Politics

APC And The Change That Begins From N’Assembly

Published

9 years ago

June 15, 2015

Senate President, Senator Bukola Saraki and Speaker, House of Reps, Yakubu Dogara

The emergence of
Senator Bukola Saraki and Hon. Yakubu Dogara as Senate President and Speaker of House or Representatives, respectively, is no doubt an historical event that will attract a lot of references in years to come.
If for nothing else, the intrigues surrounding the election of the two principal offices of the 8th Assembly last Tuesday are enough to embed the entire proceedings in the hearts of close watchers.
At the end of the day, the ball seems to have been played to the court of the ruling party, All Progressives Congress (APC) to make good it’s widely acclaimed mantra – change, which started with its defeat of an incumbent national government, the Peoples’ Democratic Party (PDP).
The major plot thickened a few days to the election when the leadership of the APC made it clear that it would prefer consensus candidates for key positions in the National Assembly, which necessitated the call for a meeting to resolve the situation.
Penultimate Saturday preceding last Tuesday’s showdown at the NASS, the APC had conducted mock elections to elect candidates for the two offices. Ahmed Lawan from Yobe and Femi Gbajabiamila were elected as the party’s consensus candidates for Senate President and Speaker of the House, respectively.
But Saraki and Dogara, who are also members of the party, boycotted the election and rejected its outcome, vowing to defy the party and seek for the mandate of their colleagues in an election billed for Tuesday.
The following day, the NationalSsecretary of APC, Mai Mala Buni, issued a statement urging Saraki and Dogara to abide by the decision of the party, but the two contenders rejected the plea by the party leadership and stuck to their gun.
Next, Vice Yemi Osinbajo waded into the matter. According to one of the lawmakers loyal to Dogara, the VP had invited all members to a meeting, even as he said they would boycott it.
“We received text messages from the party informing us of a meeting with the Vice President today; however, we see no difference between the Vice President and those trying to impose leaders on the House of Representatives, so we would not be attending,” he said.
By Monday, it was the turn of governors of the APC, who called an emergency meeting to seek ways of re-uniting members of the ruling party. Sources at the national secretariat of the APC confirmed that the meeting was called by the Chairman of the APC Governors’ Forum and Governor of Imo state, Rochas Okorocha.
And finally on Tuesday, another meeting, allegedly called by the President, Muhammadu Buhari, was scheduled to hold at the International Conference Centre (ICC). The meeting was slated for 9 am while the inauguration was billed to hold at 10.00am at the NASS.
Buhari was said to have abstained from the meeting, when, according to close associates, reports reached him that the exercise would be futile, given PDP’s adoption of Saraki and Dogara.
Earlier, the ruling party had allegedly ordered that every entrance into the National Assembly be shut. As early as 6.00am, the road leading to the National Assembly had been cordoned off, while policemen and other security agents had been deployed to stop human and vehicular movements into the premises.
Unknown to those at the meeting, at about 9.30 am, security agents allowed National Assembly staff and other accredited visitors to walk into the premises, paving the way for the inauguration to start at 10 am. It was learnt that the senators were still awaiting the arrival of Buhari when the news got to them in ICC that Saraki had emerged as the Senate President.
Reacting to the development in a statement signed by its National Publicity Secretary, Lai Mohammed, the APC declared that “Senator Bukola and Hon. Dogara are not the candidates of the APC and a majority of its National Assembly members-elect for the positions of Senate President and House Speaker.
“The party duly met and conducted a straw poll and clear candidates emerged for the posts of Senate President, Deputy Senate President and Speaker of the House of Representatives, supported by a majority of all Senators-elect and members-elect of the House of Representatives.
“All National Assembly members-elect who emerged on the platform of the party are bound by that decision. The party is supreme and its interest is superior to that of its individual members.”
The APC decried the development, saying it amounts to “a situation in which some people, based on nothing but inordinate ambition and lack of discipline and loyalty, will enter into an unholy alliance with the very same people whom the party and indeed the entire country worked hard to replace and sell out the hard won victory of the Party”.
It continued that “consequently, the APC leadership is meeting in a bid to re-establish discipline in the party and to mete out the necessary sanctions to all those involved in what is nothing but a monumental act of indiscipline and betrayal to subject the party to ridicule and create obstacles for the new administration”.
The whole episode is reminiscent of what the PDP suffered in 2011 when lawmakers on the platform of the defunct Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) helped Hon. Aminu Tambuwal and Hon. Emeka Ihedioha to defy the zoning formula of the PDP to emerge Speaker and Deputy Speaker in the House.
That act of defiance by PDP members in 2011 is believed to have haunted the PDP, resulting in the eventual defection of Tambuwal along with several other PDP lawmakers to the APC. It is also believed to be one of the factors that led to PDP’s woeful performance at the 2015 polls.
Given the emergence of Saraki and Ekweremdu as Senate President and Deputy Senate President, respectively, the APC had wittingly or unwittingly brought about a second major change in the country’s polity.
For the first time in Nigeria’s political history, the opposition not only won the position of Deputy Senate President, but, was instrumental to the emergence of the Senate President.
As Saraki said in his acceptance speech, “We (NASS) have today demonstrated that even though we may belong to different parties, we are ultimately united by our common desire to entrench democracy and allow its principle guide our conducts.
“The change that our people voted for is a change from a life of poverty, misery to a life of prosperity, happiness, security and comfort, accountability and respect for democracy.
“This is a change that all of us in the National Assembly must strive to justify. Nigerians want to see a proactive National Assembly.”

Soibi Max-Alalibo

Politics

How We Saved N2.3bn From LG Reforms – Diri

Published

13 hours ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

Bayelsa State Governor, Senator Douye Diri, has revealed that the reforms initiated and implemented by his administration led to the saving of the sum of N2.3 billion for the local government councils.
The governor disclosed this recently at the opening ceremony of an orientation programme organised for newly-elected local government council chairmen, vice chairmen, councilors and principal officers at Perdis Hotel, Akenfa.
Gov Diri stated that on assumption of office in 2020, some local government councils were highly indebted and unable to pay salaries but his administration took measures that resulted in regular payment of salaries, execution of projects and saving of funds.
The Bayelsa State Chief Executive restated his call on the Federal Government to create additional local councils in the state, saying it was injustice for some states to have more than 40 councils and receiving monthly allocation from the Federation Accounts Allocation Commission (FAAC), while the state had only eight.
He charged the newly elected local government officials to make good use of the two-day workshop to equip themselves with the requisite knowledge to carry out their responsibilities.
The governor also called on them to work as a team to ensure that development was felt at the grassroots.
“Local governments as at 2020 were unable to pay salaries, particularly Nembe, Ogbia, Ekeremor and Sagbama. There was some form of dissatisfaction in the system.
“After I went through the recommendations of the Deputy Governor, whom I entrusted with investigating the local government, I wasted no time in approving the recommendations.
“The recommendations included the ban on loans from any source by local government chairmen without approval of the governor; compulsory savings by every council; and the division of balance after payment of salaries into 60 and 40 per cent respectively. One part was for compulsory savings and the other to project implementation and immediate commencement of computerisation of their payroll as well as compulsory quarterly award of projects by each council chairman.
“We found a lot of fraud in the local government system. But as it stands today, our councils have N2.3billion as a result of the combination of the factors of reforms and proper supervision of that tier of government.
“The breakdown is N400million compulsory savings while N1.9 billion for capital projects. This is aside from the one done by caretaker committees in terms of project execution within the short period they stayed”, the governor said.
Gov Diri assured of his administration’s commitment to support the councils to achieve their goals and expressed confidence that the new officials would meet the expectations of the people.
“We firmly believe that good governance begins at the grassroots level. That is precisely why we have gathered here to equip you with the necessary skills and knowledge to improve our local government administration and enhance service delivery.

Ariwera Ibibo-Howells, Yenagoa

Politics

Monarch Cautions Against Divisive Politics, Declares Support For Fubara

Published

13 hours ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

The Eze Oruamara/Regent of Okwuzi Kingdom in Ogba/ Egbema/Ndoni Local Government Area of the State, Eze Victor Afaka, has sued for peace among the political class in the State.
Eze Afaka made the appeal while speaking with The Tide on the sidelines of the governorship victory thanksgiving service by the Ogba Egbema /Ndoni Chapter of the Simplified Movement in Omoku.
He said Governor Fubara should be allowed to display the vision that God has given to him to govern the state.
According to him, since every administration has its term and tenure, the man presently at the helm of affairs in Rivers State must be given the opportunity to complete his own term and tenure.
“I advise politicians to sheathe their sword and allow peace to reign. Politics and governance have their terms and tenure. When it is your tenure, you have your vision to display; when you conclude that vision God has given you as a leader of your community or of a state, you step aside and leave the next person to display the vision God has given to him” he said.
The traditional ruler said he and his people, including the youth, women and the Ogbakor Egbema, decided to attend the service because of the excellent vision of Governor Fubara
“We are happy, Okwuzi people are in full support of the government, the government of His Excellency, Sir Siminalayi Fubara”, he added.
He said that the governor’s peaceful disposition to governance has endeared him to His Kingdom, noting that Okwuzi kingdom was already a beneficiary of the present administration’s purposeful governance as the Omoku/Okwuzi road abandoned 10 years ago, was nearing completion.
“ONELGA, Okwuzi are benefitting from his government.The road that was abandoned for ten years is being completed right now and we know that there are so many other things he will do for us”, he said.
While urging the state government to give desired attention to the Okwuzi General Hospital that is in a state of dilapidation, Eze Afaka entreated Governor Fubara not to be distracted, but to continue to promote peace and development across the State.

John Bibor

Politics

APC Stakeholders Storm Secretariat, Demand Ganduje’s Resignation

Published

13 hours ago

April 26, 2024

The Tide

A group of North Central stakeholders in the All Progressives Congress (APC) has stormed the national secretariat of the party in Abuja, demanding the resignation of the National Chairman, Dr Abdullahi Ganduje.
Addressing newsmen in Abuja yesterday, the protesters said their demand followed his recent suspension by a faction of his ward executives and the alleged bribery allegation levelled against him by the Kano State government.
While they chanted solidarity songs and displayed several banners some of which read, “Ganduje must resign” and “Return the APC chairmanship to North Central,” the protesters appealed to President Bola Tinubu and the Secretary to the Government of the Federation (SGF), George Akume, to consider returning the leadership of the party to the North Central.
Only on Tuesday, the Forum of APC State Chairmen had passed a vote of confidence on Ganduje, affirming their unalloyed support to him.
The protesters under the aegis of Concerned North Central APC Stakeholders lamented that the continued stay of Ganduje in office was a clear violation of the zoning principle in the party.
Mohammed Saba, who led the protesters, said unlike the 37 APC state chairmen, his people in the North Central have passed a vote of no confidence on the national chairman and equally demanded his immediate resignation.
Saba reiterated that the people of North Central felt betrayed when the position of APC national chairman was hijacked from them following the exit of Senator Abdullahi Adamu despite giving Tinubu the third highest votes after North West and South West at the 2023 presidential election.
He said, “We, the North Central APC Concerned Stakeholders, have resolved to unanimously agitate for our right and reclaim our mandate which was handed unto us by the National Convention of our great Party in 2022.
“Various sections of our constitution have established the procedure of replacing an executive member at all levels of the party in the event of death, resignation, incapacitation or expulsion from the party by any executive member.
“It is a fact that the emergence of Dr. Umar Ganduje as national chairman was done against the spirit and soul of the APC which is the constitution of our great party. This singular act has impacted negatively on us as a people in the North Central.