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Tag: Chris Nehikhare

  • PDP targets 15 seats in Edo Assembly

    The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) said it is targeting to win 15 seats out of the 24 available seats in the Edo State House of Assembly.

    It said it hoped to take control of the assembly with a view to entrenching good governance.

    Spokesman for the PDP in Edo State, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, who spoke in a chat with our reporter said the party was worried about the turnout for the polls on Saturday.

    Nehikhare said the party was worried over voters apathy in the polls.

    He said the voters turnout might be low because the people were not happy about the results of the February 23 general elections.

    His words, “We are worried about the turnout becae the people believed the result of the last election was not a true reflection of their votes.

  • INEC yet to distribute sensitive materials in Edo

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is yet to commence distribution of sensitive materials in Edo State.

    As at press time, sorting of the sensitive materials was still being carried put inside the premises of the Central Bank of Nigeria under heavy security.

    Party agents were seen sitting under canopies. Some bought tooth paste and brush to wash their teeth should they be made to sleep there.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner, Alex Hart could not be reached for comments.

    Spokesman for the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, in a statement last night accused INEC of sabotaging the process.

    Nehikhare alleged that sensitive materials were not yet available as at 7pm.

    Read Also: INEC begins distribution of sensitive materials in Imo

    According to the statement: “You will recall that on February 11, 2019 Edo PDP raised the alarm that INEC in collaboration with APC was planning to sabotage the elections blaming it on logistical problems.

    “It’s 7.00pm on the eve of the presidential and National Assembly elections and materials for Edo are not available.

    “This sabotage was orchestrated and a danger to our democracy.

    “They want stand-alone elections so they can deploy their agents of intimidation and harassment. We condemn it and reject it in also its ramifications”.

    Spokesman for Edo APC, Mr. Chris Azebamwan, said the PDP was crying wolf where there are known having known that they have lost the election.

    Azebamwan said the PDP want to create a scenario to discredit the electoral process.

    He wondered how the PDP knew sensitive materials were not available when it did not enter the vault of the Central Bank of Nigeria.

     

  • PDP, Obaseki, trade words over plot to postpone election in eight LGs

    The Peoples’ Democratic Party in Edo State has raised the alarm over plot by the Edo State Government to pressure the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to postpone Saturday’s elections in eight local government areas of the state.

    It listed the targeted local government areas to include Orhionmwo, Uhunmwode, Ovia, Esan North-East, Esan South-East, Akoko-Edo, Etsako East, Estako West and Estako Central.

    The Edo PDP said the plot was leaked by some covert members of the ruling All Progressives Congress and officials of INEC.

    Spokesman of the Edo PDP, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, who spoke at a press briefing in Bénin City voting would be postponed in the eight local government areas to a later day due to what would be termed “logistical problems”.

    Nehikhare said the aim was to have stand-alone elections in these local government so that the federal government could unleash their agents of intimidation and harassment to full effect.

    Describing the plan as barbaric, evil, and a recipe for chaos that would lead to  unprecedented people’s revolt and reaction, Nehikhare said Edo people would not accept, condone or tolerate any display or exhibition of “deliberate incompetence” as excuse to sabotage the general elections.

    Nehikhare also raised alarmed that on plans to arrest and detain some PDP leaders ahead of the election over alleged money laundering charges.

    He said the PDP would resist any plot for officials of the state to go near any polling unit under the guise of being a security officer.

    Read Also: Obaseki mobilises teachers to vote for APC candidates

    According to him, “The logistical problem excuse is a lame one that will not fly. The election must hold simultaneously with other elections and no cooked up excuse or reason will be acceptable!

    “It’s also appropriate to alert Nigerians that we are aware of the plot by DSS and the Police to arrest our leaders with the aim of removing them from circulation the Wednesday before the elections and thus destabilizing our supporters and members.

    “The intimidation and harassment of our leaders is unacceptable, tyrannical and exposes the desperation of this government to hold on to power even as it is clear that Nigerians have rejected them!

    “We call on all Nigerians and the international community to condemn this act and prevail on the government to organize a free, fair and transparent election devoid of government intimidation and harassment. It is clear and unfortunate that they are paying lip service to a free and fair election.”

    But Governor Godwin Obaseki advised the PDP to go to the streets and villages and campaign to the people instead of raising defeatist alarm.

    Governor Obaseki described the allegations as baseless and unfounded.

    Speaking through his Special Adviser on Media and Communication Strategy, Mr. Crusoe Osagie, said there as son such plan to postpone elections in any local government areas the State

    “These are signs of failure on the part of the PDP. Governor Obaseki is campaigning in different villages.

    “They are putting up alibi in the background knowing fully well that the people have rejected them. The PDP will meet defeat at the polls. The PDP should of and campaign instead of dishing out false information.”

  • PDP accuses lawmaker of being in possession of ‘destroyed’ PVCs

    Edo State chapter of the People’s Democratic Party(PDP) has raised the alarm thousands of Permanent Voters Cards(PVCs) destroyed by flood last year were in possession of the lawmaker representing Oredo West constituency in the House of Assembly, Hon. Chris Okaeben.

    It said Hon Okaeben was spotted to be in possession of thousands of the supposedly destroyed PVCs and distributing same to his party loyalists and supporters.

    Edo Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, in a press statement said they party has received information on the role INEC Electoral Officers (EOs) were playing in the local government areas they were assigned to supervise.

    Nehikhare said the party was also aware of the N500,000.00 alert from Edo State government agents for the EOs  cooperation to smuggle APC members into the list of ad-hoc staff.

    He alleged that the EOs have given APC candidates PVCs in bulk to be distributing among their members while depriving other citizens and eligible voters their cards.

    Read Also: PDP not committed to peace accord, says BMO

    His words, “To mask this fraud, the EOs are claiming flood have destroyed them. We believe the cards with Okaeben are some of the purportedly destroyed PVC”.

    But, Hon. Okaeben who is seeking re-election on the platform of the APC said the PDP was raising dust to create impression to Atiku and their national officers that they are on ground in Edo.

    Okaeben who threatened legal action against Nehikhare challenged him to produce produce evidence where he was distributing PVCs.

    His words, “It is clear that the opposition parties are not ready for elections but willing to cause commotion with a view to creating impression before the international community that they are being intimidated and harassed.

    “They do not have the money to pay their agents Edo. They are relying on River and Akwa Ibom state governments.

    “It is not a secret that they have turned Wike as their farm where they go to collect political support and political oxygen. To buttress their claims in their proposal to Wike, they decided to bring in my name to their failed project. I am not afraid of political battle. The PDP has no political base in Oredo.”

  • PDP rejects INEC ad-hoc staff list in Edo

    The Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State has rejected the list of ad-hoc staff the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) planned to use to conduct the February 16, 2019 Presidential and National Assembly elections in Edo state.

    It said the directive to Vice Chancellors of Nigeria universities was clear and explicit that they should provide a list of its members of staff who would be used as ad-hoc staff.

    A press statement signed by State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Mr. Chris Nehikhare, said the list handed over to INEC contained APC card carrying members and operatives who poised as University of Benin staff.

    Nehikhare alleged that the list was written in Edo Government house Benin and handed over to the UNIBEN VC, Prof. Faraday Orhunmwense for transmission to INEC.

    According to him, “This purported INEC ad-hoc staff list must be completely discarded as it is a recipe for chaos and poses a great danger to our nascent democracy. We reject it and condemn the politicalisation of the “employment” of APC members as ad-hoc staff to manage the election process.

    “We call on the vice chancellor of the University of Benin not to allow himself to be used. He must do the right thing by withdrawing the scandalous list he was prevailed upon to submit, and hand over one made up of genuine staff of University of Benin.

    Read Also: INEC to collate elections results manually

    “The forth coming election must not only be free, fair and transparent, it must be seen to be so.”

    But the authorities of UNIBEN have asked the Edo PDP to visit the institution and be free to verify names on the list.

    It debunked allegations that the names were written in Edo Government House and handed over to the VC.

    Spokesman for UNIBEN, Mr. Micheal Osasuyi, said it was laughable to claim that the institution would recommend persons who are not staff to work as INEC ad-hoc Staff.

    Micheal urged the PDP not to play politics with the list as according to him, ‘INEC has a way of doing its checks and balances.’

    “How can we recommend who is not our staff to INEC. Our staff are verifiable. They should not play politics with the list.“

  • Obaseki attracting foreign investment to Edo – Osagie

    … says he hopes Orbih will be a free man to benefit from projects

     

    The Special Adviser to Governor Godwin Obaseki on Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie, has said that the state is on the march towards more prosperity with the recent investment deals signed with Chinese investors in Beijing, China.

    Osagie noted that while the deals further validate the commitment of Obaseki’s administration to industrialise the state, he explained that “on the flip side, the deals in China have dealt a final blow to the lies and falsehood peddled over time, by members of the dying Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).”

    The governor’s aide said: “After several rounds of engagements with Chinese investors, Edo people received the heart-warming news few days ago, of the successful signing of the investment agreements on all three big ticket investments; the Benin Industrial Park, Benin River Port in Gelegele and the modular refinery projects which were successfully signed in Beijing, China, on the sidelines of the Forum on China Africa Cooperation (FOCAC).”

    He added that since the signing of the final investment agreement with the Chinese investors, “Governor Godwin Obaseki, senior officials in his administration and well-meaning Edo people in their millions, residents and friends of the state, have been basking in the euphoria of the prospect of a state on its way to more prosperity.

    “Unfortunately, some elements within the dying Edo State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) who have a brush with the law for alleged fraud, may be behind bars when these projects come on stream.”

    Read Also: Obaseki urges behavourial change in anti-corruption fight

    According to Osagie, “At various social gatherings of Edo progressives in the state and in the diaspora, the investment agreements with the Chinese companies have dominated discussions.

    “While torrents of goodwill messages and phone calls are being exchanged across the world by people who believe in our dear state and the leadership of Governor Godwin Obaseki, many are toasting to what experts describe as an action that will turn Edo State from a landlocked state to one of Nigeria’s gateways to the international market.”

    He explained that “The combined impact of an industrial park, a seaport and a refinery will undo the drag in our socio-economic development, which has held us down for decades.”

    “While we await the congratulatory message of the Chairman of the Edo State chapter of the dying Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Dan Orbih, on this great feat that will benefit all Edo people, we urge him to salute the Godwin Obaseki-led administration’s triumph in an area – industrialization – where the dying Edo PDP failed abysmally,” he said.

    He assured that “The industrialization of Edo State is a task that the Obaseki administration is committed to and we are reclaiming all the opportunities we missed under the self-serving PDP administration in Edo State.”

    Osagie emphasized that “Never again will Edo people allow charlatans like Dan Orbih, Chris Nehikhare and their co-travellers access to power and reverse our progress.”

    On the fraud allegation case against Orbih, Osagie said: “I wish Chief Dan Orbih a great day in court soon, as he faces justice over his N700 million fraud case and I hope he will be a free man to enjoy the benefits of an industrialized Edo State.”

  • Igbinedion’s probe a political witch-hunt – PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party has described moves by the Edo State government to probe former Governor Lucky Igbinedion over alleged fraudulent withdrawal of $31million from the state’s coffers as ‘political witch hunting.”

    It said the action smacked of political desperation and persecution, adding that it was shameful and disgraceful that “it took the Adams Oshiomhole’s administration seven years to wake up from its slumber to begin what is clearly a case of political witch-unting.”

    Edo State Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chris Nehikhare, who stated this at a press briefing, urged Governor Oshiomhole to tackle challenges facing the state in the form of dilapidated roads, corruption and flood.

    Nehikhare noted that flooding has increased in the state despite the billions of naira expended on the storm water project.

    He said Oshiomhole would be leaving behind a huge number of abandoned projects and unfulfilled electoral promises.

    “It is obvious that the Oshiomhole camp is piling up a strong financial war chest. In the last four months, he has received $75 million and N10 billion as loans and bailout funds to fight a last ditch battle to maintain and retain his stranglehold on Edo State.”

     

  • Edo PDP, APC trade words over television documentary

    Edo State Peoples Democratic Party and the All Progressives Congress on Tuesday traded words over a television documentary sponsored by the PDP.

    The APC accused the PDP of using “vulgar and abusive language, illogical arguments and fallacies,” to blindfold the people to the developmental strides of the state government.

    The party said it was an insult to Governor Adams Oshiomhole for the PDP to allege that an “Office of the ‎Governor’s Mother” has been created by the state government.

    The APC Publicity Secretary in the state, Godwin Erhahon‎, who spoke in a statement, released in Benin City, called for psychiatric examination of the state Chairman of the PDP, Chief Dan Orbih.

    Erhahon said the PDP used false photo footages of the previous administration to create disbelief that the Governor Oshiomhole administration had transformed basic infrastructure in the state.

    He urged the people of the state to ignore the “vicious” material, adding that it was an indication that the leadership of the opposition party had “lost sense of campaign.‎”

    “That Mr. Orbih continues to use photo footages of the bad state in which PDP left Edo roads and schools in an attempt to blindfold the people to how well the APC government has transformed them shows that he has lost sense of campaign.

    “How can a sane politician continue to show the pictures of the collapsed Central Hospital, Benin City which has been rebuilt and is visible to all as if the people of the state are blind‎.

    “APC trusts that Edo communities continue to remember the pitiable state in which PDP left them and can therefore not be blindfolded by clowns who are trying to sell the political rotten meat called PDP to them,” he said.

    But the PDP Publicity Secretary, Chris Nehikhare, said the documentary was aimed at exposing what it described as the “lies and deceit Oshiomhole told Nigerians as he celebrated his sixth anniversary.”

    It said the programme was to reveal many of the reckless financial approvals and expenditure of Edo State government that can easily pass as stealing from the people.

    The statement reads in part, “It has come to our attention that Comrade Erhahon in a press release alluded to a documentary that is showing on television in Edo State, where the PDP Chairman, Chief Dan Orbih, exposed the deceit, lies and vanity of the state governor as it concerned Federal Government projects in Edo State, as well as the waste, fraud and corruption that is the hallmark of Edo State government in its financial dealings and transactions.”