The Nation Newspaper

Tag: governorship ticket

  • Court rejects Usani’s claim to governorship ticket

    A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Abuja has rejected claims by Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani, to being the Cross River State governorship candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Justice Olukayode Adeniyi yesterday dismissed Usani’s suit in which he sought to be declared winner of the party’s governorship primary. Usani claimed to have won the September 30, 2018  primaries by 47,313 votes, but the party’s leadership submitted Senator John Owan Enoh’s name, who allegedly came second with 1,4013 votes, to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) as its governorship candidate.

    The minister prayed the court to, among others, declare him the actual winner of the primary; order the APC to send his name to INEC as its candidate, and for INEC to accept him as the candidate of the APC for the March 2 election.

    Justice Adeniyi, who resolved all the issues raised by Usani for determination against him, noted that documentary evidence tendered by the claimant, and facts in his supporting affidavits, showed vital legal flaws, which the court could not overlook.

    He noted that Usani’s case was incredible and not justifiable, and so denied the court the jurisdiction to hear and determine it.

    One of the flaws in Usani’s claim, the judge noted, was that while he claimed to have won the September 30, 2018 primary, a report of the primary, issued by the Resident Electoral Commissioner and tendered by the claimant, showed that the primary was held between September 30 and October 1, 2018.

    Justice Adeniyi also noted that by the documentary evidence tendered by Usani, it was clear that the primary he claimed to have won was an illegal one, because it was conducted solely by the state executives which have no power, under the law, to conduct a governorship primary.

    The judge said since Usani did not challenge the outcome of the October 1 primary, which Senator Enoh claimed to have won, the court would not bother itself determining whether or not it was a valid primary.

    He also faulted Usani’s heavy reliance on a on a September 20, 2018 judgment by Justice O. A. Musa (also of the High Court of the FCT), saying the judgment was not helpful to his case.

    According to him, while the judgement directed the APC and INEC to recognise and deal with the Godwin Etim John-led state executive, it did not say the executive has the power to conduct governorship primary.

    He said: “For clarity, this court, upon evaluation of the depositions in the affidavits filed by the claimant to support the originating summons, and the totality of the documents attached to further support his case, identified vital legal flaws and factual contradictions which render his case unsustainable.

    “These vital flaws include – whereas it is the case of the claimant that the Election Committee set up by the National Working Committee (NWC) of the first defendant (APC) conducted the primary election in context in this suit in collaboration with the state executive, documentary evidence on record showed that the purported primary was conducted solely by the state executive of the first defendant, without the input, authorisation or endorsement of the election committee, contrary to the provisions of paragraphs 14 and 20 of the first defendant’s guidelines.

    Read also: I will end killings in Plateau if elected – Useni

    “Whereas it is the case of the claimant that the primary held and concluded on September 30, 2018; the purported INEC Monitor’s report produced by the claimant states unequivocally that the election spilled over to 2pm of October 1, 2018.

    “If INEC’s report is to be believed, as the claimant has urged the court to, that the election ended by 2pm on October 1, 2018; it then becomes apparent that the Certificate of Return, a copy of which is attached to the same INEC report, which states that the same was given to the claimant on September 30, 2018, is clearly faulty and unreliable.

    “Indeed the said Certificate of Return is irregular and invalid on some other fronts, as the court had found in the foregoing; the some having not been shown to have been given by the proper persons as required by the guidelines of the first defendant.

    “The contradiction in the case of the claimant, as to the period the election held is fundamental and material, and goes to the root of his case. As such, the contradiction cannot be overlooked or waved aside.

    “The position of the law is that where the case made out by a party in an affidavit supporting originating summons is self-contradictory and lacking in credibility, it becomes needless to look at the counter affidavit filed by the adverse party.

    “On the basis of the foregoing analysis of the case of the claimant therefore, the irresistible conclusion I must come to is that the primary election purported by the claimant to have held on September 30, 2018, to determine the governorship candidate of the first defendant in Cross River State for the 2019 elections, which he claimed to have won, is legally and factually flawed.”

  • Ribadu, Abe, others lose out as APC Appeals Panel submits report

    …party beat deadline for submission of list

     

    Former Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) Chairman, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, Senator Representing Rivers East in the upper legislative chamber and the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Uguru Usani may have emerged as some of the biggest losers in the nomination process for the governorship ticket of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The outcome of the Appeals Committee which considered complain from the aspirants for the various offices did not favour them as their Appeals were rejected by the panel while upholding the results of the primaries in the various states.

    Read Also:APC Primary: Appeal Panel upholds Nwosu’s election

    Those who also lost out in the governorship race in accordance with the committee report include brother to the wife of the President, Aisha Buhari, Alhaji Mahmoud Halilu popularly known as Modi, President of the Trade Union Congress of Nigeria (TUC) Bala Bobboi Kaigama and Ogun State Governor, Ibikunle Amosun who lost the opportunity to have his choice candidate returned as the party flag bearer.

    However, there was palpable tension within and around the National headquarters of the party as aspirants for the Senate and House of Representatives battle to have knowledge of the outcome of the screening and probably the list of candidates sent to INEC by the party.

    The party’s Director of Organisation, Alhaji Abubakar Kari who led some officials of the party in a branded APC bus to submit the list to INEC was seen at about 2.00pm cuddling the list of candidates which has been kept secret.

    It was however gathered that many members of the party across the country who were not sure of whether the decision of the appeal panel were in their favour have been making frantic calls to the secretariat to know their fate.

    The Nation learnt that several of the petitions submitted to the Appeals Panel were either not entertained or dismissed for lacking in substance and this has not gone down well with many of those whose petitions were not entertained.

    The two petitions against the governorship primaries in Rivers by Senator Magnus Abe and Chief Dumo Lulu-Briggs were not upheld, while the only petition from Delta written by Prof. Pat Utomi was dismissed and tagged “overtaken by event”.

    From Borno, there were four petitions against the conduct of the governorship primary, with the committee recommending that a consensus option b explored to be driven by the National Chairman in consultation with the President.

    It was also gathered that majority of the petitions against the conduct of the Senate and House of Representatives primaries were not upheld for various reasons ranging from lack of merit, lack of proof to lack of time for fresh primaries while no reasons were adduced for not upholding some others.

    Similarly, some petitions were upheld and some of the petitioners declared as candidates of the party either because they actually won the primaries and were substituted or for other reasons ranging from lack of clearance and others that were not adduced by the committee.

    For example, the Athanasisus Okon who runs the Buhari Friends Organisation Network who was excluded from the primary for Itu/Udom/Oboh-Akara federal constituency was upheld and declared candidate of the party by the committee for reason that he has a strong pedigree and has been a strong supporter of the President and the party.

    A summary of the report indicate that all petitions against the Senate and House of Representatives primaries were rejected by the panel, the same position with Bayelsa, Rivers and Cross Rivers state.

    In Delta, eight petitions were upheld for winning the primaries and having their names substituted, while seven were rejected, while the three petitions against the conduct of the governorship primary in Akwa Ibom state was rejected alongside eight House of Representatives seat, while five were upheld.

    From Kaduna, six petitions were treated for the Senatorial primaries with five of them rejected while one (Shehu Sani) was upheld, while nine of the ten petitions received for the House of Representatives were rejected.

    Two petitions each were received against the governorship primaries in Sokoto and Jigawa and rejected, while three House of Representatives and three Senatorial petitions were rejected from the two states.

    Petitions from Kebbi and Katsina states were also rejected while the two against the conduct of the governorship primary were referred to the National Working Committee for decision, while the petitions from Kano were either upheld or referred to the party national secretariat for action.

    From Taraba state, The Nation gathered that ten petitions were r covered against the conduct of the governorship primary, four against the Senate primary and nine against the House of Representatives primaries, with all petitions rejected, a similar situation with Adamawa and Bauchi states, with only one Senatorial and one House of Representatives seat in Bauchi upheld.
    The situation is not different from the south west zone with six petitions treated from Ekiti against the conduct of the National Assembly primaries and rejected, three House of Representatives petition from Osun were also rejected.

    From Ondo State, the panel upheld three petitions for senate, refers one to the NWC, rejects two and upheld the five petitions for House of Representatives, saying that they won the primary and were substituted.

    Of the two petitions received from Lagos, one was rejected for the senate, while the one for the House of Representatives was upheld.

    The panel also rejected two Senatorial petitions from Ogun and recommended that the third petitioner be adopted as the candidate saying stakeholder of the party in the areas agreed to adopt him as a sole candidate.

    However, aspirants whose petitions were not treated are protesting against the report of the Appeals Panel saying grave injustice has been done to them both in the conduct of the primaries and the outcome of the Appeals Panel.

    One of the aspirants Mr. Adaze Wilson Imafidon, who was seeking the party’s ticket to contest the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde House of Representatives Federal Constituency seat, submitted a petition to the appeals committee through his lawyers, describing the purported primary election held in the constituency as a sham.

    According to his legal representatives, Imafidon and Imafidon of Eghosa Chambers, their client resorted to writing the petition to the committee because of the injustice that was done to him and his supporters who are bonafide members of the party.

    The aspirant alleged that none of the accredited members of the APC committee sent to the area was present during the purported election in the Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde Federal Constituency except in Urhonigbe South where only the INEC went to observe.

    “Consequently, it is now beyond contention that the proposed primary election into the Federal House of Representatives in Orhionmwon/Uhunmwonde Federal Constituency, which was slated for Saturday 6th October 2018, and indeed all other APC primary elections throughout Edo State did not hold to the dismay of our client and his mammoth supporters.” The petition disclosed.
    They said any attempt to present any of the aspirants to INEC as the winner of the botched APC primary election of 6th October 2018 would be illegal, unlawful and unconstitutional.

    “We, therefore, call on the National Working Committee (NWC) to appreciate the concerns raised above and to do justice as appropriate in the overall interest of the Party.”

    Another aspirant, Christopher Ariri, who is an aspirant for the Orhionmwon East State Constituency of Edo State,  said, “Some of the accredited members of the appropriate committee mandated by the party to supervise and conduct the primary election into the Edo state House of Assembly’s Orhionmwon East Constituency, totally hijacked the process when they noticed our huge support by deliberately declining to count votes cast for us so as to foist on us a situation of complete helplessness”.

    Meanwhile a group, on the platform of Benue South APC Justice and Equality Movement has taken a peaceful protest to the headquarters of the party, asking the NWC to call the Minister of Agriculture, Chief Audu Ogbeh to order for allegedly substituting the names of elected candidates with those who did not participate at the primary.

    The coordinator of the group, Mr. Akor Ikwuocha, told newsmen that they were surprised that after winners have emerged and names were submitted to the approximate authority by the electoral committee, “the Minister allegedly from overseas, called a meeting of few persons and announced to them that he is substituting names of most of the candidates because they were not his choice.

    “Today, there is no single campaign bill board of President Muhammadu Buhari in the whole of Benue South Senatorial district despite the fact that the Benue South has a cabinet member in person of Chief Audu Ogbe.”

    The protesters said the attempt to change the names of elected candidates across Benue South may further engender disenchantment among the APC members.

    They, however, appealed to the NWC to call the Minister to order and ensure that all those candidates that won the primary elections are allowed to go for the general election as party’s candidates.

     

     

     

     

  • 2015: PDP zones governorship ticket to Adamawa central

    2015: PDP zones governorship ticket to Adamawa central

    The national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has zoned the party’s Adamawa State 2015 governorship ticket to the state’s Central Senatorial District.

    The National Secretary of the party, Prof. Adewale Oladipo, made the revelation on Friday while briefing reporters on update on the upcoming October 11 governorship by-election in the state.

    Oladipo explained that Mallam Nuhu Ribadu and the other seven contestants that withdrew from the race would be eligible to contest the Adamawa 2015 governorship election.

    He explained further that whoever wins the October 11 election among the six aspirants in the race, including Acting Governor Umar Fintiri, would not be eligible to seek the party’s ticket in the 2015. The eventual winner will vacate the seat on May 29, 2015.

    According to Oladipo, the eight aspirants agreed to withdraw from the contest based on arrangement brokered by the party’s leadership.

    The party scribe said the N11 million nomination fees which they paid to the party, remained valid for the 2015 contest.

  • Cracks over Ekiti PDP governorship ticket

    Cracks over Ekiti PDP governorship ticket

    A quiet discontent is brewing in the Ekiti State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), over the governorship ticket of the party in 2014, writes Remi Adelowo

     

    For the Ekiti State chapter of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN), it seems a done deal that the incumbent governor, Dr. Kayode Fayemi, would be the party’s candidate for the next governorship election taking place in 2014.

    But not so in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), as its party leaders, both in the state and at its national headquarters in Abuja, are presently mulling over who would fly the governorship ticket in the next polls.

    Among influential gladiators of PDP in Ekiti, there is a brewing discontent and dilemma on the best candidate to put forward to challenge Fayemi, who assumed the reins in 2010 after the Court of Appeal sitting in Ilorin, Kwara State, declared him the actual winner of the last governorship election in the state, as against Engr. Segun Oni, who the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), announced the winner of the 2007 general elections and the re-run election in 2009.

    Early signs that the primaries for the PDP ticket would be keenly contested emerged a few weeks ago with the entry of Senator Gbenga Aluko into the race. Weeks before he declared his intention, speculations were rife that some unnamed chieftains of the party in the state had endorsed the candidature of Aluko, who they believe, has the stature and the pedigree to match the profile of the incumbent governor.

    One of the sons of late revered economist, Professor Sam Aluko, the senator served in the National Assembly from 1999 to 2003. He was the only senator elected on the platform of the PDP in the entire South West during this period.

    A mechanical engineer by training, Aluko retired into a quiet private life after he left the senate and worked as a consultant to oil giant, Chevron, until he announced his re-entry into partisan politics recently.

    Can Aluko upset the applecart?

    One major factor working in Aluko’s favour and which his promoters are trumpeting aloud is that he is, arguably, the only non-controversial aspirant among the multitude jostling to win the PDP ticket.

    Powerful interests backing his candidature, according to sources, also readily point to his family pedigree, which they believe, needs little or no introduction to party members and the electorate.

    Other factors also working for Aluko, aside his educational background is the fact that he is no greenhorn, who needs any tutelage in politics and workings of government.

    However, opponents of Aluko allege that he has lost touch with the power base of the party in the state since 2003, a factor they stated, will work against him when real politicking for the governorship race sometime next year begins.

    They have alleged that the former senator had abstained from affairs of Ekiti PDP for almost eight years, with not a few politicians in the state even suggesting at some point that he may have quit politics for good. A source said, “24 hours is a long time in politics, what more a solid eight years. Aluko has a lot to do if he is to warm himself back into the hearts of PDP members in the state.”

    Ayo Fayose factor and the crisis within

    Much as PDP leaders in Ekiti and Abuja will dismiss any report of an internal rift in the party, The Nation gathered that there is indeed a serious crisis of confidence among leading lights of the party, as some are vehemently working against others’ interests.

    Presently, the Ekiti PDP is heavily polarized. For example, we gathered that a faction is now loyal to the Minister of Police Affairs, Caleb Olubolade and other two factions are loyal to two former governors of the state, Ayo Fayose and Olusegun Oni, respectively.

    A source told The Nation that there is no-love lost between Oni and Fayose. While the former served as governor, Fayose was one of his most strident critics who did not see anything good in the Oni-led administration. It would also be recalled that during the re-run election in the state in2010, Fayose openly campaigned for Fayemi, the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) candidate. Oni, sources revealed, has not forgiven Fayose for this.

    An opportunity for both men to test their political strength came early this year during the election to elect officers of the state executive. At the end, Fayose took Oni to the cleaners with members loyal to him coasting to victory.

    For most PDP members in Ekiti, the result was shocking to say the least. Oni, they had reckoned, would use his privileged position as the National Vice Chairman (South-West) of the party to sway the result in his favour.

    Expectedly, Oni kicked against the outcome of the election, but his countless attempts to compel the national headquarters of the party to declare the Makanjuola Ogundipe-led executive illegal, were futile.

    Several peace meetings convened by stakeholders of the party, particularly Olubolade, to resolve the rift between Oni and Fayose, have also failed, our sources confirmed. Oni, according to sources, is aware that Fayose is plotting to stage a comeback to the Ekiti Government House in 2014 and has allegedly vowed to stop at nothing to scuttle this ambition.

    Has PDP endorsed Fayose?

    The announcement last week by the PDP national headquarters that Fayose, who was impeached as governor in 2006, has been formally readmitted into the party, said sources, is a tacit endorsement that he is the man to beat for the 2014 PDP governorship ticket.

    Fayose had decamped to the Labour Party early 2011, on which platform he contested for a senate seat but lost. His opponents had hoped to use this against him, alleging that he was yet to be fully reabsorbed into PDP.

    His major drawback, however, is his image as a controversial figure, which his opponents argue may further polarize the party, a development that may not augur well for the party at the polls.

    This seeming weakness notwithstanding, Fayose is forging ahead with his aspiration, said sources close to him.

    On Sunday, September 23, a reception is being held in his honour by a committee of friends at Fayose’s Afao Ekiti country home, where the former governor may formally announce his intention to contest for the 2014 governorship polls in the state.

    Is Borisade Obasanjo’s anointed candidate?

    Former president, Chief Olusegun Obasanjo, The Nation’s findings have revealed, is believed to be seriously interested in who becomes the PDP governorship standard bearer come 2014.

    Sources disclosed that the former president’s anointed candidate is Professor Babalola Borisade, who served in his administration, first as the Minister of Culture and later as the Minister of Aviation. This claim has however been denied by some top Pdp stakeholders in the state.

    Other aspirants in contention

    Other aspirants that may slug it out for the PDP ticket are Senator Ayo Arise from Oye Ekiti and Mr. Dayo Adeyeye, a former chairman of the state’s Universal Basic Education Board, who is alleged to be the preferred candidate of Segun Oni.

    Like Fayose, Arise’s major flaw is his image as a controversial figure, while Adeyeye is alleged not to flaunt any electoral value that could threaten ACN’s iron grip on the politics of the state.

    The former Ekiti SUBEB boss had contested for the senate in 1999 under the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD) but was the only candidate of the party that lost in the South-West. He also contested for the governorship ticket of the Action Congress (now ACN) in 2007, but lost to Dr. Kayode Fayemi.

    Alleging that he was not fairly treated, Adeyeye decamped to PDP in 2007, where he hopes to resurrect his long time ambition of ruling Ekiti State.

    But how far can he and the other aspirants go in the battle to unseat Fayemi? The picture will become clearer before 2014.