₦airaland Forum

The Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association (DAPPMA) has suspended its earlier directive to commence shutdown of depots across the country and stop loading petroleum products effective from midnight of Sunday.

The directive to suspend the action was conveyed in a statement issued around 1.20am on Monday by DAPPMA’s Executive Secretary, Mr Olufemi Adewole, in Lagos.

The association had issued a shut-down directive to its members following the continuing indebtedness of the Federal Government to petroleum marketers.

“However, following the intervention of well-meaning Nigerians, including the National Assembly as represented by the Senate Committee of Petroleum Downstream and constructive engagement of the Federal Government team by the labour unions most affected by the disengagement of our personnel, namely, PENGASSAN, NUPENG NARTO,PTD,and DAPPMA.

“The union has resolved to recall its disengaged personnel for 5-days to give the FG’s team the opportunity to conclude its process of paying marketers the full outstanding of N800 billion with the first trench being the amount already approved by the Federal Executive Council (FEC)

“The association has acted in good faith to avoid unnecessary hardship which could befall Nigerians during the yuletide season and we hope that government would make good its promise to see that those issues are resolved by Friday, Dec., 14, 2018 as promised.

“To this, end, our disengaged personnel would be recalled on Monday, Dec. 10 and considering the reactivation time or hitherto shut down system, all depots with fuel stock should be fully active same day,’’ the statement said.

The statement said further that the conclusion of the debts payment would curtail the continuing wastage of public funds as interest accruing on the over N800 billion debt.

“DAPPMA depots are therefore advised to commence loading operations immediately and await further notification in respect of our long overdue payment.

DAPPAMA had on early on Sunday directed its members to shut down all loading operations by midnight, adding that oil marketers had disengaged employees due to their inability to pay salaries.

It said that the Association took a bold step to stop the financial haemorrhaging of its members by the painful disengagement of its loyal workers after over three years of engaging with the government in the efforts to secure the payment of all subsidy induced debt owed marketers.

According to DAPPMA, to avoid owing staff without any hope of pay, it is hereby agreed that since all our staff have been disengaged, all DAPPMAN member depot are not in a position to operate hence will shut down all loading at midnight

DAPPMA said that the decision of government to settle N236 billion out of the outstanding N800 subsidy arrears was not acceptable to DAPPMA members, leading to last week’s Thursday meeting which ended in a deadlock.

They explained that the decision of government to pay the N236 billion through promissory notes was equally rejected by the oil marketers.

‘‘As the name suggest, promissory note is a payment instrument that is post dated. Based on this when you approach the banks with the instrument, you don’t get the actual value on it.

“About 30 per cent is knocked off because Government will be making the payment at a later date which ties down the bank’s capital’’’ he said.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/petrol-flows-as-dappma-rescinds-directive/

Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has assured petroleum products consumers across the country not to engage in panic buying in the countdown to depot shutdown by Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) from Monday.

The NNPC, countering the impact of the shutdown said it holds 2.6billion litres of petrol and 90,000 metric tonnes of diesel.

It said the stock is expected to last 52 days, even if no single drop of products is imported.

NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, gave the assurances on Sunday night.

Ughamadu said the shutdown would not affect products distribution as NNPC has ordered all its depots across the country and those of bulk purchase Marketers it recently entered agreements with to undertake a 24 hour operations to avert any shortages in products distribution in the country.

“All NNPC depots, Petroleum Products Marketing Company (PPMC) throughput partner depots, the Major Marketers depots and depots of Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPMAN) members who signed the Bulk Purchase Agreement, BPA, with PPMC as well as NNPC Retail stations, Major Marketers Association of Nigeria (MOMAN) and Independent Petroleum Marketers Association of Nigeria (IPMAN) filling stations, will continue to operate at maximum levels to ensure uninterrupted distribution of petroleum products nationwide.

He said despite the threats by DAPPMAN, government was committed to going ahead with settling the N236 billion first tranche of the verified subsidy claims of the Oil Marketers in line with the approval of Federal Executive Council (FEC) and National Assembly (NASS) by Friday, 14 December, 2018 as promised by the corporation’s Chief Operating Officer, Downstream, Engr. Henry Nkem Obih in a statement recently.

The NNPC spokesperson advised members of the public to report to offices of the Departments of Petroleum Resources (DPR) across the states any fuel stations which attempts to take advantage of the situation to inflate products price, saying that the price of PMS remains N145 per litre.

Read More: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/nnpc-counters-dappmans-strike-with-52-day-fuel-stock/

The Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) has shed light on the probe of alleged illegal withdrawal from the Nigerian Liquefied Natural Gas (NLNG) Dividend Account by the Senate, clarifying that there was nothing illegitimate about it.

In a statement, the NNPC Group General Manager, Group Public Affairs, Mr. Ndu Ughamadu, said the clarification was made by the corporation’s Chief Financial Officer (CFO), Mr. Isiaka Abdulrazaq, at an interactive session with the media over the weekend in Lagos.

The release stated that in a detailed presentation, the CFO clarified that the Senate probe was not about missing money as was being insinuated in some quarters, but rather an investigation into whether NNPC acted legally in withdrawing the sum of $1.05bn from the NLNG Dividend Account to support fuel importation.

According to the release, while granting the statutory right of the legislators to carryout oversight functions, NNPC CFO said that relevant extant laws such as the Appropriation Act 2018 defines revenue from NNPC as net of cost, indicating that NNPC has the right to defray the cost of its operations from earnings.

He also cited the NLNG Act which explicitly provides that NNPC could defray its cost from the dividends, as one of the legal grounds relied upon for the expenditure without recourse to appropriation by the National Assembly.

Expatiating further on the matter, Mr. Abdulrazaq, according to the release, cited the case instituted by some state governments in 1999 seeking the interpretation of revenue on account of their contention that all accruals from oil and gas operations amount to revenue and should be swept into the Federation Account.

The ruling on that case by the Supreme Court in 2002, according to him, was in tandem with NNPC’s position that revenue is accruals net of cost.

“We have provided the legal authority on which we rely to use funds from the NLNG Dividend Account to the Senate. We believe they will reason with us. But if need be, we will seek legal opinion on it”, the CFO stated.

On the general impression that NNPC and indeed the entire Oil and Gas Industry is opaque, Mr. Abdulrazaq contended that in the light of efforts made by the Management of the NNPC since the inception of the President Muhammadu Buhari administration to entrench a culture of transparency, nothing could be further from the truth.

“NNPC is very open and transparent. We publish our NNPC Monthly Financial and Operations reports in the media. No one does monthly reporting, not even the international oil companies or the publicly quoted companies. The best they do is quarterly reports. But we do monthly reports of revenue (profit and loss for the entire corporation, including the subsidiaries). We do operations report on how much oil and gas was produced, sold and the monetary value; how much products the refineries processed and how much was imported and sold by PPMC. We do all these to defuse the perception of opacity. Yet some people still say we are opaque, and I think that is not fair”, he argued.

Abdulrazak disclosed that as part of the stewardship accounting designed to make NNPC’s operations transparent to the public, the inherited six-year unaudited accounts of the corporation have been audited up to date, stressing that the account for 2017 has been fully audited, approved and forwarded to relevant authorities.

On fuel supply and efforts to ensure zero-scarcity throughout the end of year festivities and beyond, the CFO disclosed that NNPC has 2.6 billion litres of premium motor spirit (petrol) in offshore and onshore storage that could last for 52 days at 50 million litres per day consumption.

Also speaking at the event, the Chief Operating Officer, Upstream, Mallam Bello Rabiu, said the major focus of the Upstream Autonomous Business Unit of the NNPC was to drive down the cost of crude oil production and link the Oil and Gas Industry with the economy.

According to him, bringing down the cost of production would lead to cheaper energy cost which would in turn boost industrial and economic growth.

He said security and funding that used to be the bane of Upstream operations have been largely taken care of by the corporation through practical engagement with stakeholders in the Niger Delta region and the cash-call exit programme.

The COO said that as part of efforts to drive down cost, the NNPC was looking at extending the Escravos-Warri crude oil evacuation pipeline surveillance contract model to downstream pipelines to guarantee efficient crude supply to the refineries post-rehabilitation.

“Before now, it was not possible to get crude to Warri and Kaduna refineries. But with the kind of security contract in place for the Warri-Escravos Pipeline, we now have 99% crude oil recovery rate. The balance is paid for by the contractor. That is why we have replicated that model for the Trans-Forcados Pipeline to guarantee security”, Mallam Rabiu explained.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/nnpc-educates-senate-on-nlng-dividend-account/

Senate President, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki has advised President Muhammadu Buhari not to heed the advice of the anti-democratic elements who have now populated the political space and putting pressure on him not to give assent to the 2018 Electoral Bill.

Saraki in a statement in Ilorin today (Wednesday) signed by his Special Adviser (Media and Publicity), Yusuph Olaniyonu, urged the President to rise above petty politics and act without further delay in the best interest of the country and its democracy by signing the Electoral Bill into law.

Saraki noted that he had been inundated with telephone calls and discussions by members of the National Assembly who expressed concern about the delay in the signing into law of the Electoral Bill as the one month period provided by the law for the President to sign a bill presented to him by the National Assembly is about to expire in the next few days.

He added that many of the legislators who contacted him were particularly disturbed that certain individuals who are said to be chairmen of political parties had approached the Federal High Court to stop the President from assenting to the bill.

He noted that the jaded tactic employed in the 90s to scuttle the return to democracy when groups like the Association for Better Nigeria (ABN) went to court to frustrate the announcement of the results of the June 12, 1993 elections is now being adopted by some masked groups and individuals to stop the signing into law of the Electoral Bill.

He urged President Buhari to dissociate himself from these ugly antics and sign the bill which he said has comprehensively addressed issues that usually clog the process of free, fair, credible and peaceful elections.

“ It is the prerogative of the President to either sign a Bill into law or refuse it assent. He is free to exercise this prerogative the way he likes in this case. What I found surprising is a situation where some people now want to adopt a wrong tactic of abusing the court process to stall the matter. That will be unacceptable and I am sure our judiciary will rely on the lessons from the past and not allow itself to be used.

“We do not want the President to allow the setting of a bad precedent in which somebody will go to court in future to stop the passage of an appropriation bill or any essential law which will be important to the development of the country.

“My position remains that the President, his aides, the entire country and the international community are aware that all the concerns raised by the President on the past three occasions he withheld assent to the bill have been addressed by the legislature. We bent backwards on each occasion to accommodate the wishes of the President. We started work on this law since 2016 to prevent a situation where it would become part of the election controversies.

“Every sincere commentator, observer and analyst knows that what we have done with that bill is to raise the level of transparency, credibility and acceptability of our electoral process. We made sure that the law if assented to and honestly applied by INEC and all those concerned will give us an election that will be better than what we had in 2015.

“The President should know that the survival of democracy, its development and the future of Nigeria are far more important than the ambition of any individual or party. I am using this opportunity to call on President Muhammadu Buhari to put a stop to this uncertainty in the political process by signing without delay the 2018 Electoral Bill so as to allow INEC and the concerned parties know how to prepare for a credible process”, Saraki stated.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/saraki-urges-president-buhari-to-rise-above-petty-politics-and-sign-the-electoral-bill/

The member of the House of Representatives representing Oyi/Anyamelum Federal Constituency of Anambra State, Mr Gabriel Onyewinfe, has defected from the All Progressives Grand Alliance to the Peoples Democratic Party.

The Speaker, Yakubu Dogara, read a letter from Onyewinfe at the plenary on Wednesday, announcing his defection.

Onyenwinfe blamed his decision on the outcome of the primaries conducted by APGA in Anambra. He said “APGA is in deep crisis” and that the party does not follow democratic processes. He also said the party had been divided, with the emergence of a factional New-APGA.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/house-of-reps-member-defects-to-pdp/

The senator representing Lagos Central Senatorial District, Oluremi Tinubu, has expressed the belief that President Muhammadu Buhari will work hard to ensure that the nation has a better Senate in the 9th Assembly.

She said it was important for the President to do so in order to forestall a repeat of the present situation in which she said the upper chamber of the National Assembly was populated by some people who are frustrating Buhari’s efforts aimed at repositioning the country.

Tinubu spoke in Lagos during a media luncheon where she unveiled her plans for the senatorial district for 2019-2023.

While responding to questions from journalists on the strained relationship between the legislative and executive arms of government, she said some members of the 8th Assembly were bent on frustrating Buhari’s programmes.

She said she was sure that Buhari would not want a repeat of what he witnessed with members of the present National Assembly.

She, therefore, urged Nigerians to re-elect Buhari for another term in order to complete his task.

Tinubu also called on Nigerians not to vote for the Peoples Democratic Party because the main opposition party was responsible for the hardships currently being experienced in the country.

She said Buhari would have learnt in his three and a half years in office that his inaugural statement that “I belong to everybody and I belong to nobody” was not exactly the way he thought.

She said, “I believe the President would have learnt a thing or two because when he came in, he said ‘I belong to everybody and belong to nobody.’ But I know by now that he knows those people that belong to him.

“What I am saying is not to take the President’s comment for granted, but now, I am sure he knows that some Nigerians are very dangerous to his decisions, even moving forward. The President should know those who are his own by now.

“It is a lesson to him and I know that he would fight to ensure that we have a better Senate in the 9th Assembly, not what we have now with a set of people who are frustrating his efforts. I do not think he would want to go through that route again.”

Tinubu said a term of four years was not enough for the President, hence the need for Nigerians to give the ruling All Progressives Congress another chance in 2019.

“Nigerians should give the APC another chance in 2019; four years is not enough for a President to complete his task, he is not a magician. We did not get to where we are overnight,” she said.

Speaking on her plan to return to the Senate, Tinubu said the leaders of her senatorial district convinced her to seek re-election.

“I am doing a third term because the leaders of my district asked me to contest. Beyond that, there is so much more to be done.

“I have shown through our quarterly town hall meetings that power belongs to and rests with the people. This third term is thus a chance to consolidate on previous achievements.

“To ensure that the third term is even more productive, we have set out to focus more on empowering our youths and finding ways to make them self-reliant.

“Through our quarterly town hall meetings, 27 in the series, I have been able to bond more effectively with our constituents,” she added.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/buhari-will-fight-to-have-a-better-senate-in-2019-tinubu/

Former Vice President and PDP Presidential Candidate, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar has commiserated with the government and people of Rivers State over the collapse of the 7-Storey building in Port Harcourt.

Represented by his wife, Mrs Jennifer Atiku Abubakar during a visit to Government House Port Harcourt on Wednesday , the PDP Presidential Candidate said he was pained by the tragedy

He called on the Rivers State Governor to take actions that will ensure that there will be no recurrence of the tragedy.

"It is not enough to jail the owner of the building. It is time we begin to look at how we build our houses.

"We have to work on agencies that regulate the construction of buildings and ensure that they do their work properly ", he said.

He commended the Rivers State Governor for preliminary actions already taken by the State Government.

The PDP Presidential Candidate called on the State Government to compensate the fanmilies of those who lost their lives in the tragedy.

The Representative of the PDP Presidential Candidate was accompanied on the visit by the Wife of the PDP Vice Presidential Candidate, Mrs Margeret Peter Obi and the Wife of the PDP National Chairman, Mrs Ene Secondus.

Responding, Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike commended the PDP Presidential Candidate for being the first to commiserate with the state during her period of grief.

"You are the first to condole with us publicly and empathise with us over this tragedy. We are happy that you have come over to identify with", he said.

The governor regretted that the APC Federal Government has been unable to condole with the Government and people of Rivers State because of politics.

Governor Wike assured that the State Government will enforce the outcome of the processes of the Commission of Inquiry to investigate the building collapse.

He said that his administration will deal decisively with culprits to serve as a deterrent to others in the building sector.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/collapse-of-7-storey-building-atiku-abubakar-commiserates-with-rivers-state-government/

I am just waiting for Ngozi Okonjo Iweala to deny or agree to what Jonathan said concerning conceding defeat

In clever attempt to sweep under the carpet, incontrovertible facts surrounding the April 14, 2014 Chibok abduction, former President Goodluck Jonathan has deliberately omitted in chapter four of his new book, an investigative report submitted to him in June 2014, by the presidential facts-finding committee he constituted in May, 2014, which was mandated to gather evidence-based facts and circumstances on the abduction, Borno Governor, Kashim Shettima has said.

Shettima spoke in reaction to allegations contained in chapter four titled "The Chibok school girls affair" in the book, "My Transition hours" authored by Jonathan and launched on Tuesday in Abuja.
The former President had indicated that the schoolgirls abduction was a product of conspiracy by the then opposition All Progressives Congress, APC, in connivance with Borno State Government. He also accused the Borno Government and then President Barack Obama's administration in the United
States of undermining efforts to rescue the Chibok girls in 2014.
However, Governor Shettima through a
statement released by his Special Adviser on Communications and Strategy, Malam Isa Gusau on Wednesday and made available to Naija Politico, said while the truth was that Jonathan never believed there was ever an abduction until rescue efforts were late, the "the former President's elementary book of tales fell short of the courage required of him to publish findings by his own panel in chapter four of his book.
"The whole of Tuesday night, I took the pains of reading His Excellency, former President Goodluck Jonathan's book, My transition hours, from the first to the 177th page.

I took particular interest in chapter four (the Chibok school girls affair) which has 42 paragraphs written on pages 27 to 36. I was amused that despite admitting in paragraph 1 5, that he had (in May 2014) constituted a Presidential Fact-Finding Committee under Brigadier
General Ibrahim Sabo and many others "to investigate" the Chibok abduction, former President Jonathan refused to mention any part or whole of the findings by that panel which had submitted a highly investigative
report submitted to him on Friday, June 20, 2014 after the panel held investigative meetings with the then Chiefs of Defense Staff, Army Staff, Air Staff, the DG, DSS and IGP, met all security heads in Borno, visited
Chibok, met with parents of abducted schoolgirls, met surviving students, interrogated officials of the school and the supervising ministry of education,
interrogated officials of WAEC and analyzed all correspondences.
What has become very clear is that the former President decided to sit on facts in his custody while he published, in an elementary standard, a book of fiction designed to pass gulty verdicts to anyone but himself, with respect to the open failures of his administration to rescue our daughters and in tackling the Boko Haram challenges Shettima was quoted by his spokesman.
The Governor declared that by refusing to publish any part of his own panel's findings on the Chibok abduction, Jonathan's book was nothing short of a presidential tale by midday".

Shettima recalled that for for the records, "on Tuesday, the 6th of May, 2014, President Jonathan had inaugurated multi-agency/stakeholder fact-finding panel under the chairmanship of Brig. General Ibrahim Sabo (rtd), a one-time Director of Military Intelligence and also appointed a secretary from the Niger Delta.
President Jonathan single handedly selected all members of that committee which included his trustees amongst serving and retired security officers
from the Army, DSS and Police; representatives of the UN and ECOWAS, representatives of the Chibok community, local and international civil rights
organisations, representatives of the National Council on Women Societies, the Nigeria Union of Journalists amongst other persons he trusted. For almost two months, the probe panel undertook forensic assessment of all documents on the entire issues, held investigative meetings with parents of the schoolgirls during a visit to Chibok.
The panel held separate one-on-one investigative meetings with myself, the then Chief of Defence Staff, Chief of Army Staff, Chiefs of Air and Naval Staff, met the then Director General of the DSS and the Inspector General of Police, all of whom were appointees of President Jonathan.
The panel interrogated officials of Borno Government including the Comof Education and the school principal. The panel also held investigative meetings with heads of all security agencies in Borno State including security formations in charge of Chibok. At the end, the panel submitted it's report directly to President Jonathan on Friday, the 20th of June, 2014 in Abuja. President Jonathan has refused to make public the findings submitted to him. I was expecting the findings in his book but he has deliberately swept that report under the carpet. However, I remember that on June 24, 2014, the ThisDay Newspaper claimed to have obtained a copy of the panel's report and published as its lead, that painstaking findings by the Presidential panel had indicted the military under Jonathan's watch and completely absolved the federal Borno State Government of any blame regarding the Chibok abduction.
The newspaper went further to say that panel actually
commended efforts of the Borno State
Government in its commitment to the fight against Boko Haram as testified by heads of security establishments" the statement from Gusau said.
Governor Shettima also said it was clear to him after reading the former president's book, that he still lives with poor understanding of issues under his presidency. The Governor cited that for instance, Jonathan's claim on page 31 that Boko Haram wanted a Muslim President rather than him as Christian was laughable since the insurgents actually began their deadliest attacks in Borno under the regime of late President Umaru Musa Yar'adua, a Muslim from northern Nigeria. "We know for a fact that as vicious cycle of evil, Boko Haram fighters do not care about the religion of their targeted victims. They attack Mosques and churches. They are lunatics who regard anyone who doesn't share their ideology as an infidel. So, I wonder how the former President didn't take
time to understand the biggest challenge under his presidency" Shettima said.
The Governor advised former President
Jonathan to write a second book on account of his presidency which should contain the facts as have been presented to him, regarding the Chibok abduction rather than the fiction he made public on Tuesday.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/chibok-abduction-shettima-to-jonathan-you-lied-in-chapter-four/

Kyase:
lol for your mind Abi...
if Atiku get reach 2k for katisna change my name

Never be too sure Sir

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has challenged President Muhammadu Buhari and the All Progressives Congress (APC) to name any key development project their administration has initiated and completed in any part of the country, particularly, in Buhari's North West geo-political zone.

The party also challenged the President to name any tangible economic policy direction articulated by his administration to end poverty or lift the faces of Nigerians apart from attempts to butter them up with contemptible, penny-pinching monetary handouts, while the Presidency cabal fritter trillions of naira from our national treasury.

PDP National Publicity Secretary, Kola Ologbondiyan, stated the position of the party on Thursday while receiving coalition of youth groups from President Buhari's home state of Katsina, who were at the PDP National Secretariat to register their disappointment with the President and the APC and restate their support for PDP and its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

"Nigerians were deceived to vote in President Buhari in 2015, thinking he was pro-poor and prudent only for them to be confronted with the most corrupt, deceitful and incompetent administration which has no commitment towards fulfilling any of its campaign promises.

President Buhari cannot boast of any development project initiated and implemented by him as a President. Instead, he has denied his promises and completely wrecked our once robust economy with his harsh anti-people and restrictive policies.

At the time the PDP handed over power to President Buhari, our economy was one of the fastest growing in the world, Nigerians had access to the basic economic empowerment.
The private sector thrived; businesses were booming, foreign investors flooded our country, public servants were given a sense of belonging and purchasing power of citizens was high.

Today, under Buhari's anti-people administration, all the gains achieved by the PDP have been reversed. There is persistent bloodletting, acute poverty, hunger and grinding starvation in the land.
Over 30 million Nigerians have lost their jobs and there is serious stress on families.

While millions of Nigerians cannot afford the basic necessities of life, our dear President and his cabal swim in opulence and humongous corruption.
Nigerians have not forgotten how the Buhari administration's corrupt currency round-tripping led to the collapse of our naira with attendant hardship on our citizens. Our nation is now mocked as the world's poverty headquarters.

The question you must ask President Buhari is, what value has his administration added to the life of Nigerians, who voted for him in 2015. Instead, he has continued to deride our citizens as lazy and lovers Of freebies while describing them as very difficult lot" in his December 31,2015 Presidential media chat.

"The fact remains that any leader or administration that holds citizens in disregard, as manifest in the Buhari administration, cannot in any way work for the welfare of the people" the PDP asserted.
The party therefore urged all Nigerians to remain steadfast in rallying behind its Presidential candidate Atiku Abubakar in the collective quest to rescue our nation from the misrule Of the Buhari administration.

Speaking, the leader of the group, Mallam Abubakar Shehu, said Nigerian youths are completely disenchanted with President Buhari and look unto the PDP and Atiku Abubakar for solution. He assured the party of the support of youth groups in Katsina state in the 2019 Presidential election.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/pdp-receives-coalition-of-youth-groups-from-president-buharis-home-state-of-katsina-promises-their-support-for-atiku/

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has declared that the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) lacks the capacity to conduct credible polls in 2019.

The governor said Nigerians should not be deceived by the statements usually released by INEC because the commission works negate her mandate.

He spoke at the Government House Port Harcourt on Thursday when he granted audience to the Senate Committee on INEC.

He said: "Let's not deceive ourselves, INEC is not prepared for credible elections. If there is an agency that is not prepared for 2019, it is INEC . I have no confidence in INEC. There is no amount of INEC's preparation will convince me.

"INEC chooses how it interpretes laws to suit those they support. They choose the court orders to obey and the ones to disregard. In one state where it favours a particular, they obey. In another state , INEC will claim they are yet to see judgments not in favour of the party they support ".

He said in 2019, any attempt by INEC to negatively manipulate the will of the people will be resisted.

"In 2019, whoever wants to manipulate the process to destroy the outcome, the people will come after that person and the family.

"We will not agree that for anybody to rig elections here in Rivers State. Nobody will do anything contrary to the will of the people ", he said.

He said that results are declared at the polling units, but INEC goes ahead to manipulate results at the collation centre as was done in Osun State.

The governor said that the National Assembly has budgeted money for INEC for them to squander, but not for the conduct of credible elections.

Governor Wike added that the refusal to sign the amended Electoral Act is a ploy by the APC Federal Government to rig the 2019 elections in connivance with INEC.

He said that despite the fact that the National Assembly continues to amend the Electoral Act in favour of the Presidency, the APC Federal Government continues to generate excuses why they will not sign the amended Electoral Act .

He said that INEC and Police are two institutions that impede the conduct of credible elections in the country.

Chairman of the Senate Committee on INEC, Senator Suleiman Nazif said that the committee was in the state to to carry out assessments on the preparedness of the commission for the conduct of credible elections in 2019.

He said that the committee carried out oversight functions on the available card reader machines, voter registers and other facilities needed for the 2019 polls.


Read more: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/2019-inec-lacks-the-capacity-to-conduct-credibile-polls-governor-wike/

The President of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, President Muhammadu Buhari has given Presidential Assent to five Bills in a letter transmitted by Senator (Dr.) Ita Solomon Enang who is the
Presidential liaison to the National Assembly- (Senate) and made available to Naija Politico, the Bills include;

> Federal Capital Territory Appropriation Act, 2018.
> Nigerian Centre For Disease Control And Prevention ( Establishment ) Act, 2018
> Extradition (Amendment ) Act 2018
> National Environmental Standard And Regulations Enforcement Agency (Establishment ) (Amendment )Act , 2018
> Nigerian Institute Of Mining And Geosciences , Jos ( Establishment ) Act , 2018

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/president-buhari-assents-to-5-bills-which-are/

The minister of Aviation Hadi Sirika took a swipe at former Vice President and Presidential flagbearer of PDP over his claims that he was searched with the sole aim of intimidating him and his staff.
This was made available in a tweet where tge minister said;

The claim by Alhaji Atiku Abubakar is a mischievous attempt to grab the headlines. Nigerians need to know that one of the resolutions of the Atiku team at their recently-concluded Dubai retreat was to embark on scaremongering. This is one of such.
For the records, all incoming passengers on international flights go through customs, Immigration, health and security screening.
Where the aircraft is using the private, charter wing, as the PDP Candidate did, such arrivals are met by a team of the Immìgration, customs and other security agencies.

They go to the arriving aircraft as a team. The airport authorities confirm that this is a routine process, applying to all international arrivals, including Ministers, unless the passenger is the President of Nigeria.
The President, the Vice President and passengers aboard planes on the Presidential air fleet use the Presidential wing of the airport.
It is also important to state that even in the Presidential Wing of the airport which the President of Nigeria uses, there is the presence of Immigration and other security officials who must stamp his or her passport on arrival.
By standard procedure, all aircraft on international arrivals must first of all park at the international wing of the aircraft. They can move to the domestic terminal only upon the completion of the arrival processes.
While it is true that the Task Force on Currency at the airport did the routine action of checking the former Vice President’s travel bag, he was accorded full respect as a former Vice President of Nigeria.

These checks are mandatory, conventional, internationally applied and routine. No one is excused from them under our laws. These checks are carried out on all international arrivals and President Buhari does not get involved in them.
Law-abiding citizens are encouraged to respect the laws of the country and our VIPs should not seek to be treated over and above the citizens they wish to serve

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/you-are-not-above-the-law-nigerian-aviation-minister-to-atiku-abubakar/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) condemns in the strongest terms the unleashing of a special security squad of army, police and paramilitary agencies by the Muhammadu Buhari Presidency to physically harass our Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar at the Abuja airport, upon his return from Dubai.
It was shocking when the deadly squad in a Gestapo style attack, and acting on 'orders from above' rushed our candidate immediately he landed and attempted to physically manhandle him before invading
his aircraft with dangerous weapons to conduct a violent search.
While they did not find anything incriminating on our Presidential candidate, this deadly squad violently tampered with certain personal documents and gadgets belonging to him, including some of his campaign documents.
The PDP completely rejects such violence against the person of our Presidential candidate by the Buhari Presidency, which we know has been jittery over Atiku Abubakar's soaring popularity since his emergence as our candidate.
We invite the world to note that having failed to drag down our Presidential candidate with spurious allegations and smear campaign, the APC has now resorted to state-backed violence against him and must be held responsible should any harm befall him or any member of his campaign team.
The PDP is for peace. but we will not accept this recourse to violence, which we believe is orchestrated to directly harm our Presidential candidate foist a siege mentality on the system and set the stage for series of coordinated violence, ostensibly to truncate a peaceful conduct of the 2019 general election.
The Buhari Presidency and the APC should bear in mind that this is an attack on our democracy and the collective sensibility of the overwhelming majority of Nigerians across board who have accepted the choice of Atiku Abubakar as Nigeria's next President and they will vigorously deploy every means available in a democracy to defend him and our democratic process.
Today, Atiku Abubakar, as a Presidential candidate, has the highest demography of supporters and volunteers across our nation and we will not hesitate to call them out in defence of democracy if another such attempt is made against our candidate.
Nigeria is not a conquered territory and anybody that wants to foist a totalitarian regime on our land will be firmly resisted.
We invite President Buhari to recall that as a Presidential candidate. he had occasions to travel out of the country and the government in power never besieged or harassed him in any way. His administration should therefore not introduce such violence in our democratic space.
Finally, the PDP counsels the APC and the Buhari Presidency to know that power belongs to God and that the time has come for Nigerians to choose a new President for which they have collectively rallied around Atiku Abubakar and that their resort to violence, smear campaign, character assassination and rigging will not change this resolve.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/pdp-to-buhari-nigeria-is-not-a-conquered-territory-and-totalitarianism-on-our-land-will-be-firmly-resisted/

The first son of former special adviser to former President Jonathan Ditan Okupe just indicated interest in joining President Buhari's Campaign Team.
In a letter he wrote to Festus Keyamo, Director General of Buhari's Campaign Team, he expressed willingness to be a part of his team.
Ditan Okupe is a UK trained Lawyer and has 12 years post-call in Nigeria and the first son of Doyin Okupe who is one of the front liners for Atiku's emergence as Nigeria's President.
Doyin Okupe who once said but later denounced the publication made it public that if Atiku should win the Presidency, and rule for a day, it will take Nigeria 10 years to recover.
When the news of Ditan Okupe got to his father, he replied; "Ditan Okupe is my Son. He is a very brilliant young man. He went to Kings college, Lagos, Burkinham university, UK and did post graduate studies in Law at the London School of Economics.We both have had serious issues in the last 5yrs.This may be his way of getting back at me. I wish him luck. Keyamo is my friend and lawyer.He is still handing a case for me at the Supreme Court.He called me tonight on his acquaintance with Ditan who also has been trying for months to get the contacts of people he considers my political foes,includinng Tinubu, Kashamu,Otunba Gbenga Daniel etc.
For him this is his finest hour"

Lauretta Onochie, a social media aide to President Buhari praised Festus Keyamo.
She tweeted; "Good job Keyamo.
It is fantastic to see the younger generation of iconic corrupt moguls, embracing the anti corruption team.
There's a great future for Nigeria.
It wont be shocking to see Alh. Atiku Abubakar's adult children shouting, "Sai Buhari. SaiBaba2019."
Recently also, the son of former President Olusegun Obasanjo pledged his support to Buhari's re-election bid while his father is backing his Vice, Atiku Abubakar.
Are the children of these great men moving in the right way considering the fact that their parents contributed to the mess Nigeria is in now?
Do they think President Buhari has what it takes to move this country forward?
Do they have the political clout to counter balance that of their fathers'?
Are they trying to get back at their fathers?
Only time will tell.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/doyin-okupes-first-son-joins-buharis-campaign-team/

Immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Mr. Ayodele Fayose has again told President Muhammadu Buhari to face governance and stop complaining, saying; “When he was seeking votes of Nigerians, he never said he was coming to complain. Rather, he promised to fix what he claimed to have identified as the problems.

He said the President’s time was almost up, adding that he said has spent three and half years blaming his predecessors and inflicted both security and economic crises on the country.

Reacting to the President’s statement that he “inherited a mind boggling mismanaged Nigeria,” Fayose said in a statement issued on Thursday, by his Media Aide, Lere Olayinka that “it is no longer funny that a president who assumed office three and half years ago is still complaining about how he met the country instead of Nigerians having feelings of how well he has solved the problems he claimed that he had capacity to solve.

“He should stop singing the same song of lamentation that he has been singing since 2015 and learn from his colleague in Ghana, who hit the ground running immediately he assumed office.”

Fayose, who said the President should face the reality of a failed tenure and be prepared to leave office next year, added that “only a leader who lacks competence and is challenged by knowledge and exposure will blame his predecessors for over three years.”

“Nigerians of mostly below forty years who voted for the President in 2015 did so because they never experienced him as a Military Head of State. Now that they have seen that he does not have the required capacity to govern a country like Nigeria, they are eager to vote him out.”

The former governor charged Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) leaders to put everything into the 2019 elections so as to be able rescue Nigerians from the present state of anguish occasioned by the directionless APC government.

“Today, Nigeria has become the ‘Poverty Capital’ of the world. God forbid, a Buhari’s second term will turn Nigeria to a republic of poverty where people will be running to other neighboring countries to feed. PDP must therefore work very hard to save the country from going down completely,” Fayose said.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/stop-complaining-your-time-almost-up-fayose-tells-buhari/

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike has berated the APC Federal Government for shielding Prince Charles of Wales from the neglected Niger Delta that produces the nation's wealth.

Speaking when he granted audience to international preacher, Evangelist Daniel Kolenda at Government House Port Harcourt on Thursday, Governor Wike wondered what parameters were used in confining the Prince of Wales to Abuja and Lagos.

He said the actions of the APC Federal Government in the course of the visit of Prince of Wales undercored the negativity that has characterised governance under the present administration.

He said: "The Prince of Wales came to Nigeria and they took him to Abuja and Lagos. They didn't want him to see the suffering people of the Niger Delta.

"It is our money and resources that they used to develop Lagos and Abuja, yet they did not want the Prince of Wales to see how they have neglected the area that produces the wealth of the nation.

"Look at the sitting arrangement of their photograph with the Prince of Wales and where they placed the producers of national wealth?".

He said that the action of the APC Federal Government is very painful.

Governor Wike commended the leaders of CFAN for coming to Rivers State, despite the plots by the APC Federal Government to de-market oil producing states.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/apc-federal-government-stopped-prince-charles-from-visiting-south-south-gov-wike/

Contrary to widespread belief and a topic which made nairaland frontpage saying that The Nigerian Union of Petroleum and Natural Gas workers will join the proposed NLC strike and that fuel scarcity looms, NUPENG released a report of not joining the proposed strike and that consultations are still ongoing.
Here is the official report

The comments made by Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu, the national leader of the APC concerning Alhaji ATIKU's prospects in the coming 2019 presidential elections are essentially not meant for the serious minded, and quite unexpected from the leader of a party in power whose popularity and national acceptability are receding faster than the waters of lake Chad.

Aiswaju's statement is extremely presumptuous. It assumes that he as a person or whatever political platform he stands on will have anything to do with who emerges as president in 2019.

I assure Asiwaju that he does not, and will not have any serious influence on who will emerge as president after the 2019 elections. He had such opportunity in 2015 but it was wasted on a moribund, unproductive and lack lustre presidency.

Hence, it is a fact that Asiwaju had a tremendous influence and did play a significant role in the emergence of president Muhammadu Buhari in 2015.

This was due to the fact that he and the APC were able to successfully hoodwink the Nigerian electorates into wrongly believing that the incumbent at that time was weak, inept and clueless.

The prevailing feeling in Nigeria then was that a change was necessary to "save" the country.

However, things are quite different now. Without prompting, propaganda or mass-brainwashing, Nigerians have come to realise that a victory for Buhari in 2019 is an existential threat not only to the peaceful coexistence of the nation, but also to individual wellbeing and survival of families, breadwinners and jobs across the country.

Based on this undeniable fact, Tinubu, APC and their candidate, Muhammadu Buhari have lost the elections even before the set date.

Asiwaju should not worry about where ATIKU is holding meetings to unseat Buhari, or where ATIKU is "going" in 2019. Rather, he should seriously give urgent thoughts to his own destination after 2019.

For certain, I want to assure him that the PDP will retire him gracefully to his political shrine at Bourdillon. While the expired and rejected product he is dutifully carrying to the political market in 2019 heads to Daura; hale and hearty.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/doyin-okupe-asiwajus-comments-on-atiku-extremely-presumptuous/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PdP} mocks the All Progressives Congress (APC} and the Buhari Presidency on their renewed smear campaign against its Presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar, saying these shenanigans will be of no avail as Nigerians have resolved to elect Atiku as President come February, 2019 due to his proven leadership capacity.

PDP notes that the woeful performance of President Muhammadu Buhari in office will remain the referendum for the 2019 presidential election no matter the attempts to use hirelings to change national discuss.
It is instructive for the APC to accept the reality that our candidate, Atiku, enjoys support of Nigerians across the board for his credibility,forthrightness and capacity to deliver.
The party said it is shameful that instead of channeling the nation's resources to productive ventures, the APC and the Presidency have remained fixated on Atiku Abubakar, even when it has become clear that Nigerians can no longer be deceived; having seen
through their lies, fabrications and beguilments.

Nigerians are also aware that since the emergence of Atiku as our Presidential
candidate; the attendant spontaneous jubilation across the country and massive influx of millions of supporters into our party, the Presidency has been on panic mode, knowing that President Buhari is no match for our candidate.
Also, having failed in the attempt to paint and label Atiku as corrupt, the APC has now started creating seemingly independent groups to commence a fresh attack on the personal image of our candidate.
Already, the PDP is privy to the procurement of certain devious groups and individuals, who have been paid millions of naira, to attempt to directly impugn on the character and reputation of our candidate with a view to bringing him to public disrepute ahead of the elections.
The PDP is aware of how two top officials of the APC, two Presidential aides and two APC governors have been detailed to coordinate this agenda against our candidate.
Their strategies include using the procured groups and hirelings to release strings of fabrications against our candidate ahead of the elections.
The PDP therefore counsels the APC and the Buhari Presidency to get ready to face an imminent electoral indignation and defeat from Nigerians as rewards for their basket of unfulfilled promises and empty scorecards.
These desperate plots to divert attention from manifest failures and incompetence in governance will not work.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/no-amount-of-hate-speech-against-atiku-will-make-us-lose-pdp-tells-apc/

Nigeria has left that era in which democratic norms are brazenly subverted, with votes awarded to those favoured by the authorities, and the shortchanged told to go to court if they were not happy.

President Muhammadu Buhari stated this Monday while receiving in State House, Abuja, members of the Joint United Nations, African Union and ECOWAS Good Offices Mission on Elections.

“I am highly qualified to talk on this, having ended in Supreme Court three times, after participating in elections with disputed results. Where will a man looking for where his next meal would come from, have money to hire lawyers, particularly senior advocates?” the President said.

He assured that the 2019 polls would be free and fair, submitting: “The President has only one vote, governors have a vote each, just like anybody else. Let the people vote for whoever they choose, without their will being tampered with.”

Thanking the joint team for being in touch with our institutions, particularly the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC), the President said multi-party democracy gives lots of choice to the people, adding that Nigeria has a vibrant young population, “who trust us to handle their affairs and resources well. A lot depends on leadership.”

President Buhari said the 2015 elections were run with three campaign objectives; securing the country, reviving the economy, fighting corruption, “and the opposition has not succeeded in faulting us. We are doing our best with the resources available to us.”

President of ECOWAS Commission, Jean-Claude Brou, said the team came on a solidarity visit to Nigeria before the forthcoming elections, as it did with other countries like Senegal, Mali, Gambia, and others which recently held polls.

He appreciated the strong role Nigeria plays in the sub-region, while also thanking President Buhari for his strides in the fight against corruption and terrorism.

Dr Mohammed Ibn Chambas, speaking on behalf of the UN, appreciated what he called “the strong leadership of President Buhari in Nigeria, West Africa, and Africa.”

“You’ve always played politics according to the rules. We will do all that we can to strengthen the institutions. We’re convinced that INEC is ready to provide free and fair elections,” Dr Chambas said.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/votes-will-count-in-2019-election-buhari-assures-nigerians/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) parodies President Muhammedu Buhari for trying to claim credit for the Port Harcourt Airport Terminal, even when it is public knowledge that the project was conceptualized, articulated and financed by the PDP administration.

The PDP said President Buhari's theatrical commissioning of the terminal built by the PDP administration is another failed media stunt to create a false impression that Mr. President is performing, even when he made no contribution whatsoever towards the execution of the project.

Nigerians were thoroughly amused when President Buhari's handlers brought him to Port Harcourt, Rivers State, for the first time since his inauguration in 2015, only to orchestrate another failed attempt to claim credit for project executed by others.
If anything, the Buhari administration, in its incompetence, only succeeded in delaying the completion of the project, which was perfected by the PDP, including payments to contractors.

It is to say the least appalling that after three and half years, a President, who is seeking reelection, cannot point to any development project, initiated and executed by his administration in any part of our country. Instead, our dear President has been moving
around trying to claim credit for projects executed by the PDP all in a desperate attempt to cover his failures in governance.
Only recently, President Buhari and his dysfunctional All Progressives Congress (APC), to the chagrin of Nigerians, attempted to claim credit for the Abuja Light Rail Project, even when it was public knowledge that that project was conceptualized and policy-propelled by the PDP.

We know that President Buhari is eager to stuff up his false performance claims ahead of election, but doing so with the achievements of others is the height of desperation and deceit, which has already become repugnant to majority of Nigerians and the international community.
The PDP therefore counsels President Buhari's handlers to use the remaining days of his failed administration to prepare him to get ready to accept his imminent defeat in 2019, as Nigerians have already rallied behind our candidate, Atiku Abubakar, whose
performance credential is known to all.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/dont-claim-port-harcourt-terminal-project-pdp-tells-buhari/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) decries President Muhammadu Buhari's fresh outburst against suffering Nigerians as unpresidential, defeatist and characteristic of a failed leadership, which has lost all sense of responsibility towards its citizens.
The party said President Buhari, in saying that Nigerians, "who feel they have another country may choose to go", has further confirmed that he is completely insensitive to the plight of our citizens and has no solution to the myriad of problems his incompetent and disorganized administration has caused our nation.

The PDP describes such comment as 'unfatherly' and a direct slap on the sensibilities of millions of Nigerians, who have been painfully bearing the economic hardship, hunger and starvation caused by President Buhari's wasteful and inept administration, to the extent that many have taken to suicide missions and slavery as survival options.
Such comment is a putrid spit on the graves of thousands of compatriots killed by marauders in various parts of the country, while the Buhari Presidency and dysfunctional All Progressives Congress (APC) remained aloof without decisive actions to end the carnage and bring the perpetrators of the bloodlettings to book.

Mr. President's comment is also a mockery on millions of Nigerians who have lost their businesses and whose families have been wrecked by the anti-people policies of the Buhari-led APC administration.
Since Mr President now knows that Nigerians across board are hurting over the failures of his administrations, the least he, as an elected leader, should have done, was to accept responsibility, rise up to the occasion and find solutions, or at least, have some soothing words to suffering Nigerians instead of dismissing their pains and asking them toabandon their fatherland.
This remark by Mr. President also reminds of his widely condemned outbursts against our youths who he held in disdain as lazy and lovers of freebies.
President Buhari should come to terms with the fact that majority of Nigerians can no longer take the failures, insensitivity and incompetence of his administration and have now reached a consensus to elect our Presidential candidate, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar, who has always displayed a commitment to the welfare of Nigerians.

This nation belongs to all of us. Our citizens believe and love their fatherland and will never abandon it, notwithstanding the anguish and pains brought by the failures of President Buhari and his corrupt cabal who have, with impunity, continued to display the worst form of aloofness and insensitivity to the plight of our people.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/you-may-choose-to-leave-comment-pdp-accuses-buhari-of-insensitivity-to-sufferings-of-nigerians/

Today, the Nigerian Senate, called on security agencies to investigate the cause of the killings in Kaduna State and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice.

The decision was taken following a Point of Order moved by Senator Sulaiman Hunkuyi on the killings in the State, which he described as “inhuman, unmindful and unnecessary.” Hunkuyi also stated that the perpetrators carrying out the killings needed to be tackled.

The Senator representing Kaduna Central, Senator Shehu Sani, said: “We are deeply concerned. There is a need for community and religious leaders to come together to discuss solutions.”

“Life is given by God and there is no reason why it should be taken by man. We cannot continue to just observe this, something must be done,” said Senator Danjuma Laah, the Senator representing Kaduna South.

Speaking on the resolution, the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki, said: “The contributions from Distinguished Senators show clearly that a major cause of this impunity is the fact that no one is being sanctioned. As a Senate, we need to come together to discuss this in a manner that is non-partisan.”

Saraki also said: “It is the lack of cooperation, collaboration and implementation of resolutions at the level of the security agencies. Therefore, let us bring together the Chairmen of the important Committee and have an executive session to put forward our observations and recommendations.

“There, we will discuss the things that need to happen and the implementation of the conclusions reached at the summit. At the end of the day, it will still come down to the Executive arm of the Federal Government, therefore, let us seek a session with the executive arm of government to discuss some of these our recommendations and observations.”

The Senate President then directed the Leader of the House, and the Chairmen of the Committees on Security, Defence and Police to fix a date to meet with the Executive.

The Senate also resolved to:

i. Pay a special condolence visit to the Governor and people of Kaduna State, particularly Kasuwan Magani and other affected areas;

ii. Call on the Kaduna State Government and the Federal Government to quicken the process of the release of the paramount ruler, Maiwada Galadima;

iii. Observe a minute silence for the repose of souls lost in the crisis; and urge Nigerian Emergency Management Agency (NEMA) to step in and assist those who have been affected, especially those who have to go out on a daily basis to survive;

iv. Urge the relevant security agencies to investigate the cause of the incident and ensure that the perpetrators are brought to justice; and

v. Commend the security agencies for the prompt manner in which they responded to the matter without allowing the situation to escalate.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/bring-perpetrators-of-kaduna-killings-to-justice-senate-tasks-security-operatives/

The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has officially submitted names of candidates for National Assembly elections to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) ahead of the 2019 general elections.
The party notes with disdain moves by certain individuals to illegally submit
authorized names from some purported primaries by dissident elements, notably in Ogun State.
The PDP is aware that such elements forged and sold various fake nomination forms, and cornered the proceeds for their selfish gains.
Those who unwittingly bought these fake nomination forms did not pass through the due process of screening and did not participate in primaries as officially conducted by the Electoral Committee set up by the National Working Committee.
The conduct of primaries and submission of names of candidate remain in the purview of the National Working Committee. Any other purported primaries by any state chapter or any other level of the party is absolutely illegal and of no consequence.
The PDP therefore warns, in the strongest possible term, that anybody who attempts to present any name from such illegal primaries as candidate of our party will face arrest and prosecution for forgery and stealing of funds deriVed from sale of fake
nomination forms.
Furthermore, the National Working Committee therefore urge all PDP members and the general public to be calm as the rule of Law shall be strictly adhered to, particularly 'in all processes in our participation in the 2019 general elections.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/submit-unauthorized-names-go-to-jail-pdp-warns-impostors/

The Peoples Democratic Party demands the immediate reconstitution of the Osun state governorship election petition tribunal, as further delay will jeopardize the course of justice in the matter.
The party frowns at the disbanding of the panel by the President of the Court of Appeal, Justice Zainab gulkachwa, a development which, if not quickly addressed sends a very bad signal on the integrity of the judiciary.
PDP's submission is predicated on reports that the All Progressives Congress has been mounting pressure on the judiciary to deny the PDP justice in the determination of the Osun Governorship election dispute at the tribunal.
We therefore invite Nigerians to note that in our lawful effort to reclaim our stolen mandate, PDP duly filed its petition on Tuesday October 15, 2018 in accordance with section 285 (6} of the 1999 Constitution (as amended} which prescribed that judgment must be delivered on or before 180days.
While the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC} was served, the APC and its candidate evadéd service.
Consequently, the PDP on Wednesday, October 17, 2018 applied for substituted service, which was slated for hearing today, Thursday, October 18, 2018, only to be informed that the panel has been disbanded on Wednesday without any reason and without providing a new panel to hear our matter.
The President of the Court of Appeal should note that her disbanding of the panel without setting up a new one, goes to a deliberate attempt to prevent the PDP from serving the APC and its candidate and to meet the constitutional 180 days timeframe for the
determination of the case at the Tribunal.
Election petition matters are sui generis, with specific timeframe allotted to various stages up to the final determination. The failure to set up a new panel to timeously hear our application for substituted service on APC and its candidate smacks of a
shenanigan to deny our party full justice in the matter.
Moreover, the PDP is aware that the original panel was disbanded after the APC and its candidate had failed to manipulate and compromise the members to frustrate our case.
The PDP therefore urges the President of the Court of Appeal not to bend to the proclivities of the APC and its candidate to bring the vouched reputation of the judiciary into a shameful disrepute, in their desperation to hold onto a stolen mandate,
It is also imperative to state that the 2018 Osun Governorship election has become the interest of not only Nigerians but also the global community As such, every institution that has a role in ensuring fairness and justice, particularly, the judiciary, must rise
to its responsibility and not succumb to unlawful and anti-people predilections.
Signed:
Kola Ologbondiyan
National Publicity Secretary

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/pdp-demands-immediate-reconstitution-of-osun-electoral-tribunal/

JusticeSeeker:
This thiefing party at it again.
EFCC wanted to investigate this thief when he was in office, PDP said he is carrying immunity, how can he be investigated? Now he is an ordinary citizen, they still don't want EFCC to investigate him, Haba, Passionately, Desperate Party aka PDP. If he doesn't want to cooperate, keep him there and keep obtaining court orders until he talks. His thiefing collaborating lawyer who has obtained his SAN mainly for defending criminals who has embezzled our treasury is the one who has written this script for him to act because by now he's busy sorting out to know which court his client shall be taken to so he can bribe the judges and keep adjourning the case till eternity.

Haha
Take it easy.
We won't know the level of thievery of APC until they leave power.
None is a saint.
That is why u need to be Atikulated so that the thieves in APC will be known come 2019

The PDP and its candidate in the July 14, 2018, governorship election in Ekiti State, Prof. Olusola Kolapo, will today tender in evidence all electoral materials used in the conduct of the disputed election.

PDP and Kolapo had approached the election tribunal sitting in Abuja to challenge the declaration of Dr. John Kayode Fayemi of the APC as the winner of the election. The petitioners joined INEC, APC and Fayemi as respondents in the matter.

At the resumed hearing yesterday, counsel to the petitioners, Yusuf Ali (SAN), informed the three-man tribunal that the petitioners would start presenting their case by tendering in evidence the certified true copies (CTCs) of all electoral materials used for the election.

However, upon return from an hour’s stand-down based on notification by Fayemi’s counsel that the respondents were yet to study the documents, Ali informed the tribunal that parties were yet to complete the checking and, therefore, asked that the hearing be adjourned to today.

He said this would enable the respondents’ counsel to complete checking the materials the petitioners wanted to tender in evidence.

Based on this, the Chairman of the tribunal, Justice Sulaiman Belgore, adjourned to today (Thursday) for continuation of hearing.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/ekiti-governorship-pdp-kolapo-to-tender-election-materials-today/

PDP SOUTH WEST ZONE

PRESS STATEMENT

FAYOSE'S CONTINUED DETENTION

We note with concern that the EFCC continues to hold in its custody immediate past Governor of Ekiti State, Dr Ayo Fayose who submitted himself to the Agency yesterday. Our concern is dictated by the fact that months ago, EFCC claimed that it has concluded its investigations and was merely waiting for Fayose to end his tenure and drop his immunity so that he could be arraigned.

It's now going to 48 hours that he submitted to the agency and he is still being held incommunicado, this development immediately put a lie to the claim that EFCC is actually working in public interest but merely playing a partisan card as attested to by its unfortunate tweet in the immediate aftermath of the Ekiti election.

We therefore hold firmly that if Fayose is not charged to court immediately to answer to whatever charges against him, then it will be very clear that the Buhari administration is merely using the EFCC to intimidate, harass and punish him in the most unjust manner. It will add to the long list of such petty vendetta that have been initiated, prosecuted and sustained by this same administration against some Nigerians that are not in the good books of the President, this clearly is an abuse of power which ordinarily should be beneath the scope of a busy President.

It is sad that at a time Nigerians are wallowing in abject penury, when institutions are failing and insecurity is thriving that this Buhari administration still have enough time to pursue vendetta against citizens. In this regard we easily recall Buhari's "technical victory" over Boko Haram, yet it remains potent enough kidnap our women and girls, decimate our communities and wage war on the nation. Just yesterday another aid worker, Hauwa was executed by Boko Haram and all President Buhari could do is place an impotent phone call to her family. This Government must begin to take its responsibilities serious by taking actions that will safeguard the lives, properties and economic wellbeing of the nation and not continue to reduce itself to a bully!

Ayo Fadaka
Zonal Publicity Secretary
South West.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/charge-fayose-to-court-immediately-pdp-tells-efcc/

NIGERIA’S NATIONAL UNITY: TOWARD PARTICIPATION AND SHARED VALUES

PROTOCOL

Permit me to start off by expressing my gratitude to the Chatham House for the opportunity to be here, despite a very short notice. There is no better testimony to the fact that this Institute is indeed living true to its Mission, which is ‘to help build a sustainably secure, prosperous and just world, through informed debate, independent analysis, new policy ideas, and outreach to audiences’.

2. The topic on which I am to speak, Nigeria’s National Unity: Toward Participation and Shared Values’, could not have been more apt, as Nigeria continues to struggle to forge a national consensus, to accept its diverse ethnic groups as the source of its national power and cohesion, irrespective of religion, status, culture and geographical location. The challenge is made more daunting by the fact that the large country is occupied by diverse people, with diverse languages and culture. In other words, it is a multi-national state, a conglomeration of ethnic nations, each with its distinctive character and ethos.

3. Why is the question of national unity so important? This is simply because without a united country, all its component parts will be working at cross purposes with conflicting signals that will constantly threaten the foundation and the very existence of the country. This is more so in a country as diverse as Nigeria, which has had sufficient doses of ethnic and religious strives at various times in its nationhood journey, including a bitter, 30-month civil war and the Boko Haram insurgency.

4. The relevance of the topic is also accentuated by the fact that, in the next few months, Nigeria will be returning to the polls for the general elections. The run-up to the 2015 general elections tested the nation’s unity, in no small measure, and it remains to be seen whether we, the people, have learnt any lessons as we move closer to the 2019 polls

5. At the Ministry of Information and Culture, where my job definition includes speaking for the federal government both within and outside the country, we are taking our mandate very seriously in order to ensure that the people get, and consistently too, the detailed information they require to enhance their participation in the political process and, ultimately, to help deepen the nation’s democracy. Part of the mandate of the Ministry is the strategic communication of government policies and programmes, as well as developing among Nigerians cultural values and awareness that will inculcate the spirit of patriotism, nationalism, self-discipline and self- reliance.

6. This explains why, immediately upon assuming office as Minister in 2015, I decided to take a trip to the North-East, where the Boko Haram insurgency was then raging. The insurgency that started in 2009 had taken its toll on the country by the time we assumed office. The terrorists struck freely at places and times of their own choosing. They strolled into Abuja, the nation’s capital, several times to wreak havoc, including on the United Nations office and the police headquarters. The terrorists administered a territory the size of Lebanon, collecting taxes and removing and installing Emirs. Nigerians slept with one eye open. It was in the midst of this that the new Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari came into office. The President ordered the relocation of the military campaign against the insurgents to the North-east, and rallied regional and international support for the battle. Shortly thereafter, the insurgents were dislodged from the territories they occupied, and they lost their capacity to freely attack cities or seize territories

7. We figured, therefore, that in order to carry the people along and get them to buy into the government’s effort to prevent Nigeria from being balkanized by the terrorists, they needed to know exactly what was going on. On 5 Dec. 2018, I led over 30 local and foreign journalists to the liberated parts of the North-East, in fact to the heart of the insurgency, the self-declared capital of the terrorists – Bama, over 80 kilometres by road from Maiduguri, capital city of Borno state, touching Konduga and Kaura, all decimated, in the process. It was the first time any Information Minister had visited the battle zone since the slow-motion warfare started. The visit gave us the opportunity to see things for ourselves, and to convey such to Nigerians as vividly as possible. It helped to change the way Nigerians viewed that insurgency, to rally national support for the gallant men and women in uniform and to enlist Nigerians’ support for the efforts to reduce the cowardly suicide bombings of soft targets that the dislodged terrorists resorted to. ‘If you see something, say something’, became the rallying payoff line for the National Campaign Against Insecurity that we launched after the visit.

8. We also realized early on that for democracy to grow, it is important to ensure citizens’ participation in decision and policies affecting their lives – especially in a direct manner, rather than through their elected representatives only. This informed our decision to launch the Town Hall Meeting series that saw cabinet Ministers meeting, in a town hall setting, a cross section of Nigerians from all walks of life, with a view to keeping them informed about government policies and programmes and, at the same time, getting their feedbacks and inputs. So far, we have held 13 of such meetings, spread across the nation’s six geo-political zones and covering various topics. Many more are slated to hold between now and the general elections in February and March 2019.

9. Since coming into office, the Administration of President Muhammadu Buhari has embarked on an unprecedented renewal of the nation’s infrastructure, investing an unprecedented 2.7 trillion Naira on roads, rails, power and other similar projects. But it is not enough to embark on these projects, it is important to let the public know the extent and spread of such projects to foster a sense of national unity. This explains why we kickstarted a nationwide tour of Federal Government projects nationwide, with not less than 25 journalists accompanying me on each trip. Till date, we have inspected many of such projects, including the new Lagos to Kano standard gauge rail line, the Lagos-Ibadan expressway in the Southwest that connects the port city of Lagos to other parts of the country, the new intra-city rail line connecting the Abuja city centre to the international Airport, the Enugu-Port Harcourt freeway in the South-east and the Ilorin-Jebba-Mokwa road in central Nigeria.

10. Then we launched the FGNiApp, downloadable on mobile devices, to provide up-to-date information about government’s projects and policies to the people, irrespective of where they are.

11. Distinguished ladies and gentlemen, as you are all aware, some 276 girls were abducted by terrorists from their school in Chibok, Borno State, in 2014, about a year before the Buhari Administration assumed office. At his inauguration, President Buhari promised to do whatever is necessary to secure the release of the girls. Today, many of the girls have been freed unharmed, even though over 100 of the girls remained in captivity. The civil society group Bring Back Our Girls (BBOG), which has consistently advocated for the release of all the girls, demanded information from the Federal Government on what is being done to free them. In response to their yearnings, we arranged with the military to embed them, so to say, in some of their search sorties. Some Bring Back Our Girls campaigners were subsequently flown on search sorties by the air force to give them a firsthand knowledge of the military’s efforts to rescue the girls. BBOG was later to say, in their report on the trip: ‘’We can confirm that the air component of the counterinsurgency war is being prosecuted by a highly-professional, capable, motivated and committed team of the Nigeria Air Force (NAF). We were provided data and imagery evidence to show that the search for our Chibok girls and other abducted citizens is a daily activity by NAF.’’ When some 110 Dapchi school girls were similarly abducted, on 18 Feb. 2019, we ensured that Nigerians were provided with detailed and up-to-date information, having led a number of Federal Government delegations to the school to get first-hand information. When, a few weeks later, most of the girls were released, Nigerians were never in doubt about the efforts that the government had put into freeing the girls.

12. Only last week, I led another Federal Government delegation to Dapchi, in Yobe State, to meet with the mother of Leah Sharibu, the remaining Dapchi girl in captivity, and to Maiduguri, in Borno State, to meet with the families of the three aid workers who were kidnapped by Boko Haram in March this year. Unfortunately, two of the three aid workers have now been killed, the latest one being killed this past Monday. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families of the murdered women, even as we continue to do everything any responsible government will do to free the women who remain in captivity.
13. It is important to say that we have regularly met with the various media stakeholders in Nigeria, to discuss with them government policies and programmes. These groups include the umbrella Nigeria Union of Journalists, Online publishers, bloggers and social media influencers, Broadcasting Organization of Nigeria (BON), Newspaper Proprietors Association of Nigeria (NPAN), etc.

14. We have also gone beyond the shores of Nigeria to meet with the global media, policy think tanks and decision makers, especially in the United Kingdom and the United States. My current visit to London is the latest of such visits, which are aimed at engaging with the international media and the think tanks. Since assuming office, I have made a deliberate effort to build consistent and constructive relationships with the international media, especially in key media centres and capitals. I have also attempted to make those visits regular, building consistent lines of communication, not only with media houses, but with specific journalists too.

15. I was here in the UK to engage with the media, think tanks and decision makers in September 2017, then travelled to the US for the same purpose in April 2018, and now I am back here to continue with the engagement. This is in appreciation that correct information and proper briefings – to also dispel rumour and conjecture – are just as important as short-term coverage. I am also aware that stakeholder relations are so vital – that is why Chatham House and other think tanks in the UK and the US are important. I have also met with academics. This is important to inform a wider debate.

16. As the 2019 general elections approach, Nigeria faces a new challenge, a threat not just to the country peace and security, but indeed its very existence. It is the dual challenge of fake news and hate speech. Yes, the fake news problem is not unique to Nigeria, but it poses a more potent threat to the country because of its multi-ethnic, multi-religious and multi-cultural status. It is also a clear and present danger to the nation’s unity. Naysayers have latched onto the fake news phenomenon to exploit the country’s fault lines and inflame passion. For example, the BBC recently did a report on how fake news is aggravating the persistent Farmers-Herders clashes. Pictures of gun-totting herdsmen from other lands are routinely used to depict the herdsmen in Nigeria. Age-long clashes between Farmers and Herders have suddenly been dressed in the garb of religion and ethnicity. Ignored is the fact that the clashes have become more persistent because of a mixture of many factors, including population explosion, effects of climate change, keener contest for dwindling natural resources and sheer criminality. Religion and ethnicity are not the reasons for these clashes.

17. To tackle this, we have launched a national campaign against fake news and hate speech. The aim is to sensitize Nigerians to the dangers posed by fake news, how to spot fake news and what to do. We are under no illusion that the campaign can immediately stop fake news and hate speech. But we want to bring the issues to the front burner of national discourse. And I can say that we are succeeding in that respect. Today, fake news has become a topical issue in Nigeria. To Nigerians, we say: If you can’t vouch for the veracity of any news item, don’t share it!

18. Distinguish ladies and gentlemen, in the words of the organizers of this event, the complex landscape like ours demands a correspondingly dynamic set of mechanisms for the provision of information for both Nigeria’s citizen and globally. There is no better way to say that. And, as I have outlined, we have strived to be as dynamic as possible in the provision of information to the people, and we can only improve on what we have done so far.

19. I thank you for your kind attention.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/text-of-the-presentation-by-hmic-alh-lai-mohammed-at-the-chatham-house-in-london/

The Enugu Meeting: Gov. Peter Obi’s Nomination as Vice Presidential Candidate was Never Opposed
By Osita Chidoka

On 12th of October at 8:06pm, I called my brother and friend Gov. Peter Obi and congratulated him on his nomination as the Vice Presidential candidate of our Party. He thanked me and informed me that it seems the social media announcement of his choice as the VP candidate didn’t go down well with the political leadership in the Southeast and a meeting was scheduled to hold on Saturday the 13th at Enugu. I promised him that I will attend the meeting and he can count on my support. He thanked me again.

Though I did not receive any invitation to the meeting, I immediately made arrangement to be in Enugu the following day.

At Enugu, the meeting was to start by 3pm, after sampling opinion of key stakeholders I was certain there was no plan to scuttle Obi’s nomination rather it was a reaction to perceived slight by our candidate. I decided to go back to Abuja as I had other pressing engagements.

Prince Arthur Eze invited me over for lunch after which he offered me a ride on his Aircraft going to Abuja by 4pm. I accepted the offer. I went to my Hotel, picked my bag and headed out to the Airport.

On my way I briefed the Party Chairman Prince Uche Secondus (who I worked closely with as Special Adviser on Strategy and External Engagement) of the situation and my conclusion that there was no adverse reaction to Peter Obi’s nomination. He agreed with me but asked that I go back to the meeting all the same to soothe frayed nerves, if any.

I also spoke to Gov. Obi who at that time was in the house of a mutual friend in Abuja and He gave more insight. We agreed that I should go back to the meeting. I quickly informed Arthur Eze’s Pilot about my change of plans.

I turned and drove to Sen. Ekweremadu’s house were the Governors and other leaders were already discussing. Sen. Ekweremadu was speaking when I arrived and from the part I heard, he said there was no need for a meeting anymore as our Candidate had sent a message through the President General of Ohaneze Chief Nnia Nwodo that he would meet with Southeast Leaders upon his return from his foreign trip.

Varied discussion went on but none was about Gov. Peter Obi as a wrong choice rather it was all around the choice of those our Candidate consulted before coming to a decision. We all agreed that the issue would be fully discussed when our Candidate returns.

Given that the press had caught wind of the meeting it was agreed that Gov Umahi, as Chairman of South East Governors Forum, should speak briefly to the press. We all went out with him to meet the press. Many of us friends of our Presidential Candidate and Gov. Obi were there and can corroborate the points made here.

That discussion in Ekweremadu’s house was not the meeting it was a briefing that made the meeting unnecessary. Therefore the statement released by a former Gubernatorial candidate was strange as there was no formal meeting. He arrived the gathering late and did not speak during the interaction at Ekweremadu’s residence, hence my surprise at the statement, which fueled the wrong perception that there was opposition to Gov. Peter Obi.

The media frenzy was a storm in a tea cup as there was no discussion around the preference or otherwise of Gov. Obi as Vice Presidential Candidate

The leadership of the PDP understands that Nigerians have a real opportunity to reclaim their country and return it to its hitherto trajectory of growth recorded under Presidents Obasanjo, Yar’Adua, and Jonathan. There was a time when international economists predicted that Nigeria would be part of the “Next-11”countries that would rival the BRIC and the G-7 countries.

It was an era when, through intelligent thinking and committed hard work by Nigerians, our country overtook South Africa to become the largest economy in Africa. That period, which was only a few four years ago, now seem like distant folkloric history.

Atiku/Obi will leverage their business acumen to solve the most critical challenge facing us today: JOBS. They will leverage their experience of creating hundreds of thousands of private sector to create millions of jobs for Nigerians.

Join us; let’s get Nigeria growing again.

Source: https://naijapolitico.com.ng/gov-peter-obis-nomination-as-vice-presidential-candidate-was-never-opposed-by-osita-chidoka/