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Over 30,000 PDP Members Defect To APC In Edo North

Published

3 years ago

January 25, 2020

…No One left In Edo North PDP – Oshiomhole

Over 30, 000 members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Saturday, defected to the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) in Edo North during a unification rally in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area.

Leader of the defectors, Engr. Abubakar Momoh, while disclosing this figure noted that they were joining the APC to work with Oshiomole and governor Godwin Obaseki to succeed in the development of the state.

“A minimum of 30,000 members are leaving the PDP to the APC today. There is nobody left in the PDP in Edo North because aside those who left the APC and are coming back, those who had not leave the PDP since 1999 are also joining us,” he said.

Receiviing the defectors, National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomole, said the rally has reinforced his confidence in wining the forthcoming governorship election for the APC, adding that no one is left in Edo North PDP.

While disclosing that he can’t leave local politics because he doesn’t want to be a national chairman who can’t win any election, Oshiomhole said President Muhammadu Buhari has mandated them during NEC meeting to connect to their unit level of politics and listen the views of all members so as to unite the party at the grassroot.

Oshiomole noted that the only permanent position in politics is grassroot while all other position are tenured, adding that by the time his ternure elapsed, he would be coming back to the local politics.

“Some people asked me why I am playing local politics as a national chairman and I told them that every politics is local. I don’t want to be an Abuja politician who cannot win his polling unit, local government and state in election.

“I don’t want to be an Abuja politician because I am a national chairman and on the day of election, I can’t win my unit. I don’t want to be a chairman who campaign and win election in other states and on election day I can’t win my unit, ward, house of assembly member and national assembly member. If I don’t win my place, how will I deliver the president and how will I be a useful national chairman,” he added.

Speaking on the recent Supreme Court judgement on Imo State election, Oshiomole said in reforming the electoral process, APC will push the president and the National Assembly to insert in the electoral law that any INEC official who delibrately declared a loser as the winner of election should be charge to Court when the Court established that a fraud has been commited.

“Everybody knows that you need one quarter of the votes and at least two third local governments in a state to be declared a winner or governor, but INEC recruit a professor of crook who declared Emeka Ihedeoha of the PDP who scored one third in 12 local governments out of 27, so if the professor go free with his loot another person will try it again,” he said.

He added, “That was the mischief that the Supreme Court corrected that they are hiring people to come and make noise. We don’t steal votes, we win votes. So I congratulate the Supreme Court for upholding the constitution of the country.”

He further spoke on the electoral law as saying President Buhari has said that he will take some steps to correct the lapses that have been observed in the electoral process before before he leave office so that the next election will be free and fair and no need to go to Court.

“What that means is that any body who want to rig election is not in Buhari’s country and APC Buhari said he will not rig election for any body and want electoral process where votes counts in the country”, he added.a

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Fake LASTMA Officer Jailed Two Years

Published

1 hour ago

March 28, 2023

Editor

The Lagos State Special Offences (Mobile) Court sitting at Bolade, Oshodi on Monday, 27 March, 2023 sentenced a fake Lagos State Traffic Management Authority Officer, Omotutu Bamidele, to a 2- year jail term for impersonating and extorting money from motorists across Lagos.

The convicted fake LASTMA officer was arraigned by LASTMA on a 2-count charge of impersonating as a public officer by claiming to be a staff of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (S.78 of the Criminal Law of Lagos State 2015)” and obtaining money by fraudulent trick (Sec. 323 of the Criminal Law, Lagos State) before the court.

The PUNCH reports that Bamidele was arrested a few days ago on Olu Holloway Road, around the Alfred Rewane area of Ikoyi by a LASTMA Monitoring/Surveillance team led by the Zonal Head, Ashafa Moyosore.

In a press statement released by the Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department of LASTMA, Mr. Adebayo Taofiq said Magistrate Kehinde Ogundare sentenced Omotutu Bamidele to a 2-year jail term without any option of fine after he pleaded guilty to the 2- count charges levelled against him.

Magistrate Ogundare emphasized that the convict should serve the jail term without any option fine due to the gravity of the offences committed.

The Court Prosecutor Barr. Olufemi Adekunle stated that both offences levied against the convict contravened Criminal Law of Lagos State (2015).

In his reaction to the judgement, the General Manager of LASTMA Mr Bolaji Oreagba said the judgement was a welcome development as it would serve as a deterrent to others who are still extorting money from innocent members of the public under false pretence.

Oreagba also noted that the “Our (LASTMA) Monitoring and Surveillance Unit which has now been fully restructured would continue to hunt for other bad elements disturbing the peace of the society”

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Ahmed Musa Equals Zidane’s Record, Surpasses Viera, Lampard

Published

8 hours ago

March 28, 2023

Editor

Super Eagles captain, Ahmed Musa, has become the most capped Nigerian player after his appearance in the second leg of Nigeria’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifying match against Guinea-Bissau.

The Nigerian national team defeated the Djurtus of Guinea-Bissau 1-0 at the Estadio 24 de Setembro.

However, Musa, who made his Eagles debut in 2010, and was also part of the 2013 Nations Cup-winning side, earned 108 caps – setting a new record for Nigeria.

With his feat, he has equaled France’s midfielder Zinedine Zidane, German’s Jurgen Klinsmann, and England’s Tim Cahill’s 108 national caps.

Also, the 30-year-old Super Eagles captain surpassed Patrick Vieira’s 107 international caps for France, and Frank Lampard’s 106 caps for the Three Lions of England.

Since his debut, the Nigerian forward has scored 16 goals for the national team. He is Nigeria’s highest scorer in the World Cup with four goals.

He also has 92 club goals and 65 assists.

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NGO Trains Delta Community On Tools For Environmental Justice

Published

9 hours ago

March 28, 2023

Editor

The Connected Advocacy, a Benin-based NGO, on Monday trained the residents of Owa/Alidinma community in Agbor, Delta State, on strengthening local movement and demand spaces for environmental justice.

The training featured sessions on environmental monitoring, smart advocacy tools for environmental justice and how to build a non-violent environmental justice movement.

The Director of the NGO, Mr Israel Orekha, said the capacity building was aimed to enable local communities to advocate for and demand freedom from pollution, environmental degradation and exploitation.

Orekha said the training was due to the impact of oil exploration in the community, which include crises, environmental degradation, diversion of monetary benefits, intimidation from the traditional rulers and non-compliance with environmental multilateral agreements, among others.

“The imperative of smart advocacy tools for environmental justice are evidence-based collective efforts or strategies targeting decision-makers and polluters.

“The training focuses on influencing the actions, programmes and policies of the International Oil Companies (IOCs) and governments toward environmentally friendly interventions, fulfilling the agreement for the protection of the earth, people and planets.”

Taking the participants on environmental monitoring tools, Cadmus Atake-Enade, said the devices were effective for mitigating the danger of fossil-fuel extraction in the local communities.

He encouraged participants to monitor their environment through air, water and soil pollution, and biodiversity issues.

Atake-Enade listed tools for monitoring the physical environment like pens, pencils, cameras and whistles, saying the need to document the findings or monitor the evidence cannot be over-emphasised.

The training concluded with the reconciliation of the Traditional Community Council and Host Community Network operating in the community.

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