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Tag: PDP

  • When PDP plays victim

    I can hazard a guess as to why PDP looters, indicted, in court struggling to establish their innocence or on the run from justice, exude neither a sense of shame nor a feeling of regret for their 16 years of rape of our commonwealth in form of periodic rigging of elections as recently confirmed by Senator Ibrahim Mantu during a live Channels Television programme.  Or the theft of our commonwealth through diversion of the nation’s resources to personal use or outright confiscation of a national patrimony kept in their care for the use of our children. Did ex-President Obasanjo who they fondly call ‘Baba’  (father) not too long ago told Nigerians  nothing embarrasses him? The truth of the matter is that PDP looters have no sense of shame. Instead of remorse, they play the victim whipping up sentiments about media trial and daring government take them to court where according to Sanusi Lamido Sanusi, former CBN Governor, “it took two years to secure only one indictment out of 164 banking sector fraud cases” with Jonathan blaming everything on ‘slow wheel of justice’.

    The near-collapsed economy and the massive unemployment of our youths which ex-President Obasanjo expects Buhari to fix in three years stemmed from the self-serving PDP policies such as  privatisation which according to a House probe report, was a device for confiscating our budding, hospitality, banking, manufacturing and  service industries. Ignoring this major source of nation’s travail, Vice President Osinbajo two weeks back, chose to speak only about looters, (the common thieves) who “withdrew and shared over N150b two weeks before the 2015 elections but who  the opposition and their backers would brook no reference to”.

    Obviously working on the theory that Nigerians have short memories, PDP spokesperson, Kola Ologbodiyan immediately dared him to name the PDP looters. And when in response to the challenge, Lai Mohammed, the Information Minister released some names of alleged looters, Reno Omokri, a spokesperson for former President Goodluck Jonathan, came out with what he described as “The Real Looters List That Buhari and Lai Mohammed Do Not Want You To Know About.”

    Then my very good friend, Chief Mike Ozekhome, a very resourceful counsel and a toast of alleged looters decided to join the fray. Ozekhome, it will be recalled, successfully defended ex- President Jonathan over his removal of Lamido Sanusi as CBN governor for playing the role of a whistleblower in the alleged missing   $20b NNPC fund. He then went on to floor the government and its EFCC  over an allegation that Ayo Fayose received N3b from President Jonathan NSA  even with Senator Musliu Obanikoro who not only admitted ferrying the money in two aircraft to Akure en route Ado Ekiti but started refunding back to government his own portion of about N8b as a prosecution witness. Chief Ozekhome is also currently defending Patience Jonathan, the ex-president better half over her claim to some $15m traced to some suspicious bank accounts which did not bear her name.

    Probably acting in his capacity as a respected human right lawyer, Chief Ozekhome who is not known to be a PDP counsel, has decided to do battle with the Buhari administration. According to him: “Everything they have done is what we call red herring, a diversionary tactics to divert the attention of suffering Nigerians from the woeful failure of this government….This government has failed on all indices; it’s a government that has made deep corruption its cradle rather than anti-corruption. This is the most corrupt government in Nigeria since the Lugardian amalgamation on January 1, 1914″.

    Although the chief has never known failure in his many crusades on behalf of alleged looters, I will however counsel that the issue of whose administration between Jonathan and Buhari is more corrupt should be left to social scientists who know how to attach weights to public opinion.

    But let us return to issue of looters. So far it is obvious PDP alleged looters are not interested in invalidating Professor Osinbajo’s claim. Their angst seems to be about other suspected APC looters in government whose names did not feature in Lai Mohammed’s list. And here let me also offer an unsolicited advice. If PDP’s current fight with APC is about reinforcing the old theory about Buhari’s alleged selective anti-corruption war, they should stop dissipating energy and equip their arsenals for the 2019 election. Because of their baleful legacies, they cannot make the case better than APC Senator Shehu Sani who has accused the president of fighting corruption among the opposition with insecticide but with deodorant among his own party men. It is also not lost on Nigerian electorate that Pa Bisi Akande, the interim chairman of APC was recently quoted as saying that John Odigie-Oyegun, who has been going around the country recruiting ex PDP alleged looters into the APC, has destroyed the APC he inherited.

    I think, what should be of concern to PDP’s alleged looters is how to establish their innocence, defend their honour and refund whatever they looted with apologies to Nigerians instead of thinking that they can, on the basis of Buhari’s failings, ride back to power in 2019, or on the back of Ayo Fayose and Nyesom Wike, the new owners of PDP.

    But beyond looted N150b, let me also give an unsolicited advice to PDP, Jonathan and Obasanjo their father on areas of concentration as they get ready for 2019. With the retirement of Tony Anenih ‘the fixer’ and Senator Mantu becoming a ‘born again’ politician, they should get answers ready for the following unresolved monumental stealing:

    Obasanjo, who recently dismissed Buhari’s government as “ineffective, incompetent and a failure’ inherited a total power capacity of 1500mw in 1999. He however promised Nigerians while inaugurating the Nigeria Integrated Power Project (NIPP) in 2001 that the scheme would add 10,000MW to the national grid before the end of his term in 2007 and hoped his successors would be driven with the same zeal and move the planned target up to 20,000MW by 2015. President Jonathan himself was to say later that any Nigerian with generator would by 2014 have no need for them. Unfortunately what both father and son bequeathed on Nigeria by 2015 was a meager 3117MW. Jonathan similarly never responded to two United Nations Special Rapporteurs’ November 2013 letter demanding accountability “for a total of $51billion sunk in Nigeria’s power sector over a period of 10 years.”

    In 2011 through acts of omission of Diezani Alison-Madueke, minister of petroleum and Ahmadu Alli, former chairman of Petroleum Products Pricing Regulatory Agency, a whopping N1.7 trillion was, according to House committee probe report, allegedly stolen by those with close links with PDP and government.

    Akinwunmi Adesina, as Minister of Agriculture confirmed during “Agbeloba’ Agro Business Forum 2013″ organised by Ekiti State government that “Nigerian leaders stole N776 billion out of N873 billion released for fertilizer subsidy between 1980 and 2010”. (PDP was in government for 11 of those 30 years).

    There was also the ‘Oduahgate’ in which the minister of aviation was alleged to have approved an expenditure of $800,000 for a BMW armoured car whose market going price is $200,000.

    PDP and their father should also be reminded of EFCC’s claim that the rural electrification exercise “were used as conduit pipes with which funds of the Rural Electrification Agency were siphoned by the two houses” leading to misappropriation of over N10 billion of public funds. We can add for the benefit of those concerned the kerosene rip off through which President Jonathan’s trusted friends allegedly spent over N500b within four years purportedly on kerosene subsidy.

  • Court affirms Fayose’s faction as authentic PDP

    The Court of Appeal in Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State, has affirmed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) faction, led by Chief Gboyega Oguntuase, as the authentic exco.

    The court, in a judgment yesterday, set aside the verdict of the Federal High Court, Ado-Ekiti, delivered by Justice Taiwo Taiwo, which ruled that the Chief Williams Ajayi-led faction was validly elected.

    Ruling on the faction that is constitutionally-empowered to produce the party’s standard-bearer for July 14 governorship election, the court said: “That is the internal mechanism of a party and no court can meddle in that.”

    Oguntuase, who was dissatisfied with the lower court, approached the Appellate Court, urging it to set aside the judgment, which favoured Ajayi.

    A factional crisis erupted in Ekiti PDP on March 9, 2017, when parallel state congresses were held, which produced a faction, led by Oguntuase, loyal to Governor Ayo Fayose.

    Another faction is led by Ajayi, loyal to Senator Buruji Kashamu.

    In the judgment of the three-man panel, read by Justice Fatima Akinbami, the court agreed with the position canvassed by the appellant, saying the PDP has power to regulate itself.

    The court held: “The Supreme Court ruled that the National Convention remains the top most legal body that can regulate the party and said the need to constitute a caretaker committee was agreed at a convention and that made whatever they did at the state level legal.

    “The lower court didn’t even take into cognisance the issue of jurisdiction raised by the defendants (PDP and Oguntuase) that the court lacks the jurisdiction to entertain the suit in the first instance. Rather than consider this, the judge went ahead and delivered his judgment.

    “The issue of preliminary objection raised by these defendants on the strength of jurisdiction and the power of party to regulate itself without interference was valid.

    “We hereby set aside the judgment of the lower court in this regard.”

  • PDP alleges security clampdown on chieftains

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has alleged plots to clampdown on its chieftains and some of its leading lights by the security agencies in the days ahead.

    It accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) administration of orchestrating the plot, with the view to harass, intimidate and incarcerate a number of its prominent chieftains.

    At a media briefing in Abuja on Wednesday, the party’s National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the government is taking the nation through its darkest hours.

    “Our dear nation is now passing through her darkest hours. Our constitutional democracy is under severe attack. Agents of fascism are on the prowl. As we speak, Nigeria, as a nation is being pushed to the brinks and personal freedom of citizens under our constitution is no longer guaranteed.

    “Today, in our country, there is an orchestrated plan by the Federal Government to use the state apparatus of power to coerce, emasculate and effectively decapitate opposition and other dissenting voices, foist a one-party state and push a self-succession bid for President Muhammadu Buhari, seeing that their chances of winning the presidential election gets slimmer by the day.

    “Currently, the APC has fully commenced a major onslaught on leaders and key voices in the main opposition party, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), particularly our state governors, opposition leaders in the National Assembly as well as our presidential hopefuls,” the party said.

    The PDP cited alleged attempts to frame up and humiliate the Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremmadu, as well as its governors, particularly, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike and his Ekiti state counterpart, Ayo Fayose.

    “This is in addition to advanced plots by the Federal Government to clampdown on key leaders of the party and begins to drop in public places, alleged confessional statements made under duress in the desperate attempt to achieve a pre-determined end of validating the bandying of corruption allegations against members of the PDP.

    “We have also been made aware of a special presidential committee put up by the Federal Government to persecute our leaders. Already, no fewer than 28 cases have been filed based on trumped up charges. Also we are privy to series of clandestine meetings between agents of the APC and some compromised judicial officers to get conviction at all cost,” the party added.

  • 2019: Igbo will reject PDP’s VP offer -Nwosu

    …drums support for Buhari’s re-election

     

    All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant and Chief of Staff to the Imo State governor, Uche Nwosu has said that the Igbo will turn down the offer of Vice President by the opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in 2019.

    Nwosu noted that supporting President Muhammadu Buhari’s re-election in 2019 is the best option for the Southeast, adding that the zone cannot afford to scuttle its chances because of a ‘Greek’ gift from the PDP.

    He assured that Ndigbo will benefit more if President Buhari is re-elected, instead of repeating the mistakes of 2015.

    According to him, “Vice Presidential slot in any party including the PDP is a complete waste because what a President can achieve in one day, a Vice President cannot achieve in eight years. The Igbo should not be distracted by any offer from opposition parties but should remain focused and support President Buhari”.

    The Chief of Staff, who was reacting to the President’s recent declaration to run for second term, described it as a good omen for the Igbo, adding it will quicken and brighten the chances of the Southeast to produce the next President as the only zone that has not produced a President yet.

    “If President Buhari is re-elected, it there means that we have only four years to wait but if any other person emerges as President from any other zone, what it means is that we will have to wait for another eight years. This is our best chance and the Igbo should grab it with both hands”, he maintained.

    According to Nwosu, “with the emergence of President Buhari for second term, the Igbo will only have to wait for four years before producing the next President, it will bring  the Igbo closer to the Presidency by 2023. So there is need for every Igbo man irrespective of political party affiliations should support Buhari’s re-election bid”.

    He continued that, “aside from the Igbo Presidency which the Buhari’s second term will secure for the Igbo, he has also done very well for the Southeast. Take the second Niger Bridge for instance, work is going on and you can see it, not the fluke that was done by former President Goodluck Jonathan. The only man that talked about the Port Harcourt-Enugu road, the Onitsha-Enugu road, is President Buhari.

    “Today we have a Cargo Airport in Owerri and President Buhari did it and today, Anambra state has been enlisted among the oil producing states, all these and many more are done by President Buhari, President Goodluck didn’t do it for us.

    “So when you look at the whole scenario you will find out that President Buhari has a lot to offer the Igbo. Remember that the South West played a very clever game and today they are better for it but we are crying, that is the more reason we should support Buhari to avoid another mistake.

    “And besides the anti-corruption war the man is fighting is yielding great results and you cannot start such war and abandon it half way. We need to give him time to complete all these numerous work he is doing in the country.  What President Buhari is doing, is laying a solid foundation for whichever President that will come after him to build on”.

    Commenting on his governorship ambition, Nwosu assured that the APC will come out of the primaries stronger, stating that, “if I emerge as the APC candidate, I will work with all other aspirants and it will be a win-win situation for everyone. We are not going to leave anyone behind because we will need all shades of opinion and wealth of experience to move the state forward”.

    Read Also: Kalu predicts Igbo presidency in 2023

  • PDP alleges plans by APC, INEC to rig Ekiti poll

    The leadership of Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), has alleged plans by the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the Ekiti State governorship election billed for July.

    PDP National Chairman Prince Uche Secondus made the allegation yesterday when the German Ambassador in Nigeria, Dr. Bernhard Schlagheck, visited the party leadership at its Abuja secretariat.

    Secondus complained to the envoy that instead of fulfilling its campaign promises to Nigerians, the APC administration had plunged the country into crises.

    The party chair, who called on the international community to prevail on the incumbent administration to ensure a free and fair election, said the Ekiti poll would be the first test for the administration.

    He said information indicated that APC and INEC had perfected plans rig the election.

    Secondus said election rigging and vote manipulation had been the causes of leadership crisis in Africa, adding: “When citizens are deprived of their right to vote, it generates crisis that may be difficult to control.”

    He said: “?Nigeria is an important country in Africa. The best we can give to our people is an election that will be transparent, an election that will be credible, an election that all- both local and international- will welcome.

    “So we urge APC and INEC to ensure one man, one vote. We did that during the election in 2015, but they are not assuring us of this, which means ?there is a great fear in the land that the election is not going to be free and fair? despite the promises made by INEC.”

    The German Ambassador said he was visiting parties ahead of the 2019 elections, adding that he would report the information gathered to his country.

  • Credible poll best APC can give Nigerians in 2019 – PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has said that the best that the All Progressives Congress (APC) can give to Nigerians in 2019 is to conduct one-man one-vote general elections.

    PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, said this when he received the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr Bernhard Schlagheck, who paid a courtesy call on the party’s national leadership on Tuesday in Abuja.

    Secondus attributed lack of free and fair elections as one of the major causes of crisis in Africa.

    “When citizens are deprived of their right to vote that will generate crisis that might be difficult to control.

    “Nigeria is an important country in the continent of Africa.

    “The best we can give to our people is election that will be transparent, election that will be credible, election that both local and international community will welcome.

    “So, we urge the governing APC that the best they can give this country is to offer one  man, one vote.

    Secondus said that Ekiti governorship election scheduled for July would be a test for the APC administration.

    Secondus urged the international community to prevail on the APC administration to ensure free and fair elections.

    Secondus, however, said that the PDP had embarked on two major platforms; namely generation next and rescue mission, to protect the party ahead of 2019 general elections.

    He explained that generation next was to ensuring mentoring for the youths, while the rescue mission aimed at salvaging the country.

    Speaking earlier, Schlagheck, said he was in PDP as part of a tour of all political parties in Nigeria ahead of the 2019 polls.

    The ambassador added that his report would be sent to his country, Germany. (NAN)

  • APC, INEC planning to rig Ekiti poll – PDP

    The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday alleged plans by the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to rig the Ekiti State governorship election slated for July.

    The National Chairman of the PDP, Prince Uche Secondus, made the allegation when the German Ambassador to Nigeria, Dr. Bernhard Schlagheck, paid a courtesy call on the party’s leadership at its Abuja secretariat.

    The PDP chairman told the envoy that instead of fulfilling its campaign promises to Nigerians, the APC administration has plunged the country into several crises.

    Secondus, who called on the international community to prevail on the government to ensure free and fair election in Ekiti.

    He said the election would be the first test for the administration.

    According to him, available information indicated that the APC and the INEC have perfected plans rig the election.

    Secondus observed that election rigging and vote manipulation have been the major cause of leadership crisis in Africa, adding that “when citizens are deprived of their right to vote, it generates crisis that would be difficult to control.”

    He said: “‎Nigeria is an important country in the continent of Africa. The best we can give to our people is election that will be transparent, election that will be credible, election that all; both local and international will welcome.

    “So we urge the governing APC that the best they can give this country is to offer one man, one vote. We did that during the electoral campaign in 2015 but they are not assuring this, which means that ‎there is a great fear in the land that the election is not going to be free and fair‎ despite all the promises made by INEC.”

     

     

  • APC chieftains defect to PDP in Ekiti

    Some members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)  in Ayetoro-Ekiti, Ido/Osi Local Government Area  of Ekiti State.

    The defectors tore their  membership cards and burnt their brooms as a mark of exit from their former party.

    They were led by former APC Deputy Chairmanin in Ido/Osi Council, Mr James Afolabi, and the Obanla of Ayetoro, High Chief Joseph Olaiya.

    They were received into the PDP by the Deputy Governor, Prof. Kolapo Olusola; House of Assembly Speaker, Mr. Kola Oluwawole and Assembly member representing Ido/Osi Constituency 11, Mr. Abiola Jeje.

    The defectors said they were impressed with what they called “developmental strides of Governor Ayo Fayose,” promising to work for the election  of his “anointed candidate,” Olusola.

    They claimed that the APC lacked internal democracy, adding that  the PDP, which is better organised, will give members the opportunity for participatory democracy.

    On of the defectors, Oluwole Gbenga, said he left the APC for thePDP because of the people-oriented programmes of the Fayose administration.

    Olaiya said the Fayose administration has impacted positively had more positive impact on the life of people at the grassroots than the previous administrations.

    Olaiya said: “I am defecting because I have seen the efforts of the PDP. The purposeful government the PDP is giving the state is one of the factors that enticed me to cross over from the APC to the PDP.”

    A member of the House of Assembly representing Ido/Osi Constituency 11, Hon.  Jeje, explained that the defectors were thrilled by the good works of the Fayose administration.

    Jeje noted that the defectors voluntarily defected to join the “moving train of the Ayo Fayose” to attract more developmental projects to their area.

    The lawmaker lauded the step taken by new members of the party, adding that they would be accorded the rights and privileges enjoyed by old members of the party.

    Prof. Olusola, who received the defectors on behalf of the party leadership, pointed out that there is no discrimination in the PDP.

    He said the defectors would be integrated into the party.

    According to him, the PDP stands for light and development, adding that the defectors left the APC, which he accused of “plunging Ekiti into debts.”

    Olusola, who also spoke on education sector, explained that the sector was in distress before Fayose came to revive it.

    This, he said, was evident in the ranking of the state at the senior secondary school’s examination where the state came first.

    Olusola urged the people to work for continuity by retaing the PDP in power in Ekiti state.

  • Accord, PDP say they will defeat Buhari in 2019

    Two political parties, Accord and the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Oyo state  are already day-dreaming about wresting political power from the All Progressives Congress and President Muhammadu Buhari, following  Buhari’s declaration that he would run for a second term in 2019.

    The secretaries of the two parties  said  Buhari’s announcement of his plan to  to seek re-election has brightened the chances of their parties.

    Mr Wasiu Emiola, the  Secretary of PDP,  said that President Buhari’s declaration has further made it easier for the PDP to defeat APC in the 2019 presidential election.

    Mr John Igbinsola, the state Secretary of Accord party, described President Buhari as a joker.

    Igbinsola claimed  some  cabals were pushing the president to re-contest because of their selfish interest.

    ”President Buhari is acting the scripts of certain politicians that want to further enslave the masses through anti-people policies.

    ”But Accord party will present credible presidential candidate that will wrest power from the APC government, come 2019,” he said.

    Emiola of the PDP said  the APC led Federal government had lost its credibility due to its “poor performance” in the last three years.

    He alleged that APC government was characterised by nepotism, adding that the anti corruption war of the Buhari administration was below the expectations of Nigerians.

    ”President Buhari’s  re-election bid will not get the support of the masses as against what it was in 2015.” Emiola predicted

    Meanwhile, Mr Emmanuel Ajayi, an Ibadan based lawyer, said that it is  the constitutional right of the President to re-contest for second term.

    Ajayi said the people have the voting power to choose who govern them and tasked opposition parties to do their homework effectively in choosing personalities that would slug it out with the ruling party.

    He described the declaration as the beauty of democracy, saying the development would enliven political ambience  towards the  2019 general elections.

    The lawyer  cautioned politicians against inciting statements that could heat up the polity. He urged them to play politics in accordance with the rules.(NAN)

  • Buhari’s declaration is APC’s internal affairs – PDP

    The Peoples Democratic Party ( PDP ) has described the formal declaration of President Muhammadu Buhari’s 2019 re-election bid as internal affairs of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    A terse statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Kola Ologbondiyan, said the declaration has placed President Buhari among the ranks of aspirants seeking to be the President of the country with effective from May 29, 2019.

    “Until he becomes the candidate of the APC, we will not spend precious time on his mere show of interest,” the PDP said.