Politics

2023: Niger Delta Tables Demands Before Peter Obi

Published

1 year ago

December 24, 2022

…Says ‘Zone Will Play A Critical Role In Your Govt When You Win’

… Let’s together fix Nigeria – Obi

The leadership of the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF has tabled the demand for true federalism among other things before the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi.

PANDEF made the demand at an interactive meeting held on Friday in Yenagoa when Obi visited Bayelsa State in continuation of his presidential campaign.

The group’s demand read to the Labour Party candidate which was signed by Senator Emmanuel Ibok Essien,

National Chairman and Dr Godknows B. Igali, Secretary, Board of Trustees, insisted that Obi shows commitment to a true federal structure if elected president of the country.

Senator Essien while presenting the region’s demands told Obi, “when you win you have to protect our interest because the Niger Delta is the region that produces over 80 per cent of the revenue of the country and we cannot be taken for granted. We are asking you to consider structural adjustment/devolution of power with more resources to the regions. This will help the regions to develop at their own pace and will help the country to grow.

“We also want you to look at the restructuring of NDDC, which was established to help the Niger Delta region. The policies, including regional master plan which were made have not been implemented. Also, projects like railway within the South South, referral hospitals, agricultural value chain plants, the East- West road which for over 20 years has not been completed.

“The immediate reactivation of all sea ports in the South South and creation of new ports to encourage movement of goods and services from the South South through the South East and North Central to the North East.

“This will also boost economic and employment opportunities for our young people.

“Relocation of the Headquarters of International Oil Companies, IOCs, to their areas of operation in Niger Delta.

“Supporting the setting up of modular refineries to promote employment opportunities, check security challenges in the Niger Delta and supplement local production of refined products.

“Completion of the Gas Mega City in Delta State, the Brass Fertilizer Complex in Bayelsa State, and the reactivation of ALSCON Aluminum Smelter Plant in Akwa Ibom State as well as formation of Coast Guards under the supervision of the Nigerian Navy to bolster Maritime Security.

“The I6-Point Agenda – we presented the 16-Point Demand to the present administration on 1st November 2016. We will provide copies to you and your team for your perusal and finally, we like to place on record, the desire of the South-South Zone to play a critical role in the success of your government, when you win as President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria.

“Your Excellency, the South-South Geopolitical Zone hereby requests for strategic position in government.”

Responding, the Labour Party Presidential candidate promised to harken to the cry of the people of the Niger Delta.

He said: “We (the Nigerian state) have been very unfair to the Niger Delta. It is unacceptable the way the region has been treated considering their contributions to Nigeria.

“We run a country that is not productive, a country that has been churning out poverty to everybody. There is no excuse for the non-completion of the East-West road. The list is endless of what is happening in the Niger Delta.”

He decried the situation where Nigeria depend mainly on the crude oil from the Niger Delta instead of harnessing the country’s rich agricultural potential, citing countries like Malaysia whose economy is driven by palm oil.

“We have land but we cannot feed ourselves because we are sharing the money from the Niger Delta and this breeds poverty.

“We cannot continue this way, we want to remove that sharing formula with the production formula, everybody must produce something.

“We want to secure and unite Nigeria, we want to be able to ensure rule of law, and ensure an equitable and just country. We can’t have this without proper devolution of power. There is no reason we cannot have state police to secure our people. There is no reason we cannot have local government police. We need to secure ourselves.

“We want to move the country from consumption to production. We will start by ensuring those who are producing today are taken care of and we assure the Niger Delta of our commitment.”

Whatever is wrong with Nigeria, we’ll fix it

Before this, Obi had assured Nigerians that whatever was wrong with the country he and Ahmed Datti possess the mental and physical capacity to fix it.

Obi stated this at the Ox-bow Lake Pavilion, Yenagoa, Bayelsa State during the Labour Party LP, Presidential campaign rally on Friday.

Obi, who had earlier had a town hall meeting with students, an interactive meeting with the Pan Niger Delta Forum, PANDEF, and met with monarchs at the state council of traditional rulers lamented that Bayelsa State and the Niger Delta have not gotten a fair share from the Federal Government despite contributing about 80 per cent to the national coffers through crude oil.

His words: “Let me assure you, whatever is wrong with this family (country) we will fix it. Anything that I am involved in must be based on justice, fairness, and goodness for Nigeria.

“Let me assure the people of Bayelsa State, Nigeria has not treated you well, when you were under flood, Nigeria did not care, I was the first person that stopped our rally to visit Bayelsa because Bayelsa was under water. We will ensure that Bayelsa gets its fair share of what they have given to Nigeria.

“All the other parties have made promises to Bayelsa State in the past but did not fulfil it. We are not going to do that, Bayelsa State deserves more than what it is getting today from Nigeria, and I am going to give it to them. Bayelsa must have roads and the best because this is where Nigeria found its first crude oil in commercial quantity.

“Everywhere there is environmental pollution, I will clean it up, Bayelsa will be able to fish and eat fish from their rivers again. Most importantly we are going to dredge Rivers Niger and Benue to stop this flooding to Bayelsa.”

He also pledged to take Nigeria from a consuming country to a production country adding that women and youths will have sensitive positions in his administration.

“This job requires people who are competent, it requires physical and mental, go and check I and Datti’s energy and age, a new Nigeria is possible, Nigeria where people will have jobs is possible, a Nigeria that will compete in the world is possible.”

He also bemoaned the incessant strike in the nation university system promising to end the menace if elected as president.

He said: “We will ensure there is no strike again in our universities, four years will be four years, five years will be five years, I and Datti will secure Nigeria, we will make sure there is rule of law in Nigeria, police will not harass anyone on the road, police will not stop students from carrying their laptops again.

“This is time for Nigerian youths to take up their government, we want to build a Nigeria that Nigerians will be proud to say they are Nigerians, we will support our youths to be very productive.”

Earlier at an interactive meeting, the Pan Niger Delta Forum had tabled the demand for federalism before the presidential candidate of the Labour Party, Peter Obi.

Led by the group’s national chairman, Senator Emmanuel Ebok-Essien, Pandef insisted that he must be committed to a true federal structure if elected the president.

The group also stressed the need to consider the East-West road which for over 20years had not been completed as well as reactivation of existing sea ports and also creation of some sea ports in the region so as to boost the economy and employment opportunities for the youths.

VANGUARD

Politics

PDP Crisis: Drama As Dino Melaye, Ortom Exchange Words During Meeting [VIDEO]

Published

16 hours ago

April 18, 2024

Editor

Former Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, governorship candidate in Kogi State, Dino Melaye, was involved in a hot exchange with ex-governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom.

Melaye accused Ortom of anti-party activities during the 2023 presidential election.

Speaking at a North Central zonal leadership meeting of PDP in Abuja on Wednesday, Melaye said Ortom’s anti-party activities led to PDP losing both the presidential and governorship elections in Benue.

He expressed surprise that the former governor could attend a PDP meeting despite his previous disloyalty to the party.

This led to a hot exchange between both PDP chieftains.

During the 2023 election, Ortom had teamed up with the G-5 governors led by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, to work against PDP’s presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

While other members of the group worked for President Bola Tinubu’s victory, Ortom backed the Labour Party, LP, presidential candidate, Peter Obi.

Video:

Dino Vs Ortom at PDP North Central Zone leadership meeting.
Melaye expressed surprise at Former Governor Ortom ease in attending a PDP meeting despite his previous disloyalty to the party. The two engaged in a heated exchange during the encounter. pic.twitter.com/Y8WTycJ88q
— Imran Muhammad (@Imranmuhdz) April 18, 2024

Politics

NNPP Faction Suspends Kano Governor For Six Months

Published

2 days ago

April 16, 2024

Editor

A faction of New Nigeria Peoples Party under the leadership of Major Agbo on Tuesday suspended the Governor of Kano State, Abba Yusuf, for six months over his failure to appear before a disciplinary committee to defend an alleged Infraction against the party’s constitution.

Yusuf’s suspension was announced by the National Secretary of the faction, Ogini Olaposi, at a press conference in Abuja on Tuesday.

Addressing journalists at the party secretariat, Olaposi disclosed that the Board of Trustees took the decision to suspend the governor in the interest of the party.

The factional secretary said they have yet to come to terms with what the governor, a national figure who was elected on the platform of the NNPP, was doing at an ‘illegal national convention’ of the Kwankwasiya group led by Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso in Abuja on April 6.

He said, “We called this media conference to brief you on developments resulting from the recent invitation to Gov. Abba Kabir Yusuf of Kano to appear before a disciplinary committee to explain infractions on the party constitution.

“Nigerians need to know the position of the New Nigeria People’s Party following the failure of the governor to appear before the Disciplinary Committee to explain the reason(s) His Excellency, who was elected on the party’s platform and a national figure of NNPP participated in an illegal/ factional national convention of NNPP held by the Kwankwasiya group at Wuse 2 in Abuja on Saturday, 6th April.

“The leadership of the NNPP to strengthen our internal disciplinary and democratic measures, most especially in the area of party supremacy without prejudice, is left with no other options than to decisively take necessary action according to the letters of NNPP Constitution 2022 as amended.

“With the approval of the Board of Trustees of New Nigeria Peoples Party and the unanimous decision of the National Working Committee of our great Party, His Excellency, Gov. Abba Yusuf of Kano State is hereby suspended for six months with immediate effect.

Reacting via a phone chat, the National Secretary of the Kwankwasiyya faction of NNPP, Dipo Olayoku, described the purported suspension as a joke taken too far by ‘a bunch of clowns’ who he claimed had long been expelled from the party.

“Gov Abba Yusuf was suspended in what capacity? These people are not members of the NNPP. They only want to make news. We don’t know them because they are not members of our party. After all, they have all been suspended, and there is a court order banning them from parading themselves as party members.

“So, how can non-members of NNPP suspend a governor? They are just clowns having fun because you can only suspend someone if you have a party. They don’t have a party and INEC has a record of members of the party. They are just out there making people laugh,” he stated.

Politics

Edo Guber: Trouble Looms As Imansuangbon Seeks Disqualification Of Akpata As LP Candidate

Published

2 days ago

April 16, 2024

Editor

…files suits in Benin, Abuja in pursuance of Akpata’s disqualification

An ex-governorship aspirant of the Labour Party (LP) Barr. Kenneth Imansuangbon, has asked the court to prevent the “alleged governorship candidate” of the party in Edo State from the September 21 election.

In a suit No. FHC B/CS/26/2024, filed at the Benin division of the Federal High Court by his counsel A.A. Malik & Co, Imansuangbon said that Labour Party erred by declaring Olumide Akpata as the winner of the party’s primary conducted on February 23, 2024.

In the suit filed in Benin, Akpata served as the first defendant, LP second defendant while INEC stands as third defendant.

In the suit, Imansuangbon said Akpata was not qualified to have contested the primary having violated the provisions of the section 222(c) of the Nigeria constitution as well as Article 28 of the party’s guidelines for the conduct of the primary.

Imansuangbon further averred that votes garnered by the first defendant in the primary be declared invalid and wasted.

The plaintiff who listed nine issues for determination and 18 others for declaration by the court, asked the court to set aside the LP February 23 governorship primary in the Edo state.

He asked the court to determine if Akpata is qualified to have contested the primary having failed to sign or endorse the indemnity form issued to him by the second defendant.

He also asked the court to determine if the votes garnered in the purported primary should not be voided and wasted in the face of “outright disregard” to the constitutional provisions of the country and that of the party.

Similarly, Imansuangbon asked the court to determine if he that scored the second highest votes in the said primary should not be declared the winner and validly nominated to be the governorship candidate of the LP.

Alternatively, the court was asked to determine if the party conducted the February 23 governorship primary in a manner outlined, prescribed or otherwise circumscribed by section 84 of the electoral Act, 2022.

That the court should also determine if the primary did not run foul of the provisions of section 84(2), (3), (4) & (5) of the electoral Act, 2022.

In his declaration, the plaintiff told the court to bar the INEC or any other agent, from recognizing Akpata as the governorship candidate of the LP for the September 21 Edo governorship poll.

He also called for the withdrawal of the certificate of return issued by the second defendant to the first defendant as the purported winner of the said primary.

While asking for the sum of N20 million as the cost of the suit, Imansuangbon asked that a fresh primary should be conducted not later than 30 days of the judgement of the court.

In a similar suit filed in the Abuja division of the Federal High Court, Imansuangbon alleged Akpata and his running mate to have lied under oat and supplied false information to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC).

In the Abuja suit filed on April 12, 2024, Akpata is the first defendant; his running mate, Alufohai Faith, second defendant; LP third defendant, while INEC is the fourth defendant.

In the suit filed in Abuja division, Imansuangbon alleged Akpata supplied false information to the INEC according to information provided in their form EC9.

He said where Akpata claimed to have been Akpata Olumide Anthony, but filled his name to be Akpata Olumide Osaigbovo.

Similarly, his running mate who said that she was born in 1981, claimed to have had her first school leaving certificate ysame year she was born.

She was also alleged to have gotten three certificates, OND, HND and PGD in the same year in 2005.

According to Imansuangbon, their actions contravene the provisions of section 29(5) of the 2022 electoral Act and also section 182(i),(a) &(j) of the 1999 constitution of the federal government of Nigeria as amended.

He thus sought for their disqualification and restrained from participating in the September 21 governorship election in Edo State.

Imansuangbon Abuja suit was accompanied with the affidavits in support of the originating summon.