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You’re Products Of Manipulation, PDP Replies APC Govs
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), yesterday, said the reason governors elected on the platform of the All Progressives Congress (APC), are defending last week Supreme Court judgment on Imo governorship election is because many of them “are products of huge electoral manipulations.”
This is even as the party noted that APC governors’ attempt at cheap blackmail will never stop it and millions of Nigerians from demanding a review and reversal of the judgment in which the Supreme Court “manufactured and donated fictitious votes to name a 4th position candidate, winner of the Imo State governorship election.
In a statement issued by the party’s spokesman, Kola Ologbondiyan, yesterday, the PDP said: “It’s rather not surprising to many that the APC governors could allow themselves to be enlisted to haul insults at the PDP with a view to blur and distort this grave miscarriage of justice because many of them are products and beneficiaries of electoral manipulations.”
The statement continued: “The APC governors’ part in this script appears very glaring. Of course, who else will the flies support except a person with open smelly sore?
“This is also why APC governors are encouraging their party to engage in underhand measures and supporting injustice instead of following democratic processes.
“In comparing the Imo State judgment to that of Zamfara and Rivers states governorship elections, the APC governors forgot that Nigerians are abreast of the facts.
“The APC governors deliberately veiled the fact that they lost Zamfara and Rivers as a result of their internal wrangling over their failure to conduct a credible primary, which voided their votes and left the party with the second-highest number of votes as the winner.
“This is different from the judgment on Imo where fictitious votes were manufactured by the Supreme Court and donated to the APC to lift it from the fourth position and declared winner.
“In making their plea for the rejected judgment, the APC governors should explain to Nigerians how the Supreme Court, in its bid to award votes to APC, ended up declaring total valid votes of 950, 952 votes above the INEC’s official 823,743 a total number of accredited voters for the election.
“Can the APC governors explain to Nigerians how and where the Supreme Court manufactured the extra 127,743 votes above the number of accredited voters.
“What can they say to the fact that the Supreme Court could not produce the details of the votes from each of the fictitious 388 polling units, upon which it based the ruling?
“Furthermore, can the APC governors explain why the Supreme Court somersaulted on its declaration on a host of cases, particularly the Atiku vs Buhari case, that for a petitioner to succeed in allegation of infraction of any provision of the Electoral Act, especially one complaining about malpractice, the petitioner must call witnesses polling unit by polling units.
“The APC governors should, therefore, steer clear of the Imo judgment as the PDP will never abandon the determination to get the judgment reversed.”
Meanwhile, the People’s Democratic Party (PDP) in Benue State, has criticised the All Progressives Congress (APC) over allegations of distracting purposeful leadership ahead of the awaited Supreme Court ruling.
The apex court will this month rule of the suit by All Progress Congress (APC) candidate, Emmanuel Jime against Governor Samuel Ortom.
Last November, Jime lost his suit at the Court of Appeal.
The PDP State Publicity Secretary, Bemgba Iortyom, in a statement, said APC was attempting to distract the purposeful leadership in the state.
He said: “Benue PDP states with emphasis here that it has no need for any protest in Makurdi or anywhere regarding the matter of Jime’s legal challenge to Governor Ortom’s victory at the 2019 polls; as such we are not sponsoring anyone to protest anywhere.
“Yet, as was clearly stated by the Benue PDP State Chairman, Sir John Ngbede, when the Benue matter at the Supreme Court was adjourned, members of our great party in the state have been oriented not to be distracted by the very obvious and commonplace antics of the opposition”.
The Publicity Secretary of the APC, James Ornguga, had in a statement, alleged that, “the objective of the protest, we understand is to blackmail the Panel of Supreme Court Justices, create a tense atmosphere in the state.
“And court unmerited sympathy in line with calls by the National Chairman of their party, Prince Uche Secondus who has been lampooning the Supreme Court and alleging a travesty of Justice since his party lost Imo, a state PDP never won ab initio.”
Nigerians were among more than 140 residents injured after Iran launched multiple ballistic missiles and unmanned aerial vehicles at the United Arab Emirates, at the weekend.
This raised fresh fears for thousands of Nigerians living and working in the Gulf nation.
The UAE Ministry of Defence disclosed last Saturday that its air defence systems intercepted several missiles and drones fired from Iran, describing the attack as a major escalation in the ongoing regional tensions.
In a statement posted on its official X handle, the ministry said its air defence units engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 drones during the latest assault on March 14.
It added that the attacks left six people dead and 141 others injured, including foreign nationals.
“The UAE air defence systems on March 14 engaged nine ballistic missiles and 33 UAVs launched from Iran,” the ministry stated.
“Since the onset of this blatant Iranian aggression, UAE air defences have engaged 294 ballistic missiles, 15 cruise missiles, and 1,600 UAVs launched from Iran,” UAE added.
According to the ministry, those killed in the attacks included citizens of the UAE as well as foreign nationals from Pakistan, Nepal and Bangladesh.
“Although the authorities did not specify the exact locations where the casualties occurred, the ministry said the injured victims were from several countries, including Nigeria.
Others affected include residents from Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, the Philippines, Pakistan, Iran, India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka.
The list also included Azerbaijan, Yemen, Uganda, Eritrea, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Bahrain, Comoros, Türkiye, Iraq, Nepal, Oman, Jordan, Palestine, Ghana, Indonesia and Sweden.
The Tide reports that this development has sparked concern among Nigerian communities in the UAE, where thousands of citizens live and work in sectors such as construction, hospitality, logistics and trade.
Data from Nigeria’s diaspora commission shows that the UAE remains one of the largest destinations for Nigerian migrants in the Middle East, particularly in the emirates of Dubai, Abu Dhabi and Sharjah.
The Nigerian government had in recent years raised concerns over the safety and welfare of its citizens in the country following diplomatic tensions and visa restrictions affecting Nigerians.
Saturday’s attacks have now heightened anxieties within the diaspora community, especially as the Gulf region faces growing military confrontations.
In its statement, the UAE Ministry of Defence said the country remained fully prepared to confront any threats to its security.
“The Ministry of Defence remains fully prepared and ready to deal with any threats and will firmly confront any attempts to undermine state security in a manner that ensures the protection of its sovereignty, security and stability, and safeguards its national interests and capabilities,” the ministry said.
In a separate update, the ministry noted that its defence systems were still actively intercepting missiles and drones.
“UAE air defences are dealing with Iranian ballistic and cruise missiles and drones,” it said.
Regional media reports indicate that the attacks form part of a wider escalation of hostilities between Iran and Western-backed forces in the Middle East.
According to Al Jazeera, Iran has continued sustained missile and drone strikes across the Gulf despite protests from neighbouring states.
The strikes were said to be in retaliation for military operations launched by the United States and Israel against Iranian positions in the region.
Tehran targeted several Gulf countries, including Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the UAE, late on Friday and into Saturday.
The attacks also caused infrastructural damage in parts of the UAE.
Meanwhile, Iran’s elite military wing, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps, warned that US interests in the UAE would remain legitimate targets.
Iranian state media reported that the group issued the warning after US forces attacked Iranian-controlled islands.
The IRGC specifically mentioned ports, docks and military installations linked to the United States as potential targets.
It also urged residents in the UAE to evacuate areas around ports and military facilities to avoid civilian casualties.
Security analysts say the growing exchange of threats and strike across the Gulf could destabilise the region’s economic and aviation activities if the conflict escalates further.
Nigeria’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs has yet to issue an official statement on the incident as of the time of filing this report.
Rivers State Governor, Sir Siminalayi Fubara, has charged the five new commissioners sworn-in last Wednesday to put in their best for the development of the State.
Fubara gave the charge during the swearing-in of the commissioners at the Executive Council Chambers of the Government House, Port Harcourt, last Wednesday.
This followed the successful screening of the five commissioners by the Rivers State House of Assembly, last Tuesday.
The five commissioners are Tonye Bellgam, Prof. Temple Nwofor, Dr. Peters Nwagor, Mr. Lekue Kenneth, and Sir Amairigha Edward Hart.
The Tide reports that the governor had sent nine commissioner-nominees to the Assembly for screening, but the Assembly confirmed only five nominees and rejected the nomination of four over various allegations.
Those rejected by the Assembly are Prof. Dantonye Alasia, Mrs. Charity Demua, Mr. Tamuno Williams, and Otonye Amachree.
The governor congratulated the new commissioners on their appointment, noting that their thorough screening by the Rivers State House of Assembly was a proof of their capabilities.
He urged them to deploy their wealth of experience in various fields and put the State on a fast lane of development.
“Ordinarily, I am supposed to charge you on your responsibilities and how to operate. But that has been taken care of by the screening at the Assembly.
“I believe that going through one of the most rigorous screenings, it is enough to say that for those of you who succeeded, you are fit and ready to deliver to our dear State.
“So there is no further charge. The screening was the charge, so I wish you the best as I don’t expect anything less than the best from you,” Fubara said.
The Nigerian Navy has intensified its crackdown on crude oil theft and illegal bunkering, destroying a reactivated illegal refinery site in Rivers State and intercepting suspected stolen petroleum products in Calabar, Cross River State.
The Director of Naval Information, Capt Abiodun Folorunsho, disclosed this in a statement released in Abuja, yesterday.
Folorunsho said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship SOROH, operating under Operation DELTA SENTINEL, destroyed a reactivated illegal refinery site at Okolomade Community in Abua-Odual Local Government Area of Rivers State.
He said the action followed credible intelligence that a previously dismantled illegal refining site had resumed operations.
According to him, an Anti–Crude Oil Theft team deployed to the location discovered that the dismantled refining oven had been reconstructed.
“Further exploitation of the area led to the discovery of additional refining equipment and storage facilities containing about 3,000 litres of product suspected to be illegally refined Automotive Gas Oil (AGO),” he said.
Folorunsho added that the illegal refining infrastructure, including ovens, storage tanks, hoses, connected pipes and newly acquired metal components used for illegal refining, was destroyed in line with operational procedures.
He said personnel of the Nigerian Navy Ship Victory, in another operation, intercepted about 3,950 litres of suspected stolen petroleum products at the Nigerian Ports Authority area in Calabar, Cross River State.
He said the interception was based on credible intelligence on suspected siphoning of petroleum products from vessels berthed at the port.
The naval patrol team, according to him, swiftly deployed to the area and traced the illegally siphoned products to a trailer park within the port facility.
“On sighting the naval patrol team, the suspected perpetrators fled the scene, after which the area was cordoned off and the illegally siphoned products secured,” he said.
Folorunsho said further inspection led to the recovery of about 3,950 litres of Automotive Gas Oil stored in drums and jerrycans, which had been evacuated to the naval base for further necessary action in line with extant regulations.
He noted that the successes aligned with the directive of the Chief of the Naval Staff, Vice Adm. Idi Abbas, to intensify operations against crude oil theft and other maritime crimes across Nigeria’s maritime domain.
Folorunsho reiterated the Navy’s commitment to sustaining the operational tempo of Operation DELTA SENTINEL through intensified surveillance, patrols and intelligence-driven operations aimed at combating crude oil theft, illegal bunkering and other forms of economic sabotage.