₦airaland Forum

•Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Oyo vulnerable to APC take over

•Party still weak in most Northern, Middlebelt states, unlikely to make appreciable gains

There is a high possibility that the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) might pick its presidential candidate for the 2023 general election from the North, as stakeholders are set to zone the chairmanship position of the party to the South in a matter of weeks.

This, however, appears contrary to the survey by the THISDAY Economic Intelligence Group (EIG), which gleaned from the field that the decision could cost PDP the elections in practically all the southern states, the presidency and governorship inclusive.

Findings also revealed that the PDP might not make any appreciable gains in the north and Middlebelt states either, as the All Progressives Congress (APC), is still likely to sweep the north even with a Southern candidate.

One key reality of the current state of play is that the PDP is still vulnerable in many northern states, including the ones it currently controls and the ones it doesn’t. The party might, however, lose states like Taraba, Benue and unable to win back Plateau, if it decided to zone presidency to the north.

At centre of the war of attrition over the chairmanship of the party lies the desperate permutations of where the party zones its presidential ticket to. The Southerners, who want Secondus out, want him out to pave the way for a replacement from the north, while the northern group led by Atiku and co, wants him to either stay or be replaced by another southerner to solidify their push for the presidential ticket to be zoned to the north.

In the south, the particularly vulnerable key states that the PDP is likely to lose are Delta, Akwa Ibom, Rivers and Oyo, if the ruling APC played smart by zoning its presidential ticket to the South. Such a move, findings showed, could give the APC a sweeping momentum in the countdown to the 2023 elections that would see it maintaining its hold on power.

According to the THISDAY EIG survey, “If the PDP zones the Presidency to the North, they are likely to lose all their current Southern states, essentially, because of the mood in the South that Nigeria’s Presidency should rotate between the North and the South.

“Most Southerners believe that, for equity, balance, cohesion, security and stability of the union, the next president should come from the Southern part of Nigeria, after Buhari would have completed eight years in 2023. To propose otherwise is almost an anathema among the political class and even among the average southerner.

“It is that mood of the southern people that was reflected, when 17 southern governors met and asked that the president should go to the South. Right now, Southern leaders are so united that they don’t want to be divided on the issue and don’t mind where in the south the president comes from – whether from the South-east, South-south or South-west.

“They are of the view that it is in the collective interest of the entire south to produce the next president. They believe all southern people should be entitled to run and whoever gets the ticket from the region would be accepted.

“This is actually the undercurrent in the crisis over Uche Secondus’ chairmanship in PDP, which has pitted Governor Nyesom Wike against Secondus, with many southern governors silently supporting Wike’s position, believing that if Secondus retains the chairmanship of the party after the convention, the Presidency would automatically go to the North, which they don’t want. Wike’s attempt to force Secondus out is supported by most of the southern PDP governors, albeit quietly.”

The survey further gathered that, “Many of them (governors) are looking to people like Makarfi as a possible chairman of the party after Secondus.

However, to counter them, the northern group with presidential bid led by a former Vice President, Alhaji Atiku Abubakar; for President of the Senate, Bukola Saraki; Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal; and his Bauchi State counterpart, Bala Muhammed, supported tacitly by Senator Rabiu Kwankwaso, a former Kano State governor, want the South to produce the next PDP chairman, even after Secondus, so that the presidency could be in the North.”

To achieve this, the northern group has engaged individuals, like the Chairman of Daar Communications, Dr. Raymond Dokpesi, and others, who are also seeking to be vice president, from the South, to start speaking in support of the northern PDP members’ agenda.

From the analysis of the survey, if the trajectory of the country was reviewed from 1960, the North has produced more presidents, and in the 1999 Constitution, there is an agreement that for the survival of the country, power must rotate between North and South.

It was based on these undercurrents, that the THISDAY EIG carried out a survey, as it has always done since 1999, where it noticed that in each of the PDP states in the South, PDP was likely to lose the governorship with a northern presidency, given the overwhelming move in the South for a president from the region.

That momentum, from all indications, might therefore lead to the loss of states likes Cross River (the governor has already defected), Akwa Ibom, Rivers, Delta, Abia, Enugu and Oyo.

Currently, there would not be an election in Edo next year. However, Obaseki, although a PDP governor, the survey showed, is a firm believer in the southern presidency.

The southern governors believe that for the survival of the PDP post-2023, power has to move down South.

According to the survey, the factors in each of the critical southern states, with seeming PDP influence, painted scenarios peculiar to them.

In Cross River, for instance, even though the governor has defected to the ruling APC, the state is predominantly PDP. But the governor, Professor Ben Ayade, the survey showed, would get momentum and defeat Liyel Imoke and Donald Duke – two former governors combined – if PDP chose a northern president and APC settled for a southern presidential candidate. This, the survey added, could make the governor take the state deeper into APC.

The Akwa Ibom situation is not quite different, according to the survey. While the governor, Udom Emmanuel, is by every measure considered to be doing well, a northern presidential candidate as the PDP standard bearer, would be a hard sell for him and could lose the state to other forces, such as the current APC National Secretary, Senator James Akpanudoedehe, and the Minister of Niger Delta, Senator Godswill Akpabio, who would use federal incumbency to sweep PDP away.

Rivers, a crucial PDP state, might easily slip the way of former Governor Chibuike Amaechi, who is currently the Minister of Transportation, and effectively dislodging Governor Nyesom Wike, should the party embrace a northern presidential candidate. The state is already 50-50 for both leading parties and the APC has federal might to its advantage.

Bayelsa State is even more vulnerable, because despite the misgivings about the APC governorship candidate, David Lyon, who won by a majority of the public votes in the last election, the party still won. But the PDP only came in through the court. However, with the current Minister of State for Petroleum Resources, Timipre Sylva, and huge federal forces and privileges, APC would just replay the card it played the last time, if the APC put forward a southern candidate and PDP went North.

From Delta’s axis, there’s no debating the fact that Governor Ifeanyi Okowa is popular, especially, based on his performance record. But in the face of a southern candidate for APC and a northern candidate for PDP, his popularity would not save his party.

The party would most likely be swept out by the combined forces of the Deputy Senate President, Ovie Omo-Agege, and the Minister of State for Labour, Festus Keyamo, as well as others in the APC. With federal support, they would dislodge the PDP in Delta and sweep Okowa away, should the PDP present a northern president.

This scenario also applies to Oyo, being PDP’s only state in the South-west, where Governor Seyi Makinde, is surrounded by counterparts from the ruling party. In fact, survey showed he is hugely disadvantaged.

The survey, nonetheless, from the permutations that came out during PDP’s 92nd National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting some weeks ago, there were indications that the party might actually zone its presidential ticket to the North and the office of the national chairman to the South.

As a result of this, the governors of the party from the North, believed to have presidential interest, have begun to jostle to ensure the emergence of a national chairman that would be disposed to their aspiration.

A former military governor of Lagos State and later civilian governor of Osun State, Col. Olagunsoye Oyinlola, for instance, is said to be the favourite of many of the bigwigs, should the incumbent, Secondus, decide not to re-contest in the October 30th and 31th national convention in Abuja.

Secondus, in a statement, had stated that his tenure as the national chairman would end on December 9 2021, because he was elected on December 9, 2017, and sworn in same day.

Regardless, the embattled national chairman had recently debunked rumours that he had resigned from his position.

A statement by his Special Adviser on Media, Mr. Ike Abonyi, dismissed the report as untrue, but he contended that he was merely obeying an interim court order at the time.

He added that as a law-abiding citizen, who had been an adherent of the rule of law as a basis for democracy, he had to stay away as a form of respect for the courts.

The offices of the national chairman of the PDP and other members of the National Working Committee (NWC) are guaranteed four-year term.

Officially, PDP is expected to submit the approved zoning of offices of the members of the NWC to the coming NEC meeting on September 9 2021, other stakeholders have been plotting to see that the NWC members elected were pliable to their aspiration.

In this regard, some stakeholders were believed to be working to ensure that the national chairmanship of the party was micro-zoned to the South-west, but a few others insisted that zoning it to the South-west might prove difficult, as it could amount to abridging the constitutional rights of Secondus to seek a constitutional re-election.

On his part, Dokpsei too has since debunked reports that he was in the chairmanship race. A statement from him claimed he wanted to keep his integrity and not soil or dent it.

Unfortunately, nobody from the South-east has indicated interest in the presidential run, not even a former governor of Anambra State, Peter Obi, who was Atiku’s running mate in the 2019 presidential election.

However, from the North, the list has continued to increase. There are several posters at the party secretariat in Abuja announcing the aspirations of Tambuwal, Atiku, Mohammed, Kwankwaso, and a former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido.

Ahead of the zoning for both the presidential ticket and office of the national chairman, the chairman, Board of Trustees (BoT) of the PDP, Senator Waliid Jubrin, and Dokpesi have said the main opposition party stood a better chance in 2023 with a northern candidate.

The governments of Lagos and Rivers states have expressed their readiness to begin the collection of Value Added Tax in accordance with the judgement of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which ruled that states, and not the Federal Inland Revenue Service, should be collecting VAT and Personal Income Tax.

Already, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, had signed into law the bill that empowers the state to collect VAT, while the Lagos State Government said it had already notified all the stakeholders involved in the payment and receipt of VAT of its resolve to enforce the judgement to the letter.

This is in spite of the opposition by the FIRS, which already filed an appeal against the judgment, and some northern states, who said they preferred the Federal Government to continue collecting the tax.

Justice Stephen Pam, who delivered the judgment on August 10, 2021, also restrained the FIRS and the Attorney General of the Federation from demanding the taxes from the residents of the Rivers State, which by implication affects other states.

VAT is charged on the supply of goods and services in Nigeria, including those imported into the country, except the goods and services specifically exempted under the VAT Act.

By virtue of the Finance Act 2020, which took effect on February 1, 2020, the Value Added Tax charged on affected goods and services rose from five per cent to 7.5 per cent. Yearly, VAT contributes significantly to the total revenue generated by the government.

Prior to the court judgment, however, the FIRS, an agency of the Federal Government, had the responsibility of collecting VAT on behalf of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. The sum collected is then shared among the three tiers of government, with the Federal Government taking 15 per cent, the states 50 per cent; local governments 35 per cent.

While signing the Valued Added Tax Law No. 4 of 2021 and some other bills into law, Wike said, “We (Rivers State) areThe governments of Lagos and Rivers states have expressed their readiness to begin the collection of Value Added Tax in accordance with the judgement of a Federal High Court in Port Harcourt, which ruled that states, and not the Federal Inland Revenue Service, should be collecting VAT and Personal Income Tax.

Already, the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, had signed into law the bill that empowers the state to collect VAT, while the Lagos State Government said it had already notified all the stakeholders involved in the payment and receipt of VAT of its resolve to enforce the judgement to the letter.

This is in spite of the opposition by the FIRS, which already filed an appeal against the judgment, and some northern states, who said they preferred the Federal Government to continue collecting the tax.

Justice Stephen Pam, who delivered the judgment on August 10, 2021, also restrained the FIRS and the Attorney General of the Federation from demanding the taxes from the residents of the Rivers State, which by implication affects other states.

VAT is charged on the supply of goods and services in Nigeria, including those imported into the country, except the goods and services specifically exempted under the VAT Act.

By virtue of the Finance Act 2020, which took effect on February 1, 2020, the Value Added Tax charged on affected goods and services rose from five per cent to 7.5 per cent. Yearly, VAT contributes significantly to the total revenue generated by the government.

Prior to the court judgment, however, the FIRS, an agency of the Federal Government, had the responsibility of collecting VAT on behalf of the 36 states of the federation and the Federal Capital Territory. The sum collected is then shared among the three tiers of government, with the Federal Government taking 15 per cent, the states 50 per cent; local governments 35 per cent.

While signing the Valued Added Tax Law No. 4 of 2021 and some other bills into law, Wike said, “We (Rivers State) are standing on the part of history as representatives of the state to have taken the bull by the horns to challenge the illegality of the Federal Government through the Federal inland Revenue Services.”

Justifying the reason for filing the suit, Wike added, “In this Rivers State, we awarded contracts to companies and within the last month, we paid over N30bn to the contractors and 7.5 per cent will now be deducted from that and to be given to FIRS.

“Now, look at 7.5 per cent of N30bn of contracts we awarded to companies in Rivers State, you will be talking about almost N3bn only from that source. Now, at the end of the month, Rivers State government has never received more than N2bn from VAT. So, I have contributed more through the award of the contract and you are giving me less. What’s the justification for it?”

In Lagos State, the Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, said the state government would soon commence the implementation of the court judgment even if it had to send a bill to the House of Assembly to amend the relevant laws.

He said the judgment was a reflection of true federalism and the state government had already notified all the stakeholders involved in the payment and receipt of VAT of its resolve to enforce it.

Omotosho stated, “We are aware of the judgment and we applauded it. In a federation, that is the way it goes. In our pursuit of true federalism, it is a giant step forward. And in fact, we have notified all our stakeholders about the judgment that the Lagos State Government will implement it.

“We are writing to all the stakeholders to let them know that this is a judgment we are going to obey to the letter.”

Asked when it would take effect in the state, he said, “We are working on it. It is a matter of law. (It will commence) very soon except if we will be sending a bill to the House of Assembly to officially notify the Assembly about the judgment and adjust our own law that will compel those who pay VAT to the state government in obedience to the judgment.”

Meanwhile, there has been an uneasy calm over the judgement, because according to tax experts, no fewer than 30 states would likely face huge drop in their revenue from the federal allocation, which is the main source of revenue for the states.

Former Minister of Finance, Mrs Kemi Adeosun, had said in August 2017 that 55 per cent of the revenue generated by the Federal Government from VAT was being collected from Lagos State alone, adding that the remaining 45 per cent was being generated from the remaining 35 states and the Federal Capital Territory.

Fiscal Policy Partner and the Africa Tax Leader at PricewaterhouseCoopers, Mr Taiwo Oyedele, had earlier told The PUNCH that the biggest losers would be the states, except Lagos.

“A few states like Kano, Rivers, Oyo, Kaduna, Delta and Katsina may experience minimal impact, while at least 30 states, which account for less than 20 per cent of VAT collection, will suffer significant revenue decline,” he added.

Consequently, apart from the FIRS, some states in the north have also expressed their opposition to the judgement, given the impact it would have on their revenue and how it could worsen their already shaky economy. Some of the states had in the past relied on bailout from the Federal Government to pay salaries.

VAT has been a major contributor to the consolidated revenue fund. In 2020, for example, total VAT collection was about N1.53tn, with import VAT being N348bn while foreign non-import VAT was N420bn and local VAT amounted to N763bn.

In the first quarter of 2021 alone, the National Bureau of Statistics disclosed that the country generated N496.39bn from VAT, which was an improvement on the N324.58bn it earned in the same period in 2020.

Apart from the FIRS, some governors in the northern part of the country have also kicked against the judgment.

The Plateau State Commissioner for Information, Dan Manjang, told one of our correspondents on Friday that the Federal Government should continue to collect the VAT, arguing that states tend to benefit more if the FIRS is allowed to handle the collection.

Manjang said, “How many industries do we have in Plateau State? There are not many. So, the position of the Plateau State Government on VAT is that the Federal Government, through the FIRS, should continue to collect VAT on our behalf and thereafter remit the proceeds to us.

“We prefer it this way because we discovered that the amount that we will spend in collecting the VAT will be more than what we will get eventually.”

In Gombe State, the Chairman, Internal Revenue Service, Abubakar Tata, argued that states lacked the capacity to effectively carry out that responsibility, noting that the consumption tax states were allowed to collect had not been optimally done.

He added, “There are certain taxes that the Federal Government collects on behalf of the states because we have the Joint Tax Board account where all the collection regarding Value Added Tax is paid into and later shared based on the allocation formula. If you allow state governments to begin to collect tax, will it be effective? After all, the states have consumption tax which is five per cent of what is consumed at restaurants, event centres and other services.

“At the moment, not all the states are collecting the consumption tax because of issues like capacity, enforcement and other issues surrounding tax administration at the lower level, particularly at the state level. If you strip the Federal Government of the power to compel any company or taxpaying entity operating in Nigeria to make the payment and you give the power to states, the level of collection we are seeing at the moment will not be the same.”

While questioning the decision of Rivers State Government to test collection of VAT in court, he stressed that the state might not have appropriately enforced consumption tax because of politics.

He added, “At the moment, Gombe is implementing the new tax law in phases and we are distributing letters to all relevant taxpaying entities because we are expected to collect five per cent from the services they render and remit it to the Internal Revenue Service. We are, at the moment, raising awareness through the mass media.

“Assuming all states are collecting the consumption tax as it is enshrined in the state law then we can say we have the capacity and the legal framework to do it and remit the same to our Internal Revenue service.

“At the moment, we lack the capacity to execute that mandate because even the consumption tax, if you go to Rivers, go and find out how much they are able to collect under consumption tax. It’s for politics, somehow to overheat the polity and the economic stabilisation of the country as a whole.”

In Borno State, a top government official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said no state in the North would want the enforcement of the judgment because it would make the prices of goods rise beyond the reach of the people.

He added, “The wisdom behind allowing the Federal Government to receive the taxes on behalf of the states at the point of entry through the then Federal Inland Revenue Agency was to normalise prices and distribute to all states through the Federal Accounts Allocation Committee after deducting 15 per cent.

“The general consensus among the states is that the judge that delivered that judgment did not have the complete information about the service because if he did, he would have understood the idea behind the Federal Government receiving the VAT.”

The official stressed that if all states were to collect their VAT respectively, people, including the rich, would find things expensive to buy.

He added, “For example, here in Borno State, if we are transporting trucks loaded with rice from Lagos down to Maiduguri, how many states will that truck pass through before getting to Borno. If the truck refuses to pay VAT, that state will impound the car.

“The states came together and discussed that all consumables should be charged uniformly and FIRS was appointed to collect the VAT and share among the states. We agreed on the percentage to be deducted by the Federal Government, which is 15 per cent and, considering the total amount being realised and shared, that percentage is small and negligible.”

In Adamawa State, the Director-General, Media and Communications in the state, Solomon Kumangar, who spoke to one of our correspondents on Friday, said the matter was of interest to the state, noting that the state would like to be joined should the Federal Government appeal the judgment and the case proceeds to the Supreme Court.

He added, “Anything to extend and improve on our IGR is welcomed. So, we are keen on joining Rivers State Government should the Federal Government appeal the judgment which granted Rivers State the right to collect VAT. That is because whatever will bring improvement in IGR is a welcome idea for a state like Adamawa just recovery from the ravages of insurgency.

“The truth is that the collection of VAT by the states is the only way to assist states who are heavily dependent on federal allocations to be able to wean themselves and meet their fiduciary obligations. So, if there are areas where revenues can be exploited and extended, surely the state government will welcome it.”

Earlier, Governor Bello Masari of Katsina State, while receiving a delegation from the Revenue Mobilisation Allocation and Fiscal Commission, had said the state had also appealed the judgment, vowing that the court’s decision would not stand.

“We have heard the judgment of the Federal High Court in Rivers and we have appealed against that judgment. It means people will begin to pay double VAT because if you pay VAT in Kano, at the point of departure, it means when you come to Katsina you pay another VAT.

“If you pay VAT in Lagos, it means you also pay VAT all along the way until you reach your destination. It will bring a lot of burden on the people. That judgment is not fair. It is other parts of the country that make Lagos and Rivers states what they are. We have to work together as a nation and come up with something that will work for all of us.”

Meanwhile, Kaduna and Niger states said they had yet to take on a position on the issue as they were still studying the judgement.

The Executive Chairman, Niger State Internal Revenue Service, Mohammed Madami Etsu, told one of our correspondents that once the state took a decision, it would be made public.

“We are still studying the judgment and the decision of the state would be made public once a decision is taken on the matter but for now, I cannot say much about it,” Etsu said.

Also, also the Secretary to the State Government, Alhaji Ibrahim Matane, said he could not make any statement on it because it was a policy issue that needed to be discussed at the state executive level.

“I can’t make any statement on it because it is a matter that needs to be discussed at policy level. We are a federation and individual states would want to collect it by themselves but there are consequences to such a decision. This is a policy issue that needs extensive deliberation at the state executive level,” Matane added.

In Kaduna State, the Special Assistant to Governor Nasir El-Rufai, Muyiwa Adekeye, told one of our correspondents in an interview on Friday that the state was studying the judgment to understand its details, impact and ramifications.

Adekeye noted that the state remained a champion of true federalism, anchored on significant devolution of powers and responsibilities to the states, adding that the state focused intensely on expanding its IGR, enabling it to increase its IGR from N13bn in 2015 to N50.2bn in 2020.

He added, “The Kaduna State Government is a champion of true federalism, anchored on significant devolution of powers and responsibilities to the states. Kaduna State has also focused intensely on expanding its internally generated revenue. The El-Rufai government has almost quadrupled IGR to N50.2bn in 2020, from N13bn in 2015.

“The state government is still studying the VAT judgment to understand its details, impact and ramifications.”

The Northern Governors Forum, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep Femi Gbajabiamila and his Deputy, Rep. Ahmed Idris Wase and the Chairman, Caretaker Committee of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), Gov. Mai Mala Buni of Yobe State, have congratulated the Secretary to the Government of the Federation, Boss Gida Mustapha, on his 65th birthday, describing him as an accomplished technocrat, lawyer and politician with tremendous passion for the development of Nigeria.

Chairman of the Forum and Governor of Plateau State, Simon Bako Lalong in a message said the SGF  carries an enviable record of dedicated service to humanity, passion for human capital development, commitment to ideals of truth, justice and patriotism, as well as embraced people from all backgrounds in the journey of his life.

He said these attributes have been visible in his political and professional career by greatly influencing his achievements since being appointed to head the nation’s bureaucracy by President Muhammadu Buhari.

Read Also: Boss Mustapha is a dedicated public servant — Buhari

Lalong, in a statement by the spokesman, Dr. Makut Simon Macham, said: “Boss Mustapha remains a shining example of humility, transparency, mobilization, and commitment, particularly in his current assignment of spearheading Nigeria’s response against COVID-19 where he has galvanised the nation to put up a robust fight against the pandemic.”

Speaker of the House of Representatives, Rep Femi Gbajabiamila and his Deputy, Rep. Ahmed Idris Wase described the SGF as a pillar of the Buhari administration.

In their separate statements to mark the 65th birthday of the government scribe, the two leaders of the Green Chambers of the National Assembly said Nigerians and Nigerian youths have a lot to learn from him.

In his statement signed by his Special Adviser on Media and Publicity, Lanre Lasisi, the Speaker congratulated the Secretary to the Government for clocking the age of 65.

Gbajabiamila, who described Boss Mustapha as one of the pillars of the All Progressives Congress (APC), said the SGF has made laudable contributions toward the achievements recorded by the APC-led government.

On his part, the Deputy Speaker described the SGF as a seasoned administrator who has contributed immensely to the development of the country.

He said “I sincerely congratulate you as you attained the age 65, your commitment to the success of this administration is unquantifiable. You are indeed a pillar of support to the All Progressives Congress and the Buhari administration.

APC Caretaker Committee Chairman, and Yobe State governor,. Mai Mala Buni in a separate statement eulogized the SGF for committing his energy, knowledge, and wealth of experience to the service of the country.

The Central Bank of Nigeria, CBN, has disclosed that it has so far recovered N89.2 billion excess and illegal charges slammed on  customers by banks in Nigeria.

Meanwhile the apex bank also said that Nigeria’s financial system is sound, resilient and stable contrary to rumors in unnamed quarters.

The CBN Governor, Godwin Emefiele, represented by the Acting Director, Corporate Communications Department, CBN, Osita Nwanisobi,    speaking in Calabar at a 2- day public enlightenment fair, said the amount which was as at June 2021 was based on 23,526 complaints they received from customer bordering on charges and other related matters .

READ ALSO: FOREX: CBN to monitor banks’ compliance

He added that the insinuations that the Apex bank was planning to convert domiciliary/ dollar accounts to naira were false and unfounded.

The fair is targeted at keeping the public apprised and let them know the policies, programmes and economic interventions of the bank and how it benefits the people.

He stated:  “We want Nigerians to know that we carry out “banking examinations” and the results show that our banks are in very good condition and our financial system is stable, resilient, safe and sound”.

“This sensitisation is part of ways to engage the people to understand how our polices, programmes and interventions are affecting them and as well as create a veritable platform to discuss and understand their challenges through their responses and feedbacks.”

On the customer complaints he said, “What we do is that whenever we get these complaints, they are thoroughly investigated, if they are found to be true, the CBN makes sure that these customers are properly refunded and we have so far recovered N89 billion.”

The Peoples Democratic Party’s Board of Trustees on Thursday opposed moves to sack the  Uche Secondus-led National Working Committee and replace it with an interim caretaker committee.

It was gathered that at a meeting, which started at 11am and presided over by the board Chairman, Senator Walid Jibrin, members insisted that the National Chairman, Secondus,  should be allowed to complete his tenure which would soon end.

It was also learnt that the party leaders faulted what they termed as uncomplimentary remarks by some party leaders, including the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, against the NWC.

The board, according to sources, also berated Secondus over his handling of crises in some state chapters of the party.

The PUNCH had on Thursday reported that the national chairman was battling to retain his position as Wike spearheaded moves to ensure his removal before the party’s National Executive Council meeting and the national convention.

According to the report, Secondus’ opponents reasoned that the national chairman would install his loyalists as members of the convention committee thus paving the way for his re-election.

It was alleged that Tuesday’s resignation of seven members of NEC was part of the moves to oust the national chairman and set up a caretaker committee, which would organise the next national convention.

At Thursday’s BoT meeting, it was learnt that the seven NEC members, who resigned, were asked to withdraw their resignation.

Findings also indicated that members insisted that Secondus should be allowed to end his tenure.

It was gathered the meeting, which was held behind closed doors,  afforded party leaders the opportunity to speak frankly to one another.

A member of the board, who spoke to our correspondent on condition of anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media, said, “ Based on the outcome of the meeting today, members want Secondus to finish his tenure, We are not in support of any interim arrangement. We spoke frankly to one another and apportioned blame where we needed to.  We looked at the bigger picture, the interest of our party.

“Most of the speakers expressed dissatisfaction with uncomplimentary remarks about our chairman by one of our leaders who was present.

“Referring to our leaders as  ‘tax collectors’ and ‘liars‘ was an insult on all of us and we said so.

“Of course, there were those who spoke up about the shoddy treatment our chairman had given them over matters he was expected to handle better but did not

our leaders including our ex-officio members have canvassed, the aggrieved persons who have tendered resignation and some who have threatened to follow suit were encouraged to rescind their decision in the interest of our party.”

It was, however, agreed that those who refused to withdraw should be replaced.

After Thursday’s BoT meeting, a former President of the Senate, David Mark who addressed journalists, said, “We resolved at the meeting to set up a committee that will look at the situation.

“The committee is made up of the governors, members of the BoT, members of the National Assembly, all the members of the National Working Committee, former governors, former ministers, so that they can holistically resolve the problems.“

The former Senate President expressed confidence that the peace move “will not only stop the current crises, it will lead to providing a better environment to make us far more United and make us stronger as a party.“

He also dispelled speculations t Wike was summoned to the meeting. Mark explained that Wike attended the meeting as a BoT member.

Also, the BoT Chairman,  Jibrin, described the meeting as “frank and sincere“. He expressed confidence that all the issues would soon be resolved.

In his remarks, former Senate President Bukola Saraki said, “We all came together to address some issues and because of the urgency of the matter, we agreed to set up this committee urgently and within the next 48 to 72 hours, they will meet and at the end of that meeting, the country will see where the direction the party is going.

“The commitment of everybody to attend that meeting and subject themselves to the decision of that meeting shows the interest of everybody.

“The presence of all of us here is because this meeting of today is important in addressing some of those issues.

“My own message to Nigerians is that we know the importance of this party to this nation in addressing the challenges ahead of us. So let us come together as a party and salvage this country.“

 based on what the Chairman of the BoT has said, that seven deputies members of the principal working committee resigned.

“We met with them, the first day they brought their letters and we also met with them yesterday.

“We quickly deployed the internal conflict resolution mechanism so that the issues are not escalated to the point that our party will be greatly damaged.

“You are aware that the National Youth Leader took a stand that is outside the conduct of our normal process of settling grievances and thereafter he on his own has been going on, on the wide-scale allegations and so forth.“

“My opinion is that anything contrary to the smooth running of our party, towards these three months that is remaining will not be good enough for our party.“

Attempts to speak to the Rivers State governor after the meeting were unsuccessful. As soon as he stepped out of the PDP National Executive Council Meeting Hall at the Wadata Plaza, National Secretariat of the party, a group of reporters and cameraman approached him for an interview, he simply walked into his waiting SUV and left.

Meanwhile, in a statement issued by his Media Office, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar appealed to aggrieved party members to give peace a chance.

In a statement titled, “PDP: Atiku calls for calm, urges reconciliation process be given a chance,’ signed by his Media Adviser, Paul Ibe, Atiku said those who wanted Nigerians to continue with the current hardship in the land would be eager to fuel the crisis in the PDP for their political advantage.”

The former Vice President called on PDP leaders to unite for the sake of the party’s interest and the country.

Also, six-officio members of the party called for calm. In a statement signed on their behalf by Yunnana Illiya and Chief Okey Aro, they said,” We consider the recent resignation of some members of the National Executive Committee of our party, following allegations of abandonment against our National Chairman,  Prince Uche Secondus as hasty and ill-advised. It is our considered opinion that they should have explored internal dispute resolution mechanism to resolve their grievances.

Those at the BOT meeting include PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, National Secretary, Senator Umar Ibrahim Tsauri and Deputy National Chairman North, Senator Suleiman Nazif

Immediate Past President of  Saraki, former president of the Senate,  Mark, former President of the Senate, Adolphus Ndaneweh Wabara.


Former Kaduna State Governor, Ahmed Makarfi, former Niger State Governor, Babangida Aliyu, former Minister of Special Duties, Tanimu Turaki, Chief Tom Ikimi, former Katisna State Governor, Ibrahim Shema, former Cross Rivers State Governor, Liyel Imoke, Chief Olisa Metuh,  former Osun State Governor, Chief Olagunsoye Oyinlola. End

Deputy national publicity secretary withdraws resignation

Meanwhile, the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the PDP, Diran Odeyemi, who is the leader of the aggrieved deputies who resigned their positions, on Thursday rescinded his decision.

In a letter dated August 4, titled “Withdrawal of letter of resignation, addressed to the party, he said, “ I write to withdraw my letter of resignation as deputy national publicity secretary of our great party.

“This decision is taken in view of the activation of the internal method of resolving issues by our leaders across the length and breadth of Nigeria. I also wish to state expressly that whichever embarrassment the resignation has caused the party, its leaders, members and supporters is highly regretted. “

DaddyRochie1642:
Never underestimate the power of Kpekus

dreu2fine:
I see u joining apc

• Rivers gov, others want Secondus out before NEC meeting, national convention

The Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party, Uche Secondus, is battling to retain his position as opposition to his chairmanship mounts, The PUNCH has learnt.

It was gathered on Wednesday that Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, and other party chieftains opposed to Secondus were bent on removing him before the National Executive Committee meeting of the party, which would hold anytime from now.

It was learnt that the plot to remove the  chairman before the NEC meeting was part of moves to thwart his re-election at the party’s national convention, which would hold in November.

As the plot to sack Secondus thickened on Wednesday, The PUNCH gathered that  the Chairman of the PDP Governors’ Forum and Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, had started mobilising support for him.

But sources in the PDP told one of our correspondents that Secondus’s opponents feared that if the chairman was allowed to convene the NEC meeting, where members of the convention/election committee would be chosen, he would plant his loyalists in the committee thus paving the way for his re-election.

Recall there were reports on Tuesday that a crisis had hit the PDP National Working Committee following the resignation of seven members.

It was gathered that the anti-Secondus forces thought the mass resignation would force the chairman out of the office or lead to the setting up of a caretaker committee to replace the NWC before the national convention where new national officers would emerge.

A member of the NWC, who confided in one of our correspondents on Wednesday, said, “The crisis is about the control of the party ahead of the 2023 elections. Wike and others, who are opposed to Secondus strongly believe that if he is allowed to convene and preside over the NEC meeting, where the national convention/election committee members will be chosen, he will ensure that his supporters are members, thus his re-emergence as the national chairman will be easy. They believe that Secondus should not preside over his re-election.”

Wike, Rivers PDP chairman keep mum

The Rivers State governor and the state Chairman of the PDP, Ambassador Desmond Akawor, were on Wednesday  silent on  allegations that the governor was behind the move to remove Secondus.

Although our correspondent in the state could not reach the governor directly,  several calls and a text/WhatsApp message sent to his Personal Assistant on Media, Kelvin Ebiri, were not responded to as of the time of filing this report.

Similarly, Akawor neither responded to several calls put across to him by the correspondent nor replied to a text message sent to his phone  as of 8:40pm when our reporter filed this report.

But  Wike   in a recent parley with journalists  in Port Harcourt dismissed claims that he and Secondus were not in good terms.

A couple of weeks ago, Governor Samuel Ortom of Benue State hosted Wike and Secondus in what was widely believed to be a move to reconcile the two political leaders from Rivers State.

Though the outcome of the meeting was not made public, it was reported that Ortom reconciled Wike and Secondus.

But Tambuwal on Wednesday started rallying support for the embattled chairman.

One of our correspondents gathered  that Tambuwal cut short his visit to Ghana to rush down to Abuja for an emergency session with some of his colleagues.

As Tambuwal moves to save the embattled chairman heightened,  the Chairman of the party Board of Trustees, Senator Walid Jubin, summoned an emergency meeting of the board which would be held today.

It was learnt that Tambuwal, who started reaching out to his colleagues on Tuesday night was being supported by  Senator Seriake Dickson ,who  was coordinating members of the party in the National Assembly.

A high-ranking member of the party’s leadership, who confided in one of our correspondents,  said contrary to reports on Wednesday,  those who  resigned were not members of the NWC.

He stated, “In all honesty, no member of the National Working Committee has resigned yet, yes there are threats but no one has resigned.


“The seven deputies who resigned yesterday were members of the National Executive Committee not the NWC.

“However, their decision also makes the party look bad. We know an individual who is hell bent on causing chaos in the party because of a personal ambition. But he will soon realise that the PDP is bigger than any individual. We have survived the worst. I know Tambuwal and Dickson are mobilising support for Secondus.”

In what appears to be worsening of the situation, a member of the party’s Board of Trustees, Senator Joy Emordi, also dumped the party to join the APC. The decision was announced by the Director General Media to the APC National Chairman, Mamman Mohammed, in Abuja, on Wednesday.

Emordi’s decision came barely 24 hours after seven members of the party’s NEC resigned from the committee.

Secondus fingers unnamed party leader over travails

Commenting on the move to sack him, Secondus alleged that   an unnamed party leader  was behind his travails.

Secondus said this in a statement titled “Who is after Secondus and Why is somebody in love with a caretaker?” signed by his Media Adviser, Ike Abonyi, in Abuja.

He alleged that the disquiet within the PDP  barely four months to the national convention of the party was because “somebody is rooting for a caretaker committee to run the affairs of the party.”

The statement further read, “The media office of the National Chairman is privy to an intelligence that the strong party chieftain bent on hijacking the party structure for destruction is still on the loose with the main agenda of denting the image of Prince Uche Secondus the National Chairman.

“Reports reaching this office show clearly that this character is deploying all devious means to try and diminish the person and character  of the National Chairman with a view to having his way of ultimately hijacking the structure for his disproportionately large ambition.”

Secondus  assured all  stakeholders in the party that steps were  being taken to ensure that the image of the party was not injured.

Atiku denies links to moves to oust Secondus

Also on Wednesday, former Vice President Atiku Abubakar  denied speculations linking him to moves against the party chairman.

His media aide, Paul Ibe, described those spreading such rumours as mischief makers.

He said, “Why will a former Vice-President be behind the plot to sack the PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus? What will be his interest?

“Someone who has commenced the process of having conversations with stakeholders of the party on reconciliation; a man who has encouraged processes aimed at ensuring peace and stability in the party.

“The trip he made to Port Harcourt, he had a similar one to Delta. And he has more in the offing. Why will he promote peace and stability in the party and be behind moves to sack Secondus? It’s ridiculous for anyone to talk about this.

“Atiku understands the constitution of the PDP and what the party stated about tenure for party leadership.

“So, he cannot be working against something that he understands and promotes. That is not how democrats behave.Whoever is saying this, should know it is ‘beer parlour’ talk and unnecessary mischief.”

Dickson defends Secondus, warns against caretaker committee

On his part, in  a statement on Wednesday,  Dickson, a former Governor of Bayelsa State and lawmaker representing Bayelsa West,  defended Secondus.

He said rather calling for the setting up of a caretaker committee for the party, members of NEC, who resigned should be replaced.

He stated, “ An emergency NEC meeting should be convened which should take appropriate decisions to stabilise the party. And if there is any member of the working committee who wants to resign, such a person should consider the overall interest of the party and have a rethink.”

According to him, if the PDP shrinks from a party for all to a party for a few, it will lose its selling point and many members and leaders will have no option but to review their membership.

“ We don’t have the time, resources and mechanism to resolve problems that will arise from a caretaker committee which will throw up more problems before the party convention and primaries at the centre and across the states.

“I caution all those behind this crisis not to leave any opening to the APC to exploit with its control of the resources and machinery of government.

“We should all learn from the challenge the APC has found itself with the appointment of a caretaker committee which is still unfolding. With only four months to the end of the tenure of the current working committee, it does not make sense to either push for and force a resignation, or to force the appointment of a caretaker committee on a party with officers who have a constitutionally guaranteed tenure.”

BoT worried, to meet today, says Chairman..

When contacted the Chairman of the PDP board of trustees told The PUNCH, that an emergency meeting of the board would hold today (Thursday).

He said, “The BoT will meet tomorrow to bring unity among our members. The defecting of members of our party, especially the governors, some former senators, our BoT members, senators Grace Bent and Joy Emordi, is a matter of concern.

“We are going to do everything possible to find out why they are leaving; why they have left. Anybody, who left, we are trying to ensure we bring him or her back.

“We will not leave them like that.  We will talk to them. I have been a member of the PDP since it was formed in 1998.  I have not left.  I will never leave the party by the grace of God no matter what happens.

“No member of the NWC has left yet. The youth leader who addressed a press conference yesterday is being talked to.  The NWC met and has adjourned till Sunday.”

However, our correspondent gathered that apart from the National Youth Leader, Ude Okoye, and the National Auditor, Adamu Mustapha, also threatened to leave the party.

Mustapha earlier issued a damning audit report in which he accused Secondus of failing to account for billions of naira belonging to the party.

•Party exco tells seven officers who resigned to go immediately
•Youth leader, others knock chairman

Governors of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) are sharply divided over the fate of party National Chairman Uche Secondus.

The National Working Committee (NWC) sank deeper into crisis with yesterday’s resignation of seven members.

Those that resigned are: the Deputy National Publicity Secretary Diran Odeyemi; Deputy National Legal Adviser Ahmed Bello; Deputy National Women Leader Hadizat Umoru; and Deputy National Auditor Divine Amina Arong.

Others are Deputy National Organising Secretary Hassan Yakubu and Deputy National Financial Secretary Irona Alphonsus.

Their grouse about the party is what they termed Secondus poor leadership.

Those who resigned gave a 30-day notice but the NWC told them after a meeting yesterday that they should go immediately, it was learnt.

The NWC’s tenure ends in December but Governor Nyesom Wike is leading the group seeking the termination of party officers’ tenure before the terminal date.

Things got to a head yesterday when the governors took different positions for and against the Secondus-led NWC.

Eight out of 14 governors are for Secondus. Three are against. The remaining three are sitting on the fence.

A source said: “The crisis in the party has caused a split among its governors. They are not on the same page despite last month’s meeting in Bauchi, where they appeared to be united.

“Secondus has pulled a counter-string by running to PDP governors and former governors”, he said.

It was learnt last night that governors backing Secondus are Ifeanyi Ugwuanyi(Enugu), Okezie Ikpeazu(Abia), Bala Mohammed (Bauchi), Darius Ishaku(Taraba), Duoye Diri(Bayelsa), Ifeanyi Okowa(Delta) and Godwin Obaseki (Edo). Deputy Governor Mahdi Aliyu Gusau (Zamfara) is also with him.

 Those opposed to Secondus and his team are Wike (Rivers), Seyi Makinde (Oyo) and  Ahmadu Fintiri (Adamawa). Also against him is a former Deputy President of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu, who has issues with Governor Ugwuanyi on the zoning of  governorship ticket in Enugu State.

Governors Aminu Tambuwal ( Sokoto), Samuel Ortom (Benue) and Emmanuel Udom (Akwa Ibom) are on the fence.

It was learnt that Tambuwal, who is chairman of the PDP Governors Forum, has not aligned yet with any group.

It was gathered that as a peace  facilitator among warring groups in the party, Ortom has been treading softly.

The PDP governors are meeting next week in Abuja to take a stand on Secondus.

Hours after the resignation of seven deputy national officers, the other NWC members passed a vote of confidence in Secondus.

But Secondus, who did not take the seven-man revolt for granted reached out to a former National Chairman Sen. Ahmed Makarfi and ex-Governor Ibrahim Shema (Katsina).

A top source, added: “The NWC has launched a counter attack against the seven rebels. It has decided to replace them immediately.

“ Although they appeared before the NWC and clarified that they only gave a 30-day notice to resign, the NWC insisted that since their exit was already in the public domain, the seven officers must go.”

The source added:” The rebellion by the seven officers created suspense at the NWC meeting. Although members shrugged off the rebellion, it also moved to stem the revolt.

•‘CBN’s supply ban won’t affect us’

To stay afloat in business after the Central Bank of Nigeria (CBN) terminated the supply of foreign currencies to them, Bureaux De Change (BDC) operators have intensified private sourcing of foreign exchange (forex).

The operators said the stoppage of dollar sales to them by the CBN will have minimal effect on their business because they get more dollars from their customers than the supply from the apex bank.

According to CBN Governor Godwin Emefiele, the apex bank was selling $20,000 to over 5,500 BDCs per week.

He said: “This amount translates to about $110 million per week and about $5.72 billion per year. This is a scarce resource. The CBN and the government cannot continue to allow this unwholesome practice continue in Nigeria”.

The BDC operators in Lagos and Abuja claim they are not bothered about the step taken by the apex bank’s decision (stopping dollar sales to them).

According to them, they buy more dollars from their customers than they normally do from CBN.

Two of the operators – Nura and Abubakar Moshood – who operate from Abuja and Lagos, respectively, said: “We get dollars from customers more than what CBN give to us. You know that Nigerians have dollars at home, in their accounts, everywhere. We buy dollars from customers and sell to those who want it.”

Moshood said BDCs buy dollars from travellers, international oil companies and government officials that have access to estacodes. He said BDC operators with high net-worth can attract between $2,000 and $10,000 daily from travellers who normally do not exchange their money in banks because of rate disparities.

He said: “We always have many walk-in-customers bringing dollars. There are many Nigerians that earn dollars, especially professionals who carry out services for foreign companies. We also have Nigerians working for foreign companies whose salaries are in dollars. They always approach us to change their dollars into naira.

“There are also many people with domiciliary accounts who also come to us to change money when they have need for naira,” saying “we give them higher value than the banks. Only a few people change their money in banks and will always get less for their dollars compared to what they get when they approach BDCs.”

A visit by our reporter to Wuse Zone 4, the hub of parallel forex trading in Abuja, showed that forex trading was ongoing, indicating ‘business as usual.’

Operators were seen hailing passers-by to come exchange their currency like they did before the CBN decision.

Another Abuja-based trader, who simply identified himself as Ibrahim, corroborated Nura. He confirmed that operators have a steady source of forex from customers.

“So far, the decision to stop the sale of forex has had little or no effect on our ability to trade in foreign currency,” Ibrahim said.

The traders yesterday told this newspaper yesterday that they were buying a dollar for N500 and selling at N507 indicating that the price of the greenback is gradually declining against the local currency.

The CBN stopped the weekly sale of forex to BDCs operators on July 27, accusing them of dollarising the economy.

It ordered Deposit Money Banks (DMBs) to henceforth sell forex directly to customers with legitimate demand for foreign exchange.

To ensure that the banks do not short-change the process, the CBN has put in place a monitoring mechanism to guarantee the seamless sale of foreign exchange to customers who support their requests for foreign exchange with relevant documentation.

It was the unhindered access to forex by the BDCs that led to rumours that the CBN was going after forex in domiciliary accounts of bank customers.

The claim has been denied by the apex bank which on Monday said that “those making such allegations were criminal speculators whose intention was to create panic in the foreign exchange market”.

The apex bank stated that at no time did it “ever suggest or imply that it would tinker with the foreign exchange deposits of customers.”

The Governor of Kano State, Dr. Abdullahi Ganduje, former Governor of Imo State, Sen. Rochas Okorocha, the Minister of Works and Housing, Mr. Raji Fashola (SAN), would discuss the country’s unity on Thursday following the recent agitations by separatists calling for the balkanisation of the country.

The public lecture series organised by journalists covering the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC) is aimed at contributing to the intellectual development of the nation’s democracy.

The Chairman of the Conference Organising Committee, Mr. Babatunde Ayeni, in a statement issued yesterday said the invited dignitaries would discuss the topic “Sustaining United and Indivisible Nigeria: A myth or Reality,” at the event billed to hold at the Sheraton Hotels, Abuja.

Ayeni noted that the Chairman, Caretaker/Extraordinary Convention Planning Committee (CECPC) of the APC and the Governor of Yobe State, Mr. Mai Mala Buni, would be the chairman of the occasion.

He said: “The public lecture series is aimed at providing workable template options for effective good governance and serve as a medium for the deepening of democratic norms and institutions by engaging key players in politics, public administration, academia and economy. Report and suggestions on the lecture will be made available to the party and interested members of the public.

“In discussing Nigeria’s diversity, we believe that Governor Ganduje has a lot of experience to share with Nigerians being a product of the premier University of Ibadan though born in Kano. It’s also a fact that Governor Ganduje’s daughter married a Yoruba man. In addition, Dr. Ganduje’s networks of close friends and associates are mostly from the South-east and South-south.”

Other prominent Nigerians expected to speak at the event include; Deputy Senate President Ovie Omo-Agege, the Minister Industry, Trade and Investment, Mr. Niyi Adebayo, the Minister of State for Petroleum, Mr. Timiprye Sylva, the Minister of State for Labour, Mr. Festus Keyamo (SAN), the Director General of the Voice of Nigeria (VON) Hon. James Faleke, among others.

Wawelexy:
Why can't you do that ur self? If u wan cause wahala u won't invite osibanjo, but if kasala burst finish, na then u go remember say osibanjo get sense, thereby asking him to face angry people...

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Topzee109:
Una no Sabi anything