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  • Ekiti APC lawmakers blast PDP counterparts

    Ekiti APC lawmakers blast PDP counterparts

    The 19 All Progressives Congress (APC) lawmakers in the Ekiti State House of Assembly have blasted their Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) colleagues for passing three bills yesterday, saying they acted against the law.

    They also warned that their actions, since the invasion of the Assembly by thugs, cannot pass the test of legality.

    A statement by the Special Adviser on Media to Speaker Adewale Omirin, Wole Olujobi, said the exercise was not conducted by a lawful and properly constituted House of Assembly, and so the action was ultra vire without any force of law.

    “For the Assembly to pass such important bills of public importance, you must allow the law to flourish. Besides, all the three bills cannot be passed into law without public hearings by stakeholders.

    “For the House to be properly constituted for such exercise, at least two-thirds of all members, including the Speaker and Majority Leader, must be present during the sitting. But in this instance, nothing of such happened,” Olujobi said.

    He added that the three bills- State Forestry Bill 2015; College of Education, Ikere Ekiti, Bill 2015; and a Bill for a Law for the Establishment of Order of Precedence of Public Officers and Other Persons in Ekiti State and for Other Connected Matters 2015- were public policy bills that could not be passed into law without public hearings.

    He said what the action of the lawmakers, backed by Governor Ayodele Fayose, had done was turning the serious business of lawmaking to a moonlight prank by exuberant playboys.

    He said it was regrettable that the lawmakers allowed themselves to be used as pawns.

    “Six months in the saddle, Ekiti people have known the direction of the governor as exemplified in his policies and actions.

    “Where are the motorcycle riders now? Where are the market women and artisans on whose backs he rode to power?

    “Where are the jobs he promised? Have PDP members who laboured for his purported election been compensated?

    “What can Ekiti people point to except bloated debts figures by the governor and robbers who stalk Ekiti people at night?”

  • PDP can’t subvert people’s will, says Oni

    The Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Segun Oni, has warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against making attempts to subvert the will of the people

    Oni urged Nigerians to be vigilant, warning against any move to sabotage the use of the Card Reader in the general elections.

    The former Ekiti State governor declared that nobody could change the rule of the game any longer, noting that the people are confident the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) would conduct a free, fair, transparent and credible poll.

    Speaking yesterday on Sunrise Daily, a Channels Television breakfast programme, monitored in Ado-Ekiti, Oni said Nigerians could see the   desperation of the PDP-led Federal Government.

    The APC chief said his party had information on alleged plots by the PDP to sabotage the deployment of the Card Reader.

    When asked about the possibility of forcing INEC to allow people to vote with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) without using the Card Reader, Oni said Nigerians were seeing the hands of the “unseen manipulator”.

    Oni said: “Nigerians are seeing the hands of the unseen manipulator, I hope it never happens. Let us see what the sovereign will of the people will do. We want to believe that it can’t happen.

    “Nobody can change the rule of this game any longer. Nobody should attempt to change it, we are ready and everyone must be ready to play by the rules of the game.

    “I believe we can go ahead with the election but we can encourage INEC to do whatever it can. PVCs were used in Ekiti State without the Card Reader and over 50 per cent of the people voted.

    “We are never going to get 100 per cent PVCs collection but my appeal to Nigerians is that let us go into the election with what we get.”

    Asked why he left PDP, Oni said he quit the ruling party because people of questionable characters were being elevated  while people of integrity were being relegated.

    Oni added: “They have promoted those who people will never want to identify with. I cannot align my conscience with some things that are happening in PDP.

    “I cannot do anything that I cannot be proud of, that my children cannot be proud of. I cannot recommend my governor to my children as a role model. Anybody that I cannot recommend to my children as a role model, I cannot recommend such a person to my state.”

    The APC chieftain promised that an APC-led Federal Government would equip the Armed Forces to strengthen it to defend the territorial integrity of the nation while the police and the Department of State Services would be empowered to deliver.

  • PDP campaign petitions IGP on violence

    The Abia State Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) campaign team has petitioned Inspector-General of Police (IGP) Suleiman Abba on the alleged shooting of a PDP member, Frank Dickson, by the campaign team of a rival party, in Ikwuano Local Government.

    The group is insisting that the IGP should order an investigation into the alleged shooting, which occurred at a town hall meeting at Umujiocha square in Nno Oboro.

    Addressing reporters in Umuahia, spokesman of the PDP campaign organisation, Kingsley Emereuwa, said they petitioned the IGP because politicians were heating up the polity.

    He described the shooting as a serious incident that needed intervention, saying security operatives should bring the culprits to book.

    The police command urged politicians not to use “hate words”, but abide by the peace accord signed with the command.

    The advice was contained in a statement by police spokesman Geoffrey Ogbonna, who said Police Commissioner Joshack Habila has asked politicians to stop heating up the polity.

  • Jonathan’s wife was in Ekiti to entertain – APC

    Jonathan’s wife was in Ekiti to entertain – APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) in Ekiti State, said Monday’s campaign visit to Ekiti state by the First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan was a mere entertainment and comical show rather than an opportunity to prove reasons the ruling People’s Democratic Party (PDP) deserves re-election

    The party said Mrs. Jonathan only showcased her theatrics prowess instead of a more robust and issue-based electioneering to list her husband’s achievements in Ekiti in the last four years and what are his plans for the state if he wins.

    The Ekiti APC tasked the First Lady to emulate the wife of its presidential candidate, Mrs. Aisha Buhari, who has shown class and panache in her campaign engagements, giving hope to Nigerians for a serious and purposeful leadership ‎that will take Nigeria back on track of development.

    In a statement on Tuesday by its Publicity Secretary, Taiwo Olatubosun, the party regretted that the First Lady only came to Ekiti State to entertain the indigenes as people without aspirations for good life and development.

    He regretted that Mrs. Jonathan and host Governor Ayo Fayose treated Ekiti people and other Nigerians watching the event life on the television to insipid and dry comedy with their speeches lacking grace.

    Olatubosu pointed out that throughout the campaign programme, ‎Mrs. Jonathan created impression that what Ekiti people needed was entertainment and theatrics to quench their thirst for growth and development.

    He said: “Throughout her speech, she manifested an image of a village masquerade providing a momentary comic relief to a poverty ravaged community not in a hurry for socio-economic salvation.

    “You would have thought that the First Lady would list her husband’s achievements in Ekiti State and then give the people some hope that her husband would build upon those achievements.

    “But she engaged in a duet with her host and soul mate, Governor Ayo Fayose, in an empty campaign comedy to a thoroughly dazed enlightened Ekiti people.

    “It was a perfect duet by two comedians that one does not need any counsel‎ that Nigeria must be rescued from the captivity of the costumed ‘people of power’ without responsibility.”

    The APC spokesman berated Mrs. Jonathan ‎for relentless attacks on APC presidential candidate, General Muhammadu Buhari, saying her conduct betrayed a woman hit by failure of her ‘husband’s mandate to govern Nigeria along the path of development  but was now acting desperately in railroading Nigerians into accepting a visionless leadership as a fate that must be embraced.

    His words: “She was consistently painting Buhari as a man that would herd Nigerians into jail without committing any crime whereas Buhari only insisted that criminals during his coming administration would go to jail.

    “She said she was not ready to prepare food for Fayose in jail‎. Inadvertently, Mrs. Jonathan was telling Nigerians ‎that Fayose is a candidate for the prison if Buhari wins.”

    Olatubosun challenged the First Lady to tell Ekiti people the benefits of SURE-P ‎she flaunted at the rally, saying the programme was just a bazaar for a few selfish party leaders without any benefit for the entire citizenry.

    He also faulted her claim that women were appointed into government positions in Ekiti State by Fayose, saying this was a clear case of falsehood, which had become synonymous with Jonathan’s administration.

    “Fayose has a four-man cabinet running his government. Apart from the Secretary to the State Government, where are the other women Fayose has appointed?

    “Mrs. Jonathan only came to Ekiti to entertain in a political theatre full of deceits and false props constructed by Fayose for maximum personal profits,” Olatubosun explained.

    Stressing that Ekiti people had made up their minds to vote Buhari, he added that ‎they had become wiser and would not vote a regime that did not hold any promise for their future.

     

     

  • Polls: PDP can’t subvert people’s will – Oni

    Polls: PDP can’t subvert people’s will – Oni

    The Deputy National Chairman (South) of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Chief Segun Oni, has warned the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) against making attempts to subvert the sovereign will of the people at the fast-approaching general election.

    Oni who urged Nigerians to be vigilant in the few days ahead warned against any move to sabotage the use of Smart Card Readers to accredit voters at the election.

    The former Governor of Ekiti State declared that nobody can change the rule of the game any longer noting that Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has gained the confidence of Nigerians in its resolve to organize a free, fair transparent and credible poll.

    Speaking on Sunrise Daily, a CHANNELS Television breakfast programme on Tuesday which was monitored in Ado-Ekiti, Oni said Nigerians can see desperation of the PDP-led Federal Government in making subterranean moves to override the people’s sovereignty by sheer wickedness.

    The APC chief revealed that his party has information on alleged plots by the PDP to sabotage the deployment of smart card readers which he believes would add credibility to the electoral process.

    Oni argued that Nigerians don’t have to wait before information becomes reality saying there is nothing wrong in raising alarm over unconstitutional acts capable of throwing the country into chaos.

    When asked on the possibility of forcing INEC to allow voters to vote with their Permanent Voter Cards (PVCs) without using card readers, Oni said Nigerians are seeing the hands of the “unseen manipulator.”

    Oni said: “Nigerians a seeing the hands of the unseen manipulator, I hope it never happens. Let us see what the sovereign will of the people will do.

    “We want to believe that it can’t happen, that cannot happen. If in a football match after 75 minutes, the referee now says that if you kick an opponent in the centre circle and the referee points to the penalty spot, will that game continue?

    “Nobody can change the rule of this game any longer. Nobody should attempt to change it, we are ready and every I situation must be ready to play by the rule of the game.

    “I believe we can go ahead with the election but we can encourage INEC to do whatever it can. PVCs was used in Ekiti State without the add reader and over 50 per cent of the people voted.

    “We are never going to get 100 per cent of PVCs collection but my appeal to Nigerians is that let us go into the election with what we get.”

    Responding to another question on why he left PDP, Oni said he quit the ruling party because people of questionable characters are being elevated in the party while people of integrity Re being relegated.

    Oni said further: “They have promoted those who they will never want to identify with. I cannot align my conscience with some things that are happening in PDP.

    “I cannot do anything that I cannot be proud of, that my children cannot be proud of. I became the National Vice Chairman (Southwest) of the PDP; I discovered that party was derailing.

    “I cannot recommend my (state) governor to my children as a role model. Anybody that I cannot recommend to my children as a role model, I cannot recommend such a person to my state.”

    Oni promised that an APC-led Federal Government would equip the Armed Forces to strengthen it to defend the territorial integrity of the nation while the Police and the Department of State Services would be empowered to deliver.

    The APC stalwart said if the state police being canvassed for by a section of Nigerians is what would guarantee them security, such requests would be considered.

    He expressed regret that President Goodluck Jonathan can’t differentiate between stealing and corruption which he said indicated that he is incapable of tackling corruption.

     

  • APC accuses PDP of plot to sabotage Card Readers

    APC accuses PDP of plot to sabotage Card Readers

    FROM the streets and the court rooms, the battle against the Card Reader is set to move into another realm – technology.

    The independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) insists the Card Reader will make the March 28 and April 11 elections credible as it will, among others, fasten and smoothen accreditation.

    But the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) rejects the machine, saying little is known about its workings.

    Amid the arguments, the All Progressives Congress (APC), which supports the use of the Card Reader, is accusing the President Goodluck Jonathan administration and the PDP of planning to jam the machine on voting day.

    For the job, said the APC, an Israeli has been hired.

    He, according to the party, has developed three prototype Card Reader jammers (25 metres, 50 metres and 100 metres range) to be carried in the pockets of trusted PDP chiefs on election day to disable Card Readers.

    It is all to justify the PDP’s fears about the Card Reader, the APC said.

    ‘’We can authoritatively inform Nigerians that the morbid fear of card readers by the Jonathan Administration and the PDP has now been translated into concrete action: They have hired an Israeli to do the dirty job of jamming the card readers,’’ the party said in a statement issued yesterday in Lagos by its National Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Lai Mohammed.

    ‘’To those who might accuse us of crying wolf, they should realise that every alarm we have raised in the past has been true, including that the Jonathan Administration was pushing for the postponement of

    the elections and that they are mortally afraid of the use of PVCs and card readers.”

    APC said besides disabling the card readers, the jammers will also disable all telephones, iPads, etc within the states radius of those carrying them on their persons.

    It said an order had been placed for 75,000 pieces of the jammers at $ 200 per piece, bringing the total cost to $15 million. The jammers will be air freighted to Nigeria next week, said the APC.

    ‘’The plan is to deploy the card jammers to the areas deemed to be the strongholds of the APC, such as the North-west, Northeast, North-central and the South-west.

    ‘’It is the planned procurement of the jammers that has given the confidence to the Administration and party officials to continuously boast that Buhari will never rule Nigeria, and also the reason why a chieftain of the PDP boasted last week that the card readers won’t work, thus advising INEC to make alternative arrangements,’’ the APC said.

    The party said the Israeli, who has agreed to do the dirty job for a desperate Jonathan Administration and the PDP, is an enemy of Nigeria and Nigerians, who does not mind if the nation burns, as long as he has collected his pay.

    It said because the opposition party has become a movement which is being propelled by the people themselves, it is difficult, if not impossible, for the Jonathan sdministration and the PDP to succeed in

    their devilish intentions of rigging, sabotaging or scuttling the elections.

    ‘’We have consistently said power resides in the people, irrespective of what the government of the day might think. When the people are determined to vote out any government, no amount of money, evil plots and shenanigans can save that government, as the Jonathan Administration will find out in two weeks,’’ APC said.

    The PDP denied it all as “false alarms aimed at throwing the polity into chaos and wreck the electoral process”.

    A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh also accused the opposition of engaging in a “dangerous mind game”.

    The PDP accused APC of “using wild allegations in a bid to cause panic, balkanise the nation and create the way for a reign of anarchy in the country”.

    The statement went on: “For the APC, it has become a matter of ‘if we can’t have it, then let’s destroy it’. In the last couple of weeks, this opposition party and its leaders have engaged in dishing out dangerous false alarms in a bid to discredit the electoral process, heighten tension, create fear in the minds of the people and push the polity to the brinks.

    The PDP described as false alarm the reported plot to kill the leader of the opposition, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, presidential standard bearer, General Muhammadu Buhari.

    “Also, on the same March 15, the APC, in a yet another statement, falsely claimed that the Federal Government paid N9 billion to ethnic militias to foment trouble, before, during and after the general elections. This was immediately followed by a release on Monday, March 16, in which the opposition, in their unrelenting effort to further discredit the process, alleged that the Federal Government has hired an Israeli expert, Gyora Berger, to sabotage card readers on election day.

    “In the same vein, on March 4, 2015, the APC released a false alarm, claiming that there were plots by the Federal Government to frame its leaders and … sensitive INEC officials and manipulate the electoral process. This is in addition to another statement on March 9 in which it alleged plots to harass its financiers and cripple its operations ahead of elections.

    “We are aware that the APC has lined up many of such false allegations and nuisance alarms, which would be methodologically released to the public to swell the tension as the elections draw nearer.”

    The PDP charged its members to remain focused on the campaigns and not to allow themselves to be distracted, saying the party enjoys the support and confidence of majority of Nigerians.

    The party said it was committed to issue driven campaigns, adding that it would leverage on the “enviable records” of achievements of the standard bearer, President Goodluck Jonathan, “for which Nigerians are determined to give him a deserving second chance”.

  • ‘Don’t vote by sentiment’

    ‘Don’t vote by sentiment’

    The Southern Nigeria Peoples Mandate has called on Southern Nigerians not to be deceived by sentiment to vote for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the presidential election on March 28.

    The President of the group, a socio-political organization, made up of Concerned Southsouth Movement (CSSM), Southwest Business League (SWBL), Southeast Peoples Agenda  (SEPA) and Ndigbo Unity Forum (NUF), Mr Augustine Chibudum, said President Goodluck Jonathan has failed in the past five years, adding that there was no reason for him to be reelected.

    Speaking in Calabar, he said, “We wish to alert the people of Southern Nigeria not to be deceived by the PDP and their presidential candidate. The people should not be deceived into voting for the president for a second term because his five years in office has been a failure. Someone that has led a country for five years and failed, there is no guarantee that he will alleviate our problems if given the mandate again. This is a government that under his watch N30 trillion was mismanaged as alleged by former Central Bank governor, Professor Chukwuma Soludo, and the presidency instead of dealing with it and recovering the money and put it back into the Nigerian economy to alleviate the suffering of the masses of this country, he went and defended the government by telling the world that the government for the past years is not up to that amount.

    Chibudum added: “Such answer is baseless. This is a leader that says that corruption is not stealing. So what kind of leader is that? What does he have to offer the nation? Under this administration, we have had the worst political crime, whereby billions of naira is looted in the name of subsidy. As I speak to you today, Nigeria is supposed to have a minimum of eight refineries in this country. We don’t need to import fuel into this country.

    “They are stealing our money under the guise of subsidy. In the 2015 budget, from what I heard, about N900 billion was budgeted for subsidy. What are they subsidising while the money can be used to build standard refineries that can refine up six to seven hundred thousand barrels of crude oil daily? And this will surpass the amount of PMS and kerosene that is needed for consumption in this country.

    “We hereby call on our people to reject this government come March 28, 2015.  The government is full of fraud. Money is being stolen in trillions, not even billions.

    “Nigerians should also ignore all the falsehood being peddled against the APC presidential candidate in the name of Geneeral Muhamadu Buhari.  A personality like that should not be attacked. We want to call on the PDP, more importantly, the PDP presidential spokesman, Fani Kayode, to stop the character assassination and all the falsehood peddled against APC and its candidates. If Nigeria people want change, it is left for the masses.

    The group’s leader also objected to the call for the resignation of Prof. Attahiru Jega as the umpire. He stressed: “On the issue of the INEC Chairman, Attahiru Jega, I want to call on the people making noise about him to stop it with immediate effect. Because Jega has not done anything wrong. The man wants to conduct election, a fair, free and credible election that should be acceptable to international standard. We are issuing this warning that they should stop demanding for his sack. If anything happens to that man we will not let them go free. They should stop the threats. Nigeria does not want war again. We want to live in peace and harmony in this county. We are united and indivisible. So these separatist leaders should stop making this noise.”

  • Tension in Ilase, Ibokun over PDP attack on APC

    There is tension in Ilase and Ibokun in Obokun Local Government Area of Osun State as thugs suspected to be members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) attacked the campaign train of the All Progressives Congress (APC), led by Governor Rauf Aregbesola.

    An eyewitness account said Aregbesola and his entourage had gone to pay homage to the Onilase of Ilase-Ijesa, when the crisis started.

    Several APC members were injured in the attack.

    It was gathered that posters of contestants, APC flags and the podium on which the governor was to address the gathering were destroyed.

    However, the PDP said it was not true.

    In a telephone interview, the state PDP Chairman, Alhaji Gani Ola-Oluwa, said the APC has always been attacking PDP members.

    Ola-Oluwa urged the people to disregard the claim  saying the APC is only seeking attention.

    A statement by the governor through his media aide, Semiu Okanlawon, said an APC woman member’s ear was slashed with a matchet.

    Aregbesola condemned the attack, which he described as barbaric.

    The statement said the hoodlums shot into the air sporadically to scare the waiting APC crowd before freely destroying tflags, posters and the campaign podium.

    “In the melee, people fled to safety as the PDP thugs had a field day unleashing mayhem on innocent people.

    “When the governor returned to the campaign ground, he was shocked by what he saw, describing it as callous and condemnable.

    “We, as a party, are responsible and peace-loving. We are loved by the people.

    “It is those who do not have electoral value who will attack the same people they ought to patronise for votes.

    “We are popular and we are on ground. These people resort to violence because they know that they don’t have the support of the people.

    “We, however, remain undaunted. We will not be cowed by anybody in the state.

    “In the last four years, my government has restored peace to the state.

    “We call on security agencies to be proactive and deal with anyone whose sole agenda is to cause violence in the state.”

  • ‘I’ve no plans to dump PDP’

    The running mate to the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the 2012 election in Ondo State, Saka Lawal, has denied rumours that he has defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Lawal described the rumour as unfounded and capable of misleading the public.

    Lawal said he had never contemplated leaving the PDP, a platform he described as a bastion of freedom and democratic values.

    “I have never contemplated leaving a party that has accommodated me and my structure in 2012. Being the PDP deputy governorship candidate in 2012 is a testimony to the ambience of freedom and unhindered freewill obtainable in an ideal democratic setting which PDP system offers its members.’’

  • ‘Resist PDP’s pressure’

    Special adviser to Oyo State Governor on Political Matters Gbade Ojo and a member of the House of Representatives, representing Ibadan North, Abiodun Awoleye, have advised the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to resist any pressure from the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on the use of the Card Reader.

    The duo said the Card Reader would help the commission know the number of accredited voters, adding that it is mischievous to hear that some parties are working against the Card Reader.

    Ojo said: “INEC is working to ensure that the elections are not rigged. PDP is trying to stop the use of the Card Reader so that it can inflate the result of the elections in its strongholds.

    Awoleye said: “I wonder why they are trying to create tension when there is no reason for it. They are aware before that Prof Jega was going to use the Card Reader for the elections. They did not condemn it then.