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  • Oyo to enact law to end farmers/herdsmen clashes

    Baring any last minute change, Oyo state government will before the end of the outgoing tenure sign into law, a bill that will forestall the age long clashes between herders and farmers in different parts of the state.

    Assuring that the law would be passed before April 30, the state government said its effort at ensuring peace between the duo of farmers and herders through a regular stakeholders meeting is yielding positive result.

    The government spoke through the Special Adviser to Governor Abiola Ajimobi on Community Relations, Mr Abidemi Siyanbade during a stakeholders meeting organised by the state Police Command at its Eleyele, Ibadan, headquarters as parts of the Command’s efforts at facilitating peaceful deliberations between farmers and herders in the state.

    Siyanbade said “The government has made a lot of progress in dousing the incessant conflict between the farmers and herders in this state.

    “And before the end of this month, grazing control bill to address the issues between farmers and herders will be passed by the house of assembly.

    “We will also ensure that the peace committee meeting at the local government levels will be revived.

    “The grazing control law will address how cattle can be brought into the state and how herders will register. We will no longer allow cows to me moved into the state on the feet or roaming but through vehicles and truck.

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    “Local herders are not the problem, but the major and the imminent problem is with immigrant herders. We are very sure that once this law is passed, all these issues arising from farm invasions, cattle rustling and attack on either farmers and herders will all be laid to rest.”

    The state Commissioner of Police Shina Olukolu in his welcome remark identified certain issues that had contributed to the crisis to include, mutual suspicion between farmers and herders, impatience, the roles of mischief makers among others.

    He condemned the use of minors as shepherds and warned that both the farmers and herders must not let the long standing relationship between them be sacrifice on the basis of their means of livelihood.

    Olukolu said, “The use of minors who have no ability to control the animals, gives room for the animals to unwittingly stray into farmers land to wreak havoc.

    “Sometimes, the minors deliberately allow the cattle stray into farm lands and at other times, it goes beyond their control but we need patience and understanding to have lasting peace.”

    However, the State Chairman, All farmers Association of Nigeria, Mr Adeniji Moses lamented that the bill has been promised since 2016 and nothing has been done about it.

    He assured that the promised legislation had remained the only hope of a lasting solution on the issue of recurring crisis between the farmers and the herders.

    The state chairman, Miyetti Allah Cattle Breeders Association of Nigeria, Yakubu Bello commended the Oyo state police for organising stakeholders’ meeting, noting that the bane of the problem had been the impatience on the part of both parties anytime issues arises.

    Also speaking, the state chairman, Police Community Relations Committee, Mr Peter Omofaye assured that effective community policing is the surest way to help both the farmers and herdsmen identify the bad eggs causing trouble in the affected parts of the state.

    He appealed to all the stakeholders at the meeting to work together with the police but making information available to nip issues in the bud before it turned out into crisis.

    The meeting was attended by farmers, herders, community leaders, religious leaders, council chairmen among others.

  • Army van knocks down Woman in Abia

    It was a sad day in Aba, the commercial nerve of Abia State as a hilux van belonging to the Nigerian Army allegedly knocked down a yet-to-be identified female pedestrian said to be apparently heading towards her home at Ogbor Hill part of the city.

    The incident our reporter gathered, took place at the popular Waterside Bridge along Aba/Ikot-Ekpene Expressway on Friday evening.

    Sources at the popular Aba abattoir located within the area stated that the incident happened at about 6PM when the soldiers were driving against traffic as there was gridlock that usually greet the Aba-Ikot Ekpene axis of the expressway especially in the evening, though they alleged that the heavy gridlock was because of the presence of a police team at the end of the bridge, conducting stop and search operation.

    Read Also: Woman accused of squeezing manhood

    According to the sources, the soldiers immediately rushed out of their van to carry the victim into their vehicle to unknown destination.

    The sources who could not ascertain whether the soldiers were responding to a distress call said that the woman’s chances of survival were slim because of the impact of the accident on her as she was said to be bleeding when she was taken off the scene by the soldiers.

    A source who claimed to have witnessed the accident said that it could have been avoided if only the soldiers were not on a high speed even while they were driving against traffic.

    According to the source, the over-speeding patrol van rammed into the woman while she was trying to cross over to the other side of the road.

    “This accident could have been avoided if the army van didn’t drive against traffic. They were not only driving against traffic, they were also over- speeding.

    “There was a heavy traffic at the bridge as usual every evening. The soldiers decided to ply one-way with heavy speed. I wonder why a good driver who is plying one-way on a double lane road will still be over- speeding?

    “I don’t know why soldiers are always in a hurry in the streets of Aba when their vehicles are moving. They always want all of us to disappear whenever they’re passing notwithstanding the circumstances. I don’t know if that woman will survive.”

    Adding his voice, another eyewitness who simply gave his name as Lucky said, “Everyone shifted behind when they noticed it was an army van that hit the woman.

    “Aba people were getting agitated and the situation almost escalated, but most of us reasonably moved away from the scene as they carried the body into their van.

    “You know how they behave. If you try to ask questions or even make some moves that may even help them, they could tag you anything and waste your precious life.

    “May be they took her to hospital, but I expect them to reach her family as soon as possible and tell them what happened to her because it was an avoidable accident.”

    A military who pleaded anonymous debunked the insinuations that the woman was dead, but stated that she was rushed to a private medical facility where she was promptly attended to.

    Though the source could not ascertain whether the soldiers were responding to a distress call when probed on why the soldiers were driving against traffic as alleged, it disclosed that the woman who is a sister-in-law to a top officer in a sister security agency was moved to Port Harcourt, Rivers State Saturday morning on the directives of her brother-in-law.

  • Osinbajo, Oshiomhole, others for APC summit in Anambra

    The Vice president, Prof Yemi Osinbajo, National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress APC, Adams Oshiomhole will be some of the big names to attend the party’s political summit in Anambra on May 1st.

    While the Vice president will declare the summit open, Oshiomhole will deliver the keynote address, with the former Senate president, Ken Nnamani to deliver one of the lectures on the day.

    This is part of the activities lined up by APC in the state, under the leadership of Chief Basil Ejidike among others, to re-position the party in Anambra state.

    The party has equally concluded arrangements to set up a committee on how to bring back some of the elders of the party, who had backed out as a result of neglect.

    Read Also: Osinbajo, Blair meet in Aso Villa

    Some of the elders of the party were, former Governor of the state, Dr Chinwoke Mbadinuju, Senator Ikechukwu Obiora, Chief Dr, Obinna Uzor among others.

    Before now, the party had set up a committee to investigate the abysmal performance of APC in Anambra State during the last elections of which the report was being awaited.

    Addressing reporters on Saturday at the Olde English Hotels in Awka, the Acting Chairman of the party in the State, Chief Basil Ejidike, flanked by all the executive members, said ‘enough is enough’

    He said the next target of APC was to win the Governorship election of Anambra State come 2022, adding that the party still had a lot of grounds to cover in the state.

    Other activities lined up by the party apart from the three day summit included, the tour of all the 21 local government areas in the state, visit to all the federal government projects in Anambra,verification of the party’s register among others.

    Ejidike, who admitted that the party had not reached it’s height in Anambra State, however, gave kudos to the members to giving their best, adding that the aim of the current moves was to take APC to where it belonged.

    He said another important thing starring the party in the face was putting up a committee to harmonise all the warring factions in the state, which would give the party the opportunity to take over the state completely.

    According to him, “our aim is to take over power in Anambra as soon as possible and our target is the next governorship election and we are saying enough is enough “Ejidike said

     

     

  • EdoJobs, SLOT Foundation to commence 3-month IT training for Edo youths

    Determined to co-opt more youths to actively participate in the state’s burgeoning tech space, Governor Godwin Obaseki’s skills development platform, EdoJobs has partnered with SLOT Foundation to train youths in Esan West Local Government Area of the state on GSM and laptop maintenance.

    Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Job Creation and Skills Development, Mrs Ukinebo Dare, in a chat with journalists at the weekend, said that the training programme is coming after the impressive showing of the last batch of trainees.

    She said that the state government is committed to empowering youths and equipping them with in-demand skills for increased productivity, so they can meaningfully contribute to the state’s economy.

    According to her, “We will be partnering with SLOT Foundation for the training of youths in Esan West LGA. The training would last for three months. Of the three months, one would be for formal training while the other two will be for intensive practical.

    Read Also: EdoJobs, Curators University train more Edo youths on data science

    “They would be taken through the rudiments and would develop expertise in phone and laptop repairs, a skill-set that is widely sought after with the expansion of the tech ecosystem in Nigeria. The trainees will get the opportunity to work with a Slot franchise or go the entrepreneurial route. This would afford them the opportunity to eke out a decent living.”

    She added that the state government is keen on adding more jobs to the over 77000 created in the last two years, noting that EdoJobs role is to work with partners to create a conducive environment for skills development.

    She noted, “At EdoJobs we are confident about meeting the governor’s target of creating 200000 jobs before the end of his first tenure. We have been training people across the state in the past two years. This training at Esan West is to ensure that youths across the state get equal opportunity to lead a better life.”

     

  • Rivers Collapsed Building: Site engineer, Architect, others to be prosecuted

    Indications emerged weekend that victims of the collapsed 7-storey building in Port Harcourt, the Rivers state will soon get justice.

    It was gathered that the state governor, Nyesome Wike has given a directive to the state Attorney General to put in place a process to arrest and prosecute the owner of the building, Sir Francis Allagoa, apparently for the failure to comply with the building approval he got in 2014.

    Recall that a 7-storey building (with an underground layer) under construction in the Woji road axis of the Government Reserved Area (GRA), of Port Harcourt, collapsed shortly after casting of the sixth floor in November 2018, thereby killing many and injuring others.

    The governor had set up a commission of inquiry led by a state High court Judge to investigate the incident.

    The committee, it was gathered, sat between December 23, 2018 and January 7, 2019.

    Reports of the committee indicted Alagoa, the site engineer and the Architect of the building.

    Read Also: ‘Good times ahead in Rivers’

    Also found wanting in the incident are some principal staff of the state ministry, including Dr. Reason Onya, who voluntarily stepped aside from his position to allow for smooth and uncompromised investigation into the immediate and remote cause of the callapse.

    The  government after the  state Executive meeting presided over by Wike on Friday, directed the State Attorney General, Zacchus Adango  to prosecute Alagoa and any other person whose actions constituted criminality as established by the Judicial Commission of Inquiry that investigated the collapsed 7 Storey building.

    Rivers state Commissioner of Information and Communications,  Emma Okah,  said: “The Rivers State Government accepts that the owner of the building,  Sir Francis J. Allagoa should bear all liability regarding compensation to families of the deceased persons and individual expenses of those injured.”

    He said: “Allagoa is also to bear the cost and make good the damage done to the adjoining property owned by Mrs Edna Ezekiel Hart.”

    The state government also declared  that in line with the recommendations of the Judicial Commission of Inquiry it will comprehensively reform the procedures and processes relating to building approvals and actual construction of buildings to eliminate failure of buildings in the future.

    The government added that the collapsed 7-Storey building was not covered by any approval and that the one obtained in July 2014 was for a four-five floor building.

    The Rivers State Government directed the State Civil Service Commission to take disciplinary action against Town Planner Edmund Obinna, Director of Buildings and Plan Approvals because his actions fell short of expectations.

    The Council also directed the State Civil Service Commission to take disciplinary action against Rev Dr. Mina Aprioku,  Director of Development Control for professional deficiency.

    The Attorney General of the State was directed to prosecute Engr Adeniyi Ibiyeye and Architect Timiebi Reuben for professional misconduct.

    The Council resolved to report Engr Ibiyeye to the Nigerian Society of Engineers and the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria for necessary disciplinary action.

  • APC chieftain to Ekiti Commissioners-designate: Shun corruption, disloyalty

    A chieftain of the All Progressives Congress in Ekiti State, Dr. Olusegun Osinkolu has urged the commissioner nominees just approved by the Ekiti State House of Assembly to refrain from corrupt and acts that could derail Dr. Fayemi-led administration.

    Osinkolu said their focus and premium task should be how to implement the Fayemi’s 4 -cardinal agenda  to transform and accelerate the lives of the predominantly agrarian Ekiti residents.

    He described those nominated by Fayemi as committed individuals in their respective communities aside from being  party loyalists, saying he has no apprehension that they will discharge their duties diligently for radical turn around of the state’s  socio-economic status.

    Fayemi had last week Tuesday sent names of 14 commissioners designate to Ekiti assembly for screening and approval and were later confirmed on the floor of the House on Thursday.

    The governor will on Tuesday inaugurates the cabinet members and subsequently assign them to the  Ministries they will superintend over.

    Read Also: Ekiti Assembly confirms 13 commissioner-nominees

    Speaking in Ado Ekiti on Saturday, The Director General Buhari/Osinbajo  Campaign Council said proposed cabinet members came at a time when the people are having high expectations from all sectors to compensate for the deprivation suffered in the past, saying they can’t afford to disappoint Ekiti populace under this circumstance.

    Osinkolu added that the All Progressives Congress as champion of progressive governance should run a government that can change the lives of the people for better, urging the nominees to bear this in mind that they are being appointed to serve and not to pursue personal gains and material acquisition .

    He said: ” Governor Kayode Fayemi met a lot of rots in the system caused by bad policies and laxity on the part of the immediate past administration.

    “He came at a time when several months of salary and pension arrears are owed. Deductions and gratuities to  civil servants and retirees   running into several millions of naira are outstanding and infrastructures in schools are dilapidated and our people are questing for radical improvement .

    ” I want the nominees to share the dream of our governor and his resolve to bail us out of this conundrum.

    “Under Ayodele Fayose- led government, over 40,000 people were displaced from the safety net like the social security scheme, Ekiti State Peace Corps, Youth in Commercial Farming (YCAD) and others being policies  initiated by Governor Fayemi in 2011 , apart from astronomic increase in the level of unemployment among youths . All these APC government would have  tackle for people to have a reprieve.

    “They must know that coming at this precarious time as commissioners is more of a service than material  acquisition. They must be ready to sacrifice their personal gains to benefit humanity and posterity shall be fair to them as leaders who put up appropriate fight for our people to be delivered from the bandage of poverty if they eventually prove their mettle”.

    Osinkolu appealed to APC members and other Ekiti populace to give them the required supports and play advisory roles where necessary for the success of the present administration.

  • Gaps in social, economic opportunities fueling terrorism, says Buhari

    President Muhammadu Buhari on  Saturday in Dead Sea, Jordan, urged world leaders to work towards narrowing gaps in social and economic opportunities for citizens as panacea to rising conflicts across the globe, attributing the Boko Haram terrorism in Nigeria to lack of inclusion.

    Speaking at the World Economic Forum on Middle East and North Africa, the President, who honoured an invitation by King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan, said rising opportunities of prosperity for some people while others struggle to survive trigger tensions and conflicts.

    In a statement by the Special Adviser on Media and publicity, Femi Adesina, the President said “It is at this point that we must ask ourselves how we, as a region, got to this point. The answer, at least in the case of Nigeria, is the lack of social and economic inclusion.

    “As Nigeria celebrated being the largest economy in Africa and one of the fastest growing economies in the world, Nigerians were migrating in droves through harsh desert conditions and across treacherous seas to seek what they believe would be a better life in Europe.

    “Ladies and gentlemen, I strongly believe that the lack of social and economic inclusion was the root cause of many challenges we are experiencing,’’ he said.

    President Buhari said the changes taking place across the world in technology, population, migration, trade and geo-politics had been yielding both positive and negative results in different parts of the world, calling for more collaboration across borders to alter tides of frustrations that fuel conflicts.

    “It is my view, that no region of the world has felt the full impact of these dramatic shifts and shocks like the Middle East and Africa – North and Sub-Sahara.

    “On one hand, our region is blessed with a very young, vibrant, enterprising and dynamic population. We also have valuable natural resources that are the envy of many nations.

    Read Also: Photos: Buhari arrives Jordan for World Economic Forum

    “These assets and endowments contributed to our region experiencing some of the highest economic growth rates in the world. On the other hand, however, we have also been hosts to some of the deadliest conflicts in recent history. The deaths, damages and destructions caused by terrorist groups such as Al Qaeda, ISIS and Boko Haram over the last ten years will take decades to repair,’’ he added.

    President Buhari said terrorism around the world, including Boko Haram, had been significantly degraded, stressing that the insurgents no longer control any territory in Nigeria, but the country had been left with the task of rebuilding.

    “In this digital age where physical borders no longer exist to protect even the most secured nations, the only way to overcome predatory and divisionary forces is for all well-meaning nations to work together for the greater good of mankind.

    “Simply put, cooperation amongst sovereign nations is no longer a choice. It is an absolute necessity,’’ the President said.

    He told the gathering of leaders, entrepreneurs and economic experts that Nigeria’s population is one hundred and ninety million, and by 2050, estimated to hit three hundred and ninety million, making it the third most populous country in the world.

    President Buhari said he spent the last four years tackling security issues in the country and implementing policies that make the economy more inclusive.

    “We are extremely grateful to the many countries that have stood with Nigeria to confront this global scourge and in particular, the Kingdom of Jordan under the leadership of His Majesty, the King.

    “Furthermore, our economic diversification and social inclusion policies are also yielding positive results. Our country has now returned to the path of growth. We are making gains in the ease of doing business indices.

    The President said the agricultural sector in Nigeria is driving government’s efforts to diversify the economy, adding that “in the spirit of “Building New Platforms of Cooperation’, we partnered with the Kingdom of Morocco to domesticate fertilizer production in Nigeria and revive over two million tons of abandoned fertilizer blending plant capacity. The outcome is we created tens of thousands of jobs in agriculture, logistics, manufacturing and retail sectors.’’

    He said Nigeria had achieved moderate and inclusive growth in four years.

    President Buhari said Africa and the Middle East must focus on policies that deliver shared economic prosperity for all citizens, adding that more could be done on trade and investments.

    “Opportunities exist in key job creating sectors such as Agriculture, Health, Tourism, ICT, Infrastructure as well as Textile and garmenting to mention a few. Our new, inclusive and diversified Nigeria is definitely open for business. Our population, resources, policies and programs make it the most attractive investment destination in Africa,’’ he said.

    In his welcoming remarks, King Abdullah II bin Al-Hussein of Jordan said inclusive growth will be of benefit to the entire world, especially when it creates enabling environment for youths and women.

    The king of Jordan said opportunities must be expanded fast, while noting that “the challenges we face are not only problems to be solved rather they are opportunities for collaboration.’’

    UN Secretary General Secretary-General António Guterres said the world will be better off with stronger collaboration, commending Jordan for playing a historical role in restoring peace in the Middle East, especially between Israel and Palestine.

    The founder and Executive Chairman of the World Economic Forum, Professor Klaus Schwab, who congratulated President Buhari for his re-election for a second term, said discussions at the forum will focus on new ideas, entrepreneurship, innovation, environment, peace and reconciliation.

  • Adamawa election petition tribunal begins sitting Monday

    The inaugural sitting of the Election Petitions Tribunal for Adamawa State will hold at the state capital, Yola, on Monday, April 8, 2019.

    This is according to a notice signed by the  Secretary of the tribunal, Godwin Agbo, and obtained by our correspondent on Saturday.

    The notice indicated that the venue of the inaugural tribunal sitting would be at the new High Court Complex in Jimeta, Yola, at 11 am.

    All elections were rounded up in Adamawa State penultimate Thursday, March 28, with the conduct of the supplementary governorship election, which was won by Hon Umaru Finriri of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).

    Read Also: Six die in Adamawa highway robbery

    Fintiri’s closest rivals: incumbent Governor Mohammed Jibrilla Bindow who contested for re-election under the All Progressives Congress (APC), and Sen Abdulaziz Nyako who contested under the African Democratic Congress (ADC), have congratulated Fintiri, but Bindow’s APC, which complained of irregularities during the election, may be filing a petition.

    This has been indicated by the state organizing secretary of the party, Ahmed Lawan, who has been quite outspoken about the election from when it was first held on March 9 to just before the March 28 rerun in some polling units.

  • Ahmed Lawan is the best choice to lead the 9th Senate – Niger Elected Senators

    The elected Senators in Niger state, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa, Senator Sabi Abdullahi and Senator Muhammad Bima Enagi have thrown their support behind the Senate Presidency bid of Senator Ahmed Lawan.

    The elected Senators stated that Lawan has the competence, charisma and integrity to preside over the affairs of the Senate.

    In a statement jointly signed by the elected Senators, they said Senator Lawan Ahmed has the experience to drive the aspirations and vision of the 9th Senate towards achieving its mandate.

    “We, the Distinguished Elected Senators of Niger State, after due consultations and considerations and in recognition of the supremacy of our Party’s position on the matter, have unanimously thrown our support around the Senate Presidency bid of Distinguished Senator Ahmed Lawan.”

    The Senators submitted that the 9th National Assembly needs someone like Senator Ahmad Lawan’s leadership qualities that will facilitate in making laws for the good governance of Nigeria.

    “His display of honesty, sincerity of purpose, respect for divergent views, loyalty to and believe in party supremacy as well as proven experience in the business of lawmaking makes him the obvious choice for the legislature’s top job”, they said.

    Read Also: Senate presidency: Kano senators endorse Lawan

    In the statement, Senator Mohammed Sani Musa representing Niger East Senatorial District said, “There is no doubt that Senator Lawan has also demonstrated stability, reliability and fidelity towards ensuring sound and people-oriented legislation at the Senate as he demonstrated in the build-up to the 2019 general elections where despite the pressure from the opposition, remained resolute and committed towards promoting the good course of the Senate as the apex law-making organ in the country.

    “It is also worth noting that Distinguished Senator Lawan is one Nigerian who has remained detribalized, bi-partisan and accommodating to varying views as long as they are positive and can add to the growth and wellbeing of Nigerians.

    “He has demonstrated this in his support for legislations sponsored by lawmakers who might not have been in the same political parties with him at the floor of the senate.

    Senator Sabi Abdullahi representing Niger North Senatorial District said, “I am optimistic that Distinguished Senator Ahmed Lawan would promote homogeneity of purpose at the 9th Senate and foster unity among distinguished senators as well as other arms of government, in a manner that will add value to good governance in Nigeria.

    “I believe he embodies outstanding qualities that are germane to the success of the 9th Senate and the government as a whole. Therefore, I join my colleagues in endorsing his Senate Presidency ambition.”

    Senator Muhammad Bima Enagi representing Niger South Senatorial District in the statement said, “The business of legislation is such that affects the generality of Nigerians whether positively or negatively.

    “As such, the need for effective, selfless and patriotic leadership at the Senate has become imperative. I believe therefore that our party, the ruling APC decision to endorse Distinguished Senator Ahmed Lawan for the Presidency of the Senate is a wise and timely decision that has great benefits not only for the party but for the next phase of governance as a whole in the country.

     

     

  • Why APC lawmakers will toe party line, by Ekiti member-elect

    The caucus of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in the House of Representatives will not go against the decision of the party leadership on power sharing between the six geo-political zones, Yemi Adaramodu has said.

    Adaramodu spoke in Abuja at the ongoing induction programmes for newly elected members of the National Assembly   where he said the ninth Assembly would not experience the mistake of the outgoing Assembly because the conditions of the two periods are different.

    Adaramodu, was Chief of Staff to the Governor of Ekiti State, Kayode Fayemi between 2010 and 2014 explained that the party has learnt a lot of lessons from the emergence of the outgoing leadership of the National Assembly.

    He said: “I am very confident that we will not have a repeat of the past on the emergence of the leadership of the National Assembly this time around.

    “It is whatever the party leadership says that all of us will abide by. It is the party that has the mandate and chooses us to hold the mandate on their behalf, so it definitely where they are going that we will go.

    “Though in politics, you hear stories and nobody has ever come out either privately or publicly that wherever APC is going, I will not go there from within APC.

    “So everything is conjectural and I want to take it like that. So our party is very supreme and for me like others, it is dictate of the party that we will follow”.

    Adaramodu said more than ever before, lawmakers have reasons not gogainstbthe party decision on the sharing formula, adding, “APC has evolved from members  that see themselves from the prism of the groups they came from to firm APC.

    “It was the fixation to the former parties by those members  that led to the clamour for position which eventually led to where we found ourselves today.

    “However since then, almost four year later, the party has metamorphosed and we have all come to identify with the party, leaving  where we came from behind us.

    “Another critical factor is, we have come to realise that it is pertinent to subject ourselves to party discipline and supremacy because it is the party’s platform we all used to project our aspirations for elective offices.

    “None of us, no matter how powerful or big or handsome  has his photographs on the ballot papers while we were contesting, it was the party’s symbol that was there.

    Read Also: APC will reclaim all ‘stolen’ mandates

    “Moreover, unlike before, the leadership of the party really took matters of candidates very seriously this time.

    “Periodically, at intervals before adjourning the election, they were always in contact with us, asking after our welfare and challenges and giving us the encouragement we needed.

    “That really counted for something.

    “For these reasons, everyone of us will subject ourselves to the party and it’s decisions”.

    According to the lawmaker from  Ekiti South West/Ikere/Ise/Orun Federal constituency, members of the party in the House are ready to resist scheming from the opposition to wrest control of the House from APC by staying true to the logo of the party.

    Saying that scheming to manipulate new members by the opposition would not succeed, the lawmaker added, “A stick of broom cannot sweep, that is why the bunch can achieve much more by being together, even at that the bunch can not achieve much without the rope that ties it.

    “That is why we are determined to be united and not allow cracks within our rank. This is what will assist us in deploying strategies to win over members from other parties,” he added.