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Tag: PDP

  • Tukur resumes at NRC

    Tukur resumes at NRC

    Former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Chairman, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, yesterday resumed at the Nigeria Railway Corporation (NRC).

    He described President Goodluck Jonathan’s transformation agenda as one which had awakened the sleeping giant that was the Railway.

    Tukur, who praised the level of funding for the corporation, assured that there would be adequate funding to ensure the success of the corporation.

    He said he was bringing to the saddle a wealth of experience, which saw him leave a legacy at the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA), where he built 18 ports across the country within five years.

    “There is the will, the wish and the available capacity to bring about the kind of capacity we deserve as Nigerians and this is what we are bringing to this job,” Tukur said.

    He pledged to heal the Railways and leave a legacy of transformation that would surpass his achievements at the NPA.

    Said Tukur: “I have come to see for myself what is on ground. My appointment is to find a healing for the age-old institution and with the support of other members of the board of directors and management of this corporation, we will achieve success.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • Gundiri dumps APC for PDP

    Mr. Markus Gundiri, one of the founding members of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Adamawa, has dumped the party for the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).

    Addressing newsmen on Monday in Yola, Gundiri said that his decision to defect to the PDP was based on “breach of trust and lack of accommodation’’ in the APC.

    Gundiri, a gubernatorial candidate on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) in the Feb. 2012 election in the state, said his action was aimed at “strengthening democratic norms and principles.’’

    He said that he was initially optimistic that the fusion of the ACN, CPC and ANPP to form the APC would provide a rare opportunity for the APC to defeat the PDP in the 2015 gubernatorial election in the state.

    He listed “injustice and impunity’’ displayed by the interim committee of the APC as other reasons that forced him to dump the APC for the PDP.

    Gundiri criticised the way the interim committee of the APC was constituted in the state without “due recognition and respect’’ for senior partners in the coalition that formed the APC.

    He alleged that trained registration supervisors were not allowed to handle the APC membership registration in some local government areas of the state as demanded by law, adding that the exercise was cancelled in some local government areas.

    He called on his supporters and the electorate in the state to support the PDP to move the state forward in 2015.

    He said that arrangements were on to receive him and his supporters into the PDP.

     

  • CP advises against do-or-die politics

    CP advises against do-or-die politics

    The Nasarawa State Commissioner of Police, Alhaji Ibrahim Idris, yesterday advised politicians against “do-or-die politics.’’

    The commissioner gave the advice at an interactive session with leaders of the All Progressive Congress (APC) and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) ahead of the councils’ polls slated for March 22.

    He said that politicians should make decorum their watchword while playing politics, describing that as necessary for peaceful elections.

    “Politicians must avoid acts that portray them as desperate, they must avoid being selfish.’’

    Idris admonished the leadership of the two parties to enlighten their followers on the need to be orderly during the election, vowing to deal decisively with anybody or group, who might want to foment trouble.

    He said that the police had made adequate arrangements toward a peaceful election, calling for support from stakeholders toward a rancour-free poll.

     

     

    Idris cautioned politicians against using thugs to disrupt the elections, saying that he would arrest such thugs and make examples of them.

  • ‘How FG underdevelops Ekiti’

    Ekiti State yesterday lamented what it described as “federal government’s systematic neglect and impoverishment of the state.”

    Listing a minimum of 26 projects spread across the state abandoned by the FG over the last twelve years, Ekiti noted efforts had been made to alert concerned federal Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs) to ensure completion of the projects to no avail.

    The Commissioner for Information and Civic Orientation, Mr. Tayo Ekundayo, and his counterparts in Integration and Inter-government Affairs, Mr. Funminiyi Afuye, spoke with reporters  in Ado-Ekiti, capital of the state, on the issue yesterday.

    They accused the federal government of diverted projects meant for Ekiti to other states.

    Ekundayo disclosed the state is being owed N8billion out of the N12billion expended on some federal roads across the state.

    Ekundayo said: “I believe we have the evidence that the PDP-led government has not only neglected Ekiti in terms of not properly funding its ongoing projects but has also pursued a policy of deliberate under-development of the state by not bringing projects that are of benefit to the people.”

    Afuye clarified that many of the projects being executed in the state by the federal government were imposed as the government was never consulted at any point in time.

    He said: “It seems Ekiti is not part of the federation. Aside the fact of extreme fewness of federal projects allocated to Ekiti, worse even is the fact that the few ones were not diligently prosecuted.’’

     

  • Centenary: Jonathan has restored unity, says PDP

    Centenary: Jonathan has restored unity, says PDP

    President Goodluck Jonathan has restored unity with the centenary celebrations, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) stated yesterday.

    The celebrations, the party added, have ushered in a new and beautiful era of oneness, brotherliness, unity and peace in the nation.

    A statement by the National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Chief Olisa Metuh, commended the president for organising the event.

    The PDP said: “It not only succeeded in putting the nation on the international arena to showcase our best but also fostered unity and genuine reconciliation among our leaders and the people.”

    The statement said: “The Centenary celebrations have ushered in a new era. They have rekindled the Nigerian spirit in all of us. They have revived our sense of patriotism; our inner love for one another as one people under God.

    “The Centenary concert not only reminded us of our common root but also pointed us to our rich heritage, which comes alive only when we combine our energies as a people.

    “It showed we are indeed one people determined to succeed and that our divisions are as ephemeral as they are artificial.”

    The PDP added: “Nigerians were moved and their hopes of a peaceful great nation were rekindled when they saw former President Shehu Shagari, General Muhammadu Buhari, General Ibrahim Babangida and General Abdusalami Abubakar come together.

    “Nigerians were moved when they saw General Olusegun Obasanjo and President Goodluck Jonathan together irrespective of their perceived misunderstandings.

    “This shows that our differences and disagreements as a nation do not get to the bones and can always be resolved.

    “Let us stand up and collectively establish and defend the unity and greatness of our dear nation so that the labours of our heroes past shall not and shall not be in vain.”

  • PDP members join APC in Apapa

    Over 100 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Apapa Local Government Area of Lagos State have defected to the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    The defectors were led by two former PDP councillorship candidates, Alhaji Shaliu Yusuf (Ward B) and Alhaji Haruna Ibrahim (Ward D).

    They were received into the APC by the Head of the party’s Interim Council Committee, Mr. Babatunde Balogun, and Apapa Local Government Chairman Ayodeji Joseph at the APC Secretariat on Udegbunam Lane during the monthly general meeting.

    Balogun, a former commissioner for Home Affairs and Culture, praised the defectors for abandoning the “sinking boat that the PDP represents” and welcomed them into the progressives’ fold.

    He described their defection as “a political revolution”.

    Balogun assured the defectors of a level playing field in the APC and urged them to be active in their wards.

  • PDP,APC disagree over kidnap of members

    PDP,APC disagree over kidnap of members

    THE All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State has rejected the accusation that it was responsible for the kidnap of some Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) members.

    The PDP accused Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the APC of masterminding the kidnap of three of its members in Port Harcourt.

    Gunmen, on Wednesday, reportedly abducted the Port Harcourt City Local Government Area (PHALGA) PDP Chairman Ikechi Chinda, former House of Representatives member Chinyere Igwe and Allwell Ihunda from their homes in the Eagle Island axis of Port Harcourt.

    The party, in a statement yesterday by its chairman, Felix Obuah, accused Amaechi and his loyalists of the kidnap.

    He said: “After a careful examination of the circumstances surrounding the abduction of our party leaders, the party believes that the abduction was masterminded by Governor Rotimi Amaechi and the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    “We are shocked that Governor Amaechi is playing politics with the security of life and property in the state.”

    He gave him 72 hours to release the victims or face protracted mass protest of PDP members.

    Obuah also linked the government to the killing of another PDP member at Ibaa, a community in Emuoha Local Government last week.

    The PDP chairman said the government was beginning to justify its reasons for insisting on the removal of the former Commissioner of Police Mbu Joseph Mbu.

    Amaechi denied the allegations, describing PDP members as liars.

    He challenged them to provide evidence.

    The governor advised them to channel their complaints to the appropriate quarters and allow the police carry out their investigations.

    Speaking through the Chief of Staff, Government House, Tony Okocha, Amaechi said: “They know where to channel their complaints. They should await the police to do their investigations and come up with their report.

    “They should substantiate their allegations with evidence.”

    Police spokesman Ahmad Mohammad could not be reached for comments.

    The Nation gathered that the abductors were yet to contact the victims’ families.

  • ‘More PDP, AP members’ll defect to APC in Oyo’

    ‘More PDP, AP members’ll defect to APC in Oyo’

    A Chieftain of the All Progressives Congress (APC), in Oyo State, Alh Abass Oloko has confidently disclosed that more opposition party members from Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), and Accord Party(AP) in the state will soon join APC ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    He spoke yesterday while addressing journalist in his office at Mokola, Ibadan, Oyo State capital.

    He said APC is a coalition of the strongest parties, adding that the recent achievements by the APC governors has been responsible for the defections of the members of the opposition party to APC in Oyo State and the country at large.

    “APC is stronger now and the PDP is already jittery. Look at the rate at which people are trooping into the APC. Look at the just concluded registration exercise. It shows we have the love and support of the people to floor the PDP in 2015.

    “I supervise the registration in Ibadan and I can confidently tell you that we recorded close to 900,000 registration in Ibadan alone, and most Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and Accord Party members also registered enmass.”

  • PDP condemns massacre of Yobe pupils

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has condemned Tuesday’s killing of 43 pupils of the Federal Government College, Buni Yadi in Yobe State by the Boko Haram insurgents.

    In a statement on Wednesday by its National Publicity Secretary, Chief Olisa Metuh, the party described the attack and killing of the harmless pupils as monstrous and extremely shocking.

    The statement said, “The massacre of these harmless students cannot be justified under any guise. Indeed, the PDP is heart-broken and extremely devastated by this act of wickedness which can only be associated with the devil.

    “The PDP bleeds inside as we mourn the slaughtering of these promising young ones. Our hearts go out to the parents and families of these innocent students.

    “We share in their anguish, their pain and their despair and we earnestly pray that those behind this act must not escape judgment for spilling the blood of the innocent. No man commits such wickedness and gets away with it.”

    The party called on Nigerians to unite against terrorism, irrespective of diversities in religious or political affiliations.

    It commended President Goodluck Jonathan for the measures so far applied in fighting insurgency in the country and urged the people to continue to pray for the nation and to give useful information to the security agencies.

     

  • Why PDP can’t retain Rivers in 2015, by Amaechi

    Why PDP can’t retain Rivers in 2015, by Amaechi

    Rivers State Governor Rotimi Amaechi spoke with reporters in Port-Harcourt, the state capital, on the visit of former President Olusegun Obasanjo to the state, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) crises, the future of the All Progressives Congress (APC) and the 2015 elections. Excerpts:

    Why did you request former President Olusegun Obasanjo to commission your projects?

    He was a foremost Head of State and Government that we have had in the country. So, what is wrong in asking him to commission the projects. It was important that he came to have a look at what we have done. Like I told him in the public, we same a common friend and anytime and anytime common friends say what about these things, is Amaechi working, that can be assessed. It was important to bring him so that he can assess things for himself so that next time that question is put forward, he will give them an answer.

    Don’t you think that the President will be annoyed that Obasanjo has taken the shine off him by not being invited to commission the projects as the President and Commander-In-Chief?

    Today, some governors commission for themselves. Would you take offence when they commission their projects by themselves? I saw Fashola recently as he was commissioning projects. I saw Akpabio as he was commissioning a General Hospital. Why will the President take offence about that? It depends on the choice that the governor makes. I can ask the President or governor to commission projects. My colleagues have invited me to commission projects before in Jigawa. I had an invitation from Yobe. Adamawa has invited me. I don’t think that the President will take offence with that.

    Will the commissioning by Obasanjo enhance your profile?

    Well, looking at Obasanjo’s status, you will certainly get some benefits by identifying with him. He is a man with this national clout. I was surprised by the kind of reception he got among the people that came out to receive him. There were those that were brought by the organisers. There were those that came on their own hailing him, shouting baba, calling him all sorts of name, baba iyabo, baba this, Olusegun. Some calling him without respect by calling the former President by such name. I can share this with you. He told us how he acquired the name, Mathew. He said that his parents said that he should have a Christian name and when he got to the secondary school, they looked at how long his names were and one has to be dropped and that he decided to drop Mathew and the reason he dropped Mathew was that Mathew was a tax collector. I think you can’t ignore the fact that identifying with such an important character will rub off on you, and I think positively.

    Does the likelihood exist that you will return to the PDP, which is the predominant party in Rivers?

    You should be careful with your choice of words. How do you know that the PDP is the predominant party? Why can you wait and see whether it is true? You have to be careful. What you assume to be the predominance of the PDP may be the predominance of the manipulation of the elite. It is now that we will source the votes from the down-trodden and then, you can say whether it is a predominantly PDP state or not. I think we should be careful in the choice of such words.

    What is likely to be the fate of the APC in Rivers in 2015?

    I am not God. Don’t give me such powers.

    How about your succession plan?

    I leave that to God. Don’t forget the way I was anointed as the governor. Even, the greatest of all Christians never thought that it will happen. There were occasions where I had sat down in Ghana and asked: how did it happen? I started thinking about these prophets who prophesised that you will be governor and I asked, how will it happen? We don’t know. We just wash and see how God does His things. You must take that into consideration. So, there is God’s elements. Then, you do your human planning. But, I am not focusing on human planning. I am focusing on building a party called the APC because there was none some few months ago. That is why we say, if the PDP says that they are the biggest party , the largest party in Africa, I will say APC is the fastest growing party in Africa. No party has grown at the rapid rate the APC is growing. Some few months ago, there was no opposition party in Sokoto. But, the PDP is now struggling to retain its status as the opposition party in Sokoto. It is the same in Kano. It is the same in Kaduna where the Vice President comes from. And the APC is rearing its head in Bayelsa. So, you can see we are the fastest growing party.

    Are you saying there is tension in the PDP?

    Honestly, the tension in the PDP over the sharing of the loot in Nigeria is enough to put it into crisis. But, look at here now, all of us are at peace with one another.

    What is your comment on the NNPC 20 billion dollar controversy?

    You heard Asiwaju saying that the NNPC is the ATM of Jonathan. We are not involved. We are not talking about it. We will allow the country to decide.

    What does the revelation about the missing oil money portends?

    Nigerians should react. The Governors’ Forum has taken a position that he dwindling revenue at he state level is not because of the oil theft, but because of financial diversion.

    Would all these your projects be completed before you leave or they would be abandoned, especially the mono-rail?

    Where you there when I was interviewing the contractor? Everything about that mono-rail is inside the city of Port-Harcourt. They say they will complete the terminus in October. We will start the power project very soon so that the train will have power to use. The train is built in such a way that, if there is no power, automatically, it will use diesel. You can see the cost. You have power and diesel.