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Tag: verbal war

  • APC – PDP in verbal war over Wike’s N200m donation to Benue IDPs

    The Executive Secretary of the Benue State Management Agency ( SEMA), Emmanuel Shior, has denied allegations that he embezzled the N200 million donated by Rivers State governor, Nyesom Wike, to Internally Displaced Persons(IDPs) in the state.

    The state’s Publicity Secretary of the APC, James Orguga, had in a press statement, challenged the SEMA boss to account for the donations by Wike, and other relief materials donated in wake of herdsmen attack on farmers, which forced many victims into IDP camps.

    But reacting, through his media aide, Moses Nongo, the SEMA boss dismissed the allegations stating that the N200 million donation by Wike has been judiciously utilised.

    “The N200 million donated by Rivers State Governor, Nyesome Wike, to cater for the IDPs has been judiciously utilised for the purpose it was meant. Mr Shior and no one embezzled any kobo.

    “We challenge anyone with proof to the contrary to step forward with it. Thousands of those displaced by herders’ invasion of their communities are still in various camps across the state. The money in question has been used in the procurement of food and non-food relief materials meant for their upkeep,” said Shior.

    According to him, “It takes a lot of money to cater for the basic needs of thousands of the displaced on a daily basis, such that, the amount is enormous when it becomes weeks and months.

    On the allegation that the Vice President (VP), Professor Yemi Osinbajo, made a cash donation to SEMA, when he visited the state, he said the VP did not make any such donation.

    Shior emphasised that Osinbajo only promised on behalf of the Federal Government, to provide other forms of relief including the construction of resettlement housing units, for the displaced persons in Guma and Logo Local Government Areas.

    “The general public should also be informed that the Senate President, Dr. Bukola Saraki, did not also make any cash donation to SEMA when he visited the state and celebrated the 2018 Children’s Day with displaced children at Abagena IDP camp. “What he pledged to do was to construct two classrooms blocks for the displaced children who were attending lessons in makeshift classrooms. This he has done and a visit to the Abagena IDPs camp will leave no one in doubt about this.

    ”We wish to state that the Benue State Emergency Management Agency has never distributed relief materials to IDPs privately. Distribution is carried out in the public glare sometimes with coverage by different media houses.

    “What is raising eyebrows is why the Benue State APC would wait until a ban on political activities at IDPs camps was pronounced before coming up with allegations of diversion of relief materials and embezzlement of funds donated to SEMA by organisations and people of goodwill.

    “The Benue State Government under Governor Ortom is spending huge sums of monies to provide basic relief for the IDPs and we at SEMA will not waver no matter the attempts to disparage and discourage us,” said Shior.

  • APC, PDP in verbal war

    The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) yesterday accused the All Progressives Congress (APC) of assembling nine of its state governors in Osogbo for the purpose of rigging today’s governorship election in the state in favour of the APC candidate, Mr.Isiaka Oyetola.

    The PDP publicity Secretary in the Southwest, Mr.Ayo Fadaka, claimed in a statement that the presence of the nine governors was causing disquiet in the state and was capable of leading to unforeseen developments.

    But Information Minister, Lai Mohammed, dismissed the rigging allegation as lacking in substance.

    He said the truth is that the PDP has slipped into panic mode because it is not prepared for the poll.

    Fadaka said: “We wish to bring to the notice of Nigerians that Osun State has again been invaded by nine APC governors who continue to remain the arrow head and catalyst of its rigging machines across the nation.

    ”They brought into Osun State public funds meant for the development of their individual states to come and buy votes again as done recently in Ekiti State, accompanying them are thugs whose only mission is to cause mayhem in the state during the elections.

    “These governors are led by Alhaji Ganduje and Mr El’Rufai of Kaduna, and there are nine of them presently on ground.

    “It is sad that the APC continues to pride itself in this malfeasance of wholesale bribery in spite of its so called battle against corruption.

    “We however encourage the people of Osun State to take a hard stance against these governors who have abandoned their duty posts with a view to corrupting them.”

    You’re in panic mode, Mohammed mocks PDP

    In a swift response, Information Minister Lai Mohammed said that the PDP was only jittery ahead of the election because it was not prepared for it.

    Mohammed who is chairman of the APC campaign council for the election, said his party has “no need for thuggery or rigging “because the people are solidly behind us.”

    He added: “The PDP and some of its top members have accused INEC, the police and other security agencies as well as the NYSC of all sorts of things. They have made allegations of thuggery and rigging against the APC.”

    “None of the accusations has been substantiated. If only the party had invested its energy in preparing for the election, it may not have become so jittery.

    “Unfortunately, the die is cast and the PDP has seen the handwriting on the wall, hence the party’s slip into the panic mode.

    “On our part, we have confidence in the various institutions saddled with the responsibility of ensuring a successful election in Osun State.

    “We have no need for thuggery or rigging because the people are solidly behind us.”

  • APC, PDP in verbal war over Not-too-young-to-run law

    The Not-too-young-to-run bill that has just been signed into law by President Muhammadu Buhari has sparked a fresh row between the ruling All Progressives  Congress (APC) and the  opposition People’s Democratic Party (PDP).

    The opposition party yesterday faulted President Muhammadu Buhari’s joke that  youths should not contest next year’s presidential election with him, but wait till 2023.

    Its National Publicity Secretary, Mr.Kola Ologbondiyan, in a statement in Abuja accused Buhari and the APC of  frustrating the active participation of youths and women in active politics and governance.

    He said the President’s statement underscored APC’s policy of not allowing young people aspire to top positions in the country.

    But the APC, in a swift reaction by its chief spokesman, Mallam Bolaji Abdullahi, said the PDP should stop playing divisive politics over the sponsorship of the bill.

    PDP’s statement had said: “It is unimaginable that a President can sign a law and immediately seek to suspend it.

    “President Buhari’s attempt to talk down on and intimidate the youths from contesting against him in 2019 shows that he is not in support of the Not Too Young To Run law and only assented to it because he had no other option under the 1999 Constitution (as amended).

    “We therefore urge Nigerians to be alert and wary of booby traps as well as land mines that the APC and the Presidency will set on the way to scuttle the quest for our youths to fully participate and aspire in our democratic process.”

    Also reacting to the President’s message, the National Youth Leader of the PDP, Mr. Sunday Ude-Okoye, said the  party would continue to champion the cause of young persons in the country.

    Ude-Okoye told reporters in Abuja that the party appointed many young persons into sensitive positions during its 16-year reign.

    Stop playing divisive politics, APC warns PDP

    APC’s spokesman Abdullahi, however, said the signing of the bill into law is  “indeed another promise kept by the President during his 2018 Democracy Day address and in our 2015 APC election manifesto in which we promised to provide the opportunities for youths to realise, harness, and develop their full potential and to facilitate the emergence of a new generation of citizens committed to the sustenance of good governance and service to the people and the country.”

    He hailed Senate President  Bukola Saraki and House of Representatives Speaker  Yakubu Dogara under whose leadership the Bill was passed in the National Assembly .

    He said the massive support the Bill received, particularly from APC members in the National Assembly,  “speaks volume of the progressive ideals the party continues to identify with and champion, irrespective of partisan considerations and interests.

    “This is indeed a major milestone in advocacy efforts to ensure increased participation and inclusion of marginalised groups, in this case the youth in Nigerian politics.

    “The youth comprise roughly half of the Nigerian population. It is only right that they take their rightful place within party leadership structures and elective positions at all levels.

    “We are confident that the new law will inspire a new thinking among many Nigerian youths pertaining to their roles in elections and politics.

    “Youths should not be used as disruptive elements, thugs and social media mobs. It is possible for young people to lead politically and occupy elective positions.”

  • Amaechi, Abe in verbal war as protest hits Rivers APC sale of congress form

    TRANSPORTATION Minister Rotimi Amaechi and his estranged ally, Senator Magnus Abe (Rivers South), were last night locked in a fresh stand off after irate youths vandalized the Rivers State secretariat of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Port Harcourt, ahead of today’s ward congresses of the party. The youths believed to be sympathetic to Abe,an APC governorship aspirant, accused Amaechi and state party chair,Chief Davies Ikanya, of plotting to impose candidates during the congresses. They accused the officials of refusing to paste the list for the congresses in the 392 wards in the state. The process was expected to begin yesterday with the release of the party members lists, and sale of nomination forms to aspirants. Amaechi is the leader of the APC in the state.

    The youths smashed the doors, windows and computers in the office located on Forces Avenue. Amaechi accused Abe of engineering the action of the youths because, as he said, the senator wanted a consensus candidate. He vowed that this would never happen. He denied hijacking electoral materials for the ward congress, as alleged by Abe and his supporters. The minister also said he was not aware of any court order stopping the ward congress. Amaechi was also irked by a statement credited to Governor Nyesom Wike in which he sympathized with the APC on the death of some APC members during yesterday’s attack on the party’s secretariat. The minister said no one died during the attack. He said: “A lot of people are complaining about internal democracy in the APC. So, why are they running away from internal democracy? Let’s go and queue up behind the candidates we want. “As early as 6 a.m. today (yesterday), I gathered that thugs had taken over the Rivers State secretariat of APC (opposite old Government Reservation Area Divisional Police Headquarters). In view of the noise, policemen found it difficult to take action, in spite of their being invited to protect the property by the leadership of Rivers APC.

    “The party (Rivers APC) needed to sell forms to anybody who was interested. What the governorship aspirant (Abe) wanted to do was that there should be no congress. He (Abe) took over the entire secretariat (of Rivers APC) with thugs. At 3 p.m., policemen had to force themselves in, to be able to sell forms and for people to be able to purchase forms for tomorrow’s (today’s) ward congress. “If that candidate (Abe) is popular, why didn’t he ask his supporters to buy forms, go and compete at the wards? I am grateful that people bought forms and I hope that his (Abe’s) supporters also bought forms. By tomorrow (today), there will be congress. I do not carry thugs about.” “There are no materials for the ward congress. It is just for people to buy forms and contest the election.

    They will go to the bank, pay, get tellers and buy the forms. People will queue up tomorrow (today), supervised by officers from the national secretariat of APC. They will count, using Option A-4. Whoever wins becomes the chairman. The report by the committee will be written and sent to the national secretariat of APC. No materials to hijack. “If they are afraid of elections, they should say so. In Rivers State, people were accustomed to writing results of elections, without actual voting, for 16 years. It was worse in 2015. Soldiers and policemen were then used to chase people around, they would sit down and write results. We went to court and the court said writing of results was okay. We had to abide by the judgment.” Abe, in his response, stated that he was fully prepared for election, stressing that Amaechi was afraid. The Senator said: “It is Amaechi that is afraid of election. That is why he is causing all these problems. I did not mobilise thugs to Rivers State secretariat of APC. The people at APC’s secretariat were Amaechi’s miscreants. I am a man of integrity.

    “I am fully prepared for election. That is why I declared my intention to contest on April 24, 2018, with all inauguration of Freedom House (his campaign office in new GRA, Port Harcourt).” Abe asked President Muhammadu Buhari and other leaders of APC to ensure free, fair and credible congresses in the party, to ensure peace and unity. Earlier,spokesman of the party in the state, Chris Finebone, denied the allegations made by the protesters. He told reporters that the delay in the sale of the forms was caused by the non-arrival of the officials sent from the APC national secretariat to supervise the exercise.

    He assured stakeholders, including party members, supporters, aspirants and the public of transparent, peaceful and credible exercise. He promised that the sale of the forms would begin once the officials came. He dismissed as false,suggestions that the forms had been diverted. “I can say it again and again that everybody will be given a level playing ground participate and the process will be transparent, free, fair, credible and peaceful, I can assure,” Finebone said. But the youths soon lost their patience after the process failed to take off as promised by Finebone. They broke into the building and helped themselves to whatever they could lay their hands on. Men of the Special Anti-ribbery Squad (SARS) soon intervened ,firing canisters of tear gas into the unruly protesters. Efforts to reach the spokesman of the state police command, Nnamdi Omoni, a Deputy Superintendent of Police failed.

  • Oyinlola, George intensify verbal war over Obasanjo’s coalition 

    A former Governor of Osun State, Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola,  yesterday said a former Deputy National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party(PDP), Chief Bode George did not make him a governor.

    He said George was backing a candidate before he made a U-urn when it was obvious that he was going to win the gubernatorial primaries.

    He also challenged George to open the can of worms he threatened to release.

    The two leaders had been bickering on the propriety or otherwise of the Coalition for Nigeria Movement (CNM) which was formed by ex-President Olusegun Obasanjo against a second term in office for President Muhammadu Buhari.

    Oyinlola said what he told George in a statement on Saturday was just a piece of advice from a prince to a chief in Yorubaland on why he should stop throwing stones at his benefactors.

    George in a response said:” I read today the untidy, uncharitable and irritable vituperations of Prince Olagunsoye Oyinlola against my good self. I was rather astonished at the level of uninformed , reckless, misleading verbiage against me”.

    “Prince Oyinlola was very junior to me in the military. I am very senior to him in age. It was my humble self and the late Chief S.M. Afolabi who introduced him to our former President and my Egbon Chief Olusegun Obasanjo.

    “ It was through me and the grace of God Almighty that he was elected Governor of Osun State.  Oyinlola should not dabble into issues he does not know anything about at all. I have served several Generals with hundred per cent loyalty. I have no grudge against our former President. I have a lot of respect for him. I greet him wherever we meet with deep respect and reverence as a well born Yoruba man.

    “Oyinlola, please don’t start to open any can of worms that you do not know where it will- widen and spill over.

    “When one is sent a slave’s errand, you should behave like a true, well-born”

    But Oyinlola in a reply also yesterday insisted that it was God who made him a governor and not George.

    Oyinlola said: “I must however, say that I found it surprising that Chief George said he made me governor of Osun state. How?

    “I became governor by the grace of God and the overwhelming support of the people of Osun state. The results of that election showed clearly that my support was rooted in the people and not in outsiders who neither voted nor funded my election.

    “I know my leaders whose support was greatly invaluable. They were with me throughout the unprecedented three primaries which I won three times.

    ”Chief George started out as a backer of one of those I was contending with. He later switched over to the popular side which was mine. He did not vote in my election; he did not give me money. So how did he make me governor?

    He said it was uncharitable of George to repay good with evil by attacking his (George’s) benefactors who included former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

    He said: “If you are allergic to the singing of birds you won’t build your house near the bush. If Chief George didn’t want me to react to him, he won’t call me and other promoters of the CNM all sorts of names as he did.

    “ Our ancestors in Yorubaland did not recommend Kolanut as appreciation for the kind of negative words Chief George used against me and other leaders of the CNM including Chief Obasanjo.

    “Chief George is my Egbon by six years. I respect him and said so in my statement on Saturday.  I observed he also said he was “very senior” to me in the military. He used the word “very.” It will interest him to know that I joined the Nigerian Army on September 3, 1969 and was commissioned as an officer on September 11, 1971. I want my Egbon to do his calculations and justify the word “very” that he used.

    Oyinlola asked George to release the can of worms he had threatened to expose and insisted he must apologise to Obasanjo.

  • Wike v Amaechi: Enough of this verbal war

    Wike v Amaechi: Enough of this verbal war

    I am not from Rivers State so I am neither holding forth for any political gladiator nor serving as an attack dog for any. But suffice it to say that this oil-rich state has been blessed with good and peaceful leaders who have before now shown good mentorship skills in raising the younger ones. It would be recalled that after Chief Rufus Ada-George’s tenure was truncated by the military, his former Deputy, Dr. Peter Odili, easily mounted the saddle at the advent of the Fourth Republic.

    After eight years of purposeful and result-oriented leadership, Odili peacefully handed over power to Sir Celestine Omehia, though his original choice, as can be seen by all and who even won the PDP gubernatorial ticket, was Rt. Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi, the then youthful and loyal Speaker of the State House of Assembly. When Amaechi took over power following the court’s ruling, Omehia never did any overt thing to turn the table.

    But all these seem to have gone with the winds since after the 2015 General Election which brought about the present government of Barrister Nyeso Wike as Rivers State is now daily on the news and most times for the wrong reasons. As a concerned observer, I think that with the level of disdain, hatred and the then Federal Government backed intimidation on the person and government of Rt. Hon Chibuike Amaechi, led by the then trio of the wife of the President, Dame Patience Jonathan, Barr. Nyeso Wike the then Minister for State for Education and the then Rivers State Police Commissioner, Mathew Mbu, it was only God’s ordained victory of President Muhammadu Buhari that literally saved Amaechi from the hangman’s noose as allegedly planned by the duo of Dame Patience Jonathan and Governor Nyeso Wike who then openly boasted and said that once the then President Goodluck Jonathan was declared the winner at the 2015 polls, all airports, land and sea borders would be closed to haunt down the then Governor Amaechi. The result of the presidential election, which declared APC candidate Muhammadu Buhari the winner, aborted the alleged plot.

    Unfortunately, the sad tale of animosity and song of war from Rivers State has continued two years after. Nigerians daily wake up to hear unending and never substantiated propaganda and allegations. Of recent was the issue of the $43m recovered from an apartment in Ikoyi which Governor Wike told the world was Rivers State money looted by Chibuike Amaechi. He even threatened to sue the Federal Government if the money was not returned back to Rivers State Government but alas till date the matter has not been filed in any court not even a Rivers State High court. The most recent was the allegation that public office holders in Amaechi’s government were making financial returns to the governor’s wife.

    While waiting for Governor Wike to substantiate these allegations, especially the allegation against a mother and a wife, I wonder when this unprofitable battle in a once peaceful political family will end. Peace is very crucial to development and growth, so it will not be in anybody’s interest to continue to heat up the political theatre of any state not to talk of a volatile state like Rivers. I believe all women groups and organisations should rise up now against this new found game. Also, advise Governor Wike to emulate former Governor Amaechi who, against all the injustice meted on him by the duo of former President Olusegun Obasanjo and former Governor Peter Odili prior and even after the 2007 elections has never for one day insulted nor spoken ill of them.

    • Engr. Onwuneme writes in from Abuja.
  • Okorocha snubs Obiano’s ‘tactical withdrawal’ from verbal war

    Okorocha snubs Obiano’s ‘tactical withdrawal’ from verbal war

    Imo State Governor Rochas Okorocha yesterday demanded an unreserved apology from Anambra State Governor Willy Obiano as part of the conditions to end the verbal war between them

    He also said Obiano should publish his achievements in the last four years of his service to the state before he could accept the Anambra governor’s “tactical withdrawal” from the clash.

    Okorocha spoke after Ohanaeze President-General John Nwodo declared that the “press war is over “ after an intervention by the Igbo socio-cultural organisation.

    Yesterday, Okorocha’s spokesman Sam Onwuemeodo, in a statement, stated said: “Governor Obiano came up with this volte-face after he had launched unprovoked media attacks against Governor Rochas Okorocha. And allowing Governor Obiano to tactically withdraw from an unwarranted media war he declared, without apologizing to Governor Okorocha and without publishing his achievements as the governor of Anambra State for almost four years to show good leadership is totally unacceptable to us. And we make bold to ask for an unreserved apology from him because with the way he reacted to such an innocent comment, one could see that he was harbouring malice against Owelle Okorocha”.

    The statement added: “We appreciate the concern of some Igbo leaders and groups who had called for truce. Such Igbo leaders should also reason with us that it calls for concern when someone unreasonably declares war against you

    “It also surprising that Governor Obiano who took up “arms” against the Imo governor over an interesting claim he made that three governors in the South-East would soon join APC.

    “It is also difficult to be explained why a governor that has governed a state with high IGR for almost four years and with lean workforce is finding it difficult to publish his achievements at least to show that he is a good leader of his people and on the basis of that, he would be asking for a second term.

    “The common logic is that if Governor Obiano fails to publish his achievements, it means he has nothing to display and the interpretation of that development is that, he had lost the moral justification to ask for second tenure. And Anambra people should take cognisance of that.

    “For Governor Okorocha, he is in a hurry to use the challenge thrown up by the Anambra State Governor to show-case to Nigerians and the world at large, about two thousand verifiable projects executed by his administration in various parts of the state including the New city of Owerri. And we know that all that Governor Obiano has done in Anambra for almost four years now cannot be equated with two flyovers built by Governor Okorocha.

    “Governor Okorocha would also want, while publishing his achievements, also publish his profile to show the world that either Governor Obiano didn’t know him or he was not truthfully briefed about him or he was austere with the facts.

    “The profiles of the two governors would have shown that while Governor Obiano has First Degree in Accountancy and Masters Degree in Business Administration of the University of Lagos, Governor Okorocha has Bachelor’s degree in Law of the University of Jos, Masters degree in Law also of University of Jos, Plateau State, Post graduate Diploma in Management of the Benue State University, Advanced Diploma in Law, Security and Conflict Management. So in terms of education, Governor Okorocha is more educated than Governor Obiano. And as a responsible government, we restricted ourselves from talking about his personal life.

    “Again, Obiano began his banking career with First Bank and ended up as an Executive Director. He was later carried by some political godfathers on the back to the governorship seat in Anambra State in 2014. That is all about Governor Obiano.

    “Governor Okorocha has never told anybody that his beginning was wonderful. He was never born with silver spoon in his mouth. He didn’t have a straight school experience while growing up. He was involved in street trading. But he ended up having Master’s degree in Law. He made his first one million dollars when Balfour Beatty, the company that constructed Balanga Dam was winding up and he was one of the agents that sold used equipment. And he channeled the whole money into the business of used cars which gave birth to the sale of new cars which later metamorphosed into ”Rochas Motors”.

    After listing other Okorcha’s achievements and profile, the statement said: “In other word, we were right when we said in our first response to Governor Obiano’s attack that comparing Obiano with Rochas (Okorocha) is like comparing (Lionel) Messi of Barcelona F.C with one left winger in one Mberi Secondary School in Imo State.”

  • Wike, Rivers APC in verbal war over tribunal ruling

    Embattled Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and the state’s chapter of the All Progressives Congress (APC) have disagreed sharply on the nullified mandate and pro-Wike protests by various groups in Rivers.

    APC, through its Publicity Secretary, Chris Finebone, yesterday in Port Harcourt, alleged that the sacked Rivers governor had gone full blast against the judiciary by mobilising market women, traditional rulers and clerics, among others to protest.

    But, reacting, Wike, through his deputy, Ipalibo Harry-Banigo, vowed to protect the mandate given to him by Rivers people on April 11 this year and to ensure that the resources of the state were used to improve the living standard of the people.

    It will be recalled that the tribunals sacked Wike on Saturday and voided the victories of 20 PDP lawmakers of the Rivers House of Assembly, including the Speaker, the following Monday.

    On Tuesday, the tribunal also insisted that the relocation of the tribunal to Abuja was for security reason, while affirming the judgment of the Court of Appeal, which had earlier approved the decision of the tribunal to assume jurisdiction.

    In his reaction to the judgments, the Rivers State governor alleged judicial gang-up against him and the people of Rivers state.

    APC said: “The Rivers State chapter of the APC has received credible information that Nyesom Wike has begun to mobilise and incite different sections of Rivers people to protest against the judiciary, for handing out unfavourable judgments on his matters at the tribunals and Supreme Court.

    “Two top traditional rulers in Rivers State separately informed the APC that the embattled Rivers governor summoned them for a meeting today (yesterday), where they suspect that the governor may request and mobilise them to endorse protest documents against the judgments of the tribunal that annulled the so-called election of the governor and the decision of the Supreme Court that dismissed his appeal on jurisdiction of the tribunal.

    “As part of Wike’s plan to mobilise the people of the state against the judiciary, he doled out huge cash to a section of market women, who shamelessly went on a protest march yesterday (Thursday) in Port Harcourt, denouncing the Nigerian judiciary and threatening the peace of Rivers State.

    “The APC has been told that after the meeting and mobilisation of traditional rulers to protest in today’s meeting, the next group penciled down to be mobilised is the clergy in Rivers State. Wike believes that he can finance a section of the supposed men of God to protest and publish anti-judiciary articles and paid adverts in the media, extolling the embattled governor.

    However, Wike maintained that the people of Rivers state voted for him and all the candidates of the PDP, in view of their conviction that they possess the capacity to deliver quality service to them.

    He said: “Rivers People voted for us, because they believe that we will deliver the dividends of democracy to them and improve on the living standard of our people.

    “Time has passed when people came to Rivers State to take away our wealth. We are prepared to protect our resources for the betterment of our people.”