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Tag: Usani Usani

  • Owan-Enoh, Usani lay claim to guber ticket in Cross River

    With the governorship elections slated for Saturday in Cross River State, the Senator representing the central district of the state, John Owan-Enoh, and Niger Delta Affairs Minister, Usani Usani, still insist they are the governorship candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    However, Owan-Enoh’s name had earlier been published by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), as the governorship candidate of the party.

    Addressing reporters in Calabar on Thursday, Owan-Enoh, insisted he remains the only candidate of the party and anything else that is happening are just distractions.

    He said he is the only person that before the primary elections toured the whole state and met with the people.

    The lawmaker called on the public to troop out on Saturday and vote for the APC in the general elections.

    He the election was not about any individual or group but about the soul of the state, which he said is dying under the present administration.

    Owan-Enoh debunked reports that he was responsible was encouraging violence and also responsible for stoking the ember of violence.

    He accused the present People’s Democratic Party (PDP) led government of setting the tone for violence by allegedly appointing cultists into government.

    But also addressing reporters, the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Usani Usani, also claimed he is the candidate of the party in the state.

    Usani said it was his delight to consolidate his resolve to contest for the seat of the governor of the state.

    “I use this medium to express my determination toward this bid with honesty of purpose solely to rework the Cross River State moral, social, economic and collective value fabric whose outcome shall redefine our common identity of honesty and honour. I promise a safe, secure, inclusive and equal opportunity environment. I hereby request you to support this intention, our common destiny for a new face for Cross River State,” Usani said.

    Read Also: Owan-Enoh: Ayade has nothing to campaign for

    Owan-Enoh had emerged as the governorship candidate of the party last year in the direct primary elections conducted by the National Working Committee of the party led by Ali Magaji.

    But in a parallel congress conducted in the state by the Chairman of the gubernatorial election Committee, Emmanuel Annom, Usani had emerged as winner.

    This had led to a situation where there were two executive committees of the party in the state. Owan-Enoh belonged to the faction led by the late Dr Mathew Achigbe, now with Sir John Ochala in acting capacity. Usani on the other hand belonged to the camp led by Mr Godwin Etim John.

    Since then both of them had continued to lay claim to the ticket and this had to a series of litigations.

    A Federal High Court Judgment delivered by Justice Simon A Amobeda in Calabar on February 11 in a case filed by Etim John and two others challenging the legitimacy of the current State Executive Committee of the APC in Cross River State, led by the late Sir Mathew Achigbe who is now being represented in acting capacity by Sir John Ochala, had declared that the Etim John faction be taken as the legitimate state executive council of the party, hence INEC should only take names of candidates that come from this faction.

    On the eve of the Presidential and National Assembly elections, INEC had made an announcement, delisting Owan-Enoh and other candidates of the party.

    Resident Electoral Commissioner in the state, Dr Frankland Briyai, had announced that all candidates submitted by All Progressives Congress in the state are to be removed.

    He said this was pursuant to an order of the High Court with suit number FHC/CA/CS/731/2018 between Godwin Etim John vs the APC and others.

    He said the logo and names of the APC would be retained pending the submission of the list of candidates by the Godwin Etim John led state executive by the national working committee in compliance with the order.

    However, last week, the Court of Appeal had sitting in Calabar on Wednesday granted a Stay of Execution Order, which reaffirmed Senator John Owan-Enoh and other candidates names’ submitted to INEC as candidates for the election.

    The panel of three Judges headed by Justice A. M Uwade directed that parties in the matter maintain Status Quo Ante pending determination of the substantive case.

    This latest order had been subjected to different interpretations by the two camps.

    While the Owan-Enoh faction claimed that Stay of Execution order and maintaining Status Quo simply reverses all that INEC may have done “in error or compromise of any sort”, the Usani camp interpreted it to mean that that things should return as they were before the appeal was brought to the court.

    Both camps have accused each other of working for the PDP in the state.

     

  • APC has not suspended me, says Usani

    The Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani, says he has not been suspended by the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Last Friday after a meeting presided over by national chairman, Adams Oshiomhole, Usani, alongside other top members of the APC, was announced suspended by the National Working Committee of the party, for alleged anti-party activities.

    But addressing reporters in Calabar on Sunday, Usani who spoke through the Director General of his Governorship Campaign Organization, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham, said he has not received any notification from any organ of the party regarding any form of suspension.

    He urged the public to disregard reports of the suspension, saying it is intended to diminish the fortunes of the APC in the oncoming elections, as the status quo as per the last known declarative orders of the court still upholds Usani’s candidacy.

    “The constitution of the party is clear on cases of suspension: it clearly sites circumstances and outlines procedures to be taken to warrant and effect a suspension. If any suspension exists, Usani’s attention should be drawn to it. If such circumstances does not exist nor procedures taken in line with the party’s extant laws, then a suspension, invariably does not exist.

    “The mark of loyalty to the party is the ability of the individuals to adequately represent the party and practice its ideals at all levels of society and helping it to victory in the midst of other contending forces that compete with the party’s interests.

    “The loyalty of Pastor Usani to the cause of the APC has made him the symbol of the party in Cross River State and a repository of trust to all true party faithfuls.

    Read Also: APC accuses PDP thugs of killing its member in Delta

    “Usani has shown sufficient loyalty to the party by helping the party poll 722 against the the PDP’s two votes in his polling unit and over 3, 000 for the APC versus 423 for PDP in his Abanakpai council ward in the just concluded Presidential elections. Usani is the only APC leader in the state to produce his Federal Constituency representative in last Saturday’s general election. These and more define his loyalty to the party.

    “To accuse such a man of anti-party activities and claim to suspend him from the party he helped to build is a joke taken too far, and unacceptable. To use our party to settle personal and domestic scores is unacceptable, and the perpetrators must be called to order,” he said.

  • Confusion over judgment on Cross River APC

    There was confusion in Calabar on Monday following a Federal High Court judgment that sacked the Cross River State candidate of the All Progressives Congress (APC) Senator John Owan-Enoh and ordered recognition of Niger Delta Affairs, Minister Pastor Usani Usani as the candidate of the party.

    Usani and Owan-Enoh have been in a protracted battle over the governorship candidate ticket of the party.

    Reports of the judgment were circulated on social media by appointees of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) led state government on Monday evening.

    Investigations by our correspondent revealed that in a two-hour judgment delivered by Hon Justice Simon A Amobeda earlier, the court ordered that INEC should only receive and accept the names and candidates for the 2019 elections that emerged from the executive led by Godwin Etim John.

    It also ordered that persons parading themselves as the executive members of the APC in Cross River State should forthwith cease, declaring the Godwin Etim John-led executive as the authentic.

    The court also sacked the leadership of the party led by Mr John Ochalla, which is loyal to Owan-Enoh, it was gathered.

    Read Also: APC has bastardised economy, says Atiku

    Reacting to the judgement, the Director General of Usani Campaign Organization, Ekpenyong Cobham, said the enforcement of the judgement has been long overdue and appealed to INEC and the security agencies to do the needful by complying fully to the judgement.

    But reacting to the development, the media spokesperson for the Owan-Enoh Campaign Organisation, Dan Amor said the “purported judgment” was an unnecessary distraction which cannot stand in law.

    In a statement titled “The Purported Federal High Court, Calabar Judgment On Cross River APC”, he said, “The attention of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Cross River State, has been drawn to a purported judgment delivered by the Federal High Court, Calabar, seeking to enforce an earlier controversial ruling of a Bwari, Abuja High Court that recognized the Etim John’s factional the state executive council of the party and directing the withdrawal of the candidates of the late state chairman, Dr. Matthew Achigbe, from state/federal assemblies to governorship, from the 2019 general elections, and wishes to state as follows:

    “That the Bwari, Abuja High Court ruling has since been appealed by the defendant in the Appeal Court in the Federal Capital Territory, Abuja pending hearing.

    “That the claimant, Pastor Usani Uguru Usani had sought an Abuja High Court sitting in Apo, FCT, to declare him the governorship candidate of the APC in our state and his case summarily dismissed by the court presided over by Justice Adeniyi on January 7, 2019 on the following grounds:

    (a). Usani’s case was full of contradictory claims and forgeries.

    (b). Usani’s affidavit in support of originating summons was unreliable.

    (c). Usani was not found to be an aspirant and his case not justiciable in tandem with the laws of the country.

    (d). That the Etim John’s supervised primary was illegal and contrary to the party’s constitution and guidelines for primaries.

    “That the primary which produced our candidates for the general election (from state assembly, National Assembly and governorship) was a Direct Primary conducted by the National Working Committee of the party as stipulated by the party’s constitution, as against the Etim John’s primary conducted by a state faction.

    “We therefore see the purported judgment reportedly delivered today by the Federal High Court sitting in Calabar as an unnecessary distraction which cannot stand in law.”

    He accused the state government of being behind the development.

     

     

     

  • Cross River APC chieftains call for Oshiomhole’s resignation

    ….say national chairman is destroying the party

     

    Some All Progressives Party (APC) chieftains in Cross River State have called for the resignation of the National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole.

    The chieftains, who took to the streets of Calabar with placard-carrying supporters to register their protest, were piqued that Oshiomhole had refused to recognize the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani, as the governorship candidate of the party in the state, despite a court order to that effect.

    Federal Commissioner of Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC), Cross River State, Mr Sylvester Nsa, accused the national chairman of impunity, saying if he continues, he would destroy the party.

    “The people of APC in Cross River have gone out to protest against impunity, injustice and total and blatant refusal to respect court ruling by the national chairman of APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomole. His attitude in recent times has made us to understand that Oyegun, the former chairman, was a saint and angel. Therefore the people of Cross River State are angry that Oshiomhole has brought impunity in Cross River State and not only in the state, the action of Adams Oshiomhole will destroy APC in Nigeria.

    “The people of APC across the country, rise up and tell Oshiomhole that he cannot destroy APC, therefore in Cross River State, Usani is right. Usani is the answer. No Usani no election. We want the whole country to know that Usani built the party. He nurtured the party. He is the leader of the party. He stands to protect the interest of the common men and that is why, the people of APC in Cross River have stood their grounds that without Usani, there is no APC in the state. I stand here as one of the leaders in the party in the state to declare that Adams Oshiomole should be called to order. This is a man that is a beneficiary of court order. He became a governor because of court order and today Oshiomhole does not want to honour court order. Therefore he must be called to order.

    Read Also: Police arrest six suspects for house-breaking near Enugu

    “I call on the judiciary to stand up otherwise, the action of Oshiomhole is a total play down on the integrity of the judiciary. It is an insult to the judiciary, it is an insult to democracy, so we call on Oshiomhole to leave Cross River State alone. He must leave us alone, otherwise, he would come to Cross River and walk alone because the people are angry and they have spoken that they want Usani. If it was court that made Oshiomhole a governor, he must respect court order. He is a man of impunity. He should resign otherwise if he continues, he will destroy this party,” Nsa said.

    The Director-General of the Usani Campaign Organization, Pastor Ekpenyong Cobham, also said, “This march is a clear message to the leader of this party, which is the President, that Oshiomole is toying with the election of the President. He is toying with the soul of APC. We will not accept impunity. Oshiomhle is not above the law. He must act within the confines of the law. If he does not do that, then we would revolt. This impunity must stop. Nigeria is a democratic nation and we expect him to function within the pressings of the law. That is our position. We cannot be subverted on intimidated. We stand resolute behind Pastor Usani Uguru Usani. He is the leader of our party. He is the governorship candidate of our party and the man who has built this party.

    “Some people have been sent on secondment from the other side to come and hijack this party. We would not allow that. They were part of the destruction of Cross River State for 20 years and now they are coming here to tell us they believe in the change. They are not part of the change. They have no change to offer us. They are here on secondment. We don’t want them. They are not our candidate, we didn’t vote for them. Let them return to where they came from. In APC we work for change and Oshiomhole must work within the confines of that change. If peaceful protest is being resisted, we would rise up. Cross River State belongs to us. Let him respect the law. We need change in the state and the only man who can offer that change is Pastor Usani. He personifies light. Darkness cannot dethrone darkness. Oshiomhole must leave Cross River alone. That is what we are saying and what we stand for.”

  • Akeredolu to Investors: Leave Lagos, Come to Ondo

    Akeredolu to Investors: Leave Lagos, Come to Ondo

    Governor Oluwarotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State on Monday urged investors in the country and outside the shores to bring their investments down to his state, instead of concentrating their investments in traffic-ridden and human congested Lagos State, saying that “my state is blessed with abundant resources”.

     The governor made this known in Akure, the state capital while welcoming the delegation of Federal Government Industrialization and Economic Diversification team led by the Minister of Niger Delta Affairs, Pastor Usani Usani to his office.

     The Governor said Ondo state would be ready to partner with investors so that the State can become the hub of economic activities in Nigeria.

     He said, “According to the Nigerian Police Force and Department of Security Services (DSS), Ondo state is the 3rd most secured state in the country, therefore, i want to urge investors in the country to come and explore untapped resources which are abundant here.

     “We have them in their numbers here, let them come. The rain in here is not much while the harmattan is not harsh. Ondo has the second highest reserve of bitumen in the world. Ondo sustained the Western region before independent and during the first republic because of the Cocoa from Ondo state.

     “The Federal government should also build a sea port in Ondo state. The Atlantic Ocean that passes through Ondo State is the deepest in West Africa. Also, from Araromi in Ilaje is about 45 minutes drive to Ibeju/Lekki in Lagos. So, investors should prefer Ondo state that is free without any traffic to Lagos that is over-congested and has no land?” Akeredolu said.

    The governor further said that the state is well placed and situated to connect other states across the country for economic and business activities because those coming from the eastern part, the north and other Niger/Delta States passes through the state while going to Lagos for business transactions.

    Speaking on the purpose of the visit, Usani said federal government set up an initiative that focuses mainly on Agriculture and Manufacturing sectors in order to explore the opportunities in states in the country.

     He said moribund industries would be revived and that agriculture would be made attractive not only to farmers but the youths.

     Reacting, the Minister said “we are here in view of the Presidential initiative that focuses on the manufacturing and agricultural sectors. The Federal Government want to work in conjunction with states so that various moribund industries could be revived towards jobs creation and economic development.

     The Minister said the agricultural sector will be prioritised in the sense that incentives will be provided to interest Nigerians with special consideration for the youths. He promised that something visible will be done for Ondo state before the end of the current financial year.`

     He commended Akeredolu for his response to the scheme, stating that of all 10 states selected for the first phase, Ondo state was the first state to be visited because the state is the most forthcoming.

     Partners in the Initiative include the Nigerian National Petroleum Commission (NNPC), Ministry of Mines and Steels Development, Nigeria Sovereign Investment Authority and Nigerian Export-Import Bank.

     Others are Bank of Industry, Ministry of Niger Delta affairs and the New Economic Partnership for Africa Development (NEPAD).

     At event were the Deputy governor of the state, Hon. Agboola Ajayi, the Secretary to the State Government, Hon. Ifedayo Abegunde ,the Chief of Staff to the Governor, Chief Olugbenga Ale; the head of service ,Mr. Toyin Akinkuotu, Senior Special Assistant to the Governor on Investment, Mr. Boye Oyewumi and numerous top officials of the state government.

    Others on the delegation of the Federal were the representative of Minister of Mines and Steels Development, Mrs Onyeku Okeke, Senior Special Assistant to the President on Economic Matters, Mrs Fola Oyeyinka, National Coordinator, Senior Investment Corporation, Dora Akugbulo and many others.