₦airaland Forum

Decentralised international ‘hacktivist’ group, Anonymous, has claimed to have hacked several government databases, including one which contains names and contact of operatives of the now-defunct Special Anti-robbery Squad (SARS). The cyber activist group revealed this via a Twitter handle.

#Nigeria: Anonymous hacks multiple government websites in solidarity with #EndSARS protestors and retribution for violence by police. #OpNigeria #EndSARSProtest

src: https:///cjDdEfPB8w pic.twitter.com/F2J7qvz35W
— Anonymous (@YourAnonCentral) October 14, 2020
This comes even as an audio message purportedly from the group issuing a 72-hour ultimatum to Nigeria’s Federal Government to address the demands of the #EndSARS protesters is circulating around social media. In the audio recording, a computer-generated voice could be heard announcing the ‘peaceful warning.’

“This proves the level of brutality caused by the police and the government who have both violated the rights of the citizens. Irrespective of tribe, it’s disheartening that you won’t bring to justice every police who have involved in the killing of the protesters. This is not a threat, this is a peaceful warning from us. You have 72 hours to hear and assure your citizens,” the recording says.

Anonymous is a decentralised group of anonymous hackers widely known for carrying out anonymous cyberattacks against governments and government agencies. It was formed in 2003.

Anonymous’ ultimatum is coming after Jack Dorsey joined the #ENDSARS protest by the Nigerian youths seeking the reformation of the police as well as an end to SARS. The Twitter CEO made this known in a tweet yesterday with the hashtag #ENDSARS which trended as number 1 globally on October 10.

In addition to lending his voice to the protest online, Dorsey used his Twitter handle to ask people to donate money to the cause via bitcoin.

Donate via #Bitcoin to help #EndSARS �� https:///kf305SFXze
— jack (@jack) October 14, 2020
The donations made in support of the protest so far are N62,643,663 out of which N13,026,580 has been used to sort bills including medical bills and purchase of supplies like food, umbrellas and raincoats.

I have officially joined the Official Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Nigeria to advance my ambition to seek re-election as Governor of Edo State.
I, as always, remain committed to engendering good governance and sustainable development of our dear state.

Edo 2020: Obaseki Picks PDP Membership Card Today.
Barring any last minute changes, Governor Godwin Obaseki will today formally announce his mem­bership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) a few days after resigning from his party, the All Progressives Congress (APC). ­
A member of the party’s National Working Committee (NWC) told our correspondent that the governor would reg­ister his membership at his Ward 4 in Oredo LGA of the state after finalising talks with PDP leaders at the national and state levels.
Obaseki, on Wednesday, met with the leadership of the PDP, led by its national chair­man, Prince Uche Secondus, in Abuja, as well as other gov­ernors elected on the party’s platform.
The meeting, which was held at the residence of Gov­ernor Nyesom Wike of Rivers State, also had in attendance Governor Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto as well as other gov­ernors of the party.
“Governor Obaseki will pick up his card from his Ward 4, Oredo LGA, in Benin tomorrow (today).
“His return to the APC has been foreclosed due to the lat­est crisis rocking the party.
“The governor is currently meeting with the PDP nation­al chairman as well as other governors elected on the par­ty’s platform in Abuja; they have assured him of total support in his governorship bid,” he said

Court Reaffirms and extends Order permitting Chief Victor Giadom to act as National Chairman of APC

To avoid a vacuum, Court also appoint Comrade Mustapha Salihu to act as National Secretary in the interim

PRESS RELEASE
The State Executive Committee of the All Progressives Congress met on Wednesday, the 17th of June and deliberated on issues affecting the APC in Edo State.
Among the issues discussed were the purported screening of Aspirants by the committee set up by Adams Oshiomhole and the fall out therefrom.
The State Executive Committee, having looked carefully at the Constitutional provisions of the Party and relevant sections of the Nigerian Constitution, would like to state unequivocally that the said screening Committee was illegal, self serving and laboured in vain from a concealed answer to the question. The members did not only embarrass themselves, the academia but the entire well meaning members of the APC.
Following the embarrassment meted out to the distinguished erudite Governor of the State, Gov. Godwin Nogheghase Obaseki by that Committee and the prouncement by Oshiomhole to the effect that he would serve as the Supreme Court in the matter, the Governor is rumoured to have quit the Party.
The SEC, finds this decision rather unfortunate and wish the Governor and his Deputy, Comrade Philip Shuaibu well.
The State Executive Committee also reviewed the ruling of the Federal Appeal Court which upheld the earlier ruling of a Federal High Court suspending Adams Oshiomhole as National Chairman and member of the Party and expressed confidence in the Judiciary as the hope the democratic survival of this Nation.
SEC, reassured it's teeming members across the State, to remain steadfast and be law abiding as anyone who attempts to violate the laws, on the basis of political interest, will have him or herself to blame.
Signed:
PST. Joseph Osagiede
State Publicity Secretary.

By imhontu Olumense

The Independent National Electoral Commission, INEC, has made clear the requirements that an aspirant seeking to contest the office of Governor must possess to qualify to run in the election.
INEC Chairman, Professor Yakubu Mahmood made the criteria known again ahead of the governorship election in Edo State which has been generating controversy on the issue of the requirements that an aspirant must meet. Yakubu stated the criteria during the second virtual consultative meeting of the Inter-Agency Consultative Committee on Election Security, on Wednesday.
According to the INEC Chairman, a candidate nominated by a political party must be a Nigerian citizen by birth. The person must have attained the age of 35. Such person must be a member of and sponsored by a political party. The person must be educated up to at least School Certificate level or equivalent. Those were the four criteria emphasized by Yakubu for a candidate to be qualified to contest for Governor in line with the minimum requirements as contained in the constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria (as amended). It means that whoever meets these criteria is qualified to run for the office of the Governor without any hindrance.
This clarification becomes necessary going by the drama that played out during the screening of the aspirants for the primary of the All Progressives Congress, APC in Edo State. During that screening, the incumbent Governor, Godwin Obaseki was disqualified. According to the screening committee, Appeal committee and the Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC) of the APC, Obaseki was disqualified mainly due to discrepancies in his certificates. The emphasis was on Obaseki's High School Certificate(HSC), his first degree from the University of Ibadan (UI) and then his National Youth Service Corps (NYSC) discharge certificate.
Meanwhile, Obaseki insisted that his certificates were authentic. UI stated publicly that Obaseki was their student and was issued the first degree after graduating from the institution in 1979. The screening committee admitted that the omission of one letter in Obaseki's NYSC discharge certificate might be an error from the issuing institution, that is, the NYSC. But it said that Obaseki did not take steps to correct it. Which means the committe did not expressly say that Obaseki's NYSC certificate is fake.
The most important point is that, to qualify to run for the office of the Governor according to the constitution which is supreme, one needs to be educated up to school certificate level or its equivalent. That was the major point as emphasized by the INEC Chairman concerning academic requirement. For now, that is the major academic requirement. It did not even say that the candidate must pass. No, it did not say that. The candidate just have to be educated up to the school certificate level or its equivalent. That is all. Other requirements do not have to do with academic qualification.
Based on that, all these certificate issues against Obaseki should not come up in the first place. This is because the certificates are all above school certificate level. They are all higher academic certificates which are not required for one to contest for Governor for now pending when the constitution is amended to require higher academic certificate. As for the HSC, Obaseki showed that he attended the programme. This analysis is necessary because some people are saying that no other political party can field Obaseki as their governorship candidate based on what the APC said made them disqualify him.
In fact, the APC even said that they would go to court if any other party fields Obaseki as its governorship candidate. That would be opposition taken too far by the ruling party. The APC is most likely to lose if it does that. The court knows the minimum requirements to contest for Governor as pointed out again by INEC. In fact, even if they drag Obaseki to court, INEC is still going to be called in to testify or INEC will be joined as a party in the suit. INEC will still state the requirements and defend its decision to accept Obaseki because he met the stipulated requirements to contest.
As plans are on ground for Obaseki to defect to another party to seek reelection, it is necessary that he and the party he is joining weigh all these and be assured that he is qualified to contest. They should not be bothered about the reasons why APC disqualified him. If APC had disqualified Obaseki for forgery and the party was able to prove that the Governor forged any of his certificates, then, it would be a solid reason against him. In that case, one or more of the issuing institutions like UI, NYSC or others would have testified against Obaseki saying that it did not issue him the certificate in question. But that was not the case.
So, Obaseki should make up his mind to join any party of his choice that accepts him. From the look of things, the Governor is most likely to join the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Obaseki has made some moves to suggest that. Moreover, there are reports that he is in high powered negotiations with the leaders of the party and other key decision makers. Obaseki would want to discuss with the powers that be in PDP the possibility of getting the the party's governorship ticket before he officially defects to the party. That would be a wise decision to take so that he would get concrete assurance of the PDP's ticket before he defects to the party.
This is also necessary because there is no time to waste. In fact, INEC Chairman also announced Saturday June 27, 2020 as the deadline for all the participating political parties in the Edo election to conclude their primaries. Yakubu made that known during the virtual consultative meeting in Abuja on Wednesday. Also, parties are to submit the names and other details of their candidates for the election latest by 6pm on Monday, June 29, 2020. With the deadline for primaries less than 10 days from now, Obaseki has to make a very quick decision of whether to remain in the APC amid its Acting National Chairmanship crisis or defect to another party which is most likely going to be the PDP.
This is because the APC, the PDP and other parties will be quick to conduct their primaries so as to meet the deadline. APC will do its primary on June 22. PDP and others will follow suit. There is no time to waste. It is a battle very crucial to Obaseki as he fights to secure a second term in office amid stiff oppositions on his way.
What are your thoughts on this article? Feel free to drop your comments.

Pastor Ize Iyamu in Benin has been rushed to the hospital when he heard about the suspension of Oshiomole. More details later!
#Pray_for_him_pls

The Abuja Division of the Court of Appeal, on Tuesday, affirmed the suspension of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress, APC, Adams Oshiomhole by his Ward.

In a unanimous judgment, a three-man panel of justices of the appellate court held that appeal Oshiomhole lodged to challenge his suspension lacked merit.



Justice Mohammed Lamido who delivered the lead verdict dismissed the appeal and affirmed the decision of an Abuja High Court that earlier validated Oshiomhole’s suspension by his ward in Edo state.

It will be recalled that the Abuja High Court at Jabi had on March 4, suspended Oshiomhole from performing the duties of the National Chairman of the APC.

The court, in a ruling by Justice Danlami Senchi, directed that Oshiomhole should remain out of office pending the determination of a substantive suit that was brought against him by some aggrieved members of the party.

The order followed an application of interlocutory injunction that six plaintiffs, led by one Mustapha Salihu, filed through their lawyer, Mr. Oluwole Afolabi.

They had among other things, prayed the court to oust Oshiomhole from office, alleging that he was previously suspended as a member of the party from his Etsako ward 10, in Edo State.

Whereas Oshiomhole was cited as the 1st Respondent in the matter, the APC was sued as the 2nd Respondent.

In the application dated January 16, the plaintiffs, told the court that Oshiomhole failed to challenge his suspension in his primary Ward in Edo state.

They argued that since his suspension remained extant, his rights as a member of the party are currently abated, insisting that he could therefore not continue to head the APC as its Chairman.

The plaintiffs also contended that it would be legally wrong for Oshiomhole to continue to enjoy benefits from the APC because of his suspension as a member of the party.

Ruling on the matter, Justice Senchi held that the 2nd Respondent (APC), wrongfully retained Oshiomhole as its National Chairman because of the affidavit evidence before the court.

Consequently, he ordered that Oshiomhole should stop parading himself as the National Chairman of the APC.

Besides, Justice Senchi directed the party to stop acknowledging Oshiomhole as the Chairman of the APC, saying he should be granted access to the party’s Secretariat.

Justice Senchi stressed that political parties must be bound by their constitution.

He held that since Oshiomhole had been suspended in his Ward and the suspension not challenged, he had no business any longer parading himself as National Chairman of the party.

Meanwhile, Oshiomhole, through his lawyer, Mr. Damian Dodo, SAN, challenged the competence of the suit which he said constituted an abuse of the court process.

Aside from querying the jurisdiction of the court to entertain the matter, Oshiomhole maintained that the plaintiffs lacked the locus standi to seek such reliefs against him.

He subsequently secured an order of the Court of Appeal on March 16 to stay the execution of the court order that suspended him from office.

Meantime, in its final judgment on Tuesday, the appellate court upheld the decision of the lower court.

It described Oshiomhole’s appeal against his suspension as “unmeritorious”.

The three-man panel held that the Respondents had the right to approach the court to seek an injunctive order against the continued stay in office of the Appellant.

More so, the appellate court said it was satisfied that the appellant was not denied fair hearing by the lower court.

It further affirmed the decision of the trial to dismiss a preliminary objection Oshiomhole raised against the suit, adding that the Abuja court had the requisite jurisdiction to entertain the case.

See pictures!!

The deputy governor Philip Shaibu has officially resign from the All Progressive Congress earlier this afternoon, more details later!!

The ruling All Progressives Congress APC said it is not aware of the defection of the Edo state Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki from its party. National Publicity Secretary of the Party, Mallam Lanre Issa-Onilu in a reaction to media enquiries regarding the defection said the party cannot comment on media reports suggesting that the governor has left the APC. “The party has no record of the reported defection of Governor Godwin Obaseki from the Progressive party. We cannot comment at this moment on media reports suggesting the Edo governor or anyone else has left our great party”, he said. The governor who was last week disqualified from participating in the June 22 Governorship Primary Election of the party in Edo state was reported to have announced his resignation of membership of the party on Tuesday. Details later…

Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Ezenwo Wike recieves his Edo State counterpart, H.E Godwin Obaseki at the Rivers State Government House, Port Harcourt.
Details coming later!!!

Source: Vanguard Newspaper

BENIN CITY – THE Chairman, Edo state chapter of the Peoples Democratic Party, Dr Tony Aziegbemi, Saturday said the doors of the party is still open to Governor Godwin Obaseki to join it after being disqualified by the Prof. Jonathan Ayuba headed screening committee of the All Progressive s Congress (APC).

Speaking to journalists in Benin City, the PDP chairman, however, disclosed that some close associates of the governor have made overtures to the leadership of the party but that Obaseki is yet to personally reach out to him or any member of his executive council.

He said: “It is true that some close aides of the governor have reached out to the PDP. The governor, however, is yet to personally reach out to us. Our doors are opened to Governor Obaseki. He is welcome, should he decide to come and join us. The doors of the PDP are wide opened.”

Aziegbemi was silent on what will be the fate of Governor Obaseki in the primary of the party which is scheduled to for June 23 in Benin but it would be recalled that the South-South zonal chairman of the party, Chief Emmanuel Ogidi had insisted on due process should Obaseki defect to the PDP.

The Professor Jonathan Ayuba-led Screening Committee of the All Progressives Congress, APC, for the Edo State Governorship primary election has Disqualified The Incumbent Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, as well as Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi and Hon. Matthew Iduoriyekemwen.

Presenting the report of the committee to the National Working Committee NWC of the party on Friday in Abuja, Prof. Ayuba cited discrepancies in the names and certificates of the governor. For Ogiemwonyi, the committee also cited discrepancies in his names while it disqualified Iduoriyekemwen on the grounds that he instituted a suit against the party without exhausting all mechanisms of settlement in line with the APC Constitution.





Speaking on the activities of his committee, Prof. Ayuba said; “We are staking our integrity. The integrity of the process in this country in order to arrive at what we have done. Mr Chairman, our report is conclusive. Every member signed and has agreed with what we have decided at the committee level. This is essential because we want to be judged by what we have done and what we are presenting.

“We were thorough in the manner in which we conducted the exercise. We recorded live the interaction with each of the aspirants. The unedited clip is what we are giving as part of our report. We want to be judged by what we have done and not by what a third party says or by rumour.

“The methodology we used is clear. It was evidence-based. All we did was an interaction.

The Report

“We screened six aspirants. Three were eligible to contest and three were deemed ineligible to participate.

The first candidate was Mr Osaro Obaze. The committee after screening and the verification of the candidate’s documents found him eligible to contest the primary. Based on the committee’s observation above, the candidate is cleared.



“Engr Chris Osa: The name on all the certificates presented by the aspirants are in contradiction with one another. Also, the sworn declaration of age deposed to by one Capt. Stephen on 3rd June 2016 bore two conflicting names of the aspirant.

“Considering the discrepancy in all the certificates presented and also the difference in the names contained in the sworn affidavit of June 2016, and having regards to the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, the Electoral Act, APC Constitution and the party’s guidelines for the nomination of candidates and the reliance on the cases that have been settled by the Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, it is the considered view of the committee that this aspirant does not meet the requirements to participate in the primary election of the APC.

“In view of the findings of the committee above, Engr Chris is not cleared.

“Dr Pius Odubu: The observations are that the name Pius Egberanmwen Precious Odubu appeared on different documents. However, an anomaly was noticed in the affidavit deposed to by his father and our recommendation is the Pius Odubu is eligible to participate in the election.

“Mr Godwin Obaseki: Though, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki in his nomination form claimed to have obtained a Higher School Leaving Certificate from an Institute of Continuing Education, Benin. It was observed however that no educational certificate such as HSC is known in Nigerian educational system. Even then, the same HSC was never presented in the course of the screening exercise. The aspirant admitted that he has never collected it.



“The attestation from the Institute of Continuing Education, Benin from where the alleged HSC which was indicated in the field of attendance as obtained is of no consequence, as it only attests that Obaseki was a student of the Institute. So what we had was like an attendance. It was just attendance, it was not a result.

“Although, the Committee received a petition on his University of Ibadan Bachelor of Arts Classics certificate which he submitted to INEC in 2016 when he first contested as governor, the committee on further probing was presented with an original certificate issued by the University and the original was sighted.

“On the NYSC certificate dated 6th August 1980, the committee observed that he bears the name ‘Obasek’ Godwin. While this may be an error on the part of the issuing authority, we observed however that the aspirant has not taken any step ever to have the anomaly corrected by the issuing authority.

“In our interaction with issues raised, we concluded that HSC was defective. The NYSC certificate and the fact that the aspirant took the party to court, the above aspirant, His Excellency, Godwin Obaseki, therefore, is not eligible to participate in the election.

“During our interaction which was done live, he informed us that he has instituted a suit against the party and the National Chairman. Yesterday (Friday) we received all the documents of those processes and we had to rely on the party constitution because it is stated clearly that remedies should be carried through party processes. We gave an opportunity for them to give us pieces of evidence to show that this was done and nothing happened.

“The last aspirant we screened was Iduoriyekemwen and our recommendation is that because he has also instituted a case before the court and which he admitted and since the Constitution is clear about such actions, it is the view of the committee that he is not eligible to participate in the exercise”, he explained.

Go on appeal

Receiving the report, National Chairman of the party, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole restated his earlier position that the verdict of the committee was not final, urging those who are aggrieved to file their complaints to the Appeal Committee.

He said; “As I mentioned at the inauguration of this committee, your report is still subject to the Appeal Committee and the appeal committee will give an opportunity to all those who have participated in this exercise to appeal if they have reasons to disagree with the findings of this committee.

“As of yesterday, those aspirants have been advised to take full advantage of the appeal mechanism if they wish and the appeal Committee has been out on notice to be ready to hear any appeal arising from these aspirants”.

APC will be punished

Erstwhile National Chairman of the party, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has reacted angrily to the disqualification of Gov. Obaseki, saying except the verdict is immediately reversed, the party risks punishment in the state.

Odigie-Oyegun’s position was contained in a statement by his Public Afford Adviser, Ray Morphy titled, “All Options are on the Table”.

According to him, “the disqualification of Obaseki by the APC Screening Panel is a hatchet job aimed at installing a stooge that will allow some people unfettered access to Edo Treasury”.

“While not a surprise, that disqualification is a clear indication that internal democracy has been murdered in APC, a party which we founded on the principles of fair play and good conscience!

“I daresay that APC will suffer dire consequences in Edo state if this disqualification is not speedily reversed.

“As a matter of fact, Oshiomole is indeed the one who is guilty of anti-party, not Obaseki. Oshiomole is the one who is acting unconstitutionally not Obaseki. I hope that Oshiomole will not go down in history as the undertaker of APC,” he stated.

Let’s close ranks

Reacting to the outcome of the committee’s work, Pastor Ize-Iyamu hailed them for doing a thorough job and urged stakeholders of the party to close ranks to ensure its electoral victory.

The Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu Campaign Organisation in a statement endorsed by its Director of Communication and Media, Mr John Mayaki said; “I wish to send my deepest gratitude to all the members of our great party, the All Progressives Congress, for joyful cooperation that led to a seamless but thorough screening exercise.

“The progress made today by completing this exercise reveals the true spirit and character of our party premised on a bold insistence on fairness, accountability, and transparency.

“On my own part, having passed the screening tests, I want to state my consistent readiness to take the will of the party as the ultimate, regarding its laws and principles as the supreme guide for the execution of our affairs and assignments.

“I urge all the members of our party whose indefatigable commitment, loyalty, and cooperation has led to the success we experienced in recent times, to remain focused and committed to our general ambition as a party, and in the same vein pursuant of our personal political dreams in light of our progressive philosophy.

“As we prepare for the primaries and the election itself, it is time we bind together and close ranks, remembering that the greatest goal is the progress of Edo State, the moving forward of our great homeland, and the betterment of life for all of its people.”

SOURCE; Vanguard Newspaper

Edo fractional Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Anslem Ojezua has said that the clearance by the authorities of the University of Ibadan has shamed all those who have been witch hunting Governor Godwin Obaseki that he never graduated from the University. Ojezua told Vanguard in Benin on Wednesday while reacting to the clearance by UI that Obaseki actually graduated from the institution. “This is not a case of Toronto or Chicago. UI is not a University that you just walk into and graduate. “It just takes about three hours from Benin to go to the University and verify if you are in doubt or visit the internet.

According to him, the clearance from UI has strengthened the integrity of Governor Godwin Obaseki. Speaking on the decision of INEC to use direct mode of primary to conduct APC governorship primary in Edo, Ojezua ask if INEC is a member of APC, it is not, he said. Also speaking, a supporter of the APC National Chairman, Adam Oshiomhole, Samson Osagie said” INEC is simply following the law according to the provisions of the electoral act. “The party decided to communicate the mode of the primary to INEC and INEC has to follow the law.

Flamboyant Nigerian billionaire popularly known as Raymond Hushpuppi has allegedly been arrested by agents of the FBI in Dubai. Rumours has it that Hushpuppi was arrested alongside his close friend and alleged accomplice, Woodberry from their palatial home in Dubai. The arrest was the result of months of investigation by the FBI following a fraudulent deal that involved Hushpuppi and his crew, they were said to have collected some money from the USA and were unable to properly launder it as they normally do, hence resulting in the FBI being able to build a strong case against them and enough to get a warrant for their arrest.

It is noted that Hushpuppi's phone has been switched off since the time the arrest, will be bringing you further updates as the case unfolds. You will remember that another Dubai based billionaire businessman, Mompha was arrested under very similar circumstances last year and his case is still in the Nigerian court.

SARSCoV2:
Ambode said same thing!

Obaseki is not Ambode, Edo is different from Lagos politics

A Governorship aspirant of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo state, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu has explained his grievances with the state Governor, Mr Godwin Obaseki, saying it would be politically suicidal for the party to present the incumbent for a second term.

This was as some aspirants including a former deputy governor of the state, Dr Pius Odubu stepped down for him.



Among those who stepped down for him are Chief Solomon Edebiri, Prof. Ebegue Amadasun, Gen Charles Airhiavbere, Engr Chris Ogiemwonyi, Hon. Ehiozuwa Agbonayinma, Hon Saturday Uwuilekhue and Mr Blessing Agbonmhere.

Ize-Iyamu spoke on Wednesday shortly after picking his Nomination and Expression of Interest Forms at the National Secretariat of the party in Abuja.

He said the aspirants and members of the APC Caucus in the House of Representatives led by the House Deputy Leader, Comrade Peter Akpatason contributed the N22.5 million fees to purchase the forms for him.

While he conceded that the governor has a right to seek a second term, such ambition is negotiable, as other APC members have a right to seek to displace him.

Ize-Iyamu said he has done his best trying to counsel the governor and that the time has come to reposition the state.

He said; “We mean well for our state. We are not looking for positions simply because we need to look for something to occupy us. Even though what we have now is an APC Administration, we are not too happy with the pace of development. We are not happy with the rancour. We are not happy with the divisions. We are not happy with the insecurity and that cannot augur well for development. That was why we said our party cannot be changed, that it is better to change the incumbent and ensure that our party remains in office.

“In all the rifts in the party, I have not heard the national Chairman say anything against the governor. It has been one-way traffic. It has been the governor, his deputy and people in his government constantly and persistently abusing the national Chairman, who as a father has kept quiet. The governor has created a rift between himself and leaders of the party in Edo state because the people that put him there, he has dismissed them, used all kinds of negative adjectives to describe them. He has no relationship with them.

When I came in, I made several efforts to see the governor tell him o was coming back home and to advise him that it was better to have a united house than creating factions. It is surprising that before I came into the party, I could speak to him at will but the moment I told him about my agenda, why I wanted to see him, it became impossible. He closed the door and of course, you do not expect me to force my way into Government House. I have done my best in trying to talk to him and those who are close to him that factions and strong words are not the way to go.

“For me, the governor has a right to seek a second term but he cannot say that it is not negotiable because bif that is your position, it means you are saying that the party should not even sell forms to anybody and that Edo people do not have the discretion as to chose who should be their governor. To say it is not negotiable is to rubbish the rest of us who also have a right to contest”, he added.

One of the aspirants who stepped down for him, Mr Agbonmhere said God had revealed to him that Ize-Iyamu will emerge the next governor of Edo state, hence his decision to withdraw from the race.

According to Agbonmhere, Pastor Ize-Iyamu is a leader of Edo people worldwide who have been part of development of the state even before now.

He said; “Pastor Ize-Iyamu is a born leader who can unite all factions of APC in the state and I can tell you that the deputy governor, Phillip Shuaibu that people are talking about today will gladly work with Ize-Iyamu as governor.

“Why I know that Ize-Iyamu will get the ticket is that apart from the fact that I got the revelation from God, I also know that Governor Godwin Obaseki has insulted all the leaders of APC in Edo state, he has called them names. He has called them thieves and beggars. So, the leaders are not happy with the governor and they are ready to work for the emergence of Pastor Ize-Iyamu as governor, who they believe is a mature leader and has the capacity to unite the state for development.”

Governor Godwin Obaseki Wednesday expressed confidence that he would win a second term in office despite the crisis in the party. Speaking on a national television monitored in Benin City, the governor said: “I am not a violent person. But I am confident that the way I got into power is the same way I will return. God gave me power. If he wants me to return I will continue. No man can stop me. Power comes from God.” Commenting on the crisis rocking the APC in the state, Obaseki said; “We have always canvassed for peace. What are the issues in Edo and what are the issues that cannot be resolved in a democracy? Our concern is to use the resources of the people to develop the state. “This shouldn’t lead to bloodshed. We will not accept to be cowed and intimidated because some people think that they can manipulate rules and cut corners.” He said he would win the primary election “whether it is direct or indirect”

Meanwhile, after several weeks of horse-trading, negotiations that nearly broke down, six governorship aspirants namely Dr. Pius Odubu, Engr. Chris Ogiemwonyi, Major Gen. Charles Airhiavbere (rtd), Hon. Johnson Agbonyima, Saturday Uwulekhue and Prof. Ebegue Amadasun have stepped down for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as their consensus governorship aspirant to contest for the June 22 governorship primary election of the All Progressives Congress (APC). A seventh aspirant, Solomon Edebiri was said to have voluntarily withdrawn from the race. Vanguard gathered that the negotiation for the aspirants to agree on a consensus was reached Tuesday night in Abuja and Ize-Iyamu was said to have come tops after screening by a committee set up for the selection‎ exercise. The screening committee was headed by former Deputy Chief Whip of the Senate, Francis Alimikhena while other members included former Edo Deputy Governor Lucky Imasuen; Gen. Cecil Esekhaigbe (rtd); ex-Edo Speaker Thomas Okosun; former Minority Whip of the House of Representatives Samson Osagie; ex-member of the House of Representatives Patrick Obahiagbon and Deputy Leader of the House of Representatives, Peter Akpatason. Ize-Iyamu and incumbent governor Godwin Obaseki are now to square up for the APC governorship ticket on June‎ 22. Confirming the development, State Secretary of the party, Lawrence Okah said‎ “We are going with him to pick the form now. There is harmony in the family. We just have one common enemy, Obaseki should‎ go. That’s all”. It was learnt that all the aspirants in the contest have jointly contributed to buy APC’s N22.5 million Nomination and Expression Interest Form for Ize-Iyamu. A statement by the Director of Communication of Ize-Iyamu Campaign Organisation, John Mayaki shortly after he picked the nomination form described it as “another stride in the quest to move Edo State forward.” He said: “By obtaining the form today, we have formally placed our name on the party’s ballot for our internal primary next month. It is another great stride and we are thankful to the other aspirants who have joined us here today to offer support.” “There have been efforts to cause disunity in our party and pit people against each other by those who have sadly embraced politics without principles and are openly rebelling against the leadership of our party because they believe they have absolute power. But as it is clear from today’s event, Edo APC is united and these deviants may have a loud voice but they don’t represent the majority. “Everyone here may have personal ambitions but we are bound together by the common desire to fast-track the transformation of our state through a transparent, effective, and accountable governance that will improve the living standards and social well-being of our people.”

Morray:
Well, to be perfectly honest in my humble opinion without being sentimental, of course without offending anyone who thinks differently from my point of view, but also by looking into this matter in distinct perspective and without condemning anyone's view and by trying to make it objectified and by considering each and everyone's valid opinion. I honestly believe that I vividly don't have anything to say. Thank you

Oga English

So what should we do now

WRITTEN BY IMHONTU OLUMENSE
The Untold Story Of The Otokoto Money Ritual Killings of 1996
Set featured image
One Thursday over 20 years ago, on the 19th of September 1996, during the brutal regime of the late General Sani Abacha, something happened in Nigeria that shocked the entire world. In the usually calm and serene city of Owerri, capital of the country’s southeastern state of Imo, an 11-year-old boy named Anthony Ikechukwu Okoronkwo was meandering his way through the streets of the city with his precious tray of merchandise playfully balanced on his head. The little boy was hawking boiled groundnuts, which was his routine, the same condemned destiny for millions of other Nigerian kids today. But in his infantile innocence, the little boy was only doing what he was ordered to do by his parents. He strolled along, selling his groundnuts for peanuts to whoever wanted to buy. When he got to Amakohia area of Owerri, his eyes lit up with joy as a customer beckoned on him to approach. That ‘customer’ was named Innocent Ekeanyanwu, aged 32.
The boy was called into the famous Otokoto Hotel and the little groundnut seller was visibly very excited, since it was a hotel, it meant that the new ‘customer’ would probably be buying plenty groundnuts which will mean more money to take home to make his parents happy and assist his struggling family. As he sauntered into the central lobby and reception area of the hotel, he must have given a cute boyish smile as he was told to sit and wait a bit. While waiting, the boy was treated like a guest, he was given a bottle of Coca-Cola to cool off from the punishing heat of tropical Africa. As every innocent boy of his age would react, he quickly took the bottle of Coke and gulped it down with relish.

For many Nigerian kids, drinking a bottle of Coca-Cola inside the lobby of a hotel was more than a dream come true. Made to feel at home, he must have been wondering how nice his new and unusually receptive customers were. As he was sipping his soft drink and taking a look at the glittering surrounding of the hotel, he could have imagined having a hotel of his own too later in the future. As he was dreaming, his vision became blurry and the sounds around him became muzzled and dull. In a matter of minutes, he dozed off, never to wake up again. His tray full of groundnuts was lying in a corner.
Observing the boy from a safe distance was the man who had called him to buy his groundnuts. He had spiked the boy’s drink and once he saw he was asleep, he took the limp body of the drugged lad into one of the hotel rooms and what followed next remains one of the most evil things anyone can ever dream up. A sharp cutlass emerged from nowhere and the boy’s head was severed from his body. He was beheaded in a matter of minutes. Passersby outside the hotel had absolutely no idea of what was going on inside the ‘high-brow’ hotel. After the boy’s head was cut off, they proceeded to disembowel his torso and removed his liver and other parts they needed. They were not done yet, his genitals were not spared as well. After he was done butchering the boy, he sorted out the organs, packed his head inside a polythene bag and they made a shallow grave where they hurriedly buried his mangled remains. Of course, the boy’s parents somewhere in the city had no idea their little boy had just been gruesomely murdered. Ekeanyanwu then took the polythene bag containing the head and headed for the next destination: to the house of the man who needed the fresh head.

THE OTOKOTO HOTEL

At the time of its existence, Otokoto Hotel was located in an upscale area of Owerri, specifically the Amakohia side, and it was a favourite location for the rich and wealthy youths to meet, drink and have all manners of fun. Duru’s hotel was made up of three buildings, (three, five and six stories each, one behind the other). It was owned by Chief Vincent Duru, the father of Obidiozor Duru, the leader of the Black Scorpions secret cult responsible for a spate of robberies and kidnapping of children in the state. All of Owerri placed the Durus under their radar and surveillance, with rumours all over the place about their nefarious activities.

BACKGROUND TO THE STORY
Before this horrible incident, the people of Owerri (Ndi Owerre) were already very mad at the bizarre actions of some loud, extremely powerful and obscenely wealthy individuals in the state. These people were highly-connected and oppressed everyone where they went. Rumours were all over the place as to their very dark dealings and even the possibility of ritual murders and killings but no one really had any hard evidence yet or probably those who had it were too jittery to say anything. Whatever the case, these rich people who had no really tangible or easily traceable sources of wealth kept on living large and instilling an atmosphere of terror and fear on the Owerri populace. This was how Owerri was described at that time:

‘Luxurious commodities also became available in Owerri during the early 1990s, but mostly through a set of exclusive shops. These shops catered to members of their owners’ class: the newly affluent and generally youthful social elites of the town. Besides the arrival of airplanes in Owerri’s skies for the first time since Federalist bombing attacks during the late 1960s, the town’s bicycles and decrepit Peugeot 504 taxis now shared its potholed streets with the extraordinarily expensive automobiles and sports utility vehicles of the nouveaux riches. While the poorest Owerri indigenes listened to Igbo-languages programs on their radios and visited more wealthy relatives to watch frequently disrupted local television programming or videos, the town’s mansions were equipped with generators providing constant power, satellite dishes, video discs, and giant-screen televisions showing current international news, business reports, dramas, sitcoms, and music and movie programming from Great Britain and the United States.

By 1996, Ndi Owerre (Owerri indigenes) could, indeed, see what they had been missing before airport prosperity, but for most of them this was little more than a glimpse through the ornate gates of elite mansions or into shops whose goods had price tags the equivalent of several months’ earnings. Since a number of the town’s parvenu millionaires were not ndi owerre themselves, old ideals of reciprocity between wealthy and poorer clan members did not seem to apply under the new regime. This lack of reciprocity was especially felt as the young elites took titles and demonstrated their dollar/naira power at public, ‘cultural’ events like masquerade outings, weddings and funerals. Successful business entrepreneurship in 1990s….build lavish houses, and flaunt their riches in the faces of their suffering neighbours. When the question was posed about the origins of such untoward wealth, two possibilities beyond legitimate entrepreneurship presented themselves to the Owerri imaginary. First, the money could be the ill-gotten gains of Nigeria’s emerging culture of drug couriership and weapons sales. Second, and even more frighteningly, the money could be the product of the worst type of crime: the direct exploitation of children, whether as targets for parental extortion or as targets for money magic, a practice otherwise known in Nigerian Anglophone circles as’ritual murder’.’

That was a description of the atmosphere of Owerri of that time. And yes, the oppression by the wealthy was real. They flaunted their questionable wealth in the most nauseating manner, took all the chieftaincy titles, moved around with armed teams of police and soldiers harassing everyone on the roads, their cars had special and customized plates and any motorist who dared to protest got the beating of his life. These gods were virtually untouchable until everything scattered.

When the people heard of what happened inside the hotel to the boy, Owerri exploded with anger and resentment that had been piling up for years. For two straight days, the people of Owerri trooped out in their thousands, protesting and rioting. Not even the strong-arm tactics of the Imo State military administrator, Colonel Tanko Zubair, could stop them (the administration of the former military governor Navy Captain James Aneke was already seen as corrupt, 419-based and even complicit in the protection of the Otokoto men while he was in office). They simply ran amok and the national and international media focused on the Owerri riots of 24th and 25th of September, 1996, also known as the Otokoto riots, the people felt they had had more than enough.

Any property suspected to belong to the ’Otokoto men’ were set ablaze, from posh hotels to luxury supermarkets, their flashy automobiles, palatial mansions, everything was destroyed and burnt to the ground. A more detailed description of the riots is given in the subsequent sections. Any suspected member of the Otokoto gang was lynched. Prior to the riots, the youthful members of the Otokoto gang and other secret societies (believed to be offshoots of campus secret cults) involved in ritual killings went everywhere oppressing others with their ill-gotten wealth making other hardworking youths look clueless and silly. The mob action of the Owerri people was described thus by Declan Okpalaeke in the Echoes of Otokoto below:

‘Members of the irate mob arrogated to themselves the power of the judge and jury. It was for them, apparently, an opportunity for a putsch, for a cleansing of their once peaceful town. And they went about it with maddening fury. They pointed out magnificent buildings within the city suspected to belong to fraudsters and kidnappers. And once fingered, such buildings were marched upon were marched upon and torched with exotic cars and other properties destroyed, their owners pronounced guilty by the mob. As the crowd moved from one part of the town to another, more people joined in the act of fury and more victims fell to its jungle justice.’

The Owerri public had no faith in the police and as a matter of fact, the commissioner of police at that time, David Abure, was seen as the personification of corruption who wined and dined with the evil ones. But how did the news of the brutal hotel killings leak out to the public?

OWERRI EXPLODES: THE SHOCKING DISCOVERY
After the grisly murder of the little Okoronkwo by Mr. Innocent Ekeanyanwu (what a name, innocent indeed), he left the hotel to deliver the head where it was needed. It was the motorcycle operator named Opara who took him to his destination in Eziama who realized that was his passenger was carrying inside the polythene bag was actually a fresh human head. It was still dripping with blood. When he alighted, the motorcyclist alerted the police who then intercepted Ekeanyanwu on his way back in a Peugeot 504 car, he was carrying the head with him in the polythene bag. Opara would later testify in court.

With the motorcycle he took earlier, he was going to the residence of a highly-influential figure named Chief Leonard Unaogu at Eziama, Ikeduru Local Council Area with the head but upon arriving, he was told Mr. Unaogu had gone to Lagos. So Ekeanyanwu had no other option but to return to Owerri with the boy’s head. When it was time to take the headless body of Ikechukwu to the local mortuary, Owerri residents trooped out of their homes, it was a massive procession and they protested all the way. They stayed around and within the hotel premises and waited for the police to confirm that it was indeed a ritual murder. Some other Owerri residents kept watch in front of the medical center, watching everything and also waiting for the confirmation of a ritual murder from either the morgue or the police. But the notice was to eventually come from the Imo State television station. Suspicion was already thick in the air and anyone could smell the tension. It was Owerri people versus some of the most devilish forms of humanity in their midst.

It was in this midst of this tension that the local media station made its miscalculation. They showed the image of Innocent Ekeanyanwu holding the head of his victim. The goal of the media was to assure the people, assuage public fear, ask the public to help identify the boy and show official transparency but what followed next was a catastrophe. All hell broke loose as the enraged people of Owerri went haywire after the image was first broadcast on the 24th of September. All Owerri residents abandoned their businesses and congregated at the town’s central marketplace. It was there they decided on the next plan of action and outlined their strategies to deal with the Otokoto ‘headhunters’. The news spread rapidly and before long, every home in Owerri had either of the news or seen the image of Okoronkwo’s head or his shallow grave. Unemployed and disgruntled young men took over the parks and issued threats to the Owerri millionaires. From the Owerri main market, the riots exploded and spread.

The pattern of destruction was neat. The rampaging crowd first went to the morgue and from there, they rushed to the Otokoto Hotel and burnt it to the ground. From there, they went to the nearby palatial mansion of Chief Vincent Duru and destroyed his property, his expensive cars were wrecked and Duru himself narrowly escaped. From there, the crowd split into attack groups and spread out to other sites of the priviledged elite and unleashed maximum destruction. The well-known Piano Plaza and Stores, alongside another hotel, Chibet Hotel, and various businesses linked to the Otokoto and their associates were utterly destroyed. The Zubairu-led government later confiscated all the property as recommended by the panel which was headed by Justice PC Onumajuru.

From there, they rushed to the palace of the traditional ruler and chairman of the state council of traditional rulers, Eze Onu Egwu Nwoke (later indicted alongside Aneke and Abure by the panel of inquiry) and burnt down his residence and his petrol station, they also destroyed the king’s 15 airconditioners and many of his cars. They were not done yet, from there, the crowd ‘troops’ headed for the residences of former Imo State officials. These administrators were targeted because of what was described as ‘their alleged unwillingness to properly tackle several cases of ritual murder, kidnapping and robbery while in office.’ The angry rioters only agreed to calm down when the military administrator (MILAD) assured them that a full, state-level investigation of the incident was going to be launched.

THE INVESTIGATIONS
Following the arrest of Ekeanyanwu, he was remanded in police custody while awaiting trial. But while he was in the police custody, magic happened as usual, he was killed by food poisoning. He killed the boy on Thursday and by Sunday morning, the 22nd of September, he was found dead in police custody and by Monday morning, the news of his death was already spreading throughout Owerri.

But luckily for the interrogators, before he was killed, Ekeanyanwu confessed and mentioned Leonard Unaogu as the brain behind the ritual killing syndicate. He confessed that the ritual killing ring was a well-organized machine that specialized in the harvesting of human body parts and sold them to those interested in using them for rituals and all the usual nonsense they claimed to be using them for. He also said it was Unaogu who ordered him to get a human head.

Some reports indicate that the Otokoto saga (as the ritual killing came to be known) had been in place as far back as 1976. Confessional statements also show that no one was spared at the Otokoto Hotel. Innocent guests and unsuspecting travellers who lodged at the hotel were drugged or attacked in the middle of their sleep and hacked to death after which they were cut into pieces for sale.

Police officers who swooped upon the hotel discovered not only the shallow grave containing that of the little boy but also graves containing other victims with their decomposing and dismembered corpses. No one knows the exact number of bodies exhumed at Otokoto Hotel, with figures varying from 8 to two dozen. Some were buried at inconspicuous locations such as under the flowerbeds. Such evil, such horror!

The man that Ekeanyanwu mentioned before he was poisoned to death, Leonard Unaogu, was known in the society as a business tycoon. Everyone knew him. But that was not all. His junior brother, Laz Unaogu, was a serving minister under the General Abacha regime. The brother of a serving federal minister was implicated in the beheading of a poor boy, it was a classic case of the rich against the oppressed and poor Nigerian majority. Leonard Unaogu was eventually arrested by the police when Duru claimed that police officers had told him that the late Ekeanyanwu had confessed that Unaogu commissioned the killing. He was arrested and made to face the judicial commission of inquiry and eventually held in prison, charged with murder. It seemed the government really wanted the culprits or at least someone punished because the people of Owerri were ready to pounce on anyone should they be released to go free.

But the people of Owerri made their voices heard, they pursued the case till the very end. In fact, the Otokoto case can be seen as the case of the Owerri people versus the Otokoto Seven (as the seven principal suspects were called). The police arrested Unaogu and when he was quizzed, he lied with a straight face that he never knew anyone called Innocent Ekeanyanwu and that he was not even in Owerri when the crime was committed, saying he was in Lagos. He would later say the same thing in court only for the presiding judge to brush it aside as nonsense saying his location when the offence was committed was irrelevant to the matter at hand.

Ekeanyanwu, who murdered the boy, was aged 32 and he worked as a gardener inside the Otokoto Hotel. When he died of food poisoning, the Imo State Police Commissioner released a press statement with the speed of light saying the police knew nothing about it saying there was no foul play. This irresponsible talk from the police chief enraged the Owerri youths, who promptly returned to streets demanding justice for the slain boy. This time around, they were determined more than ever to find their own evidence of ritual murder.

They invaded the homes of ‘suspected dealers in human body parts’ sniffing around for hard evidence which they reportedly found in one of the houses. The churches were not spared too, especially the new-breed evangelical churches, with their main target being the Overcomers Christian Mission along Wetheral where it was rumoured that human skulls were discovered with charms and amulets but the police later said what was found there were various animal skulls, pots full of vulture and other feathers, chalk, red candles, books on mystic subjects, photographs, cowries, objects shaped like human beings and bottles that contained unspecified powders and herbal preparations.

Energized by their success at this discovery, the protesters marched on other churches, a lodge and even an ashram. All the churches popular with the millionaires of Owerri were attacked and destroyed. Only Winners Chapel narrowly escaped as it had been surrounded by battle-ready police officers. By the time the storm calmed on the 27th of September, 26 buildings and several cars had been destroyed. It was a barbarous scene and the savagery mixed with the brutality was clearly evident in the destruction. All the Otokoto suspects were remanded in the Owerri federal prisons during trial.

On June 22, the All Progressives Congress (APC) is expected to hold its primary election to pick its candidate for the 2020 governorship election in Edo State fixed for September. There is a big gulf between Governor Godwin Obaseki and majority of the members of his party who have described his leadership style as politics of exclusion. Many politicians of note in the APC across the three senatorial districts are against Obaseki’s second term, but the governor and his handlers have continuously exuded confidence that he would get the second term ticket.


It was gathered that the governor after losing his Senior Special Assistant on Anti-Human Trafficking, Solomon Okoduwa, who resigned his appointment and later that of his Chief of Staff, Taiwo Akerele, may lose more supporters in the next few days if what is happening in his kitchen cabinet is anything to go by. There was a recent burst up between some principal members of his kitchen cabinet but when contacted, one of them, former Speaker of the House of Assembly, Kabiru Adjoto, simply said: “The tongue and teeth quarrel and they also settle. So the story that somebody was slapped was not true” It was reliably gathered that some of them a real ready reaching out to the opposition group against Obaseki to join in theant-Obaseki campaign. Attempt to remove Oshiomhole The number one challenge for Obaseki’s second term bid is the failed attempt to remove or suspend Comrade Adams Oshiomhole as the National Chairman of the party. It was reliably gathered that one of the strategies Governor Obaseki and his handlers adopted was to ensure that Oshiomhole was removed hence the intensity and barrage of litigations that led to the aborted National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting. Two of Obaseki’s supporters had boasted to the public

late last year that Oshiomhole would not be national chairman of the party by the time Edo governorship primary election would be conducted. It was also gathered that the announcement by Governor Obaseki shortly before the aborted NEC meeting that the APC was planning to register 500,000 new members in the state was to be carried out once Oshiomhole was removed and the new leadership of the National Working Committee (NWC)which was expected to be ‘friendly’ would have given the green light for fresh party membership registration. But these plots failed Lawmakers Fourteen out of the state legislators are yet to be inaugurated more than one year after their election. They are being held back and their seats even declared vacant for challenging the way and manner the House was inaugurated. CoS resignation After the failure of the plot to remove Oshiomhole, the governor was said to have gone back to the drawing board to adopt new strategies to ensure he gets second term, but whatever plan they were working on suffered a setback when his Chief of Staff, Taiwo Akerele, suddenly resigned from the government citing administrative reasons for his action. Akerele’s resignation has led to the ridding of the government of many appointees linked to him while those remaining go to work daily expecting the worst. Some who are still in office were said to have given their commitment and loyalty to Obaseki before they were told to continue after serious interrogation by the office of the Deputy Governor. The resignation of Akerele would remain as our point as it took the Obaseki government by surprise. Even though a replacement was immediately announced, the governor was not expecting it. Akerele’s resignation has substantially reduced the reach of the governor in Akoko-Edo Local Government Area one of the areas in Edo North that he was expected to make inroads. The place has become vulnerable as apart from Senator Domingo Obende, who with his supporters have remained solidly behind Obaseki, other notable leaders like Deputy Leader of the House of Representatives, Peter Akpatason, and former member of the House of Assembly, Anselm Agbabi are in the opposition. Akerele is expected to play a role in the emergence of the next candidate and wherever he pitches his tent would get supporters. Consensus One plan Obaseki’s supporters had hoped would notwork was the decision of the aspirants opposed to him to have a consensus amongthem and then jointly deploy their resources to back the choice. Former Deputy Governor, Pius Odubu, former Minister of State for Works, Chris Ogiemwonyi, Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu, Solomon Edebiri, Saturday Uwalekhue, Professor Ebegue Amadasun and Ehiozuwa Agbonayinmaare the persons that have so far indicated interest to contest for the governorship election of the state in APC. Even though an earlier attempt for them to agree on one of them failed, recent developments indicated that the aspirants may have settled for Pastor Osagie Ize-Iyamu as their consensus candidate. The governorship hopeful has been granted a waiver by the national leadership of the party to contest the primary election.

With 2023 elections already in mind, the interests, it was gathered would want to use Edo State to expand its influence in South-South having lost Bayelsa State to the Peoples Democratic Party, PDP. Violent attacks Ize-Iyamu’s entrance into the race shortly after here turned to the APC changed the narratives as he became the aspirant to beat. He defected to APC with the structure he used as the governorship candidate of the PDP in 2016 when he contested against Obaseki. The return of Ize-Iyamu to APC generated somuch air that the state government made frantic efforts to stop it including placing a ban on all forms of political rallies and meetings in both private and public residences. A day before his formal return to the APC, there was orchestrated violence in Benin City, the state capital that led to the police not give the go-ahead for the formal return. There were attacks on several persons believed to be supporters of Ize-Iyamu. Oshiomhole was declared persona non grata in the state and the government issued a statement saying he must get permission before he visits the state, claiming his presence was sparking violence. Shortly after this, a venue fixed for a rally in Auchi, Etsako West Local Government Area to receive defectors from the PDP wasburnt overnight. Another venue in Irrua, Edo Central Senatorial District, was destroyed although that turned out to be a decoy as the organizers learning from what happened in Auchi, actually had an alternative venue which was the country home of a leader of the party, Chief Francis Inegbeneki. Inegbenki’s private residence in Benin City was attacked with substances believed to be explosives and few days later, the home of the state Secretary of the party, Lawrence Okah was bombed. Before these, the building housing the legal office of Henry Idahagon, a former Attorney General of the state was attacked by gunmen and several other business centres in the building were destroyed. Several used pellets were recovered from the area. There were several attacks and sometimes disruption of meetings called by persons believed to sympathisers of Oshiomhole. All these attacks were never publicly condemned by the state government but rather it said they were self-inflicted. In February, the Benin residence ofOshiomhole in Oko-Otun area of GRA was under siege as the two entry points fromIkpokpan and Dennis Osadebey Road were blocked by trucks believed to be owned by the state government. One of the trucks was later set ablaze and abandonedfor several days. The blocking of the road was a continuation of attempts to stop Oshiomhole from leaving the airport on arrival from Abuja to attend a burial party. He was escorted from the airport by heavily armed security operatives. But the Special Adviser, Media and Communication Strategy, Crusoe Osagie said: “We don’t know anything about these, our concern is that the National Chairman came to Edo State and did not inform the government about his presence. He is the national chairman of our party and courtesy demands that he informs the government about his presence.” Opposition Even though his aides have severally denied it, Sunday Vanguard can authoritatively report that there were moves by Obaseki toleave the APC and talks were on with some leaders of the PDP for him to fly their ticket. He was said to have slowed down his move when the idea of removing Oshiomhole as the national chairman came up. For the first time in the history of the state, two ministers were appointed: the Minister of Health, Dr. Osagie Ehanire and Minister of State for Budget and National Planning, Prince Clem Agba. Obaseki’s critics believe he is not leveraging on the goodwill these appointments could bring to the state and his administration. Closely related to this is the role he allegedly played in the opposition to the appointment of Odubu as the Chairman of the Niger Delta Development Commission (NDDC). He is alleged to have coordinated other governors from the South-South to force President Muhammadu Buhari to stop the inauguration of the board even after clearance by the Senate. One of the lawyers who went to court to challenge the composition of the board is now one of his Senior Special Assistants. But the governor has recently doled out hundreds of appointments which is a strategy to get more party members, the outcome of the primary election would determine whether this strategy would work or not.

Dr Ilenre Austin Emuan is a chartered architect, development expert, environmentalist, an advocate for moral economy and bi-culturalism and former governorship aspirant of All Progressives Congress, APC, in Edo State. He was the National Chairman of the National Support for Buhari-Osinbajo Presidency Campaign outfit and, at present, the Chairman of APC Unity League – a unifying intellectual advocacy think-tank group. In this interview, Emuan speaks on the crisis in Edo APC between Governor Godwin Obaseki and National Chairman Adams Oshiomhole ahead of the June 22 primary election to pick the party’s candidate for governorship election in the state. What’s your assessment of the crisis in Edo APC? What you see is outplay is a naked dance to the dangerous rhythms of disunity. Our party in Edo has never been this divided even when we had no opposition to slow you down. You know we won all the 24 seats in the present state House of Assembly. For some disturbing reasons, we couldn’t manage our successes. And subsequent events have been further too divisive; to thresholds of worry. It’s so unfortunate! What would you say is the problem? It is a sort of progressive chain reactions. To be thorough in its assessment, we must go back a while. From our governorship primary elections of 2016 to the last congress and the last general elections, there had never been true reconciliation among aggrieved APC members, who had strong reservations on the process that led to the emergence of candidates in the said elections. We carried on like all was well. The product is nothing but perceived exclusion and induced misanthropy amongst members of our party. And rather than pause to introspect, re-assess and possibly deconstruct to rebuild broken trusts and stir-up hope, we engaged in self-righteousness. Praise singers, who deserved to be sanctioned for their actions that led to our poor performance in the last presidential and National Assembly elections, concocted votes of confidence and misplaced endorsements on aspirants and erring leaders. Accusations and counter-accusations followed the poorly managed setbacks.
Lastly is the unnoticeable subterranean and amorphous complexities unleashed by the manoeuvring of inordinate ambitions of some APC members. These have become the albatross of our party. With these drawbacks, is the Edo of your dream still realisable? Yes. But a lot will depend on the type of actors and actresses that we have on the stage of our polity. As long as we have more students of power than students of politics as we do now, it will remain an illusion. Otherwise, prosperous Edo beckons and I can see it clearly on the horizon. Again, the electorate have to be more decisive on what they want: a bright future or a broken and hopeless future. Either way, the choice we all make today will define the path we have chosen. I advise we take deliberate actions that are compost of painful adjustments and daring sacrifices for the tomorrow of our dreams. That sounds like a revolution. Is this possible? We need evolution, not a revolution! Could you explain? Evolution of the mind! Therein lies all the answers that we seek. We need to re-programme our minds from their present selfish and mono-dimensional dispositions into a default mode of love, tolerance and multi-dimensional orientation. Then we can become more cohesive rather than coercive, inclusive rather than extractive, embrace fair-play rather than unbridled inequality. Such levels of cultural consciousness will help us manage our prejudices & differences that will turn the ugly tides of all political odds around into a critical mass for service to the dear people of Edo. These are good ideas. But how come you did not oblige your party with them in this crisis? I did and fervently so. All expressed in the manner of the wisdom my father impacted in me during my formative age that: “Neither let compliments get into your head, nor let criticisms get into your heart.” My team and I also reached out to elders of the party, at the state and national levels, to mediate. They did! Unfortunately, when the sun is racing for sunset, it no longer heeds the prayers of the farmer. Now, many bridges have been destroyed and the fragile brick of trust left in the system is now in ruins and rubbles. What is your advice for those at the fore front of the Edo APC crisis? Simple and vividly obvious: The price of war caused by destructive arrogance is far costlier than the enduring peace procured with humility. We shall pay more in so many ways and on many fronts if we fail to embrace peace. Secondly, the time has come for us to come to terms with the fact that most of us have made wrong choices and there is need to take out the obstacles we have erected if we desire peace. What are these obstacles? Obaseki/Shaibu Movement (OSM) and the Edo Peoples Movement (EPM)? Yes! They are divisive and a major part of the obstacles destroying cohesion in the party. Take them down and we would have earned some miles in the pursuit of peace. While I am aware that EPM no longer exists, it is unfortunate that anyone that is not a member of OSM is automatically labelled as EPM. This is wrong and divisive and we should please stop! Again, many well-meaning APC members frown at peace as an option. To them, they are tired of betrayals and are not ready to suffer the tragedy of broken trusts. War is now their last resort as a way forward. To some, peace means giving up something very dear and as such not contemplated. Don’t forget that many benefit in war. And these are the ones benefiting from the present crisis. All of these must be pulled down and sacrificed on the altar of humility for peace to reign. We must not forget that our opponents are happy and watching from a distance. Do you think the most formidable opponent of your party will benefit from the crisis? Absolutely! They are the greatest beneficiary. They aim to see that we’re sustainably disunited. Unfortunately, the dangerous paradox is that Edo APC members have been helping them achieve it. How? That is pretty obvious. Everyone knows Edo APC is in crisis. On all media platforms, electronic, print and social media, we are back and forth abusing each other and washing our dirty garments in the open without shame. Edo is now synonymous with political conflict. Who is this truly helping? Who is it empowering? Certainly not Edo APC. Our supporters are in penury. If 10% of the money spent in prosecuting this political war was invested to create cottage industries, we would have delivered, to a large extent, the jobs we promised in our campaigns. Once you allow the crisis to persist, then your powerful opponents join forces against you and such collaboration is deadly and suicidal. Now that elections are close, do you think there is enough time to settle all differences? It’s never too late to make peace. It’s a deliberate choice that we have to make. Otherwise, we would have declared Edo APC an endangered species. Unfortunately, that’s what some people want. It is left to some of us that have the party at heart and know the consequences of war; to persist and stir the party right. What do you think is the cause of the House of Assembly logjam and how best can it be resolved? Those are two questions in one. Well, the problem is an effect rather a root cause. It is one of the effects of the Edo APC self-induced problems and I am sure I have dealt with this already. This was only amplified by deepened mistrust and lack of communication. There are only two possible solutions: Legal or political. One is better than the other. Political solution is better because it will isolate and flush out all the undercurrent sentiments. After all, mutual understanding and respect will be involved. This is unlike legal solution that has limitation to only declaring who is right and wrong; leading to an endless legal battle that are distractions from service to the people. Your party’s primary scheduled for June is around the corner and there are insinuations and postulations on the battle ahead. What’s your take? Insinuations are virtual and destructive. They are ill-winds that blow from the windmills of gossip and warped minds. I wish you could be more specific on these insinuations. As for postulations; yes that is normal in the political arena. They are projections based on past and prevalent circumstances. It helps politicians to firm up their positions. It is welcome and normal. Insinuations that we mean are on the processes that will determine who becomes the APC candidate. One would have expected your party to adopt the incumbent. But some even say the incumbent may be denied the ticket. What do you think? Now you can see why I said insinuations are destructive. I am not aware that anyone is planning to deny any of the aspirants the party’s ticket. It is the same insinuation that fuelled the state House of Assembly logjam and others. The only thing I know is that some aspirants believe that when they come together and pick one person amongst them, it’s easier to defeat the incumbent. You see, APC is a party that has ‘change’ as her mantra of dispatch. We want to move away from the days of PDP where a sitting elected person is automatically adopted; whether or not he has served well. After a tenure which is four years, anyone who feels that the incumbent has not done well and is qualified to take over, let him be. It’s a democracy. This inspires and promotes excellence in governance. What kind of person would you like to see emerge as the APC candidate? Based on the ideology of APC and our prevalent realities, I advice APC members to nominate and vote wisely for a unifier, visionary and servant leader who is a student of politics not a student of power! If we do this God’s willing, Edo APC will survive and remain in power for, at least, another decade.

Ten out of 18 new Covid-19 cases in Kaduna State are members of one family, Governor Nasiru Ahmad El-Rufa’i has said. El-Rufa’i said on his Twitter handle, that the new cases were recorded in the 4 Local Government Areas of Kaduna North, Zaria, Chikun and Sabon-Gari He called on Kaduna State citizens to adhere strictly to safety measures put in place to check the spread of the virus in the state.

Also, the government has declared that there will not be Eid-el-Fitr congregational prayers in Kaduna, as part of measures to avert community transmission of the virus in the State. “18 new cases were recorded today, 10 of whom are members of one family. “14 of the new cases are from Kaduna North, two from Zaria and one each from Chikun and Sabon-Gari LGAs.” “Residents are advised to adhere to safety measures,” he said.

BENIN CITY – THE crisis rocking Edo state All Progressives Congress (APC) continued on Friday as a group Concerned Edo Citizens Forum, (CECF) has cautioned political parties against the adoption of direct primary to select its candidate for the September governorship election citing the rampaging COVID-19 pandemic.



A statement signed by Convener and Secretary of the group Comrade Roy Oribhabor and Barr. Osamwonyi Ibude while commending President Muhammadu Buhari on the manner the pandemic is being tackled advised citizens to maintain and abide by government guidelines in stemming the spread.

“As Concerned citizens, we are seriously worried about the political activities in Edo state because of the coronavirus pandemic. It’s on record that this deadly virus has no respect for status and positions hence our worries
“We hereby call on all political parties in Nigeria contesting for the gubernatorial election in Edo state to consider the mode of primaries that will help reduce the spread of coronavirus and also reduce the potency accordingly”.

But the faction of the APC in the state loyal to the party’s national chairman, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has written to the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) detailing alleged plans by Governor Godwin Obaseki to scuttle the party’s primary election slated for next month with inflated cases of COVID-19.

According to Lawrence Okah, the State Secretary of the party who signed the letter addressed to INEC’s Chairman, Governor Obaseki has instructed the testing of fictitious 300,000 persons to announce “fake positive results to serve as a foundation for the scuttling of the party’s primary election scheduled to hold on 22nd of June.

“The Governor of Edo State, Mr. Godwin Obaseki, has concluded plan to scuttle the primary election of the All Progressives Congress scheduled to hold on 22, June 2020. The pretext is that if held, the primary election will escalate cases of COVID-19 infections in Edo state.

“The irrefutable information is that the Governor has directed that medical tests be carried out on fictitious persons of up to 300,000 (three hundred thousand). The plan is to deliberately increase the number of persons declared to be infected with COVID-19 as justification to lock down Edo State throughout the period scheduled for the primary election in the state.”

The party condemned the governor’s actions as a show of desperation and called on INEC, NCDC, Police, DSS and other security forces to refrain from succumbing to his desperate antics at scuttling the scheduled primary election.

But the Secretary of the faction loyal to Obaseki, Pastor Joseph Osagiede said “Lawrence Okah is not APC secretary, therefore, I cannot respond to his utterance.”

KANO – The sacked Kano state Commissioner of Works and Infrastructural developments, Alhaji Muazu Magaji has been discharged from Isolation Centre after testing negative to the highly contagious Coronavirus disease. The former Commissioner confirmed this in a post on his Facebook timeline on Friday. Magaji posted that, “To the Glory of Allah SWT, today Friday 22nd May and 29th Ramadan I have been confirmed Covid-19 Negative and discharged from Isolation center.” Recall that the former Commissioner was relieved of his appointment by his principal, Governor Abdullahi Umar Ganduje for allegedly celebrating the death of late Abba Kyari, the former Chief of Staff to President Muhammadu Buhari, although he (sacked commissioner) claimed he was misunderstood by the post.

Weeks after, he (Engr Muazu Magaji) tested positive to the virus in which he wrote on his timeline, “this morning, my NCDC test is out. I have been confirmed COVID-19 positive, and have been moved to one of the state facilities,” the sacked commissioner said

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