Politics
Ohanaze Ndigbo Endorses Diri In Bayelsa Poll
The apex Igbo socio-cultural organisation, the Ohanaze Ndigbo, Bayelsa State Chapter, on Monday endorsed the State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, for a second term.
The Tide gathered this at a meeting convened by the group in Yenagoa, the State capital, in which the leadership of the group said though the group is apolitical, they have resolved to work with the incumbent administration of the state governor, Senator Diri, and his Deputy, Senator Lawrence Ewhrudjakpo, due to their track record of achievements in the past three years in office.
Speaking with newsmen shortly after their meeting, the national financial Secretary of the Ohanaze Ndigbo Youth wing (Worldwide), Hon. Chinedu Arthur-Ugwa, said the unity of Igbos in the state was paramount, noting that though there were leadership crises which has hitherto rocked the state Chapter of the group, the national Secretariat of the Ohanaze Ndigbo has waded in and has therefore accorded recognition to the Mr Ekwem Remitus-led chapter of the Ohanaze Ndigbo in the state upon fulfilling the mandatory requirements for registration.
“As a National Executive of the Ohanaze Ndigbo Youth wing (worldwide) and the South-South coordinator of the Ohanaze Ndigbo Youth wing, I told the leadership of the body here in the state that I’ll not work with any unregistered group or affiliate body of the Ohanaze Ndigbo until they’re registered with a proof.
“However, while the Mr Onuma Johnson’s led faction of the Ohanaze Ndigbo went about parading itself without registration even after being suspended, the other group led by Mr Ekwem Remitus was able to secure registration by the national Secretariat of the Ohanaze Ndigbo, and so I’ll like to work with them.
“I’ve been preaching peace, I took the matter to the State Deputy Governor, and he has been doing all within his powers to bring lasting peace and unity to the Ohanaze Ndigbo, Bayelsa State Chapter.
“Our unity as an ethnic group is important to us as a people. I’ve always called on all to work together for a peaceful and united Ohanaze Ndigbo in the State”, he said.
The Tide reports that at the endorsement meeting, Barr. Agama Vitus Okonkwo was also unveiled as the Chairman of 2023 Igbo day celebration in the state.
In his acceptance speech, Okonkwo promised to give the group a befitting Igbo day celebration, saying the event would be held on the 29th of September, 2023, in the state.
He advised Igbos to be wary of any body or group who comes under the guise of Igbo day celebration to collect levies or demand for money from any person of Igbo extraction in the state.
Meanwhile, the duo of the Chairman, Igbo Traders Association, Bayelsa State Chapter, who also doubles as the Chairman of Phone village, Yenagoa, Prince Williams Eze, and the Ohanaze Ndigbo Women Wing Coordinator, Gbarain Clan, Yenagoa Local Government Area, Mrs Chika Okonkwo, have restated their continued commitment to the unity and progress of the Igbo ethnic nationality in the state.
In their separate responses while fielding questions from newsmen during the meeting of the group, they thanked Hon. Chinedu Arthur-Ugwa and others for ensuring a peaceful resolution of the lingering crises in the state chapter of the Ohanaze Ndigbo.
They also called on the Mr Onuma Johnson’s faction of the group to toe the path of Peaceful coexistence.
On Wednesday, the House of Representatives passed, through a second reading, a bill seeking to retain immunity for the Office of the President and remove immunity from the Vice President, the Governors and the Deputy Governors.
The bill was one of the 42 considered and passed through the second reading stage during plenary presided over by the Deputy Speaker, Mr Benjamin Kalu, in Abuja.
Sponsored by Hon. Solomon Bob (Rivers PDP), the bill is seeking the amendment of Section 308 of the 1999 Constitution to guard against abuse of office and to ensure transparency in governance.
The long title of the proposed legislation read: “A Bill for an Act to alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999, to qualify the immunity conferred on the President, remove the immunity conferred on the Vice President, the Governors and their deputies, in order to curb corruption, eradicate impunity and enhance accountability in public office and for related matters.”
Key amendments include changes to Section 308 of the Constitution, which currently grants immunity to the president, vice president, governors, and deputy governors while in office.
The proposed bill will amend subsection 3 to ensure that immunity only applies to the President and the vice president when acting as President under Section 145 of the Constitution.
Additionally, a new subsection 4 will be introduced to make the immunity clause inapplicable if the office holder is acting in an unofficial capacity, engaging in actions beyond the powers of the office, or involved in criminal conduct.
“The bill seeks to foster transparency and strengthen the fight against corruption by making public officials more accountable for their actions, both in and out of office.”
“Section 308 of the principal Act is amended by:(a) substituting a new subsection (3) as follows: “(3) This section applies to a person holding the office of the President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria and the Vice President only when acting as President, in line with Section 145 of this Constitution.
Creating sub section (4) thereto as follows:”(4) The foregoing provisions of this section shall be inapplicable where the person to whom this section applies is acting in an unofficial capacity or where the conduct of the person is beyond the powers of his office or the conduct is criminal in nature.
“This Bill may be cited as the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (Alteration) Act 2024.
The bill is currently awaiting further debate and consideration by the National Assembly.
The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) has written to notify Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, the senator representing Kogi Central, about the petition by constituents seeking her recall from the national assembly.
INEC said it has also received the contact details of the petitioners.
“Pursuant to section 69 of the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria 1999, as amended, I write to notify you of the receipt of a petition from representatives of registered voters in your constituency seeking your recall from the senate.
“The notification is in line with the provisions of clause 2 (a) of the Commission’s Regulations and Guidelines for Recall 2024.
“This letter is also copied to the presiding officer of the senate and simultaneously published on the commission’s website. Thank you”, the letter read.
The letter was signed by Ruth Oriaran Anthony, secretary to the commission.
Meanwhile, in a statement issued on Wednesday, INEC said it has now received the updated contact details from representatives of petitioners seeking to recall the senator.
In the statement, Sam Olumekun, INEC’s National Commissioner and Chairman of Information and Voter Education, said a letter notifying the senator of the petition has been delivered to her official address, copied to the senate presiding officer, and published on the commission’s website.
“The next step is to scrutinise the list of signatories submitted by the petitioners to ascertain that the petition is signed by more than one half (over 50%) of the registered voters in the constituency. This will be done in the coming days.
“The outcome, which will be made public, shall determine the next step to be taken by the Commission. We once again reassure Nigerians that the process will be open and transparent”, Mr Olumekun said.
Sen. Akpoti-Uduaghan had recently accused Senate President Godswill Akpabio of sexually harassing her.
The allegation came in the wake of seating arrangement related altercation between Senator. Akpabio and the Kogi Central senator at the red chamber
She was subsequently suspended from the senate for six months for “gross misconduct” over the incident.
The constituents behind the recall move also accused her of “gross misconduct, abuse of office, and deceitful behaviour”.
The senator has denied wrongdoing and called the recall effort a “coordinated suppression” of her voice.
The House of Representatives on Wednesday passed the second reading of a bill to upgrade the Lagos State 37 Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) to full-fledged Local Government Areas (LGAs ).
The bill, was sponsored by James Faleke, Babajimi Benson, Enitan Badru, and 19 other lawmakers.
The bill is titled “A Bill for an Act to Alter the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, 1999 (as amended) to Accommodate the Thirty-Seven (37) Development Area Councils of Lagos State as Full-Fledged Local Government Areas, Increasing the Total Number of Local Government Areas in the Federation to Eight Hundred and Eleven (811), and for Related Matters (HB. 1498),”
Once fully enacted, Nigeria’s total number of LGAs will rise from 774 to 811, with Lagos overtaking Kano and Katsina, which currently have 44 and 34 LGAs, respectively.
Proponents of the bill argue that granting full LGA status to the LCDAs would bring governance closer to the people. The 37 LCDAs were created by President Bola Tinubu in 2003 when he was governor of Lagos State.
However, it’s worth noting that the Lagos State House of Assembly has been working on a bill to replace the 37 LCDAs with newly designated administrative areas.