest.
    “Calabar used to be a beautiful place, but the streets are now being taken over by wastes.

    “We are determined to move the state from its present political squalor to greatness,’’ Ikpeme said.

    He said the APC-led Federal Government was fixing the country’s economy, infrastructure and rebuilding its image at the international level.

    “When we took over in 2015 at the federal level, we promised Nigerians that we will fix the economy, ensure security of lives and property and fight corruption no matter who is involved, and this is what we are doing,” he said.

    NAN

  • Rivers APC Chairman calls for unity ahead of 2019 elections

    Rivers APC Chairman calls for unity ahead of 2019 elections

    Mr Davies Ikanya, Chairman, Rivers All Progressives Congress (APC), has urged members to unite and strengthen the party’s political base ahead of the 2019 general elections.

    Ikanya made the appeal when he led a delegation of the party’s state executives in continuation of their sensitisation tour to NGO town in Andoni Local Government Area on Monday.

    Report said the sensitisation visit was in continuation of their tour of the local governments to mobilise the people for 2019 elections.

    They have so far visited 15 of the 23 local government areas.

    “Our coming to NGO town is part of efforts across the 23 local government areas of the state with a view to re-educate our members on the party’s operational guidelines,’’ he said.

    According to him, it is necessary to check the activities of members, especially those who have either consciously or unconsciously engaged in some activities organised by a factional arm of the party in the area.

    Report also said a factional local government executive of the party was earlier formed and led by Mr Mike Amakri, a member of the party in the area.

    The factional group had petitioned against the state Party Chairman, Ikanya, who also hails from the area demanding for his sack.

    Although their demand was not acknowledged, the party chairman said the act was insubordination to the party.

    He said such action was punishable by the law of the party and he therefore, announced the suspension of members of the factional executives.

    Ikanya also inaugurated a caretaker party executives to be led by Mr Jephter Alaka.

    Read also: APC,  others set to boycott Ekiti council poll

    Attributing the activities of the factional group to greed and impatience, he warned members against acts capable of disintegrating the party.

    Ikanya assured the members that the APC in the state was intact and could not be divided by any selfish group because members were all working toward the same goal to deliver victory to the party.

    “APC is like a big house and in every big house people struggle to get something, especially when the thing in question is good but limited to a few persons.

    “Everybody cannot lead at the same time, we should learn to support our leaders with positive inputs that will move our great party forward,’’ he said.

    Ikanya also urged the members to adopt available mechanisms for dispute resolution rather than sponsor unguarded statements in the media as such was not in the interest of the party.

    In the same vein, the state Secretary of the party, Mr Emeka Bekee, applauded the rapid growth of the party in the area and welcomed over 400 new members who defected from other parties to APC.

    He said that the gesture was an indication of victory at the 2019 general elections and urged the members to remain committed to the party.

    The secretary also urged them to take advantage of the ongoing party registration exercise to register new members as well as revalidate their existing information.

    Alaka, the Acting Chairman of the party in the local government, thanked the state executive for handling the issue of factional party activities in the area.

    He promised to strictly follow the party’s guidelines and to ensure that members obtained their voters registration cards from the INEC designated centers.

    NAN

  • 2019: No better candidate than Buhari – Marwa

    2019: No better candidate than Buhari – Marwa

    The All Progressives Congress’ (APC) chieftain, Gen. Buba Marwa, on Tuesday, said so far, there was no better presidential candidate for the 2019 presidential election in the APC than President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Marwa, who is also a former military governor of Lagos State, made this disclosure in Yola after a meeting of stakeholders comprising 20 organisations in Adamawa.

    The meeting was organised by the Buba Marwa organisation, where the candidature of Buhari was endorsed for a re-election in 2019.

    Marwa said Buhari administration within the past two years, had recorded some achievements in the area of security, anti-corruption, improved electricity supply and diversification of the economy through agriculture and solid minerals.

    Read also: Buhari to Nigerians: I’ll need your vote in future

    “We are happy with the measures the government is taking in the diversification of the economy, which are already paying off, especially in the agricultural and mining sectors; the improvement has manifested in the recent exit from recession”.

    On the exit of the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar from the APC, Marwa said although, the move was a big loss to the party, it would not affect the chances of APC in Adamawa and even at the national level.

    “No political party would like to lose someone like the former Vice President Atiku Abubakar; we assure that his departure will, however, not affect the fortunes of the party at any level.

    NAN

  • APC: Party that doesn’t consider youths is dying already – Atiku

    APC: Party that doesn’t consider youths is dying already – Atiku

    After months of speculation about his political future, Former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar has resigned from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), saying they party has failed and continue to fail the Nigerian people in its avowed promise to bring change to the Nigerian people.
    Sources close to him however said the former Vice President was yet to join any political party despite pressure on him to join the PDP.
    Atiku said he was leaving the APC. He joined the party after the PDP became factionalised, leaving many of them in limbo, pointing out that since joining the APC, nothing has been done to reverse the treatment meted out to those of us invited to join the All Progressives Congress on the strength of a promise that has proven to be false, but rather, those that prompted his leaving the PDP have actually worsened within the APC.
    In a letter addressed to no one in particular, and made public by his media office on Friday morning, the former Vice President said he was leaving the party after due consultations to ponder over his political future.
    The former Vice President has been very critical of the Buhari led APC government for several months and also accused the government of lack of consultation, stressing that despite his contribution to the emergence of the government, he has been abandoned.
    He has also been very vocal on the issue of restructuring and true federalism which he has canvassed at every public function.
    The letter reads: “On the 19th of December, 2013, I received members of the All Progressives Congress at my house in Abuja. They had come to appeal to me to join their party after my party, the Peoples Democratic Party, had become factionalized as a result of the special convention of August 31, 2013.
    “The fractionalization of the Peoples Democratic Party on August 31, 2013 had left me in a situation where I was, with several other loyal party members, in limbo, not knowing which of the parallel executives of the party was the legitimate leadership.
    “It was under this cloud that members of the APC made the appeal to me to join their party, with the promise that the injustices and failure to abide by its own constitution which had dogged the then PDP, would not be replicated in the APC and with the assurance that the vision other founding fathers and I had for the PDP could be actualized through the All Progressives Congress.
    “It was on the basis of this invitation and the assurances made to me that I, being party-less at that time, due to the fractionalization of my party, accepted on February 2, 2014, the hand of fellowship given to me by the All Progressives Congress.
    “On that day, I said “it is the struggle for democracy and constitutionalism and service to my country and my people that are driving my choice and my decision” to accept the invitation to join the All Progressives Congress.
    “Like you, I said that because I believed that we had finally seen the beginnings of the rebirth of the new Nigeria of our dreams which would work for all of us, old and young. However, events of the intervening years have shown that like any other human and like many other Nigerians, I was fallible.
    “While other parties have purged themselves of the arbitrariness and unconstitutionality that led to fractionalization, the All Progressives Congress has adopted those same practices and even gone beyond them to institute a regime of a draconian clampdown on all forms of democracy within the party and the government it produced.
    “Only last year, a governor produced by the party wrote a secret memorandum to the president which ended up being leaked. In that memo, he admitted that the All Progressives Congress had “not only failed to manage expectations of a populace that expected overnight ‘change’ but has failed to deliver even mundane matters of governance”.
    “Of the party itself, that same governor said “Mr. President, Sir Your relationship with the national leadership of the party, both the formal (NWC) and informal (Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, Atiku Abubakar, Rabiu Musa Kwankwaso), and former Governors of ANPP, PDP (that joined us) and ACN, is perceived by most observers to be at best frosty. Many of them are aggrieved due to what they consider total absence of consultations with them on your part and those you have assigned such duties.”

    “Since that memorandum was written up until today, nothing has been done to reverse the treatment meted out to those of us invited to join the All Progressives Congress on the strength of a promise that has proven to be false. If anything, those behaviours have actually worsened.
    “But more importantly, the party we put in place has failed and continues to fail our people, especially our young people. How can we have a federal cabinet without even one single youth. A party that does not take the youth into account is a dying party. The future belongs to young people.
    “I admit that I and others who accepted the invitation to join the APC were eager to make positive changes for our country that we fell for a mirage. Can you blame us for wanting to put a speedy end to the sufferings of the masses of our people?
    “Be that as it may be, after due consultation with my God, my family, my supporters and the Nigerian people whom I meet in all walks of life, I, Atiku Abubakar, Waziri Adamawa, hereby tender my resignation from the All Progressives Congress while I take time to ponder my future. May God bless you and may God bless Nigeria.”