Politics

Rivers Crisis: Clark Asks PDP, APC Chairmen To Caution Wike

Published

4 months ago

May 20, 2024

Elder statesman and national leader of the Pan-Niger Delta Forum, Chief Edwin Clark, has asked the acting National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Umar Damagum, and the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, Abdulahi Ganduje, to dissociate themselves from the alleged attempt by the Minister of the Federal Capital Territory, Nyesom Wike, to bring down the government of Rivers State Governor, Siminalayi Fubara.

Clark made the call in a letter dated May 20, 2024 and addressed to both party chairmen.

The letter was made available to The PUNCH on Monday

According to him, the letter was in the interest of peace and stability in the country, adding that the support given to Wike by both men resulted in the attempt to topple the Fubara-led administration.

“I am therefore appealing to you, in the interest of peace and stability in Nigeria to disassociate yourselves from plan by Wike for no just cause to bring down the government of his successor, Governor Fubara.

“I strongly advise both of you to retrace your steps and take charge of your political parties in Rivers State and not leave it for Wike who is neither PDP nor APC.

“The support given to Nyesom Wike by both party’s chairmen has made him courageous enough to intimidate and anger the Rivers State Governor and government and this is seen as an act to overthrow the duly elected Governor, which is criminal”, the letter read.

He faulted the Chairman of the APC for relating with the Caretaker Committee in the state, whom he alleged Wike appointed under the former Chief of Staff to ex-Governor Rotimi Amaechi, Chief Tony Okocha, after the legitimate Chairman, Emeka Beke, was suspended.

“One may be tempted to ask the National Chairman of the APC why he chose to deal with a caretaker committee of APC which the Minister of FCT, Nyesom Wike, had earlier presented the committee to him in the APC secretariat in Abuja, before constituting it as a caretaker committee.

“But curiously, you now deal with a caretaker committee instead of the elected Chairman. I hope you are aware of the court action filed against you and APC by the elected Chairman of APC in Rivers State, Emeka Beke. The old APC members by law are the APC leaders because they were never removed before the illegal caretaker committee was imposed on Rivers State, who are loyalists to Wike.”

The Ijaw leader similarly questioned the PDP Chairman’s knowledge of the FCT Minister’s anti-party activities, by seeking court injunctions against certain party chieftains, to prevent them from attending the National Executive Council meeting of April 18, 2024.

“Ambassador Damagum cannot honestly claim to be unaware of the grave anti-party activities being executed by Wike when he (Wike) secretly took court injunction against founding and senior members of PDP and senior officials from Rivers State like the former National Chairman of PDP Prince Uche Secondus, His Excellency Celestine Omehia, former Governor of Rivers State, Austin Okpara who was Deputy Speaker of the House of Representatives in Abuja, Dr Abiye Sekibo, former Minister of Transportation, Sen Lee Maeba, etc to prevent them from attending the PDP NEC meeting of 18th April 2024.”

Clark therefore asked the party chairmen to caution Wike and to withdraw from what he described as the “madness of politics” of Rivers State while alleging that both men were equally involved in the crisis.

“As a patriotic old statesman, I strongly believe that I should address this letter to you to call to order FCT Minister, Chief Nyesom Wike because he is dancing naked in the open market in the politics of madness in Rivers State with one leg each in the two parties.

“I know both of you are fully aware of and involved in the political crisis in Rivers State, which is caused by Wike, who is controlling the two parties in Rivers State, particularly the PDP. I strongly advise both of you to withdraw from the madness of politics of Rivers State to avoid the dangerous crisis facing Rivers State, one of the most important states producing the resources used to sustain the economy of this country,” he added.

Politics

Edo Poll: Ighodalo Expresses Concern Over Alleged Deployment Of INEC Officials From Kogi, Imo

Published

6 hours ago

September 8, 2024

Editor

The Peoples Democratic Party, PDP, candidate in the Edo State governorship election, Dr. Asue Ighodalo has expressed concern over rumours of the deployment of electoral officers from Imo and Kogi states to supervise the poll.

Speaking in an interview, Ighodalo rejected any such move, saying that he does not have confidence in the capacity of electoral officers to conduct a free and fair election.

“We are hearing rumours that INEC wants to come to our election with officials from Imo and officials from Kogi.

“We will please implore INEC that we in Edo State want fresh officials from places that have run electoral processes that are free and fair and not places where polls have been questioned.

“I will please appreciate if INEC doesn’t bring Kogi officials or Imo officials into Edo State.”

On why he doesn’t want officials from the two states, he said: “Question marks have been placed on the processes in those two states. Edo State people are peace loving, they know light from darkness, so they don’t want any process that is going to be subverted or subversive.

“We want a level-playing field so that the wishes of the people of Edo State is realized on September 21.”

News

Gov Aiyedatiwa Appoints Aides, Amid Election Countdown

Published

1 day ago

September 7, 2024

Tari Ayesinghan

The Governor of Ondo state, Lucky Aiyedatiwa has appointed no fewer than 344 political aides in the state just 10 weeks before the November 16 governorship election.

The aides comprise 28 senior special assistants and 316 special assistants.

According to the Chief Press Secretary to the Governor, Ebenezer Adeniyan, the appointments were spread across the 18 local government areas, 33 local council development areas (LCDAs), and 203 political wards in the state.

In a press statement issued by the CPS, he said, “In continuation of efforts to enhance governance and service delivery to the people of the state, the Governor of Ondo State, Hon. Lucky Orimisan Aiyedatiwa, has approved the appointment of new Senior Special Assistants (SSAs) and Special Assistants (SAs).”

Meanwhile, a Public Affairs Analyst in the State, Olujimi Adekanle, has berated the governor over the appointments, describing them as unnecessary and a misdirection.

“Who are those responsible for the SSAs and SAs appointments in Ondo State? I am very sure Mr. Governor was misled; tails were given heads and heads were given tails. I saw some personalities who were eminently qualified to be senior special assistants but were relegated to just special assistants.

“Honestly, I don’t understand the yardstick for these appointments; some people should be respected for their political activities and the offices they held in the past.

“Don’t be surprised if you see scores of newly appointees declining their appointments (hunger may not allow some).”

Politics

Edo Poll: PDP Campaign DG Mocks Oshiomhole, Okpebholo, Over Federal Roads

Published

3 days ago

September 5, 2024

Editor

The All Progressives Congress, APC governorship candidate in Edo State, Senator Monday Okpebholo and former governor of the state, Senator Adams Oshiomhole have been flayed over their alleged indifference to the state of federal roads in the state.

The director-general of the Asue Ighodalo Campaign Council, Hon Matthew Iduoriyekemwen, called out the two APC senators at a campaign rally in Ekpoma just as party chiefs lamented what they claimed as the bid by Oshiomhole to foist an unintelligible governor on the state to achieve his personal desires.

Speaking in pidgin English on the state of the road, Iduoriyekemwen, a former member of the Edo State House of Assembly he lamented the state of federal roads saying that the two APC senators, Oshiomhole and Okpebhello were indifferent to the conditions and as such failed to put them as part of their constituency projects.

“Look at our federal roads in Edo. All the time I used to travel to Abuja it used to take me five to six hours to travel to Abuja from Benin, but now from Auchi to Benin can take you up to nine hours.

“Oshiomhole is a senator, Okpebholo is a senator instead of them to divert their constituency projects to work on the roads they refused. Now they say that they want to buy our future.”

The rally was also attended by Governor Godwin Obaseki who urged the voters to vote for Ighodalo so he could build on the legacy that his administration had laid.

According to Governor Obaseki, a blueprint for the development of the state for the next 30 years had been established and he as such vote for Ighodalo who he said was best positioned to sustain the development agenda.

The state PDP chairman, Dr Tony Aziegbemi also rallied party supporters to be steadfast in their support and not to allow the opportunity of producing the governor slip from them.

In his own address, Ighodalo vowed to ensure that the manifesto which he said was garnered from discussions with stakeholders across the different wards in the state was fully implemented.

He disclaimed claims by political opponents who he said were using the name of President Bola Tinubu to intimidate voters and state agencies with the intention of rigging the election. Ighodalo said that Tinubu is a democrat who will not use the apparatus of the state to foist partisan political agenda.