₦airaland Forum

Another wave of crisis has engulfed the ruling Peoples Democratic Party
(PDP) in Ondo State following the imposition of an “anointed candidate”
on the beleaguered members of the party by the embattled Governor
Olusegun Mimiko in preparation for the governorship election slated
for November 26th, 2016, SaharaReporters can authoritatively report.
Top government sources in the State officially confirmed to our
correspondent on Tuesday that Mr. Mimiko had already anointed Eyitayo
Jegede, a Senior Advocate of Nigeria (SAN), as his successor.
Mr. Jegede is the incumbent Attorney General and Commissioner for
Justice in Mr. Mimiko’s PDP-led Ondo State government.
Our correspondent reported that the Akure-born legal practitioner is
also from the same Central Senatorial District as the outgoing
governor.
Mr. Jegede had already confirmed his interest to participate in the
contest for the November 26 governorship election under the umbrella of the Peoples Democratic Party to succeed Mr. Mimiko.
He made the confirmation last week when the leaders of the National
Association of Women Journalists (NAWOJ) in Ondo State paid him a
courtesy visit at his office in Akure.
“I hope to give the race my best, legitimately and legally. Not only am i in the race, but we expect to win by God’s grace and with the support
of our people,” he told the visiting women journalists.
Leaders from the Akure division with the support of Oba Ogunlade
Aladetoyinbo conceived the choice of Mr. Jegede to Mr. Mimiko as the
next governor of the State, SaharaReporters exclusively gathered.
It was learned that Mr. Mimiko’s decision to endorse Mr. Jegede as his
chosen successor for the umbrella party is already causing a rumpus
among party supporters and members in the State.
This development last week forced the State Commissioner for
Environment and Mineral Resources, Sola Ebiseni, to resign from his
appointment from the cabinet of Mr. Mimiko.
Mr. Ebiseni, who refused to attend the weekly State Executive Council
meeting, tendered his resignation letter directly to the governor and
noted that his intention was to contest the race for the governorship
poll.
But sources close to Mr. Ebiseni hinted to our correspondent that the
commissioner decided to resign after he was angered by the decision of the governor to impose the candidature of Mr. Jegede on the party.
A SaharaReporters investigation revealed that there are more cracks in the walls of the party, as its members have been divided and broken into ‘zoning factions’ due to the imposition of the candidate.
Some bigwigs of the party both from the Southern and Northern
Senatorial Districts of the State have been threatening war against the imposition of a candidate on them by Mr. Mimiko.
Among these bigwigs were aspirants jostling for the party’s sole ticket in a yet to be announced primary election of the party, our reporter revealed in his investigation.
The gripe of these aspirants is that Mr. Mimiko is imposing a candidate from the same Central Senatorial District on the party.
Last weekend, some prominent leaders of the PDP from the Southern
Senatorial District of the State held a stakeholders meeting in Ore area of Odigbo Local Government Area (LGA).
It was learned that Senator Yele Omogunwa, representing the district
at the National Assembly, convened the meeting to discuss the choice
of Mr. Mimiko in picking his successor from the Central district.
“The governor called to notify me that he would like to hand over to a
candidate from the Central Senatorial District but I replied him that it
would be necessary for me to see my people,” Mr. Omogunwa said.
During the meeting, the leaders kicked and expressed their disgust
towards the action of the governor in picking a successor from the
Central district.
These leaders unanimously agreed that they would not go back on their resolve to ensure that a candidate from the Southern Senatorial District is offered the ticket of the party.
It was exclusively gathered that top aspirants of the PDP from the zone who attended the meeting were Oboli Ogunwa, Adebanjo Edema and Sola Ebiseni.
After the meeting, the leaders of the party sent a message to the
governor saying that the candidate of the party in the governorship
election should not be foisted on the people.
“It is important that we speak out our minds with regards to the
governorship election because we are all citizens of this State and as
such nobody can be harassed,” the leaders told Mr. Mimiko in their
dispatch.
Leaders of the party from the Northern Senatorial District have also
rejected the imposition of the candidate by Mr. Mimiko as the
preparation for the governorship election intensified.
These leaders, joined by some aspirants from the district, said there was a need for the governor to align by the political rotational system of the State based on the memorandum of understating (MoU).
Prominent among the aspirants of the PDP in the Northern Senatorial
District are Gbenga Elegbeleye, Yekini Olanipekun, Baniduro Dada,
Bakkita Bello, Nekan Olateru-Olagbegi, Dare Emiola, and Remi
Okunriboye.
They described the choice of Mr. Mimiko to pick a candidate from the
Central district as a “miscalculation” that would further put the
Northern Senatorial District at a serious political disadvantage and the party at a loss.
“An appeal will be made to the national and State leadership of our
great party to concede the governorship slot of 2017-2021 to Ondo
North Senatorial District as a demonstration of fairness, equity and
justice that the State is known for and keeping to the MOU.
“We in Ondo North will neither go into, nor participate in any primary
election conducted that will involve any aspirant from the Central
Senatorial District because it is not their turn now when their son is
just rounding up and eight years of two tenure.
“The national and State leadership of the PDP should not forget in a
hurry the consequences of imposing candidates on the poor
performance of the party in the 2015 presidential, national and State
elections,” the leaders threatened in a communiqué obtained by
SaharaReporters.
Despite the furor among these members over the issue of imposing an
anointed candidate, the party seems to assure that it would conduct a primary election according to the electoral laws.
Banji Okuomo, the State Publicity Secretary of the party, said the provision for the primary election is purely explicit in the party’s
constitution.
Mr. Okunomo further said the party's primary would be conducted at a
date that would be fixed within the period that the electoral
commission allows for the party’s flag-bearer to emerge.
“The party wishes to assure all aspirants that there will be a level plain ground for all aspirants in the primary election.
“The issue pertaining to picking the candidate who would be the flag-
bearer of the party in the forthcoming governorship election is purely a constitutional affair of the party,” he said The party had already cautioned its members against the use of vulgar language among its contestants jostling for the governorship ticket,
noting that it could jeopardize the party’s unity.

AfroSisi:
Okupe himself is a medical doctor.

The Deputy Commissioner of Police, in charge of Administration, Uche Anozia, disclosed this in a news briefing in Port Harcourt, the state capital, Monday night. Anozia who is on the acting capacity, following the elevation of the last Commissioner of Police (CP), to the state, Foluso Adebanjo to the rank of Deputy Inspector-General of Police(DIG), and his subsequent redeployment, said the recovered followed a report Monday, by a security guard of a Supermarket in Port Harcourt in whose premises a vehicle containing the missing cash was parked. He said two banks in Port Harcourt, Zenith and Stanbic ITC, had contracted the services of a Bullion van company in Port Harcourt, to go and convey their monies from their branches at Aba Abia state. While the service to Zenith was successfully completed and the amount belonging to them delivered in the company of armed Soldiers that of stanbic bank was not. The Soldiers disembarked the bullion van at Zenith bank, leaving the portion meant for Stanbic with the driver alone with the cash the vehicle. He (driver), absconded with both the cash and vehicle for three days Three days after, Monday July 11, cash of N60.250 million contained in five bank sacks, marked and sealed with Stanbic IBTC bank seal were recovered by the Police in a Ford Explorer vehicle which whose glasses were veiled with black waterproof bags and parked at the premises of a Supermarket at the GRA area of Port Harcourt. The presence of the suspicious vehicle in the supermarket car park was reported by the security guard on duty at the supermarket. The police said both the driver of the Ford vehicle, that of the bullion van and the security man who reported the presence of the Ford vehicle in his business premises are on the run. The police said nobody is presently being questioned in connection with the crime, but said efforts are being made to arrest the fleeing driver and the complainant. Unconfirmed story had it that the actual amount Stanbic IBTC bank was expecting from the Aba trip was about N100 million instead of the N60.250 million recovered. The bank has however taken delivery of the amount so far seen. Narrating the story in a news briefing in Port Harcourt Anozia, said “on July 8,(last Friday), we received a report, by one Stanley Ndubuisi of Bankers Warehouse, at number 36 Forces Avenue, Old GRA, Port Harcourt. The company engages in Bullion Van hire services. Which are mostly rented by banks to convey their cash to and fro. “Last Friday, a bullion van was rented from the company, by Zenith bank and Stanbic IBTC bank in Port Harcourt to convey their cash from their branches in Aba, Abia state to Port Harcourt for the two banks. “The Van was manned by a driver who drove the vehicle to Aba. On his way back to Port Harcourt with the cash, the drivers was according to the complainant was accompanied by Soldiers. When the vehicle arrived into Port Harcourt, it went straight to deliver the amount belonging to Zenith bank at Zenith bank. “The complainant in his report said that after the van had delivered that of Zenith bank, the Soldiers left and went back to their duty posts, leaving the money for Stanbic bank with the driver alone. Consequently, the driver absconded with the vehicle and the money. Investigations commenced at that point. “Then today, Monday, July 11, useful intelligence was received by me in my office that a certain Ford Explorer vehicle was found parked at the premises of a Supermarket, located at Number 2, Elelenwo street, GRA phase 2, and that the vehicle had certain sacks contained in it, but that what actually elicited the suspicion of the security officer of this Super Market who reported the presence of the Ford Vehicle in their premises is that the windows screen of the said Ford Explorer were veiled with black waterproof bags and the vehicle is also owned by the Bullion Van renting company. “The complainant explained that when he stumbled on this particular vehicle at the course of his duty of visiting round the premises of the supermarket he is safe guarding, the state of the vehicle elicited more suspicion. “He told me that when he peeped closer inside the vehicle through some tiny spaces apparently missed by the black veil, we discovered that this vehicle contained some sacks resembling bank sacks, stuffed with something he could not identify but suspected to be cash, he came and reported to me. “I immediately dispatched my Dc operation to go to the cite to verify or invalidate the information, fortunately for us, when the vehicle was opened, it was discovered that the sacks belong to Stanbic IBTC bank, because it had their seal. The sacks were opened in the presence of members of the public, who convened at the scene, with video recording on the vehicle done. Then the sacks were brought down and opened one after the other, they were between five and six sacks. “The content of the sacks is the evidence you have seen on the ground here (pointing at the cash poured out on the ground), and the total amount recovered according to the information and according to what we have here is, N60.250m. “Investigation is still on-going. The man that parked the vehicle there is a driver to the Supermarket in whose premises the Vehicle was parked. Both the driver and the complainant that reported the case are presently on the run. “We are still on their trail as we are still investigating the matter.” He said. Asked where the Ford Explorer is at present said it was deflected and left where it was parked. But the Billion van used in carrying the cash from Aba is also missing. On while the banks did not make arrangements for armed security officers to accompany the cash till it final destination said, the bank said security arrangements are contained in the contractual agreement with the company. “No security man escorted the bullion van. According to Stanbic bank, they contract the Bullion van company, pay them for security, so the Bullion van company provides security with the money given by the bank.” He stated. The Police Boss advised Banks to ensure they assign some trusted members of their staff to accompany any vehicle conveying their cash, stressing that this would help in investigations when issues like this arises.

seguno2:
Has Sahara reporters shared the video Amaechi loading $$$$$$$$ from port harcourt to Lagos to bribe delegates into voting Buhari instead of Atiku during APC primaries in December 2014?

kuuljay:
Wailers still insist SR is owned by APC, but see them clapping for sahara reporters in the other thread