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Tag: APC

  • PPA chieftain defects to APC

    PPA chieftain defects to APC

    Former Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) National Chairman Chief Sam Nkire has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), saying that it will take the aggrieved party chieftains to the promised land.

    He told reporters in Abuja, the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the interests of his supporters would be better protected in the new party.

    Nkire urged his supporters to participate in the on-going membership registration in the APC so that they can contest under the platform in the next general elections.

    He also appealed to past PPA governors, deputy governors, commissioners and legislators who had previously left the party to join the APC in their respective states.

     

  • Five APC Reps defect to PDP

    The defection drama in the House of Representatives was re-enacted on Tuesday as five members of the All Progressives Congress, (APC) decamped to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    However, the PDP also lost one member to the APC.

    This was after allegations of huge financial inducement from the Presidency hit the defecting members from the PDP.

    The Reps’ defection letters were read out at plenary by the Speaker, Aminu Tambuwal.

    Members from the APC who defected to PDP are – Honourable Lawan Shehu Bichi (Kano), Sani Ibrahim Doruwa (Zamfara), Ibrahim Shehu ( Zamfara) Umar Bature ( Sokoto) and Abdusalam Adamu ( Kano).

    Isah Mohammed Ashiru, (PDP Kaduna State) defected to the APC.

    Obviously, the current defection would no doubt affect the APC caucus claim to a majority in the House with PDP now having 178 members to APC’s 168.

    Tambuwal, who announced the names of the defectors, said that, “I will read the letters communicated to me by my colleagues.”

    But the Minority Leader, Femi Gbajabiamila, via a point of Order had protested that the Speaker was spending too much time reading the list of defectors.

     

  • Saraki, Abe, Adamu, two others openly declare for APC in Senate

    Saraki, Abe, Adamu, two others openly declare for APC in Senate

    Five Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Senators on Tuesday took the bull by the horns on the floor of the Senate.

    The PDP Senators – Abubakar Bukola Saraki, (Kwara Central), Magnus Abe, (Rivers South East), Abdullahi Adamu (Nasarawa West), Wilson Ake (Rivers West),and Aisha Jumai Al-Hassan openly declared for the All Progressives Congress (APC) on the floor of the upper chamber.

    The open declaration for APC may have been informed by the refusal of the Senate President, David Mark, to read a letter signed by 11 PDP Senators informing the Senate of their defection to the APC.

    It was apparent that the open declaration of the PDP lawmakers for the APC rattled Mark.

    Each of defectors raised Point of Order to announce their defection to the opposition party.

    Proceedings on the floor of the Senate were held up for over one hour as the defectors rose to insist on the enforcement of their privilege to associate freely.

    Mark, however, relied on Senate Order 53(3) to rule the defectors out of Order.

    For Mark, the matter of defection of the Senators is in court and no reference shall be made to it according to Senate rule.

    Senator Saraki who led the group of defectors raised Order 14(a) which deals with privileges.

    Order 14 (a) says: “Privileges are the rights enjoyed by the Senate collectively and the members of the Senate individually conferred by the Legislative Houses (Powers and Privileges) Act Cap 208 Laws of the Federation 1990 and other statutes, or by practice, precedent usage and custom.

    (b) “Whenever a matter of privilege arises, it shall be taken up immediately.”

    Saraki listed the names of PDP Senators who wrote the Senate to announce their defection to the APC.

    Mark told Saraki that the matter he raised is currently pending in court and the Senate shall not make reference to it.

    Mark noted that “privilege does not apply here because you were the person who went to court.”

    Saraki responded that “Presently, under Privilege I have informed the Senate that I have defected from the PDP to the APC and the matter in court is not about defection but the declaration of my seat vacant.”

    Mark said that his interpretation of the issue in court is not that of declaration of seat vacant.

     

  • Amaechi: PDP has ruined Nigeria

    Amaechi: PDP has ruined Nigeria

    •‘APC is on rescue mission’

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi yesterday said the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has ruined Nigeria.

    The governor said the All Progressives Congress (APC) was on a rescue mission.

    Amaechi, who chairs the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF), spoke at Ward 8, Unit 14 of his Ubima hometown in Ikwerre Local Government Area.

    The governor was accompanied by his wife, Dame Judith, who also registered.

    Amaechi assured that APC would deliver an alternative leadership that would promote progress and create jobs for Nigerians.

    He said: “From what you can see, APC is the fastest-growing party in Africa. All these people you are seeing here were once members of the PDP. Today (yesterday), they joined me in formally moving to the APC. The reason for moving to the APC is that we are on a rescue mission. We are here to rescue Nigeria. We cannot continue like this.

    “Look at the crowd here. Eighty per cent of them are unemployed. So, when they say PDP will save Nigeria, we ask the question: who has been holding Nigeria for the past how many years? It is PDP. So, they cannot be saving Nigeria from themselves.

    “We are here to save Nigeria from the PDP and when we do that, we will create employment for Nigerians. This is because you must generate and grow the economy. The economy is not growing.

    “The rate of unemployment, the rate of corruption, the money lost to corruption, if applied to the economy, if applied to industrial development, will create employment for the unemployed.

    “So, the basic thing you will see that will happen is that with this change, with this movement from the PDP to the APC and the crowd we are going with, when we start to defeat them in Rivers State, we will defeat them in the country. The moment we defeat them, the money we will save from corruption is the money we will use in improving the lives of these people.”

    The governor condemned the attacks on APC supporters during membership registration at Degema, Akuku-Toru and Obio/Akpor local government areas.

    He noted that despite the provocation, the APC would continue its membership registration in the affected local governments.

    Amaechi said: “I heard there were crises in Degema, Akuku-Toru, Obio/Akpor local governments. The PDP is scared. Its leaders are worried. They are saying the governor moved without anybody. If I did not move with anybody, at least I moved with my wife (laughs). If they say we did not move with anybody, why are they fighting, why are they shooting?

    “We will ensure that we resist the violence they are bringing. We have directed that those local governments must go back for fresh registration. I have requested from the national secretariat of the APC to allow us few more days to enable those local government areas – where they have forestalled registration – for the registration to take place. That will happen.

    Amaechi said: “We are saying that we are in a democracy and because we are in a democracy, the people must be allowed to express their views and make their choices.”

    The governor was accompanied by Deputy Governor Tele Ikuru; APC Interim Rivers Chairman, Dr. Davies Ibiamu Ikanya; a former member of the House of Representatives, Igo Igoma and APC chieftain, Dr. Sam Sam Jaja.

  • National conference a fruitless exercise, says Senator

    National conference a fruitless exercise, says Senator

    Vice Chairman Senate Committee on Interior, Senator Olubunmi Adetunmbi, has faulted the convening of the national conference by the Federal Government.

    The lawmaker described the proposed conference as an exercise in futility in the light of gaping demerits in the process.

    Adetunmbi, (Ekiti North) spoke in Abuja.

    He listed some loopholes in the process leading to proposed conference including selection of delegates, lack of legal framework for the conference and the partisan origination of the conference.

    He noted that lack of a durable legal and democratic foundation for the conference had already put a pall on its success.

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmaker also noted that the overbearing influence of the executive and the sidelining of the National Assembly in the decisions leading to the convening of the conference had already defeated any possible gains of the talk shop.

    He said, “The idea is a laudable one in itself. I agree that we as a nation need to dialogue on certain issues that concern us as an entity but the process leading to the convening of the conference is faulty and except the right things are done the possibility of success is minimal.

    “For one, there is a problem with the timing of the conference which is suspicious. Such a weighty discussion must be properly timed.

    “This is not so in view of its conflict with the forthcoming elections in Ekiti and Osun states and the 2015 general elections.

    “Questions must be asked why the conference is being done at this particular time when the federal government has credibility and poor performance challenges.

    “I am not also comfortable with the fact that the convener of the conference is an interested party that has a huge stake in the decisions expected to be reached at this gathering.

    “How are we sure that he would be able to absolve himself of bias and would not seek to manipulate the entire process? Don’t forget that the conference was called by the executive fiat of the originator who is the selector of the moderator, the deputy and the scribe of the conference among other delegates that he appoints to the conference.

    “Going by the delegate selection process and the structure it is obvious that the conference would not be free from manipulations from the convener.”

    According to him, “there is also no legal framework for the entire process and this is worrisome as that serves as the foundation for the success of such an enterprise.

    “We need to look at the origination of the conference and find out if it has any legal basis. The manner of selection of the delegates is suspect and calls for scrutiny. It is not democratic.

    “The appointment of the delegates is tele-guided entirely by the executive and this will not engender popular confidence and objectivity.

    “Much more disturbing for me is the fact that we will soon have a constituent assembly that is not democratically elected but appointed by the executive and its cohorts who will seek to push for laws that constitutionally are expected to be enacted by a referendum or the elected parliament.”

    Adetunmbi noted that while the concept of a national conference is good in its own merits, the process leading to it is faulty and thus the conference would not yield any benefits for democracy unless Nigerian people are allowed to make their contributions to national growth and development which could only come about through democratic and an established legal foundation.

     

  • Akunyili’s, Umeh’s senatorial ambitions divide APGA

    Akunyili’s, Umeh’s senatorial ambitions divide APGA

    The senatorial ambitions of Chief Victor Umeh, the factional national chairman of the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) and former minister of Information, Prof. Dora Akunyili, are tearing the party apart in Anambra State.

    Both are aspiring for the Anambra Central seat occupied by former Governor Senator Chris Ngige of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Prof. Akunyili contested the seat with Ngige in 2011 and was defeated.

    A meeting convened by a group, Anambra Central Political Forum (ACPF), with Chief Austine Ndigwe as the coordinator, ended in a controversy, as members walked out.

    Some of those not in favour of the choice of Umeh are Chief Ben Obi, the special adviser to Governor Obi on Inter-party Affairs and the Anaocha Local Government chairman, among others.

    While Obi and members of his group are rooting for Prof. Akunyili, Ndigwe and his group are supporting Umeh.

    A source close to the Government House, who pleaded anonymity, told The Nation yesterday that the governor was backing Prof. Akunyili.

    Some APGA faithful are against Umeh following his role in the last council poll.

    He was said to have allegedly dropped the names of the chairmanship candidates, who emerged during the primaries last year and replaced them with his candidates.

    The Nation learnt that this did not go down well with APGA bigwigs and they decided to thwart his ambition.

    With Umeh’s court battle against a factional National Chairman of the party, Chief Maxi Okwu, who was restored by a Federal High Court in Abuja, members are likely to dump him for Prof. Akunyili.

     

  • APC: we’ve exceeded membership target

    APC: we’ve exceeded membership target

    •Party slams PDP for criticising registration

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) said yesterday it has exceeded its membership target because Nigerians see it as a mass movement rather than a mere political party.

    “This explains why we have extended the registration period by two days,” it said.

    The party accused the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) of sponsoring the sabotage of its (APC’s) membership registration in several states.

    It noted that the ruling party’s rush to the media to condemn the registration showed it as a cog in the wheel of democracy.

    In a statement yesterday in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the party said since one of the ways to truncate democracy was by stifling popular participation, the PDP should be accused of working to truncate Nigeria’s democracy by its campaign of lies against the APC membership registration.

    The party explained that the registration was meant to give “many Nigerians a chance to be part of their country’s democracy.”

    It said the reason the PDP called a hurried media briefing to spew out lies on the registration was because the it saw the handwriting on the wall and became jittery.

    APC said: “The PDP is wrong about its claim that the APC is engaging in phantom registration. The party should know that while anyone can manufacture numbers, no one can manufacture human beings. Therefore, in the fullness of time, any party that gives a fake number of its membership will get its comeuppance.

    “The truth is that within the first three days of our registration, we had met and exceeded the target we set for ourselves. Nigerians have flocked to our party, which they have come to see more as a mass movement than just a political party. This explains why we have extended the registration by two days. The PDP is aware of the acceptability of the APC and has started quivering,” APC said.

    The party said instead of splitting hairs over the phenomenal APC registration, the PDP should launch its membership drive, to know what Nigerians think of it.

    “PDP officials should not just sit in their Abuja offices and make phantom allegations about some party engaging in phantom registration, they should go out there and see for themselves what is going on, and how Nigerians are streaming aboard the train of change that the APC has become,” it said.

    APC also advised the PDP to stop the sabotage of its membership registration by sponsoring attacks on officials and hijacking materials in Abia and Rivers; bribing some fifth columnists to sabotage the process in Delta, and burning “our secretariat in Gombe.”

    The party denied getting any assistance from the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) or using any material obtained from the commission, “except, of course, if the public spaces we are using for the registration are now being seen by the PDP as INEC property.”

    APC added: “The PDP accused the APC of trying to truncate the country’s democracy simply because the party (APC) is giving Nigerians the opportunity to exercise their right to associate freely. It is now clear to discerning Nigerians that it is the PDP that is truncating our democracy by blocking popular participation and preventing Nigerians from exercising their rights.”

  • ‘Exercise unsettles Kano PDP’

    ‘Exercise unsettles Kano PDP’

    Kano State Deputy Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje yesterday said the membership registration of the All Progressives Party (APC) has sent jitters down the spine of the “crumbling” Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Ganduje, who spoke at Ganduje in Dawakin Tofa Local Government Area, after getting his membership card, described PDP’s allegation that the exercise was designed to rig elections, as the ranting of a loser.

    The deputy governor said APC was gaining more ground with the massive turnout of people.

    He said the peaceful conduct of the exercise signified the unity in APC and indicated that the party would win in 2015.

    Ganduje urged the residents to join the winning party to salvage the country from the bad leadership of the PDP.

    The deputy governor stressed that the only option left for patriotic Nigerians with the nation’s interest at heart is to join APC to stop the misrule of the PDP.

    Ganduje was accompanied by Kano APC Interim Chairman Tijjani Muhammad Gwarzo; former Deputy Governor Magaji Abdullahi as well as national and state lawmakers.

  • Ashafa excited by success

    The Vice Chairman of the Senate Committee on Housing, Lands and Urban Development, ‘Gbenga Ashafa, has hailed the success of the registration of the All Progressives Party (APC).

    The senator spoke at Bogije, Ibeju-Lekki, where he registered with the party at Ward F.

    He urged those who had not registered to do so.

    Ashafa said: “I urge progressive-minded people to register. The APC is on a rescue mission and this exercise is part of the building process towards 2015.”

    The senator hailed the party for extending the registration by two days.

    “According to reports, many have reached out to the party to give them the opportunity to join the APC train of change. Hence, the party decided to extend the registration for two more days. This will surely give room for more people to be registered,” Ashafa said.

    The exercise ends today.

  • Kidnapped APC officials freed

    Kidnapped APC officials freed

    •Police arrest two suspects

    The two kidnapped registration officers of the All ProgressiveS Congress (APC) in Ezza North local government Area of Ebonyi State, Donatus Omenyi and Moses Anyigor, have been freed.

    They were released by their captors at a boundary between the Ezza Local Government and Ohaukwu Local Government Area on Sunday night.

    The Ebonyi State Police Command yesterday arrested two suspects for the alleged kidnap of the two All Progressives Congress (APC) registration officials in Umuezekeoha, Ezza North Local Government Area.

    Police spokesman Chris Anyanwu, an assistant superintendent, said the suspects were arrested by the team of Special Anti-Robbery Squad (SARS) on the Enugu-Abakaliki Express Road.

    He gave the names of the suspects as Okey Ogbu, younger brother to the Ezza North Local Government Area chairman and Friday Onuegbe.

    Anyanwu said: “The suspects were arrested with a vehicle belonging to the Ezza North Local Government Area.” The police spokesman said four other suspects were on the run.

    He said the command was on the trail of the suspects.

    Anyanwu assured that the suspects would be brought to justice.

    He said: “Items recovered from the kidnap suspects include the official vehicle of the local government, a bag containing the credentials of one of the suspects and other items belonging to the APC.”

    On how they were caught, the spokesman said: “Following a tip-off, our men trailed the suspects to the Enugu-Abakaliki Express Road. They were arrested with an official vehicle belonging to the Ezza North Local Government Area.

    “The suspects are in our custody and they are helping in the investigation.

    “We must not rule out a possible political tussle between the APC and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state. We want to warn political parties not to molest or harass anyone.

    “The command will arrest and prosecute any individual causing crisis in the state. People should be allowed to express their interests without harassment and intimidation.”

    Anyanwu urged the residents to go about their businesses without fear.

    He urged the people to provide information that would lead to the arrest of hoodlums.

     

    Chairman of Ezza North Mr Jeff Ogbu could not be reached. It was learnt he was at the police command’s headquarters.

    The member representing Ezza North/Ishielu in the National Assembly and an APC stakeholder, Peter Edeh, promised that despite the denial of the suspects, the party would ensure justice.

    He urged Police Commissioner Maigari Dikko to ensure political tolerance and peaceful co-existence.