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PDP Threatens To Boycott 2019 Polls …APC Govt Threatening Democracy, Turaki Warns

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The leadership of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) has threatened to pull out of the 2019 general elections if the electoral umpire and security agencies fail to demonstrate sufficient level of impartiality expected from them by Nigerians.
National Chairman of the party, Prince Uche Secondus stated this at the party’s national secretariat, yesterday while playing host to a combined delegation of the International Republican Institute (IRI) and the National Democratic Institute (NDI).
Secondus, who lamented what he called the manipulation of vote figures by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) in the recently concluded Ekiti governorship election in favour of the All Progressives Congress (APC), also accused the Nigerian Police of chasing away PDP agents from various polling centres particularly areas known to be its strongholds.
“We are still contemplating on whether we will participate in the 2019 elections or not. We are yet to take a decision on this.
“We are not sure that the security agencies and INEC would be impartial and transparent. In the Ekiti elections, there were instances our party agents’ tags were removed and given to the APC agents.
“There were clear cases of manipulation, ballot snatching and harassment of our party agents,” Secondus said.
However, a frontline PDP presidential aspirant, Kabiru Tanimu Turaki, SAN, has said that the war against terror in the country has remained intractable because the current APC-led administration has failed to embrace global best practices of carrot and stick.
Speaking at a news conference in Minna, the Niger State capital, yesterday, Turaki, who was the chairman, Presidential Committee on Dialogue and Peaceful Resolution of Security Challenges in the North-East during the former President Goodluck Jonathan administration, explained that they were able to push Boko Haram insurgents to the fringes of the country and also conducted the 2015 elections in the frontline states of Borno, Yobe and Adamawa by adopting the time-tested practices.
He said: “Unfortunately, the APC-led government failed to continue the battle from where the PDP left off, and worse still, the government abandoned the all-inclusive recommendations left behind for it. Hence, the reversal in fortunes in spite of the claim to have ‘technically’ degraded the Boko Haram.”
“There is nowhere in the history of nations that fought terror,” he said, “where terrorism was fought decisively and squarely based on open and direct or indirect confrontation between insurgents and the military.”
He noted that when terrorism is based on a dogma as in the case of Boko Haram, whether misguided or not, there was need he said, to take the dogma out of the minds of insurgents who have surrendered because when you win the battle, you have to win the war.
Furthermore, he said, you need to engage such insurgents in a serious re-orientation. You need also to ensure that they learn skills to become productive members of the society, in addition to making conscious efforts to re-integrate them into the society, he added.
Unfortunately, these are not options which this government is pursuing and that is why they are failing, he noted.
The presidential aspirant who recalled that the September 11, 2001 terror attacks in the U.S.. were allegedly attributed to institutional rivalry noted that the Nigerian case is even worse, as the security agencies are working at cross-purposes as earlier revealed by a senior official of government before a National Assembly Committee.
“How then can they take advantage of each agency’s comparative advantage in intelligence gathering, analyzing and implementing the information collated?” he asked.
Worse still, he said, there had been no leadership capable of taking decisive decisions to put an end to the rivalry, thereby putting the protection of lives and property in jeopardy.
“This certainly shall not be tolerated if Nigerians give me the mandate to lead,” he said.
Turaki also stressed that the Nigerian Project must not be allowed to fail.
Speaking at the formal presentation of his Letter of Intent to contest the PDP presidential primary to the party’s Board of Trustees in Abuja, Turaki said that if the Nigerian Project is allowed to fail, God forbids, its disastrous consequences on Africa would be better imagined than experienced.
The Senior Advocate of Nigeria noted that the maladministration of the APC is threatening the fabrics of the National as indivisible and indissoluble entity under God.
He regretted that the APC government is misusing its understanding of the dynamics, complexities and intricacies of power to oppress Nigerians in its desperation to hold on to power at all costs.
Turaki said: “For the first time, everybody is dissatisfied with the Nigerian Project. Today, the economy is in doldrums. Nigerians have never been so divided. Today, we have a government that discriminates while Nigerians are not only hungry, but angry because of poverty, hunger and killings. Never in the history of this nation had there been this trenchant agitation for self-determination.”
He condemned the situation where security agencies were working at cross-purposes with the leadership lacking the capacity to call them to order.
“I have the capacity,” he said, “to provide a more reliable, safe and workable security architecture because security is key to attracting investment.”
The aspirant promised to strengthen the bond between the Executive and the Legislature, accord the Judiciary its due and respect the rule of law, in sharp contrast to the distasteful disposition of the APC to constitutional governance.
He decried the situation where for the first time, a government has failed to appoint either an Economic Adviser or have an Economic Team, and promised to appoint seasoned economic experts backed by robust policies to take the country out of the economic quagmire that the APC’s clueless administration had foisted on the people.
Turaki restated his belief in the principle of restructuring from the perspectives of devolution of power, true federalism, resource control, true fiscal federalism, statism and state police, noting that the report of the 2014 National Conference of which he was a member had the answers to these problems, but that the APC dumped it.
He said that the PDP has a historic mission to elect a well-educated, intelligent, young, dynamic and courageous candidate to defeat the APC’s candidate in 2019 to rekindle hope in Nigerians so that they can have confidence in themselves and the country, and also have trust in the leadership.
Chairman, PDP Board of Trustees, Alhaji Walid Jibrin, who described the aspirant as an able and reliable member, announced that a 12-member committee would be set up to interact with all presidential aspirants because the party wants to avoid mistakes by choosing a candidate acceptable to Nigerians.
Acting Secretary of the board and former Senate President, Adolphus Wabara, who noted that ‘Turaki seemed to be up to the task’ considering his awesome knowledge and solutions proffered to Nigeria’s problems, however, urged the party to avoid imposition and impunity in the selection of its candidates.

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Rivers DPOs Receive Awards For Outstanding Performance In Crime Prevention …As Students, Media Group Honour CSP Worgu, CSP Yusuf

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Two Divisional Police Officers (DPOs) in Rivers State have been honoured by separate groups for their contributions to security, crime prevention and improved community-police relations in their respective areas of responsibility.

The beneficiaries are the DPO of Afam Police Division, CSP  Endurance Worgu and his counterpart at Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf.

CSP Worgu was honoured by a group of students under the aegis of Rivers State Graduate Students Associations for what they described as his commitment and outstanding performance in the discharge of his duties.

The students, led by  Chidi John Enyie, Esq. said CSP Worgu was selected based on his track record and status as one of the longest-serving young DPOs of Rivers State origin.

According to the group, CSP Worgu has made significant contributions to the protection of lives and property in the area since assuming office following the #EndSARS period.

The students said they were particularly impressed by the improvement in community-police relations under his leadership, noting that professionalism had remained a key feature of his service.

Enyie represented by Comrade Briggs Soku, said the students community was pleased to identify with a Rivers indigene who had distinguished himself in the police force.

He said the students considered it necessary to encourage and celebrate CSP Worgu because of his achievements as a young Rivers man excelling in a profession that many people from the state were often reluctant to join.

Receiving the award at his office in Afam, CSP Worgu expressed gratitude to God and the students for finding him worthy of the honour.

The DPO said the recognition had boosted his morale and encouraged him to sustain his efforts towards maintaining peace and security in the area.

He said he least expected the honour, particularly because it came from the students, adding that the recognition would further motivate him to serve the people better.

CSP Worgu assured residents of Afam that the police would sustain the existing peace in the area.

He appealed to members of the public to support the police by providing credible and timely information, stressing that useful information from residents would make the job of security personnel easier.

Meanwhile, the Ikwerre/Etche Media Association has also honoured the DPO of Oyigbo Police Division, CSP Bello Yusuf, for his efforts in tackling criminal activities in the area.

The media group presented the award following the swift tracking and arrest of five suspected kidnappers who had allegedly terrorised residents of the Kom-Kom axis and other parts of Oyigbo.

The group commended CSP Bello for what it described as his determined efforts to restore confidence and security in the affected communities, particularly Kom-Kom and Obeama.

According to the group, the arrest of the suspects demonstrated the DPO’s commitment to tackling criminality and safeguarding residents.

The media association said residents had received the development with relief, noting that the police action had sent a strong message to criminal elements operating in the area.

Responding, CSP Yusuf appreciated the group for the recognition and reaffirmed that there would be no room for criminality in Oyigbo.

He also commended the media for its role in disseminating credible information to the public, saying the media had remained supportive of the police in the fight against crime.

CSP Yusuf warned criminal elements operating in Oyigbo to leave the area or be prepared to face the full weight of the law.

He assured residents that the police would continue to pursue criminals and work to dismantle their hideouts, regardless of where they might be operating.

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College Of Bishops Endorses Tinubu, APC Candidates  For 2027 Polls

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The 5000 Achievers Christian Forum and Colleges of Bishops, Archbishops and Apostles, a Christian interdenominational organisation, has endorsed President Bola Ahmed Tinubu and all candidates of the All Progressives Congress (APC) in Rivers State for the 2027 general elections.

International President of the forum, Archbishop Lucky Aroh, disclosed this during the ordination and consecration of three new Bishops, as well as an award ceremony held in Port Harcourt.

Aroh said the performance of the APC-led Federal Government had endeared the party to the organisation, prompting the forum to declare its support for President Tinubu and other APC candidates in Rivers State.

He said the forum would support all APC candidates in the state during the 2027 elections and urged Nigerians to vote for the party.

Aroh, who is also the General Overseer of Caring Peoples Church, Port Harcourt, charged the newly consecrated Bishops to see their new positions as a great responsibility and dedicate themselves to the advancement of the kingdom of God.

He cautioned them against conduct capable of bringing their offices into disrepute, stressing that their activities would be closely watched by members of the public.

“As Bishops, the eyes of the public are on your activities. You must therefore conduct yourselves in a manner worthy of your calling,” he said.

Also speaking, the International Coordinator of the forum, Bishop Saint Robinson, urged the newly consecrated Bishops to work diligently towards winning souls for the kingdom of God.

Robinson, who was the guest speaker at the event, stressed that the activities of Bishops must at all times be guided by godly principles.

He also called on members of the church to support and cooperate with the newly consecrated Bishops in the discharge of their responsibilities.

The Secretary of the College, Apostle Elizabeth Ayadi Abaye, said the organisation was established to advance the kingdom of God and promote spiritual development.

According to her, the forum has organised several crusades, conferences, prayer meetings, ordinations, consecrations, enthronements, empowerment programmes and other spiritual development activities across the country as part of efforts to win souls for Christ.

Abaye said the organisation has members across the world and disclosed that more programmes had been scheduled to promote the spiritual development and wellbeing of humanity.

The three Bishops consecrated at the ceremony were Prince Alban Chike, Testimony Omenihu Shedrach and Prince Ifemena.

Among those honoured at the event were the Chairman of the Community Development Committee (CDC), Abali Community, Port Harcourt City Local Government Area, Manuchimso Prince Lemmy Wopara, and Clifford Oko Jaja, Coordinator of the 5,000 House-to-House for President Tinubu.

By: John Bibor

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Police Arrest Fake Soldier, Others For Armed Robbery, Kidnapping

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The Rivers State Police Command has arrested a 49-year-old suspected fake soldier, Andrew Atausi, and several other suspects in connection with various criminal activities, including kidnapping, armed robbery, cultism, one-chance robbery and the alleged murder of police officers.

The State Commissioner of Police, CP Olugbenga Adepoju, disclosed this in Port Harcourt, recently during a press briefing at the Command Headquarters, where he said the arrests formed part of the operational achievements recorded by the Command between June and August 2026.

Adepoju said Atausi was arrested on August 10 by police operatives along Ada George, Port Harcourt, while dressed in military uniform and driving a Toyota Hilux painted in Army colours.

The Commissioner said investigation revealed that Atausi was not a member of the Armed Forces, adding that he was suspected to be a serial car snatcher, with three suspected stolen vehicles recovered from him.

He said the recovered vehicles included three Toyota Hilux vehicles without registration numbers and a Toyota Corona Premio with registration number BNY 380 ES, noting that the chassis and engine numbers of the vehicles had allegedly been tampered with.

Adepoju added that an axe and military accoutrements were also recovered from Atausi, as investigation continued into the circumstances surrounding the vehicles and other items recovered from him.

On the June 29 attack on police officers at Aluu Division, the Commissioner said three members of the gang allegedly responsible for the incident had been arrested by operatives of the Violent Crime Response Unit, VCRU-AKU.

The suspects, identified as Maduabuchi Emeka, 34, alleged gang leader; Doctor Chinedu Owhor, 42, and Kamachi Joe, 28, alleged armourer, reportedly led operatives to their hideout at Omagwa where two AK-47 rifles stolen during the attack were recovered.

Adepoju recalled that two police officers were killed during the Aluu attack, while others were wounded and one officer had his leg amputated, stressing that efforts were ongoing to apprehend the fourth suspect.

On kidnapping, the Commissioner said five members of a suspected kidnapping syndicate were arrested in Oyigbo Local Government Area, adding that they allegedly confessed to operations in Kom-Kom, Railway, Obeama and Afam communities.

He said two other suspects from the same network, Anele Ogbogu, 35, alleged to be the gang’s armourer, and Kenneth Eke, 38, were arrested on July 27, with one AK-47 rifle and one SMG rifle recovered.

The Commissioner further disclosed the arrest of suspects in connection with alleged firearm offences, armed robbery, cultism and one-chance robbery, with firearms, ammunition and other exhibits recovered during the operations.

Adepoju assured residents that the Command would sustain intelligence-led, proactive and community-oriented policing in collaboration with other security agencies, while urging members of the public to continue providing credible information that would assist the police in combating crime across Rivers State.

By; King Onunwor

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