Politics
N’Delta Govs, US Partner On Oil Theft
Governors from the nine Niger Delta States converged in Port Harcourt recently for a bilateral technical meeting with officials of the United States Embassy to brainstorm on ways to end oil theft in the country.
Governor Rochas Okorocha of Imo State and Adams Oshiomole of Edo State were the only State Chief Executives who attended the meeting in person, Ondo State was represented by a Commissioner while Abia State sent his Deputy. Governors of Akwa-Ibom, Delta and Cross River were absent at the meeting.
Okorocha spoke to newsmen shortly after the meeting, hinting that the forum was an initiative of President Goodluck Jonathan and President Barack Obama on how to curb the swelling oil theft in the country.
The Imo State Governor advocated for more powers to be given to state governors in overseeing security machinery for monitoring oil installations.
House of Representatives Committee Chairman on Petroleum-Downstream, Dakuku Peterside called for synergy between countries and states. He also called for political will on the part of government.
Peterside warned that if no proactive measures were taken, crude oil theft would persist and perhaps dwindle the economic fortunes of the country, since most of the country’s revenue comes from oil.
Meanwhile, Commissioner for Information and Communications, Mrs Ibim Semenitari and Senator Magnus Abe spoke on the Soku oil wells now ceded to Bayelsa State surreptitiously by the Boundary Commission.
Mrs Semenitari accused the federal authorities for failing on an agreement by breaking into an ESCROW account and paying Bayelsa State the monies from the contested oil wells. Senator Abe said all Rivers people must support Governor Amaechi in making sure the oil wells were returned to the state.
Commenting on whether the defection of Amaechi to APC had closed any reconciliatory window between him and President Jonathan, Mrs Semenitari said, “you can never say never in any situation. I believe that the governor of Rivers State is first of all a Rivers – man, but he is also a Nigerian and has regards for the office of the President”.
Governor Amaechi returned to the state on Tuesday and attended a Night of Glory Praise and Worship held at the Civic Centre.
He thanked the citizenry for attending the gathering and recalled the travails he and his wife had gone through during the political crisis.
He told the Christian gathering that he was sure to triumph over his detractors and assured that even he and his wife would come out united and inseparable at last.
On Wednesday morning, the Governor swore in nine new Permanent Secretaries. He charged them to be transparent and abide by the rules and conduct of service.
Later on Wednesday afternoon, members of the Rivers State House of Assembly, led by its Deputy Speaker Leyii Kwanee, addressed Government House reporters, emphasising that they had accepted an Abuja High Court judgement revoking the powers of the National Assembly to preside over the affairs of the House of Assembly in Rivers State.
Corroborating Kwanee, the House Committee Chairman on Judiciary, Hon Golden Chioma, hinted that on Thursday, the lawmakers would visit the Rivers police –authorities to enable members have access to the Assembly Complex.
On Thursday morning, the lawmakers were barred by mobile policemen, who barricaded the entrance of the Assembly complex. Both the lawmakers and government officials were dispersed by the police with tear gas.
On Wednesday evening, a statement from the office of the Chief Press Secretary had announced the sack of Commissioner for Urban Planning and Development, Dr Tammy Danagogo. He was asked to handover to the Permanent Secretary in the Ministry.
Politics
Alia Denies Calling For Ganduje’s Resignation
Governor of Benue State, Hyacinth Alia, has denied calling for the resignation of the National Chairman of the All Progressives Congress (APC), Alhaji Abdullahi Ganduje.
This was contained in a press statement issued on Wednesday in Makurdi by his Chief Press Secretary (CPS), Mr Tersoo Kula.
The Tide source reports that the CPS was reacting to some media reports that the governor had called for the resignation of the APC national chairman.
Kula said the governor at no time called for the resignation of the APC national chairman.
He said the governor enjoyed a good relationship with the Ganduje-led leadership of the APC.
“It is imperative to clarify that at no point did Governor Alia assembled, attended and sent a representative or participated in any meeting to discuss the removal or call for resignation of Alhaji. Abdullahi Umar Ganduje.
“The Benue State governor remains firm in his support and allegiance to the leadership of the National Working Committee of the APC, under the leadership of Alhaji Ganduje.
“Furthermore, at no point, whether publicly or privately, has the governor advocated or expressed any desire for the resignation of the national party chairman”, he said.
He said the governor was focused on positively changing the fortunes of the state.
“He is alive to his responsibilities as the leader of APC in Benue State and is doing everything legitimate to reposition the party for future victories,” Kula said.
Politics
LP Re-Elects Abure As National Chairman
The embattled national chairman of the Labour Party (LP), Mr. Julius Abure, has been re-elected for a second term by a unanimous affirmation of delegates despite the protests by the leadership of the Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC).
The Chairman of the National Convention and Deputy Governor of Abia State, Mr. Ikechukwu Emetu declared him the winner during the party’s national convention that held in Nnewi, Anambra State, on Wednesday.
Other serving officers of the party were also returned unopposed.
Recall that the NLC had called for Abure’s resignation as party chairman and the immediate constitution of a caretaker transition committee to organize an all-inclusive national convention for the party.
Meanwhile, a factional chairman of the Labour Party in Anambra State, Mr Peter Okoye has boasted that the Nnewi national convention will not stand.
Describing the convention as a sham, Okoye said: “This is not a convention. We are on top of the matter. It’s purely illegal.
“There was no ward congress, no local government congress, no state congress, and now who and who are the elected delegates that are electing the National Working Committee, NWC, members?
“The NLC was not there, TUC was not there, the owners of the party and members of the NEC and BOT members were not there too. So, who is holding the convention?”
Politics
Suswam Blames External Forces For Problems In PDP
Former Governor of Benue State, Gabriel Suswam, has said that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is being undermined by external forces which have rendered the party ineffective as a viable opposition.
Senator Suswam stated this during a live television interview on Wednesday.
He lamented that the party had since after the 2023 general elections failed to live up to expectations of Nigerians as a viable opposition.
Senator Suswam, who blamed the current PDP leadership for the ineffective state of the largest opposition party in the country, said unless there is an overhaul of its leadership, the party would “go nowhere” because the current leadership has lost focus.
He said, “I think there are subterranean forces inferring in the party and they are determining what is going on in the party. And the leadership is acquiescing to it.
“Subterranean suggests that people are trying to control the party from the outside. They are controlling the party from the outside and they are keeping the party in a comatose state.”
The Benue senator accused the party of refusing to call a National Executive Committee (NEC) meeting to help resolve some of the issues arising in the party.
He regretted the inability of the party to resolve the fallout of the 2022 presidential primary election which saw a group of five governors work against the party’s presidential candidate in the 2023 presidential election.
He added that the inability of the Iliya Damagum-led leadership to discipline erring party members worsened the situation.
Senator Suswam said it was wrong for the party not to have sanctioned the G-5 governors and their allies who openly declared that they would remain in the party and work against its interest.
“They were not sanctioned which made others become emboldened to act anyway they wanted. PDP has been weakened since then,” he said.
He said no serious organisation does that, stressing that, “A serious organisation would apply sanctions” based on the laid down rules as contained in its constitution.
He further accused the acting national chairman of the party, Ambassador Iliya Damagum, of occupying the position which belongs to the North-Central zone, following the removal of the substantive chairman, Senator Iyorchia Ayu, who hails from the zone.
Amb. Damagum, who was the Deputy National Chairman (North), hails from the North-East zone but was, as permitted by the party’s constitution, made acting chairman after Ayu’s removal by a court order.
The party’s law provides that the deputy chairman from the same region as the chairman takes over in the event of the latter’s removal from office.
Senator Suswam further lamented that “PDP is comatose now, and nothing can happen now,” adding that it was regrettable that politicians are now preferring to hold talks with smaller parties and not the PDP.
Noting that the PDP was at the precipice, Senator Suswam said, “Until we provide that leadership, PDP will not be a viable platform. We need to overhaul the leadership of the party. There is no pretence about it, everybody in PDP knows it. Without discipline and reconciliation, the party goes nowhere.”
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