₦airaland Forum

MATHEW Iduoriyekemwem on Wednesday emerged the governorship candidate of the Senator Ali Modu Sheriff-led faction of the Peoples Democratic Party in Edo State.



Iduoriyekemwen emerged the party’s flag bearer when his only opponent, Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, stepped down shortly before the commencement of the primary.

A total of 576 delegates from the 192 wards in the 18 Local Government Areas of the state participated in the primary conducted at the Samuel Ogbemudia Stadium, Benin.

The party was earlier denied access to the stadium by the police, which locked up the main entrance.

In his opening address, Ebenezer Alabi, the state Caretaker Committee Chairman of the party, attributed the delay in the commencement of the primary to logistic challenge.

We had expected that the entire process will be concluded on time, but we had to sort things out with the police on the use of the stadium,” Alabi said.

He assured the delegates that the result of the primary would reflect their choices.
Also speaking, Sherif, who was represented by the Acting National Deputy Chairman, Dr. Cairo Ojougo, appealed to the leaders of the PDP to come together in the interest of the party.

While insisting that the Sheriff-led executive remained the recognised faction, Ojougo declared that the former Borno State governor meant well for the party.

He linked the crisis in the PDP to the “personal interest” of some of its leaders ahead of the 2019 presidential election.

Ojougo said: “Those fighting are doing so because of their interest in the presidential election of 2019.

“I want to beg these leaders in the name of God to allow Sheriff to do the good things he wants to do for this party and return power to the people.

“Sheriff has no interest in 2019 and he has told me that repeatedly.

“Sheriff remains the authentic national chairman of this party.

“For the benefit of doubt, whoever emerges here will be the duly recognised candidate of the party for the September 10 governorship election in Edo.

“I urge you to go to INEC to find out if you are still in doubt.”

Earlier in his speech, Iduoriyekemwem said his interest in the governorship race was to take the state to greater height.

The Senator Ahmed Makarfi-led faction of the PDP conducted a similar primary on June 20, which saw the emergence of Osagie Ize-Iyamu as its flag bearer.

Iduoriyekemwem, who participated in that primary, later faulted the process.

He described the exercise as “a predetermined process meant to install Ize-Iyamu as the candidate”.

With 481 votes, Iduoriyekemwem was returned unopposed by the chairman of the electoral committee, Alhaji Ahmed Gulak.

Limitednow:
http://.com/theres-a-cabal-in-buharis-govt-that-even-block-ministers-from-seeing-the-president-apc/

jejemanito:
I Stopped Reading When I Saw Kwara State Chapter...

THE Kwara State Chapter Of All Progressives Congress on Tuesday backed the claims by embattled Senate President, Bukola Saraki that “there is a government within the government of President Muhammadu Buhari.”



The party also faulted the President’s response in a statement by his media aide, Mr. Femi Adesina.

The party made this known in a statement by its state Publicity Secretary, Alhaji Sulyman Buhari.

Instead of embarking on a “futile drive to denounce and dismiss the obvious,” the APC in the state said it expected the Presidency to embrace introspection and take right steps in the interest of the nation.

He also accused Adesina of trying to create discord between the President and the Senate leadership.

Buhari said, “The statement by Mr. Femi Adesina on behalf of Mr. President is not only unpresidential, it also failed to convincingly dismiss the widely held view of Nigerians that, indeed, there is a government within the government of Mr. President.

“It is instructive to note that the Senate President is not the first Nigerian to express such observations.

“The Senate President, through the press statement he personally signed, only called the attention of Mr. President to the danger ahead if the ugly situation is permitted to fester.

“In fact, the statement by Mr. Adesina is the clearest indication that a government exists within the government of Mr. President. The President that we know, the President that we have worked with, the President that we have worked for, the President that we voted for, would not have directed his media adviser to issue such anunpresidential statement. That statement is a confirmation of the Senate President’s observation.

“The intention of people like Adesina in the Villa is to create a discord between Mr. President and the Senate President, but that will never happen.

“It is the same cabal that embarrassed Mr. President himself by padding the 2016 national budget, including the budget of Aso Rock, to the extent of inflating some figures in the Villa expenditures.

“It is the same cabal that has made it nearly impossible for many ministers and Special Advisers to have access to Mr. President. The Presidency should be reminded that a cabal hijacked and destroyed the government of ex-President Goodluck Jonathan.”

THE Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development, Chief Audu Ogbe and the Minister of State in the ministry, Senator Heineken Lokpobiri, have been named in a N2 billion bribery scandal.









This is coming  in spite of the anti-corruption posture of the President Mohammadu Buhari-led Federal Government.


A bribery scheme by the two ministers concerning  a recent part-payment  of  N15 billion to contractors owed by the ministry. The contractors executed projects under the fertilizer subsidy programme, Growth  Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS), introduced by the administration of  former President Goodluck Jonathan in order to enhance farmers’ access to subsidised fertilizer.


The amount is part of a N56 billion debt owed the contractors by the Federal  and state governments participating in the programme but the ministry is in charge of payments to contractors.


All participating states gave an Irrevocable Standing Order (ISO) for their portion (25%) of the Subsidy amount to be deducted directly from their statutory monthly allocation from the federation account as due.


The Federal Ministry of Agriculture & Rural Development (FMARD), as the agency in charge of the administration of the program has the responsibility of coordinating, managing and effecting the payment of the subsidy to all participating inputs supplier companies.


The Growth Enhancement Support Scheme (GESS) is a Federal government initiative aimed at subsidising the costs of major agricultural inputs, such as fertilizer and seedlings for farmers, yam tubers and yam plantation, yam tubers and yam plantation based on the GESS policy, the federal and state governments equally contribute the balance of 50 percent being the approved subsidy amount for onward payment to participating inputs (fertilizer) suppliers.


The Farm Inputs Suppliers Association of Nigeria (FUISAN ), is the association that made the programme successful.


But following the release of N350 billion by government for the payment of contractors owed by government as contained in the 2016 budget, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development was allocated funds including N15 billion to effect the part-payment to over 50 contractors owed by the ministry.


Following the release of the money to the ministry, the two ministers called a meeting of all the contractors owed by the ministry in Abuja. At the meeting, Chief Ogbeh confirmed the release of some funds to the ministry including N15 billion being part-payment for work done by the contractors, most of which were carried out in 2014.


The contractors were assured that payment would be made in such a way to cover all the contractors owed by the ministry pending the release of more funds by government. The ministers assured the contractors that they would be paid on “pro-rata” basis. But to the chagrin of the contractors, the ministry expended the N15 billion on only three contractors, one of which was Notore Chemicals PLC, a fertilizer and agro-allied company linked to Chief James Ibori who is currently serving jail time in U.K for corruption.


Investigations showed that the payment was a product of a decision to deduct N2 billion from source and concentrate the payment on only three contractors, who were part of the deal. The three contractors were paid N13 billion leaving in the lurch the rest of the contractors, who were earlier promised payment on pro-rata basis.


A group, Society for Good Governance (SGG), is therefore asking the Independent Corrupt Practices and Other Related Crimes Commission (ICPC) to investigate the payment.


“We are, by this petition, asking the ICPC to carry out a comprehensive investigation into the payment to determine why the ministers and the permanent secretary reneged on the earlier arrangement to pay all the contractors who have been owed for many years now and decided to pay only three contractors.


“We urge you to look into the deal between the two ministers, the permanent secretary and the three contractors that resulted in the payment of N13 billion to them. What happened to the remaining N2 billion. Why renege on the payment of the other contractors?”, the group queried.


A source familiar with the development said the decision to pay only three contractors a whooping N15 billion was curious after the minister had promised to expend the part-payment on all the contractors involved.


“The question on everybody’s lip is why pay only three contractors after the agreement that all the contractors would be captured . These are people who collected bank loans to execute these projects. The initial amount borrowed has not been paid and they are not  even talking about the interest that has gone out of the roof after many years”, the source said.


(PointBlankNews)

Lalasticlala

Limitednow:
A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, to vacate office immediately for submitting false information to his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, for the party’s governorship primary in December 2014.



Justice Okon Abang in a judgment on Monday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately issue a certificate of return to the plaintiff, Uche Ogah, who polled the second highest number of votes in the primary.

H
http://.com/court-sacks-abia-gov-ikpeazu-from-office/

Lalasticlala, mynd44

A Federal High Court in Abuja has ordered the Governor of Abia State, Okezie Ikpeazu, to vacate office immediately for submitting false information to his party, the Peoples Democratic Party, for the party’s governorship primary in December 2014.

Justice Okon Abang in a judgment on Monday ordered the Independent National Electoral Commission to immediately issue a certificate of return to the plaintiff, Uche Ogah, who polled the second highest number of votes in the primary.

Details later…

THE Economic and Financial Crimes Commission has traced three posh houses to an associate of the Ekiti State Governor, Ayodele Fayose, The Nation is reporting.

The houses, one in Abuja and two in Lagos, are believed to have been bought with part of the N1.219 billion pumped into the 2014 governorship election.

The cash was believed to be from the office of the National security Adviser.
Fayose has denied having any dealing with the office, while Colonel Sambo Dasuki (rtd.) was in charge.

The cash, detectives believe, was from the N4.745 billion allocated to a former Minister of State (Defence), Musiliu Obanikoro, by the ONSA as a war chest to win the governorship elections in Ekiti and Osun States in 2014.

The EFCC has facts to believe that the associate allegedly acted as a front for the governor, who is under investigation.

The agency may seize the properties under the Interim Forfeiture Clause of the EFCC Act.

According to a source, investigators have established a link between the N1.29 billion and the three mansions.

The source said: “We have been able to trace the three mansions in Abuja and Lagos to a key associate of Fayose.

“Our investigators have retrieved relevant documents, including the mode of payment for the houses.

“Part of the N1.29billion credited to Fayose was used for the acquisition of the mansions. We are suspecting that the associate allegedly acted as a front for the governor.

“We will certainly invoke the appropriate laws to seize the assets after conclusion of investigation.”

The Forfeiture Order in Sections 26 and 29 of the EFCC Act reads: “Any property subject to forfeiture under this Act may be seized by the commission in the following circumstances- (a) the seizure is incidental to an arrest or search; or (b) in the case of property liable to forfeiture upon process issued by the court following an application made by the Commission in accordance with the prescribed rules

“Whenever property is seized under any of the provisions of this Act, the Commission may-(a) place the property under seal; or (b) remove the property to a place designated by the Commission.

“Properties taken or detained under this section shall be deemed to be in custody of the Commission, subject only to an order of a court.”

The EFCC is said to be probing clues on the governor’s alleged acquisition of a choice property in Dubai.

“We are looking at these clues and exploring the Mutual Legal Assistance understanding between Nigeria and the UAE to authenticate the information at our disposal and to take necessary legal action,” the source said, pleading not to be named “so as not to jeopardise the investigation”.

Also on Thursday, the First Lady, Hajia Aisha Buhari, demanded a retraction of Fayose’s allegation in which he claimed to have uncovered how Mrs. Buhari was mentioned as having transferred funds to a convicted former United States lawmaker, Williams Jefferson.

In a letter dispatched through her legal representatives, Mrs. Buhari said Fayose’s action was directly responsible for the publication of the “very wild and unfounded” allegations in the media.

GOVERNOR Ayo Fayose of Ekiti State has challenged Nigeria’s First Lady, Hajia Aisha Buhari, to travel to the United States of America to prove her innocence in the Halliburton scam.

Fayose said this on Wednesday in a statement by his Chief Press Secretary, Idowu Adelusi, insinuating that Hajia Buhari has been avoiding travelling to the US in order to evade arrest.


Fayose had on Monday said Hajia Buhari was the person indicted by a US Court for transferring $170,000 to indicted US Congressman, Williams Jefferson, in the Halliburton scandal.


Though several sources had said she was not the one, Fayose insisted that Hajia Buhari had more to reveal than she had agreed to.


He said that was why she had refused to travel with her husband, President Muhammadu Buhari, on the three occasions he had visited the US since assuming power.


He also said rather than attend a conference to which she was invited, Hajia Buhari sent Toyin, the wife of the President of the Senate, Dr. Abubakar Bukola Saraki.


Fayose said in the statement by Adelusi on Wednesday that if the President’s wife was certain she was not the one indicted in the Halliburton scandal, she should visit the United States of America to convince Nigerians.


He said: “It is on record that the President has visited USA three times and his wife did not travel with him. Equally, she ought to have visited USA last year September to chair a United Nations programme but she sent wife of the Senate President, Mrs Toyin Saraki to represent her.”

midolian:


OP put source abeg!