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Tag: David Mark

  • PDP heading for self-destruction – Mark

    PDP heading for self-destruction – Mark

    Senate President, David Mark, on Wednesday sounded a note of warning to warring factions in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) to sheathe their swords to prevent the party from a looming collapse.

    Mark further warned that unless the severe in-fighting in the PDP is put to an immediate end, the party may be heading for final destruction.

    This is contained in a strongly warded statement by the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Paul Mumeh.

    Mumeh said that Mark spoke when the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu who heads the PDP Post-election assessment committee visited him in Abuja.

    It said that Mark was worried over the continued acrimony between factions in the party and frowned at a situation where “the PDP is already hemorrhaging.”

    The statement quoted Mark to have warned that “unless we halt the bleeding and find the necessary therapy, we may be heading for the final burial of the party.”

    “The party (PDP) is already comatose and we should do all we can to resuscitate the party rather than this unnecessary rancor and bulk passing.

    “The emerging factions (in PDP) are absolutely unnecessary.  The combatants must sheathe their swords and embrace dialogue.  My appeal is that we should not do anything further that would damage the already fragmented house.

    “Everybody should come together and rebuild the party.  We have gotten enough bruises.  We need not inflict further pains on ourselves, with continuous bickering.

    “Enough of this blame-game.  We should return to the drawing board and need not wash our dirty linen in the public, anymore.

    “I believe a useful lesson has been learnt from the PDP electoral misfortune.  As for me, it is time to put on our thinking caps and chart a new course.

    “I trust Senator Ekweremadu that he and his team will do a good job and unearth the remote and immediate causes of our misfortune and make recommendations that will enhance the future of the party.

    “I have worked closely with the Deputy President of the Senate over the years and I know his capability and capacity to handle issues.”

    He urged PDP stakeholders to rise above the present circumstances and work hard to rejuvenate the party.

    He said the new status of the party as an opposition is a challenge which “we must face with all honesty, sincerity of purpose and dedication to duty.”

     

  • Mark: opposition not death sentence

    Mark: opposition not death sentence

    Senate President David Mark at the weekend said being in the opposition is not a death sentence for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) which lost power after 16 year.

    “The role of opposition is strange to us but it is not a death sentence. We should be ready for the challenges.

    “We are prepared to play a credible opposition. I believe the nation and indeed Nigerians would be the best for it.

    “The failure of yesterday should be our lesson for a better today and a triumphant future.”

    Mark spoke when he met with PDP Senators-elect and House of Representatives members-elect in Abuja, according to a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Paul Mumeh.

    “We must accept the ups and downs as an opposition party. That is what the PDP is now. We must remain a united family and face the reality.”

    We are going back to the drawing board to do a critical review and fashion out a blueprint that would get us out of the woods for good.

    In line with Mark’s expectation, the National Working Committee (NWC) of the party yesterday set up a 15-member Post-Election Assessment Committee to review and evaluate the performance of the party in the elections and make recommendations for the repositioning of the party.

    The terms of reference of the panel was not stated in a statement yesterday by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh.

    However, inside sources said the committee may be saddled with the task of reviewing the rationale or otherwise of retaining the present crop of elected officials among other issues.

    Key stakeholders in the party, particularly outgoing governors elected on the platform of the PDP, have been pushing for the sack of the NWC members led by National Chairman Adamu Mu’azu.

    Members of the committee are: Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu (Chairman); Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio; Abia State Governor Theodore Orji; Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwabo; Rivers State Governor-Elect Nyesom Wike; Education Minister Ibrahim Shekarau; and former Niger State Governor Abdulkadir Kure.

    Others are Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives Emeka Ihe

  • Constitution: Mark faults FG’s court action

    Constitution: Mark faults FG’s court action

    Senate President, David Mark, on Monday faulted the Federal Government for dragging the National Assembly before the Supreme Court over some sections of the Constitution Amendment Bill.

    Federal Government had invoked the original jurisdiction of the Supreme Court to scuttle the ongoing amendment process of the 1999 Constitution by the National Assembly.

    The government contended that the National Assembly did not comply with the constitutional procedure of altering the constitution before transmitting it to President Goodluck Jonathan for assent.

    Significant among the items that scaled the amendment hurdle at both chambers of the National Assembly are the creation of constitutional role for traditional rulers, electoral reforms, separating the offices of the Accountant-General of the Federation and Accountant-General of the Federal Government, separation of the offices of the Attorney-General of the Federation and Minister of Justice, and making aspects of the Constitution relating to the Fundamental Objectives and Directive Principles of State Policy in Chapter II, which deal with political, economic, social, educational and cultural objectives, enforceable and granting state legislatures financial autonomy, among others.

    But Jonathan declined his assent to the bill.

    He was said to have accused the NASS of having arrogated to itself the power to pass any constitution amendment without the assent of the President.

    He was also said not to be comfortable with aspect of the amended Bill capable of eroding presidential powers should he assent to the bill.

    In the suit already lodged at the registry of the Supreme Court, the Federal Government prayed the apex court to hold that due process was not followed by the lawmakers during the amendment process.

    Mark, who spoke while answering questions from journalists at the induction course for elected and returning federal lawmakers in Abuja, said he could not understand the rationale behind the said suit.

    Mark said: “The President has taken a Bill to the court and you heard people saying it is a Bill at the moment, unless it is signed, I really don’t see why they are in court. But anybody can go to court, so I can’t stop you from going to court, can I?”

    On his part, the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, said the National Assembly is not aware that the Presidency has taken the legislature to court over the 4th alteration to the Constitution.

    Ekweremadu, who is the Chairman, Senate Committee on the Review of the 1999 Constitution, said that the National Assembly has not been served any court process regarding the constitution alteration.

     

  • Mark plots return as Senate President

    Mark plots return as Senate President

    •Hopes to divide APC•Votes massive war chest

    Senate President David Mark is allegedly plotting a sensational return to the plum office regardless of the defeat of his party, PDP, in the recent elections.

    Although, the PDP won only 45 seats in the elections as against the 64 by the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mark believes he stands a good chance of snatching the position from the APC.

    His calculation, according to sources in his camp, is that the APC will zone the Senate Presidency to the North Central from where he hails.

    He will subsequently penetrate and divide the APC senators, and then win to his side some of them who will vote for him along with the 45 PDP senators.

    The plan, The Nation gathered, is Chief Mark’s contribution to the effort to rebuild the PDP ahead of the 2019 elections.

    He is said to have the support of PDP leaders who believe that he is the only one, for now, who stands a relatively bright chance of standing up to the APC and stop the PDP from losing out completely to the APC.

    Sources close to his camp said he may have found an accomplice in an APC senator who is a former North West governor.

    The former governor is expected to work on his fellow APC senators to back Mark.

    A massive war chest of N10billion is allegedly being readied for the battle for the Senate Presidency, sources said.

    Mark who has been in the saddle since 2007 is one of the few PDP members to win in the last senatorial election in the North.

    Some PDP members do not want him to return to the Senate as minority leader or an ordinary member having been Senate President since 2007.

    A party source said: “Our leaders are thinking of how to manage Mark’s situation because we do not want him to play a second fiddle. He was elected on March 28 based on our previous equation that we would still retain power.

    “Our leaders are calling for a new international role for Mark who has become a statesman in view of the manner in which he had used wisdom to save this nation at its crisis time. Some are also saying that Mark should play a strategic role in the reformation of PDP ahead of 2019 elections.

    “Although the ultimate decision belongs to the Senate President because  has the mandate of his people, he is a party man.” But Mark has a different idea.

    Reacting recently to the gale of defections from his party to the APC in the aftermath of the Presidential polls, Mark vowed to be the last man standing who would help in positioning the party for future elections.

    “I have no reasons whatsoever to leave PDP, no reasons. I have risen to where I am on the platform of PDP. PDP has a manifesto and I believe in it,” he said during a mass held at St. Mulumba Catholic Chaplaincy, Apo, Abuja, to mark his 67th birthday anniversary.

    He added: “Those who are leaving PDP now are fair weather friends of PDP.  So they have gone (and) they have no problem. When PDP bounces back in a few years in the next couple of elections or next election they will come back again to PDP. So they will move. Those ones are not really the issues.

    “So, the point I want to make is that I remain in PDP and I will try to restructure PDP, bring it back again. This is democracy, there will be a winner and there will be a loser and the loser must accept it and the winner must accept it. It is not anything new for us.

  • Put national interest first, Mark tells Nigerians

    Senate President, David Mark, has urged Nigerians to put the nation’s interest a top priority despite religious and political inclinations.

    “Whichever side of the religion or political divides we may find ourselves, what must be paramount is the interest of our country. What makes for the good of all welfare and security of our citizens must of a necessity be our vision and purpose,” he said.

    He called for renewed faith and commitment to the ideals of nationhood, saying that Nigerians should continue to demonstrate resilience and perseverance to reach the Promised Land.

    Mark advised citizens to maintain peace and order especially during the period of transition in the overall interest of the nation.

    He expressed satisfaction with the peaceful conduct of citizens during the presidential and national assembly elections.

    “Such conduct,” he said, “won us the accolades of the international community and must be sustained during the remaining processes.”

  • Mark hails Buhari, says history will be kind to Jonathan

    Mark hails Buhari, says history will be kind to Jonathan

    Senate President , David Mark  has congratulated the President-elect, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (rtd), for his victory at the polls.

    He also described the victory as a reflection of the wishes of majority of Nigerians.

    Mark in a statement by the Special Adviser to the Senate President on Media and Publicity, Kola Ologbondiyan, in Abuja, commended the political resilience of General Buhari.

    He also noted that Nigerians have rewarded his efforts with this victory at the polls.

    Mark urged the President-elect to be magnanimous in victory and govern Nigeria equitably and fairly irrespective of party affiliation or creed.

    He also commended the sportsmanship of President Goodluck Jonathan describing him as a worthy statesman.

    Mark said: “President Jonathan has assumed a clear leadership in the comity of African nations where Heads of Government  are perceived to be sit-tight leaders.

    “He (President Jonathan) has set a classic acceptance of the aphorism that power belongs to God and He grants it to whoever He pleases. For this, history will be kind to him.”

    He also urged Nigerians to remain calm and peaceful during this process of transition stressing that “this election has further demonstrated that democracy has come to stay in our country.”

  • Mark faults use of card readers

    Mark faults use of card readers

    Senate President David Mark has expressed reservation over the use of card reader machines for the accreditation exercise.

    Voting commenced on time in many polling centers in Otukpo as accreditation was conducted early.

    There were no reported cases of violence in polling units visited by our correspondent in Makurdi and Otukpo.

    Mark, who spoke immediately after casting his vote at the Otukpo Ward 1 polling unit, on Saturday evening pointed out that the machine has generated challenges that could disenfranchise some voters.

    According to him, due to no fault of the voters, the card reader machines are creating stumbling blocks for voters, a situation he said vindicated those that clamoured for the use of the Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) and the Temporary Voter Cards (TVCs) simultaneously.

    When asked if the challenges presented by the card reader machines could affect the credibility of the polls, the Senate President said “INEC should have made adequate arrangement to make sure that they rectify the card readers that are not working either by replacing or repairing it as the case may be.

    “But they should have envisaged that when they are deploying thousands of machines like these. If they didn’t make adequate arrangement then that’s where the problem is.”

    On his assessment of the polls so far, Mark noted that he can only speak for his polling unit, but with reports from other centers, INEC must act immediately to rectify the situation.

    “Since I’m restricted to my polling unit I can only speak for what I see here but reports from some other places are not satisfactory.

    “With the reports I’m getting from outside, it means there is a need for INEC to begin to monitor quickly now before things get out of control.
    “I say this because there are some places where I was told that he INEC officials told the voters that he will stop accreditation by 1:00pm regardless of the number of people on the queue yet to be accredited.

    “That is not the instruction but when people on the field begin to misinterpret instructions is a possible source of commotion.
    “Unfortunately I got reports from other units outside that the card readers are not performing well, with failures in several areas,” the Senate President added.

  • Benue will vote for PDP, Jonathan – Mark

    Senate President, David Mark, on Wednesday assured that the peoples a Democratic Party (PDP) and President Goodluck Jonathan will win the forthcoming elections in Benue State by 85 per cent margin.

    The Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Paul Mumeh, in a statement in Abuja said the campaign train of President Jonathan is scheduled to berth in Benue on Thursday.

    Also on Wednesday, Mark and Governor Gabriel Suswam said democracy can only thrive in Nigeria if predicated on justice, fairness and equity rather than rancour and acrimony.

    The Senate President and the Governor, both vying for 2015 Senatorial seats for Benue South and Benue North East respectively, spoke at the flag off of the former’s 2015 senatorial bid at Och’Idoma’s palace square in Otukpo, Benue state.

    Speaking at his country home, Otukpo, Benue state, Mark insisted that the PDP-led Federal Government has provided enough dividends of democracy to the people of Benue State to guarantee overwhelming victory.

    He noted that the state PDP has maintained a winning streak in the state since 1999 and has every good reason to remain faithful to the party.

    Mark said: “Given another opportunity, the PDP-led government would advance on its service delivery to the citizenry and make Nigeria much better.”

    He appealed to the people of Benue to come out in large number to welcome President Jonathan to the state just as he canvassed for peaceful conduct of all the elections.
    He stressed that development can only thrive in an atmosphere of peace and tranquility.

     

  • Nigeria ready for 2015 elections – Mark

    Nigeria ready for 2015 elections – Mark

    Despite anxieties and fears being expressed ahead of the 2015 elections, Nigeria is adequately prepared for a peaceful, free, fair, transparent and credible polls, Senate President, David Mark has assured.

    A statement issued by the Chief Press Secretary to the Senate President, Paul Mumeh, said that Mark told visiting United States Ambassador to Nigeria, James Entwistle, in Abuja Friday that the electoral umpire, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) is well equipped with necessary tools and personnel for the polls.

    Mumeh quoted Mark to have told his visitor that Nigerians are also ready for the elections.

    Mark said, “Our citizens are now more conscious of their rights and indeed the values of their votes. What we expect from our friends and the international community is support and cooperation.

    “Security challenge is there but we have intensified efforts and our security operatives now more equipped to contain the situation. So far, Nigerians are desirous of a peaceful conduct of the elections. I’m sure the outcome would be cheering to all.”

    The statement said that Mark believed that the exercise would be interesting and thanked the government and people of U.S for the support to Nigeria especially towards the elections.

    It said that Entwistle acknowledged that Nigeria is heading towards a great democratic exercise in 2015 which he said the global community is looking forward to with keen interest.

    The Ambassador, the statement said, harped on the need for a violent- free election and expressed satisfaction that all the principal contenders for the polls have all signed a pact for a violent free- elections in 2015.

    It said that Entwistle stressed the need for transparency and the inevitability of citizens to hold officials accountable at all times.

  • Oil price: Mark wants CBN to work harder

    Oil price: Mark wants CBN to work harder

    Senate President, David Mark, on Tuesday said the Central Bank of Nigeria should double its efforts in the face of dwindling oil price.

    Mark stated this after the confirmation of Mr. Okwu Joseph Nnanna’s appointment as Deputy Governor in the apex bank.

    He noted that it is obvious that the CBN would be a key factor in the current economic situation in the country.

    The apex bank, he said, should work assiduously “to ensure that we don’t find ourselves in the woods in the face of declining oil price.”

    Before the nomination of Nnanna was confirmed, the Senate adopted the report of its committee on Banking, Insurance and other Financial Institutions which screened him.

    Also on Tuesday, the Senate deferred the consideration of the Medium Term Expenditure Framework (MTEF) and Fiscal Strategy Paper (FSP).

    Chairman, Senate Committee on Finance, Senator Ahmed Makarfi, told the Senate that the revised MTEF was yet to be transmitted to his committee.

    Makarfi said that his committee would require some time to work on the fiscal document.