Politics
10th NASS Leadership: We Can’t Discuss Zoning Without Tinubu – APC
The National Working Committee of the All Progressives Congress failed to take a decision on the zoning of the senate presidency and speakership of the 10th National Assembly during its meeting in Abuja on Wednesday.
The National Chairman of the APC, Senator Abdullahi Adamu, disclosed that the NWC could not take a position on the zoning arrangement without the input of the President-elect, Asiwaju Bola Tinubu, who was away in Port Harcourt to inaugurate some projects executed by the Rivers State Governor, Nyesom Wike, at the time of the meeting.
The four-hour meeting, which started at about 1 pm was presided by Adamu with no fewer than 18 of the 24-member NWC in attendance.
The parley was expected to lay to rest the speculations about the zone that would produce the principal officers of the 10th National Assembly.
While the South-East and South-South lawmakers believed it is equitable to award the Senate Presidency to their zones, their Northern counterparts are insisting that only the parameters of competence and experience mattered.
Addressing newsmen after the end of the parley, the chairman disclosed that they had a meaningful deliberation that further connotes that the party leadership remains more formidable and united.
Adamu said, “The outcome of our four-hour meeting: We came out more formidable and united than anything. The zoning of presiding officers of the National Assembly that some of you are asking about is not what today’s meeting is all about. When we want to do zoning, we don’t just go alone as a party.
Zoning is to take along the person who has the mandate of the country, the president-elect in the person of Ahmed Bola Tinubu. We have to take him along. He travelled after the elections and came back only last week. We have to carry him along.
“Also, we cannot stop those who are ambitious with zonal, individual or institutional interests. We cannot deny them. For as long as that is there, we have to find a persuasive manner to get some level of consensus. That is what we are working on. It is not a one-day affair.”
In a similar vein, the National Publicity Secretary of the party, Felix Morka, re-echoed the sentiments of the chairman when asked about the outcome of the NWC meeting.
Morka also confirmed that a committee, comprising five of the six NWC zonal chairmen, has been formed to resolve the lingering feud between Adamu and the Vice Chairman (North West), Lukman, as well as address the concerns raised by the Kaduna politician.
He said, “Amongst all of the issues discussed at the meeting, we looked at some internal and domestic housekeeping matters with a colleague that you know who has expressed his concerns about something he believes the party should be doing. We deliberated fully about it.
“As we speak, a committee that was set up to complete that conversation is in progress right now. So, there is still a meeting that is ongoing that I am supposed to be part of to fully rectify that discussion and offer final recommendations on that subject.
“But I am happy to report that the party stands united behind the leadership of the National Chairman of our party, Senator Abdullahi Adamu. We are all standing together. The concerns raised by our colleague (Lukman) who has concerns, are being looked into. And I think in due course, we will have very specific conclusions from those discussions.”
When asked to explain why the ruling party was delaying the decision on the zoning of the Senate presidency, speaker and other principal offices, Morka noted that it wasn’t deliberate as was being speculated.
He added, “We are not wasting time. There is no timeline to do so. The zoning is something that the party does. It is a mechanism by which the party is able to make decisions and afford those who are interested in competing for power in the leadership of the 10th National Assembly to do so seamlessly with a minimum rift and rancour.
”So there is no timeline to that. We are not in a hurry. We want to do it right. You also heard the chairman say it required very exhaustive consultation. Not just from the leadership of the party but also from those who are aspiring so that whatever the party comes up with, by way of formula, will be acceptable with minimum friction. It is important that the consultation is done and it is done properly. That is what is going on right now.”
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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The European Union (EU) says it will end its five-year Agents for Citizen-Driven Transformation (ACT) programme aimed at enhancing the capacity of Civil Society Organisations (CSOs) in Nigeria, on April 14. Mr Damilare Babalola, the National Programme Manager, ACT, said this on Tuesday at a brief event in Port Harcourt. Babalola said that the conclusion of the programme would automatically mean an end for the 21 CSOs based in Rivers. He stated that the EU-funded programme, valued at 13.1 million euros, was executed by the British Council across 10 states, with a presence in the 36 states of the federation. “The programmes’ goals are to assist CSOs in becoming more credible, accountable and effective agents of change, for sustainable development in Nigeria. “The implementation focussed on providing capacity-building skills, referred to as capacity development support to CSOs, to enhance their effectiveness. “Additionally, it aimed to evaluate the regulatory environment for CSOs and promote strategic coordination among them and other key stakeholders in terms of collaboration and advocate, for appropriate legislation and regulations,” he explained. Babalola identified the benefitting states as Adamawa, Borno, Edo, Enugu, Kano, Lagos, Plateau, Rivers, Sokoto and the Federal Capital Territory (FCT). “The ACT programme commenced in 2019 and will officially conclude on April 14, marking the end of five-years of active implementation in the country. “Rivers was among the states where we initiated the programme during our phase two launch in 2020, and we are here to formally close the ACT programme in the state. “ACT has addressed significant challenges affecting the effectiveness and impact of civil societies, especially in creating an enabling regulatory environment,” he added. He expressed confidence that in spite of ACT’s departure from the country, civil society groups have gained sufficient capacity to effectively carry out their responsibilities in their respective focus areas within the communities. The programme manager noted that 273 CSOs benefitted from the programme across the country, with 233 CSOs receiving capacity-building training and 40 others trained to enhance regulatory conditions. In his remark, ACT Rivers Focal Person, Mr Temple Oraeki, emphasised the importance of CSOs collaborating with the state government and international donor agencies to advance their programmes and projects within the communities. “The 21 CSOs, comprising of eight community-based organisations and three network coalitions in Rivers, now serve as our ambassadors, equipped to make positive impact in society. “Therefore, we are leaving behind organisations that are credible partners for the government and international donor agencies to execute their programmes in communities,” he said. Gov. Siminialayi Fubara of Rivers, expressed the state’s readiness to engage with CSOs to implement government policies and programmes in the various communities where they operate. Represented by Diokuma Ismael, the Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism, Fubara lauded the EU and British Council for their interventions in the state. “The success of the ACT programme has undoubtedly enhanced the value of civil society organisations in the state and nationwide. “We are prepared to partner with the CSOs that have impacted communities, once all necessary documentations are concluded. “However, it is crucial for CSOs to adhere to proper regulations, to enable the government to identify with them for sustainable development,” he said. Fubara urged the civil society groups to align with the state government’s policy to drive positive change in the communities.