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Tag: Metuh

  • PDP threatens Tambuwal over defection

    PDP threatens Tambuwal over defection

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened the House of Representatives Speaker, Aminu Waziri Tambuwal, for defecting from the ruling PDP to the opposition All Progressives Congress.

    In a statement issued on Tuesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, the party reminded Tambuwal of the minority status of the APC in the lower house, in what analysts described as a thinly veiled threat of impeachment.

    The statement added that the party’s leadership had met over the matter and might have reached a common decision on what step to take.

    Metuh stated further that the leadership had also met with party leaders in the House of Representatives concerning the defection.

    The party said: “After a thorough consideration of the matter, the National Working Committee came to a conclusion that the Hon. Speaker, as a responsible elected officer, knows full well what is needful and honourable of him since his new party is in the minority.

    “We are not unmindful of the fact that Hon. Tambuwal became Speaker on the platform of the PDP as the political party with the majority of seats in the House of Representatives and that this incontrovertible fact has not changed.”

  • PDP is the people’s party, says Metuh

    PDP is the people’s party, says Metuh

    National Publicity Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Chief Olisa Metuh, has said the party takes the people’s interest as paramount.

    He said his main objective as the party’s spokesperson is to project the PDP as the only national party with the interest of the people deeply rooted in its philosophy.

    Speaking in an interview, Metuh said the PDP is committed to deepening democracy and developing Nigeria.

    Metuh pledged his commitment to objectivity in the discharge of his duties and respect for the sensibilities of Nigerians.

    His words:  “I made a commitment to run a publicity that is driven by objectivity, a publicity that is project driven, showcasing the various projects and achievements of our central and regional governments. We remain committed to not engaging the politics of name calling, wild and unjustifiable accusations which is the hallmark of our opposition. The objectivity that we brought to the rules of engagement quickly diminished the opposition and their presence in both social media and other media networks.”

  • Emir: PDP incited Kano violence – APC

    … Party seeks Metuh, others’ prosecution

    The All Progressives Congress on Monday accused the Peoples Democratic Party of inciting the violence that followed Sunday’s announcement of Sanusi Lamido Sanusi as the new Emir of Kano.

    The party urged the Kano State Attorney-General to prosecute all PDP officials involved in the acts to destabilize the state.

    APC in a statement issued in Lagos by its Interim National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed, said the statement issued by PDP’s publicity Secretary, Olisa Metuh, congratulating one of the contenders long before the state government announced the new Emir was “premeditated and calibrated to incite violence.”

    The party wondered why a ruling party, which has access to Kano or any state government, would rush to the media to congratulate a contender who had not been selected, without even contacting the selecting authority to ensure the veracity of whatever news it may have heard.

    ”What is so urgent about congratulating the new Emir that could not have waited for a few hours for the appropriate authority to make an official announcement?” it queried.

    The party continued: “When the announcement was eventually made and the contender who had already been congratulated lost out, it is only natural that his supporters would feel shortchanged.

    ”It is therefore obvious that the PDP, through its National Publicity Secretary went out of their way to stoke the fire of violence in Kano.

    ”Since we live in a country which is being governed by the rule of law, the best option open to the  Kano State government is  for the State Attorney-General to immediately initiate criminal proceedings against PDP and its officials for incitement. Whatever explanations they have for their irresponsible and premeditated actions they should reserve for their defence in court.”

  • PDP membership is open to all Nigerians – Metuh

    The National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said the party`s membership is open to all Nigerians contrary to some media reports.

    The party`s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh,  made this known in a statement on Monday in Abuja.

    According to him, the report said that the party`s National Chairman, Ahmadu Mu`azu, at a meeting with the party`s state chairmen, ordered the removal and closure of the party`s membership register.

    He explained that the party’s NWC had instead directed that all membership register must remain open at the ward level.

    The registers, he added, should be made completely accessible to all Nigerians in line with the provisions of the PDP constitution.

    Metuh said that state chapters of the party were fully aware that Nigerians at all levels were free to join the PDP and could not in any way unjustly deny membership to anybody.

    This, he said, was especially that the PDP remained the only party truly owned by the people with the platform for them to realise their full democratic credentials.

    “The National Chairman, at the said meeting, directed that requests for membership cards and registers must be routed through the party structure at the states.

    “After processing the requests, the cards and registers would be issued to the state chapters of the party for onward transmission to the wards where registration takes place,”the News Agency of Nigeria quoted Metuh as saying in the statement.

    The party spokesman, therefore, called on all party members and the general public to disregard the said reports.

    He added that the PDP would remain committed to the principle of internal democracy and the provision of level play ground for all Nigerians.

     

  • PDP seeks prayer for Nigeria

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on Nigerians, irrespective of religious persuasions to use the occasions of Good Friday and Easter celebrations to pray for the nation.

    This is contained in a statement signed by the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh in Abuja on Friday.

    Metuh also urged Nigerians to rededicate themselves to the values that unite and bind all citizens as one people under one God.

    Metuh said Nigeria was blessed with human and natural resources that could be harnessed for the good of all, if the citizens learnt to live together in peace and harmony.

    The party spokesman stressed that Nigerians as peace-loving people had shown resilience and determination to live together and succeed as a people.

    He expressed the hope that the nation would surely overcome its challenges as exemplified in the triumph of Jesus Christ over death.

    Metuh, therefore, urged Nigerians to use this year’s Easter celebrations to permanently put behind all divisive tendencies and focus only on the good of the nation and the welfare of one another.

    “Let us use this Easter to rededicate ourselves to all the things that bind us together. Our continuous peace and unity remain non-negotiable.

    “Let old things be passed away and let all things be new as we join hands together to ensure that the labours of our heroes past shall never be in vain,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the PDP spokesman as saying in the statement.

     

  • PDP blames APC for Abuja blast

    PDP blames APC for Abuja blast

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has blamed the All Progressives Congress (APC) for the explosion that rocked Abuja on Monday in which over 71 persons were killed and 124 injured.

    In a statement issued by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party condemned as barbaric, monstrous and extremely wicked, the blasts which occurred at Nyanya, on the outskirts of the Federal Capital Territory.

    The party said the blasts could not be justified under any guise, maintaining that they were politically motivated and can be traced to the utterances and comments of desperate persons who seek to undermine and discredit the present administration and make the nation ungovernable for President Goodluck Jonathan by instituting a reign of terror against the people.

    The statement said: “We stand by our earlier statements that these attacks on our people are politically motivated by unpatriotic persons, especially those in the All Progressives Congress (APC) who have been making utterances and comments, promoting violence and blood-letting as a means of achieving political control.

    “Nigerians are also aware of utterances by certain APC governors which have been aimed at undermining our security forces and emboldening insurgents against the people.

    “Those who have been promoting violence through their utterances can now see the monster they have created. They can now see the end product of their comments; a country flowing daily with the blood of the innocent.

    “The question is; how do they feel when they see the mangled and blood-soaked bodies of their victims? How do they feel when they hear the voices of the dying and the injured?

    “Of course they feel nothing. Their hearts have been hardened and they are embittered by the fact that they have been rejected by the people. They are bitter because the people have chosen to rally round the government they love and voted for; but must they choose the path of violence and bloodletting as a response to the wishes and aspirations of the people?”

    The ruling party said it was shocked and grief- stricken since it received the news of the gruesome attacks and killing of Nigerians pursuing their legitimate endeavors.

    “The PDP weeps. We are indeed grief-stricken. Our hearts go out to the bereaved, especially those who have been orphaned and widowed and those now deprived of their bread winners by this evil act.

     

     

  • Metuh and the APC roadmap

    Metuh and the APC roadmap

    Last Thursday in Abuja the All Progressives Congress (APC) began the process of laying out a distinct vision that sets it apart from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) by holding a one-day national summit. The 10-point document that emerged from the event lays out a plan that focuses on jobs, security and an anti-corruption drive.

    For all those who have been urging the party to outline a platform for governing, this is a welcome development. There is no question that as the elections approach APC and its leaders would be challenged, and rightfully so, to flesh out some of the ideas they have unveiled.

    Not surprisingly, the high profile Abuja outing was being tracked by the ruling party whose spokesman, Olisah Metuh, was not slow in rolling out a response. His take? Of course, the opposition party’s platform was all hogwash – the product of “Janjaweed ideology.”

    For the uninitiated the Janjaweed are an armed tribal militia group in the Darfur region of western Sudan. The word itself is Arabic in origin and refers to ‘a man with a horse and a gun.’

    So what is the relationship between the political and economic blueprint APC outlined and the Janjaweed? Was Metuh just throwing around a word he had ill-digested or is there some connection between the opposition party and the Sudanese militants he would like to educate Nigerians on?

    Not content with savaging the APC platform he descends on its leaders for defending suspending Governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Sanusi Lamido Sanusi.

    Among other things he alleges that a leader of the APC who he does not name received a fraudulent N84 billion contract, while another stalwart of the party was paid N5 billion as consultancy by the CBN under Sanusi’s watch.

    It would have helped if Metuh had named names seeing as the administration has not been shy to leak anything that would damage Sanusi. Thanks to the advertising expenditure of the government, Nigerians are now fairly conversant with the alleged sins of the former CBN chief as outlined in the report of the Financial Reporting Council. It is, therefore, curious that the spokesman restrained himself. Is this a case of not have the courage of one’s convictions?

    We’ve been told what these nameless and faceless APC leaders got as contracts. Metuh can now present a better-rounded picture by telling us how many billions his PDP colleagues received from the benevolent CBN while the going was still good.

    Lastly, we should point out that it is not yet a crime for Nigerians who are not PDP members to win contracts from government agencies.

  • PDP denies inducing federal lawmakers

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has denied allegation of financially inducing federal lawmakers, with the view to wooing those that had defected back to the ruling party.

    The All Progressive Congress (APC) had accused the PDP of shelling out millions of dollars to the affected lawmakers to stave off the tide of defection that has hit the party in recent times.

    But in a statement issued on Wednesday by PDP’s National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party dismissed the report, saying the all allegation sought to cast doubt in the minds of Nigerians regarding the integrity of the affected lawmakers.

    “All well meaning Nigerians are indeed worried by the statements and actions of the APC which are clearly aimed at destroying our democracy and plunging the nation into chaos.

    “There is no doubting the fact that the PDP under its new National Chairman, Alhaji Adamu Mu’azu, is reaching out to all its members including those that defected in a reconciliation drive that is already yielding dividends.

    “At a point, in the mind of some sections of the public, the PDP got to its lowest level, but we remained focused. Despite the defections of lawmakers from our fold, the PDP never assaulted their integrity.

    “We are expecting more defections to the PDP. We have consistently told Nigerians that the PDP would emerge from its challenges a stronger party and this is what we are witnessing.

    “The PDP is the only political party with a consistent structure, vision and achievements in the transformation of Nigeria since 1998. The APC is a cacophonous amalgam of tribal and religious irredentists with no known vision or achievements in its earlier metamorphosis,” Metuh said.

     

  • PDP decries constant condemnation by opposition parties

    PDP decries constant condemnation by opposition parties

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has called on the opposition parties to proffer solutions and alternatives to it rather than constantly condemning its policies and programmes.

    The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Mr. Olisa Metuh, made the call in a statement on Sunday.

    “While we concede to the inalienable rights of individuals to associate with any political party of their choice, we advise that they should proffer solutions and alternatives rather than engage in constant condemnation,” the News Agency of Nigeria quoted the party spokesman as saying in the statement.

    Metuh also said that while the PDP recognised the right of citizens to hold opinions and identify with their choice of political platforms, it found it difficult to understand the bitterness against it by the opposition.

    He said that such bitterness became more worrisome when former PDP members spoke negative things about the party they had greatly benefited from.

    He wished former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and other PDP members who recently defected to the opposition well and prayed that they would find it in their hearts to accord the PDP due recognition someday.

    This, Metuh stressed, was because of the party`s contributions not only to the development of the country, but also to their individual political progress.

    He said as the sole custodian of the sacred mandate of over 160 million Nigerians, the PDP would continue to maintain the high moral ground of decency.

     

  • PDP’s NWC members shun meeting with Tukur

    PDP’s NWC members shun meeting with Tukur

    Members of the National Working Committee (NWC) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Monday shunned an emergency meeting called by the party’s chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

    Only the National Secretary, Prof. Adewale Oladipo; the National Auditor, Adewole Adeyanju and the National Treasurer, Alhaji Bala Buhari joined the chairman at the meeting room.

    With Tukur and only three of the 12-member NWC team in attendance, the meeting could not form a quorum.

    Although other members of the NWC were at the party secretariat, they chose to remain in their various offices.

    Apparently rattled by the action of the NWC members, Tukur stormed out of the meeting venue and headed straight to his official car in which he was driven out of the party secretariat at about 2pm.

    The development may have signaled the withdrawal of support for Tukur by President Goodluck Jonathan who is the national leader of the PDP.

    Insider sources told our correspondent on Monday that the absence of the Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus at the meeting was an ominous sign that the President may have ditched Tukur.

    Secondus is seen as the eyes and ears of President Jonathan within the ranks of the leadership of the PDP.

    The National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, who met reporters a few hours after Tukur left the party secretariat, avoided comments on the matter.

    Asked to comment on the matter, Metuh feigned ignorance of the development, saying “I only came to felicitate with you (reporters) on the New Year.

    “You all know that we just resumed from our end-of-year recess and I just decided to breeze in here to say Happy New Year to you all.”