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Tag: APC

  • Okorocha to Ihedioha: Join APC now and save your job

    Okorocha to Ihedioha: Join APC now and save your job

    Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State yesterday advised the Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Chief Emeka Ihedioha, to dump the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the All Progressives Congress (APC) to enable him retain his position in the House.

    The governor who was addressing Southeast leaders of the APC at the Ahajioku Convention Centre in Owerri, the state capital, said that the party would assume leadership of the House of Representatives once it resumes from recess this week.

    Ihedioha is from Imo State.

    The governor said: “I have advised my brother, the deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives, Emeka Ihedioha, to move and join the APC to retain his position for the Ndigbo. I don’t care who occupies the position so long as he is an Igbo man. I have said and will continue to say that APC is the best option for Ndigbo and we must embrace it.”

    Okorocha also said that former President Olusegun Obasanjo, former Head of State, Ibrahim Babangida, and other past leaders of the country are in full support of the APC.

    He said that they are all impressed by the performance of the APC and are watching political development in the country.

    Okorocha also slammed political leaders from Anambra State, accusing them of sabotaging the efforts of Ndigbo in producing the country’s president.

    He said: “Anambra is the major problem of Ndigbo. At every election, some leaders from Anambra will go behind the zone and collect money and contracts from the federal government and sell out Ndigbo for their selfish ends. But we must resist them now.”In APC Ndigbo must produce either the vice president or the president or the other way round in 2015 but we must be united to achieve this. We must work together as a crop of new leaders to move Ndigbo forward unlike what happened in the past when Igbo leaders were not united.”

     

  • PDP ranks deplete in Edo

    PDP ranks deplete in Edo

    THE last April 20th local government elections in Edo State has proved to be a game changer of sorts, as the Peoples Democratic Party candidate who won the councillorship election in Ward 4 Estako Central Local Government and Ward 10 Estako West Local Government, Mr. Peter Akhugie, along with his supporters have since dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Justifying his exit from the PDP, Akhugie said: “I decided to dump the PDP for the APC due to my conscience because I want the best for my people and not deceit. PDP leaders are using us to make money for themselves rather than for the people, but we have said enough is enough. We want to join Oshiomhole to make our state and council better for our people.”

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole who was full of joy receiving the defectors promised the people of Ogbonna that his administration would continue to extend development to every nook and cranny of the state irrespective of the political divide.

    The governor said politics is about development and not about sharing rice and sugar during elections.

    He said: “I have come not only to welcome Peter into our fold, this local government is now 10/10, exactly the same way it is 18/18 in Edo State after my election. And that to recognise that our strength is not in empty rhetoric, making promises that we will not keep, I have come to assure the people of Ogbona that we have done one borehole before, we will do another one. The weapon we have against the PDP is our developmental efforts and they have no answer to it. Each time they plan at night but in the day time God will destroy their plots.”

    “When you were not with us, we did a borehole and now that you are with us, we will do more. We will continue to build and rehabilitate more schools because education is the foundation for our tomorrow. We will make our schools the most beautiful and attractive. In the past, only the children of the rich attended beautiful schools,” Oshiomhole stressed.

  • Edo APC to begin membership registration

    Edo APC to begin membership registration

    •Receives 400 PDP members

    THE last April 20th local government elections in Edo State has proved to be a game changer of sorts, as the Peoples Democratic Party candidate who won the councillorship election in Ward 4 Estako Central Local Government and Ward 10 Estako West Local Government, Mr. Peter Akhugie, along with his supporters have since dumped the PDP for the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Justifying his exit from the PDP, Akhugie said: “I decided to dump the PDP for the APC due to my conscience because I want the best for my people and not deceit. PDP leaders are using us to make money for themselves rather than for the people, but we have said enough is enough. We want to join Oshiomhole to make our state and council better for our people.”

    Governor Adams Oshiomhole who was full of joy receiving the defectors promised the people of Ogbonna that his administration would continue to extend development to every nook and cranny of the state irrespective of the political divide.

    The governor said politics is about development and not about sharing rice and sugar during elections.

    He said: “I have come not only to welcome Peter into our fold, this local government is now 10/10, exactly the same way it is 18/18 in Edo State after my election. And that to recognise that our strength is not in empty rhetoric, making promises that we will not keep, I have come to assure the people of Ogbona that we have done one borehole before, we will do another one. The weapon we have against the PDP is our developmental efforts and they have no answer to it. Each time they plan at night but in the day time God will destroy their plots.

    “When you were not with us, we did a borehole and now that you are with us, we will do more. We will continue to build and rehabilitate more schools because education is the foundation for our tomorrow. We will make our schools the most beautiful and attractive. In the past, only the children of the rich attended beautiful schools,” Oshiomhole stressed.

  • Ondo APC elders’ forum backs Akeredolu’s committee

    The Elders Forum of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ondo State at the weekend expressed support for the new Interim Executive Committee led by Mr. Oluwarotimi Akeredolu(SAN).

    Rising from its meeting held in Akure, the state capital, the forum said its members will focus on the progress of the party.

    A statement signed by the Interim Secretary, Dr K.S Shaba; the former Secretary to the State Government (SSG) Prince Fioye Bajowa; Chief S.A Ropitan and Mr. Bayo Olafusi, hailed the efforts of APC national interim executive in building the party across all geo-political zones.

    It described the development as”epical feat unparalleled in the analysis of political history of the country.”

    The forum also lauded the Southwest zonal office headed by Otunba Niyi Adebayo for swiftly inaugurating the interim executive committees of the party in all states in the region.

    The step, it said, has put the party on a sound footing.

    It urged all members and supporters of APC to align with the committee to lift the party to greater heights in Ondo State.

  • APC, al-Mustapha and the politics of inclusiveness

    More than six months after the Court of Appeal in Lagos acquitted the former Chief Security Officer (CSO) to the late Head of State Gen Sani Abacha of the murder of Kudirat Abiola, the Lagos State Government has decided to challenge the judgement. According to a THISDAY newspaper report, however, that decision is raising ripples. Not only is the decision to appeal coming after the statutory time allowed for appeal, it is also happening at a time of major political realignments considered still too brittle to withstanding significant jolts. The governor of Kano State, Rabiu Kwankwaso, it will be recalled, recently defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC), the same party ruling Lagos. And al-Mustapha, who hails from Kano, was welcomed back home as a hero by the governor.

    Quoting sources, the paper revealed that some leading members of the party fear that the decision to appeal a judgement celebrated in Kano a few months ago could dampen the acceptability of the APC in the state and perhaps weaken its chances in future polls. Both Lagos and Kano have not officially reacted to the decision to appeal and the suppositions woven around it. They are unlikely to do so directly, for the matter is a double-edged sword.

    If Lagos had decided not to appeal, and it emerged sometime in the future that the consideration behind it was political, it could damage both the state and the party in the estimation of the state’s sensitive and discriminating electorate. For the public would naturally presume that both the party and the state habitually and whimsically subordinate issues of justice to matters of politics. But it is also true that pursuing the case against al-Mustapha, who was received back home a hero, could send signals to the people of the state that their new party was either intrinsically inquisitorial or had just become so in reflection and reinforcement of the country’s ethnic and political dichotomies.

    However, the three parties to the al-Mustapha case – Lagos, Kano and APC – must determine by what standards they hope to be judged. Would they like to be seen as flexible, and therefore unprincipled, when pertinent issues of justice are being considered? Could they hope that such malleability would not endanger the principles their party stands for, and the values by which it hopes posterity would judge it? I think it is dangerous for the party to begin to entertain such expedient considerations. True, the case could cause a lot of problems for the party, and even create huge dissonance within the ranks. But at the risk of undermining its popularity in key states, whether those with huge or small electoral votes, it is more rewarding for the party to build its foundations on sound and incontestable principles and values.

    The danger of following expediencies is how to determine when to embrace it and when not to. No party worth its salt would want to be associated with reprehensible political mores and tactics. If the APC hopes to be respected and be seen as a viable alternative to the highly protean Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), it must be prepared to make the sacrifices necessary to establish an enduring foundation for its future. The time to make those sacrifices is now, at its infancy, when the stakes are still very high. If it loses the opportunity now, it may never regain it. Lagos wants to appeal the al-Mustapha case; let it do so resolutely, and let the Supreme Court finally determine the suspect’s guilt or innocence. Major al-Mustapha himself should relish that final vindication, should it come. Meanwhile, neither Lagos nor Kano must give the impression that al-Mustapha’s freedom is more important to his admirers and sympathisers than the catharsis, justice and closure Alhaja Kudirat’s family demand from Nigeria.

  • Yomi Akinruntan, Kunle Odidi, others jostle for Nomiye’s seat

    Yomi Akinruntan, Kunle Odidi, others jostle for Nomiye’s seat

    The news from Ilaje/Ese-Odo, the riverine area of Ondo State, in the last few weeks is the battle for the vacant seat of Ilaje/Ese-Odo Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives. Following the untimely death of Hon. Raphael Nomiye, the seat has become about the most hotly contested in the nation at the moment. No fewer than 10 aspirants have indicated interest in the by-election scheduled to be held in a few days time.

    Many of the aspirants are said to have literally relocated to the Alagbaka seat of government in Akure, Ondo State, as they seek Governor Olusegun Mimiko’s favour for the Labour Party’s ticket. Others are testing their strength on the platforms of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

    The sentiment being played up in the contest is that Nomiye, the former occupant of the seat, hails from Ugbo and anyone who would complete his tenure must also come from Nomiye’s Ugbo constituency. Hence, Yomi Akinruntan, Kunle Odidi and Kolade Akinjo are being touted as favourites for the seat.

  • Ogun APC slams lawmakers

    Ogun APC slams lawmakers

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ogun State has described the criticism of Governor Ibikunle Amosun’s “endorsement” for a second term as “cheap blackmail”.

    At a forum in Abeokuta, the state capital, some ACN chieftains and political office holders endorsed the governor for a second term, but the party’s National Assembly caucus faulted the process that led to the endorsement, dismissing it as a “a charade, illegal, mischievous and dubious”.

    In a statement by its Publicity Secretary, Sola Lawal, the party said the lawmakers acted out of ignorance because no endorsement took place in the first place.

    It said the Abeokuta gathering was a stakeholders’ event meant to discuss developments in the party, particularly the forthcoming registration of members.

    The party said the National Assembly caucus members were invited to the event, but some of them did not turn up.

    APC said: “It is noteworthy to state that over five prominent leaders of the party, including the governor, made it clear at the event that the gathering was not for endorsing anyone. In particular, Senator Biyi Durojaiye is on record as emphasising that the gathering would not endorse anybody.

    “It is patently mischievous and dubious for anyone, let alone respected federal lawmakers, to latch on to untruth in a desperate bid to seek attention through blackmail of the party that sponsored them.”

    The APC said it was committed to the rule of law, fair-play and justice and would always desist from undemocratic persuasions.

    It said all elective positions would be contested by every interested member in open primaries as stipulated by the party’s constitution.

    The party said: “If only these emergency critics had been abreast of developments in their constituencies, they would have discovered that primitive imposition of candidates, including so-called automatic tickets for Amosun, has never been encouraged by anyone, including the governor.”

  • APC’s leadership burden in Bayelsa

    APC’s leadership burden in Bayelsa

    The control of the structure of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State is a matter for concern. A political conundrum has indeed thrown a spanner in the works of the opposition party in the state, writes Mike Odiegwu Yenagoa.

    Who controls the structure of the All Progressive Congress (APC) in Bayelsa State? This political conundrum has indeed thrown a spanner in the works of the opposition party in the state. Establishing the foundation of the party in the state of President Goodluck Jonathan is already fraught with problems.

    Like the game of tug of war, two separate groups are fiercely dragging the leadership of the party. At one end of the rope are the loyalists of the former Governor Timipre Sylva, who dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for the APC in the wake of the tsunami rocking the ruling party. At the other end, however, are the original members of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and other parties which closed ranks in a historic merger that gave birth to APC.

    Though Sylva is believed to be the big fish of APC in the state, the former governor, whose second term ambition was frustrated by PDP, has kept mute. But his former security adviser, Mr. Richard Kpodo, and former Youth Leader of PDP in the South-South, Mr. Godwin Sidi, a known loyalist of Sylva, are vocally leading the campaign to seize APC’s leadership structure.

    Matters got to a head when Kpodo dedicated his expansive property at Tombia Roundabout, Yenagoa, the state capital to APC. He converted the building to APC’s secretariat and decorated it with the party’s flags. He erected a signboard for the party and declared himself and Sidi the interim state Chairman and Secretary of the APC.

    There was, however, an indication that all was not well even among Sylva’s loyalists jostling to lead the party in the state. A day after Kpodo and Sidi unveiled the proposed secretariat, the former Chairman of Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, Mr. Tiwe Orunimighe, opened a parallel office at the former secretariat of the PDP on Yenezuegene,Yenagoa. Tiwe announced his proposed secretariat with a big banner of APC.

    Investigations by Niger Delta Report revealed that APC has a unique way of composing its leadership structure in each state. In a typical APC controlled states, the governors are allowed to appoint the state chairmen of the party while other principal officers are elected by the State Management Committee whose numbers vary according to the states. But in a state not controlled by APC, the committee is saddled with the responsibility of electing all the principal members, including the chairman.

    In Bayelsa State, the committee is to be composed by 25 nominees, including three persons appointed by Sylva. It was further gathered that Kpodo is not even among the members who are waiting to be inaugurated by the interim Southsouth Chairman of APC, Chief Tom Ikimi.

    Sylva was said to have nominated three persons but later withdrew their names promising to send new names to the party’s secretariat. While Kpodo was excluded from the first list of Sylva, Tiwe was said to be on the list.

    One of the interim national officers of APC, Ebikibina Miriki, who was before the merger the National Youth Leader of ACN in the state, said the actions of Sylva’s loyalists were not in tandem with the modus operandi of APC.

    “The actions of Kpodo and others is not in line with the directive of the Interim National Executive, which empowered the Interim National Leader, Southsouth, Chief Tom Ikimi, to inaugurate the interim executive committee of APC in the state. The secretariat was opened without proper process and it showed the true intentions of persons behind it.

    “It is unfortunate. It is not in our character in APC. It also shows that it is coming from a background where impunity prevails. But we don’t condone impunity. The party is open to everybody. Many Bayelsans have identified with the party but none of them had gone out of their way.

    “We have condemned what had just happened and put the records straight. They are not what they claim to be, especially when we are yet to inaugurate the state interim members for Bayelsa and Akwa Ibom. We had successfully done it in four states. We have names of 25 nominees in Bayelsa.

    “They are the ones that will now elect five officers that will actually teleguide the process. These officers are chairman, secretary, treasurer, financial secretary and publicity secretary. Then where is all this coming from? They claim that they had got the permission from the national leadership. But my national chairman has clearly stated that it was not true.”

    Also, the 2012 governorship candidate of the defunct ACN, Mr. Kamela Okara, condemned the actions of Kpodo and said the issues of state secretariat and interim executive committee of the party must follow laid-down procedures of the party.

    “The attempts by certain persons describing themselves as chairman and secretary of the yet-to-be formed APC Interim state exco smack of political desperation, illegality and a lack of understanding of the party rules and due process,” he said.

    The row also forced the nominees of the yet-to-be inaugurated state management committee of APC in the state to hold an emergency meeting. The meeting, which was attended in Yenagoa by 19 of the nominees, disowned Kpodo and his group.

    Describing the actions of Sylva’s loyalists as false and misleading, a communique issued by the nominees after the meeting, however, said Kpodo and other loyalists of the former governor were free to join APC if properly registered.

    The three-point communique was signed by Nalaguo Chris Alagoa, Mrs. Esther Joshua Okiowei; Chief Livinus Agala, Mr. Tuamo Abule, Chief Harrow Zuokumor and Emmanuel Anderson.

    It said: “It is not true that the national secretariat support the strange action of these bedfellows as they are alien  to the extant APC arrangement on ground.The State Interim Executive Committee is the only recognised body for the purpose.

    “The claim that there were no legacy parties in the state before now is laughable.It is known that parties like the Action Congress of Nigeria, the ANPP and the CPC existed, contested elections and were even in court variously on account of largely abused and mismanaged general and local government elections of 1999,2003,2007,2011,2012”.

    The nominees further derided Kpodo and his cohorts describing their actions as shocking and embarrassing.

    But Kpodo believe that most of the nominees are not eligible to lead the party citing their antecedence and accusing Miriki of being a black leg in APC. He alleged that most of the nominees were capable of selling APC to PDP for monetary gratifications.

    “Imagine people like Miriki. He is an appointee of Seriake Dickson’s government. He is the SSA on Inter-Party Affairs. Which noise will he be making? How can you serve two masters? You are serving a governor in PDP and you are telling the people that you are in APC. How does it look like?

    “I was in PDP as Special Adviser on Security and I had access to most of the security information. These set of people killed ACN. They collected money from PDP and ACN could not win even a councilorship election in Bayelsa. They were wining and dining with us in PDP.

    “Those of us who came from the new PDP believe that everybody needs to contribute to the progress of his party. That was why when I came into APC, I found out that there was no office and nothing to show that this party was existing in Bayelsa.

    “I couldn’t wait for the national body to give me money. Since nobody is making sacrifices, l have to donate my building so that party faithful can have a place to hold meetings. I have discussed with all the stakeholders apart from Miriki because l know he is a black leg.”

    Miriki, however, accused Kpodo of making reckless statements and said he would not join issues with him.

    The controversies are deepening and constituting a threat to the peace and security in the state. The imbroglio assumed a dimension that compelled Dickson to appeal to the national leadership of APC to resolve the crisis rocking its chapter in the state.

    Dickson in a statement signed by his Chief Press Secretary, Mr. Daniel Iworiso-Markson  said the government would not allow the crisis to threaten the peace and security in the state. He asked the police and other security agencies in the state to ensure adequate security at the secretariat of the APC in Yenagoa, the State capital.

    He said directive was to maintain the policy of the present administration of ensuring security of lives and property of residents and visitors to the state.

    He said: “As a responsive Government, we will not abandon what is clearly our constitutional duty to provide security and ensure that people go about their legitimate duties without any form of molestation and same for the APC and any other party that is lawfully registered and recognized as a political party in Nigeria.”

    Dickson also set a tone for another controversy in the statement over a building owned by Mr. Richard Kpodo, which he (Kpodo) recently converted to the APC’s secretariat.

    The governor pointed out that the building had long been earmarked for demolition alongside other structures, to make way for the second flyover bridge to be constructed around the area.

    He added that the government had already set aside N1billion for the payment of compensation to owners of property affected by the project.

    He said the demolition was not designed as witchhunt against anybody or group of persons.

    According to him, the exercise was purely intended to bring about infrastructural development to the state capital in line with the restoration agenda of the government.

    Dickson said his property was pulled down to pave way for the ongoing expansion of the new Opolo/Elebele expressway.

    He said it  was a price everybody had to pay for the development of the critical infrastructure in the state.

    The governor said: “Clearly, the rivalry or rift in the party is between loyalists of former Governor Timipre Sylva and members of the ACN, who have been in the opposition all the while and a part of the new alliance that gave birth to the APC.

    “Another thorny issue within the party is that two of Sylva’s loyalists (Richard Kpodo and Godwin Sidi) have reportedly imposed themselves on the party as Chairman and Secretary as well as sited the State Secretariat at Kpodo’s personal property located at the Etegwe area of Yenagoa without due consultation.

    ”Bayelsa is at peace and I want to use this opportunity to call on the APC to ensure that the problem does not cause a breach of the peace within the State capital and its environs, as Government will do everything on its part to maintain the existing peaceful atmosphere around the State”.

    Besides, the civil society groups and activists in the state are beginning to reconsider the motives of APC in the state wondering why the likes of Kpodo are its promoters.

    They recalled that Kpodo was the brains behind the proscribed state security outfit codenamed Operation Famou Tangbei. Besides, they argue that Sylva’s loyalists contributed nothing to the development of the state.

    According to them, the security and development of the state have improved significantly under Dickson and it will take more credible individuals in APC to challenge Dickson who has already been viewed by many people as a performing governor.

  • We’re under pressure to join APC, says Cross River Rep

    The representative of Calabar-South/Akpabuyo/Bakassi in the Federal House of Representatives, Essien Ayi, has urged the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to put its house in order. He said he is under pressure to join the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Speaking with reporters in Calabar, he said: “Well, it is true that, we have had a lot of defections in the house. It is also true that even some others are threatening to go, but all what I will advise my party, which I belong, is that they should sit up, if they don’t sit up, if we assume, if we take things for granted, it may be very difficult for us.

    “Whatever they can do to put the party back in shape and bring everybody together they should try and do it. A lot of us have been under pressure to join these other political parties. ?

    “I happen to be one of those who originally started the party. In Calabar south, we had a forum called Calabar South Forum, we merged with the Cross River Democratic forum led by the former and present governors of the state, which later transformed to the PDP in the state. Even the day that the G34 was inaugurated, I was at the Eagle Square; so I will say that I am one of the founding members of the party and within me, if they happen to allow the party go the way it is going now, it will pain me because I know how we suffered to make the party what it is today.

    “So my advice to the gladiators, because, there are so many gladiators, who are trying to show their power, they say when two elephants fight it is the grass that suffers. They should tread carefully so that they should not destroy our party.”

     

     

     

  • APC warns PDP against suit stopping leadership change in National Assembly

    APC warns PDP against suit stopping leadership change in National Assembly

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the plan by the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to use the Judiciary to stop the impending leadership change in the National Assembly is “an act of desperation and an abuse of court process.”

    The PDP plan to stop further defection followed the exodus of 37 of its members in the House of Representatives, to the APC.

    In a statement yesterday in Lagos by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, the APC said: “Apart from the fact that the sole plaintiff in the case, the PDP, is incompetent and an interloper, the action itself is an abuse of court process, since there is a pending and subsisting order of the same Federal High Court in Abuja between the two parties.

    “This attempt to use the Judiciary, which is an arm of government, to stop another arm of government – the Legislature – from performing its constitutional duty, is patently illegal. It is a known fact that the principle of separation of powers, as upheld by the Supreme Court, forbids an arm of government from stopping, suspending or otherwise interfering with the functions of another arm.”

    The party said what the PDP is attempting to do with its misguided case is akin to the APC seeking to use the Judiciary to stop President Goodluck Jonathan from reshuffling his cabinet or firing a minister.

    APC said PDP should have waited until an action has been taken and go to court to nullify it, rather than stop such action from taking place.

    It added: “Any order of a lower court purporting to stop members of the National Assembly from attending the House or conducting any proceedings or voting is incompetent, illegal and contrary to the well-established jurisprudence enunciated by the Supreme Court.”

    APC recalled that it had alerted the nation to the plan by the PDP and the Presidency to use pliant judges to obtain illegal court orders to achieve their diabolical aims.

    The party said it warned politicians not to drag the Judiciary into the murky waters of politics.

    It noted that such action would be a throwback to the better-forgotten days of the late Head of State, Gen. Sani Abacha.

    “As for the Judiciary, we are confident that our judicial officers will not allow themselves to be used for selfish, political end as they have judicial aspirations to pursue and their good names to protect,” APC said.