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Tag: Okechukwu

  • Okechukwu blames Atiku’s ambition for strain on Nigeria’s democracy

    Okechukwu blames Atiku’s ambition for strain on Nigeria’s democracy

    A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has dismissed former Vice President Atiku Abubakar’s claim that the nation’s democracy is under threat due to alleged efforts by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu’s administration to weaken the opposition.

    Okechukwu, a former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), said Atiku’s long-standing presidential ambition—not the current government—is responsible for any strain on the country’s democratic framework. 

    He made the remarks in a statement issued in Abuja on Sunday while responding to Atiku’s recent warning.

    He argued that a deeper reflection would show that the deterioration of Nigeria’s democratic culture began with Atiku’s decision to disregard the long-standing rotation convention during the 2023 presidential election. 

    According to him, this breach significantly contributed to the political imbalance and the weakening of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Okechukwu further accused the former PDP presidential candidate of taking the same path ahead of the 2027 elections with what he described as a “Kasuwa Ndollar” approach to the African Democratic Congress (ADC) presidential primaries. He said non-adherence to the rotation principle and Section 7 of the PDP Constitution played a major role in destabilising the party.

    “Atiku Abubakar is, regrettably, one of the foremost culprits of this unforced error, which gravely cannibalised the PDP,” he stated.

    He added that Atiku risks repeating past mistakes in the ADC, noting that no other presidential aspirant in the party can match his financial capacity.

    Okechukwu recalled that the rotation convention, adopted at the onset of the Fourth Republic in 1999, was designed to reinforce unity, equity, and stability through the alternation of presidential power between the North and South. 

    He said Atiku benefitted from this arrangement, as he would not have become Vice President in 1999 without it.

    He also referenced the commitment of northern political leaders such as Abubakar Rimi, Umaru Shinkafi, Adamu Ciroma, Bamanga Tukur, and Sola Saraki to the zoning formula, which enabled Chief Olusegun Obasanjo to contest after his release from detention during the Abacha era.

    Okechukwu reminded Atiku of his departure from the 2014 PDP National Convention, when he protested that it was the North’s turn to produce the President, leading to his eventual defection to the APC.

    “Whereas one admits that my great party APC, has its own fault lines, is it not a calamity that the same Atiku Abubakar, widely acknowledged as the mastermind of PDP’s rotation breach and its resultant destabilization, is now allegedly setting the stage for a similar breach within the ADC, when knows that our presidential primary is “Kasuwa Ndollar?”Okechukwu queried.

    “Or should President Tinubu now be blamed for this fresh violation of the same zoning principle?” The deliberate breach of rotation 

    He therefore submitted that Atiku Abubakar’s assertion that “the systematic weakening of opposition platforms represents a grave danger to Nigeria’s democratic future” deserves more rigorous self-scrutiny and contextual honesty.

    Accordingly,Okechukwu posited that Atiku cannot harvest Buhari’s 12 million Vote-Bank, because majority in the north subscribe to the rotation convention and also they know  him as Mai Kasuwa and among Nigeria’s less than transparent clan, therefore not Mai Gasakiya (incorruptible).

  • Okechukwu urges Tinubu to convene special police constabulary unit to tackle insecurity

    Okechukwu urges Tinubu to convene special police constabulary unit to tackle insecurity

    A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has advised President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to urgently convene the Special Police Constabulary Unit (SPCU), rather than deploying 30,000 recruits into the existing police structure.

    Proposing a more targeted approach to rising insecurity, the former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) said it would be more effective to channel the recruits into the SPCU, as outlined in Sections 105–109 of the Nigeria Police Act 2020.

    According to him, “The immediate handgun is the urgent convocation of SPCU, recruited in line with the federal character principle to reflect local conditions, well-trained and equipped with a sophisticated arsenal to contain kidnappers, terrorists, and insurgents, because the recruits know their local terrain better.”

    Read Also: Tinubu battling political sabotage, not security failure — Kalu alleges

    Okechukwu cautioned that the SPCU should be a shared responsibility of the federal, state, and local governments, with funding and recruitment handled jointly and drawn from indigenes of each state, particularly community vigilantes.

    He added that the unit should operate with minimal federal constraints and be funded directly through the Federal Account Allocation Commission (FAAC), with contributions from all tiers of government.

    Noting that governors across party lines have failed to establish state police, Okechukwu argued that it is “more altruistic” for the president to urgently activate the SPCU to address local security challenges that have forced widespread school closures nationwide.

  • Tinubu laying foundational pillars of judicial rebirth – Okechukwu

    Tinubu laying foundational pillars of judicial rebirth – Okechukwu

    A foundation member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has commended President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for echoing the timeless spirit of the Magna Carta and urged him to firmly enforce the principle as he patriotically articulated at the Nigerian Judges’ Conference.

    Speaking in Abuja on Tuesday, Okechukwu noted that Clause 40 of the 1215 Magna Carta, which the President highlighted, remains one of the most celebrated foundations of the rule of law. 

    The clause states, “To no one will we sell, to no one will we deny or delay right or justice.”

    The former director general of Voice of Nigeria (VON) emphasized that this principle endures as the global standard of the rule of law, which ensures that justice is fair, accessible, and never dependent on wealth, influence, or royal favour.

    He commended Tinubu for his forthright remarks at the Judges’ Conference, where he openly acknowledged public concern about delays, integrity deficits, and access to justice within the Nigerian judicial process.

    President Tinubu stated, “We must acknowledge, with candour, that public perception of the judicial process has not always been favourable. Citizens have expressed frustration at delays, concerns about integrity, and anxiety over access to justice.

    “These perceptions, whether wholly justified or not, cannot be ignored. They call upon us to reflect, to reform, and to restore. Ultimately, justice does not exist for the Bench or the Bar; it exists for the people. Their faith in the judicial process is the foundation of our national stability.”

    Okechukwu noted that President Tinubu has already set in motion the foundational pillars of judicial rebirth—reforms, capacity building, and modernization. What is now required, he said, is a decisive combination of discipline, a relentless war against corruption, welfare for the masses, and deep, consistent implementation of the President’s vision.

    He concluded that fully enforcing the spirit of the Magna Carta would not only strengthen Nigeria’s democracy but also restore enduring public confidence in the justice system.

  • Don’t blame Tinubu for your woes – Okechukwu tells PDP

    Don’t blame Tinubu for your woes – Okechukwu tells PDP

    A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has advised some opposition elements in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), pointing accusing fingers at President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for the woes of the party to look inward.

    He described the PDP’s current travails as “Karma taken home.”

    Reacting to the crisis currently bedeviling the PDP, which has led to court forum shopping over the Ibadan Convention, Okechukwu said the opposition party was only reaping the fruits of the seeds earlier sown.

    The former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) recalled his earlier warning of April 7, 2022, where he cautioned the PDP against discarding the zoning convention that had sustained Nigeria’s democratic balance since 1999.

    “While I am in league with those who empathize with the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) over its implosion,” Okechukwu said, “it is pertinent to recall my warning of April 7, 2022:

    “By jettisoning the zoning convention, the PDP has purchased a vehicle tagged ‘No Refund After Payment.”

    READ ALSO: NMDPRA places 15% petrol tax on hold

    He explained that by breaching its own constitution and the zoning principle that has served as the “golden convention” of the Fourth Republic, the PDP effectively “shot itself in the foot” and “endangered both its internal democracy and national unity.

    “In addition, by this singular unforced error of selfishness,” he continued, “the PDP threw away the baby and the bath water.

    “Most importantly, by abandoning the zoning of the presidency, the party deserted the Southern belt — its original stronghold — at a time the APC patriotically zoned its presidential ticket to the South.”

    Okechukwu reiterated that the current implosion within the PDP is nothing but Karma taking its natural course, noting that “Karma is cause and effect, and nature has a way of recovering unpaid debts.”

    He added that it was disingenuous for anyone to blame President Tinubu for the PDP’s self-inflicted wounds, reminding Nigerians that at the time of the PDP’s internal crisis in 2022, Tinubu himself was preoccupied with overcoming stiff opposition within his own party.

    “Have we forgotten that Mr. President was, at that very time, battling those whom Her Excellency, Aisha Buhari, lamented had hijacked President Buhari’s government? He did not connive in breaching the rotation and zoning convention, and Tinubu can only be assessed on how many people he lifted out of poverty.” Okechukwu submitted.

    He concluded that Nigeria’s Fourth Republic was founded on the principles of rotation and zoning — a unifying mechanism designed to hold the nation’s delicate diversity together.

    Okechukwu insisted that “The violent breach of this convention is the root cause of the PDP’s present turmoil, whether or not it is the holding of the Ibadan Convention, is neither Tinubu nor Nyesom Wike’s fault.”

  • APC chieftain Okechukwu slams Atiku over stance on 2027 race

    APC chieftain Okechukwu slams Atiku over stance on 2027 race

    …describes ex-VP as anti-democratic

    A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has criticized former Vice President Atiku Abubakar over his insistence on remaining in the 2027 presidential race, except a younger candidate emerges through a “competitive primary.”

    Atiku, in a statement by his media adviser, Paul Ibe, on Thursday, dismissed reports that he had offered to step down for younger aspirants under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), describing them as false and mischievous.

    He clarified that he would only concede if a younger candidate emerged through a fair contest.

    READ ALSO: What disqualified BBNaija housemates stand to lose

    Reacting in Abuja on Friday, Okechukwu, a former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON), described Atiku’s stance as anti-democratic, accusing him of undermining Nigeria’s long-standing zoning and rotation principle, which he said has been the glue holding the Fourth Republic together since 1999.

    Okechukwu recalled that Atiku himself benefited from zoning in the past but later campaigned against it, leading to his 2014 Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) primary victory, which had no southern aspirant.

    He argued that discarding zoning in favour of “dollarised primaries” amounts to eroding equity, inclusion, and stability.

    According to him, Atiku’s position confirms fears that his pursuit of power is not to strengthen democratic institutions but to weaken the very principles that sustain Nigeria’s plural society.

  • PDP, not APC, mortgaged Nigeria’s future — Okechukwu

    PDP, not APC, mortgaged Nigeria’s future — Okechukwu

    A founding member of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has blamed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for allegedly mortgaging Nigeria’s future, dismissing recent criticisms by the African Democratic Congress (ADC) against President Bola Tinubu’s administration.

    The ADC had accused the federal government of “fiscal vandalism” following the National Assembly’s approval of $21 billion in foreign loans, warning that Nigeria’s public debt could exceed N200 trillion by year-end without commensurate economic gains.

    Reacting to the allegation during a media chat in Enugu on Sunday, Okechukwu argued that the PDP’s past actions, especially its handling of the power sector, laid the foundation for Nigeria’s current economic woes.

    “My candid position is that it was PDP vandals who truly mortgaged Nigeria’s future through their non-transparent privatisation of the electricity sector,” he said.

    He criticised the ADC for ignoring what he described as the “fiscal vandalism” under PDP’s watch, referencing the controversial sale of NEPA, PHCN, and the stalled Mambilla project, which he claimed crippled Nigeria’s economic base.

    Read Also: Buhari’s 12 million vote bank not transferable, Okechukwu tells Atiku, El-Rufai, others

    Okechukwu challenged the ADC to publicly release the 2009 House of Representatives report on the $16 billion power sector spending under the PDP, led by then-Chairman Ndudi Elumelu.

    He also accused former PDP members of fleeing to ADC instead of helping to reform their party, saying, “Instead of fixing the PDP, they sought refuge in ADC and are now deflecting blame with stone-throwing.”

    While acknowledging the dangers of excessive borrowing, Okechukwu urged President Tinubu to focus on loans for infrastructure development rather than recurrent spending. He expressed support for borrowing targeted at revamping the power sector.

    “For me, borrowing should be tied to critical infrastructure like power, which is the bedrock of economic growth, not for recurrent expenditure,” he said.

    He further advised the president to prioritise standard-gauge railway projects and deep-sea ports in the Niger Delta over rehabilitating narrow-gauge railways, saying such investments would better stimulate long-term growth.

  • Okechukwu lauds Tinubu’s committment to SEDC

    Okechukwu lauds Tinubu’s committment to SEDC

    The Executive Director (Projects), South-East Development Commission (SEDC) and former Deputy Minority Leader of the House of Representatives, Toby Okechukwu, has commended President Bola Tinubu for his vision and commitment in integrating the South Eastern part of Nigeria into his developmental policies, through the interventionist commission.

    Okechukwu gave the commendation on Tuesday during the Orji River Economic and Development Summit held in Orji River Local Government Area of Enugu State.

    The primary objectives of the Economic and Development Summit were to: create awareness of the potential of Oji River in terms of location and natural resources, promote long term and sustainable development and prosperity and Encourage investment and collaboration between public and private sectors as well as external stakeholders.

    Delivering his goodwill message at the event,  Okechukwu, who once represented Aninri, Awgu, and Orji River Federal Constituency in the House of Representatives, said that the SEDC was set up with a clear mission to drive sustainable development and position the South-East as Africa’s preferred investment destination by 2030.

    The former lawmaker lamented the war decades ago damaged more than infrastructure, as it also broke the region’s momentum, stressing that the mission of the commission is to drive sustainable development, economic growth, and unity in the South East through strategic investments and empowerment initiatives.

    Okechukwu said: “The Commission was established under the SEDC Act 2024 and signed into law by President Bola Ahmed Tinubu, GCFR, as a critical vehicle to accelerate the recovery, reinvention, and prosperity of the South East region. 

    “The war decades ago damaged more than our roads and homes, disrupted our economic rhythm, slowed our institutions, and deepened a sense of marginalization. SEDC is our collective answer to that history. We must not wait for the centre to fix the East. We have to do it ourselves and do it smartly.

    “Our mission is to drive sustainable development, economic growth, and unity in the South East through strategic investments and empowerment initiatives.

    ” Our vision is to position the South East as the preferred investment destination in Africa by 2030. We are therefore taking action: To build a $1 billion asset base within 10 years by strategically leveraging both public and private capital. We are developing programs for urban renewal, energy hubs, innovation corridors, and agro-industrial zones.

    “The war decades ago damaged more than our roads and homes, disrupted our economic rhythm, slowed our institutions, and deepened a sense of marginalization. SEDC’s clear roadmap demonstrates that we are not just a bureaucracy; we are focused on long-term goals while executing in real time.

    ” It is a business-minded, regionally driven platform for catalytic change. We are launching security interventions, investing in startups, restoring broken infrastructure, and activating our human capital.”

    Focusing on the summit’s host community, Orji River, Okechukwu described the Local Government Area as uniquely positioned within the Awka–Enugu–Onitsha economic corridor, whose economy, when properly harnessed, should be above many in the country.

    He urged stakeholders in Oji River to take advantage of key SEDC opportunities, including the Priority Project Fund, diaspora-driven urban planning, youth enterprise grants, regional security investments, and the planned 50,000-hectare agricultural development initiative.

    “Oji River is not on the margin of development. It is on the edge of opportunity. The future of this region depends on smart alignment, and Oji River should not be looking only inward. 

    “We should be thinking across borders economically, logistically, and strategically. Oji River doesn’t need to wait to be absorbed into someone else’s plan. It has to position itself and shape the agenda.

    “SEDC has allocation available to each state for high-impact projects. This money is not allocated based on size; it is allocated based on readiness. Identify the land. Mobilise your cooperatives. Get into the conversation. If you are stable, connected, and well-policed, you become a node of confidence in the regional economy.”

    He also emphasised the need for strategy and coordination as the people of Oji River mobilize for the new wave of growth.

    Read Also: PDP must apologise for overheating polity – APC chieftain Okechukwu 

    “The people of Oji River are not lacking in talent. We are not lacking in ideas. What we need now is organisation, structure, and speed. There needs to be a deliberate effort to identify Oji River’s comparative advantage. Put together your priority project list. Build your partnerships. Package your proposals. Make them bankable.”

    The former lawmaker also appreciated the National Assembly, particularly, the Deputy Speaker of the Federal House of Representatives, Rt. Hon Benjamin Kalu for legislative ingenuity in ensuring that SEDC Act was enacted, passed, and assented to.

    Chronicling President Tinubu’s administration’s efforts for the development of the South East region, He hailed the President for several projects that are beneficial to the region such as the construction of the Abia Airport, launch of the 5th Expanded National MSME Clinic in Enugu State and so on.

    Rt. Hon Toby used the occasion to reaffirm his personal and professional commitment to the growth of Oji River and the Greater Awgu region.

    “I may hold a new portfolio, but my commitment to this place has never changed. Where Oji River is building, I will be there. Where your ideas are ready, I will open doors. Where your ambition matches your execution, I will match it with advocacy. Let’s not talk about the future anymore. Let’s build it,” he added.

  • No vacancy comment: Don’t blame Ganduje or APC, Okechukwu blasts PDP

    No vacancy comment: Don’t blame Ganduje or APC, Okechukwu blasts PDP

    A foundation member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has criticized those opposing the party’s national chairman, Dr. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje, for declaring that there is no vacancy in the Aso Villa in 2027.

    Okechukwu argued that critics should blame former Vice President Atiku Abubakar and his cohorts in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) for breaching the rotation convention governing 4th Republic Nigeria politics.

    Speaking with newsmen in Abuja on Thursday, the former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) defended Ganduje, insisting that the rotation policy has come to stay despite attempts to breach it.

    Okechukwu maintained that the breach of the rotation convention has irreparably divided the PDP, albeit producing the Wike masquerade, which cannot be easily removed from the party’s core.

    He asserted that it would be difficult for the PDP to play the robust role as the foremost opposition party and that it would not succeed in a merger like the defunct ACN due to the greed of its leaders, confirming the ancient maxim that divided they will fall.

    Read Also: Tinubu congratulates Bishop Oke on re-election as PFN president

    “The erroneous breach of the rotation convention, a ligament holding our fledgling democracy together in the 2023 presidential election is the PDP’s biggest miscalculation.

    “The rotation fire is raging and may not be quenched before 2027. The ugly outcome scenario sounds like the local clincher of the advisory song of the birds to the Reverend Father during Mass, that the big men seated in the altar front row are all the same character.” Okechukwu submitted.

    When reminded that some people are opposed to President Tinubu’s second term because of the economic hardship in the country, Okechukwu retorted that the economic hardship is going to ease before the 2027 presidential election.

    He said that some of Mr President’s economic policies will start bearing positive fruits, adding that he has prepared grounds for Foreign Direct Investments.

    “The truism is that President Tinubu has done well diplomatically; he is a friend of the West and friend of the East. This means that he has the support of the international community to cushion the rough economic edges with Foreign Direct Investments and loan backed protects.” Okechukwu submitted.

  • Cash crunch: Okechukwu hails CBN, Cardoso sanctioning nine DMBs

    Cash crunch: Okechukwu hails CBN, Cardoso sanctioning nine DMBs

    A founding member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Osita Okechukwu, has commended the governor of the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN), Yemi Cardoso, for sanctioning nine Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) for failing to make Naira notes available during the last Yuletide season.

    He applauded the apex bank on Wednesday in Abuja while speaking with newsmen for halting what he described as the “banditry” of the DMBs.

    The former Director-General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) argued that it was an act of banditry for DMBs to deliberately deny cash over the counter and at Automated Teller Machines (ATMs), thereby frustrating Nigerians, especially during an auspicious season like Christmas.

    According to him, “Daniel has come to judgment, as the CBN fined the Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) N1.35 billion for failing to make Naira notes available through Automated Teller Machines (ATMs) during the Yuletide season. Its height of banditry is simple and short, as it denied many Nigerians rice on their table.”

    Read Also: Omotola Jalade-Ekeinde denies fleeing U.S. due to Los Angeles wildfires

    Okechukwu urged the CBN Governor to dig deeper, as he alleged that banks have many other fault lines which have undermined the laudable programme of the previous administration and, if not curbed, will derail the Renewed Hope Agenda of President Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    He appealed to the CBN Governor to critically re-examine the multifaceted DMB fault lines that have engendered high inflation and economic hardship.

    The CBN, in a statement on Tuesday night through the Acting Director of Corporate Communications, Mrs. Hakama Sidi Ali, announced the sanction on the nine banks with a threat to impose further sanctions on any institution found violating its cash circulation guidelines.

    The affected nine banks were fined N150 million each for non-compliance with the CBN’s cash distribution guidelines.

  • Declare state of emergency in oil sector, Okechukwu urges Tinubu 

    Declare state of emergency in oil sector, Okechukwu urges Tinubu 

    Former Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) and Chieftain of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr Osita Okechukwu, has appealed to President Bola Ahmed Tinubu to immediately declare State of emergency in the Oil Sector.

    He said situation in the sector has become a matter of urgent national importance as the country strive to actualise the prospect of producing three million barrels per day target.

    The foundation member of the governing party made the appeal in a statement in Abuja on Sunday while reacting to the news by the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited (NNPCL) that the country can get up to three million barrels per day of crude if all the stakeholders in the oil sector work in synergy.

    Okechukwu noted that the development can lift 133 million Nigerians out of multi-dimensional poverty, quench hunger and make other Nigerians to breathe.

    NNPC’s Chief Corporate Communications Officer, Olufemi Soneye, last Saturday in Abuja made the disclosure at an interactive session with National Assembly Correspondents.

    Soneye said: “Three million barrels oil production per day is achievable in Nigeria if all the stakeholders work in synergy for that purpose from the security agencies both government and private owned, to oil companies and host communities.

    “With the expected synergy from all the relevant stakeholders in the war against oil theft and pipeline vandalism, the enabling environment would be in place for optimal oil production to the volume of 2.5 to 3 million bpd.”

    However, reacting formally to the good news, Okechukwu appealed to Mr President for declaration of emergency and the adoption of Amilcar Cabral’s ageless maxim – class suicide.

    “As a foundation member of the APC, when I recall with nostalgia that we promised change to Nigerians; one is compelled to appeal to Mr President as our leader to as a matter of urgent national importance, adopt Amilcar Cabral’s ageless maxim – class suicide – and whip all concerned in line to actaulise the three million bpd.

    “This will lift 133 millions Nigerians out of multidimensional poverty, restore hope in our democracy and indeed Renew Nigerians hope,” he quipped.

    When reminded that in democracy rule of law and checks and balances with PIA in operation, Mr President is handicapped.

    He dismissed the argument maintaining that with 3 million bpd Mr President can crash the high prices of commodities nationwide which escalated because of increase in pump price of PMS, by reduction of price of the 450,000 earmarked for local consumption.

    Okechukwu further argued that; “if our armed forces cannot guide our oil field professionally; which democracy said Mr President cannot order for modern gadgets and expertise to turn around the oil industry and bail us out? That is why one recommends for class suicide, albeit stepping on the toes of Oil Mafia.”