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Tag: Bernard Odoh

  • Ebonyi APC: Aspirant rejects governorship primary result

    Prof. Bernard Odoh, an All Progressives Congress ( APC ) governorship aspirant for the 2019 election in Ebonyi, has rejected the outcome of the party’s primary that produced Sen. Sonni Ogbuoji as the candidate.

    Odoh who addressed newsmen on Wednesday in Abakaliki, said the election that held between Sunday and Monday, was marred with irregularities.

    Odoh, a former Secretary to the State Government (SSG), alleged that fake delegate lists from Ikwo and Ezza South Local Government Areas were used for the exercise.

    Recall that Sen. Domingo Obande, Ebonyi APC Governorship Primary Election Committee Chairman, had declared Ogbuoji winner, having secured 785 votes to defeat Odoh his closest rival who scored 516 votes and six other aspirants.

    He regretted that the delegate lists from the local government areas were only known to one man and tailored to favour a particular aspirant.

    He said that the aspirants protested against the use of the lists for the purpose of conducting the primary election.

    Odoh called on the leadership of the party to cancel votes from Ikwo and Ezza South Local Government Areas.

    Read Also: Primary: Former Taraba Ag. governor wins APC

    “For 30 minutes, we argued and vehemently disagreed with the committee not to use the controversial lists, but they insisted and went ahead with the conduct of the poll,” Odoh said.

    He stressed that he rejected the outcome of the governorship primary based on alleged use of forged delegate lists.

    He urged his supporters to remain calm and law abiding and assured that he would use every legitimate means to upturn the result.

    “I want to say that I reject the result of the just concluded Ebonyi APC governorship primary election based on observed irregularities.

    “The delegate lists from Ikwo and Ezza South were forged; the document is inconsistent with the document that the party presented when the committee arrived Abakaliki.

    “Therefore, we cannot allow a forged document to be used to choose the party’s flag bearer and again I had no access to the delegate lists used in the election from the two LGAs.

    “These delegates were not part of the delegates produced during the May congresses of our great party.

    “I am a law abiding person and I respect procedures.

    “We have commenced a process of appeal to the appeal panel; if the process is fair and credible, I will accept the outcome, but given what happened, I don’t accept the outcome,” he added.

  • 2019: Coalition backs Odoh, ex-Ebonyi SSG for Governor Election

    A coalition of 10 registered political parties in Ebonyi has endorsed Prof. Bernard Odoh, former Secretary to State Government (SSG) to contest for 2019 governorship election in the state.

    The coalition disclosed this in a 10-point communique read by its state Coordinator, Mr Cletus Ukpabi in Abakaliki on Monday.

    Odoh is among the major contenders for the gubernatorial ticket of the All Progressives Congress ( APC ) for the 2019 governorship election in the state.

    The News men recall that the former SSG, who was appointed by Gov. Dave Umahi on May 29, 2015, resigned his appointment on April 2.

    The group said that its support for Odoh’s emergence as the flag bearer of the APC in the Ebonyi governorship election was predicated on its conviction that he was most qualified among the other aspirants.

    The group said that Odoh‘s political support base spread across a broad spectrum of the electorate, including the academia , youths, artisans, civil servants, pensioners and market women.

    The coalition urged APC to consider the former Nnamdi Azikiwe University lecturer, whom it said possessed the needed intellectual, political and adminon the APC governorship ticket.

    The group said that the political parties in the coalition were aligning with APC to produce the next governor of the state stressing that it had endorsed Odoh as its sole candidate in the election.

    It said the decision to endorse Odoh was reached after the executives and members of the political parties in the alliance voted unanimously to back him for the governorship race as their preferred candidate.

    Read Also: Ebonyi SSG, Prof Odoh resigns

    The group said: “That party executives and members of the coalition, after an exhaustive meeting, resolved to endorse Odoh as our sole candidate and recommend him for APC to consider as its gubernatorial candidate.

    “That a discreet opinion poll conducted on all other aspirants from the various political parties revealed that Odoh has more support base and general acceptability.

    “That based on the general acceptability of Odoh’s candidature by a broad spectrum of the electorate, we have resolved to endorse him as our choice candidate and urge his party to equally endorse him as a preferred choice

    “That coalition of political parties in Ebonyi will have political miscarriage if APC denies Odoh the governorship ticket as their sole candidate for 2019 election.

    “That it is crystal clear from our observation that Odoh remains the most generally acceptable, credible, result-oriented and most qualified aspirant.

    “That we have accessed him as the only credible aspirant in APC that has the capacity to defeat the incumbent Gov. Umahi, in a free and fair election.”

    The group urged eligible voters who were yet to collect their voter cards to go and get them to qualify to vote in the 2019 general elections.

    The News men report that Odoh is from Ebonyi Central Senatorial District where the immediate past Gov. Martin Elechi hails from.

    Odoh will battle Dr Paul Okorie, a two-time commissioner in the state, Sen. Soni Ogbuoji, Dr Edward Nkwegu, and Austine Edeeze among others for the APC governorship ticket for the 2019 election.

    Political parties in the coalition are: African People’s Alliance (APA), Hope Democratic Party (HDP), Social Democratic Party (SDP), National Conscience Party (NCP), Allied Congress Party of Nigeria (ACPN), People’s Democratic Movement (PDM), and Fresh Democratic Party (FDP).

    Other is; Democratic People’s Party (DPP), New Nigeria People’s Party (NNPP) and the United Democratic Party (UPP).

  • Ebonyi: Umahi appoints new SSG

    Gov Dave Umahi of Ebonyi has appointed Dr Hygenius Nwokwu as the  new Secretary to State Government ( SSG ).

    The appointment came less than six hours after  Prof Bernard Odoh, the former SSG, resigned his appointment.

    The Chief Press Secretary (CPS) to Umahi, Mr Emmanuel Uzo confirmed the appointment in a telephone interview with our correspondent in Abakaliki on Tuesday.

    He said: “Yes, Dr Hygenius Nwokwu has been appointed the new SSG and his appointment is with immediate effect.

    “The Governor personally signed the appointment letter and the SSG has assumed duty immediately.”

    Nwokwu has previously held appointments as Commissioner for Education, Commissioner for Rural Development and Commissioner in the Ebonyi Civil Service Commission.

    He was until his present appointment, the Permanent Member in Ebonyi Secondary Education Board (SEB).

    Odo, appointed SSG in May 29, 2015  resigned his appointment in the late hours of Tuesday, April 2.

    NAN

  • Ebonyi: Umahi swears-in new Attorney General

    Ebonyi: Umahi swears-in new Attorney General

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has replaced the state former Attorney General and Commissioner for Justice, Mr Augustine Nwankwagu, 12 hours after sacking him.

    Nwankwagu, a former Speaker of the state House of Assembly, was sacked on Thursday over “acts inconsistent with his office”.

    Umahi, while swearing-in the new attorney general, Mr Cletus Ofoke, announced that the justice ministry under Nwankwagu, had performed poorly and incurred the people’s wrath in the process.

    “The country’s president wrote to all the state governors on the need to decongest the prisons but I did not receive response from the justice ministry on the issue.

    “I have issued the permanent secretary of the ministry a query and I believe that this and the new injections, would make him proactive.

    “The justice ministry is the weakest of all the state’s ministries as I received series of complaints from judges, security agencies and the public over its activities,” he said.

    Umahi alleged that the ministry did everything possible to tele-guide him in releasing hardened criminals without recourse to justice on the victims’ families and the society.

    “There are cases that are supposed to be charged to court that were not done as the new commissioner should realize that he is presiding over men’s affairs and ensure justice to all.

    “He should, in collaboration with his team, ensure that prisons in the state are decongested and ensure that the ministry is repositioned to gain public confidence,” he said.

    He threatened to reduce the size of the state Executive Council (EXCO) because of, ‘incessant gossiping’ and laxity on the part of its members.

    “Public offices are not for personal gains as the EXCO members complain that there is no money to gain from this government.

    “I wonder the type of money they want when they are duly paid their salaries, allowances such as furniture allowance that they were not supposed to receive.

    “I believe in reducing the size of EXCO because it is the cause of the gossiping and funny activities going on in it,” he said.

    Prof. Bernard Odoh, Secretary to the State Government (SSG), noted that the change became imperative because of the poor performances of the justice ministry.

    “This development is caused by poor leadership as the new commissioner and others appointed in the ministry have been tested and trusted to deliver equitably,” he said.

    Ofoke, the new commissioner thanked the governor for appointing him into the position and pledged to justify the confidence reposed in him.

    The governor also swore-in Mr Vincent Nwokpor as his Senior Special Adviser on Criminal Prosecution and Mr Paul Ugboloko as a member of the Local Government Area Advisory Committee.

    The swearing-in ceremony was witnessed by the Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Chief Francis Nwifuru and principal officers of the House who screened the appointees before the swearing-in ceremony.

    NAN recalls that Nwankwagu, the sacked commissioner had previously been suspended indefinitely in early 2017 for negligence of duty.

    NAN

  • Umahi accuses civil servants of illegal collection of leave allowance

    Umahi accuses civil servants of illegal collection of leave allowance

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi has accused civil servants in the state of illegal collection of leave allowances from 2011 to 2015.

    He also said that he would report the issue to the Nigeria Labour Congress ( NLC ) national leadership if the organised labour in the state failed to acknowledge the development and seek an amicable resolution of the issue.

    Umahi levied the accusation against the state workforce on Thursday in Abakaliki during an interactive session with representatives of labour unions and the Christian Association of Nigeria ( CAN ) Ebonyi chapter.

    According to the governor, continued payment of leave allowance to workers in that state was illegal since it has been covered in the consolidated salary structure which they receive.

    “Civil servants have forgotten that I was the deputy governor during the immediate past administration in the state which paid the allowance.

    “I mediated in the labour and state government dispute and know everything about consolidated salary payments having done all the calculations concerning it.

    “The immediate past administration paid until I took over and the state Accountant General and my Commissioner for Finance continued the payment with no one asking questions.

    “The civil servants intentionally did such thing but I came with the anointing of God who revealed the development to me,” he said.

    The governor threatened to report the state branch of the Nigerian Labour Congress ( NLC ) to its national leadership except the state workers accept that they owe the government.

    “We will discuss with the representatives of the workers and if you accept that workers owe the government, we will resolve all areas of differences.

    “We would, however, invite the national leadership of the NLC to the state if you insist that workers are being owed leave allowance because you are not telling the people the truth.

    “The state accountant general is directed to calculate the whole amount we have lost on leave allowances and if there is no consolidation on the leave, we would know what it is supposed to be on yearly basis,” he said.

    He advised the state civil servants to understand that the government cared about their welfare but that whatever accrued to the state was for all sectors and not only for them.

    “When we therefore pay higher salaries than other states with bigger assets and oil deposits, then we are supposed to be pitied,” he said.

    Prof. Bernard Odoh, Secretary to the State Government (SSG) urged workers in the state to focus less on salary increment and engage in entrepreneurial ventures to make ends meet.

    “There is no amount of salary that would solve all needs of workers and the emphasis should be in supplementing their earnings through entrepreneurial ventures.

    “This is the case in states such as Anambra where I lived as I urge the state’s committee on accessing the Bank of Industry (BOI) funds, to expedite action for workers to access it.

    “They should immediately release the first tranche to workers so that people would see its impact and become interested in accessing it,” he said.

    Mr Leonard Nkah, state NLC Chairman, thanked the governor for his concern for the workers and pleaded that all issues of disagreement between labour and government be settled amicably.

    “We feel that this matter has not reached the state of inviting the NLC national leadership as we felt that since the issue of consolidation was implemented, it was justified,” he said.

    NAN

  • Four commissioners, two SSAs, 11 SAs swap positions in Ebonyi

    Four commissioners, two SSAs, 11 SAs swap positions in Ebonyi

    Gov. David Umahi of Ebonyi on Friday carried out a major cabinet reshuffle in which four commissioners, two Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and 11 Senior Assistants swapped positions.

    Sen. Emmanuel Onwe, the state Commissioner for Information and State Orientation, made this known in Abakaliki while briefing newsmen on the outcome of the state Executive Council meeting.

    According to Onwe, the state Commissioner for Solid Minerals, Chief Sabinus Nwakwegu, will take charge of Ministry of Border, Peace and Conflict Resolution, while his Economic Empowerment counterpart, Chief Donatus Njoku, takes over Environment ministry.

    “The Commissioner for Border, Peace and Conflict Resolution, Dr Francis Orji, takes over the Solid Minerals ministry, while the Commissioner for Environment, Chief Moses Ogodo-Ali will head the Ministry of Economic Empowerment,’’ he said.

    Onwe said that the SSA on House of Assembly Matters, Mr Ikechukwu Ogbu, will be in charge of Salt and Cement Production, while the SSA on Salt and Cement Production, Mr Sunday Ugwuocha, will take over Assembly Matters.

    “The SA on Talent Development, Mrs Jacinta Nworie, will be in charge of Income Tax, SA on Primary Health (Ebonyi North), Dr Chris Achi, takes over Information and Communication Technology (ICT), and SA, Primary Heath (Ebonyi South), Chikere Omebe, takes over Training.

    Onwe announced that the suspended state Accountant-General, Mrs Queen Agwu, had been restored to her position.

    According to him, the state’s Executive Committee on IGR has been dissolved and a new one constituted.

    “The new committee on IGR is led by the state Deputy Governor, Dr Kelechi Igwe.

    “It includes the Secretary to the State Government, Prof. Bernard Odoh, and SSA on Welfare and Religious Matters, Rev. Fr. Abraham Nwali,” he said.

    Onwe said that the appointments took immediate effect.