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Tag: Ayo Arise

  • ‘Supreme court must declare saraki, others’ seat vacant’

    The Attorney General and Minister of Justice, Abubakar Malami, has been urged to approach the Supreme Court on the need to declare the seats of Senate President Bukola Saraki and other defecting senators vacant.

    Former Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatisation, Senator Ayo Arise, said the executive arm of government is empowered by law to invoke Section 68 (1) g of the 1999 Constitution to declare the seats of the defecting senators vacant.

    Speaking on a Channels Television current affairs programme, POLITICS TODAY, monitored in Ado-Ekiti, Arise said the defection of Saraki and his followers in the Senate, without a valid reason as prescribed by the Constitution are no longer members of the National Assembly.

    Arise, who was in the Senate between 2007 and 2011, and seeking a return to the upper chamber said approaching the Supreme Court would
    save the country from what he called “the ongoing defection mentality which has now become a recurring practice in Nigerian politics, especially in the build up to every election.”

    According to him, the issue at stake is far beyond individual or a group of people but rather a constitutional matter in order to move the country forward.

    The former lawmaker stressed that Nigeria will forever remain underdeveloped politically, if will fail to do what is right by adhering to the tenets and dictates of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    Arise said: “Law is not a respecter of anybody and it must not be held contrary in Nigeria hence the need for the law to take its course in the latest development and set the record straight once and for all. This will go a long way at bringing sanity and sanctity into the nation’s democracy”.

    “The Supreme Court in the case between Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde and Ondo State House of Assembly and others, had unambiguously settled the issue of defections, when it defined the difference between factionalisation and fractionalisation of a political party and explained the reasons that can warrant the defection of any elected member of the National or State Assembly without suffering the consequences as stated in section 68 (1) g of our Constitution.

    “It stated that, factionalisation of a party could not have warranted any lawmaker to change his or her party but held that, factionalisation through which a Legislator can defect must be in conformity with the section 68(2) of the constitution which states that, there must be a division in the party.

    “What “factionalisation or division” means here is that, there must be a parallel executive from the national to the ward level within the affected political party before the constitutional requirements that permits defection without forfeiture of one’s seat could be met.

    “And as at today, there is no such ground in the APC to allow Saraki and others to change from the party through which they became legislators without losing their seats in the National Assembly. They could participate in a new election to fill their seats in their new parties.

    Read Also: Masari dismisses state civil service

    “On the possibility of having the INEC budget for the 2019 general elections passed into law because of the current face-off between the National Assembly and the Executive, Sen. Arise noted that, the constitution allows the President to spend up to 50% of previous budget proposal in the event of a delay in passing a current budget by the Lawmakers.

    “Therefore, the question of whether or not the passage of INEC budget could be an obstacle towards the conduct of 2019 general elections may not arise because the President can source for funds through some special intervention funds pending the settlement of the political imbroglio.

    “The most practical and legal solution is to follow the dictates of our Constitution and declare the seats vacant by seeking the opinion of the Supreme Court again if anyone is doubt that any judgment of the Supreme Court is the law of the land.

    “The Constitution also empowers the Executive arm of the government to enforce our laws.”

  • 2019: Saraki, Kwankwaso, Tambuwal, others can’t stop Buhari

    ‘Nigeria now working under Buhari’

    Former Chairman, Senate Committee on Privatization, Senator Ayo Arise, has predicted a landslide victory for President Muhammadu Buhari in the 2019 presidential election.

    Arise said the President has succeeded in putting Nigeria on the path of recovery, infrastructural revolution and development since assumption of office in 2015.

    He noted that Nigerians will re-elect Buhari on the record of his performance, integrity, transparency in governance and his strong will to stamp out the virus of corruption allegedly inflicted on Nigeria by sixteen years of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) rule.

    Arise, who represented Ekiti North senatorial district between 2007 and 2011, declared that the likes of Senate President Bukola Saraki, Sokoto State Governor Aminu Tambuwal, former Kano State Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso and others jostling for the PDP presidential ticket cannot stop Buhari’s re-election.

    According to him, the era of sharing the common resources belonging to all Nigerians by a few people has stopped with Buhari’s ascension to power which he said has rubbed off positively on the nation’s economy.

    The former federal legislator who is seeking a return to the Upper Chamber said the President needs a National Assembly that will work harmoniously with (Buhari) in the next dispensation to provide good governance and better standard of living for Nigerians and not lawmakers that will sabotage his efforts.

    Read Also: Tinubu: Saraki, Tambuwal left APC for fear of Buhari

    Arise added that his ambition was borne out of the desire to support the President and Ekiti State governor-elect, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, to deliver dividends of democracy to the people of Ekiti North and the state as a whole.

    He urged Nigerians to rally round Buhari by voting massively for him in the February 16 presidential poll to “drive the final nail into the political coffin of the vultures gathering together feed fat on the nation’s commonwealth.”

    Arise said: “Although some Nigerians believed that, the President ought to have completely turned around the whole country economy in less than four years, but the fact remains that, nobody can provide all infrastructures needed in a particular nation within a four year tenure.

    “It will be a great injustice or error of political judgement to believe Nigeria woes could be completely nipped in the mud within a four year regime after an ignoble PDP sixteen years in the country.

    “We are all living witnesses of the sixteen years of the PDP government without much achievements when compared to less than, four years of the present administration with many things to show for it.

    “But the present federal government has made an indellible mark in the area of Nigerian economy to include; a railway line from Kano to Port Harcourt, Lagos to Kano, second River Niger Bridge, many roads across the six geo-political Zones of the country, agriculture, health, security and industries among others.

    “Therefore, all Nigerians need to always rally support the president in his efforts at repositioning the country for better and safe for all to live in.

    “President Buhari is no doubt working hard on infrastructures, economy and other social amenities needed by every class and calibre of people irrespective of their status in the world to live comfortably in Nigeria, even without thinking of going for vacation abroad any longer.

    “It is achieveable through the support of all, especially on the fight against the menace of corruption that had destroyed nearnly all the sectors of the country economy and made it unworkable and nearnlly collapsed before the advent of the present administration.

    “The government has therefore, so far taken the bull by the horn at repositioning the deldrum and ailing economy.”

    While congratulating President Buhari and other Muslim faithfuls on the celebration of this year Eid-el- Kabir, the APC chieftain called on Muslims to always promote love and peace in the country to achieve a meaningful development.

  • Tinubu, Akande meet Ekiti aspirants

    …To convey decision to party

    Leaders of the All Progressives  Congress (APC) in the south west on Tuesday met with the 33 aspirants contesting the Ekiti governorship primary to address issues that led to the disruption of the primary, saying they have arrived at a decision that will be in the overall interest of the party and the nation.

    The meeting called at the instance of the National Leader of the party was attended by majority of the aspirants as well as leaders of the party in the South-West; with Chief Bisi Akande saying that the resolution of the meeting will be conveyed to the leadership of the party on Wednesday.

    Leaders of the party in the South West who attend does the meeting include pioneer national chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande, former Ogun state Governor, Chief Segun Osoba, former Ekiti state governor Otumba Niyi Adebayo and the Zonal Vice Chairman Chief Pius Akinyelure.

    Minister of Solid Mineral who was one of the aspirants who attended the meeting left the venue at about 6.32pm when the meeting went on break to allow the leaders take a decision in accordance with the agreement the aspirants.

    Although The Nation learnt that the Minister wanted to leave the venue of the meeting before the break, it was not clear whether he left in anger as he did not display any emotion while leaving, refusing however to speak to the Press.

    Former Deputy National Chairman of the party and one of the aspirants, Engr. Segun Oni dismissed claims that one of the aspirants walked out, saying “nobody walked out of the meeting. We are on break and will reconvene”.

    He also dismissed the option of going for a consensus, saying ” we are not considering that. We are going for election “, a position which was echoed by Senator Ayo Arise.

    Chairman of the Primary Election Committee and Nasarawa state governor, Tanko AlMakura however arrived the venue of the meeting at about 7.05 and went into a meeting with the leaders from.the south west who were already meeting.

    The meeting with the aspirants resumed at about 7.30 with AlMakura and members of the primary committee in attendance, but without the Minister of Solid Mineral and Senator Ayo Arise in attendance.

    Speaking with newsmen after the meeting, former National Chairman of the party, Chief Bisi Akande said the meeting took a decision they felt will be in the general interest of the party and the nation.

    He said they will convey the decision they arrived at at the end of the meeting to the leadership of the party, saying “we will convey our resolution to the party and the party will be able to tell you.

    “We took a decision on what will be the best advantage to our party and the country. Consensus is already written in our constitution and it is an option. Also primary election is already in our constitution. But what we want is the general happiness of the leaders of the party, the contestants and our party.”

    On whether the aspirants agreed to step down for one of them, he said “that option is given to them, but it require them going back, think about it and inform us.

    On fresh primary, he said “we are going to talk to the party about what the aspirants have said and what we all thought was best and we know that the party will take the right decision.

    “The party choose the old date, choose the modalities and the method of doing it and when it was aborted, the party it cancelled it. Who am I to say I  disagree with that. I was not part of that process. I am now going to be part of the new process so that we don’t have the kind of problems we had.”

  • Gunmen abduct Arise, demand N80m ransom

    Gunmen abduct Arise, demand N80m ransom

    A former Senator representing Ekiti North Senatorial District, Senator Ayo Arise, has been abducted by unknown gunmen.

    He was kidnapped on Sunday along the Okene-Lokoja road while on his way to Abuja.

    A source told our reporter on Monday that the senator’s abductors have contacted the family and demanded N80 million ransom.

    He was reportedly kidnapped alongside his driver and taken to an unknown location.

    Arise attended a ceremony in Ikere-Ekiti where chieftaincy titles were conferred on a former Assistant Inspector General of Police, Tunde Ogunsakin and his wife, Chinyere by the Ogoga, Oba Adejimi Adu.

    He later played golf at the Ado-Ekiti Golf Course along Poly Road before retiring to his country home to hold political meetings with his supporters.

    Speaking on condition of anonymity, an aide to Arise said: “Yes, he visited Ekiti State on Saturday before returning to Abuja.

    “When we wanted to establish contact with him, we could not. The last time I called him was around 6:00 p.m. So the kidnap must have taken place around 7:00 p.m.

    “They have contacted us and demanded a sum of N80m ransom. We are worried because we don’t know his situation.

    “The family is working hard to secure his release and we have contacted all the relevant agencies including the police to come to our aid.”

    The politician is also a governorship aspirant of the All Progressives Congress (APC) for next year’s governorship poll in Ekiti.

    He dumped the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for APC shortly before the 2015 general elections.

     

     

  • PDP chief disagrees with Fayose over attacks on Buhari

    A Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) chieftain in Ekiti State, Senator Ayo Arise, has disagreed with Governor Ayo Fayose on his attacks on the presidential candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Gen. Muhammadu Buhari.

    Arise, who spoke on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television breakfast programme, monitored in Ado-Ekiti on Monday, said although Fayose is entitled to his opinion, he is not speaking for the party.

    Arise, who represented Ekiti North in the Senate between 2007 and 2011, said the hate campaign mounted by Fayose is needless as all what is needed is for PDP members to work for the victory of President Goodluck Jonathan in the March 28 presidential election.

    He said: “Our party has come out strongly to say that Fayose is not speaking for the party. So, I won’t say he is not entitled to his opinion at this level.

    “But left to me as an individual, I disagree with him on this. I believe we do ‘t need such in the PDP, all we need is to work hard and campaign for Mr. President to win the election fair and square.”

    Arise argued that Jonathan cannot be taken to have been solely responsible for the crises bedeviling the country, particularly the insurgency and dwindling fortunes of the economy.

    The former Chairman of Senate Committee on Privatization noted that while he agreed with some analysts that failure of the past leaders led to the insurgency in the Northeast of the country, Jonathan should not be solely held responsible for the Boko Haram insurgency.

    Canvassing for Jonathan’s re-election, Arise said the President deserves re-election for the various achievements recorded in the last five years.

    He said: “Among all these contenders, President Jonathan stands tall above others. This does not suggest that I am casting aspersion on other candidates or reducing their competencies.

    “Our President is not the type who believes in media propaganda about achievements while in office because he believes the primary aim of any government is to provide basic amenities like good roads , robust housing sector and well paid employment .