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Tag: Kebbi

  • Sambo reconciles aggrieved Kebbi PDP chieftains

    Sambo reconciles aggrieved Kebbi PDP chieftains

    Vice President Namadi Sambo has reconciled aggrieved members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who have protested the outcome of governorship and National Assembly primaries in Kebbi State.

    Sambo, who held peace meetings with the chieftains in Birnin-Kebbi, the state capital, advised them to bury their differences and work for the success of the party at the polls.

    The Vice President , who spoke with reporters after the meeting, assured that peace has returned to the chapter.

    He said: “After the meeting with PDP stakeholders and all the aspirants in the state, we have now reconciled and the aspirants have agreed to work toward the progress of the party.

    “All the aspirants have won the election as none will be left alone. We would give every member a true sense of belonging.”

    Sambo praised the Federal Government for its development efforts nationwide, stressing that it has provided six states with standard airports.

    He commended Governor Saidu Dakingari for improving the education sector, adding that the healthcare policy of the state government had improved health care delivery, especially for women and children.

    He said the establishment of a  federal university in the state has demonstrated government’s determination to improve tertiart education.

    The Vice President promised that the Federal Government would establish a rice processing mill in the state, in recognition of the state government’s efforts to boost commercial production.

    Sambo added: “President Goodluck Jonathan has directed me to extend his gratitude to PDP members in the state for their cooperation and amicable resolution of disputes.’’

    Dakingari commended the Vice President for resolving the crisis in the party.

    He called on PDP members to work toward the development of the party.

    The governor promised that efforts would be intensified to ensure victory for the party in the general elections.

    He said: “If we remain united and work together, we would defeat the opposition.”

    The PDP governorship candidate, Gen. Bello Sarkin-Yaki, promised to work closely with aspirants, who contested with him in the primaries.

    He also enjoined members to workd for the success of the party at the polls.

  • Why Kebbi built N17b airport, by DG

    Why Kebbi built N17b airport, by DG

    The Director–General of Sir Ahmadu Bello International Airport, Birnin Kebbi, Kebbi State, Alhaji Abubakar Umar Dakingari, has explained why the state government built the airport.

    He said the airport would boost the export of farm produce, enhance socio-economic development and prepare the state for foreign investment.

    Besides the export of farm produce, the director-general said the airport would also provide jobs for over 200 indigenes and serve as a hub for passengers and cargo from Abuja and Kebbi into neighbouring West African countries of Benin and Niger Republics.

    Dakingari said Kebbi State exported farm produce, such as onions, maize and rice to North Africa and Asia.

    The airport, he said, would provide the air links for such farm produce as exports beyond local markets in Lagos, Kano, Southeast and the Southsouth.

    The director-general said Kebbi State was Nigeria’s largest producer of onion and rice.

    According to him, the absence of an airport has limited the transportation, by air, of many farm produce from the state.

    Due to the hitherto absence of an airport, Kebbi State farmers faced rigorous and unprofitable process of first conveying their farm produce to over 150 kilometres to the Sokoto airport before exporting them, he said.

    Dakingari said the farmers, before the airport was built, used trucks as the only means to move 1,500 tonnes of onions daily from Kebbi to the large markets in the Southern through hundreds of kilometres of largely bad roads.

    The director-general explained that to empower the farmers economically, the state government realised that exporting the produce from the airport in the state would be cost-saving, more profitable and less rigorous.

    He said the state government built the airport to meet international standards with facilities and equipment that would attract international cargo and passenger airlines in the near future.

    Dakingari said the government also considered the huge agriculture and investment potential of the state.

  • PDP governorship aspirants protest in Kebbi

    PDP governorship aspirants protest in Kebbi

    Eight out of the 13 governorship aspirants in Kebbi State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have petition the national headquarters of the party, disassociating themselves from the recent primary held in Birnin-Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital.

    In a two-page communiqué signed by the Deputy Governor, Ibrahim Aliyu and six others, issued, made available to The Nation, they said the process that led to the election did not conform to the guidelines of the party. Therefore, they called for a cancellation of the election and the organization of a fresh one as soon as possible.

    The petitioners argued that there was no screening and accreditation before the commencement of the primary, as stipulated in the PDP guidelines.

    They also stated that the delegates’ register provided by the national headquarters of the party in Abuja is not in sync with the one used for the conduct of the election.

    Voters were intimidated and coerced into voting for the candidate anointed by the government, while a parallel congress was conducted at the Race Course with only one aspirant in attendance.

    The aspirants also noted with dismay that the primary election, which was attended by the State Governor Saidu Dakingari, the Minister of Special duties Kabiru Tanimu and the Electoral Committee Chairman Celestine Omehia was marred by substantial irregularities.

  • PDP governorship aspirants protest in Kebbi

    PDP governorship aspirants protest in Kebbi

    Eight out of the 13 governorship aspirants in Kebbi State on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have petition the national headquarters of the party, disassociating themselves from the recent primary held in Birnin-Kebbi, the Kebbi State capital.

    In a two-page communiqué signed by the Deputy Governor, Ibrahim Aliyu and six others, issued, made available to The Nation, they said the process that led to the election did not conform to the guidelines of the party. Therefore, they called for a cancellation of the election and the organization of a fresh one as soon as possible.

    The petitioners argued that there was no screening and accreditation before the commencement of the primary, as stipulated in the PDP guidelines.

    They also stated that the delegates’ register provided by the national headquarters of the party in Abuja is not in sync with the one used for the conduct of the election.

    Voters were intimidated and coerced into voting for the candidate anointed by the government, while a parallel congress was conducted at the Race Course with only one aspirant in attendance.

    The aspirants also noted with dismay that the primary election, which was attended by the State Governor Saidu Dakingari, the Minister of Special duties Kabiru Tanimu and the Electoral Committee Chairman Celestine Omehia was marred by substantial irregularities.

  • PDP Primaries: 7 Kebbi guber aspirants demand rerun

    PDP Primaries: 7 Kebbi guber aspirants demand rerun

    Seven governorship aspirants on the platform of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Kebbi State have demanded for the conduct of fresh primary elections over alleged irregularities.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Mr. Celestine Omehia, Chairman of the election committee, announced the suspension of the primaries after the aspirants objected and no results were announced.

    The aggrieved aspirants, who met for several hours, outlined their grievances in a communiqué forwarded to the PDP National Secretariat saying that the election was full of violations of the party constitution.

    The spokesman of the aspirants, Dr. Musa Zagi, said the aspirants also demanded for full investigation into the failed primaries and culprits penalised.

    He said a parallel congress was conducted with only the favoured aspirant while there had been no screening and accreditation of delegates and the number of delegates not announced.

    “The delegates register provided by the PDP headquarters was not in consonance with the list of delegates registered for the election while substitution of delegates’ names was rampant.

    “The chairmen and vice chairmen of local government areas were allowed to vote while their tenure had expired and voters were intimidated and coerced to vote for the favoured candidate.”

    “It was unfortunate that the suspension of the controversial congress was witnessed by Gov. Saidu Dakingari, Minister for Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki; National Treasurer of the party, Buhari Bala,” he stressed.

    The state PDP Public Relations Officer (PRO), Umar Ummai, told NAN that final decision on the governorship primaries would be taken by the party’s National Secretariat.

  • Kebbi Chief of Staff resigns

    The Chief of Staff to Kebbi State governor, Alhaji Abdullahi Muhammed Lamba, has resigned his appointment over redundancy and lack of defined schedule of responsibility.

    In a two- page notice sent to the governor captioned: “voluntary resignation of appointment,” which stated that going by the prevailing political development in the country and here in kebbi State in particular, after due consultations, I am compelled to take a hard decision of tendering this letter of resignation of appointment.”

    “Even though during the past 18 months to be precise, I was caged in this office, virtually redundant doing nothing and without any defined schedule of responsibility, yet I remain grateful to you and your government.”

    He thanked the governor for finding him worthy of such appointment.

    He also expressed the appreciation of the people of Yauri for the gesture done to them.

    “We jointly and collectively register our big thank you for what you have done to Yauri people,” he added.

  • Police kill 3, injure 17 in Kebbi

    Three people were confirmed dead while fourteen sustained various injuries from police gun shots following an outbreak of law and order in the commercial city of Jega town in kebbi state.
    Speaking with newsmen at Jega General Hospital, the State Commissioner of Police, Ishiaku Barau Ningi, explained that the incident occurred following assassination of one of the businessmen by the men of the underworld, Alhaji Garba Dankane Jega on Saturday at about 7:30pm.
    He disclosed after the burial of the deceased on Sunday some youths on their way from the cemetery started shouting and advancing towards the police station demanding for the removal of the Divisional Police Officer ( DPO) , whom they accused of laxity and not responding on time during the incident.
    The mob then set ablaze two police quarters.
    Ningi said that the police had no option than to protect themselves by shooting into air to scare the protesters.
    He said those killed was as a result of stray bullets, but admitted that the police are trained to shoot only on the kneels in such a situation.
    He however, announced the immediate transfer of the Jega Divisional Police Officer ASP Aliyu Yusuf.
    According to him, situation was put under control and normalcy had already returned to the commercial nerve of the state.
    He appealed to the people to avoid taking law in to their hands adding that ” we have to tolerate one another to ensure peaceful co-existance”

  • Kebbi assembly members and others to decamp to APC on Monday

    Following the political situation in Kebbi State, all is now set for 17 out of 24  members of the Kebbi State House of Assembly to formally decamp from the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) to the All Progressive Congress (APC) by Monday next week.

    This was disclosed by the APC state publicity secretary Alhaji Sani Dododo who stated that the deputy speaker and four others who are leadership of the House plan decamping.

     Dododo also confirmed to The Nation that apart from the 17 members, some prominent politicians from the state such as Senator Atiku Bagudu, representing Kebbi Central Constituency at the National Assembly and many others are defecting to APC, ”As you can see, some of them have stated attending our programs and even pasted their posters to contest under the platform of our great party,” he added.

  • Confusion over consensus in Kebbi

    Confusion over consensus in Kebbi

    Kebbi State All Progressive Congress(APC) has resolved to adopt one governorship aspirants from each of the three senatorial districts before electing one candidate, who will be its flag bearer in next year’s elections.

    The Chairman of the Consensus Committee, Alhaji Suleiman Argungu, told reporters  in  Birnin-Kebbi that the party would finally present only one candidate for the election.

    He explained that 10 aspirants, who had indicated interest in the position, are expected to agree on one candidate from their senatorial zone.

    “This would enable the party to avoid distraction and pool resources together to other governorship candidates from other parties,”he said

    Argungu said that Kebbi North Senatorial District has adopted Alhaji Ahmad Sama, adding that the Kebbi South and Central are expected to present their candidates.

    “The All Progressive Congress(APC) would continue to explore avenues to ensure that the party emerge victorious at the governorship election through internal democracy, transparency,”he added.

     

  • Ex-Kebbi PDP chair joins governorship race

    Former Kebbi State People Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman Alhaji Mansur  Shehu has said that political foes are peddling falsehood about his him to edge him out of the governorship race. He refuted the allegation that he did not resign properly from the Nigeria Custom Services.

    He told reporters in Birnin Kebbi, the Kebbi State Capital , that the allegation was meant to dent his image and reduce his chance at the poll.

    Shehu said that he is a pensioneer because he retired with dignity.

    He said: “I retired from the Custom Services since October. I have my documents here with me.”

    Shehu that he voluntary retried from the service, adding that his resignation followed the due process when he retired 15 years ago.

    He reiterated his determination to run the state and offer a credible leadership.

    Shehu added: “Now, if my people later decide not to support me, I have no choice but to withdraw for anybody who they so wish.”

    He therefore, appealed to the contenders to prepare for primaries, adding that there will be no imposition.

    Shehu promised to work for the economic transformation of the state, promote and an open door policy and create job opportunities for people.