Politics

PDP: Time To Consolidate Is Now

Published

8 years ago

July 18, 2016

At last, a Federal High
Court in Port Harcourt on July 4, 2016 has finally barred the factional National Chairman of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), Senator Ali Modu Sheriff from office. The court’s judgement put a final seal to the coffin of Sheriff’s chairmanship, keeping him away from the secretariat of the party in Abuja. By the judgement, it is now clear that whatever agenda Sheriff had for or against the PDP is dead and buried.
A member of the Board of Trustees (BOT) of the party in an interview with newsmen before the judgement, said: “we know he has an agenda. He wants to kill the PDP and return to where he is coming from but that would not happen. He has been parading himself all over the place like a masquerade. Unfortunately, there is not much we can do to him now. Let us wait for the July 4 judgement. After that day, then, we will know who the chairman of the party is.”
Justice A. Liman of the Federal High Court, Port Harcourt had on May 24, ordered Sheriff and members of his National Working Committee (NWC) to stop parading themselves as officers of the party. That decision gave legal teeth to the May 21 Port Harcourt National Convention that produced the Ahmed Makarfi-led National Caretaker Committee of the PDP.
Justice Ibrahim Buba at the Federal High Court in Lagos had affirmed Sheriff and his faction as the national officers of the party.
The constitution of the party as provided in Section 43 stipulates that such powers are conferred on anybody by the National Convention of the party as held in Port Harcourt on May 21, 2016. On that day, the power was transferred to the Makarfi Committee through the convention. It was from that day that Sheriff ceased to be the national chairman of the party by law. The INEC officials were on hand to observe the convention.
Addressing the conven-tion which was attended by PDP members from the 36 States of the Federation including Abuja, former and sitting governors, senators and House of Representatives members, members of State Houses Assembly, BOT of the party and supporters, Rivers State Governor, Chief Ezebunwo Nyesom Wike who was chairman, National Planning Committee, said the event had showcased PDP as the largest and a united party in Nigeria and Africa at large.
He assured that the convention would be successful and that the PDP was working not only in Rivers State but also in Nigeria as a whole. Wike also assured the business community and investors that Rivers State was peaceful and well secure contrary to sponsored reports.
Also addressing the convention, the former Deputy National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, who declared it open, said the time had come for PDP members to come together and eschew all wrangling, knowing that the party was for the people.
According to him, only PDP can save the country from the difficult situation it is passing through, saying that the APC had failed. “There is general hunger and the populace is yearning for PDP to come to their rescue. We must make sacrifice since we cannot do anything outside the convention as the control switch of the party. We must make sure that PDP succeeds and remains together because the world is looking towards PDP to move the country forward.”
Speaking in an interview with The Tide, Secondus described the so-called division or crisis in the party as a mere distraction and not a crisis as being speculated, pointing out that there was no crisis in the party as what was happening so far was a mere distraction from a handful of members who were being used to create the scene that looked like a crisis. The party, he said, was intact and united even more than ever before, adding that the party was not in any crisis as all the members of the working committee, Board of Trustees and National Assembly members were intact and in support of the decisions reached at the party’s convention in Port Harcourt.
“The convention of any party is the highest decision-making body of the party and all party men are supposed to abide by it,” he said and advised Sheriff to read the party’s constitution and stop behaving the way he was going about things, if he was not being used by the ruling party to divide or weaken the opposition in the country.
In his speech, the BOT chairman, W. Jubril affirmed the board’s commitment to ensuring the oneness of the party and urged all members to remain resolute, cooperative and keep to the party’s constitution. He noted that the convention came at the right time when some members of the party were aggrieved and assured that they will all come together and return to the party.
“The party will come back to power in 2019. All problems will be addressed in line with our constitution,” he assured, calling on members to remain calm and supportive to the party and not to do anything that will create division and a different agenda.
Also speaking, Senate Deputy President, Ike Ekweremadu said, “today is a history of unity despite the opposition. We are reminding the world and Nigeria that we handed everything to APC. We stand for unity and by this time next year, we will be preparing to take over the government in 2019.”
Ondo State Governor, Olusegun Mimikko and PDP governors’ Forum chairman, in his remarks said, “We stand in absolute solidarity and will do everything possible to protect and make the party sand. Nigerians are clamouring for better governance. We were all prudent because we believed in the rule of law and democracy in all the 16 years of PDP and we got it perfectly well despite the criticisms. Ours was better than what people are seeing now.”
According to Mimikko, “there was prosperity in PDP’s rule and the party will do more than what it did, knowing that it owes the people the duty to provide good governors to rule the states. PDP governors are the best in Nigeria today. We should remain united.”
Former Senate President David Mark expressed optimism that the PDP would in 2019 elections sweep the pools, calling on members to untie and work together to achieve the goal. Chanting the slogan ‘change the change.’ Mark said “the people to change the change is PDP.”
At the convention, a resolution was passed to zone the presidency to the North in 2019 while a caretaker committee headed by Ahmed Makarfi was constituted and mandated to conduct an election within 90 days from the date of the convention, as well as reconcile all aggrieved persons and harmonise issues.
Meanwhile, there are indications that the end may be in sight for the lingering crisis in the leadership of the party as factional leaders, Senator Ali Modu Sheriff and Senator Ahmed Makarfi, have commenced negotiations on how to engender peace. Disclosing this at a press conference in Abuja recently, the immediate past National Vice Chairman of PDP for South-South, Dr. Cairo Ojougboh, said the Sheriff Camp had made its terms for truce known to the Makarfi group through an ‘intermediary.’
But Ojougboh insisted that any negotiation for peace must always consider that Sheriff remained the authentic chairman until a properly constituted convention of the party said otherwise. He declined to give other conditions outlined for peace to reign in the party.

Shedie Okpara

Politics

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

Published

3 days 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

3 days 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

3 days 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.