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Tag: Governors’ Forum

  • You’re destroying democratic institutions, Coalition slams PDP governors

    You’re destroying democratic institutions, Coalition slams PDP governors

    The coalition of opposition leaders has taken a swipe at the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum, accusing the body of destroying democratic institutions in the country.

    A statement by a leader of the coalition, Salihu Moh Lukman, in Abuja on Wednesday criticised the PDP Governors’ Forum for opposing the broad-based coalition.

    Slamming the governors, Lukman said their action was a “clear demonstration that if left alone, the PDP governors will only continue the path of destroying democratic institutions in the country.”

    He alleged that the PDP is mismanaging itself, arguing that the opposition party is “practically putting itself on the path of self-destruction and political irrelevance.”

    Lukman berated the party for not holding its National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting in the last two years, saying that no Nigerian can confidently tell who is really in charge of the party.

    The former Director General of the Progressive Governors Forum (PGF) said, “The mere fact that the NEC meeting of the party has of the party has not held for two years and no Nigerian can confidently tell who is really in charge of the party is evidence of this collapse.

    Read Also: PDP governors’ attempt to undermine national secretary unconstitutional – Anyanwu

    “This should be the concern of leaders of the party, including its Governors. Unfortunately, all we have seen of the PDP Governors is the flagrant usurpation of the powers assigned to the organs of the party. This is wrong. It is also a clear demonstration that if left alone, the PDP Governors will only continue the path of destroying democratic institutions in the country.

    “For more than ten years that the PDP had been out of power, Nigerians had waited for the party to dust itself up and provide the viable opposition that Nigeria needs.”

    Lukman added, “The governors know that the virus that afflicts the PDP has no cure. They are only grandstanding. They know that Nigerians cannot accept this PDP as the alternative because it is clear to all discerning Nigerians that the ruling party has hijacked its soul.”

  • Governors’ Forum organises induction for incoming governors

    The Nigeria’s Governors Forum (NGF) Secretariat is organising a three-day Induction Programme for newly-elected and returning governors.

    The programme, according to a statement issued by the NGF Secretariat, will commence from Monday 29th April to 1st May, 2019.

    Also, a day summit has been scheduled for the wives of the governors as well so as to develop and utilize their platforms to address critical issues affecting their states.

    The induction for the incoming and returning governors, according to a statement from the NGF Secretariat, “is aimed at supporting incoming governors to develop key governance and management skills that will enable them transit from campaigning to managing of the processes of governance.”

    Other objectives of the induction include preparing governors to make the most of their transition from campaigning to governing and building bridges for effective leadership.

    “Exposing governors to relevant contemporary national priorities in critical sectors of the economy and driving consensus on opportunities to achieve desired outcomes.

    “This is aimed at generating conversation among the newly elected governors, respected national and international leaders, heads of national institutions and development partners, among others.”

    Expected at the occasion are critical stakeholders, including current and past governors of Nigeria and the United States, to provide the opportunity for Nigerian governors to, not only network with national and global leaders, but also to gather useful information that will help them transit into their new roles as chief executives of states.

    It is also expected that all the governors will, at the end of their induction, have their knowledge and skills honed on the nuances of governance to better equip them to hit the ground running

    The NGF also stated that it “finds it imperative to highlight the task before governors and support them to create a workable framework that will aid them to achieve a smooth transition into their new administrations.”

    A similar induction took place in 2011.

    A new addition to the programme is the Governors’ Spouses’ Summit which is designed to be an introduction to public life for the spouses of newly elected and existing governors. It is expected that this event would bring about an avenue to discuss how the activities of governors’ spouses can best compliment the roles of governors in promoting good   governance   at   the   sub-national level. This summit is also envisaged to harness and promote best practices in the execution of pet projects.

    The one-day summit is designed to build the capacity of governors’ spouses to develop and utilise their platforms to address critical issues affecting their states with specific focus on social intervention issues.

     

  • Southeast governors’ forum raises health committee

    The Southeast Governor’s Forum in Enugu yesterday inaugurated its Consultative Committee on Health as one of the thematic areas of priority for the development of the zone.

    Enugu State Governor Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, while inaugurating the 12-man committee, said the body would harmonise health related issues and activities in the zone.

    Ugwuanyi, who was represented by his deputy Mrs. Cecilia Ezeilo, said the committee would also create a multi-sectoral platform in improving health outcomes in the zone.

    According to him, the forum would harness and mobilise private resources to complement government budgetary allocations towards public health improvement.

    He said: “This committee will serve as a medium for community level mobilisation and information dissemination on guidelines for achieving improved health outcomes and social wellbeing.”

     

  • $1b to fight Boko Karam: Governors Forum tackles Fayose

    $1b to fight Boko Karam: Governors Forum tackles Fayose

    •Says Ekiti governor is on his own, decision collective
    •Insists Buhari will not divert public resources to political campaign

    Nigeria Governors’ Forum Chairman AbdulAzeez Yari yesterday ruled Governor Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, was out of order over his claim that the $1b recently approved for the fight against Boko Haram is a ruse.

    The governors, at a meeting of the National Economic Council (NEC) on Thursday, gave the federal government the green light to withdraw the money from the Excess Crude Account.

    Fayose, in a statement at the weekend, said he was not part of the decision and claimed that the request for the money made no sense since the federal government had earlier boasted of defeating the terror sect.

    He also alleged that the money would be diverted to President Muhammadu Buhari’s political campaign in 2019.

    But responding to Fayose’s allegations yesterday, Yari who is also the governor of Zamfara State said the decision was a collective one by the forum.

    He said Fayose’s absence from the meeting did not clear him or anyone for that matter of responsibility for the forum’s resolutions.

    His words:”I am saying that that statement was an unfair cut against the Forum.

    “When a decision is taken by the Forum in one’s absence, once there was a quorum at the meeting where the decision was taken, (it) becomes binding on all.

    “I am sure Fayose was not making the statement to undermine the Forum. He was just doing his thing.”

    Continuing, the Zamfara governor said the decision was a conscious sign by the two parties to show the synergy between the NGF and the Presidency which ought not to be politicized.

    “This same lack of unity between governors and the presidency had brought about poor governance in the past, throughout the country and now that we are working together no one should constitute a wedge in the process.

    “You can never spend too much on security because the safety of lives and property are the most cardinal among all the principles of governance, in any democracy.

    Governor Yari pointed out that the issue of withdrawal was broadly deliberated at the forum’s meeting on the eve of the NEC meeting where the decision was taken.

    “If Governor Fayose was there at the meeting, he would have seen the wisdom in the decision. Yes, the administration is claiming to have decimated the insurgents out of Sambisa Forest but they are re-emerging in different flashpoints across the country.

    “They need to be tackled wherever they are and the NGF decided to support the Presidency just as it (The Presidency) had been supporting states with their own problems.

    “Governor Fayose is on his own. We have to protect our people and we have to do it with everything we have.

    “Let me reemphasize one more thing, Mr President is a responsible and honest leader who does not believe in money politics and he would never divert public resources into it.”

    Fayose, in his statement had said:”For posterity sake, I wish to place it on record that I was not among the governors who approved the withdrawal of almost half of our savings in the Excess Crude Account, which belongs to the three tiers of government to fight an already defeated insurgency.

    “Since they said they have defeated Boko Haram, what else do they need a whopping sum of $1 billion (over N360 billion) for; if not to fund the 2019 elections?

    “The APC promised to wipe out Boko Haram within six months, now it is 31 months and what the APC government is wiping out is the economy of Nigeria and the means of livelihood of the people.”

    The governor said N360 billion was equivalent to what the Federation Account Allocation Committee (FAAC) share to the federal government, 36 States and 777 Local Councils monthly, nothing that “Nigerians deserve proper explanations from the federal government on the rationale behind spending such huge sum of money to fight an already defeated Boko Haram.”

     

  • Fresh N500b refund divides Governors’ Forum

    Fresh N500b refund divides Governors’ Forum

    •Say no to hiring of consultants

    •Those engaged for first tranche still await payment

    The second tranche of the London-Paris Club refund is already causing division within the rank of state governors even before it is released to them.
    The cause of the disagreement is the hiring of consultants on the computation of what accrues to each state.
    Several governors are strongly objecting to the deduction of about 5% of their refunds to pay consultants as was the case with the first tranche.
    The protesting governors are angry with those who brought in the consultants for keeping them (governors) in the dark on the arrangement.
    They claimed that the terms of engagement were known to only a few of their colleagues in the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF).
    About N19billion from the first tranche of N522.74 billion was remitted by states into two accounts of the NGF as commission to consultants.
    However, the N19billion allegedly ended up in the accounts of some of the seven governors who played one role or the other in the deal, some public officers and some individuals who had no business whatsoever with the refunds.
    It was also learnt that some consultants engaged by the NGF and some states have not been paid by the governors.
    The Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) has launched an investigation into the alleged shady deals.
    Apart from locating the two accounts where the N19billion was remitted, the anti-graft agency has interrogated no fewer than four persons involved in the hiring of the consultants and payment.
    Investigation by The Nation revealed that some states remitted as much as N600million into NGF’s emergency accounts as commission.
    It was learnt that the two accounts of the NGF were opened at the last minute in defiance of the attendant agreement.
    According to findings, reports made available to presidency by the EFCC and other security agencies showed that the governors did not keep to the terms for the refunds.
    Some of the infractions noticeable in the management of the first tranche of the London-Paris Club loan refunds are as follows:
    •Computation of state records done at a private house in Maitama, Abuja, belonging to a governor
    •Accounts initially opened in the names of two lead consultants but the details of who to be paid was later changed
    • N19b remitted into two accounts of NGF
    •Commission to consultants cut from 10% to 2% but 5% was on paper as paid
    •CBN paid directly to each state without the knowledge of the Accountant-General of the Federation
    •Part of the N19b commission traced to a governor’s account and some individuals including some members of National Assembly
    •Apart from central consultants, state governors still hire separate consultants
    •Some state governors conceded about 10-20% commission to their consultants
    •In some states, governors served as consultants through proxies
    •Consultants yet to be paid because the NGF changed commission formula as soon as the first tranche was remitted
    •Some governors deviated from using 25% to 50% for payment of outstanding salaries and pensions as agreed with President Muhammadu Buhari.
    It was also gathered that these infractions have angered some governors who have vowed not to allow any deduction from their share for consultants.
    A governor, who spoke in confidence, said: “The whole thing is a scam. Why should they ask states to remit as much as N400million to N600million each to pay consultants they did not hire.
    “It is more saddening when we discovered that the N19billion we remitted was not paid to consultants. The money has been found in the accounts of some individuals or used for some extraneous purposes.
    “In our state, we have taken a position that no kobo of our refunds will be paid as consultancy fee. We have the CBN, the Debt Management Office (DMO), the Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation (OAGF) and the Federal Ministry of Finance who have qualified officials to do the computation of the refund which each state should get.
    “The second tranche of N500billion which we will get in the next few days will not be mismanaged like the first.
    Another embittered governor said: “It is unfortunate that we contributed N19billion as consultancy fees but some consultants have been approaching us that they have not been paid.
    Why will state funds be diverted to other use?
    “At the appropriate time, some of us will certainly open up. We want the NGF to account for how it paid the N19billion to the consultants.
    “Is it because we are in the opposition that some people can sit down somewhere and think they can manage our funds anyhow?
    “We want the EFCC to get to the roots of what transpired. But my state will not remit any cash as consultancy fees. They should let us meet in court.”
    A top source, speaking in confidence, gave an insight into how the governors outsmarted the consultants.
    He said: “Two central consultants were appointed by the NGF.
    “Each state later appointed its consultants. But for no justifiable cause, all state consultants were asked to cooperate and carry out the directive of the central consultants. This was where some governors, especially those in the opposition, started suspecting some foul play.
    “At the initial stage, most states had their consultants but NGF asked to converge on Abuja to meet the central consultants.
    “The consultants were asked to follow the directive of the NGF and central consultants.
    “These aggrieved governors later got to realize that some of their colleagues had link with some consultants. This is why some governors want the EFCC to dig deeper on this N19billion.”
    One of those hired by the NGF said: “Even though we have superior information, we did not have a choice than to share these with the central consultants.
    “But we were uncomfortable with the approach. At a point, some consultants were reporting for work on records at the residence of one of the governors in Maitama.
    “The initial commission negotiated was 10% but it was cut unilaterally by a governor from the North to 2% but states were asked to remit 5%. What is on the paper as commission is however 5%.
    “It was on the basis of the N19billion that the consultants charged 10% but immediately the money was remitted, the governors changed the commission formula.
    “But the most challenging thing is that most of the consultants have not been paid from the N19billion. We learnt about N305million to N500million has been made available by the NGF as payment to consultants. This is a far cry from the agreed consultancy fees.”
    The Nation had exclusively reported that the presidency was uncomfortable with the attitude of some state governors to the management of the refunds.
    The Federal Government had released N522.74 billion to 35 states as refunds of over-deductions on London-Paris Club loans.
    President Buhari decided to release the refunds following difficulties being experienced by states in paying salaries and pensions.
    It was gathered that Buhari acted on the recommendations of the Federal Government Committee on Over Deductions of Foreign Loan Obligations from states.
    A June 1, 2016 memo by the Minister of Finance, Mrs. Kemi Adeosun on the recommendations of the committee said in part: “Following incessant claims by states for the refund of over deductions of foreign loan obligations(Paris Club and London) states, Mr. President constituted a committee comprised of the Federal Ministry of Finance(FMF), Debt Management Office(DMO), Office of the Accountant-General of the Federation(OAGF) and the Central bank of Nigeria with the Hon. Minister of Finance as chairman.
    “The Terms of Reference of the Committee are: (i). To look into the claims of liabilities owed to states by the Federal Government and come up with concrete, coherent and permanent solution to the recurring claims of over deductions on foreign loan obligations from states.
    “(ii) To develop a framework for assessing and validating claims made by the states; and
    “(iii) To produce a Federal Government Policy paper stipulating the guidelines and procedures for assessing, validating and settling the claims by states.
    “The committee after exhaustive deliberations agreed as follows: (i) “That it was appropriate to consider states’ requests for the refund of claimed over deductions on Paris and London Club debts.
    (ii) “However in the light of the current lean resources and cash flow constraints of government. Long term approach should be adopted in addressing the matter, perhaps through the issuance of long dated instruments to states whose claims would have been authenticated through verification process.
    (iii) “The states with genuine claims would be required to make their submissions to the Honourable Minister of Finance, attaching all relevant documents in support of the claims.
    (iv) “All claims by all contending states of the Federation will be considered to establish the actual amount of the liability before the Federal Government would begin to settle them in a fair manner.
    (v) “In order to bring the phenomenon of such continuous claims to a closure, all states will be communicated that any which has substantiated claim should submit their request for refund within a given time frame after which such requests will no more be entertained.”

  • PDP governors split over unity convention

    PDP governors split over unity convention

    •Jonathan meets Wike in Port Harcourt

    The Ali Modu Sheriff faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) appears to be winning more governors elected on the party’s platform to its side on the planned national convention.
    Apart from Bayelsa State Governor Seriake Dickson who chaired the reconciliation committee that recommended the convention as a way out of the crisis now tearing the party into pieces, three other governors are said to be favourably disposed to the idea.
    They are one each from the South South and the South East and Governor Ibrahim Dankwabo of Gombe State, according to multiple party sources.
    However, the majority of the PDP governors still line up behind Senator Ahmed Makarfi and are resolutely opposed to the convention.
    Federal legislators, PDP Board of Trustees members and other party leaders are also sharply divided on the matter.
    Ex-President Goodluck Jonathan yesterday met with Governor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State at Government House, Port Harcourt.
    It was not immediately clear what they discussed.
    Wike is a Makarfi backer.
    Jonathan recently launched a peace initiative to resolve the crisis, prompting him to meet separately with Sheriff, Makarfi, PDP governors and other stakeholders.
    Jonathan has already endorsed the Dickson-led panel which proposed that the PDP national unity convention that will bring the two factions under the same umbrella and elect a new leadership be held on June 30, 2017.
    Dickson submitted the panel’s recommendation to Sherrif and Makarfi weeks back.
    Sheriff’s faction lauded the recommendations and promised to use it as a working document on the proposed unity convention, while Makarfi’s camp picked holes in the proposal and vowed not to abide with it.
    Fresh threats to peace
    An aide to one of the party’s Governors who spoke on condition of anonymity with our correspondent on Friday, said that the party will have to source for another solution to the crisis other than the proposed unity convention.
    He contended that while it is true that the Dickson committee had the blessing of most stakeholders when it started out, it appears to have been compromised along the line.
    “We need another solution aside this controversial and suspicious unity convention that some people are desperately trying to force down our throats,” the governor’s aide said.
    “Though I agree that the Dickson committee had the blessing of most stakeholders when it started out, it appears to have been compromised along the line.
    “And if I know my principal very well, he will never be a party to such Kangaroo arrangement. We are all politicians and when we see an agenda that will bring nothing but confusion in the end, we always know. This arrangement, as proposed by the Dickson committee, is not in the interest of the PDP.
    “It will only serve the purpose of ensuring that some desperate people remain in control of the machinery of our dear party. This is why you see them rushing to endorse the recommendations. What was agreed to is that the stakeholders will meet and ratify the proposal. But they rushed out to announce it as an agreement. Who agreed with them? Definitely not my own Governor,” our source said.
    However, it was gathered that some other governors elected on the platform of the party are rooting for proposed unity convention as a way of halting the unending leadership tussle.
    Governor Dickson, speaking on the proposed convention, said that instead of embarking on name-calling, propaganda and outright lies, it was high time the party came together in support of the proposed unity convention as a way of restoring it to the path of peace.
    He lamented that despite the sacrifices made by him and members of the committee, it was unfortunate that some people within the party were making “uncharitable comments” on the report meant to salvage the party.
    Dickson said he had never supported the court-declared chairman of the party, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff, but since the Appeal Court recognised him as leader of the party, the rule of law has to be obeyed and dialogue employed to resolve issues.
    The Bayelsa governor, it was learnt, has vowed to work with Sheriff to ensure the success of the unity convention.
    An aide to Gombe State Governor Ibrahim Dankwambo said:”For us in Gombe State, we are open to any effort that can help the party overcome its current challenges.
    “Here in Gombe, the PDP is one. We don’t have factions and that is because under the leadership of Governor Dankwambo, every PDP member is a very important stakeholder.
    “As far as I am aware, our governor is not opposed to the unity convention. In fact, he is opened to it. He is happy that former President Jonathan has decided to wade into the matter and ensure a political solution. So, if the unity convention is the solution, we are willing and ready to be part of it.”
    But a member of the Makarfi-led caretaker committee said it is not true that PDP governors have agreed to be part of the controversial unity convention as being speculated in some quarters. According to the Niger Delta-born former federal legislator, majority of the party’s governors are opposed to the recommendations of the committee.
    “PDP is not a party that some people can hoodwink into toeing a path of destruction. I can confidently tell you that our governors, majority of them, because I must admit that one or two of them have been coerced, are opposed to the whole procedure as outlines by Governor Dickson and his committee.
    “The chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum, Ayodele Fayose of Ekiti State, has never hidden his objection to the proposed convention as proposed by the said committee. While he is not opposed to a political solution, he, like many of his colleagues, are opposed to the modalities that appear to give recognition to one of the factions ahead of the convention.
    “Also, Governor Nyesom Wike has faulted the way and manner the committee made the recommendations public before it was discussed by stakeholders as planned. He also faulted the publicity given to the submission of the report to Sheriff by Dickson. These and many more are the reasons why our governors won’t back the unity convention yet.”
    As it stands, four PDP governors are willing to give the Dickson committee-proposed unity convention, tentatively slated for June 30, 2017, a chance, while five of the ten governors elected on the platform of the troubled party, are unwavering in their resolve not to be part of the convention.
    The tenth, a governor from the South South zone, according to sources, is yet to decide on his move.
    The reconciliatory effort notwithstanding, another group in the PDP, led by former Minister Jerry Gana, has revived the quest for a mega party ahead of the 2019 general elections in the country.
    At a conference held in Abuja during the week, the group sought the co-operation of other opposition political parties towards the formation of a mega party that will rival the ruling APC.
    Gana, Chairman of the PDP Strategy Review and Interparty Affairs Committee, according to party sources, has the support of many prominent chieftains of the troubled party in his quest to take PDP into alliance with other parties and form a bigger opposition platform that will confront the APC in 2019.
    “We are discussing with friendly political parties on the ways we can work together or possibly fuse in 2019 general elections.
    “The purpose of our gathering is very profound. We met before we set up a panel. The purpose of our meeting today is to consider the report of the panel.
    “This meeting is a follow -up to an earlier meeting between us leaders of the PDP and leaders of a number of other concerned political parties. We are to decide whether to cooperate or merge. The number of the PDP leaders present is an indication of how serious we take this issue,” Gana said at the meeting.
    Speaking at the same meeting, former Governor of Kaduna State and other leaders of the Peoples Redemption Party (PRP), Alhaji Balarabe Musa said “We are here because we are convinced that the situation of the nation is worse in every indication. We have to do something. We can’t just sit there and do nothing. We are here in spite of our belonging to different political parties to see what we can do to salvage our country.”
    Aside the PRP, it was gathered that leaders of the Social Democratic Party (SDP), Labour Party (LP), Accord Party (ACCORD) Democratic Peoples Party (DPA), amongst other opposition parties, are part of the plan to form a new mega party.
    The Nation however gathered that Gana, speaking in his capacity as the Chairman of the PDP Strategy Review and Interparty Affairs Committee, has severally presented the mega party idea as that of the entire PDP, a good number of the party’s chieftains are opposed to the idea of a mega party.
    A member of the PDP Board of Trustees, speaking to our correspondents at the weekend described the mega party move as diversionary and uncalled for.
    According to the Osun State-born politician, Gana and his co-travellers are only trying to create more problems for the PDP with their mega party ambition.
    “While we are working round the clock to end the fictionalisation of the party through a proposed unity convention, some funny people are discussing alliance with other parties for a mega party. On whose behalf are they negotiating? In what capacity are they negotiating? Will the outcome of their negotiations be binding on all factions in the party?
    “These and many more are the questions I have been asking Gana. He is an elder of the party and he should know that what he and his people are currently doing cannot be achieved with a divided house. I am afraid to say that Gana and his people are just trying to position themselves as a third force in the crisis within the party,” he said.

  • LAP hails Southeast Governors’ Forum meeting

    The League of Anambra Professionals (LAP) has hailed the Southeast Governors’ Forum, following its February 26 meeting at the Government House in Enugu. It said economic integration was a strategic imperative upon which the region’s recovery of lost advantage lies.
    According to LAP, this cannot be achieved without the governors’meeting regularly.
    President Willy Nzewi, who addressed reporters at the LAP office in Lagos, noted that the five Southeast governors attended the meeting in person, in a marked departure from the past where two or three governors would delegate their deputies.
    The development, he said, has raised “hope that the recovery of the region’s head start in industrialisation and economic growth would accelerate”.
    Nzewi added that announcement by the forum’s chairman, Ebonyi State Governor David Umahi, saying the governors agreed it was only by teaming up and comparing notes that they could best help their people “is music to the ears of sons, daughters and friends of Ndigbo”.
    He said: “Industries flourished in Onitsha, Aba, Enugu, Umuahia, Nnewi, Owerri and Nkalagu with various brands of soft drinks, beer, toilet soap, paper, nails, tools, simple machines, radiators, batteries and other automobile parts providing jobs for Igbo youths in their homeland until about 25 years ago.”
    This, he said, has given the governors “the task of restoring the moribund industries as a first step to actualising brighter visions for the people.”
    LAP, a couple of weeks ago, frowned at the threat the differences between some governors posed to South-East development and urged the governors to place collective Igbo interest above personal ambition.
    LAP is a non-partisan association of capable Anambra indigenes that partner governments to build a more prosperous Nigeria and Anambra State.

  • Ondo poll: PDP governors’ forum urges INEC to be fair

    Ondo poll: PDP governors’ forum urges INEC to be fair

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be fair in the conduct of forthcoming Ondo governorship election.

    In a statement by its Secretary, Patrick Okon, on Monday in Abuja, the forum also called for overhaul of the commission.

    It alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC), with the help of INEC, was planning to rig the poll.

    “We are aware of the plan of APC to get Ondo state by all means, including enlisting the assistance of INEC.

    “We are warning that we will not fold our arms to watch this impunity and day-time robbery.

    “INEC is an umpire and should play its role very well so that the electorate will have confidence in it.

    “From the way things are going, the people are already losing confidence in the commission,’’ it said.

    The forum also called on INEC to stick to its electoral mandate and should not subvert the law of the land.

    “INEC should conduct itself very well in this forthcoming Ondo state governorship election to avoid a repeat of what happened in Edo election.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that INEC on Thursday cleared Mr Jimoh Ibrahim nominated by disputed National Chairman of PDP, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff’s faction, as the party’s candidate for the election.

    It based its action on a court order, which declared Ibrahim as the candidate of the party for the poll.

    The development jolted majority of members of the party, who had in a primary supervised by INEC as provided in the Electoral Act, elected Mr Eyitayo Jegede as candidate for the election.

    Jegede’s nomination was submitted by Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of the party.

    However, the caretaker committee has the Court of Appeal to reverse the decision of High Court on the issue. Hearing on the matter has been fixed for Tuesday and Wednesday in Abuja.

     

  • Edo 2016: Osarodion Onaiwu emerges APGA candidate

    Edo 2016: Osarodion Onaiwu emerges APGA candidate

    Former Director General of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governor’s Forum, Mr Osaro Onaiwu has picked the governorship ticket of the All Progress Grand Alliance (APGA) in Edo state.

    He emerged the candidate of the party ahead the September 10 governorship election after polling 372 votes.

    It would be recalled that Onaiwu who was one of the governorship aspirants of the PDP pulled out from the PDP race few weeks to the primaries of the party after he alleged plans to rig the primaries in favour of one of the aspirants.

    Onaiwu who disclosed to journalists that he will kick off his campaigns next week, said “I am willing to serve my people and we have come up with our four pillars, which is security, trade and Commerce, agriculture and industrialization. Once we are able to achieve those four then we are home and dry.

    “Dangote has come to Edo state to invest because Edo is peaceful, we will improve on what the incumbent governor has done so that we will accelerate development to our people”.

    Asked why he left the PDP before the primaries of the party, Onaiwu narrated that “the party leaders were not serious. They lie every day of their lives. For me I have taken my vision to another party that I believe where they will celebrate my vision not a fraudulent party. I have moved on, I have no scandal but we know that one of the PDP candidates have been visiting the EFCC.

    “APGA will take over the state, it is a new dawn, I don’t have a god father, God is my god father. If you look at the candidates of the two other political parties they have a god father but God is my god father. I will lead my people where there is milk and honey,” he stated.

  • FG, governors to boost job creation, revenue generation

    FG, governors to boost job creation, revenue generation

    *  NGF congratulates Bello

    To create more jobs and increase revenue generation in the country, state governors are partnering with the Federal Government and stakeholders in the Solid Minerals sector.

    The Chairman of the Nigeria Governors’ Forum and Zamfara State Governor, Abdulaziz Yari disclosed this to State House correspondents at the end of the Forum’s meeting.

    The meeting, which was held at the old Banquet Hall of the Presidential Villa, ended in the early hours of Thursday.

    No question was entertained after the Forum’s Chairman read a four-paragraph communique at the end of the meeting.

    Yari said: “After a comprehensive presentation made by the Minister of State for Solid Minerals Development, Hon. Abubakar Bawa Bwari, members resolved to partner with the Ministry and other key stakeholders to create an enabling environment for the sector to act as a catalyst for job creation, revenue generation, industrialization, environmental sustainability and inclusion.”

    He said that members during the meeting also formally congratulated and welcomed the newly sworn-in Governor of Kogi State, Yahaya Bello, to the Forum.

    Also following the presentation by the Chairman of the States Peer Review Mechanism (SPRM) Steering Committee, Justice Muhammed Lawal Uwais to simplify SPRM operations, Yari said that the Forum launched the Revised SPRM Base document to reinvigorate the programme and improve good governance and service delivery in states.

    He said that the Forum commended the Steering Committee for its contribution to the implementation of the programme.