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Tambuwal Announces Defection To PDP, Sunday …As Ortom’s Defection Shocks APC
After weeks of discussions with leaders of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Sokoto State Governor, Aminu Tambuwal, would defect to the opposition party, early next week.
Specifically, and barring last-minute hitches, sources close to the former Speaker of the House of Representatives, who was elected on the platform of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said he will defect on Sunday.
Penultimate week, Tambuwal, alongside the Kwara State Governor, AbdulFatah Ahmed, met with national leaders of the PDP.
Considered to be angling for the Presidency in 2019, the governor is said not to be in the good books of some powers in the Presidency, said to have been behind recent subtle media attacks on the governor over his policies in Sokoto State, among others.
The hitherto peaceful caliphate woke up to attacks by unknown persons who invaded the state from a border town.
After the mayhem, no fewer than 35 people were killed, thousands of people were displaced and several houses and other property were destroyed.
In a statement, Tambuwal attributed the widespread killings across the country and the seeming inability of the security agencies to secure lives and property of citizens to “failure of leadership” and ineptitude in spite of the huge amount of money being spent on security by the Buhari administration.
He also called for the re-jigging of the national security architecture, in order to make it more effective and efficient.
His attribution of the killings to “leadership failure,” sources said angered some forces in the presidency.
Besides, Tambuwal’s Agriculture policy, under the “Cattle Breeding, Milk and Beef Production Project,” which the Sokoto State Government said is designed to make the state a model of modern agriculture hub especially in animal husbandry that is driven by technology as against the current problematic mode of cattle herding in Nigeria, is also generating angst against him.
The source said, “Tambuwal’s cattle-breeding policy in Sokoto is said to be offensive to a Federal Government that is determined to set up cattle colonies. Following the senseless killing, this project that is to train the people ‘in the new and modern methods of Cattle Breeding for sustainable upgrading of our Local Cattle Breeds in the state and beyond for maximum productivity in terms of good quality Milk and Beef production’ is now in danger of abandonment, as many of the expatriate and other personnel working on the project, have become so frightened by the recent carnage that they are now expressing unwillingness to remain in the area. The horrendous killings were curiously carried out in the same Rabah area of the state where this project is sited.
“The ill fate that befell Sokoto was just a mindless ploy by some interests, to bully Governor Tambuwal, and blackmail him into abandoning his 2019 presidential ambition. But the governor has made up his mind. He will the APC and decamp to the PDP on Sunday.”
Meanwhile, the All Progressives Congress (APC) yesterday said it was stunned by the defection of Benue State Governor Samuel Ortom to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
APC National Publicity Secretary Bolaji Abdullah said: “The governor had left the (reconciliatory) meeting saying he was satisfied with the assurances given by party leaders. We are still working on giving effect to the resolutions from the meeting. Therefore, we are somewhat surprised by Governor Ortom’s decision.
“The party reiterates its earlier position that it respects the rights of every citizen to chose their political affiliation but expresses hope that those who have left the party will rescind their decisions.
“Even with this development, we don’t think it is too late for reconciliation. We have to continue to talk.
As long as people keep their minds open and have the courage to put the real issues on the table, reconciliation is still possible.
“We once again call on members across the country to remain calm as the party leadership continues to work hard to position the party strongly for the next general elections.”
A wave of defection in the National Assembly on Tuesday robbed the party of 14 senators and 37 members of the federal House of Representatives.
In what seemed a desperate move to stop the revolt, President Muhammadu Buhari reportedly held a meeting last night with all APC senators.
Ortom last week had declared that the APC handed him a “red card”, prompting the party’s national chairman Adams Oshiomhole to engage the governor in peace overtures.
But as he left Government House for Abuja yesterday to honour another leg of the peace parley, his convoy was blocked by hundreds of placard-carrying youths protesting his continued romance with the ruling party.
The youths, led by one Dave Ogbole, swore the governor must abort the mission or run over them.
They threatened that if he attended the meeting, he would be voted out in next year’s general election.
Ortom’s plea for passage and promise to consider their interests were rebuffed. He conceded, turned around and returned to base. Shortly after, he announced his defection.
At a meeting with the state’s 13 local government chairmen and 276 councilors in Makurdi, he said: “I have formally resigned from APC to PDP and have presented my letter of resignation to the party chairman of my ward.
The chairman and other officers of my ward also indicated their interest to join me in my new party. I am too young to retire from politics.
“I was in PDP and I discovered that my interest was not protected. That was why I left the party.
Now, I am in APC and I discovered to my dismay that my interest and that of my people are not being protected in the APC. The party has been hijacked and is being robbed by one man who is behaving like a dictator.
“But now that the PDP is rebranded and a lot of reforms are going on to ensure that the true tenets of democracy are observed, I feel that if I return to the party I will be able to add value to my people.
I intend to consult widely with other aspirants, most of whom are my brothers.
I do not have issues with them resisting my coming back to the party. The more the merrier. And I think we are stronger together.”
Ortom regretted that aggression against him persisted despite efforts by the national body of the APC to broker peace between him and some party members in the state.
He expressed dismay at alleged smear campaigns against him by the same people that endorsed him for a second term during the state’s party congress.
“I was the one that advised them to allow other people to contest for governorship with me, in line with the tenets of democracy.
They said they endorsed me because I performed creditably.
I wonder why the same crop of people are now criticising my administration.”
In separate remarks, the leader of the Councilors’ Forum, Tom Hanmaikyur and chairman, Association of Local Governments of Nigeria (ALGON), Anthony Shawon, pledged on behalf of their colleagues to follow the governor to any party he picks.
They also promised to support the actualisation of his political dreams.
Deputy Senate President Ike Ekweremadu meanwhile has opened up on one of the events that preceded Tuesday’s mass defection.
He had been invited to the office of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission for questioning over alleged charges.
“I agreed to follow them but they were not eager to let me answer the invitation,” he told reporters.
According to him, the action was a ploy to keep him away from presiding over the widely anticipated defection.
Senate President Bukola Saraki was also stopped from honouring a police invitation but managed to evade the blockade.
He described the incident as a “decline in our democracy” and a “dangerous development”.
Also, the PDP and Social Democratic Party (SDP) have jointly criticised the current APC administration, saying Buhari is a common enemy who must be unseated in 2019.
SDP’s spokesperson Princess Goldba Tolofari told her PDP counterpart Kola Ologbondiyan when she paid a courtesy visit: “They (APC) are not democrats.
That is why things are deteriorating and we cannot watch and see things going the way they are.”
Ologbodinyan said the mission to rescue Nigeria was already on. He welcomed Ortom to the PDP and urged others to follow suit.
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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