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Tag: PDP

  • 2014 poll: Consensus candidacy tears Osun, Ekiti PDP apart

    2014 poll: Consensus candidacy tears Osun, Ekiti PDP apart

    •Party may opt for primaries to avoid crisis, says chieftain

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) governorship aspirants in Osun and Ekiti states are protesting plans by the party leadership to impose candidates on the troubled chapters for the next year elections, it was learnt yesterday.

    But a party elder, who is a former National Assembly member, told our correspondent that no definite decision has been taken on the method of picking the candidate. He said: “Both methods-primaries and consensus-are on the table. There are protagonists and antagonists. The party will prefer consensus, but, if it will lead to destabilising crisis, then, we may still hold primaries in states where they indicate the preference”.

    In Osun State, some of the aspirants have raised eyebrow over an alleged move by the top echelon of the party to give the ticket to the former deputy governor, Senator Iyiola Omisore, as the consensus candidate.

    Party sources said the Presidency has been lobbied to back the Ile-Ife-born politician because he has the structure and financial muscle to weather the storm. However, Omisore’s rivals, who have vowed to resist any imposition, said they would appeal to the electorate more than him, the source added.

    Other PDP chieftains jostling for the ticket in Osun State include the former Minister of Sports and Culture, Senator Olasunkanmi Akinlabi, former Secretary to Government, Chief Fatai Akinbade, former federal legislator, and Hon. Wole Oke. Sources said at the weekend that a lawyer and former commissioner may join the race this week.

    “In the Southwest, the PDP want to avoid post-primary crisis, which often militates against the success of the party at the general election. The mood of the party favours consensus candidate. The puzzle is who should the candidate be. In Osun, the aspirants are aware of the consensus option, but they feel that the Presidency wants to tilt the pendulum towards Omisore. They believe that he has the experience, money and other credential to rub shoulders with the incumbent governor. Seriously speaking, other aspirants are not disposed to Omisore’s candidature”.

    However, one of the associates of Omisore said that the former deputy governor is prepared for the primaries, if the consensus option fails. He said: “The stage we are now is that we are prepared for party primaries. We are holding retreats for our members in preparation for the contest. We have our structures on ground across the 30 local governments. Omisore is determined and he is mobilising towards victory”.

    In Ekiti State, the consensus candidacy is generating ripples, since a Board of Trustees (BoT) member and party elder, Chief Dayo Okondo, disclosed in Lagos at the party’s zonal meeting that the chapter was disposed to the option. Sources said that many aspirants are being persuaded to embrace the option, which Okondo said, would forge unity and cohesion in the fold.

    Ekiti PDP aspirants include former Governor Ayo Fayose, Police Affairs Minister Navy Capt. Caleb Olubolade (rtd), Prince Dayo Adeyeye, Senator Ayo Arise, Senator Gbenga Aluko, former Deputy Governors Abiodun Aluko and Biodun Olujimi, and Ayo Aribisala.

    A source in Ekiti PDP said: “The party is disposed to picking an aspirant who appeals to other aspirants as the candidate. But some aspirants, including Fayose, want primaries. Those who are supporting consensus are also saying that other factors like zoning, structure, financial muscle, experience and pedigree should be considered. Already, there is crisis over the formula”.

    Another party stalwart said: “Some of the aspirants are afraid of primaries because they know that they will fail. It also appears to me that they want a particular candidate out of the race because he is insisting on primaries. If this matter is not properly handled, we know the result”.

     

  • PDP: Truce at last?

    PDP: Truce at last?

    Has genuine reconcilia-tion now started in the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)? Will peace return to Rivers State, following the meeting between President Goodluck Jonathan and Governor Rotimi Amaechi? Also, is the President’s meeting with the aggrieved five northern governors -Aliyu Wamakko (Sokoto State), Sule Lamido (Jigawa), Aliyu Muazu (Niger), Murtala Nyako (Adamawa) and Rabiu Kwankwaso (Kano) -the baseline for truce?

    The meetings were not the President’s initiative. It came after the progressive governors urged Amaechi to seek audience with the number one citizen. Sources also said that prominent PDP elders, especially the Board of Trustees (BoT) members and retired Generals who fear that the opposition may sweep the party out of power, brokered the meeting between the President and the five Arewa governors.

    Reconciliation among feuding politicians is always an uphill task in Nigeria. It will be more challenging in the PDP because of the multiple intra-party crises. The bigger the party, the bigger the headache, or so it seems. The crisis is multi-dimensional. Curiously, crisis resolution mechanism is defective in the acclaimed largest party in Africa. Apart from the crises in the state chapters and zonal branches, there are other reconciliation assignments on the waiting list. They are necessitated by the Jonathan /Obasanjo cold war, the suspicion between Tukur and Board of Trustees Chairman, Chief Tony Anenih, Tukur/northern governors rift, Tukur/Jerry Gana conflict, Amaechi/Jang crisis, and Amaechi/Wike quarrel.

    Since Alhaji Bamanga Tukur assumed the reins as the national chairman, the seat has been very hot. The billionaire businessman, the former governor and minister has found it increasingly difficult to forge unity and cohesion in the fold. The success that attended his career as boardroom politician has eluded him on the slippery political field. Analysts attribute this to the way and manner he emerged as the chairman. He was clearly the choice of the President and not the preference of the majority. That culture of imposition, which often undermines internal democracy in political parties, is not peculiar to the PDP alone.

    Barely few months after resuming office, a crisis of confidence broke out between him and the National Secretary, Gen. Olagunsoye Oyinlola (rtd). The first casualty was his (Tukur’s) Chief of Staff, Abu Fari, who was booted out. But later, Oyinlola, Segun Oni and others were shoved aside from the National Executive Committee, the Obasanjo forces suspected a foul play. When many exco members were asked to resign, following the complaint by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) that they were not properly elected, party chieftains also mounted pressure on Tukur to resign. He was however, saved by the Presidency.

    The preparation for 2015 has also unsettled the ruling party. The fierce opposition to Dr. Jonathan’s second term ambition by the North has rattled the Presidency. Although the President is constitutionally entitled to a second term as a right, prominent Northern leaders who are left in the cold outside power have been calling for power shift, based on the real or imagined intra-party agreement on zoning. Others whose judgment is not beclouded by the fabled rotational principle have a different dilemma. They cannot beat their chest that the PDP national leader has performed to expectation as the President and Commander-In-Chief.

    To zone or not to?

    Apart from Niger State Governor Muazu, who has insisted that he was a party to the zoning agreement, many governors are also not pleased with the President for different reasons. The Nigerian Governors Forum has challenged the President over the Sovereign Wealth Fund. The association led by Amaechi had threatened to go to the court to press for true federalism. As the chairman, Amaechi incurred the President’s wrath for making certain anti-federal government statements, which the duties of his office imposed on him. Hell was let loose. The President henceforth, made up his mind that he should not be returned as the NGF chair. Previously, crisis was brewing between Amaechi and the President’s wife, Patience, an indigene of Rivers State. When it reached the climax, the First Lady seized the microphone from him in Okrika at a public function. Both husband and wife have continued to nurse the grudges.

    But Amaechi had the majority on his side in the NGF. Although he won the NGF chairmanship election by beating his ‘emergency’ opponent, Plateau State Governor Jonah Jang, with 19 to 16 votes, the President acknowledged the latter as the chairman. The PDP Governors’ Forum hurriedly put together by the party and Presidency failed to unseat Amaechi. A seed of discord was sowed in the NGF. Amaechi was suspended from the party for inexplicable anti-party activities. Sources said that his perceived vice presidential ambition in 2015 infuriated the PDP leadership.

    Other ‘rebellious’ governors have been insulated from such punitive measures. For example, Muazu, who has been keeping the rotational agreement paper to his chest, Lamido, who is said to be nursing presidential ambition and Nyako, who has been having a running battle at the home front with his kinsman, Tukur, have not been hacked down. When Wamakko was suspended, it was temporary. Reality dawned on the party and the Presidency that they have incurred the wrath of the most populous zone. The outcry by the zonal leader, Ambassador Ibrahim Kazaure, the PDP governors in the zone and state party chairmen made the National Working Committee (NWC) to retrace its steps. Although the suspension was lifted, it has not changed Wamakko’s anti-Jonathan and anti-Tukur’s views.

    When the northern governors paid a solidarity visit to Amaechi two weeks ago, it was evident that they have made up their mind against the party. Nyako later predicted the imminent fall of the PDP, ahead of 2015, insisting that Tukur has failed the test of leadership. It paled into a bold warning that certain forces in the fold were committed to wrecking the ship. The bow of fate is on the national chairman’s head. On one side, he is battling with the governors. On the other side, he is battling with the mini-convention hurdles.

    Neither has the Rivers PDP crisis abated. The split underscores the biased disposition of the President, despite the persistent camouflage denial of involvement and neutrality. His wife, Patience, had told the visiting clerics from the Southsouth that Amaechi had hot temper, adding that he was fond of disrespecting her husband. Dr. Jonathan’s liaison officer in Port Harcourt is the Minister of State, Nyensom Wike, who commands a civilian army of anti-Amaechi protesters, which has attempted to make the state ungovernable. Two men, Adepke and Obuah, are laying antagonistic claims to the PDP chairmanship in the state. The neutral President threw his support behind Obuah, who has challenged Amaechi to a duel. The war gained a momentum. The activities of biased and compromised Police Commissioner, Mathew Mbu, who has taken sides in the crisis, provided a tonic for the anti-Amaechi forces to go on rampage. As much energy was dissipated on the avoidable crisis in the oil-rich state, attention was diverted from governance. The crisis reached a climax when five out of 32 members of the House of Assembly attempted to impeach the Speaker, Amaechree, and proclaim the impostor, Evans Bipi, as the new Speaker. The calculation was that the President who did not object to the declaration of the loser as the winner of the NGF election will definitely tacitly applaud the numerical supremacy of five over and above 27.

    But now that the President appears disposed to reconciliation as a last resort, where will the PDP begin? There is no precedent to follow. When former President Obasanjo pretended that the war between him and the former Senate President Dr. Chuba Okadigbo, was over, he was impeached the same week as the Senate President. After OBJ embraced former PDP national Chairman Chief Audu Ogbeh, he was forced to resign afterwards. After visiting former Ogun State Governor Gbenga Daniel and shared cake with him, the crisis between the duo escalated. When President Jonathan recently visited Rivers State, he shook Amaechi’s hands most heartily. That week, the state became a battle ground.

    What will be the conditions for truce? Will the President call Wike to order? Will he tame his wife? Will Tukur be asked to step aside, as being demanded by the governors? Will it end the deep-seated animosity and acrimony between Tukur and Nyako? Will Jang continue to parade himself as the NGF chairman or accept defeat? Will the northern governors who have presidential ambition put it on hold? Will the northern elders suspend their clamour for power shift? Will the five Rivers legislators and other anti-Amaechi supporters return to their shell? Will the reconciliation last?

    Will the President back the reconciliation with genuine or peculiar hypocritical commitment? Will all the parties to the multi-faceted disputes learn their lessons? Will peace return to the PDP?

    Many puzzles; fewer answers.

     

     

     

  • PDP elders plot against Suswam’s senatorial ambition

    Some aggrieved elders and founding members of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) have allegedly ganged up against the senatorial ambition of Governor Gabriel Suswam in 2015.

    They are reportedly accusing Suswam of running a one- man show as governor, worried he might not reach out to some of them believed to have worked for his victory.

    The Nation gathered exclusively that the elders and founding members held a meeting in an undisclosed Hotel in Gboko where the plot to stop Suswam’s senatorial ambition in 2015 was conceived.

    A reliable source, who was part of the meeting, said most of the elders who attended expressed regret for supporting Suswam’s emergence as governor.

    Part of the plot, it was gathered, is to deny him the PDP ticket for Zone A senate seat.

    In the event that he gets the slot using the power of incumbency, it was agreed that all PDP members will pull out and vote for any opposition party at the poll.

    Many of the disgruntled elders expressed dismay that even some political appointees who should have reached out to PDP members at the grassroots have kept complaining of cash crunch while none of them has resigned.

    Part of the plot is also to frustrate the governor from choosing his successor in 2015.

    A member of the PDP working committee, who pleaded anonymity, advised the elders to channel their grievances through established, appropriate channels.

  • PDP chieftain commends Orji on healthcare delivery

    The National Vice Chairman (South East) of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Col Austin Akobundu (rtd.) has commended the Abia State Governor, Chief Theodore Orji, over his achievements in the health sector.

    Akobundu, who said this in a statement issued in Umuahia and noted that Orji has since his assumption of office transformed the health sector of the state to world class standard by building and equipping 250 health centres.

    He said that apart from the health centres scattered in each of the political wards in the state, the governor had also built diagnostic centres in Umuahia and Aba, an internationally rated dialysis clinic in Umuahia which was commissioned on Monday by the Minister of Health, Prof Onyebuchi Chukwu.

    The South East PDP boss listed other health projects to be commissioned by the governor soon, which include a 100-bed modern general hospitals in nine local government areas of the state, an ophthalmology centre and the reconstructed health institutions in Arochukwu, Okeikpe and Aba.

    Akobundu further expressed delight that the state government embarked on the total refurbishing of Amachara general hospital and Abia Specialist hospital, both of which he said has been turned into world-class specialist hospital and teaching hospital respectively.

    The South East PDP chair maintained that the recent commissioning of the dialysis centre in Umuahia will not only save lives, but check capital flight.

     

  • Pathetic tales of abandoned PDP members involved in fatal accident on their way to Jonathan’s campaign

    Pathetic tales of abandoned PDP members involved in fatal accident on their way to Jonathan’s campaign

    ON Friday March 25, 2011, 50 enthusiastic members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) left the party’s secretariat in Ikeja, Lagos, to take part in the campaign rally of President Goodluck Jonathan at the Eagle Square, Abuja the next day. It began as a smooth journey as the PDP members sang Jonathan’s praises.

    But tragedy struck as the travelers approached Ikire, a historical community in Osun State. The driver of the luxury bus that conveyed them lost control of the vehicle, leading to the death of a passenger while scores of other passengers sustained various degrees of injuries that have refused to heal.

    Those who sustained injuries in the accident included Madam Funke Oyinsanmi and Madam Bisi Awe. Others were Olabisi Olojede, Mercy Oluyemi and Mary Balogun.

    The victims were first taken to the Ikire Catholic Church hospital, from where they were transferred to the Lagos University Teaching Hospital (LUTH), Idi-Araba, where most of them remained about two months.

    Mrs. Awe did not only lose four of her teeth in the accident, her fractured arm had to be amputated while her broken lower jaw makes it impossible for her to talk properly. Other victims of the accident are nursing equally serious injuries, nursing excruciating pains and securing no tangible help, even from the party.

    Recalling the events that culminated in her ugly fate, Mrs. Awe said: “I had no premonition whatsoever that the journey would bring me recurring tears instead of joy. I went on the journey because of my love for President Jonathan. Honestly, if I knew that the journey would turn awry, I would have turned down the offer to be part of the contingent.

    “We were singing songs in praise of President Jonathan when we suddenly heard a loud noise. I passed out immediately. The next thing I saw was that I found myself in the hospital. To my surprise, I found that my right arm had been amputated. At that point, I wept uncontrollably, but I was frantically consoled by the doctors and nurses around.”

    When our correspondent visited the Ikorodu residence of Awe, there were tell tale signs of sadness in the household. She was drinking garri, a delicacy she said she detested when things were going well.

    The 57-year-old woman recalled the fate that had befallen her since she lost her arm and joined the league of deformed persons.

    She said: “Apart from the fact that I have become a disabled person, the incident has turned me into a beggar. I now live in penury because I have spent all the money I have on treatment.

    “You can see that I have just finished a bowl of soaked garri, which ordinarily I would not have taken when I was hale and hearty. Now, I can hardly feed myself, not to talk of my children and other dependants. I have aged parents whose welfare was my responsibility before the accident. Now, I can no longer take care of them.”

    She also recalled how prominent party leaders, including the First Lady, Mrs. Patience Jonathan, promised to help her but failed to make good their promises.

    She said: “During one of her visits to Lagos State in December 2011, we met the First Lady at the State House, Marina, at the instance of our party leaders. She sympathised with us and promised to facilitate my trip to India for corrective surgery on my face and to procure an artificial limb. Sadly, she has not fulfilled that promise as I speak, even though she made the promise in the presence of our party leaders.

    “I am therefore using this opportunity to once again remind her of her promise and to come to my aid as my health keeps deteriorating every day.

    “I know that some party leaders have assisted me at one point or the other, but I still need a huge lifeline to overcome my predicament. As I speak, my children have dropped out of school while I still have medical bills to settle.”

    Other victims of the accident alleged that they were abandoned by the First Lady and PDP leaders, who had promised to take care of their treatment and rehabilitation. Lamenting their fate, they pleaded with the party leaders and the First Lady to redeem their pledge.

    One of the victims, Madam Funke Oyinsanmi, an indigene of Ado-Ekiti, said: “I am a PDP member in Ward J, Ifako-Ijaiye Local Government Area of Lagos State. At about 7.30 pm, we left the PDP secretariat in GRA, Ikeja in a luxury bus en-route Abuja for the grand finale of the presidential rally.

    “When we got to Ikire, Osun State, our vehicle was involved in an accident and it somersaulted several times. Some policemen rescued and took us to Catholic Hospital in Ikire, Osun State, from where we were referred to LUTH for treatment.

    “I spent two months at the hospital because one of the veins on my wrist was badly affected while there are still broken glasses that have not been removed from my hand to date. The affected hand is lifeless; I can no longer use it to lift anything.

    “I sincerely believe that the accident would have been averted if we had travelled in the day time. Queer party officials in charge of mobilization are in the habit of asking us to travel in the night, so that they can pocket the money meant for our accommodation.

    “While we were in the hospital, some stalwarts of the party, including Senator Florence Ita Giwa, visited us and promised that the party would take very good care of us. But the promise has remained unfulfilled.

    “We also sought audience with the First Lady, Dame Patience Jonathan, during one of her visits to Lagos, and she promised to take care of our treatment. But she has since abandoned us to our fate. Please tell Mrs. Jonathan and our party leaders to come to our aid because our health has not improved at all.”

    The story of Mrs. Olabisi Olojede is not different from those of other victims. The Woman Leader from Ward G, Lagos Mainland suffered a fracture and a swollen hand that have refused to heal.

    She said: “We were singing on our way to Abuja. In the middle of this, I fell asleep. The accident happened while I was still sleeping. I woke up to see blood gushing out of my head while I also sustained injuries on my lips and left hand. My swollen hand has not gone down and the attendant pain is what I live with to date.

    “In April last year, we met with Mrs. Patience Jonathan in Lagos and she promised to facilitate our treatment; which she has not fulfilled. Although she gave us some money on that day, it was not enough to even take care of one person, let alone the rest of us.

    “I used to work as a bead maker and traditional wedding engagement anchor, but people are no longer giving me jobs because of my predicament. Please tell our party leaders to take care of us in the name of God, because we embarked on the journey out of our love for PDP.

    “Since the incident and the indifference of party leaders to our plight, we have become the butt of jokes from members of rival political parties in the state.”

    Another victim, Mrs. Mercy Oluyemi-Lawal (49) said: “When the incident occurred, one of my hands was trapped under a heavy object. I tried to lift my hand but I couldn’t. My forehead was lacerated by broken glass and my tooth was also broken.

    “To date, I still suffer severe pain in my arms while pieces of glass are still stuck in my hand. I am a trained caterer but I can no longer work because of my broken arm. Our former State Woman Leader, Mrs. Olabisi Odunsi, tried for us but her effort was not enough to relief us of our pains.”

    Also recalling the sad incident, 43-year-old Mrs. Mary Balogun said: “I was sleeping when the vehicle somersaulted at about 7.30 pm at a spot on Ikire-Gbongan Road. I hit my head on the pavement and blood started gushing out of it. A co-passenger had to use her wrapper to tie my head in order to prevent further loss of blood.

    “Now, I can no longer see clearly with my eyes while my badly damaged hand is yet to heal. As I speak, I cannot use the hand to lift or pick anything. “

    “Despite the promises made by our party leaders and Dame Patience Jonathan to the effect that we would be given free medical treatment, nothing has been done about our plight. We can no longer continue to suffer for being patriotic, and that is why we are appealing to our party chieftains to assist us. We are dying in silence.

    “Many of us still need treatments that require going overseas even as we battle with poverty and hopelessness.”

    A letter of appeal addressed to the Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur, by the counsel to the victims, Kunle Fadipe, dated March 18, 2013, reads in part: “We wish to bring to your attention that efforts made by our clients to get echelons of the party (PDP) at the local government and state levels to look into their predicament have been futile…our clients are widows whose means of livelihood have been truncated by the mishap.

    “Because of their health challenges, they cannot go about their daily businesses, which were hitherto their sources of income. Unfortunately, they now live on contributions from friends and family members. Even from these contributions made to them, a substantial part goes to the purchase of drugs and other medications…it is upon these ugly experiences of our clients that we passionately appeal to your esteemed office for a comprehensive rehabilitation programme.

    Their situation is pathetic and needs urgent attention. They have become objects of ridicule and scorn in the eyes of friends and associates who deride them for sowing where they could not reap. They blame them for committing so much to the party and getting nothing in return in their time of need.”

    The Acting National Publicity Secretary of PDP, Mr. Tony Okeke, declined comment when one of our correspondents met him at his office in Abuja on Thursday. ”I am not in the mood to say anything on the matter,” he said.

    Efforts made by our correspondent to get the comment of the Media Assistant to Dame Patience Jonathan, Mr. Ayo Osinlu, were also fruitless. After failing to respond to calls made to his phone, our correspondent sent a text message, explaining why he needed his comment, but he responded saying: “Welcome and thanks for making contact. However, I am not in a situation to make a comment right now. Please direct this enquiry to Mrs. Ayo Adesugba.”

    Adesugba initially did not respond to a text message our correspondent sent to her phone. Our correspondent later called her on the phone and she promised to call back. ”I am in a meeting, I’ll call you later,” she said. She, however, did not make good her promise to call back.

    The PDP chairman in Lagos State, Mr. Tunji Shelle, could also not be reached for comment as he neither picked the calls made to his phone nor respond our correspondent’s text message.

  • Tukur inaugurates 30-man reconciliation committee

    Tukur inaugurates 30-man reconciliation committee

    The National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Alhaji Bamanga Tukur; on Thursday said the party would reclaim the South-West in the 2015 elections.

    Tukur made this known when he inaugurated Gov. Seriake Dickson – led 30-man National Reconciliation Committee.

    He said the PDP was determined to reclaim the South-West, saying it was painful that the zone, excluding Lagos which used to be under PDP was now under the opposition party.

    The chairman attributed the crisis in the zone and some parts of the country to the inability of its members to manage past successes.

    He, therefore, charged party members in the South-West particularly to work harder to ensure victory for the party in the zone and to bring Edo back to the party.

    Tukur said the reconciliation of aggrieved members was critical to ensure that the party reclaimed the South-West in 2015 elections. “There is no gainsaying that we need reconciliation to be our guide for the success of the party ahead of the next election,’’ Tukur said.

    He said the committee was a critical necessity to hasten the realisation of “quick wins’’ in the party reconciliation platform.

    Aside the South-West, Tukur identified Anambra and Imo, South-East; Edo, South-South; Nasarawa, North-Central; Borno and Yobe, North-East; and Zamfara, North-West; as areas of concentration for the committee.

    Responding on behalf of other committee members, Dickson described PDP as the strongest force holding the country together, irrespective of its diversity and threat to its existence.

    According to him, a large platform such as the PDP cannot be devoid of tendencies of conflict of interest and all manners of crisis from time to time.

    Dickson, therefore, tasked political players to play the game according to the rule of engagement.

    He thanked the party leadership for appreciating the need for peace across the country and the confidence reposed on the members.

    The governor urged the party members to work with the committee to make it stronger to ensure its electoral victory.

    “As party members, we must be credible, discipline, fair and firm and improve our mechanism for internal democracy for the selection of party candidate.’’ Dickson said.

    He expressed optimism that though the assignment was challenging it would deliver on its mandate because of the calibre of its members.

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the committee is expected to facilitate the reconciliation of party members and leaders in target states, particularly non-PDP states.

    It is to provide the template that will make the party organise credible primaries and select candidates for elections.

    It is expected that the committee will support and work closely with similar committees that had earlier been constituted by the party.

    Alhaji Asheik Jarma and Mr Umar Damagun, will serve as the Deputy Chairman and Secretary of the committee, respectively.

     

  • Condolence visit to the First Lady

    Condolence visit to the First Lady

  • N10m tools, gifts for Kwara constituents

    N10m tools, gifts for Kwara constituents

    A member of the House of Representatives representing Ilorin East/South Federal constituency in Kwara State, Dr. Ali Ahmad has spent N10 million on youth empowerment and Ramadan gifts to his constituent members and Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders.

    All the 23 wards in the constituency benefited from the gesture in Ilorin, the state capital. Items distributed as Ramadan gifts included bags of rice, sugar, milk, among others.

    Speaking at the event, Dr Ahmad who chairs the House Committee on Justice, added that he had empowered 120 youths in his constituency to engage in mechanised farming.

    He said that each beneficiary of the scheme, which is in partnership with some commercial farmers, could make as much as N3m annually if they are serious about it.

    He said the gesture was to assist the less privileged during the holy month of Ramadan, adding that the empowerment programme would contribute in reducing youth unemployment.

    The lawmaker implored the beneficiaries to embrace the Ramadan fast and pray fervently for Nigeria to overcome its numerous challenges.

    Two indigenes from Ilorin South and East Local Governments who were sponsored by Ahmad to learn shoe-making were presented with the working tools to effectively put the knowledge to practice to earn a living.

    Said he:” We implore our people to embrace Ramadan as it has approached and to involve in fervent prayers for all the ills bedevilling our nation in current times.

    “We have two empowerment programmes for the youth. We are doing it in phases, this one is for the youths. We have empowered 120 youths in a job that would fetch them between N1million and N3million a year. It is a mechanised commercial farming project in association with some commercial farmers. We have perfected the plan.

    “With the 120, there would be other additional phases for others. Basically it is about commercial farming and we are trying to encourage our youths to engage in farming because this is the employer of labour. We are just leveraging on it and we thank God that it has culminated in the employment of 120 youths.”

    As for artisans, the legislator added that “for those who are artisans, you are seeing what we have done in the past six months.

    “We engage them as a trial, as a model and it has succeeded. So, we have empowered these youths, we have given them all the implements they need to go to the market and I am sure you can see the enthusiasm of other youths. So, we would enrol more youths in this and other artisan work that can benefit them.

    “The advice I have for them is that they have been carefully chosen; they have been enamoured. So, it is for them to now go to the field and you can see the quality of works they do and these shoes are very cheap.

    “It is for them to go further and conquered the world so that they would now be an example for other upcoming youths. And through all these composite programmes, we can keep on to address the unemployment problem that we have.”

    At the event were PDP Chairmen in the two local governments, party leaders, supporters, women and youths who also got their share of the Ramadan package.

    A PDP chieftain in the constituency, Alhaji Oba Bolanta, in his remarks, commended the lawmaker and urged other wealthy Nigerians to always remember the less privileged who live from hand to mouth.

  • PDP suspends Fayose, three others

    PDP suspends Fayose, three others

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) on Tuesday sunk deeper into crisis by suspending former governor Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State and three other executive members of the party for their alleged roles in a recent bloody clash at the party secretariat in Ado-Ekiti.

    The other three are – the current Secretary of the Party, Dr. Tope Aluko, its Publicity Secretary, Mr. Kola Oluwawole and the Women Leader, Mrs. Busola Oyebode,

    Announcing the suspension, the party’s chairman, Chief  Makanjuola Ogundipe, said the State Working Committee took the decision “having found them culpable of anti-party activities and acts of insubordination.”

    Ogundipe explained that “the PDP is a disciplined party and would not tolerate any act of indiscipline from any of its members, no matter how highly placed.”

    According to him, last week’s attack on the PDP Secretariat was “unwarranted, irresponsible and most uncalled for looking at the efforts we have made to ensure everyone within the party is given a sense of belonging.”

  • PDP crisis: Tukur must go – Adamawa SSG

    PDP crisis: Tukur must go – Adamawa SSG

    Disturbed by the crisis rocking the Peoples Democratic Party, the Secretary to the Government of Adamawa State, Mr. Kobeis Aris, on Tuesday said the only solution is the removal of the National Chairman of the party, Alhaji Bamanga Tukur.

    He said the party had been troubled since the emergence of Tukur.

    He condemned Tukur’s disdain for his boss, Governor Murtala Nyako, leading to the factionalization of PDP in Adamawa State.

    But Tukur said he has restored discipline to the party and no right thinking member of PDP would accuse him of bias.

    Aris, who made his opinion known in an interview with journalists in Abuja, said if Tukur remains in office, PDP would die.

    He said:  “Tell me anything good that has come out of the party since he became the chairman. Rather, he has brought the party to ridicule. He has reduced the party to one day, one trouble.

    “Tukur, if not removed now, will lead the party to perfidy. All the state chapters are in crisis. The national headquarters of the party is in chaos.

    “It is evident that Tukur, who is our father, cannot lead the party. He can however remain in office if the leaders of the party want it dead.”

    Responding to a question, Aris asked President Goodluck Jonathan to ignore insinuations that Tukur is in control of PDP in Adamawa State.

    “We won 214 out of the 216 wards during the 2011 presidential election. We won 21 out of the25 in the state House of Assembly. We have five out of nine in the House of Representatives and also won all the three senatorial seats in the Senate.

    ”We gave Jonathan 60 percent of the votes in the state. During the primaries, we gave him 80 percent of the votes. But now, we don’t know how to do things again.

    “Apart from that, we even refused to vote for our son, Mallam Nuhu Ribadu, who was the presidential candidate of the Action Congress of Nigeria during the election.”

    ”Those who did not know how we made him President have hijacked him and have blocked him by telling him lies.

    “2015 is around the corner. You can’t underrate any opposition. We are waiting to see if those deceiving the President would be able to deliver the party or the election for him.”