Politics
Anambra: 96 In Court Over Electoral Offences
Ninety-six persons arrested during the February 6 governorship election in Anambra for electoral offences were on Friday arraigned before a Chief Magistrate’s court in Awka.
Lead Police Prosecutor, Mr. Adams Saleh, told Chief Magistrate Ngozi Okolonji that the suspects had planned to disrupt the election.
He said the suspects were, however, arrested by men of the Special Anti Robbery Squad on Feb. 5 at Amansea, near Awka.
All the accused persons pleaded not guilty to the charges against them. The defence counsel, Mr. Vincent Obeta, told the court that the accused were innocent, adding that they had been in detention since their arrest.
He asked for bail for the suspects which was granted in the sum of N20,000 each, with a surety residing within the jurisdiction of the court.
Many of the accused persons could not immediately get sureties.
The accused, who were paraded after the election by DIG John Ahmadu, were alleged to have attempted to hijack electoral materials.
Their arraignment was delayed till Friday due to the strike by judiciary workers which paralysed court sittings.
In another development, the Enugu State Local Government Election Petitions Tribunal has further adjourned all cases before it to April 1. All the seven petitions before it were first adjourned to March 26 to enable parties in the matter receive service. The Enugu council polls were conducted on December 5, 2009.
A further adjournment, however, became necessary when the tribunal on Friday discovered that pre-trial forms, a requirement for the cases, had not been served on the parties.
The tribunal then adjourned the next sittings to April 1, 9 and 16, to also allow for due exchange of briefs among counsel.
The tribunal also fixed April 16 for determination of whether one of the petitioners could withdraw from the suit, even before commencement of hearing.
Mr Bernard Eze, a candidate of the Progressives Peoples Alliance (PPA) for Igbo Eze South Local Government Council poll, had applied to withdraw as a petitioner in the suit.
A mild drama ensued when Eze’s counsel, Ikenna Aroh, opposed the application which was contained in a written letter to the tribunal.
But opposing counsel in the petition argued that the petitioner’s application was in order as he had the right to institute or withdraw from a suit on his own volition.
The Chairman of the three-man panel, Chinedu Ezeugwu, said the adjournment was necessary to enable the tribunal determine the matter.
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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