Tag: Chris Ngige

The All Progressives Congress (APC) said yesterday it would hold its National Convention on June 13 and 14 in Abuja.

The party, which has thrown all offices open to members, named a 15-man National Convention Committee headed by Governor Aliyu Wammako of Sokoto State. Senator Chris Ngige is secretary.

The party faulted the approach of the Federal Government to the rescue of the 276 girls abducted by Boko Haram.

It described the government as insincere in its method and blamed it for not including the APC in the efforts to find the girls.

National Publicity Secretary Lai Mohammed and National Organising Secretary Osita Izunaso briefed reporters on the National Convention after  the 10th meeting of the Interim National Executive Committee in Abuja.

Senator Izunaso said: “It is important for us to note that our national convention is slated for the 13th and 14th of June.

“The committee is headed by the Governor of Sokoto State, Alhaji Aliyu  Wamako, while the Secretary is Senator Chris Ngige. Then we have other committee members, like Senator Aisha Alhassan, Ambassador Sule Buba, Senator Hadi Abubakar Sirika, Mr. Rotimi Fasakin, Dr. Ezekiel Izuogu, Hon. Innocent Chime, Prof Julius Ihonvbare, Senator JK Waku, and Hon Suleiman Kawu among others.”

Shedding more light on the convention,  Mohammed said: “To your first question on whether any member of the Interim National Committee is eligible to contest, the answer is yes. The only thing is that anybody who wants to contest cannot be a member of the convention committee of the party.”

Asked if the convention will not affect the party’s fortunes in Ekiti State, Mohammed added: “Do not forget that we  have conducted the governorship primary already in Ekiti and all we need to do is to mobilise for Ekiti poll. The leadership of this party will all troop to Ekiti on Wednesday to witness the handover of the flag to our candidate in Ekiti State.

“I can assure you that our convention will not affect adversely  our party,  it will complement it. It is to mobilise support and we will start it with Ekiti State.”

The National Publicity Secretary, however, said the party was displeased with the Federal Government’s handling of the girls’ rescue.

The party’s communique said: “After agreeing that the National Convention of the Party will now hold in Abuja on the 13th and 14th of June 2014, the party proceeded to express its views and concerns about the Federal Government’s insincerity in the fight against Boko Haram and search for the abducted girls.

“We make bold to say that the Federal Government has been very insincere in its persistent call for national unity to combat the despicable Boko Haram sect.

“This has been manifest, perhaps more than at any other time, since the tragic abduction of over 200 school girls from Chibok over a month ago.

“Up to this moment, the Federal Government has yet to reach out to the APC, the main opposition party, on how to forge a common front against this despicable terror group, despite our incessant efforts to reach out to the government.

“Nigerians will recall our various interventions in which we stated clearly that only a non-partisan approach could help extricate Nigeria from the death grip of Boko Haram; how we have consistently called on the government to organise a national stakeholders’ summit to put all hands on deck and how we have made a number of recommendations which we feel can help pep up the fight against the terror group.

“The only response we have received so far is that in which the government said it had implemented or it is implementing those recommendations anyway, in what clearly amounts to an unnecessary hubris and a cold shoulder.”

APC expressed regrets that the Federal Government had not consulted it on how to address the Boko Haram insurgency.

The party added: “The Federal Government that has been calling on the international community for assistance must know that charity begins at home, and that for all hands to be on deck, the APC cannot be ignored.

“A party that controls 16 out of 36 states and has over 40 Senators and over 150 members in the House of Representatives is too big to be ignored at a critical time like this in the life of our nation.

“A party that controls the three hardest-hit states by the Boko Haram insurgency cannot be excluded from any serious effort to tackle the insurgency.

“Interestingly, the Federal Government that has been clamouring for support in the anti-terrorism fight did not deem it fit to even reach out to the APC ahead of its announcement of its extension of the state of emergency in the three states of Adamawa, Borno and Yobe states.

“We, therefore, call on the government to stop politicising the fight against Boko Haram and to show sincerity of purpose in its call for a national front to confront the sect.

“This government must jettison its jaundiced, ridiculous and clearly partisan view that portrays our party as the sponsor of Boko Haram. This is mere politicking and should stop.

“It is noteworthy that a few minutes after the first Nyanya bombing, the PDP issued a statement blaming the APC for the blast. Now that the masterminds of the blast have been arrested and none of them has been proven to have any link with our party, the PDP has yet to admit its faux pas and apologise not just to our party but to the entire nation.

“Our party remains committed to a non-partisan approach to end the scourge of Boko Haram, despite the Federal Government’s partisanship.”

Replying  a question, Mohammed said APC was ready to partner with the Federal Government to rescue the girls.

He said: “I will answer the second question first, which is, is our party ready to partner with the Federal Government in the search for these girls? Yes. That is the purpose of this communique.

“We are saying that despite all the offers we made,  the suggestions we have made we are yet to be contacted either formally or informally by the Federal Government.

“And concerning the suggestions we have made, I think that just about a week and two days ago, we held a world press conference in Lagos in which 10 recommendations were made to the Federal Government, not just on how to recover the girls that are missing but how to confront Boko Haram, but also on how to eradicate Boko Haram as a terror group.

“ I think this is not the first time we are making such recommendations.  At every point in time, we offer the Federal Government our advice. Of course , when the government is not doing well we always give them knock on the head.

“To answer your question, we will continually give the Federal Government our advice and our governors are always partnering with the Federal Government on this.”

Senator Chris Ngige (Anambra Central) has debunked a  report in the social media, in which he was “abusing” the Yoruba .

Ngige was quoted online as saying: “Yoruba people are wicked. I would never have anything to do with them.”

The All Progressives Congress’ (APC’s) candidate in the November 16, 2013, governorship election in Anambra State described the report as “forged, malicious and untrue”.

Speaking through his media aide, Okelo Maduklaife, Ngige said the document did not emanate from him, his agents, privies or associates, urging the public to disassociate him from the document.

In a statement in Awka, the Anambra State capital, he said: “It is a fatal error, which has further reduced these sore political foes as incapable of staying above the belt. We, therefore, urge self-respecting members of the  public to discountenance the verbal poison under reference and avert their mind to what could have necessitated this bad forgery at a time  Ngige has just led his party in Anambra State through organised and transparent congresses to establish a formidable structure in the state  and is making progress at the Election Tribunal to restore the voting rights of Anambra  citizens stolen on November 16, 2013, in exchange for an un-elected Junta.”

The governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Chris Ngige, yesterday returned to the witness box at the Anambra State Election’s Petitions  Tribunal, Awka.
This followed the judgment   of the Court of Appeal, which restored paragraphs of his joint petition with his party
The tribunal granted Ngige’s application to reopen his case following the April 15 judgment.
Ngige tendered an extract of the  Independent National Electoral Commission’s (INEC’s) Voter’s register for Lagos State showing Chief Willie Obiano as having voted in the governorship and presidential elections of April 2011.
The extract was certified by Lagos State Independent National Electoral Commission on April 23, 2011.
Ngige said ‘whatever that was in the register as at  April 24, 2011 when it was certified was the situation of the register now.’
Counsel to INEC Chief Adegboyega Awomolo asked Ngige if INEC confirmed that he tendered the certified extract, Exhibit 424, as the current state of the register.
Obiano’s  counsel, led by Dr. Onyechi Ikpeazu, claimed that Obiano transferred his voter’s card from Lagos to his hometown in Anambra State.
Ngige also tendered the certified true copy (CTC) of Obiano’s Form EC 4B, which was an INEC form, capturing particulars of nomination, as submitted by his party, the All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA).
The document was admitted as Exhibit P.415.
Also yesterday, the tribunal admitted Obiano’s INEC Form CF 001 and candidates’ personal data.
Form CF 001 showed Obiano’s voter card, No. 332, obtained on September 3, 2013, the day he collected the forms.
It was found to be different from the voter’s card, No. 11, exhibited in the Lagos Register, and different from a third one allegedly obtained on August 21, 2013.
The tribunal rejected the application by Oluwarotimi Akeredolu, who led Chief Emeka Ngige for APC and Ngige to tender  66 files containing extracts of missing pages.
The registers sought to be tendered were from the four local government areas of Anaocha, Anambra East, Anambra West and Ayamelum.
Osita Nnadi asked Ngige if he reported Obiano to the Police for prosecution.
But Ngige said the reason his party went to the Federal High Court was to seek an order of Mandamus for his Obiano’s prosecution.
Before Ngige entered the witness box, Mr. Chibuzo Obiako tendered the certified true copies (CTC) of Obiano’s three cards.
Also recalled to the witness box was Mr.  Emeka Nwachukwu, PW22, who conducted the Internet search establishing that Obiano had three registrations with INEC.
He told the tribunal that the documents were sent to INEC with an application for certification.
Ngige and APC closed their case yesterday.
Tribunal Chairman Justice Ishaq Bello fixed Wednesday for INEC to present 26 witnesses.
Obiano and APGA are also expected to call their witnesses between Wednesday and Friday.