The Nation Newspaper

Tag: dissolution

  • Kwara youths decry dissolution of PDP executives

    Kwara State Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) youths have criticised the dissolution of the State Executive Committee by the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee.

    The youths are also demanding for the restoration of the Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo –led executive.

    The state executive was disbanded at the recent PDP national convention.

    The aggrieved youths alleged that the dissolution of the executive was suspicious and a collusion between Makarfi and certain politicians to weaken opposition in Kwara.

    Prior to the dissolution of the executive of the party in Kwara, both Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo and Sunday Fagbemi battled for the control of the leadership of the party with their two groups.

    Led by the former factional assistant publicity secretary of the party in the state, Oluwafemi Yusuf, the aggrieved youths insisted that the dissolution was in bad faith and asked the national leadership of the PDP to reverse its decision, warning that there was no justification for such.

    They argued that the state congress, which re-elected Oyedepo in May 10, last year, was successfully conducted in the presence of delegation from the National Secretariat of the party, officials of the Independent National Electoral Commission and security agents in line with electoral law.

    The youths said: “We the concerned Kwara PDP Youths received the news of dissolution of Kwara State PDP Exco led by Akogun Iyiola Oyedepo with great shock and bemusement because there was no justification for such dissolution.

  • Why dissolution of Ogun PDP exco can’t stand, by Kashamu

    Why dissolution of Ogun PDP exco can’t stand, by Kashamu

    The senator representing Ogun West, Buruji Kashamu, has explained why dissolution of the executive council of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ogun State cannot stand.

    The National Convention of the party at the weekend dissolved executive councils in Ogun, Osun, Lagos and some other states.

    Kashamu, in a statement yesterday, said the party’s national leadership violated a court order.

    He added that the judgment recognising the executive council in Ogun was never appealed and as such still subsisting.

    He said: ”While it could be argued that the congress in Lagos State was inconclusive, the dissolution of the state executives in Osun and Ogun states was a clear travesty of justice. The congresses of these states were affirmed by the NEC before the May 21, 2016 botched convention in Port Harcourt.

    “At its 74th NEC meeting held on July 17, 2017, the NEC resolved to reinstate all the State Excos that were elected at the April 2016 congresses but later reversed after the February, 17, 2017, judgment of the Court of Appeal. Ogun and Osun states were not listed as part of those states.

    “So, what has changed? Why were the state executives in Ondo and Ekiti states left untouched? Are these executives not also dogged with issues? In Osun State, Omisore wants to perpetually hold on to the party structure, at the detriment of the over 90 per cent of the stakeholders, in order to push through his governorship ambition even when he has failed twice. In Ogun State, OGD and Ladi Adebutu are fomenting trouble in the party, all because of their senatorial and governorship ambitions in 2019. In Lagos State, Chief Bode George seeks to hold on to the party structure even when he has not been able to win his polling booth since 1999! In Ekiti and Ondo states, the party is divided 50/50.  Now, Ekiti is left in the hands of one man. No one is talking of harmonisation in Ekiti and Ondo states. They dissolved the excos in Ogun, Osun and Lagos states to satisfy Ayo Fayose, Iyiola Omisore, OGD and Chief George. What an injustice! What a double standard!”

    Kashamu said “the supremacy of any party’s constitution is subject to the Constitution of Nigeria as stated in Chapter 1, Section 2 of our party’s constitution”.

    He added: “The Ogun State PDP executive under the leadership of Adebayo Dayo has a court judgment and orders legitimising it as the duly and validly elected State Executive until 2020. This clearly allows the Adebayo Dayo-led executive to remain in office and carry out all its due responsibilities and functions.

    “For the above reasons, the Dayo-led exco will remain in office till 2020 regardless of its purported dissolution, because the action taken by the NEC and convention of our great party is an illegal act. You cannot build something on nothing and expect it to stand.

    “I believe that the so-called dissolution of the Dayo-led Ogun State exco never took place. It was not the authentic State exco that was dissolved. Rather, it was the parallel structure being promoted by the impostors that was dissolved.

    “I understand that the amateurs are misconstruing a Supreme Court judgment that says it is only the national leadership that can submit names to the regulatory agency, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

    “While this may be true, it does not mean that the national body would just write names from the air and submit to INEC. It has to conduct primaries at a congress to be chaired by the State Chairman of the respective state executive. Anytime the national leadership fails to comply with this constitutional provision, it will always run into a cul-de-sac.

    “The Supreme Court could not have given the NWC, NEC or the convention the right to disregard due process, court orders or judgments. It cannot encourage anyone or any institution the powers to be above the law. The constitution of the PDP and PDP itself are products of the laws of Nigeria.”

     

  • Ondo LG dissolution and PRP

    ON the surface, the March 31 judgement of a High Court in Ondo State ordering the dissolution of the 18 local governments sworn in by former governor Olusegun Mimiko should not raise eyebrows. It however does. The case was originally instituted by Balarabe Musa’s Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), but long since abandoned because the reason for going to court, non-inclusion in the ballot in last year’s local government poll, had been resolved. Someone, somewhere, some say agents of the new All Progressives Congress (APC) Rotimi Akeredolu government, revived the case and asked for the LGs to be dissolved.

    Alerted to the case, the PRP chairman and the party’s lawyer, Femi Aborishade, and other party supporters thronged the court to confirm that they had discontinued the case, and that in any case, they should be heard. Justice S.A. Sadiq, however, reportedly disregarded the PRP leaders and their lawyer, and chose to recognise another lawyer claiming to represent the party, one Segun Agodo, a stranger to the case. The PRP, which had participated in the election, insisted it had no reason to ask for the LGs dissolution, but the court went ahead anyway. Indeed, it was the APC that had boycotted the election last year, though the party’s name and symbol were on the ballot. It had claimed that it had a case pending in court questioning the composition of the state electoral body, OSIEC.

    Immediately the court dissolved the LGs on March 31, though their tenure was to expire in April 2019, the state government announced new caretaker chairmen. Earlier, however, the 18 chairmen, all of whom belonged to the PDP and feared what injury the new APC government was capable of inflicting, had gone to court to bar the government from sacking the LGs. The former Chief Judge of the state, Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi, assented to their request and barred the government from interfering with the councils. But the APC was reported in February to have appealed Justice Kumuyi’s January 17 decision and was waiting for its determination when the idea of reviving the PRP case occurred to some bright minds in the APC. The government’s lawyers, however, said they were not aware of the case, let alone any appeal. But in March, the government had frozen the accounts of the LGs. Eventually, not even the PRP was allowed to have a say in the case they were purported to have filed, a case both the PRP chairman and lawyer had said was overtaken by their participation in the LG poll.

    The manner the Ondo State government cleverly tweaked the legal process, and the collusion of the judiciary among other insalubrious measures, probably prompted Mallam Musa to suggest that the APC had become a fascist government far worse than the incompetent PDP government it replaced. Few Nigerians will disagree with the PRP national chairman.

  • Ondo LG dissolution and PRP

    On the surface, the March 31 judgement of a High Court in Ondo State ordering the dissolution of the 18 local governments sworn in by former governor Olusegun Mimiko should not raise eyebrows. It however does. The case was originally instituted by Balarabe Musa’s Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), but long since abandoned because the reason for going to court, non-inclusion in the ballot in last year’s local government poll, had been resolved. Someone, somewhere, some say agents of the new All Progressives Congress (APC) Rotimi Akeredolu government, revived the case and asked for the LGs to be dissolved.

    Alerted to the case, the PRP chairman and the party’s lawyer, Femi Aborishade, and other party supporters thronged the court to confirm that they had discontinued the case, and that in any case, they should be heard. Justice S.A. Sadiq, however, reportedly disregarded the PRP leaders and their lawyer, and chose to recognise another lawyer claiming to represent the party, one Segun Agodo, a stranger to the case. The PRP, which had participated in the election, insisted it had no reason to ask for the LGs dissolution, but the court went ahead anyway. Indeed, it was the APC that had boycotted the election last year, though the party’s name and symbol were on the ballot. It had claimed that it had a case pending in court questioning the composition of the state electoral body, OSIEC.

    Immediately the court dissolved the LGs on March 31, though their tenure was to expire in April 2019, the state government announced new caretaker chairmen. Earlier, however, the 18 chairmen, all of whom belonged to the PDP and feared what injury the new APC government was capable of inflicting, had gone to court to bar the government from sacking the LGs. The former Chief Judge of the state, Justice Olasehinde Kumuyi, assented to their request and barred the government from interfering with the councils. But the APC was reported in February to have appealed Justice Kumuyi’s January 17 decision and was waiting for its determination when the idea of reviving the PRP case occurred to some bright minds in the APC. The government’s lawyers, however, said they were not aware of the case, let alone any appeal. But in March, the government had frozen the accounts of the LGs. Eventually, not even the PRP was allowed to have a say in the case they were purported to have filed, a case both the PRP chairman and lawyer had said was overtaken by their participation in the LG poll.

    The manner the Ondo State government cleverly tweaked the legal process, and the collusion of the judiciary among other insalubrious measures, probably prompted Mallam Musa to suggest that the APC had become a fascist government far worse than the incompetent PDP government it replaced. Few Nigerians will disagree with the PRP national chairman.

  • APC hails dissolution of councils

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) has hailed the nullification of the last April 16 council election.

    Justice S.A Sidiq declared that the election cannot stand because it contravened the Electoral Act.

    A statement by the All Progressives Congress (APC), through its Director of Media and Publicity, Steve Otaloro, said: “As a law-abiding party, we reminded our members and supporters of the subsisting case on the matter at the Supreme Court by the aggrieved elected chairmen under the late Olusegun Agagu, who Olusegun Mimiko terminated their tenure in 2009.

    “The local government executives nullified by the court were selected by the PDP-led government.

    “We promised the people that we would right the wrong through all legal means and we have been vindicated.”

  • NAAT calls for dissolution of tertiary institutions’ boards

    The National Association of Academic Technologists (NAAT) has called for the dissolution of boards of governing councils of universities and other tertiary institutions.

    In a communiqué at the end of its 30th National Executive Council (NEC) meeting at the University of Nigeria, Nsukka, NAAT urged President Muhammadu Buhari to dissolve the governing boards of the federal tertiary institutions whose tenures had expired as well as those boards that are incompetent and corrupt.

    The communiqué, by its General Secretary, Comrade Iyoyo Hamilton, NAAT said the President should dissolve the boards and replace them with competent members who are conversant with such institutions.

    The association also advised the Federal Government to be more proactive in tackling recession in the country so that Nigeria can quickly come out of it.

    “Government may do so by providing the enabling environment for stable economy, and encourage more investment in the agricultural and solid mineral sectors,” the communiqué said.

    NAAT also reinstated its full support for the implementation of the Treasury Single Account (TSA) in the university system, saying that those university managements who are vehemently opposing its implementation within the system are doing so because of corruption.

    Comrade Suleiman said the association supports the TSA because the policy will curb corruption, saying that was why some corruptly inclined officers within the system kicked against its implementation.

  • FG dissolves management of Niger Delta PHC

    The Federal Government has announced the dissolution of the Executive Management of Niger Delta Power Holding Company of Nigeria Limited.

    Notice of the dissolution is contained in a statement issued by Mr Babachir Lawal, the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF) in Abuja on Friday.

    He then directed the Managing Director of the company, Mr James Olotu, to handover immediately to Mr Chiedu Ugbo, who had been appointed as acting Managing Director of the company.

    According to the SGF, all Executive Directors of the company and the General Manager, Audit, are to handover immediately to the most senior officers in their respective departments.

    He stated that the Federal Government appreciated the services of the disengaged officers during their tenure.

  • We ’ll look into APCON’s dissolution, says Lai Mohammed

    We ’ll look into APCON’s dissolution, says Lai Mohammed

    The Minister Information and Culture, Alhaji Lai Mohammed has assured advertising stakeholders that he will look into the dissolution of council of the Advertising Practitioners Council of Nigeria (APCON) and see how the council will return to work.

    Mohammed, who gave the assurance during a visit to the APCON head office in Lagos, said APCON is more of a professional body and an institute and regulator, which should be run by professionals.

    He said he is aware that the agency has not been able to perform its statutory duties since the council was dissolved .

    “APCON is not just a key agency in the ministry. It is a catalyst in the advertising industry and economy. APCON is often misunderstood for what its stands for. It is a regulator and institute. It is a professional body and those who constitute the board should be professionals. APCON board is not for politicians.  I urge the management to furnish me with more information.  APCON council is a matter that we will address immediately because it is affecting the job of the council,” he said.

    Meanwhile, the minister took a swipe on the council for turning a blind eye to the hate and abusive advertisements and documentaries that dominated the 2015 general elections. He stressed that such inaction could destroy the country.

    He noted that there were advertisements that insulted ethnic and religious sensitivities as well as the airing of documentaries that did little to unite the country, expressing the belief that the regulatory agency was mindful of them but gave itself away as incapable of stopping the practice, which deepened the nation’s fault-lines.

    The Minister urged APCON to always summon the courage to shut out offensive and inciting advertisements from the pages of newspapers and the airwaves.

    According to him, “in the run-up to the last general elections, I am sure you all saw a lot of advertisements that were capable of tearing this country apart”. “There were adverts that insulted ethnic and religious sensitivities. There were adverts that were purely offensive to people. Documentaries were aired that did little to unite this country,” he said.

    He, however, promised to address other challenges facing the council, which include the monitoring of over 6,000 channels by providing technological equipment that will aid the monitoring.

     

     

  • Kogi: Bello dissolves boards, parastatals

    Kogi: Bello dissolves boards, parastatals

    Governor of Kogi State, Alhaji Yahaya Bello on Friday ordered the dissolution of government boards and parastatals.

    The governor who issued the directive through his Chief of Staff, Mr. Edward Onoja, ordered all political appointees, members of boards and parastatals to handover to the immediate most senior officers in their offices with immediate effect in their respective offices.

    This he said has become imperative to enable the new government commence the restructuring of the boards and parastatals where necessary, as well as take stock of the state of the boards with a view to commence the process of repositioning them through new hands for efficiency and service to the people.

    The directive however does not affect three statutory boards and the state Accountant General.

    The boards not affected are: Judicial Service Commission, Civil Service Commission and the, State Independent Electoral Commission.

  • Court dissolves 13-year-old marriage over fighting

    Court dissolves 13-year-old marriage over fighting

    An Okuta Area Court in Kwara on Friday dissolved a 13-year-old marriage between Bilikis Idris and Abdullahi Idris over claim of frequent fighting.

    The court presided by Mr Ahmed Yahaya, ordered the couple to go their separate ways without disturbing the peace of the society.

    The wife, Bilikis, had approached the court in 2015, seeking the dissolution of the marriage which had produced three children, over allegation that she had no rest of mind in the union.

    She pleaded with the court to grant her wish so that she would marry another man that would care for her.

    The man, Abdullahi, who was absent in court but sent a letter, consented to the relief sought by his wife.

    In the letter read in the court, he said, “I, Idris Abdullahi, write for no objection to grant divorce to my wife, Bilikis.

    “We are blessed with three children, all in my custody at Kaiama and I beg her to stop coming to pick my children without my consent, henceforth.”

    Asked to react to the letter, Bilikis said that she had no comment but sought a relief of the court to enable her pack all her belongings, left in the respondent’s house.

    In his judgment, Yahaya dissolved the marriage as sought by the plaintiff and granted a relief to enable her pack her belongings.

    The judge, however, ordered Bilikis to observe three months “Iddah’’ (Islamic period of waiting before remarrying), adding that both parties had 30 days to appeal against the judgment if displeased with it.