The Nation Newspaper

Tag: Peoples Democratic Party (PDP)

  • Bayelsa exco hails Dickson’s victory at Supreme Court

    Bayelsa exco hails Dickson’s victory at Supreme Court

    The Bayelsa State Executive Council, on Tuesday, hailed the victory of the state Governor, Mr Seriake Dickson and his deputy, Rear Admiral John Jonah (rtd) ‎at the Supreme Court.

    Other members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) gathered in different groups at strategic areas in Yenagoa, the state capital to celebrate the victory.

    Spokesman of the Council and Commissioner for Information and Orientation, Mr Jonathan Obuebite in a statement entitled, ‎”Affirmation of Divine Mandate” attributed the victory to God.

    He said the unanimous judgment of the apex court was a confirmation of a divine pronouncement that “for once, the seat of power in Bayelsa will be occupied for eight years”.

    Obuebite boasted that even if elections were conducted a thousand times Dickson and Jonah would still emerge winners.

    He said: “As a council we congratulate our amiable governor and his deputy‎ for the sweet victory which although did not come to us as a surprise because we knew that with the facts before their lordships the APC had no case”.

    “What the APC and its candidate did was to waste their time and that of the judiciary. Chief Timipre Sylva knew he cannot ‎have won that case. All attempt to subvert the will of justice was to no avail”.

    ‎He also hailed the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and  Bayelsans who stood by the restoration government, saying “their prayers for this victory was not in vain” .

    He urged them to always support the Dickson’s administration.

    The Commissioner remarked that with all the legal hurdles crossed, the government will now be more focused to continue its mandate of quality service delivery to the people and enjoined Sylva and the APC to forget any new form of distraction.

    According to him God has chosen the duo of Dickson and Jonah to lead the state and no one can challenge such authority as the power he stressed comes from God‎ and he gives it to those he deems fit.

    ‎” We know them, those on the other side that pained and frustrated by this defeat they will regroup in one way or the other to start fresh problems but they will not succeed. Never again shall our people be subjected to pain and lack” it concluded.

  • Ondo poll: I will defeat Ibrahim, Jegede – Akeredolu

    Ondo poll: I will defeat Ibrahim, Jegede – Akeredolu

    …Says no rift with Tinubu

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) candidate in the forthcoming Ondo State governorship election, Rotimi Akeredolu was on Monday confident that he can win the two Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) aspirants, Jimoh Ibrahim and Eyitayo Jegede, put together.

    He spoke with State House correspondents after he met with President Muhammadu Buhari along with Plateau State Governor, Simon Lalong at the Presidential Villa, Abuja.

    Akeredolu said: “l can always tell you, people who know me, they know that I talk most times with some confidence, let me assure you here that by the grace of God, we will win the election in Ondo state.

    “I can assure you I would have been happier facing both of them together, if Eyitayo Jegede was chosen as candidate and Ibrahim as his deputy, I will still win.

    “Infact Jegede happens to be a friend, Ibrahim too. Jimoh Ibrahim went to Ife, so we have known ourselves for long. I have no fear about both of them. We know that we are going to win this election and I have no doubt,” he added

    When asked to speak on efforts to settle the rift between him and the National Leader of the APC, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, he denied any rift with Tinubu.

    He said: “I don’t have any rift with him, since the primaries you would see that as leader of the party, he has not said anything about it. He has accepted the primaries and we are moving on. So, I don’t have any rift with him at all and we are moving on.”

    He said that his party in the state has already called on the security agencies in Ondo to be up and doing in order not to allow miscreants take over the state in the name of protests.

    He said: “Because for instance as a governor you encourage lawlessness or people in the guise of protest because what the PDP has is a problem within the party, that should not lead to demonstration outside and you know that people are not demonstrating for any reason but because they have been more or less paid to come and do it.

    “What we said is don’t allow miscreants to be out. Nobody can control the end of such demonstration. So it’s not that we are afraid, but we fear for the life and property of the people of Ondo state.” He stated

    Speaking on the visit to the President, Lalong said: “A few weeks ago I was given the responsibility of leading the campaign on behalf of the National Executive for the Ondo election. And the candidate since election at the primaries have not come to be presented to the leader of our party, that is Mr President.

    “So today we came in with the candidate and to confirm to the President that APC has only one candidate unlike other parties that are fighting about who is their candidate.

    “We have only one candidate and that candidate is Chief Akeredolu Rotimi (SAN).” He said
    He was optimistic that the APC will win the election.

    He said: “Well that is not a problem to APC, since inception you knew what happened in Kogi, you knew what happened in Edo, we won the elections. It was as if it was going to be very difficult for us but we won the elections.

    “Today again we are going into Ondo, all the mistake we made in other states we have corrected them, we are seeing a very smooth election, not only a smooth election but the credibility of the candidate itself is something worth selling,” he said.

    The governor also faulted the visit of the out-going Ondo State governor, Olusegun Mimiko, to President Buhari last Friday.

    According to him, Mimiko should have concentrated on resolving the crisis that erupted in his state.

    He said: “Let me say it was even wrong for them to start running to Mr. President to help them solve the problem of PDP in their party. Mr. President is the President of Nigeria and he is not a member of PDP. Even when we have problems in APC, we don’t run to Mr. President.

    “If he has a problem in his state, he is the governor, let him stay there and resolve the matter. Its a matter between PDP and PDP and those matters are in court. So why should you run to the President. Is the President the chief judge of Nigeria?” He queried

    He went on: “He is not the INEC chairman either. Well Mr. President is a loyal party man. So he is answerable to the party although the president of Nigeria.”

    On the response of President Buhari to the visit, Lalong said: “He has also confirmed that he has seen the candidate and is also praying for a successful election in Ondo state.”

  • Ondo poll: PDP governors’ forum urges INEC to be fair

    Ondo poll: PDP governors’ forum urges INEC to be fair

    The People’s Democratic Party (PDP) Governors’ Forum has urged President Muhammadu Buhari to direct Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to be fair in the conduct of forthcoming Ondo governorship election.

    In a statement by its Secretary, Patrick Okon, on Monday in Abuja, the forum also called for overhaul of the commission.

    It alleged that the All Progressives Congress (APC), with the help of INEC, was planning to rig the poll.

    “We are aware of the plan of APC to get Ondo state by all means, including enlisting the assistance of INEC.

    “We are warning that we will not fold our arms to watch this impunity and day-time robbery.

    “INEC is an umpire and should play its role very well so that the electorate will have confidence in it.

    “From the way things are going, the people are already losing confidence in the commission,’’ it said.

    The forum also called on INEC to stick to its electoral mandate and should not subvert the law of the land.

    “INEC should conduct itself very well in this forthcoming Ondo state governorship election to avoid a repeat of what happened in Edo election.”

    The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that INEC on Thursday cleared Mr Jimoh Ibrahim nominated by disputed National Chairman of PDP, Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff’s faction, as the party’s candidate for the election.

    It based its action on a court order, which declared Ibrahim as the candidate of the party for the poll.

    The development jolted majority of members of the party, who had in a primary supervised by INEC as provided in the Electoral Act, elected Mr Eyitayo Jegede as candidate for the election.

    Jegede’s nomination was submitted by Sen. Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of the party.

    However, the caretaker committee has the Court of Appeal to reverse the decision of High Court on the issue. Hearing on the matter has been fixed for Tuesday and Wednesday in Abuja.

     

  • Ondo poll: INEC names Jimoh Ibrahim PDP candidate

    Ondo poll: INEC names Jimoh Ibrahim PDP candidate

    Ahead of the November 26, 2016, Ondo Guber election, the Independent National Electoral Commission, Thursday evening named Mr Jimoh Ibrahim as the candidate of the People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    INEC also Ibrahim’s running mate as Mr Alabi Ebenezer Omotayo based on Court ruling.

    Details shortly…

  • Ondo: I’ll not lobby INEC over PDP’s guber candidate – Sheriff

    Ondo: I’ll not lobby INEC over PDP’s guber candidate – Sheriff

    The National Chairman, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sen. Ali Modu Sheriff, has vowed not to lobby the Independence National Electoral Commission (INEC), over the party’s candidate for Ondo governorship election.

    Sheriff stated this in a statement signed his Special Adviser on Media, Mr Inuwa Bwala in Abuja on Tuesday

    He said the clarification was important against the widespread speculations linking Sheriff with controversies surrounding the emerges of two PDP candidates for the election.

    While Sen. Ahmed led-National Caretaker Committee submitted the name of Mr Eyitayo Jegede to INEC, the Sheriff-led faction also submitted to the commission the name of Mr Jimoh Ibrahim as PDP candidate for the election.

    He said that as a law abiding leader, Sheriff was bound by whoever INEC publishes as both candidates in contention were respectable members of the PDP.

    Sheriff pledged that he would treat their issues based on merits and in accordance with the law.

    He further dismissed insinuations that he was behind several petitions against INEC.

    He said that he had done his duty by submitting a name to INEC, and expected that the commission would act in accordance with its own mandate.

    “Sheriff is not unmindful of events leading to the emergence of the two candidates, but wishes to assure Nigerians that steps are being taken to resolve all such issues even beyond what INEC may do.

    “This is to avoid past experiences occasioned by internal bickering in the PDP.’’

    He assured the people of Ondo State that PDP leaders have been working to ensure that the party wins in the forthcoming elections, “immaterial of who fly’s its flag.’’

    Sheriff said he was not aware of any alleged move to blackmail INEC because he had high regards for the commission.

    He, however, urged INEC to ensure that the PDP was not short changed in any future election, but should allow the people’s votes to count.

    Sheriff denied authoring or  authorising any petition to be written on his behalf as was being mischievously alleged in some sections of the media.

    He warned that people should stop using his name to settle scores.

  • PDP killed my husband – Alamieyeseigha’s widow

    PDP killed my husband – Alamieyeseigha’s widow

    Margaret, the widow of late former Governor of Bayelsa State, Chief Diepreye Alamieyeseigha, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) betrayed and eventually killed her husband.

    Mrs Margaret Alamieyeseigha said despite all the sacrifices of her husband in the formation and advancement of PDP’s interest, the party killed him before his time.

    The widow, who was angry at the way PDP treated her husband, said the All Progressives Congress (APC) had no hands in the death of the man, popularly called the Governor-General of the Niger Delta.

    The widow reportedly spoke in an interview at the memorial of Alamieyeseigha’s death, which took place recently at Amassoma, Southern Ijaw Local Government Area, of the state.

    The sudden death of Alamieyeseigha also known as Alamco on October 10, 2015 sparked controversies between the PDP and the APC with the parties blaming each other.

    The former governor reportedly died of complications arising from high blood pressure and diabetes which affected his kidney at the University of Port Harcourt Teaching Hospital (UPTH), Rivers State.

    The PDP claimed that the late governor abandoned his medical trip midway in Dubai, the United Arab Emirates out of fears that the APC-led Federal Government was making an effort to reopen his corruption case in Britain.

    But Mrs Alamieyeseigha said PDP’s betrayal, conspiracy and Ijaw’s sellout mentality led to the travails and death of her husband.

    She said the party that ruled Nigeria for 16 years masterminded the arrest of her husband while the Ijaw whom the husband fought for graciously handed him over to his killers.

    She said: “Today, I will say categorically, that PDP killed my husband. APC didn’t kill my husband; APC didn’t arrest my husband. It was PDP that arrested my husband; it was PDP that locked up my husband, killed him and seized everything that belongs to him.

    “PDP humiliated him to death; tormented him to death. As far as I am concern, I was been humiliated by PDP; my husband died because of the humiliation he passed through in the hands of PDP”.

    She advised the Ijaw people to stop betraying their leaders insisting that the Ijaw nation would only make progress in unity.

    He said despite the betrayal of her husband, the late Alamieyeseigha still stood solidly behind the party and ensured it won the last governorship election in the state.

    The widow, who said she and her family were still members of the PDP, advised the party to help its members.

    “So, I will say the people of Bayelsans, the Ijaw’s they should wake up, they should not betray their leaders and they should always work in unity because in unity we stand. That is my advice to them.

    “I don’t know how to describe my husband, he doesn’t betray people, even if you betrayed him he would come back and always played the role of a father. He felt you don’t know what you are doing, that is why you did what you did.

    “He will still turn back and stand by you. My husband fought for PDP to make sure PDP succeeded and that is why PDP succeeded today in Bayelsa because he had a lot of supporters.

    “He reached out to every one of them and told them ‘look, I was being betrayed but we should not continue, stand by your people and work in unity’. That was how he succeeded. That was why PDP still won in Bayelsa state. I have not gone to any other party PDP is still our party all what I am saying is that we should help our self.

    Speaking during the memorial of her husband’s death and the crowd that trooped out to honour the occasion, she described her late husband as a man loved by his people.

    She said the late Alamieyeseigha fought for resource control and urged the Ijaw people to continue with the agitation despite the feelings of the government.

    She said though her husband was dead, his legacies lived on adding that the best way to immortalise him was to realise his dreams.

    She said: “I thank God for making today a reality, you can see how his Excellency (Alamieyeseigha) has been loved by his people.

    “He died for his people and he is being loved by his people that is what you are seeing today. What I will tell Bayelsans, I want them to know that they had a leader that left them.

    “Excellency Chief Alamieyeseigha, fought for resource control for his people, and you know we are the people that produced 40% of the wealth of this country, and his Excellency was an educated man and he saw how his people were suffering and he fought for his people.

    “The only thing I will tell them today, he is no more. The legacy should not die and they should carry on the fight, even if they (government) doesn’t like it. When they (government) are tired they will listen to them.

    “The resources belong to us; belong to our children and we can not just leave it to them. They want to take it by force from us and is our duty to fight for it. His Excellency is dead today but his spirit is not dead.

    “The people he left behind will continue to fight and at the end of the day they will call the people to sit at the roundtable and will discuss it and what belong to us will be given to us. My advice to them is that they should not betray their leaders. A man that fought for them was betrayed”.

  • ‘Jegede, not PDP card-carrying member’

    ‘Jegede, not PDP card-carrying member’

    The factional chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Ondo State, Prince Biyi Poroye has insisted that the party’s candidate, Eyitayo Jegede (SAN) “is not a card-carrying member of the party.”

    He maintained that he was not qualified to occupy any elective position on the platform of the PDP.

    Poroye said he continued to wonder about a statement credited to Jegede that his rival, Jimoh Ibrahim is not a member of the party, stressing that “it is like  a thief accusing the rightful owner of a property.”

    The chairman in a statement signed by the PDP’s Director of Media/Publicity in the State, Yemi Akintomide said Jegede was not qualified to contest the governorship poll having run foul of the constitution of PDP which made it mandatory for a member to attain  two years membership status before vying for any election.

    It said: “The truth of the matter is that Jegede joined our party in November 2014 alongside his boss, governor Mimiko when he abandoned his Labour Party (LP) platform which he used to win the 2007 election and second term in 2012.

    “Even at that, Jegede only came into the new party as a technocrat working with the governor as Commissioner for Justice and Attorney-General and not as a card carry member of any political party, not even LP.

    “And if by now, he likes to join PDP as a member and wants to contest any election, he will apply for a waiver to the state chapter through his ward chairman, then, I as the state chairman reserve the right to grant the waiver or reject it.

    “You now wonder how can that person now turn around to say an outstanding leader and promoter of the party in the state, Ibrahim is not a member; somebody who single-handedly brought 22  Toyota buses for the party and gave each of the 18 local government areas N10 million to run the party offices in the council areas.

    “Even the governor himself is yet to beat this record in the history of running the affair of a political party in this state,”.

    Poroye, however, berated some leaders of the party in the state who he said betrayed their Senatorial Districts by abandoning the struggle, they vowed to protect the right of their people on the governorship seat;  but ‘shamefully’ aligned with governor Mimiko to retain the slot for the Central Senatorial District after spending eight years of two terms.

    He said God granted Ibrahim the grace to secure the PDP ticket from the Southern Senatorial District when it became imperative that the people of Ondo State are ready to rotate the slot to either the North or South through their votes if refused to shift ground for other Districts.

    Poroye said: “That is the reason why people are happy now that Barrister Jimoh Ibrahim is the candidate of PDP and they’re ready to vote for him on November 26 as the next governor of the state in place of a stooge push forward to kill the rotational arrangement on ground as if other District are slaves to the Central”

  • ‘We’re not privy to allegation against Ondo REC’

    ‘We’re not privy to allegation against Ondo REC’

    The All Progressives Congress in Ondo State on Monday debunked the report calling on the Police and Directorate of State Security (DSS) to investigate the activities of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the state.

    The state Publicity Secretary, of the party, Omo’ba Abayomi Adesanya, in a statement last Wednesday, also expressed the need for the total overhauling of staff in the Commission ahead of the November 26 governorship election in the state.

    Adesanya accused the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC) Segun Agbaje and the Commission’s Administrative Secretary, Alhaji Kabir Omosanya of complicity with the faction of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the State led by one Clement Faboyede.

    He alleged that the two top officers of the commission have been having shady deals through an unholy alliance with key loyalists of the  Governor Olusegun Mimiko to perpetrate fraud ahead of the forthcoming governorship poll.

    However, the APC chairman in the state, Isaac Kekemeke said his executives were not privy to the statement.

    According to him,“before any statement of such could be made public,or even any policy statement from the party executives,it must be agreed upon and ratified by the party executives.

    “But the publicity secretary who issued the statement to the press must have equipped himself with facts of the allegation,which spurred him to unilaterally fired the shot without inputs of the state excos.”

    Kekemeke said he received calls from many APC leaders within and outside the state on the sensitive allegation in order to ascertain its veracity,saying“I just told them that Adesanya must have got the proofs of the allegation before issuing the statement.

    “Although,the allegation had caused a lot of embarrassment to the party,but as the Party Chairman in the State,I have no pre-knowledge of the allegation,and none of my state executives was aware of it,we did nt discuss it at any of our meetings and as such,we are not a party to the allegation against the REC”

    The legal practitioner said the state executive remains committed to the victory of APC in the state on November 26.

    Kekemeke urged party members to work to remain calm and mobilise voters for the poll.

  • Alleged assault: Court dismisses N500m suit against Metuh, wife

    Alleged assault: Court dismisses N500m suit against Metuh, wife

    • Says plaintiffs failed to prove their case
    A High Court of the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) in Maitama, Abuja has dismissed a N500 million suit brought against former Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) spokesman, Olisa Metuh, his wife, Kanayo and one of their security aides, Oche Gambo.
    In a judgment on Thursday, Justice Folashade Ojo held that the plaintiffs – the management of an Abuja-based private school – British Nigerian Academy (formerly attended by Metuh’s son, Derrick) and two of its staff – Kola Pele (Vice Principal) and Hamzat Maftau (a teacher) failed to prove their case against the defendants.
    The plaintiffs had sued Metuh and others for allegedly forcing themselves into the school premises on February 19, 2011 and assaulting two of the school’s staff, who confiscated Derrick’s mobile telephone.
    The plaintiffs, in the suit, marked: FCT/HC/CV/4248/2011 stated that Metuh’s wife and son visited her (Metuh’s wife’s) nephew, Kamsi Aghaji (a student) when an official of the school, Miss. Amauche Igbe, who saw Derrick giving his phone to some students in the boys’ hostel, in violation of school rules (that no phone allowed in hostels) seized the phone.
    They further stated that, on being unable to secure the release of her son’s phone, Kanayo invited her husband, who alleged stormed the school premises with armed policemen and allegedly assaulted Pele and Maftau for refusing to release his(Metuh’s) son’s phone.
    The plaintiffs prayed the court to declare among others, that the actions of the defendants on February 19, 2011, at the school amounted to trespass and unlawful entry to the plaintiffs’ school premises.
    The urged the court to award N500million damages against the defendants (N150m in special and general damages for assault, harassment, intimidation, mental pain, severe humiliation and injury to the person and personal integrity of Pele and Maftau; N100m for exemplary damages for trespass and unlawful entry into the school premises and N250m aggravated damages for grave injury caused to the commercial reputation and protective integrity of the school.
    After analysing all evidence led by parties at trial, Justice Ojo resolved the three issues identified for determination against the plaintiffs. She noted that the failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove their case.
    On whether the presence of the defendants in the school premises on the day of the incident was unlawful, as claimed by the plaintiffs, the judge noted that the plaintiffs, even though pleaded the school’s newsletter (which they claimed contained notices of students’ relatives’ visiting days) they neglected to tender it in evidence.
    Justice Ojo held that the only inference one could draw from plaintiff’s failure to tender the newsletter, which was necessary to prove their claim of trespass, was because its content did not support their case.
    The judge held that the plaintiffs could not prove that the defendants were in the school premises, on the day of the incident, unlawfully as the plaintiffs failed to prove that claim.
    In holding that the plaintiffs failed to also establish their claim of assault, the judge noted that even where it was the plaintiff’s case that the incident of assault occurred in the presence of some school staff, students and their parents, the plaintiffs failed to call some of those, who they claimed witnessed the incident.
    “It was a staff of the 1st plaintiff (Miss. Amauche Igbe) that seized the phone from the 2nd defendant and handed over same to the 2nd plaintiff. The saidMiss. Amauche Igbe did not testify in this case and no reason was given for her failure to testify.
    “In the face of the denial of the plaintiffs’ case by the defendants, I am of the view that the failure of the plaintiffs to call any other witnesses is fatal to their case. The plaintiffs’ evidence is that other people were present when the assault took place. The people include the staff and students of the school.
    “In the present circumstance, I am of the view that the plaintiffs have failed to prove, by the preponderance of evidence that they were assaulted by the defendants on the day in question,” the judge said.
    She added that having held that the plaintiffs could not establish trespass against the defendants their prayers for injunctions and damages cannot be granted.
    “The alleged misconduct of the defendants, which allegedly brought pains, harassment, etc to the plaintiffs has not been proved. In conclusion, I find that the plaintiffs have failed to prove their case against the defendants and same is dismissed in its entirety,” Justice Ojo said.
  • I have confidence in Jegede – Mimiko

    I have confidence in Jegede – Mimiko

    The Governor of Ondo state, Dr Olusegun Mimiko on Wednesday said he has undoubted confident in the Governorship candidate of the Ahmed Markafi led’s Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, Mr Eyitayo Jegede (SAN).
    He said he is also confident that Jegede, who served under him as the Attorney-General and Commissioner for Justice, would continue to move the state higher.
    Mimiko, spoke at the official flag-off campaign of Jegede ahead of November 26, poll.
    The event was attended by Markafi, who was represented by Prince Dayo Adeyeye, Governor Ayodele Fayose, South West PDP Chairman, Eddy Olafeso, former Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Omolade Oluwateru, John Olubunmi Olowe, Deputy Governor of Ondo State, Alhaji Lasisi Oluboyo, Ondo state Assembly Speaker, Jumoke Akindele, National Assembly members among others.
    The governor said he has shown to the people of the state that the interest of the masses remains the priority of the PDP, adding that his government has delivered on his promises ranging from Health, Education, Infrastructure and social services.
    Mimiko said his achievements in the state must be sustained by his successor, Jegede, assuring the people of the state that he (Jegede) would consolidate on the legacy of the PDP led government.
    The party candidate, Mr. Eyitayo Jegede assured the people that the PDP would win the forthcoming election.
    He charged the people of the state to brace up to defend their votes, saying no gentleman on election day.
    He promised to create wealth for the state by leveraging through a road network.
    He noted that nobody going to the northern party from the south-west that would not pass through Ondo State.
    Jegede assured that his administration would work on ways to create wealth for the state through that privilege.
    Adeyeye insisted that Jegede’s name still with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), urging the party members to work very hard to ensure victory for PDP.
    Fayose said “we are in a country where opposition parties are contesting against INEC.
    “This country belongs to all of us but by geographical demarcation, Ondo state belongs to you.
    “What they did in Edo state won’t happen here. What happen in 1983 won’t be allowed to occur again in the state. Be prepared to protect your votes”.