₦airaland Forum

LAWMAKERS of the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) have served an Impeachment notice to Benue State Governor, Samuel Ortom.

The legislators numbering about eight ( out of the 30 members of the parliament, have also taken over the premises of the state assembly with the support of the police.

This was disclosed by Tahav Agerzua, a spokesperson for Mr Ortom.

“They have taken over the House of Assembly and served the governor an impeachment notice despite a court order forbidding them from doing so,” Mr Agerzua was quoted by Premium Times as saying.

Mr Agerzua accused George Akume, a former governor and an APC senator from the State, as the one who brought police officers from Abuja to attempt to use eight lawmakers to impeach a governor in a House of 30 lawmakers. The lawmaker was not reachable for comments on this story as at press time.



The crisis comes a few days after Mr Ortom defected from the APC to the PDP. Also two days after his defection, 13 out of the 23 local government chairman followed suit.



It also came days after 23 PDP lawmakers impeached the House Speaker, Terkimbi Ikyange, on allegations that he was not carrying other members along in legislative activities.

Mr Ikyange, who remained in the APC despite recent mass defection of his colleagues to the PDP, was said to have been impeached because he was no longer in the majority party.

Last week, PDP lawmakers said they were compelled to use the Government House in Makurdi to conduct legislative businesses after security agencies locked the parliament.

The state’s police commissioner was changed last week.

NASIR El-rufai, Kaduna State governor, has proclaimed why some lawmakers at the Senate dumped the ruling All Progressive Congress (APC) for opposition parties.

Last week, 14 APC Senators dumped the ruling party. Most of them rejoined the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).

Reacting, to their defection, the governor said they dumped the party because they love being bribed.

He also accused the defected lawmakers of being corrupt adding that they were afraid President Muhammadu Buhari will deal with them if he gets re-elected.

“Why did these people (senators) leave APC? It’s because they love bribe and were afraid of what President Muhammadu Buhari will do to them if he gets re-elected. This is just the truth. What joined them together is that they love bribery and‎ corruption and they are afraid President Buhari will deal with them,” Premium Times quoted El-rufai as saying last Thursday when he featured on a radio programme in the state.



Mr El-rufai said Mr Buhari made only three promises to Nigerians during 2015 elections: address insecurity (Boko Haram), improve the economy‎ and fight corruption.

“Nobody will criticise this government for lack of performance because they are trying their best. If the senators were honestly supporting the president, he would have achieved more than what he currently achieved; but instead they are sabotaging his effort,” he said.

El-rufai also attacked the 8th Senate and its leadership describing it as the worst in the country’s history.

“He gave them budget (2018), they sat over it for 7-8 months without passage. The House of Representative members are more honest and trustworthy.

“But those in the Senate have nothing in mind rather than looking for money. Senate leadership under Bukola Saraki is the worst and no good leadership in the Senate,” he said.

Mr El-Rufai’s criticism of Mr Saraki has been replied by a pro-Saraki senator, Rafiu Ibrahim (PDP, Kwara). Mr Ibrahim alleged that Mr El-Rufai is angry at Mr Saraki because of the Senate’s refusal to approve $350 million loan sought by the Kaduna State Government from funders.



Last year, the Kaduna State Government requested the loan for ‘Development Policy Operation’ from the World Bank.

Mr El-Rufai had said the state needed the million loan from the World Bank to achieve its governance objectives in the “short to medium term.”

The loan would be ploughed back into critical development areas in Kaduna, the governor explained.

However, the Senate, in March, decided not to approve the request after a committee headed by Shehu Sani (APC-Kaduna) advised against it on the ground that the state is the second most indebted in the country.

“El- Rufai is an aggrieved Governor. He is pained by the rejection of his request for foreign loans by the Senate Committee on Foreign and Local Debt which is headed by a Senator from Kaduna State, Shehu Sani. The Governor has been speaking from both sides of the mouth,” Ibrahim said.

TWO days after Benue State governor dumped the All Progressive Congress (APC) and rejoined the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), 13 local government chairmen have followed suit.

The chairmen announced their defection to the PDP at the Government House in Makurdi, the Benue State capital on Friday. The state has 23 local government areas.

Those who defected includes: Anthony Shawon of Guma Local Government Area (LGA), Justina Sorka of Buruku LGA, Mwuese Ubebe of Konshisha LGA, Blessing Unogwo of Ado LGA, Virginia Kpindi of Katsina-Ala LGA and George Alli of Otukpo LGA.

Others are Comfort Echeoda of Agatu LGA, Francis Ayaga of Gwer West LGA, Uaah Vitalis of Gwer East LGA, Richard Nyajo of Logo LGA, Ibellogo Tor of Tyokaa- Ukum LGA, Adakole Abutu of Ohimini LGA and Peter Onche of Obi LGA.

Governor Ortom who dissolved his cabinet earlier this month retained only commissioners believed to be fully loyal to him.



The decision of the 13 local government chairmen to follow him to the PDP is the latest in a series of major political decisions in the state over recent weeks.



A day before his defection, the Benue State House of Assembly impeached Mr Terkimbi Ikyange, who had been the Speaker since Governor Ortom rose to power.

On Wednesday morning, hours before the governor formally defected, protesting youths barred him from travelling to Abuja to attend an APC reconciliation meeting.

Meanwhile, the national chairman of the APC, Adams Oshiomhole, has stated why the governor dumped the ruling party.

SENATOR Rabiu Kwankwaso, representing Kano Central, has said President Muhammadu Buhari will loose Kano State in the forthcoming 2019 general election.

Mr Kwankwaso stated this in reply to the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi, who said President Buhari will win in the state in the coming general election.

Mr Amaechi had listed Sokoto, Bauchi and Kano States as places where Buhari will emerge victorious even when he is bedridden.

The minister who heads Mr Buhari’s 2019 campaign organisation had while addressing reporters after the inspection of Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri project in Delta State on Friday said: “If you bring the President on a sick bed to Bauchi and Kano, he will win and he has never lost election in Bauchi. But that is a bit arrogant on our side; we should not underestimate them.”

The minister’s proclamation did not go down well with the lawmaker who was among the 14 Senators who defected from the All Progressive Congress (APC), to other opposition political parties.

In a statement published by Premium Times, Binta Spikin, Kwankwaso’s spokesperson said his principal’s defection will not only affect the votes the APC would have earned in the State but has also plummeted the party.

“I think his defection will greatly affect the votes in 2019. His defection will not only affect the chances of the APC in Kano, his defection has brought down APC,” Spikin said.

“If you look across Nigeria today, not Kano alone, there’s nowhere in Nigeria that you don’t have the presence of Kwankwasiyya (supporters of Mr Kwankwaso).

“Kano is his home base and he is well grounded in Kano. Even without the government, he had a 60 percent of the voters, so what do you think will happen now that he has joined forces with people like Mallam Ibrahim Shekarau?” she added.

When asked if Mr Kwankwaso stands a chance of winning the 2019 general election should he officially declare his ambition to run for presidency, she simply said, “He stands a very good chance to win Buhari. We are covered.”

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ADAMS Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), has opined why Benue State governor, Samuel Ortom, left its fold.

Governor Ortom recently dumped the ruling APC and rejoined the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).

His defection comes after he had earlier hinted that he was without a political party having been chased out of the APC.

Mr Oshiomhole last week held a meeting with Mr Ortom and the governor walked back on his hint, saying he may no longer defect.

A week after he appealed to the Benue State Governor not to leave the APC, Adams Oshiomhole now says the governor is a failure and he is relieved the governor left.

He said Ortom left the party because he could not account for the funds which accrued to the state under his leadership. He said another reason why the governor dumped the party is because he has realised he will not be given a return ticket of the APC having been accused of underperforming.

“I am relieved as national chairman, and I believe that the leadership of the party in Benue is also relieved that Ortom has left the party and returned to the club he belongs,” Mr Oshiomhole said in an interview with journalists on Friday.

“The first is that as you all recall, Gov. Ortom had said the APC in Benue state had given him red card to leave our party and that they would not field him in the forthcoming governorship election in 2019 and because the door had been shut against him, he had no choice than to leave.

“Without going into investigations, we invited him to speak to us on the issues. We also invited our leaders of our party in Benue state to also brief us on what the issues were.

“From the point of view of our leaders in Benue state, their position was clear that they believed that fielding Gov. Ortom on the APC platform in the 2019 election could only lead to electoral defeat for a number of reasons.

“They reminded us that in spite of the allocations accruing to Benue state and in spite of the bail out funds amounting to over N20 billion that they had received in two instalments of N10 billion each and in addition to the huge sums of money that Benue state collected from the Paris Club Refund, Gov. Ortom has not, and is not paying salaries to Benue workers as and when due, including teachers, local government employees and the state civil servants.

“He is owing some of them as much as 12 months salary, some more than 16 months and so the entire economy of Benue state that survives largely on civil servants salaries is to that extent compromised,” he said.

The APC national chairman also accused Mr Ortom of making political gain on the security situation in his state, after allegedly spending heavily on security.

He said that the Benue governor when asked to defend himself following the accusations against him, could not give reasonable explanation.

“Whereas the President and Vice President had visited other states to commission projects, they had only visited Benue on condolence visits.

“It is okay to lament that there is no federal presence. Where is the explanation for the absence of projects in Benue State?

“Ortom’s argument is that he had diverted a lot of funds to security issues,” Mr Oshiomhole said.

Mr Ortom’s Benue State is one of the most affected by violence involving armed herdsmen leading to hundreds of deaths.

He has accused the federal government, which controls all security agencies, of not doing enough to stop the killings.

The APC leader said he felt scandalised watching Mr Ortom on television saying he had to leave the APC because the party could not protect the state.

ROTIMI Amaechi, Transportation Minister, has revealed why Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, will dump the All Progressive Congress, (APC).

Mr Amaechi and the governor where among bigwigs of the then ruling party, Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), who left to the APC prior to 2015 general election.

Tambuwal who was then Speaker of the House of Representatives contested for the state’s governorship and won on the platform of the party.

The Minister who said the federal government was aware of the governor’s plan of defecting from the party hinted that Tambuwal is nursing a presidential ambition hence his decision to leave the APC.

He stated this on Friday while addressing reporters after the inspection of Itakpe-Ajaokuta-Warri project in Delta State.

Amaechi also mentioned the governor of Kwara State, Abdulfatah Ahmed, as one of those already known to be planning their exit from APC. Ahmed had on recently hinted of his intention to decamp.

“No matter what you do, the governor of Sokoto will leave naturally because he had the ambition of being the president in 2019 and even if you take a chicken to him he will still leave. It is same with Kwara,” the former governor of Rivers State said.

“These are people you expect they will leave. They left with members of the National Assembly but they came from the areas that the President is very comfortable. Do you honestly believe that the President will lose election in Sokoto? It is one of his comfort zones,” Amaechi said.

He said no matter who leaves the ruling party at the end of the day, President Muhammad Buhari will still win.

“The next persons that left are from Bauchi and if you bring the president on a sick bed in Bauchi he will win. He has never lost election in that state. If you bring him on a sick bed in Kano, he will win.”

The former governor also said those defecting were doing so because they have realised that their political ambition will not be considered in the party, adding that: “Again, you will say that it happened during our time but we sold our candidate one year but they are doing it six months to the election. It was clear who will be APC candidate one year ahead of time.”

SENATOR Dino Melaye (Kogi West) has reacted to his alleged abduction yesterday while embarking on a journey to his State, Kogi.

Mr Melaye was reportedly kidnapped on Thursday while heading to his native State, Kogi, to attend his court case.

The lawmaker faces charges of criminal conspiracy, unlawful possession of prohibited firearms, kidnapping, armed robbery, murder, political thuggery and other violent crimes in Kogi state.

His abduction was made known by his colleague, Senator Benedict Murray-Bruce, who represents Bayelsa East at the Senate.

Mr Murray-Bruce, made this known after been notified of the development by Moses Melaye, the brother of the abducted lawmaker.



“I have just been informed by Moses Melaye, @dino_melaye’s brother, that Dino has been abducted by unknown persons in a Toyota Sienna that blocked their car and overpowered them on their way to Kogi to answer to Dino’s court case. Lets be on the watch out. Will keep you updated,” the lawmaker tweeted on Thursday morning.

He reportedly regained his freedom late Thursday.



Reacting to his freedom, the Melaye thanked God for seeing him through the traumatised experience.

“I thank God once again for escaping another dangerous attack. I also thank Nigerians for their prayers and show of Love. Spent 11 hours in the wilderness traumatized but God preserved me. God is the best and in whom ONLY I trust. They will continue to try. WE SHALL OVERCOME!!!” he tweeted on Friday.

THE Nigeria Police has finally soft-pedaled on Senate President, Bukola Saraki, on his implication in the robbery which took place in Offa, Kwara State.

The Police had on Tuesday warned Mr Saraki of consequences if he fails to turn himself in as requested late Monday.

The top legislator had on same day told them he was not going to turn himself in. He instead urged the police to send its personnel to interrogate him in his office. He disclosed this in the letter sent to the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris.

“You will recall that Mr. President had earlier directed as a courtesy to this office, that in the event of any request for further information from me, you should either send your personnel to my office or obtain a written response from me,” Saraki said.

“I request you therefore, to please assign your personnel who need information on this matter, to meet me in my office, immediately after plenary today, or tomorrow or any other day at your convenience,” he wrote in the letter.



On Thursday, Saraki’s media aide, Olu Onemola, said the police investigators has visited his principal at his office.



Mr Onemola said Saraki met with the investigators at about 1.40pm today.

“Today at about 1:40pm, the Senate President met with a team of investigators on the Offa Robbery case in his office,” he tweeted via his twitter handle @Onemolaolu.

“Dr. Saraki used the opportunity to reiterate that he has nothing to do with either the robbery incident on April 5, 2018, or any other criminal activity,” he added.

ADAMS Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC) have stated why people are dumping the party.

Shortly after Mr Oshiomhole emerged the chairman of the APC some aggrieved members of the party broke away forming a faction of the party self-styled Reformed APC (R-APC), and threatening to dump the party.

The gale of defection started at the Senate with 14 APC lawmakers leaving the APC. Their counterparts at the House of Representatives numbering about 36 also left the party. Most of them defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).

On Wednesday, the party lost the governor of Benue State, Samuel Ortom, to the PDP.

On Thursday another APC governor hinted of his plans to leave the party.

Speaking at the meeting of APC National Working Committee (NWC) and the party's caucus at the House of Representatives, Oshiomhole said those leaving the party were doing so because the avenue for looting the nation's treasury has been cut off.

"I come from a state where we call PDP that believes that rural people should be neglected and rural roads should be abandoned because once you cannot reach the rural communities, then it is easier to rig election on their behalf in the urban centres. We will have to create and Institute of Progressives Studies so that whoever is in this party, a member or a leader must understand what we stand for," the former Edo State governor said.

"If we are bonded together on the basis on set of ideas or ideology, it will be difficult for people who subscribe to this ideology to decamp on the basis of not gaining for his pocket rather than not delivering to the welfare of the Nigerian people. Until we get there, this Vilico chair will continue.

"I said the other day, and I believe it, that if you are a man or a woman of honour, you cannot in the morning vomit all of those impurities in your stomach, and then, in the afternoon, because you are not getting a buffet, you convert that vomit to a lunch and eat it with your eyes open.

"You have to be completely bereft of ideas and anything such as honour to be able to do that and look your people in the face. And, I say to those who say are going to PDP. Go, that is where is where you belong.

"If you left there because you thought that the culture of sharing the money would be deep in APC and you have found that sharing the money is not part of it, and you choose to return. Goodluck. But, you must know that the access to CBN has been cut off, the access to NNPC has been cut off, the access to cutting defence funding to private pocket has been cut off, and that those who have done it are helping security agencies to explain," he added.

pacificom:
Hope these defectors will first resign from the office of the Nigerian government bestow onto them under the umbrella of APC, release the official cars, vacate government residence and have their names removed from federal payroll before they could be allowed to pick their starters pack with their new party.

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari has reacted to the defection of Senators from Nigeria’s ruling party, APC to opposition parties.

Mr Buhari while reacting admitted that the All Progressive Congress did it best to prevent the lawmakers from defecting.

Senate President, Bukola Saraki and his deputy, Ike Ekweremadu had their homes in the early hours of Tuesday taken over by security operatives.

The plot is said to be a ploy to prevent them from making it to the National Assembly today because of a plan by many lawmakers to decamp from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

The plan failed as Mr Saraki latter surfaced at the Senate and while his deputy was prevented from leaving his residence.



The gale of defection started at the Senate with 15 APC lawmakers leaving the APC. Their counterparts at the House of Representatives numbering about 36 also left the party. Most of them defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).

Reacting, Buhari admitted his party used all at their disposal to stop the lawmakers.

“I wish all of our party members who today defected, the very best in their future undertakings,” the president said in a tweet on Tuesday through his twitter handle, @MBuhari.

“The APC has done its best to stop the defections, and I must commend the party leadership for working tirelessly to unite the party and position it for future victory,” he added.

Meanwhile, Adams Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), says he is happy about the defection of some lawmakers who left the party to opposition parties.

Mr Oshiomhole stated this while addressing State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday.

ADAMS Oshiomhole, the national chairman of the All Progressive Congress (APC), says he is happy about the defection of some lawmakers who left the party to opposition parties.

Mr Oshiomhole stated this while addressing State House correspondents after a meeting with President Muhammadu Buhari at the Presidential Villa, Abuja on Tuesday.

The gale of defection started at the Senate with 15 APC lawmakers leaving the APC. Their counterparts at the House of Representatives numbering about 36 also left the party. Most of them defected to the Peoples Democratic Party, (PDP).

The APC chairman who described those who left as “mercenaries” who were in the party just to win election said the ruling party is “not disturbed at all.”

Oshiomhole said he is not losing sleep over the defections because those who defected cannot affect the electoral fortunes of APC.

He described the defectors as right wing politicians who believe in the philosophy of “share the money” and did not belong to the progressives group.

Why I Was Able To Escape The Siege Laid In My Home – Saraki

BUKOLA Saraki, president of the Nigerian Senate has explained how he narrowly escape the siege laid in his home by security operatives.

His deputy, Ike Ekweremadu also had his own residence taken over by security men early Tuesday.

The plot is said to be a ploy to prevent them from making it to the National Assembly today because of a plan by many lawmakers to decamp from the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC).

While Mr Saraki made his way to the Senate chamber his deputy Mr Ekweremadu did not make it as the siege on his home was still on at noon.

Detailing how he escaped the top lawmaker attributed his appearance at the plenary to God.



He condemn the siege and also explained why his deputy could not make it to the plenary.

“The road leading to my place was cordoned off and all cars coming in and out as early as 6:30 were being stopped and you have to come down.

“My convoy was stopped from moving. Given something that one was prepared for, I had my own car too. So the deputy senate president called me and said he could not come here.

“And as you are all aware, very late yesterday, at about 8 p.m., I received a letter asking me to report to the police on a case of this Offa robbery which had been concluded before now.

“That’s the situation why the DSP could not come here and I was already going somewhere else. If not, this plenary would not have been able to hold today. So I had to come here.”



“But as you all rightly said, if one of our colleagues cannot come out for no fault of his, I don’t see how we can continue to sit and ignore the fact that a presiding officer cannot be here.

“And if it was by the plan, I too, would not be here.

“It was just by the intervention of the almighty God that I was able to get myself here.”

Mr Saraki eventually presided over the Senate and announced the defection of 15 senators away from the APC.

The senate president was, however, not among those that defected.

SENATE President, Bukola Saraki, has been summoned by the police over the Offa robbery incident in April which shocked the nation.

Mr Saraki, according to the police, has been fingered as the sponsor of the Offa robbery attack which left over thirty people dead.

The top lawmaker has earlier raised alarm that the police were planning to implicate him. The force denied the allegation.

Later, Saraki was previously summoned by the police in June, but the invitation was abruptly withdrawn and the top lawmaker was required to submit his response to the allegations in writing.

Mr Saraki complied with the demand, and no updates had been released from the police about the matter ever since.

In a statement Monday night, the Force Headquarters circulated a June 23, 2018 letter which the Inspector General of Police, Ibrahim Idris, wrote to Mr Saraki, asking him to turn himself in to clarify grey areas in his statement.

The police said Mr Saraki had said in his statement that he would not comment on the purported confession of the suspects since he was not privy to the specifics of their statements.

The police said Mr Saraki would now have the chance to read the statements of his accusers when he turned himself in at the Intelligence Response Team in Guzape neighbourhood, Abuja. He was asked to come by 8:00 a.m. on July 24.

THE All Progressive Congress (APC) is now a safe heaven for those facing corruption trial, its breakaway faction, the Reformed APC (R-APC) has said.

The National Chairman of the splinter group, Buba Galadima, made the allegation on Friday while speaking at a meeting of R-APC women groups in Abuja.

Mr Galadima expressed hope that the judiciary would help resolve issues involving its grievances.

“All we are seeking for is fair play, transparency, justice, level playground and that everything that was done to bring the so-called National Working Committee to office is being challenged in the court and God willing, we will get justice in court,” he said.

“We were voted into office because we promised that we will do better than our predecessors but instead doing better than our predecessors we are worse than them. We did not bargain that all criminal elements and people of questionable character will be migrating into our party to the extent that APC has now turned itself into a safe heaven for those facing corruption charges,” he added.



He said for a month plus, the APC, had suffered internal wrangling, caused by disaffection on the part of some members who were excluded from the affairs of party and its administration.

On whether the splinter enjoys broad support from APC members, Galadima said rAPC was more than just a group.



“We’ve 75% representation across the country.

“We’re not making efforts to register with INEC. Moreover the APC we’re trying to reform is our vehicle. We don’t need INEC. We need the court to pronounce.

Asked whether, the faction is considering picking a presidential candidate for 2019, Galadima said: “Why not if the court says we’re the authentic leadership”.

The National Woman Leader of the rAPC, Asha Kaita in her remarks accused the federal government of trying frustrate voters especially women who usually constitute majority of voting population from getting registered and obtaining their permanent voters cards.

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