₦airaland Forum

MrPolitics:
This country sha.
Does the law not state that you serve the elected official notice of investigation?
This process is meant to take about 30 days but never in Naija.
Also 18 members are needed to impeach the deputy governor.
They’ll need 4 more signatures

…Pro-Giadom forces take emergency NEC meeting to Villa
…Giadom cannot convene NEC Meeting, NWC declares
…Says no faction in national leadership

By Omeiza Ajayi


Forces aligned with the factional acting National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Chief Victor Giadom, have concluded plans to convene an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee, NEC, of the party.

The development, Vanguard learned, is a fallout of Monday’s meeting between President Muhammadu Buhari and three governors, Abubakar Bagudu of Kebbi, Simon Lalong of Plateau and Abubakar Badaru of Jigawa states.

The three governors are seen within party circles as opposed to the leadership style of the suspended National Chairman of the party, Adams Oshiomhole.

The meeting would hold tomorrow at the Presidential Villa as opposed to having it at the traditional “NEC Meeting Hall” within the party’s national secretariat.

However, only a few of the 120-member NEC have been cleared to be physically present at the Villa as others would be required to join the meeting through virtual means.

Also, the Inspector General of Police IGP, Muhammed Adamu yesterday ordered the Federal Capital Territory, FCT, command of the Nigeria Police Force to seal off the National Secretariat of the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, to avoid a break into the office of the Deputy National Secretary, Vanguard learned yesterday.

The decision which party sources said was necessitated by the need to ensure public order and safety in and around the secretariat, was largely as a result of an alleged attempt by the newly-inaugurated Deputy National Secretary, Barr. Worgu Boms, to access the office which is still occupied by the factional acting National Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Giadom.

It was learned that on Monday, there were moves to get Mr Boms into the office which was at the time under lock.


Chief Giadom had sprinted to the office at about midday and stayed for nearly two hours before leaving.

“That incident happened yesterday (Monday). So, in order to avoid a possible clash today (yesterday) the police decided to seal off the premises, while the IG would meet with the contending forces,” said a party source.

The secretariat was, however, reopened at about 3:30pm, less than four hours after it was sealed.

The South South Zonal chapter of the APC had on Sunday, upheld what it described as the resignation of Chief Victor Giadom from the National Working Committee NWC, urging the NWC to confirm and immediately swear in the zone’s nominee and replacement for the position of deputy national secretary, Worgu Boms.

Boms was inaugurated by the NWC on Monday, following which he was said to have made attempts to occupy his new office at the national secretariat.

The South-South Zonal Executive Committee had noted that it was in receipt of an interim Court Order in respect of the suit between Dele Moses & Ors Vs APC & Ors, with suit number PHC/360/2020; dated June 19, 2020.

“The said court order restrained Victor Giadom from further parading himself as the Deputy National Secretary, Acting National Chairman and as a member of the National Working Committee, NWC, of the APC. The Zonal Executive Committee, therefore, unanimously resolved to obey the court order.

“That having considered and approved the nomination of Barr. Boms Worgu from Rivers State by the South-South Zonal Executive Committee, Barr. Worgu is, therefore, affirmed to be the new Deputy National Secretary and a member of the National Working Committee of our great party, APC.

“It is, therefore, resolved that Barr. Boms Worgu’s nomination be confirmed by the National Working Committee, NWC, and sworn in immediately, pending ratification by the National Executive Committee, NEC, of our great party, the All Progressives Congress APC,’’ the committee stated.

Emergency NEC

Giadom in his letter to NEC members said he was duly authorised through an order of court to act as National Chairman of the party.

“I, Chief Victor Giadom, having been duly authorized by court order to Act as National Chairman of our great party and to preside over all meetings of the NWC and NEC, hereby, and with the consent of President Muhammadu Buhari (who is the leader of our party) reconvene the NEC meeting that was earlier billed to hold on March 17, 2020, but was postponed.

‘’The reconvened meeting shall hold on Thursday, June 25, 2020. Venue shall be the State House, Abuja,” Giadom stated yesterday.

Constitutional breach

The emergency meeting, however, appears a breach of the party’s constitution which stipulates that, at least, a seven-day notice should be given to members before such a meeting is held.

Article 25B(i and ii) of the APC Constitution (2014 as amended) states: “The National Executive Committee shall meet every quarter and/or at any time decided by the National Chairman or at the request made in writing by at least two-thirds of the members of the National Executive Committee, NEC, provided not less than fourteen days’ notice is given for the meeting to be summoned.”

Reacting yesterday, the Senator Abiola Ajimobi-led National Working Committee, NWC, of the party, declared that there were no factions in the NWC, dismissing claims that a factional acting National Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Giadom, has fixed a meeting of the National Executive Committee, NEC, for tomorrow.

The Abiola Ajimobi-led NWC said Giadom had no locus to convene a NEC meeting.

Addressing a news conference at the NEC Meeting Hall in the party’s national secretariat, National Vice Chairman, South South, Hilliard Eta, who stood in for Sen. Ajimobi, said it was wrong to refer to 17 of 20 members as a faction.

He said: “It is not right to refer to 17 members, with 15 of them physically present and two who met with us physically as a faction. This is the National Working Committee NWC of the APC in Nigeria. I sit here on behalf of Senator Abiola Ajimobi as the acting Chairman of this party”.

No NEC

He restated the earlier position of the NWC on the status of Chief Giadom, saying he is no longer a member of the party let alone being a party official.

“If Victor Giadom is arranging a NEC, I believe that it is your responsibility as a member of the fourth estate of the realm to investigate his locus to find out whether he has the legal, the constitutional backing to be able to call a NEC meeting. As we speak, the membership of Chief Victor Giadom has been suspended by a competent court of jurisdiction in Port Harcourt this afternoon.

‘’Not only is he not a member of the NWC from today, his membership of the APC has been suspended. So, when you call him factional acting Chairman, we wonder why,” Eta said.

Acknowledges lifting of Oshiomhole’s suspension

Speaking further on the outcome of the NWC meeting which he said was physically attended by 15 members and two others who attended virtually, Eta said; “The NWC is in receipt of communication from the Edo state chapter of our party with regards to the suspension of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole both by Ward 10 Estako west local and the Estako west local government chapter of our party. We acknowledged the reciept of same and accept the lifting of that suspension.

No crisis in APC

“You said our party Secretariat has become a battle ground and I walked in here, I never saw bullets, I never saw guns, I didn’t see anybody in camouflage. So, our part Secretariat is not a battle ground and the police has released an information to the entire country signed by Frank Mba, the Force PRO.

“It is not true that our party Secretariat has become a battle ground.”

By Soni Daniel

Operatives of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission, EFCC, have re-arrested a former Assistant Director in the Federal Civil Service, John Yakubu Yusuf, who has been on the run since 2018 after the Court of Appeal, Abuja Division, sentenced him to six years imprisonment and a fine of N22.9 billion, for conniving with five other suspects to steal N32.8 billion Police Pension Fund. Based on his re-arrest, Justice Baba Yusuf of the FCT High Court on Monday, June 22, 2020, issued a remand order that will enable him to serve his six years jail term in Kuje Correctional Service, Abuja.

Yusuf is one of the six federal civil servants facing prosecution for allegedly stealing N32.8billion Police Pension Fund. He was initially convicted and sentenced to two years imprisonment with an option of fine of N750, 000 (Seven Hundred Thousand Naira only) by a Federal Capital Territory High Court presided over by Justice Abubakar Talba, in a plea-bargain arrangement. The conviction, considered to be a slap on the wrist, sparked national and international outrage.

The EFCC, dissatisfied with the judgment of the trial court, approached the appellate court to set aside the judgment. Ruling on the substantive matter, the Justices of the Court of Appeal held unanimously that the three counts involving Yusuf (Counts 17, 18, and 19) clearly stated the amounts he converted for his personal use. He pleaded guilty to the three counts and thereby admitted to the conversion of an aggregate sum of about N24 billion to his personal use.

The court stressed that the sentence of the trial court did not serve as deterrence to both the convict and others. Consequently, the justices ruled that the sentence is “hereby quashed and deserves to be reviewed as follows: on Counts 17, the Respondent is hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment with an addition of fine of N20 billion Naira; on Counts 18, the Respondent is hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment with an addition of fine of N1.4 billion Naira; on counts 19, the Respondent is hereby sentenced to two years imprisonment with an addition of fine of 1.5 billion Naira.

The sentence of imprisonment is to run consecutively and the fine is to be cumulative.”

..Expect actions in few days, says Senate President
..Warns that non-performing Service Chiefs should be sacked

By Johnbosco Agbakwuru

PRESIDENT Muhammadu Buhari on Sunday met behind closed doors with the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan at the State House, Abuja on Sunday.

The meeting was centred on the security challenges in the country, performance of the Service Chiefs, and the crisis tearing the ruling All Progressives Congress, APC, apart.

Speaking to journalists after the meeting, the President of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan said that he briefed the President on what was discussed on the floor of the senate as it concerns the myriads of security challenges that have bedevilled the country.

According to him, “You know that the country is facing many serious and deep security challenges and I have come to meet with Mr President to discuss with him what we have discussed in the senate previously that we should do whatever it will take to improve the security situation in the country.


“And we believe that the Senate and indeed the National Assembly is positively disposed to receiving even supplementary budget purposely to address the fundamental needs of the security agencies in the country so that we will be able to empower them to enable them to fight the Boko Haram in the North East, banditry and other security challenges across the country.

“Secondly, in the senate particularly, we believe that we need to provide more resources for recruitment by the security agencies, the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Police, the Immigration. The Paramilitary generally need to also have more manpower and personnel and this is not something that we can get on a platter of gold. whoever wants to make an omelette will have to break eggs.

“Section 14, sub-section 2b of the Constitution of the Federal Republic of Nigeria is very categorical and crystal clear that the purpose of government shall be to provide security and welfare of the people and therefore we must, we have no luxury of any option other than to ensure that we address the security challenges more than any other thing.

“We provided for N500 billion worth of intervention for the COVID-19 in the revised budget and various agencies, the CBN, NNPC and the IOCs provided for palliatives and some kind of intervention for the COVID challenge.

“I think we must tell ourselves the truth that the security situation today especially in the Northern part of the country requires that we even give much more resources to the security agencies and those who are heading these agencies especially the Service Chiefs must sit up.

Non-performing Service Chiefs to go

“In fact, we must have milestones and timelines on how we are going to deal with this. We can’t just go on without any time frame for dealing with these issues. If after we provide some support and someone is found short of expectation he should be shown way out if he refuses to go.

“The lives of Nigerians are so precious and therefore must be more important than any other consideration or sentiment. I believe that today the most essential thing for us in government is to address the security challenges.”

On the APC crisis, he said: “But I also had the opportunity to talk to my leader, the President about the challenges in APC. I believe that we have to deal with these challenges, this is the ruling party of the Federal Republic of Nigeria, with the President, with the control of the National Assembly, with more governors than any other political party, the situation should not and must not be allowed to degenerate further than it has.

APC Constitution

“And I believe that we must go into the constitution of our party and see how we are to address this but we must not allow this to continue as it is today because, the stability of APC is the stability of Nigeria, this is the party that is running the affairs of this country.

“So, I believe that we have to sort this out and that will make our work even better and easier when we have a stable party because the party is supposed to be part of the apparatus of running a government. We are supposed to run or operate or implement or execute the manifesto of the party.

“And, therefore, the party is so key, so central, so essential to ensuring that government whether on the executive or legislative side continues to face those issues in the manifesto and of course the manifesto will be to make Nigeria better.

“So, I had the opportunity to discuss that with the president who is the leader of the party in Nigeria and by the grace of God in the next few days we will see certain actions will be taken and we are praying that all our leaders in the party across the country will make every possible effort to get the party reconciled.”

ABUJA: Suspended National Chairman of the ruling All Progressives Congress APC, Comrade Adams Oshiomhole has accused the court-endorsed acting National Chairman of the party, Chief Victor Giadom of attempting to destroy the party the way his group allegedly did in his home state, Rivers.

Oshiomhole in an online television interview monitored in Abuja also declared that Giadom was no longer a member of the National Working Committee NWC of the party, noting that assuming he was still one, it would not be possible for a deputy National Secretary to superintend over the affairs of the party in the presence of other high ranking officials.

This was as the Deputy National Publicity Secretary of the party, Mr Yekini Nabena accused an unnamed Minister in the administration of President Muhammadu Buhari and a North Central Governor of being behind the leadership crisis in the party. He said both men are using Giadom to destabilize the APC.

On his part, National Legal Adviser of the APC, Babatunde Ogala dismissed the reported waiver said to have been granted Giadom which allowed him to view for an office in the last general elections without resigning from the NWC.

Also, a former National Chairman of the APC, Chief John Odigie-Oyegun has called on President Buhari and state governors in the party to take steps to convene a National Executive Committee NEC meeting where a Caretaker Committee would be put in place to oversee affairs of the party.

Rivers treatment

Oshiomhole’s reference to Rivers state is seen as a subtle attack against the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi whose battle of supremacy with Sen. Magnus Abe led to the court disqualifying the APC from participating in the 2019 general elections.

Giadom is a known political protege of the Minister of Transportation, Rotimi Amaechi.

Oshiomhole said; “My advice to my brother (Giadom) is about common sense. In the absence of the Chairman, there is nothing in our rules, and the courts can only interpret the rules of the party and the Constitution of Nigeria. I mean it serves to common sense that if the Chairman is absent, it should be the deputy. In the absence of the deputy, it is the vice chairman. How does the deputy secretary come in?

“As we speak, we have a Secretary sitting in the office working late hours to ensure that the secretariat functions. I think that my brother, Victor Giadom wants to take our party to the root of Rivers state where they created so much problems that, as we speak today, in Rivers, we have crisis.


“My plea to them is that they should put God first and put our national party interest second and out our democracy deep in their hearts and not try to use externalities to destabilize our party the way it has been destabilized in Rivers state. How can a deputy National Secretary, assuming he was still one, claim to be chairman?”, He queried.

Nabena fingers Minister, Gov

Nabena in a statement on Saturday said “the APC is clearly at a tipping point”.

The APC deputy spokesman also accused Giadom of doing the bidding some fifth columnists.

According to him; “Not too long ago, Victor Giadom claimed the position of the National Secretary now he is claiming the chairmanship. It is unfortunate that Victor Giadom is being used as a destabilizing agent by fifth columnists. On what ground is Victor Giadom claiming chairmanship of the Party when he long ceased to be a member of the National Working Committee following his resignation to contest as the Rivers State Deputy Governorship candidate in the 2019 elections? Whatever waiver Victor Giadom is brandishing cannot stand as the Constitution and INEC guidelines require resignation from public office to contest general elections, which Victor Giadom did by resigning as Deputy National Secretary.

Anti-party

“The same Victor Giadom and his sponsors are already engaging in anti-party activities through their continued support of Governor Godwin Obaseki despite formerly joining the Peoples Democratic Party to contest the Edo State Governorship election.

“The National Judicial Council should investigate boasts by sponsors of Victor Giadom, a minister and north central governor that they are in control of the Court of Appeal and are already using it to further their selfish interest and sabotage the APC.

“Atleast four people are laying claim to the chairmanship of the APC following the court-ordered suspension of Comrade Adams Oshiomhole. All manner of Court cases and orders are flying around contesting party decisions and National Working Committee positions. Factions are festering at the national level and many states. The APC is clearly at a tipping point.

Need for NEC meeting

“The several court cases and orders over the national leadership of the party has put the party in a standstill and is a legal threat to forthcoming elections in Edo and Ondo States. President Muhammadu Buhari is the leader of the party and it has become imperative for him to convene an emergency meeting of the National Executive Committee NEC to find solutions to the crisis and chart a way forward.” Nabena stated.

“As I have always said, personal interest must never override Party interest. The APC is nobody’s personal property. I call on our dear President to accede to the request by majority of well-meaning party members and leaders and convene an emergency NEC meeting to address the leadership crisis and deliberate on consolidating the APC’s control of Edo and Ondo States ahead of the forthcoming governorship elections”, Nabena said.

Giadom’s waiver defective

National Legal Adviser of the party, Barr. Babatunde Ogala faulted an alleged waiver granted Giadom to return to the NWC having reportedly resigned to vie for an office in the last general elections.


He also dismissed reports of crisis in the APC saying what is happening is just the handiwork of rascals.

Ogala said; “There is nothing strange going on in the APC. The Press call crisis, I call it brigandage and rascality of one or two members of the 20-man NWC.

Lowest ranking NWC office

“Of course we have also heard about Giadom’s court order and we have never been served any order of court, that somebody, one of you, the lowest ranking NWC member has purportedly been asked to resume as acting National Chairman.

“We find it ridiculous because he has never served this process on us, we only saw it in the social media. So, as far as we are concerned, the party is running according to the provisions of our constitution notwithstanding the act of rascality of one member.

“On waiver, going by the provisions of our constitution, to obtain a waiver is a process. You apply through your Ward, the LG, the State, the Zonal and to the NWC. So, it is a process in five steps. The National Chairman cannot give him a waiver without the Ward. But anyway, let us even assume he went through the process, the Supreme Court in Ibrahim Umar’s case had even said the erstwhile executive in Rivers State was illegally constituted and whatever action they had taken was null and void which was what led to the nullification of all APC candidates in Rivers state. So, if it is that same executive that made us not to have candidates, can that executive give him a waiver? Certainly not. So, it is null and void even if he got it but to my knowledge, he never got any”.

Caretaker Committee

Chief Odigie-Oyegun in his statement also called for a NEC meeting, saying that there is need to invoke the doctrine of necessity to put in place a Caretaker Committee.

He said; “This statement is therefore a clarion call to leaders of the party, particularly the Governors and Mr. President to urgently bring a stop to the disgraceful and humiliating charade occurring within the National Secretariat of our great party. There is a most urgent need for the party NEC to meet and institute for the party a Caretaker Committee (even if we have to invoke the doctrine of necessity), whose main responsibility will be to arrange for a special National Convention. The All Progressives Congress was built on the blood and sweat of Nigerians, young and old, too numerous to count, who were willing to give everything in the service of progressive politics. We must not allow their great sacrifices to go in vain. Today, almost every member of the party feels a deep sense of alienation and dissatisfaction with the state of the party. It hurts deeply to see how hollow it now rings to mention our party and ‘change’ together. The time to act is now, before it is too late”.

He said in the last few months, Nigerians have watched how the party has brazenly subverted its own principles of internal democracy and flagrant violation of every rule of decent political engagement in a manner that makes everyone associated with its promise of change liable to be accused of either hypocrisy or apostasy.

“We must therefore remember that our victory in the 2015 Presidential elections and the peaceful transfer of power that followed was a major testament of progress in our nation’s journey towards real democracy. This unprecedented democratic achievement has since inspired progressive forces all over Africa and has become a standard by which democracy is measured in the rest of the continent. Unfortunately, it appears that while other countries around us have marched ahead in the democratic journey, we have largely regressed. Because we were the political party that benefitted from a system that offered the opposition a chance, everyone expected us to show unwavering dedication to broaden the democratic space for everyone; to ensure that equity and justice take precedence over all other considerations and to ensure that our party truly functions as the vehicle for aggregating and managing contending political interests. Unfortunately, what we have witnessed from our party is the steady erosion of even the very basic tenets of democratic principles in a manner that could turn our watershed victory of 2015 to the waterloo of our hard won democracy.

“As a major stakeholder and as a founding member of the All Progressives Congress, I have made various efforts to add my voice to those of several other well-meaning leaders of the party, in ensuring that the ideals and principles that we fought for are not completely thrown overboard. However, I have come to realise that those who feel more entitled to the party are no longer capable of hearing alternative viewpoints other than those counselled by their ego and their self-serving interests, which they have promoted over all other considerations, including that of common decency. Yet, no political party will survive for long, which is unwilling to accommodate competing ideas and provide the space for healthy debates”, said Odigie-Oyegun.

Judeerons32:
Very apt. Apc members refrained from criticizing Obaseki for long because he was an Apc member allowing him to just spew unsubstantiated allegations against members of his party but now the truth will be spoken without colouration.
He has not mentioned one instance where Comrade forced a decision on him.
He claims to have refused to share Edo money with godfathers one would have expected infrastructural development to b twice as much from the savings. But the reverse is the case.
In 3yrs plus not a single school or hospital built. Roads are a sorry sight.
Comrade fought godfather by showing Edo what he built without godfather interference. Obaseki should show his score card.

DCmonster:
Yeah, It's a metaphor! "Means I am not in a serious relationship". For me i see myself as a single man, I can only be in a relationship with a deserving lady. I am presently dating 4 ladies with only one being deserving. Seem you are a SIMP, coz you sound like one.