The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ike Ekweremadu

  • Atiku yet to convince, placate Ekweremadu

    DESPITE the hoopla about the PDP Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar’s nocturnal peace shuttle to the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, on Monday, the session was still inconclusive. Apart from appeasement, Atiku is still not forthcoming on his idea of restructuring and power shift to the Southeast  in 2023. These were two knotty issues he could not untie.  Instead, Atiku merely rationalised the over-flogged issue of how he chose Peter Obi as his running mate. But   at the parley Ekweremadu made it clear that he had no personal demand from Atiku. He said  the Igbo wanted him to respond to the 2023 conundrum. Although Atiku left satisfied that he had at least had an audience with Sen Ekweremadu, his trepidation on what the Southeast leaders and governors are up to in 2019 heightened. The governors, Sentry recalls, were absent at the installation of Atiku as Wazirin Adamawa last week in Yola by the Lamido Adamawa, a ceremony attended by PDP bigwigs.

    Ganduje, Kwankwaso in battle of attrition

    WHILE ex-Governor Rabiu Kwankwaso is trying to unseat his erstwhile deputy, Governor Abdullahi Ganduje of Kano State, he is painfully unaware that his roof is leaking. Some of his high-profile loyalists, penultimate Tuesday, defied the holy hours of the night to reconcile with the governor on his re-election bid. A few of them even regretted resigning their choice appointments because of rabid loyalty to Kwankwaso. A governor, who was around when the bigwigs sneaked into the Ganduje home at night, was heard saying: “This game(politics)  is the most dangerous and slippery. The red cap man is already feeling secure without knowing that he will probably walk alone in the end in 2019.” What the spectator governor did not say, however, was why the governor seems immune to any anti-graft agency sting going by the numerous allegations against him involving bribery and corruption.

    Lies, damned lies, and statistics in Northeast

    MORE than 10 days after news of the Metele, Borno State, attacks by Boko Haram, the controversy over casualty figures is yet to abate. For those 10 giddy days, domestic and international news sources put the number of those killed by Boko Haram insurgents at more than 100, with some insisting the figure is about 118, and others indicating over 150, and all of them quoting unnamed sources close to the battlefields. In the cacophony, the Nigerian military kept an ethereal silence for about four days before finally admitting the Metele attack but not its severity or the casualty figures, whether manageable or worrisome.

    Since the military abandoned the news field, and could not be tempted to corroborate or deny the casualty figures, independent sources had a field day, leading to the parliament and all manner of vested interests asking for an investigation. President Muhammadu Buhari also deemed the attacks serious enough to visit Maiduguri, the Borno State capital, to empathise with injured troops and to attend a military conference holding in that city. Eventually, the government acknowledged 23 soldiers killed and some 31 injured. The worry is that it took more than 10 days to release a figure, a gap sufficient to allow speculations to fester badly and dangerously.

    No one seems surprised that Nigerians disbelieved the government. Too many sources had claimed more than a hundred killed and more than 100 missing; that is the approximate figure likely to stick in the public mind. The parliament has called for a release of the names of the dead and injured; it is not clear whether the government will oblige them. But if the lawmakers will do their job well, they can get to the bottom of the controversy. Sometime in the near future, the truth may finally come out, and that truth will probably indicate who is right or wrong. But that truth will not exculpate the government of failing to expeditiously address the controversy. The government was wrong and irresponsible not to know and disclose their battlefield dead and wounded in two, three days, let alone nearly two weeks, a source in Maiduguri told Sentry. The source insisted the military understated the facts of the November 18 and 19, 2018 attacks.

    Cold war in Yobe

    THERE are speculations that all is not well between Gov. Ibrahim Gaidam of Yobe State and his anointed candidate for the 2019 governorship election, Mai Mala Buni, National Secretary of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC). Sources close to the governor tell Sentry that the governor is ill at ease with the way and manner his anointed candidate is hobnobbing with his perceived political foes after securing the governorship ticket.

    The sources say that the governor is apprehensive about the post-May 29, 2019 Yobe State politics after the APC secretary might have been sworn in as governor should these foes worm their way into the heart of the incoming governor. A source revealed that Gov Gaidam had at some point shunned calls from the APC gubernatorial candidate after learning that the candidate paid reconciliatory visits to some of those who contested the primary election. The governor, Sentry learnt, was particularly piqued by Mai Mala’s visit to the house of one of the aspirants, Sidi Yakubu Karasuwa,  a member of the House of Representatives from the state. “We heard that Gov. Gaidam refused to pick Mai Mala’s call three times when he was in Sudan because he was displeased with him reconciling with the people he contested against,” the source said.

    Hon. Karasuwa, a former commissioner in the state, former council chairman, former state party chairman,  and two-time Director General of the Ibrahim Gaidam campaign organization, had refused to step down for Mai Mala during the primary election despite entreaties. Instead, he insisted on the election which he lost by a wide margin to the governor’s anointed candidate and two other candidates.

    Apart from the anointed candidate’s rapprochement with co-contestants, the governor is said to be also worried by the growing number of his political foes getting close to his successor, and the  shift of loyalty to the APC national secretary by party members in the state who have virtually relocated to the house of the incoming governor in Abuja.

    Southwest PDP candidate begs for campaign cash

    THIS is not the best of time for a PDP governorship candidate in the Southwest who is desperately looking for campaign contributions. The last time he contested, he got a huge war chest from the presidency such that money was not his problem. But the clever man he was, instead of pumping the cash from the presidency into his campaign, he used it to rehabilitate his business and family leading to a big loss. After he wangled his way to get the PDP ticket again, the governorship candidate ran to the presidential candidate of his party for assistance. He hit a  brick wall when the presidential candidate said: “I am also looking for money to finance my campaign.” For PDP chiefs, it is a case of once bitten, twice shy.

  • Budget delay: All federal projects in Southeast will be funded – Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari has assured that all ongoing federal projects in the South East will be funded, saying that the seven-month delay in passing this year’s budget will not serve as an excuse.

    The president gave the assurance during a meeting with South-East Governors and Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu, on Wednesday at State House, Abuja.

    He pledged that the Federal Government would sustain the support to the South-East in terms of infrastructure.

    ‘‘I assure you that we are doing our best and will not default on the agreements signed on ongoing projects,’’ the president told the delegation, led by Deputy Senate President Ekweremadu.

    He explained that part of the noticeable problems in the delay in the execution of the capital projects was caused by the budget hold-up.

    He said: ‘‘When you sign, and you don’t pay, they (contractors) can legally jerk up their costs. This is part of the problem.

    ‘‘The infrastructure budget is a deficit budget. The borrowing plan was only approved three weeks ago and all ministers and departments of government have been instructed to forge ahead. We must not find excuses for delaying the projects.

    ‘‘Developing infrastructure is the best thing we can do. When the roads are okay, the rails are established and there is power, Nigerians will flourish in their businesses.’’

    On the undulating surface of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu, the President assured that it would be addressed in the new budget.

    He also spoke of government’s serious interest in the new Port-Harcourt-Maiduguri standard gauge railway which traverses several states, including those in the South East.

    President Buhari was accompanied to the meeting by the Secretary to the Government, Boss Mustapha and some cabinet ministers, including that of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi and Power, Works and Housing, Babatunde Fashola.

    The president responded from point to point on all the issues raised by the governors, to their satisfaction.

    The Minister of Transportation gave assurance that this project, the single most costly rail project at 12 billion dollars, would soon be coming to the Federal Executive Council (FEC).

    The Ministers were directed to follow up with the private sector on key projects in the region, including the South East Dry Port and the Geometric Power Plant in Aba, to untangle the problems causing their delayed take-off.

    On behalf of the Governors, Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi said they came specifically to thank the President for the award of the contract for the major component of the second Niger Bridge at the cost of N206 billion.

    ‘‘The project is the dream of our people and it has become a dream come true. Our people said we must come and thank you. Your Excellency, Mr President we are grateful Sir,’’ he said.

    While enumerating some challenges confronting the Governors to the President, Umahi said:  ‘‘out of mutual respect, we have come to you as a caring leader to listen to us.’’

    Other governors on the delegation were Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia, Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi of Enugu State and the Deputy Governor of Anambra State, Dr Nkem Okeke.(NAN)

  • Buhari, Ekweremadu, South East governors meet in Aso Rock

    President Muhammadu Buhari on Wednesday met behind closed doors with governors from the South Eastern part of country.
    The meeting started shortly after the governors arrived the State House around 4.07p.m.
    Also at the meeting was the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu.
    They were driven to the forecourt of the Presidential Villa in a bus.
    The meeting was still in progress at the time of filing this report.
    Details Later …….

  • Ekweremadu: We were on a mission to steal not assassination – Suspect

    Mohammed Yusuf, 25, the principal suspect in the alleged assassination attempt on Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu, has confessed that they only were on a mission to steal and not for assassination.

    “We did not go to the residence of Ekweremadu to assassinate him or anybody in the house,” he said.

    He told newsmen that he had been stealing for five years without using gun and that his colleague, Dan Ali, escaped while he was caught.

    The confession of Yusuf may have corroborated the preliminary investigation that the attack on the home of the top senator was not an assassination attempt.

    The police arrested four of its personnel on duty at the residence of Ekweremadu and also one personnel of Nigeria Security and Civil Defence Corps (NSCDC) who were on duty at Ekweremadu’s home at the time.

    Initial reports say Ekweremadu, his wife and son, allegedly escaped assassination attempt at their Apo residence of Abuja early hours of Tuesday.

    The Suspect

    Ekweremadu, according to reports, narrowly escaped an alleged attempt on his life in Abuja on Nov. 17, 2015.

    The Force Public Relations Officer, Mr. Jimoh Mohood, said that those arrested were being investigated.

    He said that there was no cover-up by the police in the investigation of the crime.

    “The four policemen and one personnel of the NSCDC on duty at the residence of the deputy senate president at the time of the incident have been arrested and detained,” he said.

    The Force spokesman said that it was not correct that the police responded after seven hours when the incident had occurred.

    Read also: Ekweremadu threatens to release video clip of ‘assassination attempt’

    He said that further investigation had showed that the incident was not an assassination attempt on the life of Ekweremadu.

    “Update on further investigation did not reveal assassination attempt but a burglary attempt,” he said.

    He added that the investigation so far revealed that the suspects in the case did not have idea that the residence belonged to the deputy president of the senate.

    Moshood said that efforts are being intensified to arrest the second suspect, Dan Ali, who escaped from the scene of the crime.

    He said that the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, had directed the upgrade of Apo legislative quarters outpost to a divisional police headquarters.

    Others to be upgraded, according to him, are Supreme Court, Kabusa and Trademore estate.

    He explained that the upgrade was to reduce crime and criminal acts in the affected areas and improve police visibility in the FCT.

  • Ekweremadu: South-East Governors reject police report of burglary

    South East Governors Forum has rejected Tuesday’s police report that the security incident at the residence of the Deputy Senate President, Ike Ekweremadu was a burglary and not assassination attempt.
    The governors expressed their view through the Director General of the forum, Professor Simon Uchenna Ortuanya who addressed a press conference in Enugu on Wednesday.

    ‎The forum “calls on the Police and other security agencies to undertake thorough investigation and bring the culprits to book. We reject the hasty conclusion that the attack was a case of burglary, otherwise, the so called ‘’burglars’’ would not have insisted on the Deputy President’s son taking them to his father’s bedroom. The careful and methodical execution of the plot points to something more sinister than burglary.”

    The Forum while  condemning  “The attempted assassination of His Excellency Senator Ike Eweremadu, Ph.D, CFR, Deputy President of the Senate of the Federal Republic of Nigeria,”  added that,  “His attempted assassination, no doubt, casts a dark shadow on the state of security of lives and property in Nigeria.”

    ‎”Apart from being a worthy son of Igboland, the Deputy Senate President has distinguished himself as a true Nigerian and a global citizen, having held the position of Speaker of ECOWAS Parliament for more than four years,” the forum stressed.
    ‎The governors also touched on the neglect of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport, Enugu and the abandoned 2nd, Niger Bridge.

    Read Also: Ekweremadu’s home incident ‘is burglary’

    “We want to use this opportunity to once again call on the Federal Government to come to the aid of the South East and deal with the infrastructural decay at Akanu Ibiam International Airport Enugu.
    We restate that the Airport is not safe as there are no runway lights, the tarmac is bumpy with potholes, while one of the buildings destroyed by storm for over two years has become an eyesore. The cargo section of the Akanu Ibiam International Airport is not functional.
    It is, indeed, a shame that a whole region as economically robust South East does not have an airport that can land all categories of aircraft. The Federal Government should please come to our aid by making the airport more functional
    We are aware that the Governor of Enugu State His Excellency Rt. Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi has taken up the challenge of helping to fix Akanu Ibiam International Airport, but we know also that the burden is too heavy for a State Government. That is why we are calling on the Federal Government to come to our aid.
    We also want to use this opportunity to appeal to the Federal Government to take the issue of Second Niger Bridge seriously. The Niger Bridge is arguably the gateway to the Eastern part of this country with business hubs of Onitsha, Nnewi and Aba, amongst others. We note with concern that the second Niger Bridge has become a political chess Board in the hands of politicians seeking Igbo votes.
    We have become aware that it was only in July, 2018, that the contract for the second Niger Bridge project was signed. In spite of the fact that, the first foundation laying ceremony was undertaken in 2013. We pray that this will not be another lip service to realization of second Niger Bridge.
    We earnestly appeal to the Federal Government to assist the South East Region by ensuring that the second Niger Bridge is completed.”

  • Ekweremadu: Nowhere, nobody is safe – Dogara

    Speaker of the House of Representatives, Hon. Yakubu Dogara, has condemned the alleged assassination attempt on the deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu, his wife and son, by unknown gunmen.

    Dogara on Tuesday said as the 2019 elections draw closer, the Nigeria Police and indeed all security agencies must ensure that acts of intimidation and coercion such as political assassinations are prevented.

    This was as the House, in a separate motion  directed the federal government to provide more troops to Zurmi and Shinkafi federal constituency of Zamfara State in order to tackle the perennial and incessant banditry killings; kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery.

    Dogara in a press statement on the assassination attempt said that the incident which occurred at the residence of the Deputy President of the Senate in Apo Legislative Quarters, Abuja, was a clear indication that insecurity in the country has climaxed to the point that nowhere and nobody is safe in the country.

    According to him, as the general elections draw closer, security agencies in the country must ensure that lives and properties of all Nigerians are secured and protected.

    He said: “There is no room for excuses anymore. The security agencies must be alive to their responsibility of securing the lives and properties of Nigerians. This is unacceptable. The Police must ensure that the gunman and all those involved are not only apprehended but brought to justice.

    “As the 2019 elections draws closer, it is of utmost importance that the Police and other security agencies deploy its intelligence to forestall wanton killings and other violent acts that are programmed to cause fear and panic among Nigerians. These kind of incidents must be nipped in the bud before it gets out of hand.”

    Meanwhile, a motion sponsored by Hon. Abubakar Moriki (APC, Zamfara) during plenary on Tuesday brought to the fore the cases of armed banditry, kidnapping for ransom and armed robbery which had been on the rise on daily basis in Zamfara State.

    According to him,  no fewer than 30 persons were kidnapped in the last one month, including two minors of ten and eleven years of age, too many to mention in two constituencies.The House while passing the motion, directed the National Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to provide relief materials to the affected communities as a matter of urgency.

    The motion was therefore referred to the House Committee on Defence for further legislative action.

  • PDP calls for investigation of alleged attempt at Ekweremadu’s life

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) has called for investigation into the alleged attempt on the life of the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu and those of his family members.

    Ekweremadu had, in a statement by his media adviser, Uche Anichukwu on Tuesday, raised the alarm over alleged break-in into the lawmaker’s Abuja residence in the dead of the night by yet to be identified assailants.

    The PDP, in a statement Tuesday by its spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the latest attack on Ekweremadu has raised fears that certain forces, who have been hostile to the lawmaker were still bent on silencing him at all cost.

    The opposition party drew the attention of Nigerians to the series of alleged security threats around the person of the politician since 2015 but none of which had been investigated by the authorities.

    The statement read, “Nigerians could recall that on November 17, 2015, a similar attempt was made on Senator Ekweremadu’s life by some assailants on his way to work.

    “Though that attack was reported to the authorities, there have been no investigations by the security agencies, no arrests have been made and no culprit has been brought to book.

    “Instead, the Senator has been a subject of unrelenting harassments and attacks on his person and office since his emergence as Deputy Senate President, including the May 26, 2017 invasion of his official quarters by security agencies, purportedly in search of phantom caches of arms, and the July 24, 2018 siege of his official residence at Apo Quarters.

    “These were in addition to the invasion of the Senate chamber and carting away of the mace on the day Ekweremadu presided, in an otherwise very secure Three Arms Zone.

    “The PDP family is, therefore, worried about the relentless attack on the Deputy Senate President, which we believe is part of a scheme to silence him.

    “Consequently, the PDP demands an immediate wide-range probe into this particular attack as well as an assurance from the Federal Government on the safety of the Deputy Senate President, as the nation is not ready to accept any harm on his person or his family at this critical time”.

  • Deputy Senate President escapes assassination

    The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu in the early hours of Tuesday escaped assassination attempt alongside his wife and one of his sons.

    But one of the assassins was overpowered and arrested.

    The suspect has been handed over to Apo Police Station for investigation.

    The incident was confirmed in a statement by Uche Anichukwu, who is the Special Adviser on Media to Ekweremadu.

    The statement said: “The Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, his wife, and son escaped an assassination attempt at about 4am on Tuesday.

    “The armed men discreetly evaded the security at Ekweremadu’s Apo Quarters residence, to gain entry into his house.

    ” The attackers, who could not immediately shoot in order not to attract the attention of the security personnel on duty, took hold of his son, and commanded him to lead them to the Senator’s bedroom.

    ” It was in the ensuing struggle in the Senator’s bedroom that security was alerted, leading to the arrest of one of the assailants with dangerous weapons and housebreaking devices, while the rest managed to escape.

    “The arrested member of the gang has, however, refused to divulge any information on the operation and has been handed over to the police.

    “Ekweremadu, his wife, and one of his sons were in the house at the time of the attack.

    “It could be recalled that the lawmaker narrowly escaped an attempt on his life in Abuja on November 17, 2015.

    “Although the 2015 incident was reported to the security agencies, nothing has been heard about the matter till date.”

  • Senate condoles with family of slain Red Cross worker

    The Senate on Tuesday condoled with the family of Hauwa Liman, a worker with the International Committee of Red Cross (ICRC), who was killed by Boko Haram insurgents on Monday.

    This followed a Point of Order by the Deputy President of the Senate, Ike Ekweremadu, at plenary.

    The lawmakers while observing “a two-minute” silence for the deceased, also urged the Federal Government to immediately ensure the release of the last ICRC volunteer still in Boko Haram captivity.

    The Upper Chamber also urged the Federal Government to ensure the immediate release of Leah Sharibu, the lone Dapchi School girl still in Boko Haram captivity.

    It mandated the Committee on Security and National Intelligence to meet with security chiefs to find lasting solution to insecurity in the country.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the death of the 24-year-old medical aid worker in the hands of the sect was confirmed by the Federal Government and ICRC on Monday.

    Liman was kidnapped alongside others in March in Rann, Borno, when the insurgents attacked an Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) camp.

    One of the kidnapped aid workers, Saifura Khosa, had earlier been executed by the terrorists.

    Read Also: Police arrests robbery gang leader, members in Jigawa

    After the murder of Khosa, Boko Haram released a video threatening to kill Liman, and Leah Sharibu earlier in the year.

    While presenting the Point of Order, Ekweremadu urged the senate to look into the gruesome killing of Liman by the terrorists group.

    Contributing, Senator Dino Melaye(PDP-Kogi), expressed the need to beef up security in major flashpoints in the country to tackle security concerns beyond insurgency.

    He cited the killing of a corps member, Nkechi Igwetu, in July and the recent killing of another woman, Anita Akapson.

    The lawmaker urged the senate to summon the Inspector-General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, to explain the activities of his officers.

    “The senate should invite the Inspector-General of Police and ask why insecurity persists,” he said.

    In his remarks, the President of the Senate, Dr Bukola Saraki, put the prayers to voice vote and they were unanimously adopted.

    However, the call for inspector-general of police, Ibrahim Idris’ invitation to give explanations to the security situation did not scale through.

    The omission may not be unconnected to series of face-off between the senate and the inspector-general of police.

    The police boss was summoned by the senate three times but failed to appear before it.

  • Saraki, Ekweremadu seek more vibrant citizens’ input in governance

    Senate President Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu, have urged the citizens to ensure a more vibrant, constructive and patriotic citizen participation in the governance.

    Saraki, in a statement by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Yusuph Olaniyonu, noted that one of the key reasons for the non-realisation of the dreams of the founding fathers, who fought for the nation’s independence from the colonial government, was because the citizens failed to seize control of the fortunes and future of the country.

    He said the citizens allowed sentiments to determine the choice of leaders and what national objectives should entail.

    The Senate president said: “At this point when democracy has come to stay in Nigeria, all Nigerians should use the occasion of the 58th Independence Anniversary to redefine what should constitute the Nigerian dream, rally round that dream, support leaders who are capable and competent to realise that dream.

    “Citizens should stop abandoning politics and political choices to politicians and manipulative elements, who invoke only religious, ethnic and geo-political sentiments to impose leadership who are only supported for the purpose of serving the interests of those who put them in office.”

    According to him, “Nigerians should re-dedicate themselves to the ideals of defining their personal interests in line with how it helps the realisation of national objectives. Our national objectives should simply be to build a united, peaceful, economically strong and internationally respected country, with robust military, well-motivated work-force, ambitious youth and fulfilled citizens.

    “These ideals are what we should rally our people around. The people should not allow government officials and politicians to continue manipulating them in pursuit of narrow interests. It is only manipulation that will allow voters to ignore the competence, experience, suitability and temperament of aspirants for public office and rather focus on where he comes from, how he worships his God and how much he is ready to dole out.”

    Ekweremadu, on his part, said only free, fair and credible elections could secure Nigeria’s democracy and guarantee the much-needed good governance that would restore her to the pinnacle of glory.

    He described a rigged election as a “coup by other means” against the will of the people and should have no place in a democracy.

    The deputy Senate president, in his goodwill message to Nigerians, said: “As we have always known, Nigeria is one of the most endowed nations on earth, but has not lived up to the promises she held at independence.

    “For our nation to make progress, our democracy must flourish. And for our democracy to flourish, the people should be at liberty to elect leaders with the requisite character, knowledge, and pedigree, to turn the fortunes of the country around.

    “Importantly, the government, stakeholders, and all institutions of democracy, especially the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and security agencies, must respect and uphold the right of the people to exercise this franchise in a free, fair, credible, transparent, and peaceful atmosphere.”