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  • Congress bluff and bluster

    Congress bluff and bluster

    House Republicans and Democrats in the US Congress, from time to time, engage in ideological shadow boxing on the home front. 

    Abroad, however, they appear to share that same bully trait to ride roughshod over others; and bleat fanciful nonsense — thinking because they are Americans, they  simply can.

    Or how else would you explain the spin that Tigran Gambaryan — and run-away Nadeem Anjarwalla — both Binance executives, here on trial for alleged economic crimes, are “wrongfully detained”; and urging the US Embassy to push for a “humanitarian” release?  Just like that?

    Do these blokes think Nigeria is some Panama, in its backwaters, on which America can impose its whims, sense or nonsense?

    The funny drama started when French Hill (Republican) and Chrissy Houlahan (Democrat) visited Gambaryan in Kuje Prison, Abuja, where he is in lawful detention.

    Hear the delusional American thunder, from French Hill: “Tigran must be immediately granted a humanitarian release, the remaining charges dropped, and he must return home to America where he belongs.”  What arrogance!

    Now, on what basis is this bloke yakking? As a one-man US Congressional Supreme Court over Nigeria?  Or as delusional counsel to Gambaryan?  Even the accused would be far wiser than hiring such a rash lawyer! He knows, too well, his thumping foolery will railroad him into bumper jail terms!  What a hare-brained bluster!

    Read Also: APC UK holds congress, elects new exco

    Even if Gambaryan was “wrongfully detained”, shouldn’t that be canvassed with facts and figures in court, by his lawyers, in the best tradition of the rule of law, which Uncle Sam always makes a fetish of?  So, if the rule of law holds in America, to the extent of convicting Donald Trump, ex-US president as a felon, why should it hold any less here?

    By the way, did this guy, now shooting from the hips, probe why Gambaryan ended in Kuje Prison?  Was he told how Anjarwalla, his co-accused, abused the Nigerian sense of mutual respect by bolting as a fugitive, after his guards extended to him the courtesy to say his Friday prayers?  Did he know that was how the duo forfeited house arrest for prison detention, without bail?

    It’s good the Nigerian authorities have responded to the US legislators’ full emptiness with a measured response.  Forget the hysterics of the duo.  The accused persons are facing fair and legitimate trial.  On that, the court — no other person, no matter how deluded — has the final say.

    Nigeria must walk this talk.  Let the trial continue uninterrupted until the court returns innocence or guilt.  That’s the rule of law — and it won’t change because of some rude, uncouth and noisy Americans.

  • ‘Why I did not appeal congress result’

    ‘Why I did not appeal congress result’

    Frontline governorship aspirant of Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State, Omosede Igbinedion, has declined to appear before the panel on the outcome of the delegate congress of the party.

    Some aspirants, especially members of Edo PDP Legacy group or Legacy Coalition, boycotted the election on allegation the outcome has been skewed to favour a particular aspirant.

    Igbinedion participated in the election in Okada, headquarters of Ovia Northeast Local Government.

    Speaking on why she would support the party after the primary,  Igbinedion said she was never a member of PDP Legacy Group or Legacy Coalition and had opted to be a loyal member of the party.

    Read Also: Insecurity: Gani Adams writes southwest governors, Ooni, others

     Igbinedion said she would not appear before any panel on the congress, saying: “I am not a member of Legacy Group or Legacy coalition. I remain a member of PDP. I will support the party to victory in the September governorship, irrespective of outcome of the primary.

      “The PDP is set to retain Edo. The party has performed and together we will defeat the APC.”

  • Congress: INEC, APC urge court to reject motion to stop Lagos delegates

    •Court fixes June 19 for ruling

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the All Progressives Congress (APC) have urged a Federal High Court in Abuja to refuse a motion seeking to restrain them from recognising Lagos State’s delegates for the June 23 national convention of the party.

    INEC and APC made the request in their separate counter-arguments to the motion for interlocutory injunctions filed by an aggrieved member of the APC in Lagos State, Bunmi Tayo Church.

    Church, whose substantive suit is challenging the outcome of the last ward, local government and state congresses of the APC in Lagos State, is seeking the interlocutory injunction pending the determination of the main suit.

    He urged the court to restrain APC and INEC “from according recognition or giving effect to the results of the first defendant’s (APC) Lagos chapter’s purported ward congress, local government congress and state congresses, pending the determination of the substantive suit”.

    Church also prayed the court for an interlocutory injunction restraining the APC from parading any person(s) or permitting any person(s) to parade themselves as being the persons elected by virtue of the first defendant’s Lagos chapter’s purported ward, local government and state congresses, pending the determination of the substantive suit.

    Akin Olujinmi (SAN), who represented Church, argued the motion and urged the court to grant his client’s reliefs to preserve the res (subject) of the case.

    Olujinmi averred that since the APC’s national congress was scheduled for June 23, there was need to preserve the subject of the substantive suit.

    He said there were special issues to be tried in the main suit, which seeks, among others, the determination of whether or not the congresses conducted in Lagos State should not be set aside since the party had allegedly flouted the nation’s constitution, its own constitution and guidelines for the conduct of ward, local government and state congresses.

    In its counter-argument, APC faulted the competence of the motion for interlocutory injunctions and urged the court to refuse it.

    INEC’s lawyer, Alhassan Umar, also urged the court to refuse the motion on the grounds that it contains similar prayers as those contained in the substantive suit.

    The lawyer argued that the plaintiff failed, in his argument, to disclose any legal right he seeks to protect or show any serious issues to be tried in the main case.

    He added: “Where the facts in support of the interlocutory application are similar to those in support of the main claim or are entirely interwoven with the facts required to determine the case on the merit, a court of equity is enjoined to decline granting the interlocutory application.

    “Instead, the court is enjoined to order accelerated hearing of the substantive matter. This is so because the court, in doing otherwise, may fall into the unhealthy situation of deciding the same issue twice.

    “First, at the interlocutory stage, and then, the ultimate decision at the end of the trial. Such a procedure will be prejudicial to a fair trial of the substantive case.

    “The law is that the court should avoid the resolution of complex and intricate issues at the interlocutory stage.

    “It is submitted that the plaintiff/applicant has not satisfied the requirements to enable the court exercise its discretion in favour of granting the reliefs sought on the face of the motion for interlocutory injunctions.”

    After listening to arguments by lawyers representing the parties, Justice Binta Nyako adjourned till June 19 for ruling.

    In his affidavit supporting the main suit, Church, who claimed to be interested in contesting for the party’s chairmanship in Mushin Local Government Area, said he would have realised his ambition and become a delegate but for the unlawful way the congresses were conducted.

    He contended that the congresses conducted in Lagos were in violation of the party’s constitution, its guidelines for the conduct of ward, local government and state congresses and the Constitution of Nigeria (as amended).

  • Delta APC: Torn apart by congress

    The Delta State All Progressives Congress (APC) has conducted parallel congresses which have escalated its crisis. Correspondent POLYCARP OROSEVWOTU examines the implications of the polarisation.

    Despite the conclusion of congresses by the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Delta State, the fate of the party still hangs in the balance. There is no clear winner in the battle for the soul of the party. Also, there is no clear direction towards next year’s general elections.

    Two state executive committees have emerged. Prophet Jones Ode Erue, was re-elected for a second term at a congress supervised by Senator Olugbenga Obadara. His deputy, Chief Cyril Ogodo, emerged two days later at another congress organised by Eugene Odoh.

    Erue has the backing of Ovie Omo-Agege, the senator representing Delta Central at the National Assembly and Chief Great Ogboru, who has consistently contested governorship elections in the state since 2003. He had come second in those elections amidst allegations of massive rigging by the People’s Democratic Party (PDP). Ogodo is being supported by Olorogun Otega Emerhor, the 2015 governorship candidate of the party who came third during the election and Chief Hycinth Enuha, a chieftain of APC.  Ogboru, is seeking the APC ticket, while Emerhor has ruled himself outis not re-contesting. “The environment and projection of us winning this time, does not allow me to contest in 2019.”, Emerhor said.

    Origin of the party’s crisis:

    As the 2015 candidate of the party, Emerhor held sway as leader, controlling the party structure, from ward executive to the State Working Committee, as well as enjoying the full support of the Erue-led executive. Despite the resistance by the late Senator Spanner Okpozo and Chief Adolor Okotie-Eboh-led factions of the party, Emerhor’s leadership was never in doubt.

    That was the case, until the influx of new members, following the victory of President Muhammadu Buhari during the 2015 general elections. The alleged threat to Emerhor’s grip on the party started with the entrance of Chief Great Ogboru, Senator Ovie Omo-Agege and former Speaker of the State House of Assembly, Victor Ochei into the party in 2016. At that time, there was a State High Court ruling dissolving the Erue-led Exco, which political observers saw as a great opportunity to properly integrate the new entrants into the party by setting up a Caretaker Committee to midwife an all inclusive executive for the party. Emerhor and Erue resisted that move and with the backing of the national chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun, they both prevailed until the judgment was upturned by the Court of Appeal.

    With the new ruling, all parties accepted the Erue-led Exco as peace returned to the party. But, unity continued to elude the party as various groups emerged within the party with the birth of Mainstream Delta APC (MDA), Light of Delta APC (LDA) and Consolidated Delta APC, which were convened by Emerhor, Ogboru and Enuha until they were all dissolved in February, following the intervention of former Governor Adams Oshiomhole.

    The cracks in the party have become so deep that they could not be wished away by fiat and as the at the struggle for the control of the party ahead of the 2019 elections rages on, there were significant realignments.

    Emerhor lost the majority support in State Working Committee. The State Chairman, Prophet Jones Erue, and nine other key members of the 16-man State Working Committee, including the Secretary and Organising Secretary, dumped Emerhor and pitched tent with Ogboru and Omo-Agege. Enuha and some some members of CDA joined Emerhor, while Dr Veronica Ogbuagu, Dr. Alex Ideh and Chief Lucky Jerry Esigie joined the Ogboru camp. The realignment of forces became what was described as tendencies by Emerhor.

    Divided by congress:

    The congress to elect new leaders was seen by political observers as an opportunity to unite the party, but that was not to be. The major players thought otherwise. To them, it was an opportunity to show strength and “demonstrate who is stronger or more on ground”. This has now led to the emergence of parallel executives with political foes betraying one another, amid 2015 calculations. They are planning to seize the party structure, ahead of primaries and next year’s general elections.

    Two incidences caused the emergence of parallel congresses. First was the theft of 100 out of the 270 result sheets and the entire summary of results sheets for the ward congress, which according to Erue, “were stolen or criminally removed from official custody by unknown persons”.

    The second was the insistence of Alhaji Sani Dododo to report to the State Chairman as directed by the the National Working Committee and work with the Local Organising Committee appointed by the party under the leadership of Erue. This led to a split in the Delta State Ward and Local Government Congress Committee, with Alhaji Usman Kutigi, the Secretary and Mallam Kassim Mahmud, a member choosing to work with Emerhor. And Dododo was removed. The same scenario played out with the State Congress Committee when Senator Obadara was purported to have been removed.

    Police indicts congress committee secretary

    Having discovered that 100 result sheets for the ward congress were missing a day before the congress, Dododo and Kutugi reported the matter to the police. On return from the field on Congress day, Dododo discovered that the Secretary, Kutugi, had disappeared with the entire summary of results for wards. After its investigation, the police indicted Kutugi and Mahmud of complicity in compromising the outcome of the congress.

    The report, which was signed by the state commissioner of police, Muhammed Mustafa, described them as “fugitives from justice,” adding: “A case of conspiracy and stealing of the congress sensitive materials has been established against them and we are searching for the principal suspects in order to bring them all to book”.

    “So, the police, DSS and Dododo, after consulting with the National decided that since only 100 out of the 270 were stolen, let them make photocopy of the original to make the 270 result sheets. Dododo had to sign the photocopies with the consent of the National. With this they went to the field on congress day. It was when they returned to enter the results into the summary of result sheets that the chairman discovered that the secretary has disappeared with the summary of result sheets.  Subsequent investigation by the police tracked them to Port Harcourt”, Erue further explained, adding that it was at this point that the chairman, DSS and police decided to announce the results.”

    Results of Ward Congress

    On Monday May 7, Dododo announced at the party headquarters in Asaba, the state capital, that Ward Congress has been concluded and that the results with him were the valid results. Dododo urged Deltans and party faithful to disregard any other result announced elsewhere as they were null and void. “No other result will be accepted outside what we have here,” he said.

    Two days later, it was announced that Dododo has been replaced by the National Chairman, Chief John Odigie Oyegun. In a letter to the Delta Police boss, the National Secretary of the party, Mai Malu Buni, informed the police that chairman of the ward and local council congress committee, Dododo, has been removed and replaced by Chief Emmanuel Chindah, alleged to be a close ally to the Minister of Transport, Chibuke Amaechi. Meanwhile, Kutigi also submitted a different set of results, which he cosigned with Mahmud, the two men who have been indicted by the police for trying to manipulate the Ward Congress.

    Despite the rumour of his purported sack Oyegun did not tell him he has been sacked. As a consequence, he returned to Delta State to conduct the Local Government Congress on the 12th of May and again submitted his report to the national secretariat in Abuja on the 14th.  Emmanuel Chindah also submitted another set of Local Government results to the Appeal Panel in Asaba.

    The same scenario played out in the State Congress, with Senator Obadara, who was appointed by the NWC, but was also removed by Oyegun, amidst disagreements on who to report to in Delta. The secretary of the committee Olayinka Rickets and Dr. Omirin Adewale, a member, were removed too for allegedly wanting to work with Senator Obadara and were replaced by Eugene Odoh as chairman, John Clark Dabwan, secretary and Chief Jonathan Jibrin as member.

    Emergence of factional State Exco

    On May 19, a letter signed by the APC National Secretary, Hon. Mai Mala Buni dated 18th May 2018 was released informing INEC that the conduct of State Congress in Delta State has been rescheduled for Monday, 21st May 2018.  Curiously, unlike a similar letter notifying INEC of the venues of local government congress which had the receipt stamp of INEC, this one had no such acknowledgement receipt.

    Nevertheless, the Senator Obadara led-committee, which was appointed by the NWC, was in Delta to conduct the State Congress. At the Congress which held at St. Mulumba Secondary School, Okpanam, Asaba,  Erue was re-elected for another four years. Others elected included; Mr Elvis Ayemanor, Deputy Chairman and Mr. Chidi Okonji as state Secretary.

    The Congress was attended by APC Senator Ovie Omo-Agege, Chief Great Ogboru, Mrs. Marian Ali, Chief Frank Kokori, Lauretta Onochie, the Special Adviser on Social Media to President Muhammad Buhari, Dr. Alex Ideh, Chief Lucky Jerry Esigie and a host of other party chieftains across the three senatorial districts. Shortly after the exercise, Omo-Agege said the Obadara-led committee was empowered to conduct the congress and that there was no counter directive to that effect.

    “Any other committee outside the Senator Obadara committee is null and void, and their action is of no consequences. I applaud the delegates for making a wise decision in electing the executives and congratulate the new state executive”, he said.

    Also applauding the conduct of the congress, Special Assistant to the President on Social Media Lauretta Onochie described the exercise as ‘done and dusted’. “We refused to be intimidated by one man whose oxygen is impunity and who sought to change the date, venue and the set rules for a lawful congress. We refused to work with rumours generated by those who want to run the APC by the impunity they have learned over the years”, Onochie said.

    As Obadara was submitting his report and results at the National Headquarters of APC in Abuja on Monday, another Congress was taking place at the old site of the Federal Technical College, Asaba, amidst tight security. Ogodo emerged as chairman at the congress organised by Odoh. Emerhor said: “We have gone ahead to obey the NWC, which postponed the congress. At the end of this exercise, the appeal committee will review what has been done before the results would be taken to Abuja for certification”.

    Unity list and cracks in Emerhor camp:

    Prior to the congress, the Emerhor camp had seven governorship candidates: Prof. Pat Utomi, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, Victor Ochei, Prof. Leroy Edozien, Chief Osiobe Okotie, Dr. Iyke Odikpo and Dr. O’Diakpor Obire. They agreed to a unity list for the congress that will accommodate the interest of aspirants and leaders of the party.

    However, with the failure of the list to equitably protect the interest of everyone, three of the aspirants, Utomi, Odikpo and Okotie, sboycotted the congress while Ojougboh walked out of the event midway. Odikpo who was the Secretary General and Chief Strategist of the Emerhor’s defunct Mainstream Delta APC (MDA), had  attended the congress held two days earlier having pitched his tent with the Omo-Agege/Ogboru camp.

    The Oyegun, Amaechi, Oshiomhole factor:

    The shadows of these three have hovered over the congresses in Delta, following the failed re-election bid of the embattled national chairman  Oyegun, who was being supported by Emerhor and Ogodo. When APC chairmen of the South-South states endorsed Oshiomhole as chairmanship candidate Ogodo signed the statement dissociating Delta APC from the purported endorsement, which he described as “desperate and despicable”.

    Not only did Emerhor condemn the endorsement of Oshiomole by the South South APC, he refuted the statement, saying: “At no time was Oshiomhole adopted as the candidate of South-South. Chief John Odigie is a worthy son of the zone who has performed creditably and who deserves a first right of refusal.” Ogboru, Omo-Agege and Erue on the other hand, supported the Oshiomhole candidacy. Indeed, Erue, under pressure from Emerhor, refused to disassociate Delta from the Southsouth endorsement of Oshiomole.

    Based on these realities, it is not surprising that at any point Emerhor was facing any form of political challenges during the congresses; Oyegun comes to his rescue as reflected in the sacking of Dododo, and Obadara.  The fingerprints of Amaechi, a known benefactor of Emerhor, was everywhere in Delta APC congresses. One of his loyalist, Chindah, was appointed to take over from Dododo.

    Allegations of bias:

    Erue said Obadara was sacked by Oyegun because he refused to follow Izunaso’s counter directive that Delta State Congress Committee should work with Emerhor, instead of the State chairman as earlier directed by Izunaso. Under article 13 of the APC Constitution, it is the NWC that is empowered to set up adhoc committees to conduct congresses. Pursuant to this article, the NWC constituted the Obadara panel.

    Erue said: “Having constituted the panel, the NWC proceeded to inaugurate and empower it with materials to conduct the congress in Delta. And since then, the NWC has not met to recall the Obadara panel. Yet, the National Secretary wrote a letter purported to sack the chairman, the secretary and one member.

    The National chairman and the secretary do not constitute the NWC which is made up of 21 members. It was only either the chairman or the secretary or both of them acting at the behest of O’tega Emerhor that purported to recall the Obadara panel and they cannot do that”, Erue said.  “NWC created the Obadara panel and it is only the NWC that can recall them. The same applies to the Dododo ward and local government congress committee”, he added. According to Erue, Obadara was not properly removed and anything that was done in Asaba on Monday 21st May by Eugene Odoh was a mere gathering the defunct MDA.

    “During briefing, the panels to all the states were told to report to the state chairmen who will make available to you the list of delegates, accommodation and transportation. But, in the case of Delta, Senator Obadara was later told by the National Organizing Secretary to take the delegate list from O’tega Emerhor and the Distinguished Senator said I cant do that because that was not the briefing you gave to us. Immediately they knew that the man refused to take the list from them being a process man, they called them back and had to step down Delta congress which is unconstitutional”, he added.

    Also questioning the authority of the National Organising Secretary to write a letter of appointment to Chindah and Odoh, Erue said: “If at all the letter is truly signed by the national secretary, with all due respect to him, I think he is doing a job for someone else and not for the party because what is playing out in Delta is a game and a backdoor script that is backfiring. He added: “I do not know who appointed Chindah because NWC did not meet to appoint him. When Dododo was appointed, did National secretary sign a letter to that effect? Why did he not write a letter in the first instance, this is the question that must be asked. There is a foul play as someone is being paid the work he is doing.”

    There is a raging battle for the soul of the APC in Delta State. It could undermine the ability of the party to take over the state in 2019. How this will end remains to be seen. Ultimately, it will depend on the ward congress that gave birth to the two parallel executives. Will the national leadership of the APC accept the results collated at the police command in the presence of the Nigerian Police, the DSS and INEC by Alhaji Dododo, the NWC appointed chairman or the results collated at yet to be disclosed location by the secretary of the committee, Kutigi who has been declared wanted by the police.

    In the opinion of Dr. Alex Ideh, an APC chieftain, the Dododo organized LGA congress is the legal one that will be upheld by the party because it is built on a legal foundation. “It is a common knowledge that the congresses are pyramidal in nature. The election of the ward delegates followed due process and there was no successful appeal against it. And because we successfully built the foundation of the pyramid and added to that superstructure by electing LGA executive, State delegates and national delegates in all 25 LGAs of Delta State, our congress is legal” he explained.

    Also, the APC national leadership would have to consider the electoral worth of both camps. Ogboru came second, ahead of Emerhor, in the 2015 governorship poll as he has done consistently since 2003. Ogboru won four local government areas, including Ughelli North, which is  Emerhor’s Local Government Area. Omo-Agege who is from the same local government with Emerhor and he is the incumbent senator representing Delta Central, the stronghold of APC. With the APC national convention shifted to 23rd of June, the battle for the soul of Delta APC rages on. And the road to Unity House Asaba promises to be a rocky ride.

  • Communication Minister faults APC Congress, LG poll in Oyo

    The Minister of Communications, Barrister Adebayo Shittu at the weekend alleged that the National Congress  Committee of the All Progressives Congress (APC) under the Chairmanship of  Musa Halilu-Ahmed, that conducted the ward congress in Oyo state was compromised .

    The state APC is divided among two groups ; the Lamists and the Senaco .

    Shittu who belonged to the Unity Forum of the state APC wondered how the Musa Halilu -Ahmed led Congress Committee refused to collect forms from the candidates who purchased the forms as stipulated by the party guidelines but instead disappeared when they ought to collect the forms.

    “By collecting the forms from Governor Ajimobi’s candidates , and shutting the doors against us, the Congress Committee has shown that they are bias and compromised,”  he declared.

    He stated that unless the national leadership of the party ensures that justice is done , the aggrieved will seek redress in the court of law to nullify the Saturday’s poll.

    Shittu  who played guest  to the Oyo state Correspondents’ Chapel of the Nigeria Union of Journalists ( NUJ) , in Ibadan at the weekend  described the election as a fraud, saying that  he has foreseen the voters apathy that marred the election, hence , his reason for boycotting the poll.

    ” The Congress Committee knew very well that the governor’s group had not obtained any form as at Friday . And that only our group that has purchased forms . At the stakeholders meeting of Saturday , all that the governor wanted to do was to present a list of candidates to the committee and get their endorsement,  but he was blocked.

    “We had paid for our forms with tellers . On Sunday , after the violence at the Saturday’s stakeholders meeting, we came to submit our forms, what we saw was heavy presence of armed policemen and an armoured tank which was used to block the entrance to the Oke-Ado party Secretariat , yet the governor and his group and the committee’s members were right inside the Secretariat. The case is like a student who obtained WAEC exam form and after writing the exam, the supervisors ran away and refused to collect the answer sheet from the student. That is the case in Oyo APC , ” Shittu said.

    He however declared the election as not only illegal, unconstitutional but conducted in an atmosphere of what he described as a ‘Wuruwuru’.

    He said the circumstances that surrounded the conduct of the election such as the pending court cases, boycott of the election by the major opposition parties and the shunning of the election by a group within camp of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), “Unity Forum” in the state, will not make the election stand the test of time.

    He added that the election will not be recognised by the constitution because it was conducted in LCDAs that are yet to be recognised by the constitution and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    For these reasons, Shittu declared that the election will not stand the test of time and will not be recognised.

    Shittu said “On the conduct of the local government election held today, first, that is after 6 years, now is doing ‘Wuruwuru local government election.

    “He claimed that there is a case in court, now there are two court cases in court.

    “Number two, can you organise election in a local government which INEC has not delineated. Local government in Nigeria are created by the constitution and before it is done, the INEC will say there are areas where each ward will be. The last time they were in court in Abuja, the court could not take a decision because there are two counsels to APC, and the court said that until the legal adviser of the party come to clarify who is the authentic counsel.

    “The election that the generality of the people have shunned, it is ‘Wuruwuru’, it is injustice. I can’t be part of ‘Wuruwuru election’. I can’t be part of such election.

    “Why the rush after six years?  The rush that he does not have six years ago, now a year ago to the election. He thinks he can just use ‘Wuruwuru’ to do. We will not succumb and allow him to do ‘Wuruwuru’.

    “A lot of people are taking the opportunity of being a progressive that even in banana republic is not allowed.

    Shittu further added that he is of the opinion that the leadership of the party will intervene and save the party from further degeneration.

    He said “I want to believe that the party leadership will intervene”.

  • Group seeks credible congress

    A group, the All Progressives Congress (APC) Concerned Stakeholders Group, in Alimosho, Lagos,  is seeking transparency in today’s congress in the area.

    The group  faulted the congresses to the elect local government and LCDA executive and national delegates in six councils that constitute Alimosho Federal Constituency on May 5.

    According to a statement signed by Chief Olu Badejo, Alhaji Babs Kareem and Chief Olu Bakare, the group said  the  ward congresses which held in the 36 wards that constituted Alimosho Federal Constituency on Saturday 5th of May, 2019 was not transparent enough.

    The group  demands change in venues and need for impartial officials in the party’s congress that is billed to come up in the local government today.

    It also seeks the deployment of officials directly by the Congress Committee in accordance with the congress guidelines

    While calling on the congress committee of the APC to look into the matter, it said it was ready to participate in the congress, provided its demands were met.

  • Consensus congress in Sokoto

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) ward congresses were yesterday conducted simultaneously and peacefully across 244 wards of Sokoto State by consensus.

    Reacting to the exercise, Governor Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, who participated in the process at the Veterinary Clinic Venue of his ward in Tambuwal town, said it was a commendable exercise for the APC members in Sokotoý for opting to go by consensus.

    “This confirms that we are a formidable and united political family.

    “The stakeholders meeting we held prior to the congresses had helped greatly with the resolution for consensus”, he stressed.

    According to the governor, all stakeholders played significantly well by giving their maximum support for the realisation of the amicable resolution.”

    Also commenting, Chairman ýLG and wards congresses Committee from the National headquarters of the party, Hon. Isma’il Hussaini, said the committee grouped themselves into four for the assignment.

    According to him” the stakeholders have simplified our work by adopting a resolution for consensus which we are affirming.

  • APC national chieftains continue feud over congress

    APC national chieftains continue feud over congress

    Two national chieftains of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have continued their feud over  the Cross River congress, which produced the state party chair.

    The outcome has torn apart the National Organising Secretary Senator Osita Izunaso and Southsouth National Vice Chairman Utufam Hilliard Eta.

    Eta, who supervises Cross River, said the congress was illegal.

    But Izunaso  disagreed, saying the election was in order.

    Eta described the congress which produced John Etim as a charade.

    Izunaso dismissed Eta’s position, saying the congress was concluded, adding that  “as far as the party is concerned, that exercise is already concluded.

    “The national vice  chairman,  Southsouth, was the only person that did not vote of 109 delegates in that election. He was absent and didn’t vote. Because he didn’t vote, he can’t say it is a charade.

    ‘’Two persons bought forms and contested and one person defeated another. So, why is it a charade? And you know the party has an Appeal Committee; if anybody is not satisfied with the conduct of the congress why can’t he go to the Appeal Committee.”

    On the allegation that a 21-day notice was not given to INEC, the APC national organising secretary said: “Notice was given to INEC in November.

    “This congress was to holding in November last year and notice was given to INEC and once you have given a notice to INEC you have given. So, you can hold it at any latter date, it doesn’t matter. What you do is that when you’re holding it you remind them of the notice.

    “We usually write early to secure date, which is constitutional and how can anybody say we didn’t write to INEC. The people that went to conduct that congress, they went there with that letter.”

    Also reacting to Eta’s position, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs and former APC Cross River State chairman, Usani Usani, said the congress was properly conducted as directed by the National Working Committee (NWC).

  • ‘Cross River APC congress a sham’

    ‘Cross River APC congress a sham’

    The special congress of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State has continued to generate ripples.

    One of the candidates, Dr Matthew Achigbe, has described the exercise as a sham.

    Achigbe, who addressed reporters in Calabar yesterday, rejected the outcome of the congress, with Mr Godwin Etim John, winning with 56 votes.

    He said that suspended members of the party voted in the election in defiance of the party’s constitution.

    ”The notice of the congress was short of the prescription of Section 85 (1) of the electoral act (2010 as amended) which stipulates that at least 21 days be given to INEC of the party’s intention to hold its congress, but which in this case no notice was given at all, and for the Cross River State APC less than three days notice thus leading to the harried selling, completion and submission of forms up to and until the commencement of the congress.

    ”The Ccongress defied Article 25(iv) of the APC Constitution which states that at least 14 days notice be given to each level of the party of its intention to hold congress but for which no notice was given in the instant case.

    ”That over 980 delegates (five from each ward) of the 196 council wards were disenfranchised from participating in the election of the state party which not only denied them their right to vote but their civic responsibility resulting in the congress being short of the stipulated minimum of a third of the appropriate quorum and very unfair deal to the hundreds of thousands of anxious party members to vote for a credible person in a critical congress.”

    Also, a chieftain of the APC in the state, Mr Ernets Irek, who also described the congress as an illegality, said they had lost confidence in the national chairman of the party, John Oyegun.

    ”We don’t have any confidence in the national chairman of the party, Chief John Oyegun. We have lost confidence in him because he has refused to do the right thing. With 24 states in our kitty, if we are not careful, we may not even have 10 states in the next election. The kind of impunity going on is unheard of. It has become so compromised,” Irek said.

    The Chairman of Coalition of APC Support Groups in the state, Comrade Iso Bassey Edim, accused some top officials of the party in the state of working with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) government to destroy APC ahead of 2019.

    ”We’re not happy with what happened on Saturday because we can’t support the legalisation of illegality. The constitution is clear on how to conduct party Congress. There was no INEC representation whatsoever. We are made to understand that there’s a sinister plan for those who think they can mortgage APC in the state.

    ”Why did they rush into organising a fire brigade Congress when there’s Congress coming up next month? We’re calling on the National Leader, Bola Tinubu, to come to our rescue because vultures are out to destroy APC. While we want to takeover the state from PDP some people are working to destroying the party,” he said.

  • Trump urges congress to end U.S. visa lottery

    Trump urges congress to end U.S. visa lottery

    U.S. President Donald Trump has called on Congress to end the visa lottery programme, citing a Justice Department crackdown on a recipient who abused resident status to finance terrorist activities abroad.

    “Time to end the visa lottery,” Trump said in a Twitter post.

    “Congress must secure the immigration system and protect Americans.”

    Trump linked his message to a Justice Department press release regarding a complaint to revoke the resident status of a visa lottery program recipient who funded global terrorist activities.

    Read Also: Trump has revived possibility of using atomic weapons tactically

    The Justice Department’s complaint said a Sudanese national who gained lawful permanent resident status through the “diversity visa lottery program” ran a non-profit organization, the Islamic American Relief Agency, and through it funneled money to known terrorist organizations in Iraq and elsewhere.

    Earlier, report revealed that US immigration enforcement arrests shut up 20 per cent in 2017 versus the previous year.

    The report also said that former President Barack Obama’s immigration policy was more narrowly focused on arresting undocumented immigrants convicted of serious crimes.

    NAN