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Ekiti Polls: Accept Defeat In Good Faith, Atiku Tells APC …PDP Chieftains To Storm Ekiti
Former Vice President Atiku Abubakar has led members of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) Campaign Council to Ekiti State and charged the All Progressives Congress (APC) to be ready to accept defeat in good faith in the July governorship election.
Alhaji Abubakar, who said he was satisfied with the level of preparation of the PDP ahead of the election, charged the APC to accept defeat if it loses the election in the spirit of the 2015 election in which the PDP conceded defeat.
Abubakar said: “We are satisfied that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) is prepared for this election. We hope that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will accept the outcome of the election.
“They should be democratic for the first time. We have seen how democratic they are, but for the first time in 2015 we have opposition party taking over from the ruling party, we expect them to do the same.”
He, therefore, charged the APC to “show its democratic credentials for the first” time by accepting the outcome of the July governorship election in good faith.
Governor Ayodele Fayose, while speaking on the occasion, said the PDP leaders and elders were in the state as part of their support for the party in the state, saying that they knew that the PDP had already won the election.
He alleged that the only thing the opposition APC was allegedly relying on was to rig the poll, and reiterated his claim that the PDP had already won the election.
Governor Fayose called on all those saddled with the responsibility of conducting the election to be above board, saying “we have told INEC that this is a pointer to the 2019 election. They should save their image.”
Fayose said: “The country is bigger than all of us. Let me tell them if rigging has been tried elsewhere it won’t work here. The people will defend this election. We are aware of plans to bring thugs here to disrupt the election, the people will stand up to them.
“The PDP leadership are in the state today to strengthen our hands and assured us of their support. I want to say that this election is about the people for the people and it must be so. Ekiti election is not only about Nigeria, the whole world is watching.
“We are looking forward to observers from all over the world because I am the voice they want to suppress. We are prepared for the election and we are going to win.”
The deputy president of the Senate, Senator Ike Ekweremadu; a former Senate President, David Mark; former governor of Kano state, Alhaji Ibrahim Shekarau; Senator Eyinnaya Abaribe, former Governor of Ogun State, Gbenga Daniel among others.
Meanwhile, members of the State Working Committee of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Ekiti State have said they are solidly behind Governor Ayodele Fayose and that at no time did the governor plan to trade away the candidacy of the PDP candidate, Prof. Kolapo Olusola.
In a statement in Ado-Ekiti, last Monday, by the State Chairman, Barrister Gboyega Oguntuase, the PDP chairman said the statement by the All Progressives Congress (APC) that Fayose planned to trade away the candidacy of Olusola was fake and a product of an amateur blackmailer.
“My attention has been drawn to the product of amateur blackmailers who said the Ekiti State Working Committee of the PDP of which I am the chairman is accusing the State Governor, Dr Peter Ayo Fayose of planning to compromise the candidacy of the Aremo Osoko, Prof Kolapo Olusola Eleka.
“I, Barr Gboyega Oguntuwase, the State Chairman of PDP in Ekiti State, did not issue or sign the said statement. All the statements credited to the State Working Committee (SWC) in the said document are false and not known to us.
“Our belief in Dr Peter Ayo Fayose ( Peter the Rock) as the leader of the party and unrepentant champion of continuity is uncompromising. The statement which contained a lot of grammatical errors can only be a product of ignoramus and illiterates wanting to cause disaffection within a family that can never be divided.
“Our 100% commitment to continuity is personally encouraged and engineered by Dr Peter Ayo Fayose; no wonder we say ‘Fayose leads, we follow’. The said statement is a distraction to our intention to expose the violent nature of APC in Ekiti State which started on the day their candidate, Dr Kayode Fayemi came to start his campaign in the state with bad omens with bullets hitting one of our brothers and their member, Barr Opeyemi Bamidele and several others from their party.
“The violent activities of APC are noticeable in the destruction of our billboards in Ikere, Ikole, Oye and just yesterday in Ekiti West local government area where they stabbed people with broken bottles while other weapons were freely used. This we shall report to the appropriate agencies.
“Ekiti people know our integrity, those of us at the leadership of PDP are in a covenant relationship never to betray one another, on this resolution we stand forever.
“If the amateur blackmailer knew our pedigrees and the level of our integrity which is unassailable and without blemish, he would not have concocted such a cheap story. Behind Fayose we stand to establish continuity,” he said.
Meanwhile, Despite the reported decision by President Muhammadu Buhari not to meet with members of the new Peoples Democratic Party (nPDP), the Presidency has assured that he may yet have a session with them at the conclusion of the ongoing talks with the faction.
A report had emerged on Monday that Buhari would have nothing to do with the nPDP since their issue was a party matter.
But that position seemed to shift a bit on Tuesday when a top Presidency source revealed that the president’s meeting with the group has not be foreclosed.
The source who pleaded anonymity reiterated that Buhari has decided not to meet with the aggrieved party members in order not to be seen to be interfering with party matters.
However, it pointed out that the issue was already being addressed at top Presidency level with Vice President Yemi Osinbajo leading the discussion.
The source affirmed that Osinbajo has the blessing of the president who was expected to be briefed by the Vice President at the end of the talks.
It added that before then, the president will not intervene out of respect for the party.
The source said: ”A process has begun, with the party talking to those feeling estranged. The meeting has risen to the level of the Vice President. This is expected to continue.
“At the culmination of these meetings, the President will obviously be briefed.
“Before that point is reached, the President will not meddle or interfere.
“He is staying above it all, not arising from arrogance or snubbing anyone.
“The President expects that the due process should be observed in all situations and that is what he is doing.”
Members of nPDP broke out from the former ruling party to align with the opposition All Progressive Congress (APC) to win the 2015 general election.
It has in its rank the likes of Senate President Bukola Saraki, Speaker, House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Governors Aminu Tambuwal (Sokoto) and Abdulfatah Ahmed (Kwara).
The group, which had recently complained of being marginalized in the APC, issued an ultimatum to President Buhari to meet with them but the meeting never materialized.
Rivers State Head of Service, Dr (Mrs) Inyingi Brown, has called on rural communities in the State to embrace the Rural Access and Agricultural marketing project (RAAMP) with a view to improving their living conditions.
This follows the ongoing sensitization campaign by the State Project Implementation Unit (SPIU) visits to Degema, Abonnema, Afam headquarters of Degema, Akuku Toru and Oyigbo Etche and Omuma local government areas respectively.
Dr Brown who was represented by the Deputy Director, Special Duties in her office, Mrs Dein Akpanah, said RAAMP was initiated by the Federal Government and World Bank to economically empower rural dwellers.s
She said the World Bank understands the plights of rural farmers and traders in the State, and therefore came up with the programme to address them.
According to her, RAAMP will improve the conditions of farmers, traders and fishermen, and therefore, behoves on every rural communities in the State to embrace the programme.
The Head of Service also said the programme would support the youths to be gainfully employed while bridges and roads will be built to link farms and fishing settlements.
Also speaking, the State project coordinator, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the programme has the potential of creating millionaires among farmers and fishermen in the State.
Kpakol who was represented by Engr. Sam Tombari, said RAAMP would help farmers and fishermen to preserve their produce.
According to him, the project will build cold rooms and Silos for preservation of crops and fishes while access roads will also be created to link farmers and fishermen to the market.
He, however, warned them against any act that will lead to the suspension of the projects by the World Bank.
Kpakol particularly warned against acts such as kidnapping, marching ground, gender based violence and child labour, adding that such acts if they occur may lead to the cancellation of the project by the World Bank.
During the visit to Oyigbo local government area, Mr Joshua Kpakol, said the team was there to let them know how they will benefit from the Raamp.
The coordinator who was personally at Oyigbo said the World Bank introduced the project to check food insecurity in the State.
He said already 19 states in Nigeria are already benefitting from the project and called on them to embrace the project.
Meanwhile, stakeholders in the three local government areas have commended the World Bank for including their areas in the project.
They, however, complained over the incessant attacks by pirates on their waterways.
At Degema, King Agolia of Ke kingdom said land was a major problem in the kingdom.
King Agolia represented by High Chief Alpheus Damiebi said many indigenes of the kingdom are willing to go into farming but are handicapped by lack of land.
Also at Degema, the representative of the Omu Onyam Ekeim of Usokun Degema kingdom, Osoabo Isaac, said Degema has embraced the programme but needed more information on the implementation of the programme.
Similarly, while High Chief Precious Abadi advised that the project should not be narrowed to only crop farming, a community women leader, Mrs Orikinge Eremabo Otto, called for the construction of cold rooms in all fishing settlements in the area.
At Abonnema, Mr Diamond Kio linked the problem of the area to incessant piracy along waterways.
He also expressed fears over the possibility of the project being hijacked by politicians.
Also at Abonnema, a stakeholder, Ikiriko Kelvin, called on the World Bank to design an agricultural project that will suit the riverine environment, while at Oyigbo, HRH Eze Boniface Akawo expressed satisfaction with the project.
John Bibor
The political mudslinging between the Senate leadership and Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan continued yesterday as the Senate named Senator Aniekan Bassey as the new Chairman of the Committee on Diaspora and Non-Governmental Organisations.
Senate President, Godswill Akpabio, announced the appointment during yesterday’s plenary, confirming Bassey’s replacement of Senator Natasha Akpoti-Uduaghan, who is currently on suspension.
Akpoti-Uduaghan was reassigned to the Diaspora and NGOs Committee in February after she was removed as Chair of the Senate Committee on Local Content during a minor reshuffle.
Bassey is the senator representing Akwa Ibom North-East Senatorial District.
Although no reason was given for her removal yesterday, the change is believed to be connected to her unresolved suspension.
In May, Justice Binta Nyako of the Federal High Court ordered her reinstatement and directed her to tender an apology to the Senate.
However, the Senate has insisted it has not received a certified true copy of the court judgment.
Akpoti-Uduaghan who represents Kogi Central, has yet to resume her legislative duties despite a recent court ruling that voided her suspension.
In a televised interview on Tuesday, Akpoti-Uduaghan said she was awaiting the Certified True Copy of the judgment before officially returning to plenary, citing legal advice and respect for institutional process.
Although the Federal High Court described her suspension as “excessive and unconstitutional”, a legal opinion dated July 5 and attributed to the Senate’s counsel, Paul Daudu (SAN), argued that the ruling lacked any binding directive to enforce her reinstatement.
Akpoti-Uduaghan, one of only three female senators in the current assembly, said the continued delay in allowing her return was not only a denial of her mandate but also a blow to democratic representation.
“By keeping me out of the chambers, the Senate is not just silencing Kogi Central, it’s denying Nigerian women and children representation. We are only three female senators now, down from eight,” she said.
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