The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Ita Enang

  • Merger plot against Tinubu in 2027 will fail – Ita Enang

    Merger plot against Tinubu in 2027 will fail – Ita Enang

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Senator Ita Enang, has dismissed plans by some political actors to form a merger party aimed at unseating President Bola Tinubu in 2027, saying the move is bound to fail.

    Speaking to reporters in Uyo, Akwa Ibom State, on Thursday, Enang, who is a former presidential adviser on National Assembly Matters, stated that only President Tinubu possesses the core knowledge and strategy behind the successful political mergers that birthed the APC in 2013.

    According to him, “The formula and secrets of the merger remain with President Bola Tinubu; now that he has not released the secret, how will those intending to float a merger manage to succeed?

    He described Tinubu’s democratic approach as unparalleled, saying, “President Bola Tinubu is a democrat who has formed, funded, and floated the merger APC to overthrow the PDP in 2015. 

    “He will even create an opposition party against himself so that he can get to feel the reaction of the people and make the necessary adjustments for the interest of the people.”

    He expressed gratitude to the governors who have recently aligned with the APC, reinforcing a commitment to a collaborative political atmosphere that promotes the ideals of the party. 

    He remarked, “We assure the governor of Akwa Ibom State and the entire delegation from the PDP that we will work with them to ensure a conducive atmosphere to promote the ideals of the APC.”

    Highlighting the significance of recent defections, Enang noted that members from various levels of government are flocking to the APC after evaluating the performance of its leadership. 

    Read Also: Tinubu welcomes leaders, investors to West African Economic Summit

    “From the Senate, the House of Representatives, governors, commissioners, and state legislatures, everyone is now joining the APC,” he stated, indicating a growing tide of support for the party.

    The senator also congratulated former governor and current President of the Senate, Dr. Godswill Obot Akpabio, for his role in merging the structures of PDP into the APC in Akwa Ibom State. 

    He assured that key positions, including those in the state executive cabinet and local government, would accommodate the new members.

    Acknowledging ongoing support from President Tinubu, Enang remarked on its impact on the emergence of Akpabio as Senate President, explaining, “The governor is appreciative of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s support for the emergence of Senate Godswill Akpabio as president of the Senate.” 

    Looking ahead, the senator confirmed that a formal reception for the defected governor is set for tomorrow, underlining efforts to seamlessly integrate all party members. 

    Enang concluded his address with a metaphorical affirmation of his role in the shifting political landscape. 

    He likened himself to Joseph from biblical lore, indicating foresight regarding challenges within the PDP and readiness to embrace opportunities within the APC.

    He said, “I saw that there will be famine in PDP and left early enough to prepare the harvest in APC so that everyone could be preserved.”

  • 10th  Senate President Unity Cup declared open  in Abuja

    10th  Senate President Unity Cup declared open  in Abuja

    Senator Ita Enang yesterday  inaugurated the 10th Senate President Football Tournament in Abuja, celebrating the event as part of the administration’s “Renewed Hope” agenda.

    During the opening at the Old Parade Ground, Enang, a former Presidential Adviser on National Assembly Matters, emphasized that the tournament goes beyond sports, contributing to unity and national development.

    He remarked that, in addition to its legislative roles, the National Assembly organizes such competitions to foster unity and nurture talents.

    Read Also:  Mid-term scorecard: More knocks than kudos for Gusau-led NFF 

    Highlighting the significance of the tournament, Enang noted that under Senator Godswill Akpabio’s leadership, the Senate is committed to initiatives that unify the country.

     “Football serves as a unifying force that brings us together as one nation,” he said, pointing to the teams from different regions competing in a common goal as an inspiring sight.

    Meanwhile, in the tournament’s opening match, Young Stars FC from Akwa Ibom claimed victory in a close match against Kebbi’s Kaura Boys.

    The event was attended by Hon. Ibrahim Mohammed, who represents the Birnin Kebbi, Kalgo, and Bunza Constituency. Both Enang and Mohammed underscored football’s role in fostering youth unity, with Mohammed describing the Unity Cup as a “vital platform” that reflects values essential to Nigeria’s future.

    This year’s “Renewed Hope Edition” of the Senate President’s Cup includes 13 teams from Nigeria’s six geopolitical zones, symbolizing the potential of sports to build camaraderie across the nation.

  • Presidency keeps mum over alleged deployment of Ita Enang

    The Presidency on Monday declined to comment on the media report alleging that the Senior Special Assistant (SSA) on National Assembly (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, has been relieved of his appointment.

    Until the latest report, Enang, like several other aides of the President, has continued with his appointment in the second term of President Muhammadu Buhari’s administration without renewal.

    Senator Babajide Omoworare, a former Senator from Osun state, is claimed to have replaced Enang as Presidential aide to the Senate.

    It was also claimed that Enang has been redeployed to a ministry as SSA to the President.

    But no government official was willing to confirm the latest media report as at the time of filing this report on Monday night.

    Read Also: FG on top of security situation – Enang

    When contacted on Monday, the Senior Special Assistant on media and publicity to the President, Mallam Garba Shehu said the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha was in a better position to speak on the matter.

    “SGF is in a better position to speak on that,” he stated.

    Also several calls put through to the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), Boss Mustapha, on Monday were not picked.

    There was also no return call from the SGF as at press time.

  • Youths caution Enang over deputy Senate President slot

    The Edo Youth Political forum has cautioned the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters, Senator Ita Enang, over what it called “misleading and unguided utterances” over the deputy senate president slot.

    The forum, in a statement by its presient Benjamin Agbohaode, said Enang must separate his private opinion from official business.

    It said Enang should immediately withdraw his unguided utterances or be ready to explain the source of his information.

    According to the forum, the interview granted by Enang, where he allegedly made preference for Senator Ovie Omo-Agege for the post of deputy senate president, was a “biased opinion expressed from an uninformed position of ignorance”.

    The statement reads: “Senator Ita Enang is not a serving Senator and does not have the capacity to speak for elected Senators. President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) National Chairman have not appointed Ita Enang as the party’s spokesperson. Therefore, he should stop exceeding his boundaries so as not to overheat the polity.

    “President Buhari understands that we are in democracy and has given the senators their independence to choose their leaders. Senator Ita Enang is speaking from both sides of his mouth because he has earlier said the president will not intervene in the Senate leadership, and now he has reversed to his own vomit by expressing his preference for Ovie Omo Agege.

    Read Also: Fight breaks out at Senator Ita Enang’s unit

    “As an incumbent deputy chief whip of the Senate, Senator Francis Alimikhena is well equipped and refined for the position of deputy senate president and not for triviality.”

    The group called on the lawmakers to ignore Enang’s interview as he was speaking for himself.

    “The decision of who becomes the next deputy president of the senate should be the business of the lawmakers and not Ita Enang. Edo State will not succumb to this cheap blackmail by Senator Ita Enang,” the forum added.

    The concerned caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) has said the party was yet to zone the position of Deputy Senate President to the Southsouth.

    The group, in a statement by Segun Bello and Sunday Umutu, took a swipe at Enang on his alleged position that Senator Ovie Omo-Agege (APC Delta Central) has been endorsed for deputy senate president.

    The group said Enang cannot speak for the party and can no longer speak for the Presidency against the backdrop that he is no longer the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate) in line with the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

    They said: “Section 151 of the 1999 Constitution states that the appointment of all special advisers shall cease when the President ceases to hold office, while Section 171 states that the appointment of the Secretary to the Government of the Federation and any office or the personal staff of the President shall cease when the President ceases to hold office.”

  • Buhari won’t interfere with emergence of NASS leadership, says Presidency

    The Presidency has said that President Muhammadu Buhari will not interfere with the process of electing the next crop of leadership of the incoming National Assembly.

    Rather, the President will stick to the rule of law and the operative principle of separation of powers in the affairs of the National Assembly.

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Affairs (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, who stated this at a media briefing in Abuja Friday, said the President will give both arms of the federal legislature a free hand to elect their leaders.

    Enang’s position contradicts claims by some returning senators that President Buhari will have a hand in the choice of the principal officers in the Ninth Senate.

    Read Also: Buhari deserves victory, say Ekiti elders

    The presidential aide maintained that Buhari will play neutral and allow the elected lawmakers to sort out their leadership tussle and allow the best candidates to emerge.

    Enang said, “The principle of President Muhammadu Buhari is that each arm of government should function according to what the constitution says which, is that every person in government should do the right thing.

    “He (Buhari) will not go beyond what the constitution allows him and every arm of government should stick to its constitutional responsibilities”.

    Enang appealed to the present crop of lawmakers to give priority to some pending bills, among which are the 2019 Appropriation Bill, the New Minimum Wage Bill, the Medium Terms Expenditure Framework and the budget of the various government agencies.

    “The budget of the 64 different federal government owned agencies are still pending before the national parliament.

    “Unless the budgets of the different agencies are considered and passed, we still have a lot to lose in terms of opportunities for employment in those ministries and some capital projects which would have increased government spending or the spending of the various agencies and parastatals.

    “The executive is ready with all the system to come in and defend the budget. We have in advance, worked with the committee on appropriation to determine a time table for the defence of their budgets.

    “We have informed all the ministers, heads of departments, agencies and the ministries to be on the alert so that immediately the bill is committed to the committee on appropriation, we will upon invitation, appear before them,” he said.

  • Buhari will get 80 percent votes, Enang boasts

    The Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, on Wednesday expressed confidence that President Muhammadu Buhari will win Saturday’s presidential election with about 80 percent of the votes.

    He spoke with State House correspondents in Abuja as he based his verdict on the achievements of President Buhari’s administration; the vigorous campaigns of his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC); and the president’s fair treatment of all parts of the country.

    He said “From the campaigns on the field, all the fillers we had, the support we had from the East, the West, the South, the North and all parts of Nigeria and the words of the president, the capacity of the campaign team and campaign machinery, the intellectual and intelligent words, words that hold and convince Nigerians that President Buhari is the best person to go for a second term as president.

    “This makes us confident and I am sure that in every state of the federation, President Buhari was able to show what he has done for that state.

    “In every state of the federation the president showed that he was not partial, that he is not in any manner tilted against one state of the country or favoring another part of the country.  He has shown that he is president for all and exclusively for none.”  he said

    The presidential aide said that President Buhari has identified with all, including the poor, the rich, the disabled and even those who could be called the low of the society.

    “With this, we are sure that we will win the election and the APC will come up with the majority of the members of the House of Representatives, great majority in the Senate and President Buhari of the APC will be declared as president of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.”

    Senator Enang said that President Buhari has exhibited the character of a true democrat by not interfering in the work of the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC.

    Read Also: Buhari swears-in eight permanent secretaries

    He said that the president and the electoral body were not “working in tandem to postpone the election.”

    On whether there should be sanctions for the INEC for postponing the elections despite the long period it had to prepare and the support given to it by the President, Enang said the best that could be done was to move forward and let the elections be conducted.

    “The best we can do is to make sure that we consciously give maximum support to the INEC.

    “The best we can do is speak less of hard words against them and give them comfort so that all Nigerians, the international community and the product of the election will be taken as the best decision. So, we will not talk of sanctions now.“

    Enang also said that all international protocols concerning diplomatic relations must be respected by all.

    “There is what we call diplomatic protocol and when you are in a country, you are subject to the laws of that country.

    “There are limitations and red lines, which you must not cross.  When you cross the red lines in diplomacy, you are capable of being declared persona non-grata.

    “But Nigeria has not gotten to that stage and that is why it is issuing simple reminders as to what is the best international practice in diplomacy.”

    Dismissing allegations that the Resident Electoral Commission in Akwa Ibom State could be working in the interest of the government of the state, Enang said it did not matter and would not affect the outcome of the election.

    “Knowing that we will the election, I had occasion to say that even if it were Secondus, chairman of Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, that conducts election in Akwa Ibom State as REC, APC will win the election.

    “As we are confident that we will win the election, we will speak less of the electoral body.

    “If we want to concentrate on that we will lose focus because what the opposition intends to do is to make us go after some issues while they prepare to attack with all kinds of things,” Senator Enang said.

  • PDP chieftain decries Buhari’s refusal to sign PIB

    Mr Emmanuel Ogidi, Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) South South, has decried refusal of President Muhammadu Buhari to assent to the Petroleum Industry Bill (PIB).

    Ogidi told News men in Abuja on Wednesday that the PIB was dear to the Niger Deltans.

    According to him, the bill seeks to enhance transparency and accountability in the industry, enhance private sector investment and address issues affecting host communities.

    Ogidi said that the bill had been on for many years and that the National Assembly had done all that was necessary to make it see the light of the day.

    He also expressed worry over the president’s refusal to sign the Electoral Law Amendment Bill.

    The chieftain said that the reasons put forward by the presidency for declining assent to the bills were not `acceptable’.

    The presidential aide on National Assembly Matters, Sen. Ita Enang had said that President Muhammadu Buhari withheld assent to PIGB for constitutional and legal reasons.

    He also said that the president declined assent to the draft law initiated to update the outdated Petroleum Act to replace its provisions with a more comprehensive and current legal framework that aligned with global standards.

    Ogidi said that the Electoral Law Amendment Bill was necessary to ensure a credible election in 2019 as it sought to give legal backing to the use of card readers.

    He noted that Buhari promised credible elections come 2019, while receiving his counterparts from Germany and Britain but alleged that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the Police had been compromised.

    Read Also: 2019: Five PDP governors seeking deal with Buhari

    He called on all the heads of security agencies to learn from the misfortunes of the recently sacked Director General of the Department of State Security Service (DSS) and live up to expectations.

    The PDP stalwart said nobody is indispensable adding that there were capable Nigerians waiting for the opportunity to serve.

    He said that security issues must be taken very seriously adding that there was urgent need for government to put an end to killings across the country.

    “Nigerians must engage the government and keep talking to be taken seriously, we are not comedians and we must prevent a repeat of what happened in the Ekiti Elections.

    “I urge elder statesmen to keep speaking out and attract the attention of the international community; Nigeria being the giant of Africa cannot afford to be brought low,” he said.

    According to Ogidi, Nigerians, have gone out in their numbers to get registered ahead of 2019 general elections in a bid to sustain democracy

    He described reports alleging that some Nigerians were made to part with money to collect their Permanent Voter Card (PVCs) as `unfortunate’.

    The chieftain expressed confidence that the PDP would win the presidential election come 2019.

    Speaking on the defection of the former Governor of Delta, Dr Emmanuel Uduaghan from the PDP to the All Progressive Congress (APC), Ogidi said that it was of no consequence to the PDP.

    He described the move as a quest for relevance saying that before Uduaghan left office as governor, members of the PDP had already deserted him for lack of performance.

    Following the collapse of St. Paul Catholic Church in Adagbrasa-Ugolo community, Okpe Local Government Area of Delta State, Ogidi urged church leaders to always engage professionals.

    He advised that, rather than engaging church members in building projects, it was safer and better to engage experienced professionals.

    “It is unfortunate that we lose lives daily to killings across the country, we cannot afford to lose lives to collapsed building as well,” he said.

  • 2018 Electoral Act amendment bill still alive, says Presidency

    The Presidency on Tuesday said that the 2018 Electoral Bill amendment passed by the National Assembly on the 24th of July, 2018 and transmitted to the President Muhammadu Buhari for assent on 3rd of this month has not been killed.

    This is contrary to the impression created in a report that President Muhammadu Buhari has vetoed the Electoral Act amendment Bill 2018.

    After expunging some controversial provisions of the amendment Bill, including a new sequence of elections, the National Assembly forwarded the Bill to President Buhari for assent on the 3rd of this month.

    Speaking on the status of the Bill, the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Senator Ita Enang, noted that the vetoed Bill was the one sent to the President on 27th June, 2018.

    Enang said that the Electoral amendment Bill passed on July 24th 2018, the day the two chambers embarked on recess was still very much alive.

    He further explained that the vetoed Bill was the one with contentious “provisions and infractions” on provisions of the 1999 constitution.

    Enang said, “The reported vetoed bill was the one passed by the National Assembly and transmitted to the President for assent on the 27th of June 2018 duration of which in line with constitutional provisions expired on the 26th of July, 2018, warranting the said veto.

    Read Also: Prosecute Fayose for electoral offences, lawyer tells INEC

    ” Yes, an electoral Bill was vetoed or refused assent by the President but not the last version of the 2018 Electoral Bill transmitted to the President for assent on the 3rd of this month that has just spent 11 days on his table and still having 19 days more for possible consideration and assent.”

    Apart from the vetoed version of the 2018 electoral bill forwarded to the President on the 27th of June 2018 and vetoed on the 26th of July 2018 by President Buhari, the President had earlier rejected the 2010 Electoral Act (Amendment ) Bill 2018 forwarded to him in February this year.

    President Buhari had cited three reasons for vetoing the Bill including the insertion of a new sequence of elections as section 25(1) of the Bill.

    The President noted that the inserted section violates the provisions of section 72 of the 1999 Constitution, which empowers INEC to fix dates of elections and see to its conduct in all ramifications.

    The National Assembly in the new Bill forwarded for president’s assent on the 3rd of this month, deleted the controversial provisions kicked against by the President Buhari.

    It is not clear why the National Assembly would transmit two bills on the same subjects for the President’s assent.

  • Osinbajo, Senate Leader meet in Aso Rock

    Acting President Yemi Osinbajo on Monday met behind closed doors with the Senate Leader, Ahmed Lawan at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    He was with the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly matters (Senate), Ita Enang.

    The meeting started around 2p.m when the dou arrived the Acting President’s office.

    Read Also: Osinbajo presides over Economic Management meeting

    It was still in progress at the time of filing this report.

     

    Details later…

  • Buhari signs NFIU Act into law

    President Muhammadu Buhari has signed the Nigerian Financial Intelligence Unit bill (NFIU) into law.

    This was disclosed by the Senior Special Assistant to the President on National Assembly Matters (Senate), Ita Enang, while briefing State House correspondents on Wednesday.

    According to him, NFIU is the Nigerian arm of the global Financial Intelligence Units (FIUs) which was before now domiciled within the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) as autonomous unit and operating in Africa.

    He said the NFIU seeks to comply with international standards on combating money laundering and financing of terrorism and proliferations and checking of suspicious transactions.