The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Pastor Usani Usani

  • Confusion as APC holds parallel primaries in Cross River

    Confusion trailed the conduct of the governorship primaries of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State Monday as two factions of the party held two separate exercises to produce two governorship candidates.

    Although the faction that was recently inaugurated by National Chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole, led by Dr Mathew Achigbe, had resumed office as the state executive council of the party, the other faction led by Mr. Godwin Etim-John had continued to insist they were the authentic one.

    Read Also:‘I will not quit APC, still loyal to party’

    So Monday, both factions had overseen the conduct of the two separate primaries. Both had adopted the direct primaries’ method.

    From the Etim-John faction, Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani, emerged as the winner of the primaries scoring 47, 313 votes.

    Announcing the result at the collation centre of the party Secretariat of their own faction in Calabar, the Chairman of the gubernatorial election Committee, Emmanuel Annom, said the Minister having scored the highest number of lawful votes in the gubernatorial primaries is declared the winner and Governorship candidate of the party for the 2019 general elections in the state

    A breakdown of the result he read indicated other aspirants got as follows; Senator John Owan Enoh, 1, 486 votes; Eyo Etim Nyong, 1, 168 votes; John Upan Odey, 1099 votes; and Edem Duke, 1, 322 votes.

    Mr Etim John said the processes the party went through were turbulent and rigorous.

    “We thank all the aspirants. We have appeal panel, all those who feel aggrieved should follow the due process of our party constitution and accept the outcome,” he said.

    At press time yesterday the other primaries, which was conducted by Ali Magaji led committee, was yet to collate the results from the 196 wards in the 18 local government areas of the state.

    The governorship primaries of the Achigbe-led executive council, was shifted to Monday from Sunday by the National Vice-Chairman of the APC, South-South, Chief Hilliard Eta, following the late arrival of electoral materials.

    But a top party source cried foul, alleging that materials were not evenly distributed to the wards.

    However, when contacted Monday evening, Eta said that the election had been conducted in all the 196 wards, adding that collation would soon commence.

    Two governorship aspirants of the party, Chief Edem Duke and Prof. Etim Nyong, had on Sunday raised the alarm that the party structure was being hijacked by Eta to favour a governorship aspirant from the central senatorial district.

    Eta had described the allegation as false, saying the process would be free and fair.

  • Concerns in Cross River over zoning

    In Cross River State, the adoption of direct primary option in the All Progressives Congress has raised the political tempo even as zoning remains a major issue, reports Nicholas Kalu, Calabar

    With the Cross River State All Progressives Congress (APC) adopting the direct primaries for emergence of its candidates, the political tempo has stepped up with governorship aspirants who have picked the nomination form of the party crisscrossing the state to canvass for support.

    The aspirants so far include High Chief Edem Duke, Prof Eyo Etim Nyong, Pastor Usani Usani, Mr. John Owan-Enoh and John Upan Odey.

    Despite the initial setback, the party in the state had an issue over its leadership. However, some insiders said the matter may have been resolved with Dr. Mathew Achigbe as the state chairman. All appears set as members work towards the governorship primary elections which is expected to hold on September 29.

    However, there appears to be another problem, which, it seems, may plunge the party into another round of crisis if not properly managed. This is the argument over the zoning of the governorship position of the state.

    For some members of the party, the governorship position has been zoned to the northern senatorial district of the state, while for others it is an open contest for anyone who is qualified and willing to run from any part of the state.

    Proponents of the zoning arrangement in the APC argue that Donald Duke from the southern district served for eight years from 1999 to 2007, while Liyel Imoke from the central district took over until 2015. Present Governor, Prof Ben Ayade, who took over in 2015, is from the northern district and is still on his first term.

    Though the three governors mentioned here ran on the platform of the Peoples Democratic party (PDP), the APC members in support of this arrangement, feel power still has to be retained in the north for equity.

    Those against this argument however insist there was never such agreement at any time. They argued that Duke and Imoke never had power handed over to them based on any zoning arrangement, as people from other districts contested against them, but that they fought for it.

    This situation has created a sharp division within the party. In fact, some stakeholders of the APC have reportedly threatened to vote massively for the ruling PDP in next year’s election if someone from the northern district does not emerge as the candidate of the party at the primaries.

    This presents a rather awkward situation as one of the five aspirants, John Upan Odey, is from the north. Duke and Nyong are from the south, while Usani and Owan-Enoh are from the central.

    The APC stakeholders, who spoke through a group, the Cross River North Solidarity Forum (CRNSF), said they would vote against their party if someone from the north does not get the ticket.

    In a statement issued in Calabar by the group’s spokesman, Joseph Ogah, they said President Muhammadu Buhari-led government has not been fair to members of the party from the zone in terms of appointment and will resist any move by “corrupt people who just defected to the party to hijack the ticket from the north.”

    The group said if the APC does not want people from the northern senatorial district of the state in the party, they would not hesitate to seek their political fortune elsewhere where every zone will be treated equally.

    The statement read in part, “The message we have to pass in this press statement is simple; we will vote the PDP massively if the governorship ticket is given to another senatorial district. If APC is ready to win Cross River State, aspirants from other zones must jettison their selfish interest to allow the north field a candidate. Failure to do this will mark doom for APC as the PDP will have 100% supports in the north in all positions.”

    But the State Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr. Bassey Ita, said all was set for a successful governorship primary elections.

    “At the level of the state we are prepared for the primary elections, even though we still wait for the national. Everything comes from the national. The NWC will have to meet to take certain decisions. They just fixed the timetable for the primaries. We also have to look up to them for other activities that the state would be involved in. When once that is done, the NWC would meet and take a decision and NEC would have to meet again to ratify those decisions. We are actually attuned to the national echelon.

    “After adopting the direct primary arrangement, preparations are in high gear, especially the aspirants. It can be felt in the air that the APC is everywhere; people are busy campaigning for votes especially with the direct primaries option. Every aspirant desires to meet the people one on one to talk to them and I think that adds up to the level at which the party’s impact is being felt in the local

    “APC is everywhere as the aspirants are everywhere campaigning. The joy is that at the end of the day, it is the party’s logo that would represent every candidate. So, whoever is going to vote is going to vote for the APC,” Ita said.

  • I’m unaware of my suspension from APC, says Usani

    I’m unaware of my suspension from APC, says Usani

    The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani, Saturday said that he was not aware he has been suspended from the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Usani told reporters at the Margaret Ekpo International Airport in Calabar where he was welcomed by supporters that they were in the process of rebuilding the party for a greater future.

    Speaking on the conflict within the party in the state, he said, “Every party has a fight and how you resolve it is what is important. My worry is within the limits of known partisan tradition and conflict. We are resolving it. When a resolution takes place, whether amicably or by victory, there important thing is that there is a resolution and we are resolving it.”

    A couple of weeks ago, the acting chairman of the party in the state, Mr John Ochalla, after a meeting of the state working committee, had announced Usani’s suspension, accusing the minister of working against the interest of the party by holding “illegal meetings” to install a new chairman to do his bidding.

    In a swift reaction, a faction of the party led by the State Organizing Secretary, Mr Ekpe Owan Ayang, had held a meeting, where they declared Usani’s suspension as null.

    They went ahead to announce the suspension of Mr Ochalla as well as the National Vice Chairman South-South, Ntufam Hilliard Eta, from the party.

    In a meeting held at the party’s secretariat on Tuesday, they had gone ahead to endorse, Mr Etim John, as the new acting chairman of the party in the state.

    They said their endorsement followed the decision by a meeting by elders of the party that Etim John, takes over as acting chairman.

    But a statement from the National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Bolaji Abdulahi, had countered the endorsement saying Ochalla remained and members involved in the appointment of a new acting chairman would be disciplined.

    But reacting to this, Mr Etim John, who arrived Calabar with Usani said the statement from the National was a misnomer.

    “Ochalla is not from the zone where the former chairman comes from and so he was not qualified to be an acting state chairman, but because a vacuum cannot be left, so he as a deputy chairman held brief.

    “That statement as far as I am concerned is a misnomer. The party guidelines stipulate clearly how and acting chairman is appointed. As far is this concerned, Ochalla is yet to be appointed or elected because he only came in to hold brief,” John said.

    Ochalla had taken over as acting chairman of the party, after Usani, who was the chairman, was appointed Minister of Niger Delta Affairs.

  • Minister defends Buhari’s approach against corruption

    Minister defends Buhari’s approach against corruption

    The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani has defended the approach adopted by the present administration to fight corruption in the country, saying that the anti-corruption war was not aimed at witch-haunting anybody.

    He urged Nigerians to key into the anti-corruption war as a way of retrieving what had been stolen from them, saying free education was possible for all Nigerians of school-age except for the level of corruption and impunity in the country.

    The Minister made the remarks Tuesday while granting audience to the Executive Members of the Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria (RTEAN), led by its National President, Chief Musa Shehu Isiwele.

    The Minister said the Federal Government was ready to enter into strategic partnership with members of the association to ensure the safety of lives and properties in the Niger/Delta region and the north-east of the country.

    Pastor Usani said: “the federal government will like to interface with your association especially in troubled areas in the north-east and Niger Delta. Members of your association have access to information and we will want your members to give information that can help ensure peace and security of the people.”

    In his remarks, the president of the association said RTEAN had over the years embarked on projects targeted at creating job for 45,000 Nigerians. According to him, the association currently has 4,000 mass transit vehicles in its fleet.

    “For the purpose of enhancing service delivery and encouraging safety and security of Nigerians in the transport sub-sector of the economy, we are also embarking on the building of modern motor parks with modern facilities in addition to the construction of 1,000 units of houses in the 36 states of the federation including FCT, Abuja,” Chief Isiwele said.

  • Oyegun task Niger Delta minister on East West road

    Oyegun task Niger Delta minister on East West road

    The National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief John Odigie-Oyegun Tuesday challenged the ministry of Niger Delta to ensure the completion of the East West road saying the project has remain a major challenge to successive government in the country.

    Oyegun who spoke when he received the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru in his office ask the Minister to give priority to the completion of the road which cut across several states in the Niger Delta.

    He said despite huge funds sunk into the project by successive administrations since 2006, the 338km dual carriage road has remains uncompleted.

    He said: “You have one of the most challenging and strategic assignment as Minister of Niger Delta Affairs. The Niger Delta is an area that had been steeped in unrest. You must ensure that the unrest does not arise again.

    “You have the East-West Road which is a major challenge. It will be a significant achievement for this administration if the project is completed. The project will go a long way in assuring the region that this government is working in their interest.”

    The contract for the construction of the East-West Road was first awarded in 2006. The road was initially divided into four sections, but late 2014, a fifth section was added to it, covering Oron to Calabar in Cross River State.

    Oyegun however inform the Minister that the party was planning a three-day policy dialogue tentatively scheduled for March 2016 which will bring together party leaders, government and relevant stakeholders to exchange ideas and proffer solutions to guide the country out of the challenges facing the country, particular the economy.

    The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Uguru said the ministry under his watch was poised to contribute to the achievement of the party’s Change Agenda for the country and also bringing sustainable development to the Niger Delta area.

    He promised to give priority to the completion of the East-West road.