The Nation Newspaper

Tag: polls

  • Niger ready for local govt polls

    The Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) has said that it will employ the use of the Card Readers used by the Independent National  Electoral Commission (INEC) in the last general election.

    The commission also disclosed that the machinery for the conduct of the January 16 local government elections in the 25 local government councils in the state have been put in place.

    Disclosing this to reporters in Minna, the state capital, its Public Relations Officer, Mohammed Ali, said about 14,000 staff and 3,185 ad-hoc staff are being trained to operate the card readers.

    According to Ali, the INEC is assisting the Niger State Independent Electoral Commission (NSIEC) with the voters register, ballot boxes and some technical staff. He added that NSIEC had already installed its own server to ensure adequate storage of information.

    He said: “I can inform you that we are the first state electoral commission to install a server for the purpose of election.”

    Ali assured the political parties and their candidates that the commission will be fair and transparent in the conduct of the election. He also urged the electorate to ensure that lawlessness, thuggery and ballot box snatching, are avoided before, during and after the election.

    The poll was earlier scheduled for November 7 last year, but it was shifted for what the NSIEC described as logistic reasons.

    The non-sensitive materials for the election have already been sent to the headquarters of the commission in the 25 local government areas. Also, the sensitive materials have been distributed.

  • $2.1b arms cash: Ex-minister flees over Osun, Ekiti polls

    $2.1b arms cash: Ex-minister flees over Osun, Ekiti polls

    EFCC traces N1.450b to four firms

    Official says PDP got funds for election

    How much of the $2.1 billion arms purchase cash went into the Ekiti and Osun states governorship elections?

    What role did a former minister play in the alleged diversion of the funds?

    These are some of the questions the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) is battling to answer in its probe of the phoney arms deals that set the treasury back by millions of dollars.

    The cash was wired into the former minister’s accounts, the anti-graft agency is believed to have discovered.

    Governorship elections were held in Ekiti (June 2014) and in Osun (August 2014).

    But the former minister, one of the leading lights of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the Southwest, has sneaked out of the country.

    It was learnt that he may relocate from his hideout  because it is considered as “unsafe” for him.

    There are fears that if he remains in the hideout, his extradition for trial would be easier, a source told The Nation.

    The source said: “The huge funds were paid into the accounts of the ex-Minister for elections in the two states.

    “There are allegations that the funds were not disbursed as expected because the candidates had their own campaign funds.

    “Although some military and security personnel were to benefit from the slush funds, they were also shortchanged.”

    Some bankers who managed the accounts have already given some information to EFCC investigators.

    “But we have discovered that the ex-Minister has sneaked out of the country. As soon as we establish his whereabouts, we know what to do,” the source said.

    The Nation could not reach the former minister last night.

    It was gathered that another N1.450billion fraud had been uncovered by the EFCC following revelations by one of the accused persons on trial.

    The discovery is contained in the heap of evidence filed in the court by EFCC for the trial of 10 suspects.

    The money was paid into some accounts which were submitted by a “former Accountant-General” whose identity the suspect in the Office of the National Security Adviser(ONSA) refused to disclose.

    “I could remember the following companies and account numbers were submitted by the former Accountant -General which we paid monies into. Below are the companies and amounts so far paid: Stellavera Dev Company(N300m); First Aralac Global Limited(N300m); First Aralac Global Limited(N100m); Damaris Mode(N300m);  Stellavera Dev Company(N200m) and Whese Farms Ltd(N250m).

    “I was directed to pay monies into the above accounts. I do not know what the monies were meant for, “ the accused person said.

    Meanwhile, a Staff Officer, Account 1, Yazidu Ibrahim has disclosed that most payments from the ONSA were meant to pursue the PDP presidential election.

    He claims to have payment vouchers of all funds remitted to PDP beneficiaries, companies and contractors.

    He made the disclosures in a statement made to EFCC as a witness.

    Ibrahim said: “My duties include recording financial transactions and to keep custody of all duplicate copies  of financial transactions. Also to prepare bank reconciliation statements and to collect statements from all banks.

    “The year 2014-2015 transactions were mainly to support the presidential election of the ruling Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    “Those payments to contractors or individuals by deposit into their accounts were based on instructions from the DFA. The tellers are attached to the payment vouchers.

    “All payments to contractors are based on directive from DFA. Sometimes, there is accompanying  document; most times, there is  nothing except account details of contractors.”

     

  • Rivers polls: INEC transfers REC, others

    Rivers polls: INEC transfers REC, others

    •REC: I’m yet to receive transfer letter 

    Ahead of fresh elections in Rivers State, ordered by the tribunals and Courts of Appeal in Abuja, the Chairman of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Mahmud Yakubu, has ordered the transfer of top officials of the commission in the state.

    The affected officials include the Resident Electoral Commissioner (REC), Dame Gesila Khan, and other senior officers of the commission, who allegedly compromised the processes during the March 28 and April 11 elections in favour of the PDP.

    It was learnt last night that some top officials of INEC at the Rivers State headquarters in Port Harcourt got their transfer letters on Friday from Abuja; others would get theirs today.

    Prof Yakubu was said to be saddened by what a source called the embarrassing revelations from the tribunals and Courts of Appeal on the sham and massively-rigged elections in Rivers State and other parts of the country.

    The INEC chairman was said to have deemed it necessary to make the mass transfer.

    The massive nullification of the “victories” of the Peoples Democratic Party’s (PDP’s) candidates in the state, sources said, angered Governor Nyesom Wike, a former Minister of State for Education.

    A top INEC official in Rivers State, who testified at the tribunal, was described as an “S.U.” or born again Christian.

    The alleged rigging by the PDP was said to have made the party to “win” the governorship and three senatorial seats as well as all the 13 seats in the House of Representatives and 31 of the 32 seats in the House of Assembly.

    Josiah Olu of the All Progressives Congress (APC) won the Eleme Constituency’s seat in the House of Assembly.

    Dame Khan denied any wrongdoing during the elections when she spoke on phone yesterday with our reporter.

    The REC noted that transfers in the civil service were routine, adding that at the close of work on Friday, she had not received any transfer letter.

    Dame Khan said: “Do not mind them. They are telling lies against me. It is part of the propaganda of the APC to discredit me. I did not collect money from any politician and I did not share money to or with anybody.

    “I was transferred to Bayelsa State from Delta State on January 5, 2015 and I put in my best before, during and after the general elections. Those abusing and lying against me should ask about me in Delta State, where I also put in my best.

  • Eta: Judiciary on trial over Akwa Ibom polls

    Eta: Judiciary on trial over Akwa Ibom polls

    The National Vice-Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Southsouth, Prince Hilliard Eta, has said the report by Sahara Reporters on judicial decisions on the Akwa Ibom elections has vindicated his stand that judges that handled the cases were compromised.

    Eta stressed that he was referring to decided cases from the Akwa Ibom polls, and not the pending appeal on the governorship election.

    He explained that the judicial decisions on the election cases in were curious in the light of the fact that the European Union, the American government, the African Union and local election monitors agreed that there were no elections in both Akwa Ibom and Rivers states, only for the courts to cancel all the disputed elections but one in Rivers while upholding all the election cases in Akwa Ibom. “I am of the strong opinion that what accounts for the differential judicial outcome on the Siamese election fraud cases in Rivers and Akwa Ibom is corruption,” the APC South-South national vice-chairman said.

    Lamenting that the judiciary has reduced Nigeria to a laughing stock before the international community, Eta drew attention to specific cases”. He added: “In Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District (Ikot Ekpene Senatorial District), where both the election tribunal and the Court of Appeal upheld the election of the Senate Minority Leader, Chief Godswill Akpabio, the number of votes cast in the election, which stood at 450,000, according to INEC records, far exceeded the number of registered voters in the district, which stood at 205,000 voters. Yet the courts overlooked this clear case of over voting, contrary to section 53 of the Electoral Act 2010, as amended. In the case of the governorship election petition, the tribunal also refused to take into account the case of over voting where 1,222,836 votes were recorded by Akwa Ibom State INEC as against INEC headquarters Card Reader data that show that only 437,128 voters were accredited to cast ballot in the governorship election.

    “The courts equally overlooked the critical fact that Senator Akpabio was not presented by his party for election in Akwa Ibom North West Senatorial District, where he was declared elected, only to  rationalise that the nomination of Akpabio for election in a different senatorial district other than where he was declared winner was a minor error outweighed by the curious view of the courts that the voters knew whom they voted for even if he was not validly nominated for the election.”

    Eta compared the case of Akpabio v. Okori of the APC to the decision of the governorship tribunal in Taraba State, where it was decided that the PDP candidate for the election, who is now the state governor, could not be returned elected because he was not validly nominated by his party due to a similar irregularity in his nomination process. Votes for the PDP candidate in the election were regarded as wasted votes because he was not validly noted. Why was the law applied differently in the case of Akwa Ibom North Senatorial District? Eta asked.

    He called on the judiciary to uphold the rule of law and save the nation’s democracy from fatal judicial abuse. He also called on the federal government to institute a full scale probe into the corruption of election petition judges in Akwa Ibom State, given detailed information on specific cases from open sources.

  •  Beyond fresh polls

    The wordings of the judgment were not short. But one short quote struck a chord in me. It reads: “In the instant case, it was the President of the Court of Appeal that relocated the tribunal to Abuja because of insecurity. It was this situation that demanded for a doctrine of necessity which made the President of the Court of Appeal to relocate the tribunal to Abuja to protect the lives of the members of the panel… It is necessary to protect members of the panel by relocating them from the theatre of war to where their lives will be secured.”

    The quote came from the judgment of the Supreme Court on the case instituted by Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike challenging the relocation of the Election Petition Tribunal to Abuja. He had failed at the lower level on this matter. He suffered setback at the Appeal Court. And the Supreme Court finally did him in.

    What struck me in the judgment was the apex court’s description of Rivers as a theatre of war. The justices agree with the Appeal Court President that there was insecurity in Rivers State and the lives of the members of the tribunal could be in danger. And here is my dilemma regarding the judgments on Rivers and Akwa-Ibom states, where various degrees of violence were recorded before, during and after the last general elections. Violence played vital roles in the decisions to annul the Rivers governorship and some House of Assembly elections.

    I sincerely believe that calling for fresh polls is not enough. Violence cannot perpetrate itself. Someone must be behind it. So, there is need for us to find out those behind the violence and punish them.

    Let me go back memory lane so that we can appreciate the kind of madness that went on in Rivers. Rivers State was hell before, during and after the polls. For months, men without spine, men of brawn—and please permit me to add— who lack humanity and conscience put Rivers State, the Lagos of the South-south, on the spot. It was either they were shooting guns or they were throwing bombs. And when they did it, they hid their faces. They acted most times under the cover of the dark and daylight.

    Aside guns and dynamites, they also used machetes and other dangerous weapons. Heads were broken. Necks were twisted. Arms had hot leads pumped into them. And there was a woman whose back was reshaped with bullets. It was simply a tale of blood.

    Last year, I received the picture of a man on a hospital bed somewhere in dear Rivers. Blood was gushing out of the middle of his head. It looked as though his skull was broken. His name, I found out, is Emenike. In the picture, he looked dead. In fact, he was reported dead and condolences were sent to his friends and families. The picture was to illustrate a story for the next day’s edition of this paper. But, we simply could not use it. It was gory. My Editor, Gbenga Omotoso, cringed on seeing the picture and simply screamed: “We can’t use this. It is gory.”

    He was not the only one attacked that day.  Others were too. They were at a meeting when they were attacked by men of low moral standing, men who are so-called because of their physical possessions.

    Jerry Needam, who speaks for the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in the state, alleged that the then Chief of Staff to the immediate past Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Chief Tony Okocha ordered political thugs and supporters of the All Progressives Congress (APC) to attack a former chairman of Obio/Akpor Local Government Area, Timothy Nsirim at a function in Rumueme. Needam described the alleged attack as “criminal, barbaric and animalistic”.

    Nsirim, he claimed, was physically battered by Okocha and sustained major injuries all over his body and had his clothes torn to shreds. “The PDP therefore, calls on the Inspector-General of Police, I-G and the Rivers State Commissioner of Police, CP to arrest and prosecute Tony Okocha. The party also describes Okocha as lawless, blood thirsty and one if not tamed, would cause crisis in Rivers State, ahead of the general elections,” he said.

    But Nsirim’s father who is the King of Rumueme community, Nyeweli Omunakwe Nyeche Nsirim, accused his son of using thugs to disrupt the APC rally. According to him, the APC stalwarts in the community had duly obtained the blessing of the chiefs of the community to organise their political rally. He described as false the claim by the PDP that Okocha and other APC supporters attacked the former council chairman.

    The bulk of those at the receiving end of the madness in Rivers were of the APC. The PDP said the APC was the one throwing the dynamites and attacking its own to buy sympathy.  It also claimed to have made available video and other evidence of attacks on its members to the Chidi Odinkalu-led National Human Rights Commission.

    Several APC supporters on their way to the official inauguration of Gen. Muhammadu Buhari’s presidential campaign in Port Harcourt were attacked by masked gunmen near Harry’s Town, in Degema and Sakpenwa, in Tai. The cowards were not bold enough to do it without hiding under face masks. They left many unconscious and in their pool of blood and fled into anonymity to spend the filthy money from their cowardly masters.

    Ask Aadum Pya-Alu, Deemua Beatrice, Sorbari Npebee, Barbe Jack, Victory Vinam and Wisdom Akpogbara and they will tell you tales that not only touch the hearts but break them.  Pya-Alu’s leg shot by the cowards tell all the story; Beatrice’s back-arm can never forget the day hot leads were pumped into it; Npebee, who was shot in the head and neck, is lucky to be alive to tell the story; and elated is Jack for not dying as a result of the gun-attack on his stomach; so is Vinam, who was shot in the leg; and Akpogbara must be thanking God that the bullet he received on the head for daring to identify with Gen. Buhari’s aspiration did not kill him.

    Okrika, the hometown of ex-First Lady Dame Patience Jonathan, never allowed any APC rally. On one occasion, gunshots were exchanged between those who wanted the rally stopped and the police. At the end, a policeman died and a reporter with Channels Television, Charles Eruka, was stabbed. He is lucky to be alive and presenting his programme on the award-winning news medium. That day, some other policemen were also badly injured.

    Mr Anayo Onukwugha, a journalist working for Leadership in Port Harcourt, said he saw youths carrying AK-47 rifles, locally-made pistols, cutlasses and bottles.  They overpowered him and collected all they could lay their hands on in his pockets, including his two phones, a digital voice recorder and some cash.

    His colleague, Emeka Amaefula, the Bureau Chief of City, sustained abrasion on his sheen and waist and had an elbow inflammation.

    Of all the killings, those of the Adubes caught the public’s attention more. Their killers showed no mercy. In one fell swoop, nine persons, including a father, his two sons and daughter were killed. The members of Adube family are still in tears and are seeking justice.

    Those killed are: former Caretaker Committee Chairman of Ogba/Egbema/ Ndoni Local Government Area, the late Hon. Christopher Adube, his two sons Lucky and John, his daughter Joy, a family friend Iyk Ogarabe and the family driver, Mr.  Samuel Chukwunonye.

    Gunmen also killed nine persons and burnt the house of a politician in Ogba/Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area in one day.

    My final take: Whoever claims there was no violence in Rivers State before, during and after the elections is not only a liar but a pathological one. With PDP’s claim that it presented evidence of attacks on its members to the NHRC, that is an admission of violence. Those behind the violence deserve to be identified and punished.

  • Our plan for Kogi, Bayelsa polls, by APC

    Our plan for Kogi, Bayelsa polls, by APC

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) is two years old. In this interview with TONY AKOWE, its National Organising Secretary, Senator Osita Izunaso, speaks on the journey so far and the proposed governorship elections in Kogi and Bayelsa States.

    The party is planning to celebrate its second anniversary. What is the party celebrating?

    The party was two years by the 31st of July this year because the APC was registered by INEC on July 31st 2013. Last year when we wanted to celebrate our one year anniversary, we got tied up with preparations towards registration of our members, conducting congresses for our members across the federations, holding the national convention as well as the party primaries for the 2015 general elections which we won by the grace of God. This is the second year and the party wants to roll out the drums to celebrate our second year of existence as a party. It is unprecedented that within two years of being registered as a party, we have won the general elections. It is unprecedented that within two years of being registered as a party, we have twenty two (22) governors elected on the platform of the party. It is also unprecedented that within two years of our registration, we are controlling the two chambers of the National Assembly. These are the things we considered as giant stride  and achievements that call for celebrating our great party on its second year as a political party. The event to celebrate our party at two will hold by the end of this month (August) here in Abuja and we are getting world class resource persons to speak to us on the role of a political party in emerging government as well as talk about our change mantra and what to do to effect the change. We shall hear talks on the change our party is championing, is it change of altitude or otherwise, these are the aspects we will be looking at. We have secured the date and the guest speakers are fine tuning ahead of it. I can say authoritatively that one of the guest speakers will be Professor Ibrahim Gambari, Nigeria’s former permanent representatives to the United Nations. We are also finalising the arrangements to get other speakers from outside the country. So, it is true the APC wants to celebrate its second year anniversary. But it will not be only celebration. We also want to use the avenue for internal soul search to let ourselves know that the task ahead is more than the one behind.

    The Kogi governorship elections is coming up in a couple of months. How is the APC preparing for the polls?

    In the APC, we pride ourselves with our interest in internal democracy. The first ingredient that gave us victory in the last general elections is the openness of our presidential primaries. It was transparent and open to the extent that even those that could not make it immediately congratulated the winner and they started working together. Before the Presidential primaries, some people were thinking that APC had already anointed someone amongst the aspirants. But at the end of the day, you found out that no one was anointed because it was transparently done and the candidate emerged. That is what happened in all our governorship primaries across the federation. As the National Organising Secretary of the party, I have seen primaries conducted by the leadership without any crisis. We have done party congresses across the federation without any crisis; we had our presidential primary without any crisis so I don’t envisage any crisis springing up after the governorship primaries in Kogi and Bayelsa states.

    If you have been monitoring our activities so far, you’ll observe that we have painstakingly carry on in a manner that both the aspirants and the party leadership in Kogi State will be comfortable with the process.  It is public knowledge that we’ve had screening where we gave equal opportunities to all the aspirants. The screening committee cleared all the twenty eight aspirants for the primaries and that is okay by us at the national level here. There are basic things they looked at and were satisfied that all of them are qualified. So, we can not stop anyone in the name of disqualification. In this country, we have seen cases where an incumbent governor was not even allowed to run for primaries of his party. That is not the style of APC.

    We have made the aspirants to sign an undertaking which is optional and all of them have signed the undertaking to abide by the process of the primaries. What this mean is that we have a responsibility as a party to ensure that the primaries are free and fair. The aspirants also have the responsibility to do the right thing to ensure that the primaries are hitch free. Once you conduct a free and fair election, the losers will not mind congratulating the winner. People get upset when the process is not free and transparent. If it is free and transparent, a loser will lose gallantly and a winner win gallantly. We have put adequate measures in place and I can assure you that there’ll be no backlash after the primaries so long as we do the right thing. The party is poised to do the right thing by publishing the list of the delegates. It is not a matter of giving the numbers of the delegates, but making them known to the world. APC will publish the list of the delegates for the primaries and anyone who has questions on who is or who is not suppose to be on the list will raise the issue before the primaries and the party will address such dispassionately.

    We have guidelines on who qualified to be a delegate and who is not. But, for the avoidance of doubt, we’ll go ahead to publish the list to ensure transparency. I don’t think we are expecting any post primary issues as it never happened during our presidential election primaries.

    If you observed, only a few of APC controlled states are in court over primary election conflict unlike our opponents. So. in a nutshell, what the APC believe in is her cardinal objective of giving room for internal democracy to reign. As long as you don’t guarantee the membership of your party, internal democracy can not succeed. Even now that we are governing party, if we produce a bad candidate, the tendency is that the populace might vote for him or her but will he or she provide the positive change APC stands for? So when we talk about change, it must start from within. We are going to conduct a good primary and I can assure you that there won’t be a major fallout.

    Is there any alliance between the party and the former first lady as far as the election in Bayelsa Is concerned?

    Don’t even go far, I’m not aware of what you are talking about. It is not everything that the media report that you will take to be the truth. She (Patience Jonathan) is not even a member of our party and she has not indicated interest to support any member of our party. If there are things like that, you can just say they are media speculations.

    How can the APC leadership ensure unity in the Kogi chapter?

    There won’t be any crisis. A political party is just like a church. You don’t stop anyone from coming in to worship. We can’t stop anyone from coming to join APC because we are even looking for more people to join the party. If there so many bigwigs in Bayelsa or any other states coming to join our party, what that means is that our party is doing well. If we are not doing well, those bigwigs will not join us. How do we manage their entrance into the party? That is why we have code of conducts and guidelines for primaries. If anybody who is coming in now is qualified to contest, you can’t stop them from contesting the primaries. It is the delegates that will decide who becomes the candidate of the party. If you look at the delegates electoral college and those who constitute the APC delegates, you will discover that they are more inclusive than the other political party. The other political party will do a special congress to elect three people per ward. In our case, virtually all executive members of our party are delegates. If you have a large number of delegates, the tendency is that people cannot buy them over because the number is large. People cannot camp them overnight. How do you even do that when you have over four thousand delegates? If you are qualified to run for an election, you can run. We cannot stop any new person coming into the party not to contest. It is the delegates that will determine their fates.

    Mind you, we are not doing a new delegate list. It is the other political party that does a special congress to elect an adhoc-delegates that will elect the candidate. The scenario in APC is different from that. Our own is to ensure that the existing executives from the wards to local and state governments levels constitute the list of the delegates. That is our guideline. It is them (delegates) that will know whether an aspirant has worked for the party or not. I wouldn’t want to stress this point. The bottom line is that everybody will be given a level playing ground to operate, whether you are a new entrant to the party or not, as long as you are qualified.

    There was an incident where your party members in Rivers State took their protest to INEC headquarters, Abuja over the refusal of the State Residence Electoral Commissioner to allow them access the electoral materials, is there anything the party at the national level is doing or it is going to do on this issue?

    We at the national level find it very reluctant to comment on issues before the Tribunal. Our people in Rivers, Imo, Akwa-Ibom and other states who are having issues at the tribunals have been advised on what to do legally and they are doing that right now. However, I must say that it is condemnable to see some of our members being teargassed by the police. Nigerians have condemned it and we also joined Nigerians to condemn such treatment. They went to INEC to make a specific request and not to demonstrate. So, why won’t they be admitted to state their mission and for INEC to answer them? We know that it is not everything you request from INEC that it will oblige you. Buy if the court gave an order that such should be done, why can’t they obey the court order? We will refrain from commenting on those sensitive issues because it has gone beyond our domain and is now a judicial matter and we will allow them to finish and if there are issues, we’ve advised our people on how to follow them legally. We pride ourselves as law abiding citizens of this country. Our party is first and foremost a believer in the rule of law and that is the only way the system can be sanitised and nothing beyond that.

    Is there any other thing the party is doing to get the women more involved in the affairs of the party, especially in elective positions?

    Anything that has to do with gender is somewhat of agitation. When you are agitating for something, you will surely become an Oliver Twist. If you get this, you’ll still agitate for another one. If you say our women are complaining, then I’ll say it is not true.cIf there is any party in Nigeria that is more women friendly, then I’ll say it is our party. No major political party in Nigeria has ever given a woman the governorship ticket, but the APC gave it’s governorship ticket to a woman in Taraba State. She would have emerged as a governor. Even at that, it is never too late because her case is still in court. What does that mean? It means APC as a party doesn’t do lip services to the issue of gender. If we do, we wouldn’t have given our governorship ticket to a woman. The same APC elected a woman as the chairman of our party in Adamawa State. Today, the same person is now an elected senator from the same state. During the interim administration of our party, a woman in Enugu State was also appointed as the chairman of the party in the state. Within the last two years when the APC was formed, we’ve had two women as chairmen of our party in the states. Has that happened anywhere before? Even our major opponent, have they produced a woman chairman before; have they produced woman governorship candidate before? Even in the appointment that we are doing, you wouldn’t say women are relegated. A woman is currently the Acting chairman of INEC, the most sensitive electoral body in the country. Mr President has not appointed his ministers and I believe when he does, women will be.

    We don’t joke with the issues of our women. The APC is the only party than takes the issue of her women seriously. It is public knowledge that we don’t charge money for nomination form from any of our women who wish to vie for elective positions and the Kogi primary is a clear example. One of the contestants is a woman and the party didn’t collect a dime from her to obtain the form. If a woman is qualified to contest for any elective position on the platform of this party, she’s free to do so.

  • Kogi polls: Bello unfolds manifesto

    Kogi polls: Bello unfolds manifesto

    Kogi State All Progressives Congress (APC) governorship aspirant Yahaya Bello has unfolded his manifesto at a party meeting in Lokoja, the state capital, urging the people to vote for power shift.

    He told party followers that Kogi can only move forward, if it is led by a progressive governor.

    Bello lamented that the state remained poor because its resources are not fully tapped.

    He said: “Created in 1991, Kogi State boasts about 29 of the 34 internationally recognised mineral resources in Nigeria. But what do we have to show for this rich natural endowment? Absolutely nothing! Kogi State is, sadly enough, one of the poorest in Nigeria.”

    Bello said the next APC government will break the shackles of retardation, retrogression, stagnation, and underdevelopment., if the people vote for change.

    Bello will fight for the APC ticket at the primaries along with Prince Abubakar Audu, Alhaji Yakubu Mohammed and Senator Abatemi-Usman.

    Bello began his career in 2001 at the Revenue Mobilization Allocation and Fiscal Commission as a National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) member. He rose to the position of Chief Accounting Officer. He ventured into stock trading with portfolio spanning oil and gas, and finance. He explained that he entered the race to salvage the Northcentral state.

    Unfolding his five-point agenda, he said:  “Education is not a luxury but a right. There will be education for all. I will overhaul the health system. I will create jobs, develop infrastructure and reform the pension system.

    He said: “Education equips people with the required skills to become self-reliant and therefore, rescue themselves from poverty. We will give conditional cash grants to indigent students, school meal vouchers, full and partial scholarships. We will foster early childhood/youth leadership development, school-based child health intervention, including free and subsidized healthcare. We will provide new school infrastructures and educational aids and materials, teaching resources, incentives for vocational and apprenticeship schemes, and continuous training of teachers.”

    He added: “An idle hand is the devils tool and idle minds his workshop. The battle against unemployment will be waged through strategies to enhance both employability and employment opportunities for the people of Kogi State. I feel the pains of my fellow Kogi youths who cannot find gainful employment.”

    Bello promised “industry-specific training schemes that will work hand-in-hand with our proposed incentivized vocational and apprenticeship schemes under our educational action plans.” He said, without formal education, every Kogi youth will have the opportunity to get into a profitable venture through “training and support that will guarantee a decent livelihood.”

    He said: “Opportunities will be created in agriculture, mining, trade and commerce, artisanship.”

    On tourism, he said: “A vibrant tourism industry is a sine-quanon for a revitalised Kogi State in view of its historical and strategic vantage position as a meeting point of the diverse cultural heritage of the rich nation of Nigeria. Specifically, amusement parks, horticultural gardens, zoos, arcades, boat regattas, festival and cultural venues, among many more, are in the work.”

    He added: “”Kogi State is the solid minerals capital of Nigeria. The most strategic minerals are buried in the bowels of our dear state, but the lackluster successive administrations have been blind to these jewels of nature all around us. Of the thirty-four (34) most important minerals in Nigeria, 29 are in Kogi State. We have a master-plan to partner with the Federal Government and ensure that these blessings no longer lie fallow in our land while our people go hungry and unemployed”.

    Bello promised to develop agriculture, adding that “by the time we are two years in office, the sector would be employing at least 100,000 Kogi indigenes in diverse capacities.”

    He also promised to defend the health sector by refurbishing and equipping existing health facilities to international standards.

    Reiterating his determination to fight infrastructure battle, he said: “Investors are generally drawn to developing the economy when there is availability of basic infrastructure and an enabling environment such as accessibility through a good road network, power, piped water and other utilities. We intend to open up our economic space by focusing on revenue-generating infrastructure ranging from rural roads, water supply by extending the reach of the Greater Lokoja Water works to adjoining towns while building from the scratch many independent rural water projects.”

  • Wike hails corps members for role in last polls

    Wike hails corps members for role in last polls

    Rivers State Governor Nyesom Wike has hailed National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) members for their role in the success of the March 28 and April 11 elections.

    The governor said their courage in face of daunting security challenges deepened the nation’s democracy.

    Wike spoke yesterday in Port Harcourt, the state capital, when he hosted the state’s team of the NYSC.

    He said: “I want to commend corps members for their role during the 2015 general elections.

    “The sacrifice made by the corps members contributed to the success of the general elections.”

    Wike noted that despite the post-election violence in 2011, corps members were not deterred.

    The governor said they performed their duties well across the country.

    He assured that his administration would always support the NYSC to deliver on its mandate.

    Wike approved the release of a monthly subvention to the State NYSC to enable the scheme function effectively.

    The governor said the state would consider paying corps members monthly allowances, in line with the prevailing economic realities.

    He noted that postings should be guided by relevance and not the consideration of monetary gains.

    Wike said the state government would assist the families of eight corps members who died during their service year in the state.

    The State NYSC Coordinator, Mrs Ngozi Nwatarali urged the governor to support the scheme to deliver on its mandate.

    She said the NYSC had served the state diligently, especially in rural and coastal communities, where it had added value in critical areas.

     

     

  • APC wins 22 council seats in Rivers polls

    APC wins 22 council seats in Rivers polls

    •Protest in Khana as DPP candidate calls for cancellation

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) won 22 of the 23 chairmanship seats in last Saturday’s local government election in Rivers State.

    The State Independent Electoral Commission (RSIEC) Chief Returning Officer, Prof Austin Ahiauzu, declared the results last night.

    He said APC won 22 of the 23 local government areas.

    The Returning Officer said the election was peaceful because it was transparent.

    Prof Ahiauzu said APC won 297 councillorship seats in the 302 wards while other political parties won the rest.

    In Ahoada East’s wards 8 and 10, the People for Democratic Change (PDC) was declared winners of the councillorship seats.

    The PDC councilor–elect in Ahoada East’s Ward 10, Mrs. Royal Onukwube, told our reporter that the time had come for people to be elected into positions of power without sentiments about their political parties.

    She thanked RSIEC and APC leadership for not being biased against other political parties that participated in the election.

    She noted that her victory was an indication that RSIEC conducted a transparent election.

    At Khana Local Government Area, the Democratic People Party (DPP) candidate, Comrade Fredick Gogorobari James, urged RSIEC to nullify the chairmanship election in the area for alleged lack of transparency.

    He alleged that APC’s chairmanship-elect, Celestine Akpobari, won with the collaboration of “thugs”.

  • Panel on polls report set up

    Panel on polls report set up

    THE Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has set up a 12-member committee on elections report.

    The committee, which was inaugurated by INEC Chairman, Prof. Attahiru Jega, yesterday is expected to produce a comprehensive report on the elections.

    The committee, to be chaired by the National Commissioner, Information and Voter Education Committee, Dr. Chris Iyimoga, was given 69 days.

    Jega, at a brief ceremony at the commission’s headquarters, urged the committee members to produce “an excellent report” before June 30, which marks the end of tenure of the commission.

     The INEC chairman, who urged the committee to give its full commitment to the job, assured it of the commission’s support.

    Members of the committee include:  Prof. M.J. Kuna (assistant to the chairman);   Okey Ndeche;   Kayode Idowu, Chief Press Secretary;   Nick Dazang;   Chima Duruaku; Okechukwu Ibeanu;  Fatu Ogwuche, Citizens Contact Centre; Nnamdi Nweze, Legal Officer; Aminu Idris; Shehu Wahab; and John Irem (member/secretary).

    Iyimoga hailed the commission for the opportunity given to the committee to serve and expressed confidence that members would produce an excellent report within the timeframe.