The Pacesetter Frontier Magazine

Tag: APC

  • PDP accuses Presidency and APC of plot to alter the newly enacted Electoral Act

    PDP accuses Presidency and APC of plot to alter the newly enacted Electoral Act

    Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, accused the Presidency and the All Progressives Congress (APC) of plot to alter the newly enacted Electoral Act.

    PDP, in a statement by its National Publicity Secretary, Debo Ologunagba, said it had uncovered plots by the government to ‘orchestrate’ an amendment to the Electoral Act, so to introduce new clause that would allegedly compromise the 2023 polls.

    The opposition party claimed the ploy is to create an avenue for the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to alter the timetable for the 2023 general election. It claimed APC wants the election timetable pushed forward because the ruling party is running behind schedule.

    “The APC, having realised it is running out of time and cannot meet up with the already released electoral timetable now seeks to frustrate and derail the ongoing electoral process.

    “The PDP has it on good authority that the President Muhammadu Buhari presidency has perfected plots to use the APC leadership in the National Assembly to orchestrate an amendment to the Electoral Act to create opening for INEC to alter its already released 2023 election timetable and schedule of activities to accommodate the APC.

    “Our party has information about how the APC has been mounting pressure on INEC to push forward the already scheduled dates for the 2023 general election.

    “The PDP vehemently rejects this plot by the APC which amounts to shifting the goal post in the middle of the game and cautions INEC to resist such heinous design against our democracy.

    “The election timetable has already been released, political parties have commenced processes, Nigerians have since set their minds on the election dates to vote out the APC and there is no going back on that resolve.

    “The PDP, therefore, cautions the Buhari presidency and the APC leadership in the National Assembly to note that any attempt to alter the timetable is an invitation to serious political crisis in the country as Nigerians will firmly resist them.”

    The party called on its members in the National Assembly to be vigilant and firmly resist the alleged plot to alter the Electoral Act. Similarly, it charged all lovers of democracy; the civil society, the media, organised labour and the international community to stand against alleged attempts to derail the democratic process.

    Meanwhile, the PDP has extended deadline for the sale of nomination forms from April 1 to April 8.

    The party, in a statement by Ologunagba, also extended the deadline for the submission, as well rescheduled the date for the screening of aspirants.

    (Sun)

  • Court strikes out suit challenging legality of Rivers APC excos

    A Rivers State High Court sitting in Port Harcourt has struck out a consolidated suit by Ogechi Ogwu-Edwin and four others and Alaibo Soibibo and four others against the All Progressives Congress, APC, and former state Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, Isaac Ogbobula.

    The separate suits, which were later consolidated, had challenged the legality of the APC and its Caretaker Committee Chairman, Isaac Ogbogbula, to conduct congresses of the party in the state.

    The claimants had approached the court, seeking an injunction against APC over the conduct of congresses.

    The suit had prayed the court to stop APC from going ahead to do anything with the outcome of the congresses because they (applicants) were allegedly refused access to nomination forms after making payment for the said forms.

    However, Justice Charles Wali in his judgement, yesterday, agreed with the defendants counsel’s prayer that the court should set aside the suit for lacking in merit on the ground of lack of proof of service.

    Wali held that the claimants, instead of effecting service at the head office of the first defendant (APC), which is in Abuja, served them in Port Harcourt office, which was against the provisions of the law.

    The court dismissed the suit for lack of jurisdiction, noting that the suit was statute barred and had become academic exercise.

    (Vanguard)

  • APC crisis: Confusion over APC leadership

     

    There may not be light at the end of the tunnel in the precarious situation facing the All Progressives Congress (APC) as both the proposed March 26 national convention and unresolved headship of the party are still shrouded in controversy and doubts.

    While the myriads of legal suits and constitutional hurdles on the side of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), pose serious challenge to the certainty of holding the convention, on the chosen date, the antagonism from some members of the APC Progressives Governors Forum (PGF) and members of the Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) against Governor Mai Mala Buni have combined to complicate the leadership problem.

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    On assumption of office on Monday, the acting Chairman CECPC, Governor Sani Bello of Niger State had created the impression that the door was shut behind Governor Buni, noting that he could not account for his future within the party. Governors Nasir El-Rufai of Kaduna State and Rotimi Akeredolu of Ondo State escalated the doubt when they emphasized that Buni was as good as gone. According to El-Rufai, Governor Sani Bello is in charge and he has the backing of President Muhammadu Buhari and 19 of 23 APC governors. Buni, he said, can only return as Governor of Yobe State but never as chairman of the party.

    “President Buhari ordered his removal and this has been implemented,” he said. “Governor Bello has taken over and things are moving according to plan. The party will be restored and convention will take place as scheduled. The 19 governors and their deputies are solidly behind this move.” His Ondo State counterpart, Akeredolu, alleged that Buni was working with “Yahoo Yahoo” politicians to stop the party’s convention.

    But in a confession that appears to complicate the situation, Governor Sani Bello-led CECPC has admitted that Buni is still in charge of the party. Speaking during a press conference at the national secretariat of the party, Mr Ismaeel Ahmed, Caretaker Committee member representing the Youth, said that the position of Governor Buni, as the chairman of the CECPC, was incontrovertible, emphasising that Bello is only on acting capacity.

    The new spokesperson of the ruling party further insisted that the March 26 proposed national convention is sacrosanct despite the misunderstanding trailing the correspondence with the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) stopping the emergency virtual National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting scheduled for March 17, 2022.

    According to him the March 26 date has not changed. He explained what happened. “The chairman wrote a letter and transmitted power to Governor Bello to enable him go for medical treatment,” he said. “Those are two emergencies. He has a medical emergency, that cannot wait for the Convention. We have a convention that cannot wait for him to be healthy. So, one has to leave for the other, whichever, he has transmitted a letter and Governor Sani Bello has been acting appropriately. Why is it so difficult for people to understand that?

    “So, Governor Sani Bello is acting on the full authority of the Caretaker Committee and with the full authority of the stakeholders and with the full consent of Governor Mai Mala Buni. It is very clear and simple. If anybody has issues with any of our decisions, he can head to court. For now, we are doing it with the full backing of the law. So, there is no ambiguity on this, absolutely none.”

    But the rejected letter from INEC requesting the party’s National Executive Committee (NEC) emergency virtual meeting based on the discrepancies in the signatories has heightened the doubt for the party’s national convention. On the position of the Caretaker Committee, Ahmed said: “We fixed 17 March for the NEC meeting of the party which is meant to ratify, of course, the March 26 convention and to update the members of NEC on the details of the exercise. Convention will hold on March 26. I am not only a youth leader or internal spokesperson of the party, but also a lawyer. And we have served a notice to INEC. We served that notice on the 5th of February and that was the required 21 days. If you are going to make any adjustment to that date, all you need is a letter. You don’t need another 21 days and that letter was since written about two weeks ago, when we realised that we couldn’t hold it on the 26th of February. The moment, the CECPC agreed on March 26, that letter was written to INEC. INEC has accepted that letter.”

    He continued: “The issue of the date of convention is not in question, not in INEC, not certainly with us. That is settled. We have complied with all the rules and have notified INEC as appropriately expected for us to do. So that’s no longer an issue. Somebody asks, what is the status of the NEC meeting that we signed. I think Prof. Tahir Maman who is overseeing the legal department would be addressing you once all these issues are clarified but notice has been sent out for NEC meeting. We are still on that, whatever it is that’s going on.”

     

    (Vanguard)

  • INEC – We don’t recognise Sani-Bello as APC chair

     

    There seems to be no let up in the crisis rocking the All Progressives Congress (APC).

    Yesterday, the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) said the party could only remove the National Chairman of Caretaker / Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC), Governor Mai Mala Buni, and other officers after a 21-day notice to the electoral body.

    INEC said it cannot attend the emergency National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting of APC next week because the party was yet to comply with relevant laws and regulations.

    It faulted the party for notifying it of its NEC meeting without the signatures of Buni and the Secretary of CECPC, Sen. John James Akpanudoedohe.

    It asked APC to follow due process if it wanted to effect change of leadership.

    INEC made its position known in a March 9, 2021 letter to APC by the Secretary, Mrs. Rose Oriaran-Anthony.

     

    (The Nation)

  • Imo APC crisis: Okorocha and Uzodimma faction lay claim on chairmanship

    Crisis is brewing among the members of the Imo state chapter of All Progressives Congress, APC, as Daniel Nwafor, led faction, loyal to former governor Rochas Okorocha said he would still conduct the activities of the APC in the state, as the chairman.

    Nwafor’s statement came through his Acting Publicity Secretary, Micheal Anyanwu, on Monday in Owerri, while reacting to the statement by Macdonald Ebere’s camp jubilating that Ebere “is now the authentic chairman of APC in Imo.”

    Nwafor boasted that “We implore the National leadership of our great party to respect and uphold the democratic ethos, norms and values of for which our party is renowned.

    “While we are not perturbed by the triviality jamboree and fanfare of February, 3, it is important to clarify that the authentic, duly elected legally recognised and competent chairman of our great party in Imo State remains Daniel Nwafor.”

    “Existing judgements delivered by courts of competent jurisdiction in favour authenticated the Nwafor- led State Working Committee as the properly constituted and lawful leadership and executives of our great party in the State.

    “The judgement unless upturned by the supreme court is still standing. And ruled that not even the NEC of our party can truncate our lawful tenure until completed,” Nwafor said.

     

    (Vanguard)

  • 2023 Presidency: APC leaders split over Tinubu

    2023 Presidency: APC leaders split over Tinubu

     

    Governors and top leaders of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, are split over the presidential aspiration of the party’s National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu.

    The division is affecting zoning of National Working Committee, NWC, and National Executive Committee, NEC, offices ahead of the February 26 National Convention.

    A top party source told Vanguard, weekend that contrary to perception, Asiwaju Tinubu is not desperate to become president in 2023 but wants agreements to be honoured.

    “Top founders of the party know that President Buhari promised to hand over to Tinubu in 2023. Now if they don’t want to fulfill that promise, they have to sit down with Tinubu and discuss.

    “Tinubu has to be respected. You can’t treat him as nobody and expect him to keep quiet and do nothing. He is a democrat,” the source said.

    Although the APC governors have taken charge of the party, they are yet to agree on Tinubu and a chairmanship candidate. “Some of the governors are for Tinubu and are watching to see how things unfold.”

    According to the source, President Buhari is not averse to a South-easterner succeeding him and may be eyeing a minister from the zone as his successor.

    President Buhari, penultimate week, said his choice of ‘favoured successor’ would shock people, a reason he said he would keep the identify of the person secret.

    ‘Likely successors’

    Some names have been mentioned as the likely favoured successor. They include former president, Dr. Goodluck Jonathan; Transportation Minister, Mr. Rotimi Amaechi; Labour and Employment Minister, Dr Chris Ngige; Dr Akinwunmi Adesina; Timipre Sylva and Mr Emeka Nwajiuba, among others.

    On 2023 presidency, the source said the party must find a way to assuage the feelings of Tinubu and some founders of the party, who are gunning for the presidential ticket because “promises were made to them during the formation of the party.

    “If the party cannot fulfil the promises in 2023, the party has to meet and plead with them.

    “If the party treats them with contempt, they are ready to stand their ground and it will affect the party in 2023 elections.”

    APC no longer a political party, but election platform, ex-PGF DG laments

    Meanwhile, the immediate past Director General of the Progressive Governors’ Forum PGF, Salihu Moh. Lukman, has lamented the dwindling democratic fortunes of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, saying the party was now more of an election platform without any ideological bent.

    Lukman in a statement in Abuja yesterday, described the reality as very disturbing, noting that “APC today, wasn’t the APC of the period 2013 to 2015.”

    He said outside President Muhammadu Buhari, there were very few elected leaders in APC who were still committed to the founding vision of the party to provide leadership to change Nigerian politics.

    He said: “Given where the nation is coming from under PDP, changing Nigerian politics would require departure from requiring citizens to be blindly loyal to elected leaders.

    ‘’It should require that citizens and party members are free to disagree and criticise elected leaders.

    “In other words, politics of change should produce elected leaders who should be highly tolerant and where possible even accommodate disagreements and criticisms as part the process of decision making.

    “These may sound like wishful thoughts. The truth however is that our dear APC is being held captive by some few leaders whose interest is only about imposing themselves as candidates for elections.

    “So long as that is the case, it means what we have as APC today wasn’t the party negotiated and produced out of our legacy parties.

    “Rather than the envisioned party, which allows for internal debates and disagreements among party leaders and members, based on which there could be negotiations and agreements, APC today has been diminished to only an election platform, which is what the founding leaders and members wanted to change.

    ‘’The commitment to change the profile of political parties beyond being election platforms was precisely part of why Nigerians supported the APC in 2015″, he stated.

    He said unlike the case of the PDP, APC was extremely lucky to have a leader in President Muhammadu Buhari who does not meddle in the affairs of the party.

    Lukman added: “Sadly, this became the license for party leaders to abuse the trust of both the President and majority of party leaders and members.

    “Overtime, this has damaged the profile of the APC to the point whereby, based on the conduct of leaders and some elected representatives of the party, it is difficult to associate the APC with its founding vision of change.

    ‘’Problems of intolerance to disagreements and criticisms, with some leaders expecting members to be blindly loyal is becoming a common attribute.

    ‘’Views of party leaders become dominantly decisions of party organs.

    “Even when consultations take place and there is a clear decision, so long as the decisions are not what some few party leaders want, those decisions will not be implemented.

    ‘’It doesn’t matter whether President Buhari was part of the consultations, and in agreement with the decision.

    “Propensity to disrespect decisions and party leaders, including the President, is very high today in APC.

    “Every founding leader and member of the APC must rise to challenge of arresting the drift in the party.

    “Few individual leaders of the party must not be allowed to continue to impose themselves and destroy a party with potentials to provide the needed democratic platform for negotiated resolutions of all the problems of Nigeria.

    ‘’As it is today, APC is the only party where contestation is taking place. Again, thanks to President Buhari who is providing unbiased leadership to the party, it is possible for ordinary members to express themselves, including disagreeing with decisions of leaders of the party.

    ‘’This unique leadership of President Buhari has helped a lot to sustain the hope of both party leaders, members and Nigerians desirous of political change.

    “Beyond the unbiased leadership of President Buhari, there is the need for all party leaders and members committed to the politics of change to ensure the emergence of party leaders at the February 26, 2022 National Convention who must be tolerant to criticisms and disagreements and should not expect members to be blindly loyal.

    ‘’Above all, if APC is to return to its founding vision of driving the process of change in Nigeria, it must produce leaders who would be able to compel elected representatives produced by the party to be accountable to Nigerians.’’

     

    (Vanguard)

  • APC youth council begins data collation

     

    The All Progressives Congress (APC) Youth and Student Council has begun collation of data ahead of the 2023 general election to create awareness and mobilise vibrant Nigerians, through effective engagement, to foster the dividends of democracy.

    Youth leader Seyi Bamigbade said the council has also rebranded its website for this purpose, as well as infused programmes to cater for talented and skilful individuals.

    Bamigbade explained that the re-launching, which held at the Shehu Musa Yar Adua Centre in Abuja, embodies a data collection scheme that provides young ones with employment opportunities and allows youths to register their Permanent Voters’ Card (PVC) through the INEC link embedded

    He added that the platform is also designed to collate the data of youths and students, and expose them to a tuition-free educational scholarship scheme ahead of the 2023 general election.

    “We have organised numerous youth empowerment summits and training with a start-up packages for business. Our targets are the youths and indigent students as we are poised to empower them like never before, both educationally and business-wise.

    “This rebranding will bring all youths nearer to their regional leaders, development strides and in-depth insight into our mission and objectives, which is to modify the attitude of the youth and realise a more resourceful and productive Nigeria,” Bamigbade added.

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com

  • NGF to hold a crucial meeting on Wednesday.

    The 36 state governors would meet on Wednesday in Abuja to discuss pressing national concerns.

    The meeting is scheduled for the Nigeria Governors’ Forum (NGF) secretariat in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) at 8pm.

    An invitation to the governors was sent by the Director-General of the NGF, Asishana Okauru, according to a statement issued by Abdulrazaque Bello-Barkindo, head of public affairs of the forum.

    Bello-Barkindo said pressing national issues would be discussed in the meeting and that the governors would also receive briefings from the NGF’s Fiscal Transparency, Accountability and Sustainability (SFTAS) team.

    At the end of the meeting, Chairman of NGF and Governor of Ekiti, Kayode Fayemi, is expected to address a press conference on issues discussed.

    Meanwhile, the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Governors Forum would meet in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State capital, today.

    The forum, in a statement by its Director General, CID Maduabum, yesterday, said the meeting to be presided over by its chairman and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal “will review the state of the states, the state of the nation and readiness of the PDP to provide the necessary leadership to rescue and rebuild Nigeria.

    “The PDP governors are working in concert and consultations with other leaders of the party and in particular the Senator Iyorchia Ayu-led National Executive Committee to craft a credible process and programme for Nigeria’s positive rebirth. Ayu has been invited to attend the Port Harcourt meeting to hold consultations with the governors on strategies for executing the Rescue and Rebuild Nigeria project.”

    (Sun)

  • Zoning: 2023 Elections

     

    When the news broke last Monday that APC National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu disclosed to Nigerians that he had been in the Presidential Villa, Abuja, to inform President Muhammadu Buhari of his intention to contest for the nation’s top job next year, my mind was at once settled and in turmoil over the declaration.

     

    Settled because the man we all have come to know as the Jagaban has officially put to rest any doubts about his presidential ambition and confirmed that the activities of various support groups in the past few months were fore-runners of the big word from the big man himself.

     

    I was equally troubled because the announcement threw up the issue of rotation or zoning again.This is because after President Muhammadu Buhari of the APC, from the North, it had become the natural expectation that the next presidential candidate of the ruling party from the APC must come from the South, in line with the informal rotation credo of the power elite, irrespective of which faction, in which party, is in power at any time.

    By that, all competent Nigerians from the North, including those from Katsina, Buhari’s home state have been automatically excluded.

     

    Similarly, the main opposition party, the PDP, which practised and religionised zoning in the 16 years it held federal power is currently enmeshed in gritty politicking over which part of the country should get its presidential ticket.

     

    The argument in the PDP is worsened by the political arithmetic being peddled to the effect that in the 16 years of the PDP, the South held presidential power longest — eight years by Obasanjo, three years by late Umaru Yar’Adua, five years by Goodluck Jonathan, as a result of which the presidential ticket should go to the North, amid an uproarious clamour for a Southern president.

     

    I do not expect much from the other political parties, most of which are trading platforms and special purpose vehicles used to reclaim senatorial, house of assembly, and in some past cases, governorship seats.

     

    They will, after wheeling and dealing, announce that they have adopted the candidates of one party or the other.

     

    In September 2021, the governors of our Southern States met in Asaba, and among other things, declared in their communique that the next president of the country should come from the South.

     

    That resolution, along with their position on the issue of VAT generated much applause.

     

    I have never liked rotation, or zoning. My personal view of the idea is that it elevates the politics of exclusion to the high pedestal of political righteousness by justifying exclusion of one part with arguments in support of inclusion of the benefitting zone or region. The polemics change at every election cycle.

     

    The most potent argument against zoning, in my view, is that we stand to lose all the time by it.

     

    If the PDP arithmetic gains traction, it means another president from the North. On the converse, if the clamour for a Southern president succeeds, the best hands that this nation needs at these times may never smell the office. Zoning helped drive us to where we are today.

     

    Recall that in the November 5, 2021 edition of this column, I posited that religion and zoning are red herrings in Nigerian politics. They have, since 1975, been used by militicians (military politicians) to mask incompetence in the management of public affairs and institutionalise graft in governance.

     

    It has also been used to suck politicians of all ethnic groups into the dragnet of corruption in national life. Zoning is actually a creation of the military administration that succeeded General Yakubu Gowon.

     

    The Gowon Administration which preceded the Murtala/Obasanjo regime had as Chief of Staff, Supreme Headquarters — Brigadier Emmanuel Ekpo, and later, Rear-Admiral Joseph Edet Akinwale Wey.

     

    As the names show, General Yakubu Gowon and his two chiefs were Christians, in addition to the Vice-Chairman of the Federal Executive Council, till 1971, being another Christian in the person of late Chief Obafemi Awolowo. Murtala Muhammed, a Moslem, had Obasanjo, a Christian as deputy.

     

    When Murtala died and Obasanjo succeeded him, he appointed Shehu Musa Yar’Adua as his deputy.

     

    That was the take-off.

     

    Today, zoning has become a mantra that must not just be sung by politicians irrespective of party affiliation, it has assumed the status of an unwritten political grundnorm.

     

    Whether I am right or wrong about zoning will not matter if we continue politicking the way we always do.

     

    As I write this, at least four politicians from the South have indicated interest in the presidency.

     

    They are Asiwaju Tinubu, David Umahi, Orji Uzor Kalu, and Dele Momodu.

     

    The number may increase by the time you are reading this. What I want all of us to take to the bank is that Southern Nigeria will splinter its electoral treasure, while those adept at political manipulation, and who always voted for politicians of their ethnic stock run away with the prize in 2023.

     

    Watch, and may The Almighty preserve us all till then and beyond.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguardngr.com

  • PDP, APC fight over Plateau State Gov’s plan to spend N18bn on flyovet

     

    THE Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, and the ruling All Progressive Congress, APC, are at each other’s throats over plans by Governor Simon Lalong to spend N18 billion on British-American flyover. The PDP, which is contending that government should tackle insecurity in the state, alleged that the project was a ploy for siphoning state resources.

     

    State Publicity Secretary of the Party, John Akans, in a statement in Jos titled: “As Lalong spends N18 billion on British-American Flyover: Kidnappers take over Plateau”, accused the governor of inflating the cost of the contract.

     

    Akans said: “The Plateau State chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, is continuously worried with the reckless way and manner Governor Simon Lalong is running affairs of the state. Reliable information is that the governor has earmarked a whooping sum of N18 billion for the recently announced British-American flyover when he is yet to complete other projects on ground.

     

    “It is believed that the governor inflated the cost of the less than half- kilometre bridge to siphon money as he prepares to hand over in the next one year. This is happening amidst the overwhelming and escalating insecurity in the state where people are being killed and kidnapped almost on a daily basis without succour because he has also refused to help the security agencies do their work. The proliferation of criminals in the state which has resulted in rampant killings, kidnappings and ritual activities is wreaking havoc in the state. People are no longer sleeping with their two eyes closed, including our traditional leaders who are the worst victims because of fear of criminals. Why a road construction in Plateau State should cost higher than that of Borno State where Governor Zulum awarded similar construction of such flyover bridge at the cost of N1.6 billion, while Abdulrahman of Kwara also awarded the construction of 34.5km road at the cost 3.7 billion.”

     

    But in a swift reaction, the ruling APC rebuked the PDP for raising such allegations, saying the PDP is “either suffering from crass ignorance or it has totally lost focus of governance process barely seven years after it was sacked by the electorate from governing the state.” Sylvanus Namang, the State APC Publicity Secretary in a reply asked the opposition party to note that “The mega project will cover design, compensation for land and property, geophysical surveys, soil test, load test and the main construction of the interchange (flyover) at the British-America Junction and dualisation from the junction to Lamingo Junction totaling 1.7 kilometres.”

     

    According to him: “Our attention has once again been drawn to a press release by the sleepy PDP in Plateau state. The press statement could have been simply ignored as one of its usual mischief except for the need to put the records straight for the reading public and for posterity. Going through the statement, it could be observed that the party is either suffering from crass ignorance or it has totally lost focus of the governance process barely seven years after it was sacked by the electorate from governing the state.”

     

    “The Honourable Commissioner of Works, Pam Bot-Mang on 18th December, 2021, issued a press release detailing the public on what the whole project entails. For the sleepy PDP’s information, the mega project will cover design, compensation for land and property, geophysical surveys, soil test, load test and the main construction of the interchange (flyover) at the always very busy and congested British America Junction and dualisation from the junction to Lamingo Junction totaling 1.7 kilometers.

     

    “The easy route for the PDP mischief to make its allegation look convincing is the reference to the project being inflated by the governor in order to divert the funds to personal use. This cheap blackmail cannot fly in the face of the Plateau State government’s recent winning of the international prize for transparency in governance in faraway South Korea.”

     

    Namang added, “The party alleged that the insecurity being witnessed in the state is because the state governor has “refused to help the security agencies to do their work.” Nothing can be further from the truth as no governor under the present democratic dispensation has funded and provided the enabling environment to security agencies as governor Lalong.

     

    “Let the point be clearly made, security is everybody’s business and when we ignore this fact, we shall all become victims. The APC government in Plateau State has invested greatly on security with innovation such as the Plateau Peace Building Agency, PPBA which is copied by several states.

     

    “It has consciously mended the broken fences of ethnic rivalries. Why can’t the PDP commend the security agencies when necessary rather than the crocodile tears and orchestrated lamentation by its leaders?”

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.vanguradngr.com

  • INEC: APC delays convention form sale

     

    The All Progressives Congress national convention may not hold in February as planned as the Independent National Electoral Commission has confirmed to The PUNCH that the APC has not informed the commission of any convention.

     

    Section 85 (1) of the Electoral Act says, “A registered political party shall give the commission at least 21 days notice of any convention, congress, conference or meeting convened for the purpose of electing members of its executive committees, other governing bodies or nominating candidates for any of the elective offices specified under this Act.”

     

    In a chat with The PUNCH, the Chief Press Secretary to INEC chairman, Rotimi Oyekanmi, said the APC had not yet sent any notification. He, however, said the party still had time to do so.

     

    He said, “Before any political party conducts its convention for the election of officers, it is required to serve the commission a 21-day notice as provided by Section 85 (1) the Electoral Act 2010 (as amended). Between now and the end of February is more than the three weeks required by law. Therefore, while the party has not served any notice yet, there is still time to do so.”

     

    Two chairmanship aspirants told The PUNCH that the APC had not announced the sale of forms for all persons planning to contest positions of the National Working Committee.

     

    One of the aspirants said on the condition of anonymity that he was fearful that forms would be sold secretly in order to scheme out some people.

     

    He said, “Currently only Buni and his clique know what is happening in the party. There are 21 elective positions. So far, we are about 11 chairmanship aspirants alone. The APC has neither announced the sale of forms nor revealed the cost of the forms.

     

    “It is either they plan not to hold the convention next month or they are planning to sell forms to a few in order to deny others.”

     

    Meanwhile, it was learnt on Thursday that the crisis rocking the party had shown no signs of abating. Apart from in Gombe State where Governor Inuwa Yahaya and Senator Danjuma Goje have agreed to bury the hatchet, about 11 other states including Ekiti, Ogun, Oyo, Osun, Kwara, Akwa Ibom, Zamfara, Kano are still facing internal frictions.

     

    Attempts to speak with the Spokesman for the APC, Senator John Akpan Udo-Edehe, proved abortive as he ignored repeated calls and three text messages.

     

    Chairman of Progressive Governors’ Forum, Alhaji Atiku Bagudu, after a meeting with the President, Major General Muhammadu Buhari (retd.), on November 22, 2021, said the President had approved February 2022 for the convention. However, no exact date was given.

     

    Stakeholders demand progressive govs DG’s sacking, threaten protests

    In a related development, stakeholders of the APC under the aegis of the APC Youth Development and Solidarity Forum have called on all governors elected on the platform of the party to sack the Director-General of the Progressive Governors Forum, Salihu Lukman, with immediate effect.

     

    They said they were ready to stage a massive nationwide protest if Lukman continued as DG of the PGF.

     

    Their call came on the heels of an open letter authored recently by the DG and sent to party leaders, which he reportedly leaked to the media to achieve his “alleged objective of destabilising the APC.”

     

    The group, in a statement signed by its Secretary-General, Tobias Ogbeh, noted that what Lukman had done was to practically provide reference materials for “a contrived PDP win in the 2023 general elections.”

     

    The National Coordinator of the group, Chief Donatus Okereke, told journalists in Abuja that the party was clearly not ready for a national convention with the crises engulfing some state chapters, urging the national leaders of the party to ensure “proper and thorough reconciliation” before any national convention is staged.

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.punchng.com

  • 2023: Lack of Internal Democracy may cause PDP, APC to implode – Jega

     

    Former chairman, Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), Prof. Attahiru Jega, has alleged that moneybags’ and godfathers have hijacked the dominant political parties in Nigeria and that the lack of internal democracy within the parties may cause them to implode. The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and All Progressives Congress (APC) are Nigeria’s dominant parties.

     

    Jega, who spoke on a television programme monitored in Lagos, yesterday, said it was impossible for APC and PDP to change and do the right thing as evident in the disorderly primaries they conducted recently.

     

    He lamented that after 22 years of democracy, Nigeria is yet to rid itself from the overbearing influence of people who see political parties as special purpose vehicles for winning elections for their personal gains. He also said it was not yet time to require political parties to conduct direct primaries.

     

    “People have captured and controlled political parties for self-serving objectives, so no energy is devoted to organising primaries. Governors deploy state resources to control political parties in their states to decide which candidate will emerge. It is all driven by self-serving objectives and it is political rascality.

     

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    “After 22 years of democracy, we have still not freed ourselves from this overbearing control of people who just use parties as special purpose vehicles for winning elections by hook or by crook. That is why many of us are beginning to think that these so called dominant parties are really a huge disappointment, a drag to the democratisation process of our counter, and if we are hoping for change within these political parties, I regret to say it will be very long in coming. This is why many of us are pushing for a new purpose vehicle for democratic elections and to ensure that we move in the right direction.”

     

    Jega said it would be hard work for the new party they are forming to upstage APC and PDP, but that it was not impossible given the commitment of the people involved.

     

    “We have to address the problems that are crippling us. It is impossible for APC and PDP to change and say they want to do the right thing and you can see the evidence in the so called primaries they conducted recently and how disorganised it was. Many of these parties may explode or implode because of some of the crises associated with their primaries. I am sure that many patriotic Nigerians are not happy to see these kinds of perpetual political wrangling take place in political parties and the arena of governance.”

     

    Jega described the conduct of primaries as a purely party affair and noted that INEC’s responsibility was restricted to to that of a monitor. He criticised political parties for not paying attention to their primary objective of moblising citizens on the basis of a clearly defined programme or manifesto and getting people to register as members.

     

    “The parties have been dominated by so called godfathers and moneybags who are not interested in membership because they think that they can use money to field the candidates they want and to get the candidates they want elected. So the issue of having registered members is not their concern, so if they are required. My personal opinion is that it is not yet time to require political parties to conduct direct primaries,” he said.

     

    Commenting on electronic voting, he said though Nigeria was not ready for it, it was however time INEC began looking around for the electronic voting technology adaptable to the country and how to harness it.

     

    “We are not as prepared with electronic voting as we are with electronic transmission of results. For electronic voting, since the prohibition has just been lifted, it is now time for INEC to begin to look around for what electronic voting technology is adaptable to Nigeria and begin to source it and pilot it before beginning to think of how to deploy it. Once we are ready, we may start doing it in phases by starting with large urban centres with higher literacy rates. It is what INEC can begin to look into.”

     

    Commenting on the preparedness of INEC to carry out electronic transmission of results he said: “I believe that it is possible in 2023 for INEC to do what I can call an ‘A grade’ electronic transmission of results. The objective would be to do it 100 percent but if we can get 70 or 80, it is still an ‘A’ and we should be happy with it and keep improving.

     

    Our fear of failure should not prevent us from trying something new that is being done all over the world because of how important it is to the conduct of free and fair election and the elimination of fraud. I am happy with the decision of the National Assembly and the harmonisation committee.

     

     

     

     

     

    Source: www.sunnewsonline.com