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Tag: Comrade Adams Oshiomhole

  • Oshiomhole, Obaseki’s endless mind game

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, and Edo State governor, Godwin Obaseki, stepped up their hide-and-seek game on Monday with a surprise visit Obaseki paid to Oshiomhole at a time the world thought the duo had become sworn enemies.

    The quiet war between the former political allies had assumed a combustible tempo after Obaseki’s nocturnal inauguration of the current Edo State House of Assembly with his preferred candidate installed as the speaker while the candidate of Oshiomhole was edged out in the political chess.

    Read Also: Obaseki Vs Oshiomhole: Truce at last?

    In a scene replica of their recent public handshake after a deadlocked peace meeting at the Presidential Villa in Abuja recently, Obaseki went to greet Oshiomhole and his mother, Hajia Aishetu Oshiomhole, at their Iyamho country home in the state.

    The visit naturally provoked the question as to whether it meant the sheathe of sword by Obaseki and whether the governor would issue a fresh proclamation for the inauguration of the Edo State House of Assembly as directed by the National Assembly. But the Special Adviser to the Governor on Media and Communications, Crusoe Osagie, was quick to dismiss it as a matter in court over which no comment could be made. Will there ever be an end to this mind game?

  • Obaseki, others hail legacies of Michael Richard

    Edo State Governor Godwin Obaseki has celebrated the life and times of Dr. Michael Okhionkpamwonyi Richard, describing his contribution to road infrastructure in Nigeria and politics as “commendable”.

    The governor, who spoke at the funeral ceremony in Benin City, described the late Richard as a respected politician who worked for the development of the state, saying the deceased would be remembered for his noble legacies.

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole said the late surveyor impacted on national development, helping to redefine road network in Nigeria.

    Read Also: Obaseki: Edo’s reformer at 60

    Oshiomhole urged the family and loved ones to continue with the deceased’s good legacies.

    Deputy Governor Philip Shaibu said a statesman talks about issues irrespective of party affiliation. He praised the deceased and comforted the family on their loss.

    Other dignitaries at the event were the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship candidate in 2016 Osagie Ize-Iyamu and Edo PDP Chairman Chief Dan Orbih.

     

  • ‘Oshiomhole not to blame for APC crisis’

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Deputy National Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuaibu, recently asked the national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to resign, alleging that he was responsible for the defeat of the ruling party in some states during the last governorship polls. In this interview, the National Publicity Secretary, Mallam Lanre Issa Onilu, disputes the claims and gives Oshiomhole a clean bill of health. TONY AKOWE reports.

    Your party appears to have lost some grounds to the opposition in the 2019 elections. This must be a serious cause for concern.

    I do not know the yardstick you are using. Perhaps, you are referring to the painful loss of states like Oyo, Imo, Bauchi, Adamawa, and Zamfara, which were APC-led states before the election. There is no denying the fact that we should not have lost those states. But, let me say clearly that while it is true we may have yielded grounds to PDP in these states, it would be wrong to think that those states were simply won by PDP. I would rather say the states were lost by APC. In other words, if you take each of the states one by one, you would discover there were peculiar issues in those respective states that accounted for how our party lost them rather than the voters preferring the PDP.

    I would put the painful outcomes broadly under two reasons. One is indiscipline on the part of some members of our party in most of the states. The second reason is that the party leadership did not do much between 2015 and 2018 to move the party from being an amalgam of different political parties to become a truly blended progressive political party.

    The period you described fell under Chief John Oyegun as National Chairman. Are you saying the party suffered the losses because there is absence of discipline within the party during this period and because APC found it difficult to align the varying interests of the legacy parties that came together in 2014?

    There is a difference between absence of discipline in a party and lack of discipline of certain members of the party. Let me agree that the NWC that led the party into the 2015 elections and continued till June 2018 did nothing different from what you would find in PDP. It was a period the party was seen as a mere vehicle to attain political office. The system accommodated impunity as certain members appeared to be superior to the party. Their interests were far more important than the collective interests of the APC, even when most times such interests are at variance with the ideals the party stand for.

    You would recall that it was under that leadership that some impudent members of APC called the bluff of the party by imposing themselves on the National Assembly as leaders contrary to the position of the party. Where was the party? Where was the discipline when this happened? It would be difficult to calculate what lack of courage to assert the party supremacy cost APC over that period. The consequences of the inaction of the party were unimaginable. We all saw the consequences on governance as the National assembly practically held our government to ransom. The impunity, which President Muhammadu Buhari has rightly described as lack of patriotism, constituted an unfortunate hindrance to the smooth running of government.

    The leadership under Chief Oyegun, with due respect to him, condoned all sorts of acts of indiscipline from certain members. It is not surprising that the current National Working Committee inherited such a huge mess, where the party was struggling to differentiate itself from the delinquent PDP.  We all know that PDP was practically dead following the devastating defeat of 2015. The PDP bounced back not because the party has changed its insidious way or did anything different, but because APC did not live up to expectations.

    It goes without saying that when an organisation is unable to enforce its own rules, it would suffer the consequences sooner than later. We should not be ashamed to say that our party’s leadership under Chief Oyegun lacked the courage required to confront the pockets of political despots who could not operate by the party’s rules.

    Would you say the party’s loss in the 2019 elections were due to leadership failure under Chief Oyegun?

    I have utmost respect for Chief John Oyegun, so I am not in a position to pass a verdict on his leadership. More so, I can attest to his sterling records of service, in my capacity as a student of politics and national development.

    Meanwhile, we can simply relate with facts. We were barred by the Supreme Court from contesting state elections in Rivers State because of the issues with the congresses that produced the party executives in that state. Do not forget that we adopted indirect primary system to elect our candidates in Rivers State. Once the court faulted the process that produced the executives, who constituted the bulk of the delegates under the indirect primary, the candidates that were produced could not stand. Do not forget that the congress in Rivers State that produced the executives predated this NWC. This was one of the booby traps we inherited from the outgone National Working Committee.

    But, your party was similarly barred in Zamfara State, leading to the invalidation of the victory of your elected members. Would you also blame the Oyegun-led NWC for it?

    I am not blaming anyone for whatever is happening or has happened to the party. I am just examining the facts. And I believe some of these facts are pretty obvious. Zamfara issue has nothing to do with the state executives or the congresses. The Supreme Court agreed with INEC that we did not conduct primaries in Zamfara and therefore we could not have presented candidates for the general election. What happened with our primaries in Zamfara is public knowledge. The party did its best to ensure we conducted primaries according to our own rules, but local players in Zamfara APC didn’t rise up to this. And if you look at both Rivers and Zamfara states, you would see that we found ourselves in this situation because certain local players found it difficult to subsume their personal interests under that of the party. Our members instituted the cases in courts in outright disobedience to the position of the party. I am sure most of the players in both states would be regretting not towing the party’s line with the outcomes we have seen.

    There are no two ways to this issue. We cannot build a party that works for all without obeying our own rules. When we begin to seek other means to achieving our individual ambitions, we would have to compromise the party. When that happens, the situation in Rivers and Zamfara would be inevitable.

    The National Deputy Chairman (North), Senator Lawal Shuaib, wrote a letter to the National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, blaming him for the losses incurred by the party in the elections, especially in Zamfara and Rivers states. He asked the National Chairman to step down. What is the position of the party on this?

    Ordinarily, the party would not have responded to the letter Senator Lawal Shuaib wrote to the National Chairman. The letter was directed at the Comrade Oshiomhole, who is capable of responding on behalf of himself. However, there are certain assertions in the letter that tend to portray the NWC in bad lights. Or, if you like, there are assertions that insinuate that the NWC as presently constituted consists of buffoons who merely go by their titles but do not understand the responsibilities that go with them.

    When he alleged that the National Chairman is running the party like a sole administrator, does that mean the rest of us are incompetent? I doubt if he would have many members of the NWC supporting him in this. The ability to face up to the challenges and to take responsibility for mistakes are important qualities of a leader. If the NWC had taken any action that did not produce the desired result, it would be plain cowardice to look for a scapegoat or pass on the blame to another person.

    In any case, what exactly has the NWC done wrong? Our party campaigned and came to power on the mantra of change and it is obvious some members do not understand that this means we have taken a solemn pledge to do things differently. The change mantra means we would be a responsible party and run a responsible government, abiding by the best principles of progressive politics and good governance. Since the Comrade Oshiomhole led NWC came to office, we have been doing our best to institutionalise the best ideals of progressive politics. We understand that we must bring everyone under the fold of the party, where all of us would be subject to our party’s rules and conventions. We understand that impunity can provide temporary advantage and even successes. But ultimately, those successes would be short-lived. PDP is a living example of the inherent calamity of impunity. The PDP era brought calamity to the country and ultimately led to the loss of power. What I read from that letter is a call to continue along that trend. With due respect, that is not what APC stands for.

    You seem to disagree with his allegations that the Chairman is responsible for the loss the party suffered in the elections? APC has fewer states that 2015 and judgements from the courts Are these not obvious and avoidable losses?

    They are avoidable losses, no doubt. But how did we get here? Take a look at it. Since we are comparing 2015 to what has happened now, we should remember that our President was elected in 2015 with over 15 million votes as against the PDP’s 13 million plus. There was about 2.5 million votes difference. Under Oshiomhole, we have over 15 million votes as against PDP’s 11 million plus. There you have nearly four million votes difference. So for the Presidential election, our party has improved significantly on the result of 2015.

    The situation was expectedly different at the state level. The state players have the foremost responsibility to win elections in their states. What we can do at the national level is to provide the necessary support. The support starts from conducting transparent primaries that ensure the party produces popular candidates. Of course, certain state players in our party expected business as usual where other players are subjugated for them so that their wishes are imposed on other APC members in their states. This we could not do and I don’t think we need to apologise for doing the right thing. By now, the states that failed to follow the party’s directives are the ones that may be regretting. We have examples of Governors who are true progressives who worked with the NWC to ensure things were done right. Look at Kaduna, Plateau, Niger, Kano, Nassarawa, Katsina, Jigawa, Borno, Yobe, etc. The Governors and leaders of APC in these states worked according to the rules in conjunction with the NWC and we all can see that the sweetest victory is the one achieved under a free and fair engagement with the opposition. Imagine what looked like humongous challenge faced by Governor el Rufai in Kaduna. You saw him having to face what was a clear mutiny from certain prominent members of the party. You saw his daring move when he ignored those who were merchandising on religious divides, trying to use that to incite a section of the state against him. He does not lack the courage to stand by what is right and the outcome vindicated him. This is what our party wants to showcase. This is the example President Buhari has shown by ensuring that we had a presidential election in this country without seeking to award himself any advantage over his opponents. The President has the instruments to use under him, but he rather subjected himself to the rules of the contest. If the President did not expect the party to manipulate his own election, why should anyone else expect that from the party?

    You believe the Deputy Chairman (North) is unhappy that the party did not manipulate the process to achieve victory in those states?

    What I am saying is that no one can blame the NWC for insisting we must live up to our promise of conducting ourselves in a decent manner. If Oshiomhole is being singled out for leading the charge for ensuring that we all operate by the rules in line with our change agenda and in fulfilment of the promises we made to Nigerians, then such individual has a lot of adjustment to make.

    We all must understand that there are consequences to bear when you want to change people who have been used to deploying highhandedness to start behaving decently. PDP spent 16 years nurturing our politics, unfortunately, on manipulation and coercion. Some who came along to APC could not understand why APC won’t benefit from such. So the fault is not that of President Buhari who insists on fair deal for all Nigerians or for Comrade Oshiomhole who is driving the change agenda with conviction. Neither is it for the NWC that has taken on the responsibility to do it right, even with attendant temporary consequences.

    In other words, the APC considers these losses as temporary set back in those states. Is that what you mean?

    They are actually necessary consequences of our change agenda. We actually have a mix bag of outcomes in the last elections. States where the actors abide by the rules and work in harmony with the NWC, we achieved success, while those states where the local players found it difficult to adjust to the reality of change in the ways the party has decided to operate, we got the negatives. This is without prejudice to other local issues that might have influenced the outcomes of state elections.

  • Face-off: APC NWC members back Oshiomhole

    The Deputy National Chairman (North) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Lawal Shuaibu  may have lost his battle to get Comrade Adams Oshiomhole sacked as the party’s national chairman.

    Shuaibu who launched an Oshimhole –must-resign campaign last week, does not have the support of the majority of the APC National Working Committee (NWC) members save for one or two.

    Chairmen of the party in the Southsouth states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers, have given him a seven-day ultimatum to apologise to Oshiomhole or incur the wrath of the people of the zone.

    Some members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the party also do not agree with the deputy national chairman on his position.

    But a defiant Shuaibu asked those criticizing him to say whether “they at happy with what is happening in the party.”

    Sources said the NWC members opted to back Oshiomhole because some key opposition figures have been implicated in a plot to cause crisis in APC.

    It was also gathered that four key issues brought about Shuaibu’s disagreement with Oshiomhole.

    These issues are: reforms of the APC, alleged leadership style of Oshiomhole, mutual suspicion and allegation that Shuaibu ran a parallel campaign structure in 2019.

    Investigation revealed that most of the NWC members knew about the cold war between the APC National chairman and his deputy as far back as last year, and have become indifferent to it.

    Some of the NWC members, sources said, refused to support Shuaibu because of the information at their disposal that some key opposition figures have been plotting to create crisis in APC.

    A member of the NWC said: “We have far deeper information on the face-off between the two leaders. With the exception of one or two NWC members, most of us do not support Shuaibu.

    “His letter was not new because even when Chief John Odigie-Oyegun was in charge of the APC as the national chairman, he had issues with him.

    “So, we have decided to see the fight   strictly as a personal affair than a party matter. Attempts have been made to cause disunity and mutiny in APC. So, we decided to support the national chairman of the party in the overall interest and the survival of APC.

    “We cannot be dragged into this matter and we cannot be used to cause revolt in APC.”

    Another source said: “The truth is that Oshiomhole came with some reforms to do things differently in the party but Shuaibu prefers the old order.

    “The APC chairman came with an agenda to cleanse the system and anyone who does not key into his style is usually shoved aside.

    “ Shuaibu however insisted that Oshiomhole cannot uproot what he inherited. He is of the opinion that the APC chairman should have a blend of the old order and the new order. He asked for consultations and not a bulldozer style.

    “But Oshiomhole suspected some moles in the system and he does things with surprise to avoid leakage. He could not trust some of his lieutenants because the opposition was after APC.

    “Were it not for the hide and seek strategy of Oshiomhole, PDP would have successfully infiltrated APC and got its strategy for the 2019 polls.

    “Oshiomhole- Shuaibu ‘s relationship has been a ding- dong affair. This manifested during the primaries for 2019 poll when the party stood its ground on many issues, especially the fielding of candidates.

    “Shuaibu resisted Oshiomhole’s decisions on critical challenges like defections and primaries in some states but he never had his way. As the oldest NWC member, he thought he could provide guidance for Oshiomhole but Shuaibu alleged that he was treated with disdain.

    “For instance, Shuaibu wanted the party to pander to the conditions given by defectors from APC to PDP. Oshiomhole drew the battle line with the defectors to instil party discipline.

    “Although Shuaibu complained about APC losing some states , if you review the 2019 polls, you will see that there was wisdom in asserting party’s supremacy. Most of the defectors lost. In the House of Representatives, only about 67 members got second term ticket.

    “When Shuaibu spearheaded negotiation with rAPC (defectors), the party national chairman and most APC leaders knew nothing would  come out of it. Oshiomhole was suspicious of Shuaibu ‘s links with ex-Vice President Atiku Abubakar, the President of the Senate, Dr. Bukola Saraki, Speaker Yakubu Dogara, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal and other rAPC leaders. They saw the negotiation as sheer ego boosting.

    Read also: APC south-south chairmen pass vote of confidence on Oshiomhole

    “As a matter of fact, Shuaibu was not expected to be returned to office at the last elective convention of APC but Saraki and other APC defectors pulled the strings to sway votes in his favour to retain his seat in the NWC.

    “The matter became worse when some former governors  who were against Oshiomhole  were having the ear of Shuaibu, especially Owelle Rochas Okorocha ( Imo),  Ibikunle Amosun (Ogun) and Abdulaziz Yari ( Zamfara).

    “So, it is usually dramatic at the NWC meeting. While Oshiomhole will go one way, Shuaibu will think otherwise.

    “Oshiomhole fingered some governors and members of the NWC in his questioning by the Department of State Security Service. It was an ambush and he almost lost his coveted seat. Therefore, he does not ignore threats from either Shuaibu or members of the NWC and the party.

    “The frosty relationship between Shuaibu and Oshiomhole got to a head when the Deputy National Chairman (North) was acting like an opposition leader in the NWC. He crossed the red line and Shuaibu became isolated by most NWC members.”

    Shuaibu was also accused of running a parallel structure during the 2019 polls campaign.

    Apart from forming a group, he was accused of running his own campaign.

    “He was aggrieved that he was not properly integrated in the scheme of things and he wasted no time in working for President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election through his own pseudo-political group.”

    Findings confirmed that both leaders later disagreed on the party’s candidates for the Office of the Senate President and the Speaker of the House of Representatives in the coming 9th National Assembly.

    Another source added: “As a Senator, Shuaibu felt the party should throw the contest open for fairness and equity but the party’s leadership however opted to do the bidding of President Muhammadu Buhari who prefers Dr. Ahmad Lawan and Femi Gbajabiamila.

    “ Shuaibu and most APC leaders did not know that Buhari was the driver of Lawan and Gbajabiamila projects but he only used Oshiomhole as a shield in deference to all APC Senators and House members-elect.”

    Responding to a question, a leader of the APC said the party could not afford to take chances against the background of alleged moves by some opposition leaders to split it.

    “We had barely won the 2019 poll when they started talking of the 2023 general elections,” the source said.

    “We don’t know what Shuaibu is up to but we are watching him in order not to be caught unawares.”

    When contacted, the National Publicity Secretary of APC, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu declared that the party should not be brought into the matter.

    “It is not a party issue, it is between the chairman and his deputy. We are too focused to be delving into the issue between two of our leaders,” he said.

    Reps condemn call for Oshiomhole’s resignation

    Some members of the House of Representatives elected on the platform of the APC are also against Shuaibu’s call for Oshiomhole’s resignation.

    They are of the view that the party chair should be encouraged to see through his effort to rebuild the APC.

    Ademorin Kuye,   an incoming Rep  from Lagos  said: “the call is uncalled for, unreasonable and unacceptable because Oshiomhole  has performed well, he has achieved victory even in the face of stiff opposition from PDP and he has helped restored dignity to the party.

    “What those calling for his resignation should note is that Oshiomhole has done well since coming on board and his rebuilding efforts must have, as a matter fact, led to stepping on toes. It’s going to be tough, but the fact remains that it’s going to be better for all of us.

    “Rather than call for his resignation, the parry leaders should rally round him. This is because those that have always been in control of everything may feel insulted for being queried by the party chairman, but is paramount that the effort of rebuilding the party and institutionalizing party supremacy should be supported by all.”

    A returning member, Nuhu Dau Magaji (Adamawa) said  those calling for Oshiomhole’s removal failed to take the interest of the party into consideration.

    “The only message I have for those calling for our party chairman’s sack is that they have to wait for the next four year because there is a procedure through which such action can be taken.

    “We have a constitution, the way they are going about it is not in consonance with our Constitution.

    “They are just bad losers, we are 100 percent behind him, he is our hero,” he said.

    Abdulrazak Namdas (Adamawa) ,another  re-elected Rep  warned  that  the PDP  would take advantage of the situation to infiltrate the party.

    “Personally, I don’t think this is the time to call for the resignation of any party leader because when we have issues the party has several ways of resolving them,” he said.

    “My advice is that they should remember that we are human beings and bound to make mistakes. Besides, and more importantly, we should be careful about making this kind of divisive statements in public. Rather we should wait and see how we rebound from the loss and chart ways of avoiding it in future.

    “Calling for the resignation at this time is capable of creating cracks through which the opposition would infiltrate us and cause more damages for our party. We should not give any room for the opposition to have a go at us.”

    Olumuyiwa Folarin (Ondo) said the party chairman should not be singled out for any blame.

    His words: “As far as I’m concerned, I see those calling for the Chairman’s resignation as a group of people overreacting to issues.

    “Oshiomhole is a human being, and like all beings, he cannot be perfect. As such, mistakes are bound to be made by him just like everyone else.

    “My take is that to single him out for blame is unfair and a subtle way of blackmailing him and buck passing because he is not the only one in the executive committee. Other people are there to take  decisions with him, so everyone should be blamed together for whatever setback we suffered  in this election.

    “Also, what is happening is the  states is something we have to  look at holistically. As national chairman, imposing his will or compelling the governors to do his bidding is one thing that should not happen but to single the party chairman out alone for blame is not justifiable.

    “As far as I’m concerned, Oshiomhole has not done anything wrong.”

    South-south APC Chairmen warn Shuaibu

    Chairmen of the APC in the Southsouth states of Akwa Ibom, Bayelsa, Cross River, Delta, Edo and Rivers have given Alhaji Shuaibu, a seven-day ultimatum to apologise to Comrade Oshiomhole  or incur the wrath of the people of the zone.

    The chairmen said Shuaibu’s statement that Oshiomhole should resign was both irresponsible and mischievous.

    Ini T. Okopido (Akwa – Ibom), Amos Lalabunafa ( Bayelsa), John Ochalla (Cross Rivers), Prophet Jones Ode Erue (Delta), Aslem U. Ojezua (Edo) and Ojukaye Flag Amachree  (Rivers), said in  a communiqué in Abuja that Shuaibu, as a senior party official, “ought to be well acquainted with the provisions of the party’s constitution regarding how to channel perceived grievances if any exist.”

    They described said Shuaibu letter as a  “personal opinion on perceived issues which is not a reflection of the views of the generality of party stakeholders who are yet to find anything on toward in the stewardship of the party’s National Chairman His Excellency, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.”

    They added: “The State Chairmen further disagreed with Senator Lawal Shuaibu’s claims that the action  of the National Chairman was responsible for multiplicity of court cases bedevilling various State chapters of the party

    “Rather , they asserted it was the landmines created by his predecessor who was bent on destroying the party before departing that fuelled the unfortunate situation and wondered why Senator Lawal Shuaibu is just realizing the issues he raised barely few days after the NWC set up a committee to look into petitions against highly placed party stakeholders who were glaringly involved in anti-party activities which was responsible for the loss of the number of states mentioned in his letter vis a – viz the depletion also in the numbers of elected Senators in the just concluded 2019 elections.

    “The State Chairmen also debunked the allegations of high-handedness against the National Chairman with particular reference to the altering of National Working Committee decisions as a veil plot to crucify the National Chairman over his uncompromising stance on truth against elements bent on destroying the party from within.

    “They however, urged for restraint on the part of Senator Lawal Shuaibu asking him to employ more civilized ways of expressing whatever private grievance he has against the National Chairman instead of playing to the gallery by granting interviews to launch unprovoked attacks on the National Chairman and by extension, the very party he claims to love.

    “The State Chairmen wondered whose interest the media outburst seeks to serve and its original intendment stating unequivocally that  the National Chairman cannot be removed on the pages of newspapers because the constitution of the party which Senator Lawal Shuaibu subscribed to, as a member of the NWC, clearly guarantees the tenure of office of the party’s National Chairman and the processes of removing him from office.

    “The Deputy National Chairman North is hereby given seven days to apologise to the National Chairman in order not to receive the wrath of party members in the Southsouth.

    “The State Chairmen also frowned at the intermittent and most unjustifiable attacks on the National Chairman who have maintained unblemished records since joining active politics and has ensured internal democratic norms are entrenched in the party since his assumption of office.

    “The State Chairmen observed that what the Deputy National Chairman, North has done is tantamount to creating disaffection amongst party faithful. This they said, is very offensive to the constitution of our great party.

    “The Chairmen thereafter passed a vote of confidence on the National Chairman and vowed to resist any attempt to blackmail him out of office for standing against injustice that has hitherto been the hallmark of his predecessor which was the only legacy he left behind.”

    Shuaibu: ‘Who is happy with what is happening in the party?

    Contacted by The Nation on Friday, a defiant Shuaibu said: “Those who are saying that I am being used to create problem, are they saying they at happy with what is happening in the party?

    “I can tell you that nobody is happy with the developments in the party and that is why I advised him (Oshiomhole).

    “What is the connection with what I have said? I just advices the Chairman based on the issues I observed and raised to resign in the interest of the party.

    “It is for him to react to what I have said and let me tell you that I stand by what I have said. Go and look for the Chairman to react to the issues I have raised.

    “Tell me who is the person accusing me? I am sure that nobody is accusing me. It is just a way you journalists use to get information from people. That is why you are saying I am being accused. Why should anybody accuse me? Go and meet the Chairman to react to what I have said and not for you to ask me to react.”

    On the allegation that he ran a parallel campaign for the last polls, Shuaibu said: “What I did was just like what the Vice President did: I went round the country with branded vehicles. I just didn’t want to fly around the country with the President. So, how can anybody accuse me of running a parallel campaign.”

    Shuaibu, in a May 28, 2019 letter  to Oshiomhole and entitled  ‘APC: Its fortunes versus misfortunes, time to act,’ had claimed that   the electoral fortunes of the APC went  down on account of the chairman’s leadership style.

    Oshiomhole, he alleged, is fond of conducting NWC meetings at a private residence instead of the party’s national secretariat.

    He said: “We had 23 states in 2015, but after the 2019 elections we lost seven states! We also had 60 senators in 2015 at the end of the elections; we now end up with 57 senators in 2019! You were not brought in to lose election. It is absolutely unacceptable!

    “What this entails is that for any senator to become a presiding officer he needs to go and kneel down before the PDP senators and beg for support! And to make things worse, you announced that the APC will not allow any PDP senator to be appointed as committee chairman except the committees statutorily meant for the opposition members of the Senate. That is never the tradition of the legislature anywhere! The legislature is the house of collaboration and lobby and you can never succeed with hostile approach, you must lobby to seek for cooperation of members across party divides.

    “If you don’t know, you have made the situation worse than it seems. Try and use your calculator and you will find that as at now, if anybody, backed by the PDP members, wants to become the Senate President, all he needs is the support of only six APC senators to win the election on the floor of the Senate! Chairman, strategies are not announced on television, they are discussed at caucuses.”

  • Edo pensioners smile as Obaseki keeps promises

    Last year, Delta State Governor Godwin Obaseki promised pensioners that it would be the last time they would be wearing black attires to May Day rallies. Apart from wearing black attires, the pensioners, mostly those that retired from the local governments, engaged in street protests. It was a pitiable sight to see the pensioners sitting along major streets protesting their unpaid gratuities. Some of them were owed pension arrears spanning 7-42 months.

    Addressing pensioners during last year’s May Day rally, Obaseki said: ”I am not happy that some people are wearing black. I promise you will not wear black next year.

    “My predecessor, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole had an option to pay only those that retired in his time but he went back to start paying pension from 1997. I made a promise and I will keep my promise.

    “We stand by the truth and we are not afraid particularly by those who destroyed this state. Stop taking money from the opposition to hurt yourself. Our commitment is to make our retirees comfortable.

    Currently, the Edo pensioners are happy. They displayed their joy during this year’s May Day rally when they wore white attires to the venue. Unlike before, when the pensioners would refuse to engage in marching, they filed out to perform the march past.

    The journey to the present situation in which pensioners are happy began during the administration of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole when fraud was uncovered in pension administration.

    The fraud was such that some pensioners were unable to get their gratuities; others had two vouchers in their names. The fraud resulted in the retirement of the then State Head of Service, Mr. Jerry Obazele and Permanent Secretary, Information and Communications Technology Agency, Mr. Dan Aigbavboa while other members of the State Pensions Board were asked to report to the State Civil Service Commission for proper investigation and disciplinary action in accordance with the Civil Service Rules.

    Checks by Niger Delta Report showed that the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration inherited unpaid gratuities arising from workers dismissed by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government and military administration.

    All Permanent Secretaries sacked in 1999 and even some laid off during military administration of Baba Nyam were not paid gratuities.

    It was gathered that plans were to clear the pension arrears from the backlogs instead of doing selective payment based on the ability to bribe pension administrators.

    Explaining how the fraud was uncovered, Oshiomhole said he discovered a huge gap between what the Head of Service had told him the state owed and what is now generated to pay. He said the Pensions Board along with some officers in the Information and Communication Technology Agency generated three versions of what the pension liabilities are, adding that cases were established in which one person has two vouchers, same date of birth, same first name, same surname, everything the same and two original vouchers for one pensioner.

    Following the uncovered fraud, the Pensions Board was scrapped and a Bureau was to be created. Governor Obaseki, however, followed the steps of his predecessor and set up an Ad-Hoc Committee on Pension Management headed by Mr. Saylor Juwobor, to supervise modalities for clearing pension arrears accumulated and also to ensure migration of public servants to the Contributory Pension Scheme.

    Speaking at the inauguration of the committee, Obaseki said: “We cannot solve all the problems of pensioners in one day. This problem accumulated for a long time. As a government, we are committed to resolving all pension-related problems.

    “Edo State Government employees who have more than five years to retirement have joined the contributory pension scheme. The fund for the payment of their pension is in a special account usually with their pension fund administrators. We have also appointed pension fund administrators and custodians who will hold those funds.”

    To show commitment to his promise, Obaseki renovated the building housing Ethiope Publishing at the Kings Square and converted it to the office of the State Pension Bureau. This is to make pensioners have easy access to the office.

    A systematic way adopted to clear backlog of pension arrears was to classify the pensioners into batches and ensured that the backlog was cleared methodologically after due confirmation. The sum of N200 million was set aside monthly to defray the pension arrears. Local government chairmen were also made to set aside money to clear pension arrears owed their retirees.

    Commissioner for Local Government and Community Affairs, Hon. Jimoh Ijegbai, who spoke to reporters, said the government has paid almost N5.5 billion to pensioners between last year and this year.

    He said: “This recent approval of N843, 324, 509.46 is a further demonstration of the commitment of the Obaseki-led administration to ensure that all arrears of pension are cleared. Last year, we were using N264 million to pay pensioners on a monthly basis. At the end of December, we paid pensioners to the tune of N3.168 billion.

    “If you add this to the N1.5 billion that we paid in June last year and this recent approval of N843, 324, 509.46 that we are paying today, it will amount to N5, 511,324, 509.46 as total amount paid to pensioners in one year.”

    State Chairman of Nigeria Union of Pensioners, Mr. Egbon Osamwonyi said all the promises made by the governor concerning pension payments have been fulfilled. He said they wore white cloths to the May Day rally to thank Governor Obaseki and tell the world that they are now happy.

    He said: “Our issues are being looked into. Many of our members have been paid and others have been captured. The governor is living up to his promise. He has done what many others could not do.”

    Obaseki said their expression shows he has been addressing pension payment as he promised them last year.

    He said he would clear all pension arrears when the IGR increases.

  • Itemuagbor celebrates Oshiomhole at 67

    The promoter of the first International Association of Athletics Federations (IAAF) label road race in West Africa, Mike Itemuagbor has congratulated Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, the immediate past governor of Edo state as he clocks 67 years today.

    Itemuagbor, in a congratulatory message, praised Comrade Oshiomhole for providing the enabling environment that gave birth to the first internationally recognised road race not only in Nigeria but in the whole of West Africa.

    He recounted how Comrade Oshiomhole and the current governor of Edo state, Godwin Obaseki embraced the idea of a 10km road race to project Okpekpe town in particular, Edo state and Nigeria in general as an international sporting destination.

    ”We are delighted that you made Edo state the first state in Nigeria to host an international athletics event that is recognised by the world governing body for the sport. With your unconditional support Okpekpe race became the first road race in West Africa to be granted a label status by the IAAF,” Itemuagbor further wrote.

    ”As we all know, IAAF Road Race Label events are races that the international body designates as one of the leading road races around the world. Having Okpekpe race designated as one of such few races across the globe is no mean feat and we are forever grateful for it. Perhaps we won’t be talking about the race today if you did not construct the beautiful network of roads in Edo state and one of such roads is playing host to the race which is in its seventh edition this year.”

  • Oshiomhole’s statement on Rivers twisted, says APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has accused the media of twisting a statement by its National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, to suit “a jaundiced narrative”.

    The party said there was no disagreement between Oshiomhole and Minister of Transportation Rotimi Amaechi, on the adoption of the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC) for the Rivers State governorship election.

    A statement by the National Publicity Secretary, Lanre Issa Onilu, said while the party has no formal alliance with the AAC, that has not foreclosed any arrangement by any local chapter of the party.

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to some reports in the media purporting a disagreement between the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, over the alignment of the Rivers State APC with the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Awara Biokpomabo.

    Read also: Rivers: INEC to resume collation of of March 9 elections results

    “It is regrettable that Oshiomhole’s statement is being twisted to suit a jaundiced narrative. This narrative is at best, mischievous, pedestrian and should be disregarded.

    “Oshiomhole’s statement is unambiguous as to the effect that the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) does not have any formal alliance with AAC. This is without prejudice to any local arrangement that may exist.

    “Both Oshiomhole and Ameachi are above the petty insinuations being orchestrated by a section of the media. Oshiomhole and Amaechi enjoy cordial relationship and do share mutual respect; therefore, deliberate misinterpretation of issues and statements from the party or between the two of them would continue to fail.”

  • No rift between Oshiomhole, Amaechi on Rivers, says APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) on Monday lashed out at a section of media, accusing it of twisting the statement by National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole to suit what it described as a jaundiced narrative.

    The party said there was no disagreement between the Oshiomhole and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi on the adoption of the governorship candidate of the AAC for the governorship election in Rivers state.

    National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Mallam Lanre Issa- Onilu, in a statement explained while the party has no formal alliance with the AAC, it has not foreclosed any local arrangement that may have been made by any local chapter of the party.

    READ ALSO: Oshiomhole’s statement on Rivers being twisted, says APC

    The statement reads: “Our attention has been drawn to some reports in the media purporting a disagreement between the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole and Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi over the alignment of the Rivers State APC with the governorship candidate of the African Action Congress (AAC), Awara Biokpomabo.

    “It is regrettable that the APC National Chairman’s statement is being twisted to suit a jaundiced narrative. This narrative is at best, mischievous, pedestrian and should be disregarded.

    “The APC Chairman’s statement is unambiguous as to the effect that the APC’s National Working Committee (NWC) does not have any formal alliance with AAC. This is without prejudice to any local arrangement that may exist.

    “Oshiomhole and Ameachi are above the petty insinuations being orchestrated by a section of the media.

    “Like many leaders of the party, APC National Chairman, Comrade Oshiomhole and the Minister of Transport, Hon. Amaechi enjoy cordial relationship and do share mutual respect; therefore, deliberate misinterpretation of issues and statements from the party or between the two of them would continue to fail.”

  • NASS leadership: APC won’t repeat mistakes of 2015, says Oshiomhole

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Monday gave indication of what to expect from the 9th National Assembly, insisting that the party will not allow the mistakes of 2015 to reoccur when the new national assembly is inaugurated in June.

    Addressing newly elected members of the House of Representatives at the Shehu Yar’adua Centre in Abuja, Oshiomhole said the APC was not prepared to share offices of principal officers of the House and headship of critical committees with the opposition, Peoples Democratic Party, except for position reserved for minority members.

    Oshiomhole told the lawmaker that Nigerians have reposed confidence in the APC, giving it overwhelming majority in the House and will use the numerical strength to its advantage, and sought the collaboration of the legislators for the party programmes.

    He said: “The first is the challenge of ensuring that this time around we ensure that we have a leadership of the National Assembly that shares the vision of the executive. Although we speak to separation of power but there is only one government and unless the various arms pursue the same agenda it is difficult for the executive to realise it purpose because legislative backing is often required for the executive actions.

    “So I will expect that you bear in mind that we are one family joined together as shown in our broom, with a share commitment to bail Nigeria out of the condition in which we find it in 2015.

    “And that you have the numbers and we will use those numbers to ensure that we have a leadership that command the trust and the respect of all the members of the House of Representatives. There will be contestation, that is why we are in democracy but after the contestation and debate we have to agree, and once you have agree you move forward.

    “We have the numbers to produce the Speaker and we will produce the Speaker, who must be a member of the APC. We have the numbers to produce the Deputy Speaker and we will use the numbers to produce the Deputy Speaker, who must be a member of the APC. We have the number and we must use the numbers to elect a House Leader who must be a member of APC.

    “We have the numbers and we will use the numbers to produce a Chief Whip and a Deputy Whip who must be members of the APC. I think the only position that we are not interested in is the Minority Leader. Let it remain minor in the hands of the minors in the opposition.

    “We will not share power in the House of the Representatives and the leadership must ensure that critical committees that drive government are chaired only by APC members. If the Nigeria people wanted to be chairmen of committees they would have voted for them.

    “So all the chairmen of committees, except one that is statutory reserve for opposition, which is Public Account, they can have that. So, we would not do the kind of thing that happened the last time in which some APC members as members of the leading party became distance spectators in the management of committees, when PDP had majority of the strategic committees in the House that will not happen in the next Assembly.

    “We are aware that they believe they can use the divide and rule by sponsoring many people within our ranks to contest for which of the position so that they then become the king maker and in return the person will offer them some chairmanship seats.

    “Hon members and comrades I’m sure are not going to do business with them. We will see them as partners in progress but in democracy the rule is, and it is a universal rule, majority must have their way but minority must be allowed to have their say.

    “So PDP and other minority can have their say but working together APC must have it way in legislative agenda, in the leadership of the National Assembly and the leadership of the committees in the National Assembly. I thought we should make this thing clear so that those who may not understand what is happening don’t fall into the trap.”

    While calling on the new federal lawmakers not to allow anybody to divide that, Oshiomhole assure that his leadership will carry out an extensive consultations with President Muhammadu Buhari and all the leaders of the APC.

    “We will work out a sensible zoning formula that sees to carry everybody along and give people chances to demonstrate their capacities and their capabilities. We are working on that.

    “Somebody told me the opposition party people are already doing something, raising money to bribe people and I said no we are anti-corruption, we cannot be corrupted. If they bring One Billion Naira to each member, PDP person will not be Speaker, a PDP person will not be Deputy Speaker, a PDP person will not be Whip, a PDP person will not be Leader and a PDP person will not take any of the Committee that are meant for the ruling party. We are determining to achieve that and be rest assured that the party will stand by you.”

    While congratulating them for their success, he said “We are proud that Nigerians in your various constituencies have reposed confidence in the APC. I was looking at the number this morning and I realised that at the level of the House of Representatives, the Nigerian people gave the APC a resounding vote of confidence.

    “Before the election, we had about 190 members. The Nigerian people elected and re-elected 223 members off the House of Representatives on the platform of the APC. This has given us overwhelming majority, almost two third that we need even if we can’t to amend the constitution.

    “I like to, on your behalf to thank the Nigerian people for reposing confidence in our party. I would like to say that by the same token, the Nigerian people has reposed less confidence in the major opposition who went into the election with more members and returned with 111 members.

    “It is easy the first time to ask people to give you the benefit of the doubt. But when you have occupied an office for four years, and the people choose to favour your party to the extent to which they have favoured the APC, it is a thing of joy. We are grateful to the Nigerian people for giving us the number we need to carry through our legislative agenda.”

    Alluding to party supremacy, Oshiomhole said “for us to be able to enjoy our numerical strength in the House of Representative, we must recognise that we were elected on a party platform. Over the last couple of weeks, I have been invited by INEC to forward names rising from court decisions to the effect that APC has won in a certain constituency even when there is dispute about who is the candidate.

    “I am sure that when you went to vote, you did not see the portrait of any candidate, but the logo of the APC which is the broom. Something unique about the broom is that when you pick a stick of broom, you can easily break it. But when it is together as it is in our logo, it will be difficult to break.

    “The essence of that broom is to remind us that when you are together, we share ideas together, make decisions on the basis of inclusion and we carry everybody along, we encourage debate, contestations and agree that at the end of the day, agreement reached are binding on all, then we will be as strong as the broom in our logo.

    “We have called this meeting to remind us that we have a huge task ahead of us. Nigerians have voted the way they did and they expect new vigor and have injected new blood into the House of Representative and I am sure that you have all come determined to make a difference in the way the National Assembly is run.

    “As people, who are active, you are very familiar with the issues that bogged down the National Assembly between 2015 and 2019 arising from a unique concussion and I pray that this time around, we have all learnt a lesson from our immediate past and allow the positive lessons of our immediate past to shape our future.

    “You have been elected at a very challenging time to provide legislative backing for APC agenda and manifesto. Our President who has been reelected reminded us that the three critical issues on which we canvassed for votes in 2015 are still valid even now in 2019. The President is doing everything possible to turn the economy around and to ensure that we work and create job led growth and not jobless growth where we celebrate abstract statistics that does not reflect the quality of life of the Nigerian people.

    “We must work hard to rebuild the economy, strengthen the private sector, create job, make the business environment friendly and expanding the capacity of our current investors. If Nigerians consume what we produce, our economy will grow in double digits and that growth will reflect on the quality of lives of our people. What has been missing has been leadership and that President Buhari has brought.

    “We need to sustain and deepen these policies and I sure that some aspect of it will require legislative intervention. We will need to reinvent the manufacturing sector. If we have sensible and sustainable industrial policy in place with appropriate legislative backing to give people the confidence of policy stability, even to cloth half of our population will generate more than ten million jobs in the textile sector alone.

    “There is no reason while Michelin should not return to Nigeria especially if we have sensible industrial and trade policy that discourage the importation of these items which we were producing before. All these need a collaborative national assembly. We need to pursue sensible monetary policies and should not price the funds out of the reach of the ordinary person. There must be coherence in all our policies so that we can witness sustainable growth and get our young people busy.

    “President Buhari has a rear opportunity to now think of what legacies to leave behind for Nigerians. He has spoken about corruption and we all know that it is one factor that has destroyed the country. What we owe the Nigerian people is to create an environment for people to work and earn a living and for investors to have decent results for their investment and this also require legislative action.”

  • God never destined Atiku to be President, says Oshiomhole

    National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Thursday said former Vice President Atiku Abubakar was destined never to be President.

    He also said the APC was prepared to meet the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in court.

    Addressing a news conference on the outcome of the Presidential and National Assembly elections and the decision of the PDP candidate to reject the results, Oshiomhole said Atiku was desperate to be President of Nigeria and has been jumping from one party to the other to actualise his ambition.

    He said it smacks of arrogance for the former Vice President to believe that the destiny of Nigerians is tied to his being President.

    He stressed that Atiku and the PDP were never committed to the peace accord, accusing them of only being interested in being winners.

    According to him: “I think it is arrogance for Atiku to think that our future is tied to his Presidency. Atiku is destined never to be President of Nigeria and I ask you to review his character. Leadership is about character.

    “Atiku’s desperation is so obvious. He is so desperate that in 2003, he challenged his own boss, Obasanjo. He decamped to join ACN and we offered him the ticket and he lost the election and returned to PDP.

    “He contested again and lost the nomination and because he has only his interest at heart, he decamped again from PDP.

    “He joined us in Lagos and rolled out the dollars but we voted for Buhari as our candidate. He knew that he cannot defeat Buhari in the primary and went back to the PDP.

    “Do you think that such a political rolling stone, does he think that Nigerians are so insincere as to think that a man who is not stable and whose interest is about himself will be a possible candidate to be elected?

    “What makes him have that sense of entitlement that he must be President of Nigeria? You cannot deny anyone the right to dispute the outcome of an election however free and fair.

    “So, we hope and we are looking forward to meeting Atiku Abubakar in court. We might also choose to also cross petition because there were many areas we can dispute.

    “In Adamawa state, he had already lost the election before he did some magic that gave him that narrow victory in Adamawa state.”

    Oshiomhole said the turnout of voters in the north east especially in Borno state was a reflection of the substantial peace that has returned to the area.

    He argued if the former Vice President does not know about the peace in the area, it could be because he does not go home regularly.