The Nation Newspaper

Tag: senatorial

  • Oyo Senatorial aspirant vow to deliver service to humanity

    The Oyo Central Senatorial aspirant under the All Progressives Congress (APC), Mr. Tony Ashamu has stated that his interest to contest in 2015 for senatorial seat, is to render services to humanity and not for political advantage.

    The young businessman from Ashamu family in Agbakin lineage, one of the ancestral chieftaincy title in Oyo kingdom also maintained that service to humanity is his family legacy.

    According to him, Ashamu family is a great family in Oyo, Atiba and Ibadan as the family has built schools, Mosques and Churches not fewer than 30 as a service to humanity saying he is contesting to build on these good legacies.

    The senatorial aspirant said his motive to contest for the senatorial seat is not to amass wealth but to represent the youth who have been marginalise in Nigerian politics.

    Said he, “I may be young but I believe I have a lot to offer compared to some older politicians who have nothing to offer the people. But just like Obama of United State of America, I represent the younger generation that is the youths to make impacts that will stand a test of time just like the good works of Late sage Chief Obafemi Awolowo that can still be seen and felt till date”.

    He as well took a swipe at the opposition that may be picking hole in Governor Abiola Ajimobi administration saying they are doing this for a selfish motive to mislead the populace for personal advantage.

    “Gov. Ajimobi is a different breed, educated and intelligent though he may not be perfect but criticism from opposition parties must be constructive rather that be towards selfish motive. A new comer into the state will see a lot of transformations by his administration meaning opposition parties supposed to commend him for this”. He said

    On the issue of jumbo pay, Ashamu maintained that it is a welcome development if the fund is disbursed to projects that are to propel development rather than personalizing the money to themselves.

  • Group kicks over Oghiadomhe’s senatorial ambition

    A social group, ‘Safe Afenmai Group’ has condemned the purported senatorial ambition of the immediate past Chief of Staff to President Goodluck Jonathan, Chief Mike Oghiadomhe, as he is yet to officially declare his interest for elective offices in the Edo North Senatorial on any platform ahead of the 2015 general elections.

    In a release made available to The Nation in Benin City, the state capital, the initiator and leader of the group, Mr. Blessing Agbomhere, warned that any political party that is desirous of winning any senatorial election must avoid fielding the former presidential aide, who allegedly achieved little for his people while at the corridors of power.

    Accusing Oghiadomhe of lobbying Edo State political leaders and courting traditional rulers, Agbomhere said: “While we await his declaration, which we are ready to resist, we will refute and rebuke him with every weapon of our intellectual arsenal.”

  • Okadigbo, Igbeke in protracted senatorial battle

    Okadigbo, Igbeke in protracted senatorial battle

    Two years after her election as a Senator, Mrs. Margery Okadigbo is still being challenged by her party colleague, Senator Alphonsus Igbeke. EMMANUEL OLADESU writes on the protracted post-election legal tussle.

     

    In 2011, Former Senate President Chuba Okadigbo’s widow, Margery, was elected as the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) senator representing Anambra North District. But two years after, the contest appears inconclusive as her opponent, Senator Alphonsus Igbeke, is still challenging her victory in the court. On May 31, the Supreme Court is expected to give the final verdict on the poll.

    Senator Okadigbo, who enjoys sitting on the seat vacated by her colourful husband in the Upper Chamber, has maintained that she won the election without any foul play. Her supporters have described Igbeke as a clever politician fond of laying a legal ambush against winners only to be declared winner later. But Igbeke has fired back, saying that he has always relied on the law to fight his political battles.

    The Supreme Court had earlier declared Okadigbo as the PDP candidate in a suit filed by Prince John Emeka. Justice Bode Rhodes-Vivour, who delivered the judgment said that she scored the highest number of votes at the PDP senatorial primaries held on January 8, 2011, adding that she was also duly elected senator. Based on the rulings, Mrs. Okadigbo was duly issued with the certificate of return by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and subsequently sworn in as Senator on July 16, last.

    However, Igbeke went back to the court, alleging forgery. Some observers said that step was curious, pointing out that the Supreme Court verdict was final. He alleged that Okadigbo forged documents with which she convinced the court to declare her as the senator-elect. Igbeke further stated that the senator was invited by the police and dragged to court by a coalition of human rights organizations. The PDP chieftain clarified that he was not a party to the suit leading to her declaration as the senator-elect, stressing that the case was between her and Emeka.

    Okadigbo denied the allegation of forgery, recalling that she was dragged to the Supreme Court by Emeka, who was appealing an Appeal Court judgement that declared her the PDP candidate for the election. Also, she pointed out that Igbeke was a respondent in the Emeka case in the Supreme Court that gave birth to the judgment affirming her as the duly elected senator and winner of the PDP primaries.

    The senator also denied being invited by the police. She said that she was never arrested by the police for forgery. Okadigbo maintained that there was no basis for forgery to convince the court, stressing that there was a clear and manifest documentation of the lists of the PDP senatorial candidates, which was forwarded to the electoral commission for the election.

    To further buttress her point, Okadigbo also alluded to the there minutes of the PDP National Working Committee (NWC) meeting of January 30

    2011 held at the party’s national secretariat in Abuja, which upheld and ratified the names of the party’s candidates from the presidential candidate to the senatorial candidates, before they were forwarded to the INEC.

    “The commission received and acknowledged the lists on January 31, 2013. Incidentally, that was the last date given for the submission of the lists”, she recalled.

    In the list, Okadigbo’s name was very conspicuous as the candidate for the Anambra North. The list was signed by the former Acting National Chairman, Dr. Bello Mohammed and the National Secretary, Alhaji Kawu Baraje. Allthe members of the NWC were in attendance at the meeting.

    However, Igbeke has insisted that he has a solid case. According to observers, that style of going to the court to obtain victory is typical of Igbeke. But he has always insisted that he could not have taken the law into his hands. He once fought his way into the House of Representatives after a hectic battle at the tribunal. Then, he ran on the platform of the Alliance for Democracy (AD), which was not popular in the state. When he was alive, he had fought Dr. Okadigbo to a standstill, until community leaders intervened in the political feud. After three years in the Senate, Igbeke, who contested on the platform of the All Nigeria peoples Party (ANPP), displaced Senator Joy Emordi of the PDP.

    Igbeke is said to be relying on the alleged remark of the chairman of the PDP NWC Electoral Panel, Senator Joseph Waku, that he won the shadow poll. But Okadigbo’s supporters objected have objected to the claim, alleging that, at the primaries, Igbeke came third with 23 votes, trailing behind Chief Denis Odife, who got 29 votes, and Okadigbo, who had 168 votes of the 260 accredited delegates.

    The two rivals are locked in legal fireworks. As the judgment day draws near, their supporters are enveloped in anxiety. Who wins at the Supreme Court?

     

  • ‘Akpabio never rigged senatorial poll’

    ‘Akpabio never rigged senatorial poll’

    Akwa Ibom State Governor Godswill Akpabio has said that he did not rig the last senatorial poll for Senator Alloysius Etok, who represents Ikot Ekpene. He also denied imposing him on the people of the district.

    The governor said that the senator emerged as the respresentative of the people without violating the due process.

    The Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mr. Aniekan Umanah, said in a statement that the leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presented Senator Alloysius Etok as the best candidate for the 2007 election in the zone.

    He recalled that, since the Ini/Ikono, a minority part of the district, had never produced a senator, the party hierarchy, in the spirit of fairness and equity, supported Etok for the seat.

    Umanah said that the governor was being vilified by those misusing the social media network. He enjoined well-meaning individuals and groups to ignore the attempt of mischief makers to malign the person and office of the governor.

    The commissioner also urged the media to verify their information before publishing them as news.

    He added: “The governor said that he made Alloy to become the senator in 2007. This requires explanation so that people don’t think that he wrote his name and he became a senator, no. During the primaries of the PDP, the party zoned the senate to his federal constituency, and from his federal constituency, he emerged first in the primaries. That was what happened in the PDP. So, the leaders said that, since he was the first among the people who came from his federal constituency for the primaries, he must be the one to become the senator. And after that the leaders presented him to the public in the general election and he won. And in 2011, with the governor’s support, he had the highest vote in the entire country”.

     

  • CPC asks court to dismiss PDP’s claim to Katsina senatorial seat

    The Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) and Senator Abubakar Yar’Adua (Katsina Central) have asked a Federal High Court, Abuja, to dismiss a suit by the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) candidate, Senator Ibrahim Ida.

    Ida is seeking an order of the court to declare him as the winner of the election into the Senate.

    The Supreme Court, in its December 16, 2011 judgment, had sacked two senators and eight House of Representatives members in Katsina.

    The politicians contested on the platform of the CPC.

    They are: Senators Abdu Umar Yandoma and Ahmed Stores, as well as Representatives Musa Salisu, Aminu Ashiru, Murtala Isah, Muntari Dandutse, Umar K, Umar Dankawa, Tasiu Doguru and Mohammed Tukur.

    Justice Walter Onnoghen held that “the courts cannot still decide as between two or more contending parties which of them is the nominated candidate of a political party; that power still resides in the political parties to exercise”.

    Following the decision, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) issued new Certificates of Return to candidates the CPC, which it claimed it sponsored for the April 2011 general elections.

    They are: Sadiq Yar’Adua (Central Senatorial District) and Hadi Sirika (North Senatorial), Hon. Ahmed Kaita (Kankia/Ingawa Fed Constituency) and Hon. Salisu Salisco (Kaita/Jibiya).

    Others are Honourables; Sheik Umar Abubakar (Katsina), Salisu Daura (Daura/Maiaduwa/Sandamu), Isa Doro (Mani/Bindawa), Sani Mashi (Mashi/Dutsi), Abbas Machika (Kankara/Faskari/Sabuwa) and Dr. Mansur Funtua (Funtua/Dandume).

    Acting on this, the beneficiaries were sworn in by the National Assembly.

    Dissatisfied, Ida filed an originating summons wherein he asked the court to declare that he was the rightful candidate to step into the seat of Sadiq YarAdua.

    Since Ahmed Stores that lawfully participated in the election has been replaced, Ida is contending that the CPC had no lawful candidate for the election.

    In an originating summons filed by his lawyer, Chief Alex Izinyon, SAN, Ida is asking the court to declare that it was wrong for INEC to withdraw the certificate of return from Stores and issued it Yar’Adua.

    He also preayed the court to hold that Yar’Adua should not have been inaugurated as the senator representing the senatorial district.

    Relying on Sections 68 (1) and 75 (1) and (2) of the Electoral Act 2010, the plaintiff is asking the court to determine whether or not the INEC had any power to withdraw the certificates of return to issue new certificates of returns to another set of persons.

     

  • How Pwajok won Plateau senatorial by-election

    How Pwajok won Plateau senatorial by-election

    Gyang Shom Nyam Pwajok is former Chief of Staff to Governor Jonah Jang of Plateau State. A political scientist, he was elected to replace the late Senator Gyang Dantong in last Saturday’s by- election. YUSUFU AMINU IDEGU reviews the basic factors that ensured his victory over five other candidates.

     

    The race to fill the seats made vacant by the sudden death of late Senator Gyang Dalyop Dantong , who represented Plateau North in the National Assembly, began almost immediately after his death.

    The nation’s electoral law stipulates that such vacant seat be filled up within the first ninety days.

    The seat became vacant on July 8, when the legislator met his sudden death at the mass grave site where hundreds of mourners had gathered for a mass burial of about 50 victims of a mid-night attack by unknown gunmen in Maseh village, Riyom Local Government Area of Plateau State.

    Before you mention the word ‘senate’, seven political parties had lined up their respective candidates for the contest. Three candidates came up to contest that of the state House of Assembly. Many aspirants came out and indicated interest to run for the seat, but few were chosen by their respective political parties. The selective processes were done in accordance to each party’s guidelines.

    The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) sped up the whole process when it announced October 6, as date for the by-elections based on agreement with stakeholders.

    The flag bearer for Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) was Jonathan Yusufu Pam; All Nigeria People’s Party (ANPP) had Dr. Danladi Atu while Congress for Progressive Change (CPC) had Tonny Aganga Yunana as its flag bearer. The Democratic People’s Party (DPP) cleared Col. John David Dung (rtd) o fl is flag; All Progressives Grand Alliance (APGA) cleared Chris Giwa, while the Labor Party (LP) cleared Hon. Lumumba Dah Adeh and the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) settled for Gyang Nyam Shom Pwajok.

    More than any other party, the ruling PDP took the race for the bye-election as its biggest challenge ever. For obvious reason, the ruling party was on the verge of losing its relevance in the state and the bye election was an opportunity to re-launch itself into relevance or be reduced into a minority party in the state.

    In the 2011 general election, the ruling party lost one of the senate seats to an opposition party, the Labour Party. It was the former governor of the state Senator Joshua Dariye who made it to the Senate at the expense of his former party, the PDP.

    This left the ruling party with two senators; Senator Victor Lar from Plateau South and late Senator Gyang Dantong from Plateau North. So, PDP received the death of one of its senator from the zone as another challenge threatening its vantage position on the Plateau.

    It was also another moment for Governor Jonah Jang to prove his political relevance in the state as he was about to lose his own zone to another party. Jang hails from Jos South, one of the six local governments that make up Plateau North.

    These were the basic factors that determined the activities and political build up before the election. Being the leader of the party in the state, Governor Jang moved out in full force to defend the interest of the party in the state. He was quite at the initial stage as to the choice of who should fly the party’s flag. But as soon as the party came up with its candidate after the primaries, Jang and the party leadership set up a high powered campaign team led by no less a person than the state deputy governor Ambassador Ignatius Longjan as the campaign director general.

    The campaign train took the party and its candidate from one corner of the zone to another.

    Prior to this time, the party almost broke up during its primary election held at Treasure Inn Jos. It was a battle between a 2nd republic deputy senate president Senator John Wash Pam and Pwajok. Both aspirants for the PDP primaries were some of the best hands for the position and the decision was tough for the party. The heat of what was happening in Jos was felt at the PDP national secretariat in Abuja and Aso Rock. The petitions going from Jos to national chairman of the party Alhaji Bamanga Tukur in Wadata House, Abuja were enough to force the national executive to seek the face of God Almighty.

    The party leadership at the state and national level only heave a sigh of relief when the primary was over, which Pwajok won.

    The end of the primaries set the tone for the election proper as other political parties had already lined up their flag bearers using the consensus formula in their respective primaries.

    Late Senator Dantong hails from Riyom local government; Jonathan Yusufu Pam hails from Jos South local government area; Col. David Dung is from Riyom local government while Jonathan Yusufu Pam is from Jos South. Chris Giwa is also from Jos South; Honourable Lumumba Da Adeh is a native of Bassa local government. Similarly, the PDP candidate, Gyang Pwajok is a native of Jos North local government area.

    The seven political parties contested the bye-election almost acted like multi-national marketing companies competing with one another for the sales of their products. The campaign slogan of the ruling party in the state, PDP, for instance, was based on quality representation, ability to deliver and capacity to beat any other party candidate, hence the emergence of GNS Pwajok. The Labor Party also insisted that it required an experienced candidate like Hon Lumumba Dah Adeh, who was in the House of Representatives in 1999. DPP held the belief that their candidate for the bye election must come from Riyom, home of late Senator Dantong and they arrived at picking Chief John Dung (rtd).

    The ACN preferred a candidate like Jonathan Yusufu Pam, a professional lawyer to be the best candidate considering that such people know the technicalities of law making. The same reason CPC went for a lawyer, Tonny Aganga Yunana as their candidate. Chris Giwa, the candidate for APGA emerged because the party saw in him a man of the people and a grassroots mobiliser. ANPP went for Dr. Danladi Atu because they believed that he is the most popular politician in the zone.

    However, the most interesting aspect of the election was the idea of fielding a consensus candidate against the ruling party because it was clear to all in the state that PDP was far ahead in opinion polls.

    Hence, all the opposition parties on the Plateau, under the umbrella of Conference for All Nigerian Political Parties (CNPP) came up with a consensus candidate in the person of Chris Giwa, candidate of APGA. Chairman of all opposition parties in the state Alhaji Muhammed Kanam presented the consensus candidate in a press conference in Jos.

    According to the chairman, CNPP had five candidates for this election and we have resolved that it is wise to collapse them into one consensus candidate. The CNPP under very difficult conditions had to come up with a formula to present just one candidate to face the PDP because our goal is to win not to attempt to win.

    Kanam said: “A committee was set by the whole house to speak to our five candidates, a task which was not easy to handle. But since we have to come up with just but one candidate, the committee recommended Ambassador Chris Giwa of APGA to be the candidate to be supported by all members of CNPP”.

    When all was set for the main election, the state police command declared two days curfew to ensure the election was peaceful. It was indeed peaceful as there was total compliance with the no movement order.

    After collating all the results of the election from the six local governments of the zone, the PDP candidate, Pwajok, emerged winner. Announcing the final result at the zonal collation center in Jos, the Returning Officer, Prof. Fatima Sawa of the Abubakar Tafawa Balewa University of Technology (ATBU), Bauchi said, “from the result collated from the six local governments within the zone, GNS Pwajok of the PDP has won the majority vote and is duly elected as senator representing Plateau North senatorial zone”

    According to the announced results based on scores by each party candidate, GNS Pwajok led the pack with a total of 195,349 votes, Jonathan Yusufu Pam of ACN, 27,609; Dr. Danladi Atu of ANPP, 30,132; Chris Giwa of APGA, 36,245; Col David Dung of DPP, 38,847 and Hon. Lumumba Dah Ade of the LP, 25,527. The Plateau North senatorial district Senator-elect, Gyang Nyam Shom Pwajok has said there is neither winner nor loser in the last Saturday election.

    Pwajok in a statement in Jos said, “This has passed as the most peaceful election in the state, it was free and fair, it show all of us in the zone won because it was a collective effort including that of candidate of other parties.

    “If there is any victory at all, it is victory for all, and I don’t think there is any loser in this election because all of us work for its success including candidates of other parties”.

    Pwajok who paid glowing tribute to his predecessor, late Senator Gyang Dantong said, “I therefore wish to call the entire people of the zone including all aspirants and candidates to make sure I complete the good work started by late senator Dantong”

    Pwajok said: “The immediate challenge before me as the senator-elect is the issue of how to redeem the battered image of the zone. Plateau North has in recent times became famous for violence of all sort, we need to redeem this image, this is not what only me as the senator can achieve.

    The former Chief of Staff to Jang said: “I need all stakeholders on board, especially, all those that came out to contest this election, all the parties candidate know well that the crises is affecting all of us and I need them to come together and find a way out irrespective of ethnic and political affiliation.

    With the emergence of Pwajok in the Saturday election, the people of the zone have now found a replacement for late Senator Gyang Dantong.