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  • Ignore vituperations of defecting Yeeh in Rivers – Tonye Cole

    The governorship candidate of All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State, Pastor Tonye Cole, has urged well-meaning Rivers indigenes to ignore the vituperations of deputy governorship candidate of African Action Congress (AAC) in Rivers, Chief Akpo Yeeh, who resigned on Monday and joined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Cole, who spoke in Port Harcourt through the spokesman of his campaign organisation, Ogbonna Nwuke, declared Yeeh’s view was skewed by the N200 million cash given to him by Governor Nyesom Wike of PDP.

    The co-founder of Sahara Group (Cole) said: “It is pertinent to note that neither the APC nor the Minister for Transportation, Rt. Hon. Rotimi Amaechi, has in any way interfered with the internal organisation of the AAC.

    “We are aware that Yeeh, whose appetite for sudden wealth has overtaken reason, is not the author of the script that he read in his Port Harcourt residence on Monday.

    “We sympathise with Yeeh, a self-avowed young politician, whose hunt for a meal ticket has led him to mortgage his conscience for mess of porridge.

    “It is indeed laughable that the crafted statement delivered claims that the Minister for Transportation had insisted that he would appoint 90 per cent of the commissioners, 23 local government council chairmen, in an undated resignation address served to the public.

    READ ALSO: I’ll pursue my case further after Saturday’s poll – Tonye Cole

    “We are not shocked by the lies that Yeeh served the public, in order to put food on his table. It is consistent with the propaganda slant of the PDP, used to deceive the people and deflect the attention of the Nigerian people from the fact that PDP’s candidates lost horribly in the field, because of the resolve of Rivers people to effect a change.

    “Wike and other leaders of PDP are determined to steal Rivers people’s mandate through unparalleled bribery of officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and other institutions.

    “Institutions that Wike and other PDP leaders have been unable to bribe are understandably at the apex of their criticisms. These institutions include the Nigerian Army, Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) and the APC.”

    Cole also stated that he was at a loss on how a coalition between the APC and the AAC could be interpreted to mean an attempt to cause crisis in Rivers, insisting the interest of the state far outstrips the interest of an individual.

    He said: “It is obvious that what is critical at this time is the quest to deliver unto Rivers people, a government that is transparent, accountable, responsible, focused and committed to their welfare.

    “We wish to state unequivocally that political parties in this country and elsewhere in the world enjoy the right to enter into coalition with any party of their choice, for the purpose of forming a government of state or national unity, which will deliver dividends of democracy and serve the overall interest of the people.

    “It is important to observe that Yeeh’s name is already on the ballot. The sponsors of the malicious publication targeted against the Minister for Transportation against the backdrop of the defection of an unserious and hungry politician should take copious note of the decision of INEC to refuse the exit from the presidential race of Dr Oby Ezekwesiele.”

  • PDP senators to APC: leave Saraki out of jostle for Senate Presidency

    The Senate caucus of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday asked their counterparts in the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop dragging the name of the Senate President Bukola Saraki into the schemes and plots for his successor.

    The PDP Senate caucus said the APC senators should leave Saraki out of the jostle by Senators-elect of the ruling party over who and who gets elected into the leadership of the Ninth Senate.

    In a statement by Senate Minority Leader, Senator Biodun Olujimi and Chairman, Senate Committee on Federal Capital Territory (FCT), Sen. Dino Melaye, the PDP caucus stated it has observed closely as the contenders for the various Senate leadership posts in the APC sponsor various publications in the media to make it appear that Saraki is seeking to play a role in who occupy the various leadership posts in the next Senate.

    The PDP Senate caucus warned such surreptitious attempts to drag Saraki into the issue that does not concern him would not augur well for the smooth take-off of the next Senate and could only create suspicion and ill-will among the incumbent Senators and the incoming ones.

    “We have noted with regret and surprise how some Senators who are interested in becoming the next Senate President and those seeking to occupy various leadership positions in the next Senate have been busy dragging the name of the Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, into their schemes for fulfilling their ambitions. We believe those involved in this dirty game are only afraid of the shadow of the Senate President.

    READ ALSO: You are jittery, PDP tells APC, Buhari

    “Such people should know that Dr. Saraki is not interested in their plots, schemes and manipulation. His concern now is to continue to provide leadership to the Eighth Senate and to ensure that the Senate achieves as much as it is possible in the remaining two months of its tenure.

    “It is obvious that many Senators and even Senators-elect still defer to Saraki. And this is understandable because he is a national leader of the PDP.

    “He is a respected Senator who has also provided solid leadership for the Senate. So, those who are afraid of his influence should find a positive way to deal with that, not sponsoring falsehood in the media.

    They went on: “Let it be known that no matter the mischief being sponsored by these spineless people, Dr. Saraki knows that it is the duty of all Senators in the Ninth Senate to elect their Senate President and other leaders.

    “Nobody from outside the Senate has such powers. It is also the right of every Senator to aspire to that position as stated by the constitution. He has benefitted from this practice of Senators within the chambers exercising the right. He is conscious of this fact and will not be a party to any plan to seize or interfere with the process of evolving the leadership of the Ninth Senate.

    “We therefore urge the APC gladiators and their handlers to leave Saraki out of their schemes and manipulations. They should go and concentrate on how to convince the Senators-elect and ensuring that the election of the next Senate President takes place in a conducive atmosphere with a view to strengthening the institution and making it perform its constitutional roles, without any hindrance.”

  • APC chief mourns Gabriel Okara

    A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State, Prince Preye Aganaba, has described the death of a literary icon, Pa Gabriel Okara as a big blow to Africa

    Aganaba said the late octogenarian was an inspiration to many people and an asset to the Ijaw nation.

    He, however, said Okara’s passing was a transition to glory and a higher call destined for only those whose sojourn on earth left behind evergreen memories not faded even by the relentless passage of time.

    He recalled some of his great works such as “the Fisherman’s Invocation (1978), the Dreamer, His Vision(2005), and his early novel, The Voice (1964) and the poem, The Call Of River Nun, saying they remained the forerunner of African modernist poetry.

    Aganaba who prayed comfort for his family and loved one’s, urged them to seek solace in the fact that the playwright, poet and novelist, lived a rich and fulfilled life.

    Aganaba said the most memorable words of the late poet was still very fresh in his memory when he was asked in a 2014 interview with The Nation to describe the critically acclaimed poem “The Call Of River Nun”.

    Aganaba said: “When the question was thrown to him Pa Okara said, ‘The Call of River Nun, may be described as a poem of remembrances, a desire to live freely without any fear, without any enemy’. ”

    “Those words should be the template of the human race, to make the world a better place for all,irrespective of gender,religion or ethnicity”.

  • Some actions, decisions of 8th Senate regrettable, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has frowned at some actions and decisions of the 8th National Assembly, saying such activities remain regrettable.

    The president, who made his feeling known when he hosted state governors and senators-elect of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to a dinner at the Presidential Villa, Abuja, on Monday night.

    President Buhari particularly cited the deliberate and persistent delay in passing the nation’s annual budget by the national assembly.

    He, therefore, challenged the in-coming 9th national assembly to do things differently from the outgoing 8th senate so as to enable his administration to achieve its target of transforming the nation.

    “This is my fifth and last time of standing for an election – for that reason I’ll like to leave something behind.

    “And what I want to leave cannot be successfully done without your support.

    “So, that is why I’m appealing for your support. What happened in the last senate and so on is regrettable because I still feel it shouldn’t take seven months to pass a budget. You have a very, very serious job ahead of you.

    “So, what I’m appealing is that any major decision you are going to take please reflect more on the country than yourself as a person – what effect will it have on the country,’’ he said.

    While promising to work and partner with the 9th national assembly in promoting peace, stability and economic prosperity in the country, the president thanked the governors and senators-elect for their support and understanding.

    The National Chairman of the APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, who spoke to State House correspondents after the dinner, said the whole purpose of the event was to bond the new and old senators, to establish a new of relationship between the executive and the legislature.

    He said: “The system talks about the separation of powers between the executive and legislature and the two must handshake for things to happen.

    “And when you have a president that is determined to drive changes, fundamental changes that will affect our habits, our life style, review the economy, deal with the security situation, fight corruption as fiercely as he is trying to do, he will need a very supportive legislative arm of government.

    “And happily, the Nigerian people have given us the number in the legislative arm of government.

    Read also: Buhari moves to prevent National Assembly hijack

    “All we have agreed today is that we will use these numbers as a functioning whole to determine the leadership of the Senate in a way that we are not going to go to the floor of the Senate and allow the opposition dictate who becomes the senate president.

    “Because, we have a comfortable majority to drive that, what we have to do is to manage that majority.’’

    Gov. Simon Lalong of Plateau, who also spoke on outcome of the meeting said: “What the president has done today, I think is the right step in the right direction.

    “The last time we did not have the opportunity of this politics but today, Mr. President invited us. Because, we are governors and we also dialogue with our senators.

    “Mr President said in order to avoid rancour, let me lay the way forward and we are very happy he has laid the way forward and because of that we are all going to work towards achieving the desire of Mr President for the good of this country.’’(NAN)

  • UPDATED: Bala Mohammed wins Bauchi guber race

    The Bauchi state gubernatorial candidate of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Bala Mohammed, has been declared winner of the governorship election in Bauchi state.

    Declaring the winner of the poll, the returning officer Prof. Mohammed Kyari, a Vice Chancellor of the Modibbo Adama University of Technology Yola, said that after merging the final results, the APC candidate polled  515,113 votes while his close rival Governor  Mohammed Abubakar of the All Progressive Congress scored 500,625  votes.

    “I professor Mohammed Kyari certified as the returning officer of the March 9, March  23 and March  25 2019, governorship election in Bauchi state hereby announced that  Bala Abdulkadir  Mohammed having satisfied the requirement of the law and scored the highest number of votes is hereby declared the winner and returned reelected,” He said.

    He said that the total number of the registered voters at the Guber poll were 2,462, 843, the accredited voters; 1,143,019 The total valid votes cast stood at 1,111,406 while rejected votes are 22, 560. Those who cast their ballot were 1,133,966

    He added that the PDP candidate defeated his opponent with 14, 488 votes.

    Ali Pate of the Peoples Redemption Party polled 46, 326 votes while Ahmed Adamu Shuaibu of New Nigeria Peoples Party, NNPP followed respectively with 33, 339 votes.

    Earlier, during the March 9 inconclusive election, Mohammed was credited with 469,512 votes and Abubakar 465,453, with a vote margin of 4059 but the election was declared inconclusive after  the total number of votes cancelled during March 9 election was more than the margin between the PDP candidate, who was leading with  votes and that of the APC candidate.

    At the second ballot, Sen. Bala Mohammed PDP, garnered a total of 6376 votes against his main opponent, incumbent Governor Mohammed Abubakar who polled 5117 votes at the rerun, with a vote margin of 1259 between both parties.

    The total number of registered voters at the rerun was 22,759. Accredited voters are 12, 109, Valid votes, 11, 568 while total votes cast are 11, 979. Rejected votes, 403.

    The rerun election was held in 36 Polling covering 29 registration areas (wards) in 15 affected local government areas.

    INEC had declared the first ballot inconclusive on the grounds that the number of cancelled votes was higher than the margin of lead between the two top political parties.

    The electoral body later announced that it would resume collation when it found out that the number of cancelled votes was tampered with, a decision Abubakar and the APC challenged in court.

    Consequently, the  Federal High Court sitting in Abuja barred the Commission (INEC) from collation of result of the governorship election of March 9 in Bauchi State in an order given by Justice Inyang Ekwo on Tuesday following an ex parte application filed APC and the incumbent governor of the state, Mohammed Abubakar.

    INEC  on Monday  resumed the collation of the results of the election from Tafawa Balewa Local government area which process was halted last week on the ground of  the Court Order restraining the commission , as the  Federal High Court in Abuja on Monday later  gave the  Commission the leeway to continue and conclude the collation of the results of the March 9 , 2019 governorship election in the Tafawa Balewa Local Government Area of Bauchi State.

    The  Federal High Court in Abuja clearly dismissed the suit filed by the Governor of Bauchi State, Mohammed Abubakar and the All Progressives Congress (APC) challenging the decision by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resume collation exercise in the state’s gubernatorial election.

    Read also: INEC resumes collation of Bauchi governorship poll result

    In a judgment delivered by Justice Inyang Ekwo.

    Justice Ekwo set aside the order for maintenance of status quo earlier made by the court and ordered INEC to proceed with its activities geared at concluding the governorship election in Bauchi State.

    The result for Tafawa Balewa LGA, a stronghold of the PDP was initially cancelled when the  Collation Officer, Mrs Dominion Anosike alleged she was  under pressure from Party Agents who could not wait for the arrival of a replacement result sheet and decided to collate the result on an available RA result sheet instead of the replacement LGA result sheet.

    Apparently, the Returning Officer, Mohammed Kyari, rejected the regenerated result because it was on a wrong result sheet during her presentation at the State Governorship Collation Centre which led to the declaration of the first ballot inconclusive.

    Meanwhile, the incumbent governor, Mohammed Abubakar has congratulated the governor-elect.

    In a statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Strategy Ali.M.Ali.He said,

    “I congratulate my brother, Sen Bala on this victory at the polls.

    “I am delighted to note that in-spite of the intensity of the campaigns in our dear state, a peaceful election took place without bloodshed.

    “Let me, therefore, invite the Governor-elect to join me in working out the process of a smooth transition.

    “I sincerely thank the entire people of Bauchi state for their support to my administration and urge them to extend the same to the incoming administration.

    “I also urge governor-elect to caution his supporters to be law-abiding while celebrating since the period of campaigns is now over.

  • Buhari moves to prevent National Assembly hijack

    All Progressives Congress (APC) leaders yesterday moved to prevent the “hijack” of the new National Assembly leadership. They met with would-be lawmakers.

    President Muhammadu Buhari dined with serving APC senators and senators-elect at the New Banquet Hall of the  State House.

    The meeting came on the heels of a similar parley between APC National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole and House of Representatives members-elect at the Shehu Yar’Adua Centre in Abuja.

    At the President’s meeting with the lawmakers were APC leaders, including Lagos, Plateau, Kogi, Kaduna, Jigawa, Kebbi, Zamfara and Osun governors.

    Oshiomhole and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, were also present.

    Although, details of the meeting were unknown,  it is believed to be connected with zoning and selection of the leadership of the Ninth National Assembly.

    Unlike in 2015 when the leadership was hijacked by senators, against the wish of the APC leadership, the ruling party is determined to ensure that its wishes prevail now.

    The dinner, which started around 8pm, was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

    Senators Ahmed Lawan, Ali Ndume and Danjuma Goje have indicated interest in Senate President.

    Also yesterday, Oshiomhole ruled out the possibility of the ruling party sharing legislative powers with the opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Giving an insight into what to expect from the Ninth National Assembly, the party chair insisted that the mistakes of 2015 would not recur.

    The leadership of the National Assembly was constituted on June 8, 2015 against the directive of the party. Those listed for principal offices were meeting at the State House when the lawmakers elected Dr. Bukola Saraki as Senate President and Ike Ekweremadu of the PDP Deputy Senate President.

    Addressing the Representatives-elect, Oshiomhole said the APC was not prepared to share principal offices and headship of critical committees with the PDP, except for positions reserved for minority members.

    Oshiomhole told the lawmakers that Nigerians have reposed confidence in the APC, giving it overwhelming majority in the House and will use the numerical strength to its advantage.

    According to him, Nigerians have punished 15 out of the 16 senators who defected the APC by not re-electing them.

    He urged the members to collaborate with the government on the implementation of the party’s programmes.

    He said: “The first is the challenge of ensuring that this time around we ensure that we have a leadership of the National Assembly that shares the vision of the executive. Although we speak to separation of power, but there is only one government and unless the various arms pursue the same agenda, it is difficult for the executive to realise its purpose because legislative backing is often required for the executive actions.

    “So, I will expect that you bear in mind that we are one family joined together as shown in our broom, with a share commitment to bail Nigeria out of the condition in which we found it in 2015.

    “And that you have the numbers and we will use those numbers to ensure that we have a leadership that commands the trust and the respect of all the members of the House of Representatives.

    “There will be contestation; that is why we are in democracy, but after the contestation and debate, we have to agree, and once you have agreed, you move forward.

    “We have the numbers to produce the Speaker and we will produce the Speaker who must be a member of the APC. We have the numbers to produce the Deputy Speaker and we will use the numbers to produce the Deputy Speaker, who must be a member of the APC. We have the number and we must use the number to elect a House Leader who must be a member of APC.

    Read also: Buhari receives minimum wage report

    “We have the numbers and we will use the numbers to produce a Chief Whip and a Deputy Whip who must be members of the APC. I think the only position that we are not interested in is the Minority Leader. Let it remain minor in the hands of the minors in the opposition.

    “We will not share power in the House of the Representatives and the leadership must ensure that critical committees that drive government are chaired only by APC members. If the Nigeria people wanted them to be chairmen of committees they would have voted for them.

    “So, all the chairmen of committees, except the one that is statutorily reserved for opposition, which is Public Account, they can have that. So, we would not do the kind of thing that happened the last time in which some APC members as members of the leading party became distance spectators in the management of committees, when PDP had majority of the strategic committees in the House, that will not happen in the next Assembly.

    “We are aware that they believe they can use the divide and rule by sponsoring many people within our ranks to contest for which of the position so that they then become the king maker and in return the person will offer them some chairmanship seats.

    “Honourable members and comrades, I’m sure you are not going to do business with them. We will see them as partners in progress but in democracy, the rule is, and it is a universal rule, majority must have their way but minorities must be allowed to have their say.

    “So, the PDP and other minority can have their say, but working together APC must have its way in legislative agenda, in the leadership of the National Assembly and the leadership of the committees in the National Assembly. I thought we should make this thing clear so that those who may not understand what is happening don’t fall into the trap.”

    Calling on the would-be lawmakers not to allow anybody to divide them, Oshiomhole said his leadership will consult with President Muhammadu Buhari and all the leaders of the APC.

    “We will work out a sensible zoning formula that seeks to carry everybody along and give people chances to demonstrate their capacities and their capabilities. We are working on that,” he said, adding:

    “Somebody told me the opposition party people are already doing something, raising money to bribe people and I said, ‘no, we are anti-corruption, we cannot be corrupted’.

    “If they bring N1 billion to each member, a PDP person will not be Speaker, a PDP person will not be Deputy Speaker, a PDP person will not be Whip, a PDP person will not be Leader and a PDP person will not take any of the committees that are meant for the ruling party. We are determined to achieve that and be rest assured that the party will stand by you.”

    Congratulating the in-coming lawmakers on the electoral victory, the party chairman said: “We are proud that Nigerians in your various constituencies have reposed confidence in the APC.

    “I was looking at the number this morning and I realised that at the level of the House of Representatives, the Nigerian people gave the APC a resounding vote of confidence.

    “Before the election, we had about 190 members. The Nigerian people elected and re-elected 223 members of the House of Representatives on the platform of the APC. This has given us overwhelming majority, almost two-third that we need even if we want to amend the constitution.

    “I like to, on your behalf, thank the Nigerian people for reposing confidence in our party. I would like to say that by the same token, the Nigerian people has reposed less confidence in the major opposition who went into the election with more members and returned with 111 members.

    “It is easy the first time to ask people to give you the benefit of the doubt. But when you have occupied an office for four years, and the people choose to favour your party to the extent to which they have favoured the APC, it is a thing of joy. We are grateful to the Nigerian people for giving us the number we need to carry through our legislative agenda.”

    Alluding to party supremacy, Oshiomhole said: “For us to be able to enjoy our numerical strength in the House of Representatives, we must recognise that we were elected on a party platform.

    “Over the last couple of weeks, I have been invited by INEC to forward names rising from court decisions to the effect that APC has won in a certain constituency even when there is dispute about who is the candidate.

    “I am sure that when you went to vote, you did not see the portrait of any candidate, but the logo of the APC, which is the broom. Something unique about the broom is that when you pick a stick of broom, you can easily break it. But when it is together, as it is in our logo, it will be difficult to break.

    “The essence of that broom is to remind us that when you are together, we share ideas together, make decisions on the basis of inclusion and we carry everybody along, we encourage debate, contestations and agree that at the end of the day, agreement reached are binding on all, then we will be as strong as the broom in our logo.

    “We have called this meeting to remind us that we have a huge task ahead of us. Nigerians have voted the way they did and they expect new vigour and have injected new blood into the House of Representatives and I am sure that you have all come determined to make a difference in the way the National Assembly is run.

    “As people who are active, you are very familiar with the issues that bogged down the National Assembly between 2015 and 2019, arising from a unique concussion and I pray that this time around, we have all learnt a lesson from our immediate past and allow the positive lessons of our immediate past to shape our future.

    “You have been elected at a very challenging time to provide legislative backing for APC agenda and manifesto. Our President, who has been reelected, reminded us that the three critical issues on which we canvassed for votes in 2015 are still valid even now in 2019.

    “The President is doing everything possible to turn the economy around and to ensure that we work and create job led growth and not jobless growth where we celebrate abstract statistics that does not reflect the quality of life of the Nigerian people.

    “We must work hard to rebuild the economy, strengthen the private sector, create job, make the business environment friendly, and expand the capacity of our current investors.

    “If Nigerians consume what we produce, our economy will grow in double digits and that growth will reflect on the quality of lives of our people. What has been missing has been leadership and that President Buhari has brought.

    “We need to sustain and deepen these policies and I sure that some aspects of it will require legislative intervention. We will need to reinvent the manufacturing sector. If we have sensible and sustainable industrial policy in place with appropriate legislative backing to give people the confidence of policy stability, even to cloth half of our population will generate more than ten million jobs in the textile sector alone.

    “There is no reason while Michelin should not return to Nigeria, especially if we have sensible industrial and trade policy that discourages the importation of these items which we were producing before. All these need a collaborative National Assembly.

    “We need to pursue sensible monetary policies and should not price the funds out of the reach of the ordinary person. There must be coherence in all our policies so that we can witness sustainable growth and get our young people busy.

    “President Buhari has a rare opportunity to now think of what legacies to leave behind for Nigerians. He has spoken about corruption and we all know that it is one factor that has destroyed the country.

    “What we owe the Nigerian people is to create an environment for people to work and earn a living and for investors to have decent results for their investment and this also requires legislative action.”

  • You are jittery, PDP tells APC, Buhari

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has urged President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to stop their “unnecessary fabrications, smear campaign” and prepare to face the opposition’s legal team at the Presidential Election Tribunal.

    Responding to a petition by the spokesman for the President’s campaign, Mr. Festus Keyamo, the PDP said Buhari is overweighed by the burden of “illegitimacy”, following overwhelming evidence before the tribunal that he “stole” the presidential mandate.

    In an email exchange with our correspondent Monday night, the spokesman for the PDP, Mr Kola Ologbondiyan, described the allegation as “a lame one”.

    Ologbondiyan described it as an attempt at blackmailing the tribunal by engaging in clear acts of subjudice.

    The party spokesman said the facts and issues touching on the INEC server were already within the public domain.

    Read also: Buhari moves to prevent National Assembly hijack

    Ologbondiyan continued: “By resorting to shadow-boxing outside the tribunal, President Buhari and the APC have shown that they have no defence to present to the court against PDP’s submission that they stole our mandate.

    “It is even more appalling that Festus Keyamo, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN) and a member of Buhari’s legal team, who should know better, would engage in this act of subjudice designed to distort facts already known to Nigerians, that our presidential candidate and former Vice President, Atiku Abubakar, clearly won the February 23 presidential election.

    “Since it has become clear that President Buhari has no defence to present to the court, we counsel him to save the nation further stress by surrendering our mandate, which was freely given by majority of Nigerians to Atiku Abubakar.”

  • APC urges Police, DSS to invesitgate Atiku’s claim to access to INEC server

    DID Atiku Abubakar have access to the server of the Independent National Electoral Commission?

    This is the puzzle the All Progressives Congress (APC) Presidential Campaign Council has asked the Inspector General of Police and the Director General of the Department of State Services (DSS) to resolve, following claims by the presidential candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of obtaining information from the server.

    The council’s Director of Strategic Communication, Festus Keyamo (SAN) has petitioned the police and the DSS, saying Atiku’s claim confirmed fears that the opposition party had perfected ways of hacking the INEC server before the election.

    Keyamo said the calim revealed why the PDP was insisting that President Muhammadu Buhari should sign the 2018 Electoral Act, which recommends electronic transmission of results.

    The petition reads: “It would be recalled that an Electoral (Amendment) Bill containing the provision for electronic transmission of results to INEC’s central computer system (otherwise called “server”) was sent to President Muhammadu Buhari by the National Assembly for assent late in the year 2018.

    “Despite the shortness of time before the Presidential/National Assembly Elections, and the lack of time to first simulate the process to ensure its effectiveness in a country like ours with problems of effective networks in many rural areas and constant failure of technological devices, together with its violation of the time frame of such laws as provided for in regional and continental Protocols in terms of the length of time required for the passage of such laws before any major election, the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party was hell-bent that the President should sign the Bill into law. That was the first indication that the main opposition was up to something sinister regarding the electronic transmission of the results.

    “Upon the last-minute postponement of the February 16, 2019 Presidential/National Assembly Elections, the nation was shocked to see already prepared presidential elections results floating around in the cyberspace just less than 24 hours after the postponed election was originally billed to hold. The fake results had details of the scores of the candidates of the major parties. Of course, the fake results gave victory to the candidate of the PDP, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, even when elections did not hold.

    “The only conclusion one can draw from the above is that the PDP had prepared those results which were to be smuggled into the INEC Server. However, the sudden postponement of the election scuttled that evil plan, but it was too late to restrain the release of the fake results.

    Read also: Federal Govt closes ‘illegal arms importation’ case

    “The proper elections were held on February 23, 2019 and President Muhammadu Buhari declared the winner. Despite the approval of the elections as credible by nearly all local and international observers (except some few known PDP acolytes masquerading as local observers), the PDP cried foul and made a shocking claim: it claimed that from purported results it obtained from INEC’s server, it has so-called proof that its candidate won the election by about 1.6million votes!

    “Shockingly and coincidentally, this margin was about the same margin by which it also purportedly ‘won’ by the fake results released just hours after the postponement of the February 16, 2019 Presidential/National Assembly Elections.

    “As if this expensive joke was not enough, the PDP and its presidential candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar, have gone ahead to file an election petition against the clear victory of President Muhammadu Buhari and have repeated the same outlandish claim of having access to INEC’s server, which shows that they have some purported results at their disposal giving “victory” to Alhaji Atiku Abubakar.

    “We wish you to note that INEC’s server is the back end of electronic records of INEC. This is not INEC’s website but its server! Although, the purported results have been conclusively shown by public engagements to be false and even ridiculous, especially as the total number of accredited voters is exactly equivalent to the purported votes of the APC and PDP candidates, this criminal claim of the PDP has revealed that It is now clear that some criminally-minded PDP operatives have access to the INEC server to be able to smuggle in fake results into that server.

    “The only means by which they could have access to the INEC server is by the criminal hacking of the server or through the criminal conspiracy of some INEC officials.

    “The APC Presidential Campaign Council hereby prays that the Inspector-General of Police and the Director-General of the Department of State Services use your good offices to investigate the hacking of and/or illegal tampering with the INEC server by the PDP. The leadership of the PDP must be invited, interrogated and investigated and those identified as perpetrators must be arrested and prosecuted.

    “Opposition is healthy in a democracy but it is not a licence for criminality and illegality. A country governed by laws cannot be blackmailed or cowed into indolence by the perceived underdog status of the opposition so as to condone such a blatant criminal claim by the PDP of having illegal access to INEC’s server.”

  • Ndume joins race for Senate President

    A former Senate Leader Mohammed Ali Ndume, yesterday announced his intention to run for Senate President of the ninth National Assembly.

    Ndume is seeking the blessing of the leadership of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to contest the position.

    The Borno South Senator is the second aspirant from the Northeast to declare his interest for the position.

    Senate Leader Ahmed Lawan was the first to signify his interest.  The ninth  Senate is expected to be inaugurated in June.

    Read also: ‘Why I want to be Speaker’

    Ndume noted that he is throwing his hat into the ring believing that the position would be zoned to the Northeast where he hails from.

    The former Senate leader, in a letter of intent dated March 25,  and addressed to the APC National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, said the decision to seek election into the exalted office was borne out of his desire to help accelerate the nation’s socio-economic development.

    “Following the successful conduct of the 2019 general election and the overwhelming victory of our great party the APC at all levels, I hereby forward my letter of intent to contest for the office of the President of the Senate in the 9th National Assembly.

    “I wish to emphasise that my decision to contest for the Senate Presidency is informed by my conviction to contribute my quota to nation building,” the letter stated.

    Ndume, who served as minority leader in the sixth House of Representatives and Majority Leader in the 8th Senate spoke of his capacity to deliver on party policies and programmes, adding, “my vast legislative experience and my deep desire to take Nigeria to the next level of development” are reasons for contesting.

  • ‘Why I want to be Speaker’

    House of Representatives member Nkeiruka Onyejeocha (Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi Constituency) is contesting for Speaker. She spoke with SUNNY NWANKO on her ambition and other partisan issues.

    Congratulations on your victory at the polls.  How were you able to survive the struggle?

    I was able to survive the struggle, first, by the grace and mercy of Almighty God, and then by the overwhelming goodwill of my people. One of the greatest things that has ever happened to me is the realization, through this election, that my people are indeed appreciative of my modest contributions to the development and welfare of my constituency. They came out in their numbers and resisted every opposition to affirm their confidence in me. My next line of action is to articulate those concerns of my people that were expressed during the electioneering period. I will then prioritize them, and seek means and ways to actualize each project.

    Before your emergence as the candidate of APC for Isuikwuato/ Umunneochi Constituency, some persons had conspired to deny you the ticket. How would you see your victory?

    Well, the idea of denying me ticket was the handiwork of a tiny clique of elite threatened by my connection to the poor masses. These rapacious few constitute a terrible minority, so their impact is limited to political party arena. Because I was confident in the electorate, I took my ticket elsewhere and won the election. There was no conspiracy by Isuikwuato indigenes. From the results, you can see that the great people of Isuikwuato voted massively for me. If there’s anything at all, it’s attributable to the parasitic political elites.

    Your area has been a stronghold of PDP. What changed the narrative?

    What changed the narrative is my philosophy of service to the people. The electorate is a lot wiser than ever before. The concept of political party dominance is gradually giving way. Individual candidates are increasingly being judged on their own merit.  At the floor of the Green Chamber, I sponsored a number of bills to protect and enhance the welfare of the poor, the weak, the vulnerable and the under-privileged persons. Some of these private bills have been passed and assented by Mr. President. For example, the Anti-Torture Act 2017 criminalizes any act of inhumanity against one another in forms of torture, cruelty, dehumanizing or degrading punishments. With this law in place, victims of extrajudicial mistreatment and rough-handling can challenge the abuse of their rights in court. Secondly, the Compulsory Treatment and Care for Victims of Gunshot Act 2017 is my brainchild. Hitherto, hospitals were not obligated to attend to victims of gunshots from armed robbers or stray bullets without the Police clearance. Unfortunately, this led to avoidable deaths. But today, the new legislation has sorted out the problem. Another bill that was very dear to my heart, which by the grace of God, had been passed and assented by Mr. President, is the National Senior Citizens Centre Act 2017. The plight of our retirees, which has become a national embarrassment, due to the failings of most state governments to pay their pensions and gratuities, spurred me into sponsoring the new legislation. The Centre will help to cater for their needs and raise awareness for spirited interventions, instead of allowing them to roam the streets like beggars. Also, I sponsored the Local Government Autonomy bill, which is geared towards strengthening the local government councils for enhanced service delivery at the rural areas. The bill has been merged with the Constitutional Amendment Bill, which would require the concurrence of at least two-thirds majority of 36 States Houses of Assembly and presidential assent before it becomes a law. These laws have direct impact on the people. More so, I sponsored and co-sponsored motions on matters of public importance. The constituency represent – Isuikwuato/Umunneochi areas are highly prone to ecological challenges, largely accentuated by gully erosion. My motions have brought succour and interventions of appropriate federal government ministries and agencies, some of which are still on-going. I attracted projects across the 22 political wards in my constituency. The projects include pipe-borne water, electricity transformers, renovation and erection of modern classroom blocks, computer centers, and health care delivery equipment. For over ten years, my Foundation runs an annual week-long free medical outreach in collaboration with Living Hope Ministries, United States of America with a team of over twenty expatriate doctors of different specializations. The medical programme holds every month of June across the two LGAs of Isuikwuato and Umunneochi. Lives had been saved through the humanitarian gesture. For me, the greatest challenge has been to lift many people out of poverty bracket. Many indigent students have benefited from my scholarship endowments; modern bungalows were built for many homeless widows; and through healthy working relationships with colleagues and a number of federal institutions, I attracted hundreds of employments for our young graduates, while those who could not afford tertiary education were trained on special skills and equipped for economic sustenance. Above all, I maintain constant touch with my people through a rotatory monthly interactive meetings within my constituency, organized by the leadership of Nkeiruka Onyejeocha Foundation. More importantly, I am active and regular in plenary and committee sessions at the National Assembly. I am not an absentee lawmaker. I receive calls from serious-minded Nigerians from all walks of life with commendations for my robust engagements and contributions on national issues. As the Chairman of Committee on Aviation, my colleagues and I stepped up matching oversight responsibilities, which are evident in the massive upgrade of our airports to global standards, and reduction in civil air accidents, which hitherto were largely attributed to lackluster and poor regulatory mechanisms. And to the glory of God, my reputation has remained intact. I have never been indicted on account of financial infractions or dereliction of duty. I believe that good name is better that riches, and that it is God who gives power to get wealth. So, I believe that these modest efforts contributed to the groundswell of solidarity, which metamorphosed to my return back to Abuja for the fourth term.

    What does your re-election mean it to you?

    My re-election is a re-affirmation of my commitment to the general good of the great people of Isuikwuato and Umunneochi Local Government Areas. I shall continue to be a beacon of hope to them at all times. 

     Abia North Senatorial District can now boast of three National Assembly members. What should the people of the zone be expecting?

    With a Senator and two APC Representatives from Abia North Senatorial District, we will strive to translate them to dividends to our people vis-à-vis federal presence.

    What does the 85,000 votes for the President in Abia during the national assembly and presidential elections mean for the average Abia and southeasterners? What should Abia State expect from the APC government at the centre?

    The 85,000 votes for President Buhari from Abia is a manifest evidence of his acceptance by the people of Abia State. It is our way of showing appreciation for his policies and projects that have impacted the people positively. I believe that the APC Government at the Centre will do much more for Abia State and Ndigbo in general, and attend to concerns raised by a section of the community about balance in appointive positions. My people are agitating to be given a greater sense of belonging.  Having a Speaker of the House of Representatives from the South-East will definitely help to assuage the feelings of exclusion.  For the 9th Assembly, I believe that my experience would count. It is not a fluke that I am privileged to be the highest ranking APC House of Reps Member from the south-east, the homestead of PDP. It gives me a vantage position to play strategic roles in the 9th Assembly. I am upbeat that I would enjoy the confidence of my colleagues and our political party when the new leadership would be constituted. We need to support and collaborate with Mr. President in his ‘next level’ agenda. We need to forge a healthy synergy with the executive so that we won’t have repeated cases of turned down bills from the presidency. We need maturity and less politicking to move our nation out of doldrums. Nigeria is a great country and all hands must be on deck to make it work.

    Many are calling on the governorship candidate of your party to allow the sleeping dog lie by allowing the governor-elect concentrate and work for the next four years. Your take?

    The decision to go to the Tribunal or not by the gubernatorial candidate of APC belongs to the Party and the candidate. I believe that they will consider the inherent factors, and take the best decision for Abians and the Party.