Politics
Ndoma-Egba’s Comment On PDP Guber Candidate Irks Chieftain
A chieftain of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) in Cross River State, Ambassador Ojong Agbor, has described comments by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, against the governorship aspiration of the PDP candidate in the State, Senator Prof. Sandy Onor, as uncharitable, self-serving and unreasonable.
Agbor said it was funny that the same Senator Ndoma-Egba, who had wanted to remain in the Senate after spending three terms, was the one sermonising about justice and equity, adding that rather than seeking to score cheap political point, he (Ndoma-Egba) ought to “concern himself more with the mission of redeeming his battered political timeline.”
Ndoma-Egba had said; “I served the Central Senatorial District for 12 years as a Senator and I was focused, but some people have not even finished their first term in the Senate where we sent them, they want to be Governor. We in the Central Senatorial District believe in justice and fairness. We are not greedy people.”
Responding to the statement by Ndoma-Egba, apparently targeted at the PDP Candidate, Ambassador Agbor, asked; “Where was justice and fairness, when Victor Ndoma-Egba supported a Central candidate for Governor in 2019? Where was justice and fairness when Victor Ndoma-Egba attempted going back to the Senate in 2019, instead of giving way for the younger generation? Where was fairness and justice when Victor Ndoma-Egba, for the 12 years in the Senate, even as the Senate Leader and later Chairman of NDDC threw mentorship overboard by refusing to consider any young person fit for him to groom to run for the National Secretary that he lobbied for?”
The statement titled; ‘Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba and the Burden of Selective Amnesia’, reads “Let me reiterate that the Caterpillar Movement is determined to run an issue-based campaign, but in doing so, we are not oblivious of the many antics and shenanigans of those who are obviously terrified by the towering acceptability and goodwill that our Principal, Distinguished Senator Prof. Sandy Ojang Onor and the People’s Democratic Party are enjoying among Cross Riverians.
“Therefore, while we are devoted to pursuing a campaign devoid of mudslinging and bickering, we would not fail to tackle heads-on, any attempt by anybody to cast unnecessary aspersions on our Principal and the People’s Democratic Party, no matter how highly placed.
“In view of the above, we condemn in strong terms the vitriolic and scathing comments made by Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba, who but for the purpose of scoring cheap political point, ought to concern himself more with the mission of redeeming his battered political timeline”.
“For emphasis, Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba had during one of their many poorly attended APC tours, attempted to cast aspersions on the personality of Distinguished Senator Prof Sandy Ojang Onor, by speaking disparagingly about the gubernatorial aspiration of our Principal.
”The comment from Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba can best be described as a manifestation of selective amnesia. It is on record that Victor Ndoma-Egba, out of greed had a strangulating grip on the Senatorial seat of Central for 12 years and greedily wanted a 4th term, but for the divine intervention of Stakeholders from Central Senatorial District that overwhelmingly rejected him and replaced him with a younger Senator John Owan-Enoh. Despite the humiliation and defeat, Victor Ndoma-Egba refused to see the hand writing on the wall. He refused to accept the fact that the glory has finally departed from him and the people were tired of his self-centeredness and greed. Yet again, he went on bended knees and begged for a federal appointment and was appointed Chairman of NDDC out of sheer pity. Not satisfied, he tried for the 5th time to go to the senate and got the rudest shock of his life. He ran against Senator Prof Sandy Ojang Onor and was roundly defeated. In fact, he lost in 60 out of the 66 wards in the Senatorial District.
“In his characteristic manner, Victor Ndoma-Egba had in the just concluded APC National Convention lobbied for the position of a National Secretary, until Betta Edu through the intervention of Governor Ben Ayade took the carpet off his feet. For a man like Victor Ndoma-Egba who wanted to remain forever in the Senate, it smacks of arrogance and outright insult on the sensibility of Cross Riverians for him to speak about justice and fairness.
“Where was justice and fairness, when Victor Ndoma-Egba supported a central Candidate for Governor in 2019? Where was justice and fairness when Victor Ndoma-Egba greedily attempted going back to the Senate in 2019, instead of giving way for the younger generation? Where was fairness and justice when Victor Ndoma-Egba, for the 12 years in the Senate, even as the Senate Leader and later Chairman of NDDC threw mentorship overboard by refusing to consider any young person fit for him to groom to run for the National Secretary that he lobbied for?
“It is apparently laughable for Senator Victor Ndoma-Egba who was mercilessly defeated by our Principal, to use the word “WE” in referring to our Central Senatorial Constituents that voted for Senator Sandy Onor . He is obviously not part of those that sent our Principal to the Senate, hence he lacks the moral standing to use the word “We sent him.
“As an Elder Statesman, we would do him the honor of applying restraint but should he continue in the ignoble path of casting aspersions on our Principal, we would be forced to travel down memory lane and remind him of his many sins against the people of Cross River State. We urge him to remember that those who live in a glass house, ought not throw Stones.”
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.