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APC Crisis: Oshiomhole Absent At Auchi Day

Published

3 years ago

January 9, 2020

Expectations that the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Adams Oshiomhole, would meet face to face with his estranged successor, Edo State Governor, Godwin Obaseki, at the 23rd annual Auchi Day celebration, turned anti-climax yesterday, as Oshiomhole was absent.

His absence was attributed to tight engagement he had in Abuja, yesterday.

But supporters of the two main actors in the Edo State APC crisis had mobilised themselves around the venue apparently to capitalise on the arrival of their principals to showcase their solidarity.

Supporters of Oshiomhole positioned themselves inside and outside the arena waiting for any sign of Oshiomhole’s presence to take over the arena, while those of Obaseki stood few metres away from the entrance to the palace with customised fez caps and immediately thronged the road when the governor’s convoy arrived.

But a combined team of army, police, sister security agencies and local vigilante ensured the crowd was stopped from entering the venue. Only those who agreed to remove their crested caps were allowed in to prevent the arena being turned to a political ground.

Governor Obaseki and the Otaru of Auchi, Aliru Momoh Ikelebe III, called for peace in the state and country and advocated leadership for all, irrespective of political affiliation.

According to the Otaru, leadership is given by God and must be administered to all irrespective of the interest of those being led.

“God can use anything for what he wants to do. When you say you are after Auchi as a human being, watch it because what we think about ourselves is one thing and what we pray to God to do for us is another thing,” he said.

On his part, Obaseki promised to rebuild the dilapidated ICE/Igbe Road.

“As we observe this celebration, I want to use this opportunity to re-emphasise peace and lovely disposition of our people, I want to emphasise peace and love because these are the hallmarks which characterises the Muslim community.

“I agree we are not here on our own, we are not here on own accord and therefore anybody, particularly a leader, who believes he is here because of his own attributes or because of how special he is, is mistaking. God brought us all here. Our salvation is in the hands of the almighty Allah, whatever you will be, whatever you will achieve, rest in the hands of the Almighty because no man can play the role of the Almighty. God is God, He is the one who determines who will be what and what will be.

“As we enter the election season, I implore all of you to continue to be models of peace, regardless of your individual political leanings, I want to assure you, your royal highnesses, that as long as I remain governor, I will continue to pursue peace because there can be no development without peace. I want to promise you that no matter how humiliated I am, no matter the humiliation I receive, it will not deter me from pursuing peace,” he said.

(SUN)

(Photo credit: File)

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Edo Election Tribunal Receives 13 Petitions

Published

2 hours ago

March 23, 2023

Editor

The Edo Election Petitions Tribunal says it has received 13 petitions from aggrieved parties and candidates in the just-concluded National Assembly and State Assembly elections.

The Tribunal Secretary, Mr Muazu Sanusi, made the disclosure in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Benin.

Sanusi said that the petitions were filed within the 21-day period allowed by law.

He said that the petitions were filed by the Peoples Democratic Party, All Progressives Congress and Labour Party as well as their candidates.

He said, “As at today, the tribunal has received a total of 13 petitions.

“Out of the 13 petitions, three are on senatorial election, 10 were received with regard to House of Representatives election.

“One petition is, however, emanating from the conduct of the state House of Assembly election, and the results were announced on March 21, 2023.”

The secretary said that the petitions were expected to be filed on or before 21 days after declaration of results.

Sanusi said that the time within which to file petitions as regards the House of Representatives and Senatorial polls had lapsed.

The secretary said, however, that the tribunal was still expecting petitions from aggrieved candidates and parties in the Edo House of Assembly election.

Sanusi could not say exactly when the tribunal would begin sitting.

According to him, it will start sitting when processes have been exchanged among the petitioners and the respondents.

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[BREAKING] Alleged Incitement: Keyamo Petitions DSS, Demands Peter Obi’s Arrest

Published

2 hours ago

March 23, 2023

Editor

Minister of State, Labour and Employment, Mr Festus Keyamo SAN has petitioned the State Security Services SSS, demanding the arrest and prosecution for “incitement and treasonable felony”, the Labour Party LP Presidential and Vice Presidential Candidates, Messrs Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed respectively for comments he described as incendiary and capable of causing rebellion.

In the petition addressed to the Director General State Services DGSS and dated March 23, the minister who is the Chief Spokesperson of the All Progressives Congress APC Presidential Campaign Council PCC said in a post-election period such as this, there is a need to soothe frayed nerves, lower the temperature and begin the healing process.

“The President-Elect, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu issued a statement to this effect a few days ago. However, it appears the President and Vice-Presidential Candidates of the Labour Party, Mr Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed are not prepared to toe this conciliatory path for the sake of peace and national cohesion, whilst exercising their rights to pursue duly laid down constitutional means of addressing their grievances”, he stated.

Keyamo noted that since the declaration of the Presidential election results, the duo have been hopping from one media house to the other making incendiary comments and claims about the declaration of the President-elect by the Independent National Electoral Commission INEC.

According to him, “These comments and claims are made, not just within the boundaries of exercising their rights to freedom of speech and the freedom to air their grievances publicly, but they have since crossed the line to call for the outright truncation of democracy by insisting on the adoption of other processes outside the contemplation of our Constitution.

“In some cases, their privies have even called for the establishment of an Interim Government.

“The latest of such are the comments made by Datti Baba-Ahmed on behalf of himself and Mr. Peter Obi on Channels TV on Wednesday, March 22, 2023, wherein he threatened that if the President-Elect is sworn in on May 29th, 2023, it would ‘signal the end of democracy’. Posing as an accuser, a judge and a jury all by himself, he unilaterally declared the duly elected President-elect as ‘unconstitutional’ and, in a subliminal manner, threatened mayhem if the President-Elect is sworn in on May 29th, 2023.

“I also have it on good authority that Mr. Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed have camped some youths in a popular hotel in Abuja with the sole aim of instructing them to push out inciting messages everyday on social media in order to cause panic and fear within the federation and to incite people to riot and social unrest.

“It is noteworthy that Peter Obi and Datti Baba-Ahmed have submitted Elections Petitions to the courts for adjudication, but their conducts and utterances amount to a subversion of the processes they have instituted in court and a subversion of our Constitution and the laid-down processes for addressing disputes and grievances. These conduct and utterances are a build-up to something more sinister and it is important you rein them in now!

“In the circumstance, I submit this petition in my personal capacity as a patriotic Nigerian to invite/arrest, interrogate and after investigation, if necessary, charge both individuals to court for their conduct which amounts to incitement and treasonable felony”.

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FG Moves To Boost Knowledge Of Child Rights Reporting For Journalists

Published

3 hours ago

March 23, 2023

Editor

The Federal Government of Nigeria has presented a new curriculum on Child Rights Reporting for Polytechnics in Nigeria for effective dissemination of information by the media.

The Minister of Information and Culture, Lai Mohammed at a two-day media training organised by the United Nations Children’s Fund, UNICEF said the instructional guide was developed to fill the knowledge gap on children’s rights for journalists and communications schools.

Mohammed said the new curriculum ”will facilitate the movement of all journalists from the present level of Child Rights awareness to a certain degree of knowledge bringing about the needed paradigm shift in reporting issues as it affects children.”

He said knowledge of the curriculum and its factual reporting will expose children to their rights to survival, development, protection and participation.

Meanwhile, the Chief of Field Office, UNICEF in Enugu, Juliet Chiluwe said communicating children’s rights remains a challenge considering the broad range of abuses against children as a result of ignorance of what constitutes the rights of children.

She said the media reserves a critical role in communicating and ensuring the wider spread of information on issues of the Child Rights Act.

”I am proud to say that the media remains UNICEF’s very close ally in ensuring the wider spread of information on issues of children’s rights.

”Let me also use this opportunity to congratulate the Nnamdi Azikiwe University (NAU), Awka, Anambra State for taking the first step to mainstream child rights curriculum, by electing the CRRC as a general studies course, making it compulsory for in-school mass communicators.

”This great opportunity will help broaden the scope of knowledge and exposure of the communication students and practitioners of Mass Communication by way of infusion of the Child Rights concerns, which are also topical concerns for human development.”