Politics

Contempt: APC Threatens To Sue Bayelsa Speaker, Lawmaker

Published

3 years ago

September 8, 2022

Editor

The All Progressives Congress on Thursday threatened legal action against the Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Abraham Ingobere, and the sacked lawmaker representing Brass Constituency 1, Daniel Charles, over alleged contempt of court.

Also in trouble for the same alleged offence is the Independent National Electoral Commission and the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, following non-compliance with the sacking of Charles by the Court of Appeal.

Ingobere and Charles risk jail term for not abiding by the order of the court, which sacked the latter with immediate effect.

The Court of Appeal sitting in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, had on July 14, 2022, in a unanimous decision by Justices Joseph Shagbaor Ikeyegh, Gabriel Omoniyi Kolawole and Olabode Adegbehingbe, in suit number CA/PH/79/2022, ruled that there was merit in the appeal filed by the APC, which sought the removal of Charles as a member of the House for defecting to the Peoples Democratic Party from APC on whose platform he won the election to the Assembly.

The court, which hinged its decision on Section 109 (1) (g) and (2) of the Constitution, ordered the speaker under constitutional duties to declare Charles’s seat vacant and directed Charles to return all monies and allowances he had collected since April 14, 2021.

Counsel to APC, Mr Tuduru Ede, who expressed dismay that Charles was still being allowed to participate in the legislature’s deliberation, said that INEC, the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, Ingobere and Charles were all in contempt of the court’s ruling.

He insisted that the appeal court made a declaratory judgment, saying the implication of allowing Charles to remain in the House is that all motions and decisions made by the House are null and void.

Ede said, “The Speaker of the Bayelsa State House of Assembly, INEC, and the House of Assembly as an institution, and Hon. Dr Charles Daniel, are in contempt of Court by their actions for allowing Hon. Charles to be part of the House.

“The Court of Appeal has sacked him and INEC should have conducted an election into the vacant seat.

“Hon. Charles is no longer a member of the House and he should have returned all the monies he collected since April 2021. He risks going to jail for showing contempt to the order of the Court. This is part of the impunity we are talking about.

“The implication of what the House of Assembly has done is that by allowing Dr Daniel who has been sacked in the eyes of the law since April 2021 to be part of its deliberation means all their actions, motions are null and void. By allowing him to be part of any deliberation means all what they are doing is nullity.”

When contacted, Charles said he would need to speak with his lawyer before responding.

Politics

What PDP Said About Wike’s Media Parley

Published

12 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, has accused the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, of being a constant agent of provocation in the political space, alleging that he creates trouble to mask selfish intentions.

The party’s National Publicity Secretary, Ini Ememobong, stated this in a statement issued on Monday in response to Wike’s media parley with selected journalists in Port Harcourt, also held on Monday.

According to the PDP, remarks made by the minister on several occasions are proof that he falls short of being a locus classicus of anti-democratic adventurism.

The party said Wike’s conduct was not new, stressing that he has consistently acted as an agent provocateur in the political arena, stirring controversy to advance personal interests.

The PDP further stated that since Wike assumed office as Governor of Rivers State in 2015, he has remained a recurrent source of trouble within the party’s leadership.

“From the Sheriff era, where he was a forerunner in the Sheriff-for-National Chairman movement and later turned to fight and remove Sheriff; later he championed the Uche Secondus-for-National Chairman movement (in fact, he granted a very combustible interview that polarized the party just before the convention) and then was the same person fighting to remove Secondus.

“The same Wike led the movement to produce Dr. Iyorchia Ayu as National Chairman against the advice of many party leaders, and so soon thereafter, it was Wike again who led the Ayu-must-go struggle.

“By his end-of-year media chat, Minister Nyesom Wike has reiterated his support for, and in fact declared that he is the ‘number one supporter’ of the presumptive candidate of the All Progressives Congress in the 2027 Presidential election, while remaining a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, confirming the basis of his expulsion from the PDP, for anti-party activities,” the statement said.

Politics

JUST IN: INEC Excludes PDP From Ekiti Governorship Election

Published

14 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

The candidate of the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the 2026 Ekiti governorship election, Dr Wole Oluyede, and his deputy were conspicuously absent as the Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, released the provisional list of party candidates ahead of the election.

INEC on Monday posted the list of candidates from 12 political parties vying for the state’s top job at its office on New Iyin Road, Ado-Ekiti, Ekiti State.

The list shows that the All Progressives Congress, APC, is fielding the incumbent governor, Biodun Oyebanji, with Monisade Afuye as his running mate.

Other candidates include Opeyemi Falegan of the Accord Party, with Omoyemi Olaleye as deputy; Akande Oluwasegun of the African Action Congress, paired with Oluwasanmi Fajuyigbe; and Ayodeji Ojo of the Action Democratic Party, with Itunu Ibitoye as running mate.

Similarly, the African Democratic Congress is presenting Oluwadare Bejide and Paul Olowoyeye, while the Action Peoples Party has Bidemi Awogbemi and Akinyemi Adewumi on its ticket.

The PDP’s absence may not be unconnected with the leadership crisis currently rocking the party at the national level.

Politics

Wike Speaks On Defecting To APC

Published

18 hours ago

December 29, 2025

Editor

The Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, Nyesom Wike, dismissed any possibility of dumping the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, for the All Progressives Congress, APC.

Wike, however, disclosed that a lot of PDP leaders will join him if he decides to defect to the APC.

The Minister, who spoke during his media chat in Port Harcourt, Rivers State, said: “Today, if I say that I want to go to APC that will be the end of even talking about it.

“You will see other states, joining, leaders in other states joining, I’m not a leader that’s concentrated in the state. No.

“If today I say gentlemen, we have had enough of PDP we have to move, watch those who will decamp in Benue, Plateau, Abia, Edo.”

The Minister also declared that he is still a member of the PDP, hence Governor Seyi Makinde of Oyo State is unhappy.

“I’m a member of the PDP, that’s why I’m still there and Seyi is not happy. That’s not correct, that you are a member of the assembly or council Chairman or National Assembly does not mean that there is no other person,” he added.