News
Anambra Guber Poll: Court Clears Uba, Others
As the political intrigues in Anambra State continue to unfold, A federal High Court sitting in Port Harcourt, the Rivers State Capital, has affirmed that Senator Andy Uba remains the governorship candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party in the November 2013 gubernatorial election in Anambra State, following the ruling by the court that the Ejike Oguebego-led faction of executive remains the legitimate PDP executive in the state.
The trial judge, Justice H.A Nganjiwa stated this yesterday, while ruling on the interlocutory injunction brought by the Ejike Oguebego-led PDP faction executive in the state.
The Oguebego-led executive had gone to court praying, among other things, that the court should compel the PDP to accept Andy Uba as the legitimate governorship candidate of the party, and himself as the Anambra State chairman of the party against Ken Emekaye-led execo.
The duo have been in a protracted political battle in the state over who controls the party leadership in the state as well as held parallel party programmes in the state.
Consequently, Justice H.A Nwanjiwa while ruling on the motion, ordered the Peoples Democratic Party and the Independent National Electoral Commission to recognise and deal with the Ejike Oguebego-led PDP faction executive as the authentic party leadership in the state pending the determination of the substantive suit before the court.
The court also ordered all the parties involved in the matter to maintain the status quo as well as comply with the earlier directives of the court in that regard.
The court had earlier granted a similar motion directing the PDP to recognise Ejike Oguebego as the chairman but later withdrew it, and recognised the factional executive members led by Ken Emekaye which conducted the primary elections that brought Mr Tony Nwoye as the party gubernatorial candidate for the Anamba poll in November this year.
The court in its ruling yesterday, however, up turned the decision and upheld its earlier ruling to recognise the Ejike Oguebego-led executive which nominated Andy Uba as the PDP governorship candidate.
The judge also declined to set aside the orders earlier made by his senior colleagues on the matter, adding that he lacks such powers to do so.
‘I lack such powers to set aside the orders made by my superiors and the court, and whoever that is not satisfied with my position should go to the Appeal Court’, he declared.
Justice Nganjiwa, however, told both the plaintiffs and the defendants that he would no longer continue with the trial based on an alleged petition against him from one of the defense counsels in the matter to the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN), challenging his credibility and fairness in the matter, adding that he would adjourn the matter and wait for further directive from the Chief Justice of Nigeria (CJN).
Reacting to the ruling, counsel to the Peoples Democratic Party, the first respondent in the matter, M.M Kalu, explained that the order has a far-reaching effect on the matter at hand, noting that the outcome of the ruling can mar ort make PDP in Anambra State.
Kalu opined that the court rather than granting the orders sought by the plaintiff, went ahead in his ruling to strengthen the plaintiff, by asking PDP and INEC to recognise them, adding that the judge refused to hear their motion which borders on jurisdiction and proceeded to hear the interlocutory motion.
He urged the court to continue with the matter so as to deal with the substantive suit, adding that the judge would have discontinued with the ruling when he received the alleged petition.
“We will continue our matter here. The judge would have stopped the ruling when he received the petition, so we must continue with the matter until there is a further directive from the CJN”, he said.
‘The matter is of national interest. The ruling has seriously affected us because the court has strengthen our opponents”, he stated.
In his response, the counsel to the plaintiff, Charles Onyebukwa stated that the court was right in its ruling, adding that the import of the ruling was that Chief Andy Uba remains the legitimate PDP candidate in Anambra 2013 election as he was the product of the primary elections conducted by the Ejike Oguebego-led executive in the state.
He disclosed that there was no new development in the court ruling, noting that the court only re-affirmed its earlier decision on the matter.
The case was later adjourned to 17th September, 2013 for mention.
President Bola Tinubu has approved the nomination of four new members to the Governing Council of the Nigerian Content Development and Monitoring Board (NCDMB).
The Special Adviser to the President on Information and Strategy, Bayo Onanuga, in a statement yesterday, said the appointment is to fill existing vacancies and strengthen the board’s capacity.
The statement said the approved nominees are Mr. Olusegun Omosehin of the National Insurance Commission and Engr. Wole Ogunsanya of the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria.
Tinubu also endorsed the nomination of Sam Onyechi, who represents the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum and Barrister Owei Oyanbo from the Ministry of Petroleum Resources.
The President encouraged the new members to leverage their expertise and dedication to enhance local content development within Nigeria’s oil and gas industry.
It added, “The nominations arose from the exit of previous institutional representatives from the Governing Council.
“The NCDMB Governing Council, established under Section 69 of the Nigerian Oil and Gas Industry Content Development Act, 2010, comprises representatives from key institutions.
“These include the Ministry of Petroleum Resources, the Nigerian Upstream Petroleum Regulatory Commission, the Nigerian National Petroleum Company Limited, the Petroleum Technology Association of Nigeria, the Council for the Regulation of Engineering in Nigeria, the Nigerian Content Consultative Forum, and the National Insurance Commission.”
The Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC) has announced plans to construct additional hostels, rehabilitate roads, and enhance power supply in the University of Port Harcourt (UNIPORT).
NDDC’s Managing Director, Dr Samuel Ogbuku, disclosed this during a visit to the commission’s headquarters in Port Harcourt, yesterday by a delegation from the UNIPORT’s Governing Council.
Ogbuku stated that the NDDC had committed to upgrading facilities at UNIPORT as part of efforts to foster partnership with educational institutions across the Niger Delta.
According to him, the implementation of additional projects at the university forms part of a broader strategy to improve education standards in the region.
“Aside from the construction of new hostel blocks and installation of a 300 KVA solar inverter system, the NDDC will also facilitate more projects in the university.
“The commission will also deploy its engineers to assess the condition of UNIPORT’s roads and hostels for potential rehabilitation,” he said.
Ogbuku noted that upon completion, the projects would add to various initiatives previously undertaken by the commission at the university.
“These and other projects reflect our commitment to actualising President Bola Tinubu’s Renewed Hope Agenda in the Niger Delta region,” he added.
He reaffirmed the NDDC’s dedication to fostering development and strengthening partnerships across the region.
Earlier, Sen. Mao Ohuanbunwa, Chairman of UNIPORT’s Governing Council, who led the delegation commended the current leadership of the NDDC for its achievements in accelerating development in the Niger Delta.
He highlighted the university’s infrastructural challenges, noting that it lacked adequate facilities to accommodate its growing student population, and appealed for the NDDC’s support in addressing the shortfall.
“Currently, UNIPORT has a total student population of about 50,000, while its hostel accommodation capacity can only cater for 5,000 students.
“We therefore urge the NDDC to assist in the construction of additional hostels, improve transportation facilities, and facilitate the acquisition of gas turbines to enhance power supply for our students,” Ohuanbunwa pleaded.
The Vice Chancellor of UNIPORT, Prof. Owunari Georgewill, commended NDDC for its impactful projects across the Niger Delta and extended an invitation to the commission to participate in the institution’s forthcoming 50th anniversary celebrations.
The Senate has rejected a motion to rename the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) headquarters after the former chairman of the defunct National Electoral Commission, late Prof Humphrey Nwosu.
Nwosu presided over the June 12, 1993, presidential election, which was truncated by the former military President, General Ibrahim Babangida (rtd).
The election which was won by the late business mogul, Chief MKO Abiola, was adjudged to be the freest and fairest in the electoral history of Nigeria.
The motion to rename INEC after Nwosu was re-sponsored by Senator Enyinnaya Abaribe yesterday after lawmakers threw it out last Wednesday.
Abaribe called for posthumous national honours to be conferred on Nwosu in recognition of his role in Nigeria’s democratic evolution.
However, the proposal sparked a heated debate once again, with lawmakers deeply divided over Nwosu’s legacy.
Senator Osita Ngwu acknowledged that Nwosu operated under a military regime, which restricted his ability to announce the results.
He argued that “there was no way he would have announced the results with a gun to his head. That doesn’t change the fact that some of us see him as a hero.”
Senator Austin Akobundu, however, described it as most uncharitable for lawmakers to dismiss Nwosu’s contributions, insisting that he deserved a place in Nigeria’s hall of honour.
On the other hand, several senators like Senator Jimoh Ibrahim dismissed the idea outright, questioning why the Senate should honour someone who failed to announce the results insisting that “nothing should be named after him”.
Senator Cyril Fasuyi argued that history does not reward efforts, but only results.
“As long as he did not announce the result, whether under duress or not, I am against naming INEC headquarters after him,” he submitted.
Also, Senator Sunday Karimi criticised Nwosu for lacking the courage to speak out, while Senator Afolabi Salisu warned that immortalising him would undermine the memory of MKO Abiola, the widely accepted winner of the June 12, 1993, annulled election.
“Any attempt to do anything beyond a one-minute silence is to rubbish Abiola’s legacy,” he tendered.
After intense deliberation, most senators rejected the motion through a voice vote.
They, however, agreed to honour him with a one-minute silence and extend condolences to his family, effectively dismissing the other prayers to immortalise Nwosu.