News
APC NEC’s Decision Splits Party …As Governors, Lawmakers Threaten Mass Defection
There are strong indications that the All Progressives Congress (APC) may be heading for a crash as the leadership has now been split along ideological lines.
This followed decisions by the National Executive Committee (NEC) as regards the mode of the party’s primary elections.
The NEC had decided that: “primary elections into all elective offices shall be by the direct and indirect election or by consensus. The use of the direct and indirect primaries shall, however, depend on the peculiarity and need of a given State.
“The adopted mode shall now be applied to all categories of the party’s primary elections, i.e. state Assembly, Senate, House of Representatives and for the governorship elections”.
But many chieftains, elected officials and members of the party have cried foul.
According to them, subjecting some states and positions to indirect primaries was to enable certain persons to call the shot and determine who gets what.
However, President Muhammadu Buhari is believed to have, yesterday morning, read the riot act to party chieftains bent on stoking crisis in the APC over the use of direct primary in the selection of the party’s candidates for elections.
The president’s rebuke of those orchestrating the destabilization plot came as the APC, yesterday morning, warned those being used to stoke the crisis to step off warning that stern disciplinary action would be taken against them.
The group reportedly being egged on by a few governors with a two term southern governor in charge had scheduled to hold a meeting for Sunday afternoon at the Transcorp Hilton Hotel, Abuja.
The principal aim of the meeting is to call for the dissolution of the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led National Working Committee (NWC).
The southern governor who is championing to have his son in law as his successor, according to sources, was mobilizing to truncate the party’s decision on the use of direct primary as it could jeopardize his succession agenda and also truncate the governor’s own plan of proceeding to the Senate.
Members of the National Executive Committee (NEC) who do not belong to the NWC, it was gathered, were those being mobilized to canvass for the dissolution of the Oshiomhole-led NWC.
“The president has stepped in and warned them to clear off,” a senior party source said, yesterday morning in response to the brewing crisis in the ruling party.
The president who is travelling in China was believed to have given the directive by phone to some of those pinpointed as being involved.
A number of governors are said to be unhappy over Oshiomhole’s insistence on the use of direct primary as they allege that it would jeopardize their efforts to plant their associates.
Governors who normally have the control of the party structures are able to through the delegates that are loyal to them able to foist their choices as candidates in elections.
A statement by APC National Publicity Secretary, Yekini Nabena, yesterday, confirmed that the NEC decisions have triggered internal crisis.
He said: “The attention of the National Working Committee (NWC) has been drawn to an illegal meeting scheduled to hold on Sunday (yesterday) at Transcorp Hilton Hotel in Abuja by some members of our party organs, with a view to fault the decisions made by the NWC followed by the National Executive Committee (NEC) as regards the mode of the party’s primary elections.
“We want to state clearly that the meeting which has been fixed for 2pm is illegal and an attempt to puncture the sincere efforts being made by the Comrade Adams Oshiomhole-led NWC to reposition our party ahead the 2019 General Elections and to ensure unity, equity and justice in the party.
“The outcome of such meeting which is already known will be a nullity and we admonish our members to disregard such meetings in the interest of the party. It is illegal to call such meetings outside the purview of the constituted authority.
“The identities of those plotting such meetings have been identified and unless they desist from such they will be dealt with in line with the party’s Constitution at the appropriate time.
“The NWC will resist any attempt to disrupt the current peace and harmony prevailing in our great party after the exit of some members of our party.
“We urge any member who is not satisfied with the decisions of the party to utillize channels provided by the party’s constitution to air their views.
“We remain focused in delivering good governance to Nigerians and above all ensuring the victory for our party come 2019, and we will not be intimidated by the antics of a few in ensuring success for our party”.
Meanwhile the National Working Committee of the APC has reviewed the nomination forms upward to the tune of N55million. While the Presidential Nomination form goes for N50million, the Expression of Interest Form costs N5million.
Also reviewed upward are the cost of nomination forms for the governorship, senatorial, House of Representatives and state House of Assembly forms.
When contacted, a governorship aspirant in Ogun State, Senator Adegbenga Kaka, urged the NWC of the APC to review downward the fee payable for the governorship nomination form.
He noted that as a progressive political party, the elective positions should not be for politicians with deep pockets.
He said, “As a progressive party, the APC should not deprive those who have something meaningful to contribute to the party and the society at large.”
A House of Representatives aspirant in Osun State, Hon Olalekan Badmus, described the nomination fee as too expensive.
He said he was confident that the party would review it downward.
Badmus said, “It is outrageous when compared to the PDP’s fees for the House of Representative which is N1.5million. The PDP did that with the intention of encouraging the younger politicians.”
The APC’s National Working Committee had proposed N55million as the cost of the nomination and expression of interest forms for the office of President, which is way higher than the N12million being charged by the opposition Peoples Democratic Party.
Those seeking the party’s nod to contest the state houses of assembly elections are asked to be prepared to part with N1.1million as against PDP’s N600,000, while for the House of Representatives, APC aspirants should are asked to pay N3.8million. The PDP is asking its aspirants to pay 1.5million to contest the tickets.
For the Senate, APC aspirants will pay N8.5million as against the N3.5million the PDP is asking from its aspirants for the same position.
Governorship aspirants of the ruling party are asked to pay N22.5million each to contest the ticket as against the N6million to be paid by their counterparts in the PDP.
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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