The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: Abaribe

  • Stop Appeasing Criminals, Abaribe Cautions Federal Gov’t

    Stop Appeasing Criminals, Abaribe Cautions Federal Gov’t

    Senator representing Abia South Senatorial District, Sen. Enyinnaya Abaribe, has urged the Nigerian government to end what he described as the appeasement of criminals, warning that the country has “lost its moral compass” and must urgently return to a path of civic and ethical responsibility.

    Abaribe made the remarks while chairing the 5th Frontier Discourse Annual Public Lecture and Awards on Tuesday, November 11, 2025, at the Nigerian National Merit House in Maitama, Abuja.

    He expressed concern over a growing trend of rewarding wrongdoers, citing the recent practice of granting amnesty to armed bandits who abduct children. According to him, such measures signal a dangerous collapse of moral standards.

    “We are in a state where bandits who kidnap children are rewarded with amnesty, which shows we have lost whatever morality we once had,” he said.

    The senator also condemned the reintegration of individuals responsible for killing soldiers in ambushes, noting that they often face no meaningful consequences.

    “You do not reward those who live on ransom and blood,” he said. “When you do, you embolden them. A government that chooses appeasement over justice signs a death warrant for its citizens. Those you appease will see you as weak and continue to perpetrate evil.”

    Turning to Nigeria’s political culture, Abaribe criticized recurring ego clashes among leaders, which he said often derail governance. “No more blame games,” he urged. “Buckle up and do what you were elected to do.”

    The event also featured awards recognizing outstanding individuals and institutions. Honorees included:

    Good Governance (Governor of the Year): H.E. Dr. Peter Ndubuisi Mbah

    Public Sector Person of the Year: Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu

    Humanitarian Service Award: Mary Dinah Foundation

    Media Person of the Year (TV): Aaron Atsahyel

    Media Person of the Year (Radio): Maryann Okon

    Brand of the Year: Centre for Memories

    Promising Entertainer (Music): Ugochukwu Uneabunso (Une 50)

    Business Person of the Year: Chief Chukwudi Nnaji

    Frontier Person Award: Prof. Udenta O. Udenta, Dr. Ahmad Sajoh

    Literary Icon Award: Abuja Literary Society

    Tech Person of the Year: Gbenga Sesan

    Sports Icon of the Year: Barr. Amobi Ezeaku

    Lifetime Achievement Award: H.E. Dr. Okwesilieze Nwodo

    Other highlights were a saxophone performance and live musical entertainment.

  • CSOs back Kalu, Abaribe, Elumelu reelection

    CSOs back Kalu, Abaribe, Elumelu reelection

    CSOs back Kalu, Abaribe, Elumelu reelection

    Ahead of the primaries of various political parties for Senatorial and House of Representatives seats in the 10th National Assembly, a Coalition of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria, have called for the reelection of 14 out of the 469 serving federal lawmakers.

    The group under the aegis of Coalition of Media and Civil Society Organisations in Nigeria, made the call on Friday at a press briefing held at the Senate wing of the National Assembly.

    According to the national coordinator of the group, Mr. Alex Enemanna, advocacy for re-election of the 14 serving federal lawmakers will be taken to their political parties before the conduct of primary elections slated for next month on the basis of right of first refusal as far as party tickets are concerned.

    The 14 Federal lawmakers as announced by the coalition are Senators Ali Ndume (APC Borno South), Orji Uzor Kalu (APC Abia North), Smart Adeyemi (APC Kogi West ), James Manager (PDP Delta South), Enyinnaya Abaribe (PDP Abia South), Abiodun Olujimi (PDP Ekiti South), Sani Musa (APC Niger East ) and Olamilekan Adeola ( APC Lagos West).

    Others are the Deputy Speaker, Hon Idris Wase (APC Plateau State), Hon Ndudi Elumelu (PDP Delta State), Hon Ado Doguwa (APC Kano State), Hon Muktar Betara (APC Borno State) , Hon Nkiru Onyejeocha (APC Abia State ) and Hon Sergius Ogun (PDP Edo State).

    He explained that the advocacy was being done to avoid legislative brain drain, since the 14 lawmakers performed creditably well as far as legislative activism and development -driven legislations are concerned. When asked to explain how the 14 lawmakers were adjudged to be the best out of 469 federal lawmakers, the National Coordinator of the group said their findings were based on three months intensive and thorough research carried out across the 109 Senatorial Districts and 360 federal constituencies.

    (Vanguard)

  • Why Senators rejected Buhari’s Electoral Bill ammendment – Abaribe

    SENATE Minority Leader, Senator Enyinnaya Harcourt Abaribe, PDP Abia, has given reasons the Senate rejected President Muhammadu Buhari’s bill to amend Section 84 (12) of the Electoral Act 2022 that was recently passed into law.

    According to him, amending the section would be going against the civil service norms and would be injurious to the well-being of the society.

    While signing the 2022 Electoral Amendment Bill on February 25, President Buhari complained that the provision constituted fundamental defect, saying it was in conflict with extant constitutional provisions.

    He said Section 84 (12) constitutes a disenfranchisement of serving political office holders from voting or being voted for at conventions or congresses of any political party.

    The section reads: “No political appointee at any level shall be voting delegate or be voted for at the convention or congress of any political party for the purpose of the nomination of candidates for any election.”

    He stated that the provision introduced qualification and disqualification criteria that wad ultra vires the Constitution by way of importing blanket restriction and disqualification.

    Shortly after signing the Bill into law, President Buhari sent an amendment to the National Assembly, which the Senate refused to pass into law last week.

    Speaking on the issue, weekend, Abaribe, who is angling to succeed Governor Okezie Ikpeazu of Abia State in 2023, said the Electoral Act is a piece of good legislation that is meant to cure the ills of previous electoral acts and makes rigging of elections almost impossible.

    Aside providing for direct transmission of results from polling booths, it empowers the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, to reject results its officers announced under duress.

    On the controversies trailing Section 84 (12), Abaribe said the section codifies what already is supposed to be the norm in our civil service and society.

    “Before, the norm is if you want to run for office, you resign. Now, people stay in office and use state resources to run for office and the office suffers. No law is made to be retrogressive. It did not say you should resign three months to the elections. It says if you want to be a delegate, you will have to resign. The stipulation as to time is what is in the Civil Service Rule, that is 30 days before primaries or congresses you ought to resign.

    “The parties have not set their dates for primaries. When they do, the 30 days will now set in. The President says it conflicts with the Constitution. We don’t know what he meant. What we know is that if you are in office and running without resigning, your office will suffer. When we got his letter, we said he must have been misadvised by some people.”

    On Abia, he said currently he is the most experienced and capable person to take the state to greater heights after Ikpeazu’s tenure.

    (Vanguard)