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PDP Is Dead In Enugu – APC …As PDP NWC Dissolves Ebonyi, Adamawa Excos
L-R: Oyo State Chairman of the Nigeria Bar Association, Mr Seun Abimbola, Chief Judge of Oyo State, Justice Badejoko Adeniji and Justice Mukthar Abimbola during the lecture on the ‘’future of Law and Legal Practice in Nigeria’’ in Ibadan, recently.
The All Progressives Congress on Tuesday said the protracted crisis in the Enugu State Chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party means that the ruling party will not be able to present a candidate in the state in 2015.
The chairman of the APC in Enugu State, Dr. Ben Nwoye, said this at a news conference where he rejoiced over what he described as the “death of the PDP” in the state.
A bitter struggle between two factions, loyal to Governor Sullivan Chime and Deputy Senate President, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, respectively, over the control of the party structure, has grounded the PDP in Enugu State, a few months to the polls.
The Chime camp, which insists that Chief Ikeje Asogwa is the chairman of the party, and the Ekweremadu faction, led by Elder David Aja, who was endorsed by the National Working Committee as acting chairman, have both gone to court to obtain court orders restraining each other from acting as the leadership of the PDP in the state.
Currently, there are strong indications that the Chime faction, which also obtained a court order that stopped the national secretariat of the party from acting on the delegates list presented by the Ekweremadu group, is shopping for an alternative political party platform to realise their aspirations in 2015.
There were unconfirmed reports that the Chime camp met on Tuesday to deliberate over a possible move to the All Progressives Grand Alliance.
Addressing journalists against the backdrop of the unfolding developments, as well as the controversy over the N11bn loan approved for Chime by the state house of assembly, Nwoye declared that the Enugu State PDP would not recover from the crisis.
The Enugu APC chairman noted that a member of the House of Representatives, Hon. Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi, who was endorsed by Chime as the PDP consensus candidate, is making moves to join another political party in order to realise his gubernatorial hopes.
It is believed that the Ekweremadu faction, which is currently in charge of the party machinery, was not favorably disposed to Ugwuanyi’s ambition.
“APC is mourning the PDP in Enugu State, PDP as a political party in Enugu State is gone. “Gburugburu (Ugwuanyi) is looking for another platform.
“The Ekweremadu group has used their legal prowess in Abuja to tie down PDP while the Chime group has tied down PDP in Enugu State.
“So it means that PDP will not be able to present a candidate in Enugu State in 2015.
“We are now mourning the demise of the PDP – the prayers of the people have finally worked,” Nwoye said.
The APC chieftain noted that the opposition party was not responsible for the misfortune of the PDP in Enugu State.
Rather, he blamed the development on the PDP ruling class, who he said have failed Nigerians while enriching themselves.
He alleged that the N11bn loan approved for the Chime administration was fraught with irregularities and must be stopped by the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission.
Accusing the banks involved in the loan – UBA and GTB – of conniving with the administration to “wipe away” and “siphon the future revenue of Enugu State.”
Nwoye urged Enugu State indigenes to stop banking with the two financial institutions.
In the same vein, an APC gubernatorial aspirant, Barr. Okey Ezea, faulted the state assembly for approving the loan.
Ezea, who said he would not honour the loan if elected in 2015, said the facility did not comply with provisions of the Fiscal Responsibility Act.
“That approval is null and void and of no effect and if the banks go ahead to advance that money, they will be doing so at their own risk because the court of law may declare it null and void, and the incoming government may not be bound to repay that loan,” Ezea said.
Ezea added that the 2013 report of Debt Management Office indicated that Enugu State has a debt profile of over N12bn as of December 31, 2013, and warned that if the governor obtains the fresh N11bn loan, he would bequeath a N23bn debt on the incoming administration.
Meanwhile, the national leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party has dissolved the party’s executives in Ebonyi and Adamawa States.
The decision to sack the executives was taken at the meeting of the National Working Committee of the party, which was held in Abuja on Tuesday.
National Publicity Secretary of the party, Chief Olisa Metuh, disclosed this while briefing journalists at the end of the meeting.
He said, “In order to maintain discipline and to show the supremacy of the party and in furtherance of running a lawful, orderly and responsible state organs of our party, the NWC has decided to dissolve the state executive committees of Adamawa and Ebonyi States for grave and inimical conduct and act capable of disorganising and undermining good conduct of the party in the states.
“We urge members in those states to disregard the publications of the result of the Ward congresses made by those two state executives. Our members should disregard them as not being authorised and not coming from a proper custody. ” he said.
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.