The Nation Newspaper

Tag: National Secretary

  • Anti-party: ADP expels National Secretary, 16 others

    The National Executive Committee of the Action Democratic Party (ADP) has approved the expulsion of the party’s National Secretary, Dr. James Okoroma and three other members of the National Working Committee of the party for anti-party activities, insubordination and causing disaffection and division among members of the party. The party’s highest decision making body also approved the expulsion of 13 other members of the National Executive Committee and the appointment of Dr. Steve Uwazie as the new National Secretary of the party.

    National Chairman of the party, Engr. Yabagi Sani said at a news conference in Abuja that the expelled National Secretary was discovered to have been a agent of the All Progressive Grad Alliance and worked for the APGA governorship candidate in Imo state, Ifeanyi Ararume during the just concluded general election. Sani also said the former National Secretary took the resources of the party and the vehicle given to him as the Director General of the party’s Campaign Council and rebranded it in APGA colours during the elections, while the campaign he was supposed to head suffers.

    Reading the resolution of the NEC, the new National Secretary, Dr. Steve Uwazie said one of the leaders of the party in the south-south, Senator Rowland Owie is to appear before the disciplinary committee to explain his alleged involvement in pitching some state chapters of the ADP against the leadership of the party, contrary to the constitution of the party. Uwazie said the NEC unanimously passed a vote of confidence on the leadership of the party led by Engr. Yabagi Sani and pledge their loyalty to his leadership, while calling on members of the party to rally round him to reposition the party.

     

     

  • APC shops for new National Secretary

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) is searching for a new National Secretary following election of the immediate occupant, Mai Mala Buni as Yobe Governor-elect.

    The party is however looking towards the north east where Buni hails from for his successor.

    The Nation gathered Waziri Bulama is highly favoured to emerge as new National Secretary, having contested the position during the last electoral convention of the party, which produced the current leadership.

    Bulama, who served as the Deputy Director General of the APC Presidential Campaign Council during the last elections, stepped down to pave the way for Buni to emerge unopposed after an agreement by leaders of the party from the north east.

    A highly placed official of the party told The Nation that the north east is expected to fill the vacancy, adding the leaders are expected to meet and come up with their choice for the position.

    “The position is zoned to the north east and we expect them to meet very soon and come up with their choice.

    “It is that choice they will submit to the NWC as the National Secretary”.

    The Nation also gathered that the battle for the position is raging between Borno and Yobe state with APC leaders from Borno insisting it is their turn to produce the National Secretary.

    The party source said the National Working Committee of the party would have decided on the issue but for the absence of the National Chairman.

    “The absence of the National Chairman is what is delaying the announcement since the NWC would have taken decision on the issue of National Secretary this week.

    “The Borno State governor, Alhaji Kassim Shettima had written Oshiomhole recommending Bulama, just as the stakeholders from the North East had endorsed him.

    “Former members of the defunct CPC are also in support of the candidature of Bulama. For them it would give them sense of belonging in the party leadership.

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    “Also of importance was that Bulama’s administrative competence was highly exhibited during the Presidential Campaign as the Deputy Director General (Coordination).

    “In fact, one of the leaders of the party was said to be so impressed with Waziri’s deep intellect, his eloquent marketing of Mr. President and APC programmes all through the period of the campaigns, especially in live television programmes and debates, that he remarked, ‘this is our next national secretary’,” the source informed.

    The Nation learnt however that former Presidential Liason Officer for National Assembly to former President Olusegun Obasanjo, Kashim Imam, who also contested the position during the party convention is also interested in the job.

  • Oshiomhole vow to reposition APC

    …Orders “Fake Director” out of secretariat

     

     

    The new National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Comrade Adams Oshiomhole on Tuesday told staff of the national secretariat of the party to brace up for the new realities in the party and be ready the changes that will occur in the party in time to come.

    While holding a meeting with the staff of the party, moments after taking over from his predecessor, Comrade Oshiomhole took his first decision, sacking a man that has been parading himself at the secretariat for the past four years as Director of Finance of the party.

    The Nation gathered that at the moment, the party has only two full-fledged Directors and has not employed any Director of Finance since its inception.

    The “fake Director of Finance” identified as Timothy Akojuru was said to have worked with the defunct All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) as Director of Finance.

    Before going into a closed door meeting, Oshiomhole has publicly told the workers while taking over that he would improve their welfare and ensure that they were well enumerated, but must work hard to earn whatever they will be paid.

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    A source who attended the meeting said that the former Labour leader hinted of a possible downsizing of those working in the secretariat as all the staff must have one function or the other to perform.

    The source said that Oshiomhole told the staff that a situation were drivers for example were more than the available vehicles within the secretariat will no longer be allowed, stressing that all those who have no business working in the secretariat will not be allowed to remain.

    The source said when the new chairman asked the “fake Director” what is responsibilities within the secretariat was, he simply said “I’m a director of finance.”

    The source said “Oshiomohle was surprised and quickly asked the Deputy National Chairman, Lawal Shuaibu and the National Secretary, Mai Mala Buni to confirm the statement, but none of them could defend him.

    “Instead, Sen. Shuaibu was said to have asked him where and how he got his appointment letter, but Akojuru could not provide a satisfactory answer. At this point, the new chairman asked him to leave the meeting or he invites police to arrest him”.

    Akojuru was said to have applied for the position of Director of Finance in the secretariat, but has not employed nether was a letter of appointment issued to him, but has remained in the secretariat, reporting for duty on a daily basis.

    The former Edo State Governor was also said to have informed the staff that the secretariat, even though a party secretariat will be administered like every other office, stressing that all staff must henceforth report for duty as early as 8.00am when other offices open for business as the current resumption time of between 9 and 10 am.

    While assuring staff of better welfare, Comrade Oshiomhole also directed the staff to stop loitering around the secretariat during working hours.

    At the time of this report, Oshiomhole was locked in a meeting with members of the National Working Committee and senior staff of the party, with a view to charting the way forward.

  • TROMPCON: ‘Only convention can remove me as national secretary’

    The National Secretary of Traditional Rulers of Oil Mineral Producing Communities of Nigeria (TROMPCON), Oba Obafemi Ogbaro, yesterday said he can only be removed from the position through a national convention.

    The monarch was reacting to a statement credited to the Olugbo of Ugbo, Oba Frederick Akinruntan, on the nomination of the Molokun of Atijere, Oba Samuel Edema, as parallel National Secretary of the association.

    Oba Akinruntan, who is TROMPCON’s Chairman in Ondo State, with the Secretary, Oba Afolabi Odidiomo, the Olu of Igbokoda, in a national daily on Sunday, said Oba Edema was unanimously chosen by other traditional rulers from the oil producing area of the state for the position.

    They described any other person parading himself as the national secretary as an impostor.

    But Oba Ogbaro maintained that he was legally appointed to the position at the national convention attended by all stakeholders.

    He said: “I will not join issues with anybody. I am a peace-loving monarch. I contested for the position as a qualified person and got the mandate for two years in office. I have just spent seven months.

    “I have been canvassing for peace, harmony and integrity in the oil producing communities. My advice is for traditional rulers in the area to embrace peace.”

    Oba Ogbaro said the position of TROMPCON’s National Secretary was zoned to Ilaje Local Government Area with two constituencies of Ugbo and Mahin.

    He added that only Ugbo Constituency was recognised as an oil and gas producing community in Ilaje Local Government Area with four traditional rulers, including the Olugbo of Ugbo, Alagho of Odo-Nla, Odoka of Obe-Ogbaro and Olugbo of Obe-Nla, as traditional rulers from the oil producing communities.

    The monarch recalled that in violation of the provision of Article 3 of the constitution of TROMPCON, some monarchs connived in an “illegal” meeting without the Olugbo, as the chairman of the association, in attendance to zone the position to Ilaje Local Government Area and nominated Oba Edema, the Molokun of Atijere, who is not from an oil producing community.

    According to him, Oba Edema cannot be the national secretary of the association.

    Oba Ogbaro said he had the absolute right to be the National Secretary, adding that he got the mandate at the association’s national convention and had been performing well in the past seven months.

     

  • SDP disowns national secretary

    HE Social Democratic Party (SPD) has frowned at its National Secretary, Dr. Sadiq Umar Abubakar Gombe, for his disapproved participation in the collation of presidential election result in Abuja.

    National Publicity Secretary of the SDP Dr. Abdul Ahmed Isiaq said in a statement in Kaduna that the SDP did not have a presidential candidate.

    He said, therefore, none of its officers was given any approval by the party to represent it at the presidential collation centre of INEC in Abuja.

    “The instruction given is for all party executives, including the National Secretary, to go to their respective states and help the party to win electorates.

    “The party does not allowed any of its executives, especially the National Secretary, to be an Abuja politician, whose Permanent Voter Card (PVC) is not useful to the SDP in Abuja.

    “The SDP was shocked to have seen Dr. Gombe tagged as a delegate in the collation of the presidential result under a party called APA.

    “So for purpose of clarity, Dr. Gombe is representing himself and not the SDP in the collation centre and his action is tantamount to an anti-party activity. The SDP will decide on that very soon.”

  • Court sacks Oyinlola as PDP’s National Secretary

    Court sacks Oyinlola as PDP’s National Secretary

    A Federal High Court on Friday sacked former Osun State Governor, Olagunsoye Oyinlola, from office as the National Secretary of the Peoples Democratic Party.

    Delivering judgment in a suit filed by the Ogun State Executive Committee (SEC) of the PDP, Justice Abdul Kafarati, voided the nomination of Oyinlola as the candidate of the South West Zonal Chapter of the PDP and his consequent election as National Secretary at the party’s National Convention in March last year.

    Relying on the order and two separate judgments of the Federal High Court, Lagos, which nullified the South West zonal congress that produced Oyinlola as candidate, Justice Kafarati held that his nomination and subsequent election were invalid, null and void.

    The judge arrived at the decision after assuming jurisdiction and dismissing the preliminary objection of Oyinlola and the PDP.

    The court held that the suit was not an intra-party affair of the party as claimed by (Oyinlola and PDP) but a cause of action seeking the interpretation of the two separate judgments of the Federal High Court, Lagos, that nullified the zonal congress.

    According to the judge, the suit did not constitute an abuse of court process, therefore it is “justiceable”, adding “the action discloses reasonable cause of action.”

    “On the whole, the two preliminary objections are dismissed. All the three questions are answered in affirmative and the reliefs sought granted.”

    Oyinlola said the judgment was a misapplication of principle of justice.

    The state’s PDP Chairman, Adebayo Dayo, hailed the judge for the courageous judgment.

    He expressed hope that the party’s national leaders would obey the court’s ruling.